《The Little First Grand Secretary in My House》


 Chapter 1

    He knew he was dreaming again.


    This dream appeared in his life for decades, day and night, entangled, it seems to be deep into the bone marrow, but also like flesh and blood. I can''t throw it away, I can''t dig it away, and if I don''t come for a day, it seems that something is missing.


    But he had never had such a clear dream, so clear as if it was real.


    "Dog, why do you think you are so stubborn? Isn''t my money your money? What do you think I earn money for? Isn''t it just to support your studies and make you feel proud?"


    "Why do you say you are so stubborn! You say you are so stubborn, who are you showing your stubbornness to?!"


    "I know you don''t like me, but I''ve been like this for many years, and I can''t change it! I don''t plan to change it either!"


    "Look at Hong''er, does he look like you?"


    ...


    Xue Tingxiang suddenly felt that someone was shaking him, opened his tired eyes, and saw the dark inner room, Hu San''s face was no longer young, even the lines on the curtain were so familiar, he knew He was just dreaming.


    It''s just that the dream was too clear, the sorghum fragrance in the air, and the curve of her stubbornly pursed mouth made him feel like he was actually there. There are also her tears from being angry, crystal clear and shining with colorful light, he wanted to reach out to touch it, but someone woke him up.


    "My lord, it''s time to drink the medicine."


    Xue Tingxiang was propped up and given medicine. He was dying of illness, and he had to be served by someone even to drink medicine. How could he look like that extremely human minister Xue Shoufu who had ruled the court for decades.


    Oh no, he is not the chief assistant now.


    He has already written a letter to beg for the bones, intending to return to his hometown for the elderly, and the Holy Majesty has already agreed, but he has no home to return to, no relatives to rely on.


    In fact, he didn''t intend to go back.


    "Master Zhang, Mr. Wang, and Mr. Li and Mr. Cao all came to visit you, but they obeyed your orders and blocked the door. They come every day, and they are here again today. Would you like to see me?"


    What can they do? Didn''t they think that his illness was an expedient measure, waiting for him to stand up and continue to lead them to fight against the emperor, but he was really ill, terminally ill, and the medicine was useless.


    "not see."


    "My lord, please sleep a little longer."


    The room became quiet again, Xue Tingxiang''s eyelids began to get heavy again, he blinked again and again, and fell into sleep again.


    ...


    "How come Mr. Wang is free to visit this old man?"


    Wang Mingcheng''s eyes were a bit complicated, but he smiled on his face: "After all, I am a minister of the same court, and I should come to visit Mr. Shoufu because of emotion and reason."


    "I didn''t expect you, Wang Mingcheng, to say such hypocritical things, but to see if the old man is dying on behalf of the emperor?" Xue Tingxiang sarcastically said.


    He is obviously a haggard old man who is obviously dying, but just because of his calm, indifferent eyes that seem somewhat unpredictable, people dare not ignore him in the slightest.


    After all, this is Xue Shoufu, and the name alone is enough to intimidate everyone. That was Xue Tingxiang''s deep-rooted roots left by him after going through three dynasties and dozens of years, just like a towering ancient tree with intertwined roots, without him doing anything, just standing there is enough to make everyone daunting.


    If not, why would the new emperor have to exhaust all means, but still dare not act rashly, only dare to take that roundabout strategy.


    "It seems that my lord has misunderstood His Majesty a lot."


    Xue Tingxiang snorted and laughed, half closed his eyes, did not speak, and looked obviously too lazy to talk to him.


    "Actually, I''m here for myself. I just came to see how lonely and miserable the villain who abandoned his wife and son was now. I''m afraid Mr. Xue is dead now, and even a descendant in mourning None, in fact, Mr. Xue is too hard to see, it is just a show, just listen to it and watch it, how can you take the fake show as real and make yourself like this? Is it because of a disturbed conscience or fear? His true face is known by the world, he is reviled by others, and he will be stigmatized for thousands of years?"


    "you¡­¡­"


    "To say that you abandoned your wife and son is too much to save your face. It should be killing your wife and son, isn''t it, Mr. Xue?"


    No one knows about all this. The world only knows that Xue Shoufu had a first wife before Mrs. Xue, but they don''t know what happened to that first wife. After all, the time is too long, Xue Tingxiang has stood in the court hall for dozens of years, and his former, former and current opponents have all been trampled under his feet.


    People in the world only know that Mr. Shoufu is friendly and respectful to the corporals, but they don''t know that Mr. Shoufu also has a vicious side. In recent years, anyone who wanted to make a fuss about his past events all became lonely ghosts. No one knows how many ghosts have been added to it, and the only one who can know is Wang Mingsheng, the "bitter master".


    "You, you are..."


    Wang Mingcheng leaned closer to his face: "It''s a pity that my mother''s life is so bad, and so is my life. The sinking ship didn''t kill us, but was saved by others. Do you know that for so many years, day and night, I I want to see this scene every night. It''s a pity that your life is too long, and the power is in the hands of the people. I can only climb up step by step, to the position where I can step on you..."


    "You are... Hong''er..." Xue Tingxiang struggled to say this.


    Wang Mingsheng stood up straight and smiled heartily: "My name is not Hong''er, nor is my surname Xue, but my surname is Wang. My mother remarried, to the person who saved us...don''t get excited, even if You are dead now, and I am not your son..."


    Wang Mingsheng has always been known for being calm and introverted, hiding his secrets, and it was probably the first time he laughed so freely in front of people.


    "By the way, you don''t have to think that even if my official surname is Wang, I can still pass on the family lineage to your Xue family. Let me think about it. Yao Ji released the rumor that my official is as good as Long Yang back then, as if you ordered someone to do it. You really hit the mark, I don¡¯t like women, that¡¯s why I haven¡¯t married for many years..."


    He smiled and looked at the old man on the bed, seeing how shocked, disappointed and remorseful he was.


    But so what?


    He suddenly found that he was not as happy as he had imagined, and even this smile seemed too fake. He suddenly lost interest, flattened the corners of his mouth, brushed off his sleeves, and said, "Since Mr. Xue is fine, I will take my leave."


    ...


    "I didn''t, I didn''t..."


    "My lord, what are you talking about?"


    Hearing this voice, the fog in front of Xue Tingxiang suddenly dissipated, and he woke up suddenly from his dream. In front of the eyes is this dark inner room again, Hu San''s unattractive or even ugly face, the air is filled with a bitter smell of medicine, and there seems to be a decadent smell floating gently.


    Xue Tingxiang moved his lips, but no sound came out.


    "My lord, what did you say?"


    Hu San was very anxious, and kept asking, but Xue Tingxiang couldn''t speak at all. Hu San could only ask based on his own guess: "Are you thinking about the past? Don''t worry, your words have been passed on to Mr. Zhang , he already knows that Lord Wang is your only son, and will follow your instructions."


    Xue Tingxiang blinked his eyelids. Hu San thought he still had something to say, so he put his ear next to his mouth, but only heard one sentence: "I didn''t..."


    After that there is no text.


    When Hu San anxiously looked up, he saw Xue Tingxiang''s wide-open eyes and gray-blue face.


    He moved forward to touch the other person''s breath with shaking hands, but was so startled that he sat down on the ground.


    *


    The cold wind came in through the holed window paper, blowing Xue Gouzi''s face coldly.


    Shocked, he opened his eyes.


    What imprinted in my eyes was a small room with blue brick walls and black tile roof. The walls were plastered with white ash, but it looked gray. The beams of the house are log-colored, and because there is no dust, they are bare/exposed. There are several bamboo baskets hanging on them. There seems to be something in the baskets, and they are covered with blue cloth.


    He was lying on a kang with a half-new quilt covering his body. The quilt looked clean and tidy, but in fact the cotton wadding inside had hardened.


    Facing his kang feet, there is a row of dark brown kang cabinets, with brass bare nails inlaid with hinged leaves and copper tassel handles, and simple patterns of auspicious clouds and flowing water carved on them, which look thick and generous. . Although it is nothing in a rich family, it is already a piece of furniture that can be sold in a peasant family.


    There is no problem passing it down for generations!


    This is what his father said back then, and his father was the best carpenter in the village.


    Xue Gouzi felt his head hurt, as if he had been hit hard with a hoe. He wanted to support himself to sit up, but he was exhausted and fell back onto the kang again.


    It was only then that he realized that he was Xue Gouzi, the eldest son of the second room of the Xue family. Because of something that happened, he couldn''t think about it for a while, and he was so angry that he became ill for a while, and he had been sick for many days.


    He is not Xue Tingxiang, that Xue Tingxiang is the person in his dream.


    How could he be like that?


    In order to prove that all that was just a dream, he raised his hand to look at it.


    really! The hand in front of him was slender and fair, and he hadn''t developed the muscles and bones that a man should have. He was only fourteen this year, how could he live to be over seventy years old, and die in the end.


    Xue Gouzi let out a heavy breath, looked around again, and finally felt more at ease.


    Someone was talking outside, and the voice came in through the cracks in the window.


    "I''m talking about recruiting, it''s not my aunt talking about you, look at what you are now, a girl who stays at home all day, and learns from those small traders to do business. That business is what you can do. Did it? Look at your fourth uncle, you can¡¯t save a lot of money by running around outside every day, so don¡¯t worry about it, and if you have that little time, you can help fourth aunt with some work!¡±


    The voice sounded like a young woman, but the sarcasm in the words was too strong. It is said that appearance is born from the heart, and it is no wonder that Mrs. Sun has a mean face.


    This thought flashed subconsciously in Xue Gouzi''s mind, and then he was stunned. It''s true that he hated Fourth Aunt, but why would he miss her so much?


    Before he could figure out why, he heard the voice in his dream.


    "Fourth aunt, I would like to help you with some work, but you also know that the dog has been ill for a few days, and the family gave a few pennies for the medicine at first, but after taking it for half a month, grandma said that the family The money is not in hand, so I stopped the medicine. Gouzi is my man, I can''t just watch him be so sick, it''s not impossible for the fourth aunt to want me to help with the work, or you can lend me some money to buy medicine, I Can I pay you back slowly in the future?"


    The owner of the voice was a young girl, and the tone revealed a capable and crisp taste, mixed with a bit of teasing.


    That''s right, Zhao''er deliberately ran on the Sun family.


    Mrs. Sun has always had a temperament of only getting in and out, and it is more difficult to ask her to give out a penny, let alone lending it to the two half-children of the second room.


    Now there are only these two people left in the second room, the top door is only fourteen, but there is an older one, only sixteen, and it is still a girl''s family. Every time Mrs. Sun heard the rumors from the villagers that Zhao''er, a dead girl, had made some money by doing some business, she would be full of disbelief.


    What kind of business can this dead girl do to make money, but she digs three melons and two dates from the wild, and takes them out to trick the people in the city into exchanging a few pennies.


    "Your fourth aunt has no money to lend you. Our family''s money is all in mother''s place. You don''t care about mother''s going!" Sun patted her buttocks, stood up and went into the house, too lazy to talk nonsense with Zhao''er.


    "Since the fourth aunt has no money to lend me, and I don''t dare to take care of grandma, I can only figure out where to get some money to get some medicine for the dog!"


    Zhao''er''s voice was very loud, so naturally she was speaking not only to Mrs. Sun, but also to Mrs. Zhao who was sitting in the main room.


    Sure enough, Zhao''er entered the house with his front foot, and Mrs. Zhao stood at the door behind him and scolded Mrs. Sun: "You haven''t cleaned the pigsty, so you''re going back to the house to hold a corpse?"


    Zhao''er curled her lips, lifted the door curtain and walked in, bumping head-on into Xue Gouzi''s eyes looking at her.

 Chapter 2

    Xue Gouzi has been ill for several days, his face is thin and out of shape, and his eyes are getting bigger and bigger.


    Zhao''er has always thought that the little man''s eyes are the most beautiful eyes in the world, although these eyes are always disgusted and resistant when facing her.


    In fact, Xue Gouzi''s eyes are the only ones that look good. He has been weak since he was born, and the second wife and his wife managed to support him, and they are usually spoiled. The boys of his age in the village were all dark-skinned and as strong as a calf, but he was pale, emaciated, silent and taciturn.


    But Zhao''er has always been domineering, and never allowed anyone to talk about a little man, and whoever said she was in a hurry. Because of this incident, she had fought with many girls and boys in the village, although some people still said it behind their backs, no one dared to point fingers in front of others.


    Zhao''er always felt that the little man''s eyes were weird today, and he avoided them uncomfortably.


    She knew that the little man must be angry again, and he didn''t like her saying things like ''the dog is my man'' the most. Every time he heard her say such things, he would ignore her for a few days. In fact, Zhao''er has to face, but she is the child bride-in-law of the Xue family''s second room. If she didn''t claim to be like this, how could she have the right to challenge the fourth aunt, Sun''s.


    "Are you hungry? Look what I brought back for you?"


    Zhao''er turned her head and put all these troubles behind her, and took out a paper bag from her pocket. Opening the paper bag, there are two steamed buns inside. They are white and plump, and people like it when they look at them.


    "Eat quickly, while it''s still warm." She smiled and stuffed the paper bag into the little man''s hand, while putting the pannier on her shoulders in the corner.


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her.


    The girl in front of her was in her twenties and eighth year, and her skin was the wheat color that is common among girls in the country, but Zhao''er''s complexion was very different from others, it was smooth and radiant, as if she had been smeared with honey. He has a tall nose bridge, a pair of medium-sized eyes, and swarthy pupils. When he smiles, there is a flash of inspiration in him, and he looks lively.


    Zhao''er''s stature is taller than ordinary girls, and she is well-developed, front/convex/backward, full of youthful vigor.


    It was so vivid, as vivid as in his dream.


    He unconsciously took the steamed stuffed bun and gnawed on it. Seeing this trick, he smiled even more happily. He went to the kitchen and poured him a bowl of water, which he placed next to his hand. On the other hand, he bent down to tidy up the scattered quilts on the kang, thinking about what to cook for him at night to nourish his body.


    Finally, the little man got better, so he had to continue to drink the medicine, and he had to drink a few more to strengthen it. From this, he naturally began to calculate the little money left in his hand, and think of a way to get some money, so as to solve the urgent need.


    "Have you eaten yet?" Xue Gouzi asked.


    This kind of behavior rarely happens to him, so Zhao''er can''t help but look up at the little man sitting on the kang.


    In fact, the little man has a handsome appearance, which is different from the fair skin of the countrymen. The corners of his eyes are slightly raised, and the curvature makes his face a little more delicate and handsome. It''s just that the little man always hangs his head halfway on weekdays, with a gloomy and silent temperament, and is too thin, so he is not conspicuous in front of others.


    Zhao''er''s eyes warmed up, her smile widened, and she said cracklingly, "Eat, I ate it outside, this is for you."


    After she finished speaking, she realized that she had slipped her mouth. She waited for the little man to show a disgusted expression, or to condemn her daughter''s family for running around, but he didn''t say anything, as if he had something on his mind. Head eating buns.


    Zhao''er couldn''t help heaving a sigh of relief, but at the same time felt a pain in his heart, and couldn''t help but said: "Dog, don''t worry too much. After all, you heard the words. Since you didn''t say it face-to-face, you can''t take it seriously. Even if it is true Don''t be afraid, sister earns money for your education."


    Xue Gouzi''s head still hurts a little, and he was dizzy. Zhao''er thought he had something on his mind, but in fact he was just thinking about that dream. Hearing Zhao''er''s words at this time, he suddenly remembered why he had this serious illness.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Gouzi''s serious illness came in a hurry due to stagnation of liver qi.


    Speaking of this, I have to talk about the general situation of the Xue family.


    Yuqing Village is a village located under Huyang Town, Xia County, Pingyang Prefecture. There are only more than 200 households in the village.


    The Xue family is one of them.


    However, the Xue family is different from other ordinary farmers, and it can be regarded as having some origins.


    The ancestor of the Xue family, that is, the grandfather of Mr. Xue, was a scholar. In a poor mountain depression like Yuqing Village, it is a great event for the ancestors to have a scholar.


    Because of this talented gentleman, the generation of the Xue family produced the head of the Xue clan, and there were several village elders in the clan, and finally had some say in Yuqing Village. At the same time, it is also a blessing for the younger generation. Mr. Xue''s father is hardworking and willing to work. With the help of the elders, he also slowly built up a family business.


    By the time of Mr. Xue''s generation, the Xue family already had more than 30 acres of fertile land, and several sons also had their own livelihoods. Their lives were enviably prosperous, and they could be regarded as a well-to-do family in the village.


    Mr. Xue and his mother-in-law Zhao have four sons and two daughters. The eldest son Xue Qingshan married his wife Yang, and they have two sons and a daughter. The eldest son Xue Juncai is fifteen years old, the second son Xue Youcai is ten years old, and the eldest daughter Xue Maner is married.


    The second child, Xue Qingsong, is a carpenter. He married his wife Qiu Shi and gave birth to a son, Xue Gouzi, who is fourteen years old. The third child, Xue Qingbai, is a farmer, married his wife Zhou, and gave birth to a son and a daughter. The eldest daughter, Xue Taoer, is thirteen years old this year, and the youngest son, Xue Shuanzi, is eight years old now. The fourth son, Xue Qinghuai, is a shopkeeper. He married his wife, Sun, and gave birth to a son named Xue Maodan, who is only four years old this year.


    As for the two daughters, the eldest daughter, Xue Cuiping, is already married, and the youngest daughter, Xue Cuie, is fourteen this year and is still in her boudoir.


    It is worth mentioning that nowadays there are parents who say that they do not separate their families. In addition, families in the countryside are ruled by clans, so Xue''s family has no separation.


    The Xue family has tasted the benefits of reading, so they have more vision than ordinary farmers. Xue Qingshan is smart since he was a child, and he is the eldest son. Mr. Xue has high hopes for him, and when he reaches the age of enlightenment, he spends money to send him to a private school.


    Xue Qingshan also strives for success. At the age of twenty, he passed the Tongsheng examination. Although he is still a scholar, he can be counted as a scholar who can be counted in ten miles and eight villages.


    Don''t underestimate Tongsheng! As the saying goes, scholars, farmers, businessmen, and scholars are the highest class of people in the current society. If ordinary people want to turn ordinary people into scholars, there is only one way to take the imperial examination. As for the imperial examination, it is only a matter of going to the west to learn Buddhist scriptures, and you have to go through various checkpoints and go through hardships before you can get it.


    If you want to embark on this path, you must first have the qualifications, and Tong Sheng is a person with this qualification. It is necessary to pass the county and government examinations to be called Tongsheng. As for the next step is to be a scholar, to become a scholar is to enter school, and it is also the first step to embark on the road of imperial examinations.


    It can be seen from this that Tong Sheng is not an ordinary person, so Xue Qingshan''s status in the Xue family can be imagined.


    But as I said before, the Xue family''s family background can only be regarded as a middle-level family in the countryside. If a family like this wants to support a scholar, it will almost exhaust all the human and financial resources of the family. Because the eldest son is the eldest son, who will set up a family in the future, and is talented and intelligent, the next few sons naturally have to give in.


    As for why Xue Gouzi became seriously ill, it has to be related to another old matter of the Xue family.


    Back then when Xue Qingshan was selected as a child student, he was considered a success at a young age. He was full of ambitions and wanted to pass the college examination in one fell swoop, and he could also be a scholar, but it was a pity that God did not follow his wishes.


    It was only a close call, and no one would be reconciled to it. Xue Qingshan could only calm down, work hard, and hope to win next time.


    After so many years of rushing away, the original smugness was completely devastated by the impact of reality. Xue Qingshan failed many exams, so he couldn''t stay at home and eat free food all the time. In desperation, he set up a private school in the village, which specializes in taking children from the village and several nearby villages to read and write, and they can more or less earn a living.


    With such convenient conditions, several children of Xue''s family naturally followed suit. The next few children are still young, and among the grandchildren, Xue Juncai, the eldest son of the big house, and Xue Gouzi of the second house have studied the longest.


    However, compared to his cousin Xue Juncai, Xue Gouzi is obviously not as good as he is because he is too weak. When he was young, he was always sick every day, which delayed a lot of homework.


    The time was stretched back to five years ago, this year the academic officer held a college examination in Fucheng, Xue Qingshan naturally would not miss it, he stopped his private school classes early and went to Fucheng to take the exam.


    It''s not easy to go out at this time, and besides, Mr. Xue was worried about his eldest son going out alone, so he asked his second son Xue Qingsong to accompany him. He always took care of him when he was usually on a business trip.


    That is to say, something happened on this trip, Xue Qingshan offended someone in Fucheng, Xue Qingsong was beaten all over his body in order to protect his eldest brother. In the end, the man was pulled back, but he died within a few days after he came back. Before he died, Xue Qingsong asked Xue Qingshan to promise himself that he would do everything in his power to confess Xue Gouzi.


    In fact, after giving way for others all his life, how could Xue Qingsong have no complaints in his heart, but he has a simple and honest nature, and he knows that his talent is not as good as that of his elder brother, so he has been making contributions in obscurity.


    But when it came to his own son, especially Xue Gouzi, who was weak since he was a child, he was not a farmer in any way, and he was dying, so Xue Qingsong took the opportunity to force his elder brother to make a promise.


    Xue Qingsong would do this, but he wanted to break the status quo that the Xue family''s resources had been leaning towards Dafang. The Xue family only had two scholars in the first room, and now there is a Xue Gouzi. The children in the third room were still young at that time, and the fourth child was not married yet. As long as Xue Qingshan agrees, others will naturally have nothing to say, and Xue Qingsong will do his best for his son Brown.


    Xue Qingshan agreed to the matter on the spot, crying blood, saying that he would treat Xue Gouzi as his own son, Xue Qingsong closed his eyes.


    Not long after that, Qiu Shi, who was already in poor health, became depressed and fell ill, and then passed away. Since then, Xue Gouzi has become a poor child without father and mother. Fortunately, there are grandparents and uncles, and Zhaoer, a child bride-in-law, so he doesn''t have to worry about food and clothing.


    In the following years, Xue Qingshan really treated Xue Gouzi like his own son. No one in the village would say that the boss of the Xue family raised his nephew as his own son. But as the saying goes, the human heart is the most fickle, and selfishness is the nature of human beings. As time passed, Da Fang gradually changed his attitude. Although he was in front of others, he was still the same as before, but only the person concerned would know what happened to him afterwards.


    This year, seeing that he had nothing to teach his son, Xue Qingshan decided to send Xue Juncai to the town school to study for two years.


    But it costs a lot of money to go to the school to study, not to mention the one-year study that costs two silver, the three festivals and six rituals of the husband, and the pen, ink, paper and inkstone used in daily life, all of which cost money. The Xue family has already been seriously injured because they confessed to Xue Qingshan, and how can they have money for the two children to go together.


    You can only take out one piece of money, that is to say, Xue Juncai and Xue Gouzi can only go to one.


    Xue Qingshan told the matter in front of the whole family, but Xue Gouzi didn''t say what he couldn''t say tactfully, but chose to remain silent.


    During that time, the atmosphere in the Xue family was weird, the old man Xue was frowning, and the grandmother Zhao was eccentric all day long, but the eldest couple were still the same as before, and they didn''t think it was a problem.


    I will not mention this, it is also a coincidence that Xue Gouzi accidentally overheard his eldest aunt Yang and fourth aunt Sun talking in secret, saying that he would let his parents-in-law come forward and let Xue Gouzi take the initiative to give up his place to study in the town , Xue Gouzi became seriously ill in a fit of rage.


    Thinking of this, Xue Gouzi felt uneasy for a while, and at the same time, many pictures appeared in his mind, which were just some of his previous dreams.


    The Xue Tingxiang in the dream also faced the same situation in the fourteenth year, and the other party''s temperament changed drastically after this incident, changing his previous disposition.


    Could it be that he is Xue Tingxiang, and that Xue Tingxiang is him? But why would he dream of these things!


    Xue Gouzi felt a throbbing pain in his head, the bun in his hand fell on the kang, and the water bowl next to him was also knocked over. Zhao''er heard the movement, rushed up and hugged him in his arms.


    "Dog, dog, don''t scare me!"

 Chapter 3

    Because of Xue Gouzi''s sudden fainting, the Xue family was turned upside down.


    For this reason, the third uncle Xue Qingbai borrowed an ox cart from his uncle''s house and invited a doctor back from the town. The doctor came to check the pulse, and Xue Gouzi didn''t have any symptoms, and the previous illness was almost cured. Although he is a little weak now, he just needs to take care of it slowly.


    As for the headache, even the doctor couldn''t tell what the cause was.


    After sending the doctor away, grandmother Zhao slapped her face on the spot.


    She looked like she was in her fifties, with her gray hair neatly pulled back behind her head. With a long face, the eyelids are a little sunken, and when the face is pulled, it becomes a triangular eye, which looks particularly unfriendly.


    Without Mrs. Zhao''s words, Mrs. Sun said: "Zhao''er, it''s not the fourth aunt talking about you, you girl likes to make a fuss. Could it be that you deliberately torment us all, even if you don''t like it..."


    Before she finished speaking, she was pulled by the man Xue Qinghuai.


    "Okay, let''s say a few words less, Zhao''er is not ignorant, and besides, the dog is already sick, so it''s better to find a doctor to take a look, so the family can rest assured."


    "I said less and said less, and I didn''t say anything..."


    "You also said..."


    The couple went out while chatting and tugging. The eldest aunt Yang smiled at Zhao''er, and then said to the mother-in-law: "Mother, let''s go too, let the dog have a good rest."


    Mrs. Zhao glanced at the dog on the kang, snorted coldly, turned her head and left. It can be seen from her posture that she is very angry.


    In fact, it is true. The Xue family can''t be called a rich family. It costs at least one or two hundred dollars to invite a doctor from the town. ! In particular, the doctor''s pulse just now confirmed Zhao''s guess that Xue Gouzi was deliberately pretending to be ill, and it was only strange that she was happy.


    Let Mrs. Zhao see that the two little boys in the second room are deliberately torturing the family, but since the eldest daughter-in-law has come forward to persuade her, Mrs. Zhao will naturally not say more.


    Generally speaking, among the three daughters-in-law of the Xue family, Yang is the one who wins Zhao''s heart the most. The eldest has an unusual status, and Zhao is willing to show the eldest daughter-in-law some face.


    After Mrs. Zhao and Mrs. Yang left, only the third uncle Xue Qingbai and the third aunt Zhou were left in the house. The two were not used to talking much, and they didn''t stay long, Zhao''er thought that the third uncle had worked hard just now, so he sent the two of them out with a smile.


    When he turned his head and came back, he saw Xue Gouzi lying on the kang with his eyes open, his eyes staring blankly, as if he had lost his mind.


    She didn''t think much about it, she came to the side of the kang and patted his head: "Dog, don''t think too much, they don''t believe that you are sick and have a headache, sister believes you. Take care of your illness and don''t think about it anymore. "


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her, his mouth was dry and his throat was tight: "Zhaoer..."


    "What''s wrong? Is there something uncomfortable?"


    Feeling these undelicate but very warm hands touching his head and face, Xue Gouzi had a sense of reality and gratitude that he had never had before.


    She wasn''t dead, and neither was he.


    Although he didn''t like some of her daily actions, and even hated her as his child bride-in-law, but he never thought of letting her die, so how could he be the one who killed his wife and son.


    But Xue Gouzi was still very flustered, because that dream was too real. After going through that dream for more than seventy years, it seemed that he had also experienced that life. But after waking up from the dream, the vicissitudes of life have changed, and he dare not look back.


    "Zhaoer..."


    "Why!"


    "Zhaoer..."


    "Um."


    "Zhaoer..."


    A hot stream suddenly flowed out unconsciously from the dry eye sockets.


    This scared Zhao''er quite a bit, and he didn''t care to think that the little man would never call her that, let alone let himself get close to him. He hugged his head into his arms and asked him anxiously up.


    Seeing that he didn''t speak, but just buried himself in his arms and cried, Zhao''er couldn''t help but wonder if those people made him think too much just now. According to Zhao''er, the little man has a lot of things on his mind, and he never speaks out, otherwise he wouldn''t have this serious illness.


    She patted him on the back, hugged him like she did when she was a child, and comforted him: "Don''t be afraid, dog, even if they don''t send you to study, sister will send you there, and sister will send you even if she sells everything." go."


    *


    After all, Xue Gouzi had just recovered from a serious illness, and after experiencing such an incident, he fell asleep after drinking some porridge for dinner.


    Zhao''er covered him with a quilt before tidying up the basket she had just brought back.


    The back basket is full of needlework and cloth, which are rags that Zhao''er bought in the embroidery workshop in the town. The reason why I started this business was because I used to recruit children to carry the finished purses for the women in the village to sell in the embroidery workshop.


    There is no adult in the second room. Although the family is in charge of eating, after all, the pen, ink, paper and inkstone used by Xue Gouzi to study, as well as the clothes, bedding and some odds and ends of the two people on weekdays, etc., all need money.


    Wanting to ask for money from Mrs. Zhao is more expensive than ascending to the sky, and although the uncle Xue Qingshan is determined to treat his nephew as if he were his own, but Zhao''er usually only sees the big family''s child with greasy lips, and Xue Juncai never Lack of pens, ink, paper and inkstones. In contrast, the little man was as thin as a bamboo pole, and he picked up a bald pen that Xue Qingshan didn''t use back then.


    Zhao''er has always been a strong one, she couldn''t bear to wrong the little man, so she could only find money everywhere by herself. There was no opportunity to make money in the countryside, so she went to the town to look around, as long as it was within her power and did not require capital, she would try to do it.


    In the past few years, she has collected vegetables from the village and sold them in the town, picked up work from the embroidery workshop and assigned them to women with good craftsmanship in the village, and usually went to the mountains to find mountain products to sell.


    And now this business has been done several times, Zhao''er has a sweet mouth and a thick face, the boss of the embroidery workshop can''t hold her back, so he sells the unwanted rags to her in bags. She took it back, sorted and cut it, and then asked the women in the village to help make purses and other things, and she could earn a lot of money by reselling them in the embroidery workshop. It is much better than before just receiving the purses made by others, and earning a penny for a few purses.


    If he hadn''t made some money by doing this business, he didn''t know when Xue Gouzi would recover from his serious illness. Mrs. Zhao would have given up the money to get the medicine for a long time ago, and Zhao''er used his own money to catch the medicines later. I still have to hide it, for fear that other members of the Xue family will find out.


    Thinking of this, the corners of Zhao''er''s mouth tightened.


    She has always been agile in her hands and feet, and seeing that she picked out some usable cloth heads, she stopped tossing about. I chose clean ones and spread them out on a square table, and cut these strangely shaped cloth heads into a uniform shape with scissors.


    This is Zhao''er''s own calculation based on how much fabric is needed to make a purse, no more and no less, she will not take out these rags for people to see.


    It is not easy for country people to earn a penny. If someone finds out, the designated way to earn money will be robbed within a few days.


    Zhao''er also wants to use this to make money for the little man to go to the town to study, so that she can only go to see Xue Jun, and her little man can also go. Zhao''er has always been prepared with both hands when doing things, and she knows in her heart that the big house will never let such a good thing happen to the little man.


    It is better to ask for others than to ask for yourself, and it is better to rely on yourself than to rely on mountains and rivers.


    Zhao''er has understood this truth since she was seven years old when she was going to be exchanged for money by her grandmother and father.


    After Zhao''er finished what she was doing, seeing the little man was fast asleep, and seeing that it was already dark outside, she wrapped the tidy cloth in something, and hurried out with it.


    Under the night, Yuqing Village was exceptionally peaceful, and the light silver moonlight shone on the trails in the village. Although the road was still unclear, it was not completely dark after all.


    Zhao''er walked all the way and didn''t even startle a dog.


    This is not an ability that ordinary people can have. You must know that in places like the countryside, almost every household has a dog. Dogs are very alert at night, and whenever someone walks past the door, they bark wildly. Even if a petty thief came to the door, he would have been scared away by the dog long ago.


    Zhao''er also developed this ability after walking a lot at night.


    Of course, it was also related to the sunspot following her legs.


    Heizi is a country dog, but it is stronger and bigger than ordinary dogs. There are not many dogs in Yuqing Village that can beat Heizi, and it is because of Heizi that Zhao''er dares to walk alone at night.


    She went all the way to a family''s house with ease, and it was strange that the other party knew that she would come at this time and left the door open for her. As soon as she entered the door, the family''s dog rushed over. Before she could reach her, a black shadow rushed over and threw the other person to the ground. The dog was so frightened that it fell on the ground and stopped barking.


    Zhao''er gloated at the side: "I don''t have a long memory!"


    At this time, a person came out of the house, and he smiled as he walked up to the front: "This black man is here to bully our family Wangcai again, Zhao''er, come in and sit down."


    "Aunt Osmanthus, I won''t go in, I''m still rushing back."


    Zhao''er handed over the things in his hands to the visitor, took some things from the other person, wrapped them in cloth, and then went to the next household.


    Zhao''er went to five families.


    She is anxious to make money, but there are few women in the village who are good at needlework, and she needs to find someone who is tight-lipped and reliable. shit money.


    The reason why she said that was because when she collected vegetables from the village and sold them in the town, she was publicized by people who didn''t know the door, causing her to be pointed at all day long. She was not afraid of being pointed out, but these things finally reached the ears of the little man, and some villagers made fun of him, which caused a lot of conflicts between her and the little man. And after that, she won''t receive any vegetables in the village, even if someone sells them to her, it will be at a high price.


    In the end, she had no choice but to go to other villages to collect vegetables. It was not a waste of time. Since then, Zhaoer has developed a memory.


    When Zhao''er came home, Xue Gouzi on the kang was still sleeping soundly.


    She went to get some water to wash her face and wipe her hands before getting on the kang. The second room only had this kang, and she had slept with Xue Gouzi since she was a child, and she was used to it.


    Heizi slept under the kang, just now when he invited his son into the house, he slid in at his feet and chose a random place to lie down. It seems that the dog''s eyes have been closed, but in fact the two ears are standing up, and they move from time to time.


    Before Zhao''er lay down, she bullied herself over to look at the little man, and touched his forehead, before falling asleep in peace.


    *


    Compared with the second room because of the sparse population, there are only two rooms and one kang, the treatment of the first room is obviously much better. The entire three east rooms were occupied by the big room, and at this time in the east room, Mrs. Yang was talking to Xue Qingshan.


    Yang narrated what happened during the day, Xue Qingshan immediately frowned after listening.


    He was not at home during the day, so naturally he didn''t know what happened at home. Nowadays, some respectable families will invite scholars to preside over their weddings and funerals, but where rural families can afford to hire scholars, some will invite children to make up the number.


    No matter how they are all scholars, they are different from ordinary people.


    Today, Xue Qingshan was invited by a family in a nearby village to have a wedding. It doesn''t matter what the etiquette is.


    But the people in the countryside are poor, so the happy money will not be too much, at most a few tens of pennies.


    Xue Qingshan likes this kind of work the most. Every time at this time, he will randomly assign articles to memorize for the students in the school, and then go out for a whole day, and no one will say anything. What he likes is not only having money to take, but also when this time is his happiest time.


    He was sitting in the position of the guest of honor, and the men who came to have a wedding banquet were all proud to have a conversation with him.


    He is the master of Tongsheng!


    Of course, it would be even better if Tongsheng could be replaced by a scholar, Xue Qingshan would have dreamed of it. But for so many years, he has more or less self-knowledge, so he can''t help pinning his hopes on his son.


    It''s a pity that someone is blocking this way now.


    Xue Qingshan drank a lot of wine, his chubby face was flushed, and he was holding his breath in his heart, so he spit and scolded: "What kind of moth is this son of a bitch, I really want to open a dyeing workshop just to give him some color. !"


    Yang sighed faintly: "Who told you that you agreed to the second child so easily at the beginning, but now it''s hard to get off the tiger because of our talents."


    "In that situation back then, the second child seemed to be honest, and he wanted to accompany his elder brother when he was about to die. If I knew that he was paying attention that day, I would have found a way to shut him up, but so many people I was present, and the accident happened because of me, if I don''t even agree to this matter, how can I gain a foothold in front of others."


    Of course, Mrs. Yang knew this truth, but she couldn''t calm down. Just because of that bullshit promise, Da Fang kept her hands tied. Her son wanted to go to the library to study, but he had to hide and beg the other party to show his respect.


    She was always proud and arrogant, so naturally the more she thought about it, the more annoyed she became, her eyes sparkled, but she sneered on her face: "Because he fell ill suddenly, originally Dad planned to make decisions for us, so we can only endure it. But he has been sick for these days, and today he has such a scene, and my mother is already annoyed. I asked the fourth daughter-in-law to tell my mother that the dog is probably pretending to be sick. I think my mother has already decided that he is pretending. sick."


    Xue Qingshan''s eyes lit up: "That''s good, I''ll go talk to my parents tomorrow and let them put this matter into practice." He put his arms around Yang''s shoulders with a smile, and said: "My wife is smarter. , Prepared a backhand early."


    Yang gave him an angry look, and the two of them rested together, without speaking for a whole night.

 Chapter 4

    The morning light was twilight, and the sky was just breaking. Most of the villagers in Yuqing Village got up very early.


    Smoke rose from the chimneys of many houses, and villagers walking in twos and threes on the village trails, either carrying hoes or pulling cattle, looked like they were going to the fields.


    It is the time of spring plowing, and the plan of the year lies in spring. If you are lazy at this time, you will cry when the grain is harvested in autumn.


    Zhao''er woke up at this hour on time, and opened his eyes to find that the little man was still asleep.


    Not long after she fell asleep yesterday, the little man developed a fever again. After being busy for most of the night, luckily the fever subsided in the middle of the night.


    She sat up, raised her hand to touch the little man''s forehead, and made sure that her hands were not hot, then put on her clothes lightly and got off the kang.


    The first thing to do was to open the door, and Heizi, who had been restless for a long time, got out with a swish. Zhao''er also walked out of the room, seeing Heizi hurriedly running out of the courtyard to pee, she shook her head with a broken smile.


    At this time, someone has already got up in the courtyard, it is the Zhou family of the third bedroom and his eldest daughter Xue Tao''er.


    Today it''s the third room''s turn to cook. The Xue family''s rule is that apart from the housework of each room, the work in the office is shared equally. One day per room, in rotation.


    The room responsible for cooking is not only responsible for the food and drink of the whole family, but also takes care of the livestock in the family. The Xue family raised two big fat pigs, and it was not an easy job to just serve these two ancestors every day. Not to mention feeding chickens, carrying water, and chopping firewood, so the female family members who do housework on this day do not have to go to the fields to work.


    It seems to be fair and just, but in fact everyone inside knows how.


    The eldest aunt Yang claimed that the man was a child student, and she was exceptionally superior at home. Since Xue Qingshan passed the child student examination, she never touched housework again. The key is that Mrs. Zhao is also looking towards her, so it''s not easy for others to question her.


    At first, it was Xue Gouzi''s mother, Mrs. Qiu, who finally came in, the third-bedroom Mrs. Zhou, and the two sisters-in-law finally shared the burden. Afterwards, Mrs. Qiu followed her deceased husband, and Mrs. Zhou was left alone. It was not until Mrs. Sun of the fourth room entered the door that she would be able to catch her breath again.


    It''s a pity that Mrs. Sun is lazy and playful. In fact, Mrs. Zhou still does most of the work.


    In the past, when Mrs. Qiu was still alive, Zhao''er also helped Mrs. Qiu to do it. After Mrs. Qiu passed away, Zhao''er was busy with the housework of the second room and had to do the work in the office. In addition, Zhao''er was still young at that time, Mr. Xue told her to take good care of Xue Gouzi and not to take care of the work at work.


    Zhao''er now has free time to go around and get some money, but she is a person who looks at her conscience and will help out as much as she can in her spare time. As for those who used words to squeeze her like Sun, her sharp tongue was not forgiving.


    Seeing Xue Taoer struggling to fetch water from the well, Zhao''er rubbed his face and went up to help her.


    Thirteen-year-old Xue Taoer is like a small flower in bud. Although she is not very beautiful, she is very delicate. Seeing Zhao''er coming to help her, she couldn''t help showing a smile and talking to her: "Sister Zhao''er, is the second brother better?" Xue Gouzi is the second grandson of the Xue family, so Xue Taoer called him the second brother .


    "I had a fever again last night, and it got better in the second half of the night." Zhao''er looked around curiously, and asked, "Why isn''t Third Uncle here?"


    Although Xue Qingbai is a bit honest and reticent, he always loves his wife and daughter. Whenever he meets the third room to cook, he will get up early to fill the water tank.


    The Xue family has its own well, but the well is too deep, and there is no pulley on the well, so it is really exhausting to draw water with the strength of the daughter''s family alone. That is to say, Zhao''er was naturally as strong as an ox, and his strength was no worse than that of ordinary middle-aged men, so he could pull the bucket out of the deep well very easily.


    "My father went to the field and said he would work for a while and return after breakfast."


    Xue Qingbai is an honest farmer. Unlike other brothers in the family who have other skills, he only knows how to farm, so he puts all his heart on the ground. The Xue family has a total of more than 30 mu of land, and now he, Mr. Xue and the fourth son Xue Qinghuai are all planted.


    Although the women of the Xue family also went to the fields, it was only during the busy farming season, and besides, the women only had so little strength, so how could they help. Fortunately, the three men from Xue''s family are all good hands in the field, and they are really too busy, so they hired part-time workers to help out for a few days, so they don''t have to worry about not being able to finish the work in the field.


    Just as he was talking, the door of the fourth room opened, and Xue Qinghuai walked out from inside.


    The men in the Xue family are all big, so Xue Qinghuai also inherited a tall body.


    He was born with thick eyebrows, tiger eyes and a high nose bridge. He was dressed in dark blue coarse cloth and short brown, and looked very heroic. In fact, the men of the Xue family are not bad looking, but the women of the Xue family are a little mediocre, but all the grandchildren are born well, and they are all top-notch in the village.


    "Zhaoer Taoer, you wake up so early." Xue Qinghuai walked over in a few strides, took the wooden bucket in Zhaoer''s hand, walked to the water tank, and poured water into the tank.


    "How can you two little girls do this kind of rough work? You go to do other things, and the fourth uncle is here to fetch water."


    Zhao''er and Tao''er didn''t refuse either, one went to the kitchen to help her mother cook, and the other took a basin to scoop up water for washing.


    As time passed, the rest of the Xue family got up one after another, and there were more and more voices in the yard. On the other side of the kitchen, Mrs. Zhou yelled to eat. Generally, country people don''t pay much attention to breakfast, and they have to set a table or something. They always serve a bowl with a bowl, and eat it at any place.


    Breakfast is two rice porridge, the so-called two rice porridge is porridge cooked from two kinds of rice. Yuqing Village does not grow rice, but only wheat, sorghum, millet, corn and other crops. Although farmers grow wheat, they seldom use it for their own food. They sell it for other grains.


    Even a well-to-do family like Xue''s family with surplus food did not eat fine grains all at once, but a mixture of coarse grains and fine grains. For example, today''s breakfast is two-rice porridge, which is a porridge cooked with millet, that is, yellow rice, and sorghum rice.


    Because it was a busy time of farming, it was cooked quite thickly. Although it didn''t hold up with chopsticks inserted, it was much better than the usual thin soup with little water.


    There is no way, the Xue family seems to have a decent family background in the village, but there are three scholars in the family. Not to mention Xue Gouzi, Guangda Fang and his son spend a lot of money every month, and it''s no wonder that Mrs. Zhao usually can pick up fleas to get a little blood.


    Zhao''er filled two bowls of porridge, put a few cornbreads on a thick porcelain plate, and put some pickles on the side, and took them back to the second room''s room.


    As soon as he entered the door, he saw Xue Gouzi sitting up from the kang.


    She hurriedly put the wooden tray on the square table, and came up to see him: "But he''s better? Are you hungry? Sister will bring you some porridge."


    Xue Gouzi looked at her with complicated eyes.


    After experiencing such a dream, he now doesn''t know how to face Zhao''er. As long as he saw her, he couldn''t help but think of him in his dream, those words scolded by others before he died. He also tried to find the cause of Zhao''er''s death in his memory, but it seemed that that memory was Xue Tingxiang''s most unbearable past, and he had no memory at all.


    In fact, Xue Gouzi was burned in a daze last night, and Xue Gouzi thought for a long time. He couldn''t figure out whether he was Xue Gouzi or Xue Tingxiang, whether that dream was true or not, whether he was thinking about it every day and dreaming at night , to have such an absurd dream.


    However, he also had an idea in his heart. If everything in that dream was true, several things should happen in succession. If these things happen, it means that his dreams are real.


    Thinking about something in his heart, he reached out to catch the bowl, only to realize that he didn''t even have the strength to hold the bowl. Luckily, Zhao''er caught the bowl quickly, so he didn''t spill it all over him.


    Xue Gouzi was a little embarrassed and anxious. It was very strange, obviously he would not have this kind of reaction in front of Zhao''er before, but I don''t know if it was a dream, and his state of mind had a strange change.


    Zhao''er laughed at him: "Why are you being polite with my sister? I forgot that when you were a child, you peed on the kang, and it was my sister who washed it for you."


    Zhao''er came to Xue''s house when he was seven years old, and Gouzi was only five years old at that time. It is very inexplicable for a child to pee on the kang. It is obvious that he has not urinated for a long time. I don''t know if he drank too much water before going to bed or what, but he actually peed on the kang.


    Since Qiu gave birth to the dog, her bones were not good, and it was winter again. In order to repay the kindness of the second wife, Zhao''er volunteered to wash the dirty clothes and pants for the dog. Since then, she started her career as a child bride.


    What Xue Gouzi hates the most is Zhao''er. He always likes to say inconspicuous things in front of him. You must know that as you get older, boys will lose face, how can you still be willing to listen to people mentioning such things, especially dogs are naturally sensitive. But today for some reason, he didn''t feel annoyed, only a little embarrassed.


    He was surprised by his own reaction, but Zhao''er had already fed him porridge with a wooden spoon. He subconsciously opened his mouth, and waited until the warm porridge blown by her was fed into his mouth, and he saw the smiling eyes of the other party.


    Those eyes were big and bright, as if there were stars hidden in them, and he couldn''t help but blush.


    Zhao''er smiled even more happily, and stuffed him with a tortilla: "Eat quickly, sister will cook eggs for you at noon."


    She was coaxing him like a child, Gouzi suddenly had this understanding.


    He was eating porridge from Zhao''er, thinking wildly in his mind, it was very chaotic.


    Just then, someone came to the door.


    It was Xue Qingshan.


    Exactly the same as in the dream.


    Xue Qingshan''s fair face was full of sighs and worries, he sighed and said a lot of words, the main idea was to let the dog recover well, don''t worry too much, there are grandparents and uncles at home, he can''t lose him.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Qingshan also followed the appearance and height of the man from the Xue family. He was also a weed in Yuqing Village in his early years, but unfortunately he got a little fatter as he got older.


    "Uncle still has to go to the private school, dog, take care of your illness, you are a child with a lot of thoughts." Sighing and patting his nephew on the shoulder, Xue Qingshan lifted the curtain and left.


    What is he doing?


    Zhao''er thought suspiciously. After thinking about it for a while, she couldn''t figure out why, so she stopped thinking about it and concentrated on feeding the dog porridge, but Xue Gouzi looked thoughtful.


    *


    In the main room, Mrs. Zhao is chatting with Mr. Xue about what happened yesterday.


    Mrs. Zhao was sewing an old dress in her hand, and said, "Let me tell you, you just like to spoil that little thing. You love him, but he doesn''t love you. Our family''s money doesn''t come from the river, just Because he didn''t want to show his illness to the whole family, he made a fuss after another, which is to make the family upside down."


    Mr. Xue was in his fifties, tall and tall, and his skin was black and red like that of a countryman who had been exposed to the sun for a long time. He was wearing dark blue coarse cloth pants, sitting cross-legged on the Kang, smoking a dry cigarette.


    Every time after dinner or before work, Mr. Xue always smoked for a while, otherwise he would feel exhausted.


    "Okay, Gouwazi is sick, who doesn''t have three illnesses and four pains." After a while, he said hoarsely.


    The patter, patter sounded again, and the lingering blue smoke swirled in the air, and then scattered in all directions. Behind it, the old face of Mr. Xue was hidden, looming.


    "But look how long he has been in trouble? Yesterday, more than one hundred coins were lost. How long will it take you to work hard in the field to earn more than one hundred coins! Boss has to leave another two hundred coins. It is said that someone in a classmate¡¯s family had a birthday, and there was a disaster just last year, and the tax was not exempted, but increased. Seeing that the boss said that he wanted to send Juncai to the town to study, it was another expense. How much money do you have? Withstood such a toss!"


    Seeing that his wife was so distressed, Mr. Xue sat up straight, tapped the cigarette pot on the kang table, and gave her a sideways look: "Your heart will be distressed if you spend a hundred yuan for a dog, and you will give it if the boss asks you for it? Not me Speaking of you, you are a parent and grandmother, so don''t be too biased, you don''t have to make the following little ones have conflicts."


    Upon hearing this, Mrs. Zhao didn''t want to. She slapped him across the kang table and said, "I''m biased? Don''t you?"


    He is also biased, but the boss is the most promising in the family, and the handsome is also the most outstanding among the grandchildren. It''s different to have a scholar in the family. No one will say that Xue Lianxing''s family is a decent person when they go out. If Dafang can produce a scholar, his Xue family will be honored.


    Just thinking of Xue Gouzi, Mr. Xue couldn''t help frowning.


    Of course he knew that the mother-in-law was very annoyed, Gou''er was too ignorant, the eldest owed the life to the second, but Xue''s family was in such a family situation, naturally they had to pay attention to their future.


    It''s not that Mr. Xue looks down on his grandson, but that Gou''er is really not comparable to a handsome boy, nor can he. It''s good to be strong, but you always have to look at the situation.


    "The boss''s daughter-in-law has already said several times that the school in the town cannot be delayed. The delay is half a year. The boss still wants to let Juncai try next year." Zhao added.


    "Back then, I promised my second child!" Old Master Xue sighed deeply, took two puffs of dry cigarettes, and coughed twice when he was choked.


    "Anyway, you can figure it out!" Zhao Shi was so angry that she threw the clothes aside, turned her head and leaned back on the kang, giving the man a backbone.


    Old man Xue slapped his mouth several times, and the gully on his face deepened: "You too, old woman, don''t you think that if outsiders know about this, we can still have face in the village?"


    "Then what do you think we should do? Let''s not do it?" Mrs. Zhao rolled over and sat up again, staring at Mr. Xue.


    "Of course it has to be done, it depends on how to do it. How about this, you ask Cuiping to come back tomorrow, and she has to do this matter."

 Chapter 5

    After breakfast, the men of the Xue family went to the field.


    Xue Qingshan also went out, but instead of going to the field, he went to the town. It is said that some classmate in the town had an elder in his family celebrating a birthday.


    Now is the busy season, and there are not many schoolchildren in the school. The private schools in the countryside are like this. Every two seasons when the farming season is busy, the schoolchildren will be given holidays, so Xue Qingshan has been quite free recently. But no one cares about where he goes or not. When the school is on vacation, he is often not seen for several days.


    Zhao''er washed the dishes and chopsticks used by herself and the little man, and took them back to the kitchen. Mrs. Zhou was cooking pig food, while Tao''er was sweeping the yard. Seeing that she had nothing to do, Zhao''er found Heizi''s food bowl, and took a bowl from the leftover rice that was going to be mixed in pig grass to feed pigs later. , carrying it and walking out the door.


    Mrs. Zhou glanced at her back, but said nothing.


    The leftovers are for Heizi. Dogs in the country are like this. The owner eats dry food, and the dog drinks water. When the owner eats water, the dog usually goes hungry. Country dogs in the countryside are used to starvation, but Zhao''er usually pays little attention to sunspots, no matter good or bad, he always feeds him.


    Occasionally there are additional meals, of course, these are invisible to the human face.


    Anyway, Mrs. Zhao saw Zhao''er picking food out of her pig''s mouth and feeding it to the dog!


    She stepped out of the main room and saw this scene, her old face immediately pulled down, and she didn''t see her scolding Zhao''er, so she stood in front of the door and shouted at the direction of the kitchen: "Let you feed the pigs!" It¡¯s good for you, feed the food into the dog¡¯s mouth, such a big person is useless, and eating for nothing is not enough.¡±


    This clearly refers to Sang scolding Huai.


    In the kitchen, Mrs. Zhou didn''t speak. Tao''er, who was sweeping the yard, looked up at Grandma, endured it and continued to sweep the yard. Mrs. Zhao didn''t mention her name, who knows who she was scolding, if she stepped forward to intervene, she would only change the target and be scolded bloody.


    These are lessons learned.


    As soon as Zhao''er walked to the gate of the courtyard, she heard such scolding. She didn''t show any weakness, and turned her head to look at Zhao with a smile: "Grandma, are you scolding Third Aunt? If you scold Third Aunt, Third Aunt But it¡¯s too unfair. If you want to scold you, you should scold me. I scooped up the leftovers and planned to give Heizi to eat. Didn¡¯t I just think that Heizi would not be easy, so I would bring a rabbit to the house every now and then. You said we You can¡¯t do something that wants the cows to work without giving them grass, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Mrs. Zhao glared at Zhao''er angrily. She knew that this girl was not a cheap girl, so she scolded Mrs. Zhou, but she found her by herself. Just as he was about to say something, some of the women who passed by the gate of the courtyard smiled and said, "I saw Lian Xing''s family so energetic early in the morning."


    Someone next to him interjected: "Don''t talk about it, Ren Zhao''er is right. How can there be a cow that works without giving it grass?"


    "That''s right, Lian Xing''s family, it''s almost enough. Everyone in the village doesn''t like your big black dog. At this time when there is a rabbit shortage in the wild, it can fetch rabbits. What a smart beast. Usually In summer and autumn, voles, wild rabbits, and pheasants were often picked up at home, and they would be brought back if they didn¡¯t eat them. If you don¡¯t like Heizi, give it to our family, and your Uncle Shouxin has already taken a fancy to Heizi.¡±


    This is a Lianxing family, Mr. Xue and his aunt, known as Aunt Shouxin. Although he is ten years younger than Mrs. Zhao, but he is of a higher seniority.


    There are more than 200 households in Yuqing Village, with Xue and Zheng as the main surnames, and there are more than a dozen other households with mixed surnames. Since they all have the same surname, it is inevitable that every family is related, and some relationships can be pulled out of Wufu. But relatives are relatives, and when one is younger than others, one has to respect one another, so when this aunt Shouxin spoke, she sounded like an elder giving advice to younger generations.


    Mrs. Zhao was terribly blocked by these words, even though she was scolding, she was really reluctant to let her give Heizi to others. Just like what these people said, Heizi did bring some wild animals to his house at ordinary times, regardless of size, fat or thin, he always eats meat, and it is not easy for country people to eat meat.


    She kept a straight face and didn''t speak, but the trick in front of the door said: "Grandma Seven, this is not okay, Heizi is my lifeblood, you are running away with my lifeblood, I can''t live anymore."


    She smiled as soon as she said it, and said witty words in her mouth, and immediately made Aunt Shouxin laugh, pointing at her bit by bit, and said to others: "Look at this naughty girl, but she is not at all. You''re welcome. Please, please, Seventh Grandma doesn''t want you dog, so she won''t take away my son''s life."


    After talking and joking, Zhao''er sent the women away with a smile, and then turned around to feed Heizi.


    Mrs. Zhao glared at her, turned around and was about to enter the room, but just as she lifted her foot, she heard someone calling her from behind.


    "Mom, why are you standing here?"


    But Xue Cuiping, the eldest daughter of the Zhao family, came back.


    Xue Cuiping''s appearance is 60% similar to Zhao''s, but she has a pair of big almond eyes. She looked like she was in her twenties, and she was wearing a washed-out blue floral jacket with a pair of red-coloured wide-leg trousers underneath. She was holding a bamboo basket in her hand, which was covered with a layer of cloth, and she couldn''t see what was in it, and she was looking at Mrs. Zhao suspiciously.


    This really means that Cao Cao and Cao Cao will be here soon. The old man said before that the Zhao family is planning to get someone to report to Shangshui Village. This will save trouble.


    The mother and daughter walked into the house while talking, and soon disappeared behind the curtain of the main room door.


    Zhao''er squatted there watching Heizi eat, stroking its big head with her hand, but she was a little curious about how her aunt came back in time for the busy farming season.


    *


    "This can''t be done, mother, you are letting someone poke my spine!" In the main room, Xue Cuiping stood up after listening to Mrs. Zhao''s words.


    Mrs. Zhao hurriedly reached out to pull her, and at the same time gestured for her to keep her voice down so that no one could hear her.


    "Why not? You are Gouzi''s aunt, and you beat the younger brother and the second child. If this family says who the child wants to listen to, they will probably listen to you."


    Mrs. Zhao''s words are true. Xue Cuiping has been friends with her second child, Xue Qingsong since she was a child, and she and Mrs. Qiu also got along well when she was not married. When Xue Gouzi was born, she often hugged him.


    Xue Gouzi has been shy and introverted since he was a child, and since his second wife left, he has become more silent and gloomy. He often doesn''t see him say a word for ten days and a half months, and the members of the Xue family are only close to aunt Xue Cuiping.


    "But..." Xue Cuiping was full of embarrassment, and secretly said in her heart that she shouldn''t be coming back this trip. She never thought that she hadn''t finished her business before going back to her mother''s house, but this kind of thing would happen.


    "Don''t forget, your family Xingzi came to our private school, and your elder brother didn''t care about you. Now your elder brother needs your help, why don''t you want to ignore it, you are good, your elder brother is fine, The big house is promising, can it still make you suffer?"


    "Why don''t you tell the dog yourself, mother!"


    Mrs. Zhao has never been a patient person. She can speak so softly because Xue Cuiping is her daughter. Seeing her daughter pushing back and forth like this, and poking her heart with words, she immediately exploded: "If your mother can go and tell him, is it still necessary for you? Your mother can say this, can you say it? If you let outsiders You know, what has become of this?"


    Xue Cuiping was already irritated by her in-laws'' affairs, and when she saw her mother scolding herself, she immediately became annoyed: "Hey, the whole family will not go, and I am an outsider who asked me to be this villain? Even if an outsider finds out, it''s okay It¡¯s no use for me to be an aunt, and the second elder brother¡¯s family and adults are all dead, so why not force a child?!¡±


    Seeing her daughter''s voice getting louder, Mrs. Zhao was afraid that people would hear her, so she gave her a firm hand and scolded: "You are afraid that people will not hear you, right?"


    Naturally, Xue Cuiping didn''t want to have a falling out with her mother, so she muttered reluctantly: "Let me say, it''s not your mother''s business to be in charge of this matter, let the elder brother or sister-in-law handle the affairs of the elder brother''s house by himself. Let others do all the bad things." , their family is innocent, there is such a thing!"


    "Why are you talking about your elder brother? Your elder brother is a scholar, he wants to face and respect. Besides, he is ashamed of his second son, and he can''t do such a thing."


    Xue Cuiping''s lips parted, and she pressed down her full stomach.


    If he really felt ashamed of his second brother, would he still make such a fuss? In fact, over the years, Xue Cuiping has also seen through the behavior of this elder brother. If the elder sister-in-law is a smiley face, the elder brother is not a good person. Bad things have been done by others. It is obvious that their family has benefited, but they still pretend to be innocent.


    But so what if she knew, she was a married woman after all, she couldn''t shake the deep-rooted respect her parents had for her elder brother. As long as this kind of value is not broken for a day, the big house will always be the first in the family. In particular, she also has her own selfishness and her own reasons, so even if she knows what happened at home in the past two years, she can only ignore it against her conscience.


    She brushed back the hair that fell on her cheeks, and said: "Mother, let''s not talk about it, I came back this trip to borrow some wheat seeds, you also know my mother-in-law''s disease, because I was in a hurry to raise money last year The money for the medicine, and no seeds left..."


    Before she finished speaking, she was interrupted by Mrs. Zhao.


    Mrs. Zhao patted her hard twice: "Borrowing wheat seeds again, do you think your mother''s family has gold and silver, don''t you? With so many sons in the Liu family, let you, a daughter-in-law, come back to dig out her mother''s family!?"


    "mother¡­¡­"


    "Those head-cutting things in the Liu family, a house full of losers, a bunch of incompetent bastards, who can''t even support their mothers..." Mrs. Zhao scolded, and seeing Xue Cuiping crying, she beat her again. She said twice: "Go and deal with Gouzi, and mother will give you wheat seeds."


    "mother¡­¡­"


    "Go, don''t ink."


    *


    When he heard that his aunt had returned, Xue Gouzi felt a sense of fate in his heart.


    Afterwards, when Xue Cuiping opened the door curtain and walked in with a smile, he surprisingly didn''t feel sad at all.


    When Xue Cuiping was talking, Xue Gouzi was not actually listening, he was just thinking about all the strange things in and out of the dream.


    Xue Tingxiang also experienced such a thing back then, since his parents passed away one after another, he felt resentful towards Xue''s family in his heart. And these grievances accumulated little by little under Dafang''s hypocrisy and the acquiescence of his family members. Until this time, he still had the last bit of hope in his heart, but when even his closest aunt was standing on the opposite side, he completely collapsed in despair. Instead of being silent earlier, he chose to explode.


    In fact, what Dafang and even the Xue family were waiting for was his outburst. As long as he raises this matter himself, countless big hats will be put on his head. He had no ability to resist at all, and these people were all his elders, so his anger and unwillingness were all strangled to death in his infancy.


    This time, what happened in the dream happened again, what should he do?


    Xue Cuiping''s mouth was still opening and closing, it could be seen that she was a little guilty in front of this pale and frail nephew. But these guilty consciences were hidden behind her constantly opening and closing mouth. Xue Gouzi''s eyes were indifferent, but someone beside him couldn''t help it.


    Zhao''er''s face was ugly, but he still forced a smile: "Auntie, you see that the dog has been sick for a few days, and he just got better. He is not in good spirits. If there is anything to say, let''s talk about it later."


    In fact, Zhao''er knew that this day would come sooner or later, otherwise she wouldn''t be desperately trying to make money recently. But when the malice between relatives approached a little bit, and it was her little man who forced it, Zhao''er couldn''t ignore it.


    She knew that it was the relatives who hurt people the most, and she had suffered this kind of pain. When mother left, she promised her that she would take good care of the little man, she made an oath.


    At this moment, Zhao''er''s eyes were stern, which was a sign that the female beast was going crazy.


    Xue Cuiping was frightened by what Zhaoer saw in her eyes, she shook her head subconsciously, and smiled uncomfortably, she couldn''t believe that a girl''s eyes could be so scary.


    "Zhao''er, Auntie is here to enlighten the dog. Auntie is also doing it for the good of the dog, and for the good of the family..."


    "Auntie." Suddenly, Xue Gouzi spoke.


    Interrupting Xue Cuiping''s words also interrupted Zhao''er''s explosion at a critical point.


    Xue Cuiping hurriedly turned her head to look at him: "Dog, Auntie told you..."


    "Auntie, I didn''t understand what you said for a long time. What should the meaning of the family come first? Why does Kong Rong give up pears? What does elder brother need from me? Auntie, you don''t know that elder brother has everything, grandma Uncles and aunts love him too, and they bought good pens, inks, papers and inkstones. Every time he uses paper for calligraphy practice, I can only practice calligraphy with branches and write on the sand. The paper I occasionally use is the worst quality Zhaoer bought. The rice paper, the ink drops on it and it is printed.


    "Brother has a lot of books, but I only have a copy of "Children Learning Qionglin", which I bought when my father worked as a carpenter for a few months. I know that my reading is not as good as that of my elder brother, and my handwriting is not as good as that of my elder brother. So I dare not ask to be like him. I don¡¯t have anything, I really don¡¯t know what I can give up to my elder brother.¡±


    Xue Gouzi''s eyes were bright and moist, with a kind of bewilderment and doubt that was ignorant of the world. The envy in his expression implied inferiority, and there was also some sadness in the inferiority complex.


    In particular, he had just recovered from a serious illness, his face was pale, and he was so thin that only a bone remained. He said such words that really made the sad witnesses cry.


    These words left Xue Cuiping speechless, feeling distressed and ashamed of herself, feeling that she would have no face to see her second brother and sister-in-law if she died. But the situation at home is imminent. There are no seeds during the spring plowing, and the wheat seedlings are not cultivated in time. If this season is missed, the whole family will suffer from famine this year.


    She suddenly hardened her heart, licked her lips and said, "Auntie is talking about going to the school in the town. You see, your handsome elder brother is better at studying than you. He is at the critical moment. You should give up as a younger brother. Anyway, you are one year younger than him, so it won''t be too late to go again next year."


    Zhao''er turned around abruptly, and picked up the stick behind the door.


    At this moment, Xue Gouzi said again: "Why did you let me go? Didn''t I have to go? Uncle asked you to come? Did he forget what he promised my father before he died? It turns out that uncle said Treating me like my own son is all fake..."

 Chapter 6

    Xue Gouzi''s voice was very soft, as if the wind would blow away.


    Xue Cuiping shook her head suddenly, "It wasn''t your uncle who asked me to come, I came here by myself, I just thought..."


    The next words were interrupted by Xue Gouzi again.


    He showed a shy smile, as if he breathed a sigh of relief: "It''s not that uncle asked you to come. Auntie, you almost scared me to death. I thought that uncle only loves brother Juncai and not me. Obviously uncle said the best It hurts me."


    From then on, Xue Cuiping couldn''t continue her words, she could only say a few words in a hurry without knowing why, then lifted the curtain and went out.


    The room was very quiet, the eyes of the young man on the kang darkened, and there was a trace of vicissitudes that did not match his age.


    Looking at such a little man, Zhao''er was afraid to go forward. It took a while to come over, sitting on the edge of the kang, hesitantly said: "Dog, are you okay?"


    Looking at the worried face of the other party, Xue Gouzi smiled: "I''m fine."


    Zhao''er pursed her lips tightly and patted his head: "Believe me, sister, one day we won''t have to ask for anyone."


    *


    Xue Cuiping left without even eating lunch, and when she left, she took a bag of wheat seeds Mrs. Zhao gave her.


    No one knew what she had said to Mrs. Zhao, and what Mrs. Zhao had said to her. All in all, when eating lunch at noon, Mrs. Zhao''s and Mrs. Yang''s faces were so ugly that Mrs. Sun and Mrs. Zhou were cautious.


    Zhao''er never looked at these things. After the rice was put on the table, she took two bowls to put the rice first, and then add the vegetables. Lunch can''t be called rich, it''s just millet rice, and the dishes are stuffed white rice and radish, as well as some homemade pickles. There is also meat, all big fat meat, a small plate, placed in front of the men.


    Men have to work in the fields and eat meat to gain strength.


    Zhao''er didn''t want to eat meat either, the meat cooked by Zhou''s was greasy and greasy, which made people feel unappetizing. She put some hot dishes and pickles into the bowl as usual, but she didn''t put much, but Mrs. Zhao suddenly dropped her chopsticks.


    "Just such a little food, the two of you can eat this? Hungry ghost reincarnation or something?"


    This is very hurtful and slaps face, but anyone with some self-esteem can''t stand it, but Zhao''er is used to it. Zhao Shi is like this, whoever makes her dissatisfied, she can use various methods to get back sick.


    She was not annoyed, and continued to pick up vegetables. She originally planned to pick up only those, but because of Mrs. Zhao''s words, she deliberately picked up two more chopsticks.


    "I can''t help Grandma, the dog needs to take care of himself, if there''s nothing good to feed him, he has to be full to eat." As she spoke, she suddenly turned her head and said to Mrs. Zhou: "Third Aunt, wash the vegetables next time." You call me Caicai, our family is not a family that is too poor to eat, but there are scholars in the family, and there is a master who is a child. Although grandma lives carefully on weekdays, she is not a person who does not let people eat food. "


    When it comes to pointing at Sang and scolding Huai, Zhao''er thinks she can''t lose to anyone, especially since she is holding her breath in her heart.


    Sure enough, Mrs. Zhao was immediately annoyed: "No matter how rich a family is, they can''t afford you to eat so much. You can eat more than anyone else if you don''t work every day. A stupid girl like you, if it wasn''t for our family, He was kicked out a long time ago."


    Zhao''er immediately put away her smile: "Grandma, you are wrong to say that. I came to the house when I was seven years old, and I didn''t do any work inside and out? When my father died, I wore a filial piety and kept my spirit. When my mother died, I waited on her bed day and night for more than half a year. I was the daughter-in-law of the second room, and I paid the end of my life for the second wife.


    "But grandma, don''t dislike me as a granddaughter-in-law who is talkative. People are divided into three or six grades according to how much they eat. Some people don''t know how to wipe the oil on their mouths when they eat delicious food. They can be replaced by others. If you eat some rotten white song, it will become a waste of food. There are more than a dozen chickens in this house, and there are no fewer eggs. Taoer and I feed them every day, and I don¡¯t know where the eggs have gone. Gouzi¡¯s disease I ate one egg so far, don¡¯t let me raise the chicken next time, anyway, I can¡¯t eat it, whoever eats it will raise it.¡±


    These words made everyone''s faces look ugly, among them Dafang''s mother and son had the most wonderful complexions, red and white, just like a dyeing workshop.


    This person who steals food without rubbing oil on his mouth is exactly what Dafang said. Mrs. Zhao is picky, but she doesn''t pick on her elder son and grandson. Mrs. Yang and her youngest son naturally follow suit. The seven-year-old boy looked annoyed, and seemed to want to say something, but was pulled by Yang severely.


    Sifang''s hairy egg is still young, and his mouth is also greedy, and he has long been tired of eating Baisong. As soon as I heard the egg, I couldn''t help it, and shouted to Mrs. Sun: "Mom, I want to eat eggs, I want to eat eggs..."


    In the silent main room, I heard the sharp cry of a child, which made my forehead throb.


    Mrs. Sun was so annoyed by crying, she couldn''t help but slap her on the face: "What''s the trouble, what kind of eggs are you eating, how can there be any eggs for you!" His tone was also a little offended.


    To put it bluntly, who doesn''t complain in his heart, but just endures it all the time.


    Maodan was slapped and cried even louder. Mrs. Zhao was already annoyed, but immediately changed her target when she saw this: "Mr. Sun, you are doing well and beat my grandson."


    Mrs. Sun was always afraid of Mrs. Zhao, so she smiled awkwardly and said, "Mother, Mao Dan is making a fuss about eating eggs. How can there be eggs for him?" The mother and son went to look at it three times.


    Mr. Xue has always ignored the affairs of his daughters-in-law, so he couldn''t help it now.


    With a dark face, he patted the table: "What a fuss, what a fuss!" The legs of the square table were swayed, and the bowls and plates bounced up and down, making crisp noises.


    Zhao''er didn''t pretend to be dead, and complained to him: "Grandfather, it''s not that grandma dislikes me and Gouzi for eating hazelnuts."


    As soon as she put the bowl on the table, she covered her face and began to cry: "I just ate such a mouth-watering meal, and I didn''t even see any traces of oil, so I called it Hu Chi Hai Sai, and I served it to others." Look, people will die laughing when they see it. If grandma really dislikes Gouzi and me, why don''t we separate our second room, and we will never eat and drink at home again."


    Hearing the word ''separation'', Mr. Xue twitched his brows subconsciously, and scolded: "What kind of family is divided, no one is allowed to mention the separation!" He seemed to feel that his tone was too harsh, and he slowed down his tone: "Your grandmother is angry with you because of your aunt''s family troubles, but you are a junior, how can you talk back to your elders."


    He turned his head and scolded Zhao again: "I said every day that you don''t have a long memory, and you have lived your whole life in the belly of a dog. Why are those eggs stored there? They are so stinky that you can''t bear to eat them! Third daughter-in-law, go get some Let¡¯s fry this one up, let¡¯s add a dish for everyone.¡±


    Just like that, Mr. Xue''s words successfully silenced everyone.


    Zhao''er''s eyes flickered, she was not lying when she said that she wanted to separate, but it was a pity that she was stillborn the first time she said it. But it''s true, how could Mr. Xue allow the second bedroom to separate the family? If the news spread, it would become a whole family bullying the two children. Besides, Mr. Xue still wants to twist the whole family into one rope so that the Xue family can provide another scholar.


    Putting these things aside, even though there was a commotion, the entire Xue family had a meal.


    Zhou scrambled a large bowl of eggs and reserved a bowl for Zhao''er.


    This behavior is a bit intriguing, you must know that the third wife and his wife are usually taciturn, they are old scalpers in Xue''s family, and they rarely help the two children of the second room to talk.


    But Zhao''er didn''t think much about it, everyone in this big family has their own thoughts, and she can''t control anyone''s thoughts, just don''t make her anxious.


    She returned to the house with the food, and smiled at Xue Gouzi when she entered the door: "Look, dog, there are eggs for lunch."


    *


    Looking at the bright smile on the girl''s face, Xue Gouzi''s eyes flashed with complexity.


    Although he was in the house, the movements in the main room were not missed.


    Zhao''er is like this, aggressive and hot, and he never cares what others think of him when he does things. In the past, he cared very much, and always felt that she was embarrassing him and doing him a disservice. He failed to dissuade him many times, and because of some other things, he hid his hatred for her in his heart.


    Little did he know that he was the one who was hypocritical and stupid, but it was a pity that by the time he understood it, it was already too late.


    "In order to eat an egg, you quarrel with Grandma."


    It wasn''t until he said it that he realized that he hadn''t changed his awkward speech pattern before, so she must have misunderstood him. Sure enough, a dark color flashed across Zhao''er''s face, and he smiled again: "He Xue Jun can eat it, and my dog ??can eat it too. Come and eat, make up your body, and you will recover soon."


    Look, that''s how she is, she always treats him like a child, saying "my dog", but in fact he is no longer a child. But the teenager''s mentality is sensitive and worrying, ''he'' doesn''t like all this, but he doesn''t know how to express it, so his discomfort slowly ferments into disgust and subconscious avoidance.


    Xue Gouzi didn''t know why he thought of this, he just felt that he had become very strange now, as if he had become two people, one was Xue Gouzi and the other was Xue Tingxiang. And every time something about Zhao''er came up, a voice murmured in his mind, as if telling him his true thoughts deep in his heart.


    While thinking, something was fed to his mouth, and he looked down to see that it was a fried yellow, crispy and soft egg.


    "Third aunt also scrambled the eggs well. The dog took a big bite and grew taller and stronger after eating it."


    As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Zhao''er regretted it.


    It''s also the fact that the little man is very good today, and she couldn''t help but imagine the scene where she coaxed him to eat when the little man was still young. When she was a child, she always coaxed the dog like this, but suddenly, at some point, the dog began to resist her, and she hated her like this the most.


    When she was worried, seeing him looking down, she smiled dryly, and was about to take back the spoon she handed over.


    Suddenly, he leaned over, took a big bite, and swallowed a spoonful of rice.


    "Delicious."


    Seeing him munching on his meal with drooping eyelids, Zhao''er suddenly smiled: "Eat more if it tastes good. In the future, my sister will work hard to make money and feed the dog scrambled eggs every day."


    After finishing speaking, she secretly glanced at Xue Gouzi from under her eyelids. Seeing that he didn''t show any displeasure, he couldn''t help but breathe a sigh of relief.


    In fact, Zhao''er said this on purpose, the little man has always hated her for running around and learning to do business with others. Because of this matter, the two had a lot of unhappiness, but she couldn''t stop going out to make money just because he didn''t like it.


    She wants to be rich, she wants to be rich for the little man to study, and not to fight with this group of people like black-eyed chickens. She thought a lot, and all of this required his support. After all, they were a family, and there were only the two of them left in the second room.


    But Zhao''er also thought about it, even if he objected, she would still do it.


    Of course it is best not to object.


    Under such circumstances, she couldn''t help but say something more: "I just talked to my grandma about the separation, but I was blocked by my grandpa." Seeing what the little man wanted to say, she interrupted: "Listen, sister!" After finishing speaking, I didn''t want to tell you too much about some things. I always felt that you were still young and didn''t want to disturb your studies. But what happened today, my sister can also see that you have your own ideas.


    "At home, let''s fight if we can. It''s supposed to be ours. We can''t just give it up to others. Even if we want to let it go, we have to give it a clear explanation. We don''t have to bully people like this! If we can''t fight Don¡¯t be afraid to go to school. My sister has recently found a business to do, and I can also collect the money that will send you to study. Having said so much, it is actually to let you relax and don¡¯t be afraid. The sky is falling, and there is still sister to support you There is not only one way for people, there are many ways for us to walk, and it is a fool''s thing to compete with ourselves."


    In fact, Zhao''er wanted to say this to Xue Gouzi a long time ago, but she also knew that the little man was very thoughtful, and she was afraid that he would think too much. But who ever thought that he still thought too much, and even worried became a disease. Today is such a good opportunity, she simply said it clearly.


    Xue Gouzi looked at her.


    This scene in his dream was not like this, because of his sudden outburst, the Xue family was in turmoil, and the family scolded him, saying that he was ignorant, not thinking about the family, and that he was not filial, which made Grandma dizzy. In order to protect him, Zhao''er quarreled with Xue''s family, and finally even alarmed the patriarch.


    Zhao''er was beaten five times in public in Xue''s ancestral hall for disrespecting her elders and offending her tongue, as a warning to everyone else. And this matter was also suppressed by the patriarch. He didn''t even have the ability to resist, so he was robbed of what belonged to him.


    Later, Xue Juncai went to the school in the town, enjoying himself. And because of this incident, Erfang completely aroused the disgust of the family members, especially with the big house as a hindrance, so life in Xue''s house was not easy.


    No one at home spoke for them, and no one in the village turned to them. He couldn''t even go to the private school, because his uncle said that he was a wolf-hearted dog and couldn''t teach him, and that Zhao''er beat up his aunt.


    He was only fourteen at that time, even though he knew that some people were not good people, he couldn''t understand the malice in them. Maybe he can understand it, but the inferiority of human nature made him subconsciously push the responsibility out. He blamed Zhao''er for all his dissatisfaction, unsatisfaction and even the harshness of fate.


    Even though he knew in his heart that he was blaming her wrong, that he was very wrong, but the misunderstanding was too deep, the two of them were drifting away, and he had no face to explain all this to her.

 Chapter 7

    "Dog, dog..."


    Xue Gouzi came back to his senses and looked at the face in front of him that had been entwined in his dreams for many years.


    "You''re right, I won''t think about it anymore." He paused, and then said, "I just want to say one thing, can you stop calling me a dog?"


    Zhao''er was puzzled and said, "But I didn''t call you that all the time. If you don''t call me a dog, what would you call it?"


    Xue Gouzi pondered for a moment, "Call me Ting Xiang."


    "Tingxiang? This is your own name? Gou''er, why did you give yourself such a name?" Soon she understood, remembering that the talented boy in Dafang always carried his own name because of his young age. People laugh at the same name as Gou''er and Heizi.


    A look of distress flashed in her eyes, and she nodded repeatedly: "Gou''er, no, Ting''er is a different scholar, and the name is so nice. From now on, my sister won''t call you Gou''er, and I won''t let outsiders call you that. It''s called Tingxiang." Anyway, in her heart, whatever the dog says is good,


    Xue Gouzi, no, he should be called Xue Tingxiang now, and he feels a little depressed. He is only less than two years younger than Zhao''er, but he is a deep ravine that he will not be able to cross in his entire life. Having said that, he said again: "Also, can you stop calling yourself sister to me in the future?"


    This time, Zhao''er was even more surprised, and even reached out to touch his forehead: "Ting''er, what''s wrong with you? Did you have some evil? You didn''t call me sister since you were a child."


    Xue Tingxiang took a deep breath and smiled: "But you are not my sister, you will be my wife in the future, how can a man call his wife a sister."


    He was originally pale, half leaning on the quilt at the top of the kang, suddenly smiled like this, his brows and eyes were clear and handsome, which gave people a feeling that they dare not look directly at him.


    Zhao''er''s face turned red all of a sudden, and he couldn''t make sense of what he said: "Dog, you, what are you talking about, I, I..."


    "Don''t you want to be my daughter-in-law and have a baby for me?" He moved closer.


    She stood up abruptly, and reprimanded: "You little kid, why are you talking about this? Your hair hasn''t grown fully yet!" She said a foul language that Xue Tingxiang didn''t like to hear the most, and she didn''t realize it: "You want to The thing to do is to take care of your body, as for these things, we will talk about them later!"


    Her eyes were fierce, and her tone was also fierce. After she finished speaking, she lowered her head and scooped rice from the bowl to Xue Tingshan''s mouth. He glanced at her, ate honestly, and suddenly became in a good mood.


    Maybe the two of them can change the way they get along in the future, and change it if they don''t like it, there is no need to wait for her to understand.


    *


    Zhao''er threw away the mess, turned around and went back to the house, leaving the whole family to finish their lunch in a depressing atmosphere.


    During this period, Sun had nothing to say to her, but no one paid any attention to her.


    Yang couldn''t eat, if it wasn''t for her parents-in-law, if she didn''t want to embarrass herself in front of the two younger siblings, she would have thrown her chopsticks and left. But now he can only suppress the aggrieved stomach, and eat the food in front of him like chewing wax.


    After dinner, Mrs. Sun took Mao Dan away, knowing that her son got into trouble today, and she was afraid that she would be angered later. Mrs. Zhou took Xue Taoer to clean up the table, and took the dishes and chopsticks to the kitchen to wash. Xue Qingbai helped her, Zhou could not carry such a pot of dishes by himself, usually when Xue Qingbai was not at home, she and her daughter could only carry them.


    Only Dafang, mother and son were left in the room, along with Mr. Xue and Mrs. Zhao.


    Yang stood up and wanted to go back to the East Chamber, but was stopped by Mr. Xue.


    Mr. Xue took out his dry pipe, took out some shredded tobacco grown by himself from the dark blue tobacco pouch, rolled it into a ball, pressed it into the tobacco pot, and then lit it with a torch.


    His movements are very slow, neither fast nor slow. Anyone who is familiar with Mr. Xue''s character knows that he has something on his mind.


    It''s true that there is something wrong, and if it''s not something, he won''t call his daughter-in-law to stop.


    "The handsome boy and the talented boy go back to the house first. Grandpa has something to say to your mother."


    Xue Youcai glanced at his mother and wanted to say something, but was dragged away by his elder brother Xue Juncai.


    "Father, just tell me if you have anything to say."


    Mrs. Yang is thirty-four this year. In the countryside, a woman in her thirties is no longer considered young. Here, the wind blows and the sun shines and eats, so the women look old.


    But Yang''s maintenance is very good, her face is like a disc, her skin is fair, and there are a few fine lines at the corners of her eyes. She was wearing a worn-out stone blue satin gown with make-up, her shiny black hair was pulled into a bun behind her head, a gilt hairpin was inserted into it, and a pair of old silver earrings were on her ears. It can''t be called onion tip, but it is also white and soft, wearing a gold ring.


    It is not an exaggeration to say that she is the grandma of the landlord''s family in this dress and bearing, even the Zhao family is not as good as her.


    With his old eyes, Mr. Xue moved Yang back and forth a few times, making her stand uneasy.


    Just as I was about to say something, my father-in-law said suddenly: "Boss daughter-in-law, how long have you been married to our family?"


    Yang was startled, and replied: "Seventeen years, my daughter-in-law married into the Xue family in the seventeenth year."


    "Then how will your mother and I treat you?"


    Yang''s heart skipped a beat: "Father and mother treat their daughter-in-law like their own daughters."


    Mr. Xue nodded, took a puff of the dry cigarette, and the light blue smoke began to linger on his old face again, making it difficult to see the expression on his face clearly.


    "You are the eldest daughter-in-law of our family, and your mother has always loved you. You and the boss have the same heart as your mother and I. I only wish that you can become a talent."


    Yang''s heart relaxed, and she couldn''t help laughing: "Juncai is serious about his studies, even my father said that he is a rare and good seedling, and it is no problem to be a scholar."


    Speaking of Xue Juncai who is the most proud, even Mr. Xue couldn''t help showing a smile.


    Seeing that the father-in-law''s face softened, Yang took advantage of the situation and said: "It''s just that you know, father, that when it''s time to end, you don''t have to just sit at home and study. Thinking back then, Juncai''s father also listened to my father''s words, I went to Qinghe Academy to study for two years, met some classmates, and registered in front of my husband. I took the opportunity to impress the county magistrate, and I passed the county exam. The ranking of the county exam As long as it is not bad, the government examination is not to say that it is sure, but it is half sure. It''s just that you have to rely on luck when you get to the hospital examination, and Juncai''s father is unlucky, so he will fail repeatedly."


    This is the real reason why Yang Shi is valued by the old couple in the Xue family, not only because her father is a child, but also because her father was kind to Xue Qingshan in the past.


    And Yang''s statement seems absurd, but it is true. The two county examinations are not as strictly controlled as the hospital examination, especially the county examination, which is presided over by the magistrate of the county.


    There are five county exams in total, and the results of the first exam are mainly to be judged. And this time, there are two stereotyped essays and one poem. As long as there are no typos and fluent essays, you can pass them all.


    Compared with people he doesn''t know well at all, the magistrate is still willing to pick people who are somewhat familiar.


    And going to a good school to study is to provide an opportunity to stand out in front of the county magistrate. Dachang has always attached great importance to the selection of talents. How many scholars can be produced in this county, and even a son can be a Jinshi, which is considered a political achievement. No matter how fatuous and incompetent the county magistrate, this kind of cutscene must go.


    And being able to enter a good school will not only increase your contacts, but also your vision.


    For example, the county examinations are nothing more than the Four Books and Five Classics and the sacred edicts. How to write and what taboos should not be violated all need guidance. No matter how wonderful your article is, if you violate taboos such as temple taboos, royal names, and holy taboos, you will not take it.


    And in places like the countryside, many private schools are opened by old children for the sake of making a living, and I still want to be a scholar to change my fortune, so how can I teach middle school children in every detail.


    Xue Qingshan himself was like this, that''s why he put all his energy into sending Xue Juncai to Qinghe Academy.


    Yang thought that her father-in-law wanted to tell her about sending Xue Juncai to the school, so she said this. Little did they know that her words really touched Mr. Xue''s mind, but Mr. Xue didn''t intend to tell her these things.


    Mr. Xue took a deep breath of dry cigarettes, and said: "The boss you said has been told to me, and we will talk about this matter later. You are Juncai''s mother, and there is nothing wrong with planning for your son, but you have to know that our family It¡¯s not just Dafang¡¯s family.¡±


    The father-in-law''s tone was a bit meaningful, Yang was startled for a moment, and forced a smile: "Father, of course my daughter-in-law knows that the Xue family is not just ours, but don''t worry, if Juncai''s father and Juncai are promising, they will never forget to be filial to you My mother." Seeing her father-in-law''s complexion was gloomy, she hurriedly added: "There are other people in the family, Juncai always remembers that he can study, thanks to a few uncles and aunts."


    Mr. Xue nodded: "If you understand, you should know that the other three families have been sacrificing for the eldest house. I won''t mention the far ones, just talk about the third and fourth children. The land in the house refers to the third and fourth children Kindly, your father is getting old, and his hands and feet are not as sharp as before. The fourth child has to pick up goods and sell them when he is busy with the house. I don¡¯t know how many pairs of shoes he has to wear out in a year, but all the money he earns is handed over to the public. , I haven¡¯t paid a penny. What is everyone working so hard for? It¡¯s not for our family, but for Dafang.¡±


    Yang''s complexion became forced: "Father, why is this all for our eldest family? Juncai''s father is promising, isn''t it because the Xue family has a good face? Because Juncai''s father was born in Tongsheng, no one in the village would look at us highly, even that The Zheng family, don¡¯t you also give us three points of courtesy to the Xue family. This is for the overall situation, for the future generations of our Xue family..."


    Old Master Xue sighed and interrupted: "Father understands what you said, and so does your mother. But as the saying goes, if the board is not on your body, of course you don''t feel pain. You put yourself in the position of the third and fourth child , What do you think? I have done the most work, and I can¡¯t even put my good words into my mouth, and it¡¯s all in other people¡¯s mouths.¡±


    These words were in line with what Zhao''er said just now, Yang''s face turned red immediately, her round face flushed red.


    "Father, why did you call this into my mouth, I..."


    Mr. Xue ignored her, and went to scold Mrs. Zhao again: "There is also you, who is biased in front of people. You just continue to do it, so that the third and fourth are chilled, and they make a fuss about separating from the family. You go there Planted for the boss and talented people to take the imperial examination!"


    At the end, his tone was full of sighs of hatred for iron.


    Mrs. Zhao didn''t want to listen to this anymore, and muttered: "What do you mean I am biased? Why am I biased? Didn''t I think that the boss and Juncai want to study, and studying is a waste of brain, so I should give them more supplements. Don''t those who are good? It fell into my mouth."


    The more she spoke, the angrier she became, and she couldn''t help cursing: "Separate the family, don''t they want to turn the world upside down, if the parents don''t separate, even if I can spare them, the ancestors'' family law can''t forgive them."


    Old Master Xue smiled wryly. If it wasn''t for these two old things and the family law of the ancestors, the family would not be like this a long time ago.


    He shifted his gaze to Mrs. Yang: "You also understand the situation at home. Can your mother and I manage it for a while, or for a lifetime? Since you want to send Juncai to study in the school in the town, you should win over the third and fourth bedroom. "


    "Father, I..."


    "In the past, your mother doted on you. I never said it. You can tell which is right and which is wrong. But from tomorrow onwards, you and the third and fourth families will share the work at home. "


    After Mr. Xue finished speaking, he stopped talking and just smoked his own cigarette with a sullen head. Yang couldn''t stand here either, and hurried out of the main room with her head down.


    *


    As soon as Mrs. Zhou cleaned up the kitchen and came out, she saw her sister-in-law returning to the east chamber with her head down, her expression was not very good.


    Her eyes flickered, and she glanced towards the south end of the west wing, which was a four-bedroom house.


    There was a faint person behind the window facing the courtyard in the fourth room, and Mrs. Zhou knew that Mrs. Sun had been watching the movement. She pretended not to notice, wiped her hands on the apron, and went back to the house.


    When it was time to cook in the evening, Mrs. Yang was wearing coarse clothes, which was rare, and came to the kitchen to compete with Mrs. Zhou for work.


    Mrs. Zhou couldn''t even refuse, so Mrs. Yang smiled and said that Mrs. Zhou had worked hard, so she just let her rest.


    Mrs. Zhou was pushed out of the kitchen by her, and she happened to meet Mrs. Sun who was standing at the door of the west chamber. There was also surprise in their eyes.


    But what surprised them was yet to come, because from this day on, Mrs. Yang changed her previous attitude and started doing all kinds of work. Although it was many years of not touching her hands, she was clumsy in doing things now, but she did it.


    Not only cooking, but also being very generous, often actively persuade Mrs. Zhao to take some money, or buy some meat or bring out some eggs, and cook dishes for the family to eat.


    The sparks that had been stirred up by Zhao''er''s words in the Xue family were suppressed just like that. During this period, Xue Tingxiang''s body finally recovered, and he had the strength to walk around.


    This day, after getting up early in the morning and having breakfast, Zhao''er planned to go to town.


    The rags she brought back from the embroidery workshop have all been made into things like purses and embroidered shoes. After saving for many days, it should be sold in the embroidery workshop.


    She put everything into the back basket, and before leaving, she told Xue Tingxiang that the weather was fine today and asked him to go out to bask in the sun more often.


    Xue Tingxiang nodded and agreed honestly, and then she went out with peace of mind.


    Not long after she left, Xue Tingxiang walked out of the house.


    The yard is very quiet, the curtains of the doors of each room are all lowered, and it is hard to see if anyone is there.


    He stood in front of the door for a while, then walked out of the gate, and Hei Zi, who was lazily basking in the sun, immediately stood up and went out together at his feet.

 Chapter 8

    A young man was walking on the path in the village.


    He was dressed in a blue jacket, as if he hadn''t seen the sun for a long time, and his skin was weak and pale. The body is also slender and thin, but his expression is calm and calm. He is obviously wearing shabby clothes, and the path in the village is uneven, and there are even cow dung and chicken dung, but it just makes him feel like walking in the garden.


    It was the time of spring plowing, and everyone was busy plowing the fields at the moment, and there were hardly any people on the road in the village. Occasionally, a woman who is doing work in the yard sees the person walking on the road from a distance, and only after a few fixed eyes does she recognize who it is.


    "Dog, where is this going?"


    Xue Tingxiang looked at the woman who was talking to him, and said with a smile: "Auntie, I''ll just walk around."


    It was just a casual sentence, the woman didn''t say anything more to him, she turned to get something in the room, the mother-in-law in the room asked her: "Third daughter-in-law, who were you talking to just now?"


    "The dog from the second bedroom of Xue Lianxing''s family. Hey, mother, it''s strange to say that I didn''t recognize him when he knocked on the door just now. I always feel like a different person."


    Her mother-in-law didn''t take it seriously: "What can you become, but you can''t change your body, I remember that kid has been ill recently."


    The daughter-in-law said: "I see, maybe I plan to go to the back mountain." There is a mountain behind Yuqing Village, where all the dead villagers in the village are buried, and the Xue family''s ancestral grave is also there.


    Hearing this, her mother-in-law sighed: "Don''t even mention it, it''s a pity for the second child of the Xing family. Both of them are gone. It''s a pity to leave a baby."


    This is just gossip between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and while they were talking, Xue Tingxiang had already brought Heizi into the back mountain.


    *


    Houshan is called Houshan, the mountain behind Yuqing Village.


    This mountain has no name, and the mountain is not high, but it is extremely deep. Anyway, so far, no villager has been able to walk back and forth from this deep mountain and old forest, most of them are activities outside the mountain.


    The Xue family''s ancestral grave was built on a small hill not far from the village. This Xue family is not only Xue Tingxiang''s family, but the ancestors of the entire Xue clan are buried here.


    On such a big hill, the lineage of the patriarch is in the middle, and the branches of the various families spread out. The lineage of Mr. Xue is at a place near the foot of the southwest mountain.


    Because the couple in the second room died young, and Xue Qingsong died in an accident, they were buried at the edge.


    When Xue Tingxiang arrived at the place, he began to pull the grass around the grave mound casually.


    There were not many weeds, they had just been cleared during the Chinese New Year, so he gathered the grass at random and placed it on the ground, taking advantage of the opportunity and sat down in front of the grave.


    A piece of mountainous land, two small graves, in front of each of the graves stood a small bluestone stele, on which the names of the second family and the couple were crudely written.


    This monument was originally recruited to find someone to make it and set it up.


    Nowadays, there are three kinds of people who cannot erect monuments after they die, those who die suddenly, die young, and have no heirs. Xue Qingsong belongs to violent death.


    Although everyone doesn''t say it, people who feel that they died suddenly have resentment after death, which is not conducive to the feng shui of the ancestor''s grave, so no monument is erected. I also want him to forget who he is, so as not to cause trouble if he is ignorant.


    But at the same time, there is another saying that after death without a monument, you will be a lonely ghost, who cannot stand the incense of future generations.


    At the beginning, the funeral of the second wife was arranged by the Xue family, and they acquiesced to follow the old customs. At that time, Xue Tingxiang was still young and didn''t understand these things at all, but Zhao''er understood.


    She talked to Xue''s family about erecting a monument, but was blocked, and Xue''s family took turns to persuade her. Later, Zhao''er didn''t tell anyone about it, and took the money to ask someone to make these two simple monuments and put them in front of the grave.


    It was too late when Xue''s family found out, and they couldn''t tear down the stele in front of the villagers.


    The villagers were also surprised when they saw the stele, but after thinking about how the Xue family''s second child died, they could understand it.


    Therefore, Xue Qingshan also gained a good reputation. He would rather risk his family''s feng shui to erect a monument for his brother.


    With various thoughts spinning in his mind, Xue Tingxiang took out a piece of cloth from his arms and slowly wiped the tombstone.


    The words on it were still written by him, and the strokes are immature, but after all, people can still tell what is written on it.


    ...


    Today is the anniversary of Mr. Zheng''s death. Zheng Hu brought his two sons to the grave to worship.


    The country people are not so particular, they just prepared some steamed buns, wine and meat, and the father and son burned the paper money in front of the grave, so let''s forget about it.


    Zheng Hu had always had a deep relationship with his father, so he was inevitably depressed, so he let his two sons go back first, while he sat in front of the grave, smoking a pipe and talking to his father.


    After talking for a while, he stood up and planned to go back.


    There was still work waiting to be done in the field, and Zheng Hu didn''t want to waste time, so he decided to take a shortcut. When he passed near Xue Lianxing''s ancestral grave, he suddenly heard someone crying.


    There are graves on the two nearby hills, one is of the surname Xue, and the other is of the surname Zheng. This kind of festive day is not like Zheng Hu''s on the anniversary of the death of an elder in the family, but no one would come to this kind of place.


    In particular, there may be a lot of dead people buried here, the trees are dense, and sometimes the sky and day are gloomy. Hearing this strange sound under such circumstances, Zheng Hu was so frightened that his hair stood on end and his legs went limp.


    After all, he had lived for decades. He listened intently and calmly, and it took him a while to understand that it was a boy''s voice.


    Thinking about who''s grave was here, he bravely walked closer, bypassed a big tree, and saw a young man in blue clothes sitting in front of the grave from a distance.


    Next to it was a big black dog wagging its tail.


    It''s the dog of the second room of Xue Lianxing''s family.


    Only then did Zheng Hu heave a sigh of relief, and the voice came into his ears again: "...Father, what do you think I should do? Uncle wants to send brother Juncai to the school in town, I thought I could do the same." Go... But my aunt came to the house a few days ago, but she told me to let Brother Juncai, before..."


    The young man''s voice was full of hesitation and bewilderment, Zheng Hu did not expect to hear the secret affairs of the Xue family in such a place. He was so surprised that the pipe in his hand dropped without realizing it. He didn''t realize it until his foot was hit by the pipe, picked up the pipe in a hurry and left.


    He didn''t know that after he left, the lonely and helpless boy in his eyes stopped crying.


    In the past few days, Xue Tingxiang has been thinking hard, trying to find a suitable opportunity, and somehow he thought of Zheng Hu.


    Zheng Hu''s father, Mr. Zheng, died during the spring plowing. It was not a happy funeral, but an accident. He was accidentally squeezed to the foot of the field by his own cattle and fell to his death.


    The ridge was not very tall, and countless villagers fell off the ridge every year, and Mr. Zheng died unluckily. At the beginning, this incident was widely circulated in the village, so Xue Tingxiang remembered it very clearly.


    Since it was the anniversary of the father''s death, the son Zheng Hu would definitely come to visit the grave, and Zheng Hu used to like to take shortcuts, so he would definitely pass by this area, so who else is more suitable than him.


    The most important thing is that Yuqing Village doesn''t seem big, but Xue and Zheng''s surnames have always been different from each other. Zheng Hu''s uncle is Li Zheng, and if he knows it, Zheng Lizheng will know it too.


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t stay any longer, and quickly returned home with Heizi the same way.


    The yard was still silent, he found a twig and put it in front of the door, and sat there quietly basking in the sun, thinking about Zhao''er who went to the town.


    *


    Zheng Hu hurried all the way, without even returning home, he went to Zheng Lizheng''s house.


    Zheng Li is the Lizheng of Yuqing Village and the head of the Zheng clan. Naturally, the family''s house is the only one in Yuqing Village. If it can be compared with it, it is the house of Patriarch Xue''s family.


    Yishui''s green brick and tile-roofed house, and the courtyard walls are also made of green bricks. The most conspicuous thing is the ancestral hall of the Zheng family on the front, but this ancestral hall will not be opened until a certain time. The two black doors The paulownia gate is closed all year round.


    Going around to the side is the courtyard of Zheng Lizheng''s family.


    The yard is huge, unlike other houses where the barn, barn, kitchen, etc. are all in the front yard, the front yard of Zheng Lizheng''s house is just a big empty yard, only two sycamore trees are planted in the yard. Whenever there is any major event in the village, the courtyard will always be densely packed with people.


    There are three main rooms facing the face, and east and west wing rooms on the left and right, all of which are blue bricks and black tiles, which are extraordinarily magnificent.


    When Zheng Hu arrived, only Zheng Lizheng and his wife Tian Shi were at home.


    As soon as Tian saw his nephew coming, he greeted him: "Huzi, why are you here at this time? Do you have something to do with your uncle?"


    "Hey, there''s something wrong."


    With that said, Zheng Hu hurried into the house. Tian shook her head, thinking that there must be something wrong, since Zheng Hu is usually very steady.


    After Zheng Hu entered, he turned to the east room.


    Sure enough, his uncle Zheng Li was sitting cross-legged on the big kang in the east room, smoking dry cigarettes.


    "Why, in a hurry."


    Zheng Hu sat down on a pier under the kang, panting heavily, unable to speak for a while.


    Zheng Lizheng looked to be in his sixties, with a long face and a pair of medium-sized eyes. From the appearance, he is just an ordinary farmer''s old man, even the clothes he wears are ordinary. There is only that unmoving calmness, which can be seen as a person who has been around the world for a long time.


    With the cigarette holder in his mouth, he pushed the teapot on the kang table forward, Zheng Hu was not polite, stood up and poured a bowl of tea, and drank it down.


    "Uncle, let me tell you, something happened to me today."


    "What''s the matter?"


    "Today is not the anniversary of my father''s death. I took it with me early in the morning..."


    Halfway through Zheng Hu''s speech, Zheng Lizheng sat up from the kang, as if listening seriously.


    Seeing his uncle like this, Zheng Hu knew he had come to the right place. After hearing what the only son of Xue Lianxing''s family cried, he realized that this was an opportunity, an opportunity to suppress the prestige of Xue in Yuqing Village.


    He spoke in more detail, almost repeating every word, while Zheng Li was smoking a pipe, his eyes narrowed.


    *


    Zhao''er didn''t come back until the second half of the afternoon, and when he came back, he looked a little unhappy.


    Xue Tingxiang looked at the basket behind her, every time Zhao''er came back before, the basket was always full, but today he knew that there was nothing in it.


    "What''s wrong?"


    Zhao''er was thinking about it, when the little man asked him, he was taken aback for a moment, and then said: "It''s nothing, I brought you meat buns from the town, and I''ll heat them up for you to eat later."


    How could there be nothing, obviously there is something.


    Xue Tingxiang glanced at her face, but since she didn''t want to say more, he didn''t want to press her.


    Zhao''er went back and forth to the town, covered in dust, she went to the kitchen to boil water, and took a bath in the bathroom. The Xue family has a special room for bathing, in the vegetable field in the backyard. The house is not big, three meters square, the floor is paved with bluestone slabs, and there is a drain in the corner, through which the bath water can flow directly into the vegetable field.


    Taking off her clothes, Zhao''er rubbed the soap horns on her body, but a burst of melancholy came to her heart.


    In fact, something really happened, but she didn''t say it because she was afraid that the little man would worry.


    The way she finally found to get money was robbed.


    The person who robbed was none other than the owner of the embroidery workshop who took her finished product and pocketed the embroidered shoes.


    In fact, Zhao''er is quite clever. He bought rags from the owner of this embroidery workshop, but the finished product was not sold to this one, but to another one. It''s just that she didn''t expect that the two bosses were actually relatives, and she didn''t know how the other party knew. When she went again this time, the other party was unwilling to sell her rags.


    Not only does this embroidery workshop have no rags, but the owner of this embroidery workshop ordered people to buy all the rags from other embroidery workshops. Zhao''er didn''t know about this until after visiting several embroidery workshops.


    She has already made plans to pay for the little man to study in the town. She has asked about the Qinghe Academy, and the beam repair will cost five taels of silver every year. Among them, because many students live too far away, they can choose to study in dormitories. If it is a place to study, the monthly meals, accommodation, etc. are added together, and another one or two taels of silver will be needed.


    In Zhao''er''s heart, she wanted Xue Ting to study overnight. She felt that Xue''s house was not a good place to study, and there were too many messes in the family, which meant that she had to prepare six taels of silver before sending the little man to school.


    She originally thought that she could make enough money by doing this business twice, but who would have thought that such a thing would happen.


    In the middle of her thoughts, Zhao''er had already taken a shower, she wrapped her hair in a handkerchief, put on her clothes, and went back to the house.


    Xue Tingxiang was sitting on the kang reading a book, and it was his only book "Children Learning Qionglin". Seeing her coming in, he looked up at her and said, "It''s still cold, dry your hair quickly."


    Hearing this, Zhao''er''s heart warmed up.


    These days the little man has changed a lot compared to before, and this change is naturally good, so she couldn''t help showing a smile even though she was worried.


    She climbed onto the kang and took a cloth towel out of the kang cabinet. Xue Tingxiang was sitting on the side, inevitably he had to make room for her. When she passed by, a scent mixed with soap locust penetrated into the tip of his nose, he couldn''t help moving his nose, and his eyes fell on her who was close at hand.

 Chapter 9

    Zhao''er took the cloth towel, went back to the edge of the Kang, took off the cloth towel on his head and wiped his hair.


    Her hair was black and dense, reaching to her waist. She brushed her long hair to the side of her neck, and sat on the edge of the Kang with her head slightly tilted, letting her long hair hang down, and combed it with a comb.


    The girl was wearing a lilac-colored floral jacket and maroon wide-leg pants. She had to straighten her back and tilt her neck so that the water from her wet hair wouldn''t wet her clothes. These were all subconscious actions, but in Xue Tingxiang''s eyes, his heartbeat accelerated inexplicably, and he felt a sense of tension in his blood.


    Without him, it is because of this posture that the girl''s figure is vividly displayed. High/chest/upturned/hip, slender waist, Xue Tingxiang has never seen such a scene before, a very strange feeling of dryness and heat climbed up in his body.


    But at the same time, he was familiar with it, and a picture appeared in his mind, which was the time of the two people''s bridal chamber.


    In the dream, he didn''t like her at that time, but he felt that marrying her was a matter of course.


    It was a deep-rooted thought that she should be his wife.


    It''s just that this hidden deepest emotion was covered up by his awkwardness and ignorance, especially when he went to the school to study and let his classmates know that he had a child bride in the country, which caused a lot of ridicule.


    But in fact, he liked her deep down in his heart, so she was tortured badly by him that night in the bridal chamber.


    Originally, he was just ignorant, and she was a newcomer, so he hurt her and also hurt her. But he still thought about the pain, and she cried with tears and snot running down her nose. That was the first time she showed weakness in front of him, and he liked this way of bullying her ever since.


    At that time, he was studying in the academy, and he would only come back once every ten days. Every time he came back, she was so afraid that she would hide. But he had to rely on him and let him do whatever he wanted. He obviously liked it, but pretended not to like it.


    Now that I think about it, he was really an asshole at that time.


    Thinking about these messes in his heart, he suddenly said, "I''ll wipe it for you."


    Zhao''er looked at him sideways in surprise, and subconsciously refused: "I still can''t, I''ll do it myself." After these days of corrections, she has gradually learned not to call herself sister.


    Before her words fell, Xue Tingxiang had already snatched the cloth towel, and pulled her to turn her back, Zhao''er could only freeze there, letting him wipe it.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Tingxiang is still half-headed now, so he can only half-kneel and sit up to wipe her hair. The two were very close, Zhao''er didn''t notice it, but Xue Tingxiang felt his blood was surging.


    Zhao''er''s hair is very black, dense and smooth, like a piece of fine satin. He was clumsy, and Fang began to pull and hurt her several times, until he heard her involuntarily inhaling, he slowed down his movements.


    Feeling that it was a bit difficult for him to reach, Zhao''er was a little distressed, he kept stretching his arms: "If I don''t lie here?"


    As she said that, she went to try it, and it was more convenient for him to lie on the kang, and both of them would not be tired. What she didn''t know was that her posture looked even more seductive from behind, especially for a young man with a fresh blood.


    Xue Tingxiang immediately regretted accepting this matter. It felt like a kind of torture. He needed to work hard to stabilize himself so as not to look randomly.


    "If not, why don''t you sit up?" he asked.


    But got no answer from her.


    When I went to see it, I found that she had fallen asleep.


    The girl seemed very tired and slept soundly. She lay prone on the long-folded quilt, her thick long hair was scattered behind her back and down to her waist. Because the quilt was covering her face, her face was squeezed out of shape, but her pink lips were pouty.


    Zhao''er, who had just taken a bath, still had water vapor on her face. Her plump and delicate cheeks looked young and tender at first glance. Her pink lips had a watery glow, which was attractive to pick.


    Something in his heart was clamoring, and he leaned on him unconsciously. The cheeks of the two were getting closer and closer, so close that he could see and smell the sweet smell.


    Suddenly, she moved, and he quickly backed away, pretending to be nonchalant, muttering in his mouth why he fell asleep, but actually watching her reaction nervously.


    Fortunately, she just moved, and there was no sign of waking up, so he was relieved.


    But the impulse in his heart was gone, he glanced at her several times, reached out and took the thin quilt to cover her, and continued to wipe her wet hair with a cloth towel.


    *


    Yuqing Village was originally a village established by a group of victims who fled during the war in the previous dynasty.


    At first it was not called Yuqing Village, but Zhengjiazhuang. The village is full of people with the surname Zheng, but the number of people is not large, only a dozen or so families. Many years later, there was a famine one year, and the government arranged for a group of people who fled the disaster to settle here. These people are the ancestors of the Xue family.


    There are not many people surnamed Zheng, and there are also many people surnamed Xue. At first, people surnamed Zheng took the lead.


    The Dachang Dynasty implemented the Lilao system, where one hundred households constituted one li, and Jiachang was set up, which is commonly known as Lizheng. There are also several old people, who are commonly known as village elders.


    Within the jurisdiction of Yuqing Village, everything in the village, such as adjudicating civil lawsuits, arbitrating right and wrong, guiding folk customs, persuading farming and mulberry, issuing sentiments, etc., and even urging taxes, military service, etc., are all handled by the local people. Li Zheng and the villagers co-hosted the completion.


    Li Lao''s power can be said to be quite large, and anyone who can be Li Lao is a person of high moral and respect in the local area.


    In fact, this kind of system is equivalent to a local people governing a local people.


    Nowadays there is such a saying that the so-called imperial power does not come down to the county, but only the clan under the county, and the clan is self-governing, self-government depends on ethics, and ethics creates squires, that''s how it is.


    Over the years, the two surnames of Xue and Zheng seem to be harmonious on the surface, but they have been at odds with each other, and what they are fighting for is the right to speak in the village. Although it was because there was a scholar among the people surnamed Xue before, the Xue family changed its previous decline and several village elders appeared in the clan, but the position of Lizheng has always been in the hands of the people surnamed Zheng.


    Now Yuqing Village has one Lizheng and four village elders. Three of these four elders have the surname Xue, that is to say, two pairs of three. But because Zheng Lizheng is here, it is still not an advantage.


    Patriarch Xue is confident that if there is another scholar in the clan, he will be able to completely overwhelm the Zheng family, so when he heard the rumors that had been raging in the village for the past two days, he immediately exploded.


    Mr. Xue was still in the field, so he was called to Patriarch Xue''s house.


    Seeing Patriarch Xue''s face as dark as the bottom of a pot, Old Master Xue was puzzled by Monk Zhang Er: "Brother Haizi, what''s the matter?" In terms of seniority, Patriarch Xue is considered Old Master Xue''s cousin.


    "You still ask me what''s wrong? Don''t you know what''s going on outside recently?"


    Mr. Xue really doesn''t know.


    Seeing this, Patriarch Xue gave a rough account of the matter with a dark face.


    I don''t know when, things about the Xue family have spread outside.


    The source is that someone saw Xue Gouzi, the only son of Xue''s second wife, crying in front of Xue''s second son''s grave.


    The specific content of the cry is untestable, and it is possible for a half-grown boy to express his grievances in this way, which is enough to prove that the child must have been wronged at home. Later, someone familiar with the situation revealed the truth, and everyone knew that the boss of the Xue family planned to send his son to study in the town, but left his nephew alone.


    Few people in the village did not know how the second child of the Xue family died. And when Xue Qingsong was dying, many people in the village were there, so they naturally held Xue Qingshan''s hand and made him promise to treat his son well.


    When he came back from the Xue family, many people discussed it in private, saying that the second son of the Xue family was really miserable, leaving behind a sick wife and a young son.


    Now that such rumors spread, the scene before the death of Xue Lao Er was repeated by people in various ways. Some elderly people shook their heads and sighed, saying that people''s hearts are unpredictable, and it is impossible to entrust their wives and children to anyone. Take care of yourself. You treated him like your big brother and threw your life on him, but he didn''t treat your son as his own son.


    Even Xue Tingxiang''s situation in Xue''s family in the past few years has caused some women to talk about it.


    For example, although the dog from the second room seldom shows up in front of people, he always wears old clothes every time he sees him, while the handsome man from the first room has never seen him in old clothes. Even some things in the private school were told by the ignorant children to the adults. Xue Juncai had everything in his pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and he had the most books in the school. As for Xue Gouzi, he was seen writing on the desk with water on him several times.


    Being eccentric, everyone is eccentric, and no one can say anything about his own son, but Boss Xue also took the life of his own brother on his back. This kind of eccentricity is a bit chilling.


    "You are very old, and the juniors in the family can''t teach well? You are biased towards the elders, but why did you make this matter out of people''s faces? What do you think about this matter now!"


    Mr. Xue was quite old, and his face was flushed with embarrassment, but he also knew that this matter was serious, and his family''s reputation would be ruined if he was not careful.


    It doesn''t matter if you finish your own reputation, but the boss''s reputation can''t be finished. If he gets the name of the only son of the dead brother who is mean, the boss will be ruined for life. Don''t talk about the examination of any scholar, maybe the private school will not be able to open.


    "Brother Haizi..." He looked at Patriarch Xue begging for help, and he didn''t have any rules in his mind for a moment.


    "Now, only by sending both children away can people have nothing to choose."


    Mr. Xue''s old face turned even redder, and he rubbed his big rough hands: "Brother Haizi, you know that our family has been wiped out all these years in order to provide for the boss. It''s not that I don''t want to send two children, but I really can''t." rise."


    Hearing this, Patriarch Xue also frowned.


    When Xue Qingshan went to the Qinghe Academy to study, he knew the inside story very well. That place is desperate for money, and the key is not to have any objections, because most people are willing to pay to go in. One year''s expenses cost at least twenty taels, but Xue Qingshan has been there for five years.


    Patriarch Xue originally planned to make up one or two if it wasn''t enough, but now he doesn''t open his mouth. That''s all for Xue Qingshan, Xue Juncai is still young, and he doesn''t know what the future will be like. The key point is that his two grandchildren are also studying, and neither family is rich.


    "If you don''t, you don''t even want to go, can you do it?" Mr. Xue muttered.


    Patriarch Xue sneered: "That''s not what the outsiders said, your family''s mean and fatherless son. If you don''t want the boss''s reputation to be ruined, you can either give two of them, or you can only give one to the kid from the second room."


    *


    When Mr. Xue came out of Patriarch Xue''s house, he was in a daze.


    He trembled and touched his waist a few times before taking off the cigarette pouch. He didn''t go any further, so he squatted under a tree beside the road and lit the tobacco. He smoked the whole pot of tobacco without stopping before he stood up.


    He walked slowly towards home, and people greeted him from time to time along the way.


    Normally, Mr. Xue would only feel that his face is bright, not that person, who would like to say hello to you, but now he always has the illusion that others are smiling at him, but actually laughing at him in his heart.


    He tried his best to walk back all the way, when another person walked up to him, he was still an acquaintance. The other party smiled and told him why he came back from the field so early today, he couldn''t bear it anymore, and pulled the man under a tree aside to talk.


    "Old man Zhou, tell me the truth, why are people talking about our family behind our backs in the village?"


    The old man this week is also an old man with black and red skin, but he is a head shorter than Mr. Xue, and his back is a bit rickety. Hearing this, he subconsciously glanced at Mr. Xue, and sighed after a long time: "I thought you knew, but you don''t."


    "What do I know? How could I know!" The first sentence almost came out from between the teeth, but the latter sentence was full of wry smiles.


    Having lived most of his life, old man Zhou naturally understands the old man''s mood at this time. But he didn''t know what to say, so he could only say sincerely: "Don''t be too troublesome, these people in the village are just busy and like to talk about right and wrong. But don''t blame me for talking too much, you The family did this..." He sucked between his teeth, as if smacking his lips, but it wasn''t: "It''s really a bit inappropriate."


    inappropriate?


    This is probably because the old man Zhou said this because of his relationship with him, and he didn''t know how others scolded him behind his back. Fangcai''s patriarch only told him that the publicity was bad, but he didn''t tell him how bad it was.


    Mr. Xue asked: "What are you talking about, tell me."


    The old man Zhou sighed before saying what he knew. Now that the words are out of the way, he doesn''t think there is anything he can''t say, "I''m not talking about you, you are the father, so don''t worry about this matter, don''t forget how your second child died, Such an approach will inevitably poke people''s spines."


    Old Master Xue''s complexion was pale, and he mumbled: "It has nothing to do with the boss, it''s because my wife and I discussed this."


    Old man Zhou raised his eyelids and glanced at the old man, and he didn''t plan to say anything that hurt his heart. Once he said this, the friendship between the two of them would be ruined in the future.


    "Anyway, you have to think about this matter. I won''t chat with you anymore. I have to go home. If you don''t come to my place at night, I''ll accompany you for a drink or two?"


    "No, there are still things at home."


    After Old Man Zhou left, Mr. Xue stood there for a while, and then went home.


    As soon as he entered the house, Xue Qingshan, who was standing in the yard, asked, "Father, what did my cousin ask you to do?"


    Mr. Xue glanced at his son, and entered the main room without saying a word.


    Xue Qingshan felt a little puzzled by the second monk, and wanted to ask the third brother what happened. At this time, Mrs. Zhou in the kitchen was yelling to eat, and everyone in the room came out, so of course it didn''t come true.


    During dinner, Mr. Xue''s complexion was always bad.


    Since Xue Tingxiang was able to get out of bed, he didn''t eat in his own room, but ate with everyone. The atmosphere at the dinner table was not very good, and even Mao Dan, who used to like to make a fuss at the dinner table, did not dare to make a fuss today.


    After dinner, Mrs. Zhou and Xue Taoer cleared the table and went to wash the dishes.


    The others were about to leave, but they were stopped by Mr. Xue.


    "Boss and eldest daughter-in-law stay here, I have something to tell you, the dog also stays, and everyone else goes back to the house."

 Chapter 10

    Hearing this, Zhao''er immediately stopped in his tracks, and said with a smile, "Master, there''s something we can''t let us know. Since the dog is here, I''ll stay and listen too."


    Mr. Xue glanced at her, changed his usual disposition, and said in a bad tone: "You woman, why are you staying here? You have a role to listen to when a man talks?!"


    Zhao''er was not annoyed, but said aggrievedly: "Then how can the eldest aunt stay, she is not a woman? Besides, the dog can''t talk, I don''t look at it, I am afraid that what he said will anger me Lord."


    In fact, her subtext was just to say that she was afraid that others would bully Xue Tingxiang, and no one present could hear it.


    Mr. Xue stared at her. Now he really doubts that all this was made by this girl. He knew that Gou''er child was a bored gourd, why didn''t he go to the grave early and complained that he would not go later, but why did he go at this time.


    Thinking of all the disobedient things this girl did in the past, Mr. Xue felt disgusted in his heart. But he also knew that now was not the time to vent his anger, but to settle the matter.


    "Since you want to listen, then listen." The tone was the same as before, but anyone could hear the dissatisfaction in his voice.


    Zhao''er couldn''t hear it, so he stood aside.


    Seeing this, Mrs. Sun hurriedly dragged Xue Qinghuai to stay.


    "Since Zhao''er has stayed, let''s stay and listen too." She laughed along with her.


    Mr. Xue was immediately furious: "Since you want to listen, stay and listen."


    So everyone stayed, including the four-year-old Mao Dan, and even Mrs. Zhou, who was busy in the kitchen, stayed behind under the guise of cleaning the table.


    In the huge main room, only an oil lamp was lit on the square table. The wick was jumping and shadowy, and everyone''s eyes were on Mr. Xue. But he suddenly didn''t know where to start. He looked around everyone''s faces with heavy eyes, and finally fell on Xue Tingxiang''s face.


    "Actually, it''s nothing. I just want to talk about what the boss said a while ago that he wants to send the child to the school in the town."


    Zhao''er was inexplicably nervous, and couldn''t help but glance at Xue Tingxiang, and then went to see Mr. Xue.


    Dafang and his wife were overjoyed, they knew this would happen, and it was not in vain for them to swallow their anger for many days.


    Xue Qingshan couldn''t hide the joy on his face, he looked at Xue Tingxiang with pity and compassion, then looked at other people, and finally fell on Xue Tingxiang.


    "Dog, don''t be discouraged. You are still much worse than your talented brother. You will study with uncle for another two years, and then the family will send you to the town to study."


    This kind of tone was too stinging at this time, Zhao''er had a sneer on the corner of his mouth, and wanted to say something, but was pulled by Xue Tingxiang.


    Xue Qingshan took all of this into his eyes, and satirized in his heart, no matter how difficult this girl''s film is, she can only embarrass others on these trivial things, and it still doesn''t work when it comes to big things. He smiled, and said to Zhao''er: "Zhao''er, don''t be angry, uncle knows that you are high-minded, but high-mindedness can''t be eaten, don''t you?"


    No one in the room said anything.


    At this moment, Mr. Xue suddenly said angrily: "Boss, what are you talking about!"


    Xue Qingshan didn''t take it seriously: "Father, I''m not trying to persuade the dog not to be discouraged..."


    Old man Xue''s beard was shaking with anger, and he pointed at him with a cigarette pot: "You need to persuade, the one who is going to study in the town is not a handsome man, but a dog!"


    As soon as these words came out, one stone really stirred up a thousand waves.


    The room was silent for a moment, and soon Zhao''s slightly shrill voice broke the silence.


    "Old man, what are you talking about? What do you mean a person who is going to study in the town is not a talented person?"


    Xue Qingshan also said: "Father, did you say the wrong person in a muddle?"


    "Your father is not ignorant, and he didn''t say anything wrong. The one who goes to study in the town is a dog, not a talent!"


    After saying this, Mr. Xue seemed to have lost all his energy, and stopped talking. The eyes of the whole room kept looking back and forth at Xue Tingxiang and Xue Juncai, full of surprise.


    Xue Qingshan''s smile cracked, and Yang''s face was full of surprise.


    Xue Juncai''s handsome face flushed red, "Grandfather..."


    Mr. Xue waved his hand wearily: "Okay, let''s all go back to the house."


    With everything said like this, everyone had no choice but to leave, but Dafang''s family still stayed behind.


    As soon as everyone walked out of the main room, they heard a commotion inside.


    "Old man, please speak clearly, what do you mean it is a dog who is going to study in the town, not my handsome talent!"


    It was Zhao''s voice.


    There is also Xue Qingshan, mixed with Yang''s aggrieved and sharp cries, and Mr. Xue''s exhausted explanation.


    No secrets can be hidden under one roof, so everyone knows what''s going on.


    *


    Early the next morning, everyone got up.


    But the spirit is not very good, it can be seen that he didn''t sleep much at night. Especially Yang''s eyes were a little red and swollen, and she looked like she was crying.


    Xue Qingshan''s eyes were also full of bloodshot eyes, he looked at Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang with sinister eyes from time to time, but for some reason he didn''t say anything.


    The atmosphere was very depressing, no one spoke, everyone was there and doing what they were doing in an orderly manner, but the yard was surprisingly quiet.


    After breakfast, Mr. Xue took his hoe and planned to go to the field. Xue Qingbai and Xue Qinghuai didn''t dare to delay, one went to lead the cow out, the other picked up the iron plow, and followed him out the door.


    Xue Qingshan didn''t stay at home anymore, and then went out, but he didn''t know where he went.


    Unlike the rest of the Xue family, Zhao''er was very happy.


    Since she learned the ins and outs of the matter from Xue Tingxiang last night, she has fallen into uncontrollable excitement. Don''t say that she gloats, in her heart she should be a little man, and she is worrying about having no money in her hands, this news is tantamount to great joy for her.


    Knowing that the schoolchildren who go to the academy are very particular, she purposely found a piece of blue cloth that had been kept at the bottom of the box for a long time. This is Qiu''s dowry back then, and Qiu gave Zhao''er to make clothes, but unfortunately she has been reluctant to part with it, and now it is just right to use it as a school bag for Xue Tingxiang.


    After cutting the cloth, she began to sew with needles and threads, talking to Xue Tingxiang without saying a word. At this moment, the door curtain was suddenly lifted.


    It was Xue Youcai, the second boy of Dafang.


    Xue Youcai was only seven years old this year, but he was born fat and thick, and he was obviously spoiled. After he came in, he scolded Xue Tingxiang: "Just like you, you are still grabbing things from my elder brother, and you have the same name as a dog. You are no smarter than a dog."


    This kid''s tongue is really poisonous, and he is also used to by the elder couple, and he has always been a bully at home, making everyone angry. I saw signs of it a few years ago, but it''s a pity that Mrs. Yang has been protecting him, saying that he is still young and ignorant, but he has grown up in the past two years, but it is a pity that he is still ignorant.


    Zhao''er doesn''t like him, if anyone in this family beat Xue Youcai, it must be her. Xue Youcai was afraid of her, yet hated her, she stood up abruptly, before she could speak, Xue Youcai suddenly threw a bag of things in his hand. It hit the head and face, and it hurt people, and there was a strange smell in it.


    Zhao''er was hit twice, she subconsciously tried to hide, thinking of Xue Tingxiang on the kang, she turned her back to protect him. Xue Tingxiang was unprepared, she hugged her upright, obviously it was not appropriate, but he felt blushing and heart beating.


    After finally waiting for this wave to pass, Zhao''er let go of his hand, Xue Youcai had already run away, and the thing he used to hit them turned out to be dried cow dung.


    Zhao''er was so disgusted that she ran after her.


    She stopped Xue Youcai at the gate of the courtyard, grabbed him by the collar without saying a word, picked up a branch from a nearby wall, and lashed at him.


    "If I don''t beat you for three days, you dare to go to the house to expose the tiles..."


    Xue Youcai struggled to run away, but Zhao''er was so painful that he was whipped. Crying and shouting, he sat down on the ground and lay down on the ground.


    This looks like the posture that young children are accustomed to playing tricks on.


    There was such a big commotion outside that everyone in the room was startled out.


    Seeing Xue Youcai being beaten by Zhao''er, Mrs. Zhao exploded: "Who told you to beat my grandson, stop!"


    Zhao''er ignored her and scolded: "Do you still dare to do it in the future? Why don''t you learn how to throw bullshit like others! The words are quite vicious. Who taught you to speak like this? If you don''t speak clearly today, I will not only Hit you, I will take you to the river to wash your mouth later..."


    Mrs. Yang also came out, and she screamed: "Wang Zhaoer, you are crazy, you dare to hit Juncai!"


    "Auntie, why don''t you see what he has done? You didn''t learn well at a young age, like some women who uttered obscene language and threw cow dung on people. I''ll tell you now, your second brother has a name , called Xue Tingxiang, if you dare to tell me whether you are a dog or not in the future, I will beat you every time I see you!"


    Xue Youcai cried until tears and snot came out, but unfortunately no one came up to rescue him. Zhao was so angry that she jumped up and down, Yang wanted to stop Zhao''er, but was stopped by Heizi.


    You usually see this sunspot with a slumped head and no energy at all. He stopped in front of people, growled a warning in his voice, and showed his sharp teeth. Yang didn''t doubt that if she dared to go forward, she would The dog would pounce on her and give her a bite.


    At this moment, a surprised voice suddenly sounded outside the courtyard: "What are you doing?"


    It was Xue Qingshan who came back from the outside, not only patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng, but also five or six villagers over half a hundred years old.


    Seeing the situation at home like this, Xue Qingshan was surprised at first, then smiled wryly, and said to the people beside him: "I won''t mention what outsiders say is right and wrong, just say that they are mean dogs, but there is absolutely no one Dare to do this. This girl has always been a pungent person, making troubles at home every now and then, if someone was really mean, she would have already caused a lot of trouble."


    What you said made people feel inexplicable, but Zhao''er is not the master who allows people to slander, so he immediately retorted: "Uncle, what you said is a bit slandering. I usually respect the elders at home. What nonsense is it? There is a reason for beating this kid today, and he actually scolded..."


    Having said that, she was interrupted by Yang.


    She came over anxiously and distressed, snatched Xue Youcai from Zhao''er''s hand and cried, "How old is he, how old are you? He is just not sensible at this age, and you still care about him... "


    Yang Shi was crying, with a look of grievance and helplessness, Xue Qingshan was also sighing beside him, Zhao''er didn''t know what the two couples were playing, it was over.


    Her little face was flushed with anxiety, and she was about to explain again, when Xue Tingxiang who came out of the room grabbed her.


    He took two steps forward, stood in front of Zhao''er, and first respectfully called Patriarch Xue, Zheng Lizheng and the few villagers. They are all from the same village, and you can''t see them when you look up. As a junior, these are his elders.


    After the proper etiquette passed, he explained to Yang: "I hope that my aunt will not be angry. Zhao''er was also impulsive. She saw that the boy called me the same name as a dog, and threw a lot of cow dung on me. That''s why I hit the boy in a fit of anger."


    Xue Tingxiang''s behavior first gave people a good impression. As a scholar, you should be gentle and polite. Next, I will take advantage of the gap of the apology and explain the ins and outs of the matter in two sentences.


    Zhao''er was not stupid, her mistake was that she was eager to explain everything clearly, so she couldn''t help but talk too much, but Xue Tingxiang only talked about the main points and didn''t mention anything else.


    And he speaks very well, it is normal for children to be naughty, but it is worth considering when they are naughty enough to insult people as dogs, not to mention throwing cow dung on Xue Tingxiang, his elder brother. At the same time, it also explained for Zhao''er why she beat the talented boy so impulsively.


    Sure enough, after hearing this, Patriarch Xue and the others inevitably turned to his side when they saw the forbearing expression on Xue Tingxiang''s thin face.

 Chapter 11

    Xue Qingshan''s face was a little ugly, and at the same time he was a little surprised.


    His nephew has always been reticent, and he can''t make a fart with three sticks. He only acted out this way because he counted on Erfang''s two petty tempers.


    But after all, he lived older than Xue Tingxiang, so naturally he would not forget to do superficial work.


    He sighed: "The boy was spoiled by his mother, and it''s also my uncle who can''t discipline well. Uncle is here to accompany you."


    Xue Tingxiang hurriedly backed away and said: "Uncle, don''t say that, Ting''er is a junior, he can''t bear it."


    "Ting''er? I didn''t expect you to give yourself a name." Xue Qingshan laughed, and also wanted to point out that Xue Tingxiang''s name was not correct, and he was not as sensible and polite as he appeared on the surface.


    Usually names are bestowed by the elders, not just chosen by the younger generation. It¡¯s okay for ordinary villagers, but Xue Tingxiang is a scholar, and a scholar should know how to be polite. Read.


    Xue Tingxiang was very clear in his heart, and understood what uncle meant. He smiled and said: "When my father was still alive, I asked my grandfather and uncle to help me choose one. Uncle refused because of his humble name. Now the court My son is also fourteen, so I can¡¯t keep using her baby name, so I randomly picked one.¡±


    As soon as this remark came out, Xue Qingshan''s face turned ugly again. Xue Tingxiang was obviously saying that he, as an uncle, did not want to name him, and deliberately belittled him. After all, since I have been educated, I should definitely not have a name,


    He forced a smile, and explained: "It''s not that Uncle sees that you are not in good health, and wants to name you after you are an adult. You can''t understand this painstaking effort, if Uncle doesn''t choose one for you now?"


    As he said that, without waiting for Xue Tingxiang to agree, he sighed and made a melancholy look, and said: "You have been weak since you were born, and your father wished you a long life when he was alive, so my uncle named you Fushou, what do you think? ?¡±


    This name is really random, and I am not at all sorry for the name of Xue Qingshan, the only child born in Yuqing Village.


    Xue Tingxiang hesitated for a moment before refusing: "It''s still not uncle, Ting''er''s name has been decided, and I went to the grave to inform my parents before, there is absolutely no chance to change it."


    These words also made it clear why he went to the cemetery every year. Since Xue Tingxiang saw that Xue Qingshan had invited so many people and made such a fuss, he knew that the other party must have plans.


    Regardless of what he plans, he just blocks the way that the other party may use to make a fuss, and the rest is to wait and see what happens.


    Sure enough, Patriarch Xue''s face softened a little.


    Before that, he always thought that this matter was done on purpose by Erfang, just to compete with Juncai for the opportunity to study in Qinghe Academy. This time I came to see this young man is gentle and polite, neither humble nor overbearing, patriarch Xue has no fame, but he can know a few words, and he has been the patriarch for many years, so he has a good eye for people.


    He was very surprised, because he had seen Gouzi before, but he didn''t have a deep impression of him. The only impression he had was that he was an inconspicuous boy. Looking at it now, this son has grown up somewhat unexpectedly.


    But no matter how unexpected he was, patriarch Xue did not forget what he was doing here.


    Just a good impression on one side is not enough to make him shake the decision he has made. He had asked someone to test Juncai''s child, and he was much more knowledgeable than his two grandchildren. If it was said who the next child in Yuqing Village would be, Patriarch Xue felt that Xue Juncai was the most likely.


    Maybe not just a child, but a scholar.


    With two future talent seedlings and a young man who doesn''t know his depth, Patriarch Xue naturally knows how to do this multiple-choice question.


    However, the idea of ??helping Xue Qingshan before was dispelled. If Xue Qingshan couldn''t even handle a child, he didn''t deserve his attention.


    How could Xue Qingshan fail to see Patriarch Xue''s thoughts. In his eyes, this old man is a master who does not see rabbits and does not scatter eagles. He accepts the benefits he brings to the clan, but never knows how to give him something.


    If any clan has ethnology, the clan will not subsidize one or two. On the contrary, he worked for nothing all day long, and every time a certain family in the clan brought some random food, the patriarch called him over and asked him to accept it.


    To be generous with the generosity of others, to spend other people''s wealth, is merciless to others, and it is meaningless to oneself!


    Xue Qingshan sneered in his heart, but pretended to be a respectful petition, and invited Xue patriarch Zheng Lizheng and others into the house.


    Patriarch Xue and Zheng Li were sitting cross-legged on the kang, one on the left and one on the right, while the others were sitting on the stools below. Mrs. Yang and Mrs. Zhou were busy pouring tea, and even Xue Tao''er was sent to ask Mr. Xue to come home quickly.


    Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng both had the habit of smoking dry pipes, and they took out the pipes as soon as they sat down.


    Xue Qingshan hurriedly took a bag of tobacco leaves from his mother Zhao, and while serving them, he said: "This is grown by my father himself. It is usually a treasure. Uncle and Uncle Li should try it."


    "Your father''s shredded tobacco is good, but it''s too little." After lighting it, Zheng Lizheng took a deep breath and said with a smile.


    Xue Qingshan replied: "If Uncle Lizheng likes it, I''ll pretend to be with you when I leave later, so don''t dislike it."


    These are all polite words, everyone knows each other well, Zheng Lizheng nodded with a smile, and went straight to the point: "What is Shan Zi planning to invite some of us old guys over here this time?"


    Looking at Zheng Lizheng''s smiling face, Xue Qingshan scolded the old fox in his heart.


    Things would turn out like this, and he absolutely wouldn''t believe that this guy surnamed Zheng didn''t do anything inside. But that''s exactly how he invited Zheng Lizheng here today. After all, he is the Lizheng of Yuqing Village and his surname is Zheng, so he won''t be said to be covering up.


    Including the few villagers present today, Xue Qingshan was thinking about inviting them. There was one with the surname Zheng, one with the surname Xue, and two families with mixed surnames in the village, but they were all well-known in the village.


    "Is there a matter that requires a few elders to decide, or wait for my father, he is in the field and will be back soon."


    Just as he was talking about Mr. Xue, he came back. After coming in, he exchanged greetings for a while before sitting down and getting to the point.


    "It''s ashamed to say this. Some things in my family have made everyone laugh."


    Hearing this was the beginning of the words, except for Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng, everyone present felt a little embarrassed. After all, this is someone else''s family matter. It''s two different things.


    "Actually, to put it bluntly, it''s all caused by poverty. In the previous situation of our family, it wouldn''t be like this. One baby was given away, but the other was not."


    One was also surnamed Xue, and was of the same generation as Mr. Xue. An old man named Xue Lianhe sighed: "Lian Xing, don''t say that, your family is also in trouble."


    Old Master Xue sighed with a wry smile: "It''s difficult, it''s not difficult for anyone, this light is all on the surface. But no matter how difficult it is, if you want your baby to have a future, you have to pay for it. If you don''t give it to someone, you will be successful." There''s a problem."


    With trembling hands, he took out the dry pipe from his waist, lit it and took a puff, before he said, "The palms and backs of the hands are full of meat, and it hurts me to give up any one. In fact, this matter was discussed last year, and I have been procrastinating on it." I did it because I was afraid that the baby would feel uncomfortable. It is not easy for a peasant family like us to provide for a scholar. The family finally gave up Shanzi. Although he failed to pass the exam several times, he still did it for the village and for us. Guys did something.


    "For so many years, our family has been doing things in the village. Everyone has seen it. If it is far away, it will not be mentioned. Let''s talk about the private school in Shanzi. As long as you are from the village and your family is not rich, Shu Xiu will be later or even less. , our family never mentioned it. Why? It¡¯s because it¡¯s not easy for us country people to make a living, with our faces turned to the loess and our backs turned to the sky. If God doesn¡¯t show mercy, the whole family suffers from famine.


    "Actually, I''m not afraid of the laughter of my brothers and sisters. Back then, I worked hard to support Shanzi''s education, just thinking that if I really passed the exam, I would give my family some tax exemption."


    These words were to the point, and it seemed that they were just a few words lightly, but they didn''t go deeper, but they said that everyone had mixed feelings in their hearts.


    What Mr. Xue said is the truth, or the truth that is in line with people''s reality, that''s what makes it so complicated.


    Finally someone stood up and spoke out for the previous incident, "Brother Lianxing, stop talking about it, we can''t trust you? When people spread rumors in the village, we told the children at home, Brother Lianxing Not that kind of person. There are those who are grandpas, and those who don¡¯t love their grandchildren.¡±


    "Yes, yes, everyone can understand, who is not difficult."


    Seeing that everyone was echoing Mr. Xue''s words, only the one surnamed Zheng remained silent. Zheng Lizheng''s eyes flashed, and he said with a smile: "Everyone in the village has watched Shanzi''s contribution to our village. Everyone knows that Shanzi is benevolent and righteous. This is for everyone''s sake. There is just one sentence, I don''t know if I, an elder, should say it."


    "Uncle Lizheng, you are the Lizheng of our village, there is nothing inappropriate to say."


    Zheng Lizheng nodded: "It stands to reason that this is your family''s business, and I, an outsider, shouldn''t interfere. But Lian Xing said it before, the palms and backs of his hands are all flesh." He suddenly sighed, and said earnestly: " Shanzi, don''t forget why your second child didn''t exist, everyone here can understand, because we have lived for decades, and we have never seen anything in our lives, so we are afraid that outsiders will not understand."


    These words made Xue Qingshan''s complexion look ugly on the spot, but since he can arrange this scene, it''s not that he has no countermeasures.


    He immediately said: "Uncle Lizheng is right, so I discussed it with my father and planned to give the two children a chance. Let the two have a competition, the winner will enter the school, and the one who fails will learn two lessons at home." Years, let¡¯s talk about it later when we have a chance.¡±


    Upon hearing this, the people present looked at each other without much opinion. Especially with the previous foreshadowing, Xue Qingshan''s words seem to be reasonable, which makes people have nothing to choose.


    After all, no family is rich, and money does not come from the river.


    Everyone went to see Zheng Lizheng, Zheng Lizheng looked at everyone with a smile, and said: "Why are you all looking at me? Since Lian Xingjia has an idea, let''s look at his family. But how does this compare? We old guys don''t Literacy, let Shanzi be the judge?"


    After a pause, he shook his head: "No, no, Shanzi is Juncai''s father, so he should avoid suspicion, or choose someone else to convince everyone."


    He looked up at Xue Qingshan and smiled: "Shanzi, you won''t blame me, Uncle Li Zheng, for being too talkative, right? In fact, I''m doing it for your own good. We should be upright in our conduct and conduct."


    Xue Qingshan can''t wait to throw out this person who always ruins his good things, how can he not complain, but on the surface he can''t say that, he can only seem to ponder for a while, and said: "What Uncle Li Zheng said is that although I''m an uncle, so I still have to avoid suspicion. If not, let me invite one, and Uncle Lizheng invite one, and the two of them will come up with the questions on the spot, and the two younger ones will be tested."


    Zheng Lizheng looked at Xue Qingshan with squinted eyes, seeing his confident appearance, he had some bad premonitions in his heart. But he has intervened too much, and it would be too obvious to be picky, so he could only nod and smile in agreement, and praised Xue Qingshan that he is indeed a scholar, but his mind is different.


    The matter has been settled, and what follows is gossip.


    Since people were invited to the door, it would be unreasonable not to ignore the meal at noon, so Mr. Xue ordered a few daughters-in-law to go down to pack the lunch.


    Just now when the elders were talking inside, Xue Tingxiang and Xue Juncai were standing outside, so they naturally knew what happened.


    Zhao''er''s face was a bit ugly, but Xue Jun gave Xue Tingxiang a proud look, and then went in to talk with his father beside several elders, and naturally won another round of praise without mentioning it.


    Zhao''er couldn''t help pulling Xue Tingxiang back into the house, and said anxiously: "What should I do? If I had known this earlier, I would have refrained from beating you. Gou''er, it''s all my sister''s fault. My sister caused trouble for you. "


    She was anxious, and brought up the words of Sister Gou''er again.


    "Don''t be afraid, it''s okay."


    "Is it really okay?" Zhao''er turned back and forth on the spot and said, "But, what if we lose?"


    Xue Tingxiang squinted his eyes: "Don''t you believe me? Think I''m not as good as him?"


    Zhao''er immediately said: "How is it possible! My dog ??is the smartest, and I will be a scholar in the future to become a high official, and my sister is still waiting to enjoy the blessing of the dog!"


    Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang have said this sentence countless times.


    When he was a child, she would encourage him every time he showed signs of discouragement. She even thought so in her heart, so when everyone looked down on him and everyone thought he was not good enough, only she was the only one who kept talking to him like this, and even kept doing it with actions.


    It''s a pity that she didn''t enjoy his blessing, not even a single day.


    Obviously, all that was not what he experienced, it was just a dream of his, but every time Xue Tingxiang thought about it, he felt a great sense of sadness.


    He closed his eyes for a moment, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "Since you have said so, are you still afraid that I will lose?"

 Chapter 12

    That''s right, it''s a big deal and she loses. She just needs to find money for him to study. Wasn''t that the plan? !


    Thinking of this, Zhao''er suddenly thought about it, and said: "Then prepare well, win if you can, don''t be afraid if you can''t win, at worst, sister will find money for you to study."


    Zhao''er has never been a person who likes to ask for troubles. She turned her head and saw that the cow dung in the house hadn''t been cleaned up, so she went to find a brush to clean the kang, and then went out to get a broom and a dustpan to sweep the floor.


    Chickens clucked and clucked outside, but it was Mrs. Sun who slaughtered the chicken and made it run away.


    Xue Tingxiang looked out the window, and saw that the chicken''s neck was still bleeding, but it was flying around the yard, and Mrs. Sun followed behind chasing after him in a panic.


    Seeing that she was really in a bad shape, Mrs. Zhao came out of the room and said a few words. Mrs. Sun was even more anxious, and knew that she was really ashamed in front of the patriarch, but the chicken had wings, but she didn''t. It was only when the chicken lost its strength that Mrs. Sun grabbed it and cursed, "Run, run, it''s destined to be a dish in the pot. Where are you going?"


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t look any further, and looked back.


    He knew why his uncle was so generous, and proposed to let him compete with Xue Juncai, because if there were no accidents, Xue Juncai would definitely win this match.


    In that dream, he had suffered such a loss, but it was not compared with Xue Juncai, but Zhao''er worked so hard to get money and sent him to Qinghe Academy. At that time, he was so stupid that he always blamed his own failure on the harshness of fate, thinking that it was not that he could not do it, but that everyone did not give him a chance.


    When he first entered the Qinghe Academy, he was full of ambition. He thought that he would definitely surpass Xue Juncai and prove that he was the most outstanding person in the Xue family, but the reality slapped him hard in the face. It was also at that time that he, who had never seen the world, understood the sinister intentions of his uncle. He did teach him to read, and he did ''read'' a lot of books, but he just read and didn''t understand the meaning of the scriptures.


    It was later learned that after schoolchildren learn to read, they use reading scriptures as the basis.


    First learn "Three Character Classic", "Hundred Surnames", "Thousand Characters", and then "Thousand Family Poems", "Children''s Learning Qionglin", "Longwenbianying", etc. After reading these, you can enter university and start Study and read the Four Books and Five Classics, etc.


    But at this stage, the teacher does not explain the meaning of the scriptures, that is to say, he just memorizes them by rote, clarifying the meaning of the words but not the meaning of the scriptures. Because people nowadays are used to thinking that children are just learning, it doesn¡¯t matter whether they understand it or not, as long as they remember it, and when they read a lot or for a long time, they will understand what it means.


    This is the so-called reading a thousand times, and its meaning is self-evident.


    When you can recite all these books fluently, and when you can learn to interpret the scriptures, you will get twice the result with half the effort.


    This time-saving, labor-saving and effective teaching mode is popular throughout Daxi, ranging from famous families to low-level sociology and village studies, and many of them are like this. This is especially popular in rural private schools, because there is only one teacher in the school, but it is not realistic to teach several or even dozens of people to explain the scriptures.


    But in fact, aristocratic families with some background would never teach their children this way. Because this teaching mode blindly emphasizes rote memorization, but ignores the truth that the classics are natural and logical.


    This is the pros and cons that ''he'' analyzed from the perspective of the overall situation after standing in the position of chief assistant.


    But at that time, he had just entered the library, because his uncle delayed explaining the meaning of the scriptures for him, and he didn''t understand that there was still a theory of explaining the scriptures. So when he first entered school, the teacher asked him if he had read it, and he replied that he had read it, but he couldn''t understand the scriptures.


    But now, it seems that the uncle is also aware of his own shortcomings, so he deliberately proposes this match, but in fact, he has already planned it, and he is destined to lose.


    Unfortunately, there was an accident.


    *


    Because there were guests at home, except for Mr. Xue and Xue Qingshan and his son, everyone was busy.


    After eating in the main room, the kitchen will start cooking other people''s lunch.


    During the period, Xue Taoer was also ordered to drink. There was wine and meat at the banquet in the main room, and the men exchanged glasses, and there was no way to see that there was any cleverness in the usual times. Especially Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng, the two drank very affectionately, and in the end they both got a little drunk.


    "Okay, don''t send it off, you''ll be there soon." Patriarch Xue waved his hand.


    After sending everyone out of the courtyard, this side started to clear the table and prepare meals. Mrs. Zhao originally wanted to take away the leftover meat and vegetables, but was stopped by Mr. Xue, saying that he was adding vegetables to everyone. People in the country are not rich, and it is commonplace for distinguished guests to leave and eat leftovers.


    The adults are all fine, Shuanzi and Maodan are eating deliciously.


    Zhao''er wanted to take the meal back to the house to eat, but was stopped by Xue Tingxiang, the two just kept their heads down and ate as before, without saying anything.


    Xue Juncai gave Xue Tingxiang a disdainful look.


    He had just accompanied Xue Qingshan to the table, and naturally he ate a lot of good food on the table, seeing that Xue Tingxiang could only eat leftovers, he was naturally full of sarcasm.


    He remembered what his father said to him before, Xue Gouzi would never win him.


    Thinking in his heart, he looked away, and said to Mr. Xue who was on the kang, "Grandpa, I''m going back to the house to read."


    Mr. Xue nodded. He also drank a little too much before, and now he is leaning on the kang smoking a cigarette to hangover.


    "Dog, eat more, brother is still waiting for you to beat me in five days." Xue Juncai suddenly said this when passing by Xue Tingxiang.


    Zhao''er immediately stood up and stared at him: "Can you talk? You''ve read the dog''s stomach after so many years of reading."


    Xue Juncai didn''t expect Zhao''er to show him such shame, his gentle face flushed red, but for some reason, he glanced at Zhao''er and held back.


    Mr. Xue shouted: "Juncai go back to the house!"


    Mrs. Zhou also hurriedly stood up to persuade Zhao''er, that''s all.


    After dinner, the two went back to the second room, and Zhao''er was still angry: "Don''t be angry, dog. When sister earns money, I will take you to the house and won''t be with them anymore."


    Xue Tingxiang was a little moved, but at the same time a little helpless: "You called me a dog again."


    Zhao''er groaned, then smiled and said: "I forgot, it won''t be like this in the future."


    Naturally, he couldn''t be angry with her, and then Zhao''er took the two clothes she changed yesterday and went out to wash, while Xue Tingxiang turned over the "Children''s Learning Qionglin" again.


    Looking at the book in his hand, which was transcribed on the worst bamboo paper and the footers were worn away, Xue Tingxiang felt a little worried. He actually didn''t want to read books, but Zhao''er couldn''t help but think that he should read more books now, and only by reading more books can he win against Xue Juncai more confidently.


    Little did he know that this book was different from the book, and it was useless to just read this book, but he would not tell her about it.


    He dug out the bamboo paper that Zhao''er bought for him from the kang cabinet. The cheapest bamboo paper cost 40 cents a knife. Such ''expensive'' paper was barely enough for practicing calligraphy. Even so, he is very precious at ordinary times, and he is reluctant to use it at all. If he can write on the sand, he will write on the sand, and if he can''t use the sand, he will write on the desk with water.


    Xue Tingxiang touched the stack of yellowed bamboo paper and sighed in his heart.


    ''Xue Tingxiang'' usually uses the highest quality Chengxin paper, so at this time he feels a little disgusted with the things that are usually precious.


    He spread out the papers on the kang table, stacked several sheets, and then cut them into the size of a book with a bamboo knife. In order to make room for the edge seam, he left some leeway and cut a thick stack before he found the inkstone with a corner missing and the ink ingot that had been used up and only a small piece remained.


    These are treasures that he is reluctant to use at ordinary times, but Xue Tingxiang doesn''t feel this way at all today. He added water to the inkstone, and then took the ink ingot to grind the ink, while grinding, he was thinking about something.


    After grinding the ink, he put the bald hair brush in the water bowl and wet it to clean it. After dipping in enough ink, he picked up the pen and wrote something on the paper.


    After writing a few words, he suddenly put down the pen, lifted the paper to look at it, and suddenly crumpled it.


    Mingming''s handwriting is fairly neat. Although he usually saves paper and ink, but because of years of hard work, his handwriting is not bad, but for some reason he just doesn''t like it.


    He closed his eyes slowly, calmed down for a while, and opened them again after a while. At this time, there was no one in the room, and anyone who was there could see a gleam of light flashing in Xue Tingxiang''s eyes. At the same time, his movement of grasping the pen was fast and steady, and with the help of a god, he wrote a series of small characters on the paper in a short time.


    These small characters suddenly became Yan style, then turned into pavilion style, and then turned into thin gold style again. At first, they were both tangible and boneless, but as they were written, their taste changed.


    The face and body are square and dense, the brushwork is thick, straight, open and full of vigor. That pavilion is physically strong and graceful, as if it was carved out of a block. And the thin gold body, the gold hook and iron painting, is full of arrogance, and the strokes are as sharp as cutting gold and jade.


    These three characters represent the whole life of ''Xue Tingxiang'', from the Yan style learned at the beginning of school, to the Guange style studied painstakingly for the imperial examination, to the thin gold style of the official residence.


    And so he wrote, oblivious to himself. Zhao''er came in during the period, but he didn''t dare to disturb him, so he quietly sat down on the edge of the kang.


    After writing for an unknown amount of time, he suddenly let out a long breath and put down his pen.


    He wrote two full sheets of paper.


    At this time, Xue Tingxiang had to admit that the magic of heaven was just a dream, and he actually possessed some of the things that he had in the dream.


    From the moment this dream appeared, Xue Tingxiang had been thinking about why he had such a dream. Now he understands, maybe he just wants him to make up for all the unsatisfactory dreams.


    And possessing everything of the "him" in the dream, he suddenly had great ambitions, and a surge of arrogance lingered in his heart.


    "I''m tired of writing, drink some water."


    Zhao''er brought water, Xue Tingxiang took it, and drank it in one gulp, it was very sweet.


    Only then did he lower his head to look at what he had written, and he actually spent two sheets of bamboo paper. Probably because Zhao''er was by his side, he suddenly remembered that she used to save money to buy paper for him, and felt a little distressed and guilty. He glanced at her and said in a low voice, "I actually wrote so much."


    How could Zhao''er not understand what he was thinking, so he chuckled and said, "Not much, not much, only two sheets. Paper is for use. I told you not to save paper a long time ago. It is used up. Let''s just buy it again."


    "I want to transcribe this book, so I try to write first, so as not to waste paper."


    "What book do you want to copy? Can you copy books too? Don''t you buy them?" Zhao''er was puzzled.


    Xue Tingxiang sighed in his heart. He really felt that he was really stupid before. He would rather borrow books from his uncle every time, or memorize them by rote, and never thought of copying books.


    Nowadays, the books sold in bookstores are rarely printed and expensive, so an industry of copying books has emerged. In this way, not only some poor scholars can get some money in exchange, but also those who want to buy books but suffer from poor pockets can get cheap.


    Of course, this copying is not something that can be done casually, it needs to be written very well.


    Xue Tingxiang boasted that his handwriting was not bad. Back then, many people begged for his calligraphy. Now that he needs a book, why can''t he copy it himself.


    the most important is--


    He glanced at Zhao''er.

 Chapter 13

    Since Xue Tingxiang made up his mind to copy the books, Zhao''er had no reason to object.


    However, she even made a big wish that she would earn a lot of money in the future and not let him worry about a book, not to mention here.


    After Zhao''er helped him lay out the paper, he went to find a suitable needle and thread, planning to bind it for him after he finished writing.


    Xue Tingxiang laughed a little, but didn''t say anything, and started to write seriously on the paper.


    He planned to copy all the books he had memorized, because he found a problem. Since he had that dream, ''Xue Tingxiang'' had more and more influence on him, including the impact on his own memory.


    Especially all the books he has learned since he was a child. He had flipped through the memory of that dream before, and he had memories of some bibliographies in elementary school and even college, but his memory was extremely vague, and many of the more detailed things had been forgotten.


    He thought about the reason, and felt that "he" seemed to be very disgusted with the memory of studying hard in the cold window, so he always adopted an evasive attitude. In addition, the Xue Tingxiang in the dream has lived for more than seventy years. Since he passed the Jinshi examination, he has been obsessed with officialdom battles, but he doesn''t care about his own knowledge.


    After so many years, his memory is more about the ups and downs of the officialdom, the various forces in the party struggle, and the speculation of the people, rather than the original essence of a scholar.


    Seriously speaking, ''Xue Tingxiang'' is not a real scholar, he is just a politician.


    But obviously he doesn''t need these things now, as if a young child has a sword, he knows the significance of these things to his future. But today a young child needs nothing more than a piece of clothing, or just food and clothing.


    But these memories have already begun to affect his own memory. He doesn''t want to forget what he has learned. What he needs to do now is to consolidate his memory and combine with ''Xue Tingxiang''''s advanced understanding of many things. This is the right way.


    And the best way to master it is nothing more than copying books.


    Obviously this yellow bamboo paper is of very low quality, the brush strokes should not be light or heavy, the ink will be uneven if it is light, and it will smudge if it is heavy, but Xue Tingxiang writes on it like flowing clouds and flowing water as if there is nothing. The handwriting on it is full and round, and it is extraordinarily majestic.


    Zhao''er held his breath and didn''t even dare to make a sound. His eyes fell on Xue Tingxiang, who was writing vigorously. Suddenly, he had the illusion that a little man had grown up.


    Xue Tingxiang quickly wrote a sheet, and he was about to take it away to dry, Zhao''er quickly took it, and spread it carefully on the kang. Her eyes were attracted by those words. She couldn''t tell how beautiful they were, but felt like a painting.


    And during this period, Xue Tingxiang wrote another one.


    In this way, Xue Tingxiang wrote and asked children to dry it. After a while, the kang was covered with paper.


    A book of the Three Character Classic does not contain more than a thousand characters, and Xue Tingxiang finished it very quickly.


    He put down the pen, took a deep breath, and moved his wrist a few times. He hadn''t written at such a high density for a long time, and it was a challenge to his wrist strength.


    "Actually, I can copy books to subsidize my family." He said suddenly.


    He had been thinking about this for a long time. In his dream, he only read books blindly. He really managed to "keep his ears off the outside world and read only the books of sages and sages".


    The former "he" was helpless and emotional about this situation, but he had more than enough energy, and Zhao''er was really capable, and he had a talent that no one else had in business, and he answered everything in every detail, and never let him go. He worries about money, so he doesn''t think about it anymore.


    Looking back, he realized that ''he'' cared more about this matter than he imagined. Now that he can earn one or two silver coins to support his family, why not give it a try.


    How can a man be raised by a woman, he should be the one who shelters her from the wind and rain. He didn''t understand at this time in the dream, but fortunately he understands now.


    "Copy books to make money?" Zhao''er shook her head again and again: "How can I do that? It''s hard work and hurts my eyes."


    "How can you say so exaggeratedly? Look, I just copied a book in a short while." He organized all the pages of the book into a pile, and gave it to Zhao''er for her to bind.


    "Copying books can not only earn money, but also read books. Why not do it. I remember that there are bookstores in the town that will find some poor scholars to help copy books and sell them. You go to the town tomorrow and bring this book to the bookstore. Look at the shop owner, if it¡¯s feasible, you can help me pick up a book and try it when you come back.¡±


    Having said that, he paused for a moment: "Well, I''ll go with you, and we''ll go to town together tomorrow."


    "Is this really possible?" Zhao''er always hesitates when it comes to matters involving little men.


    "There''s nothing wrong with it."


    *


    Now that the matter was settled, the two of them woke up early the next day and went out without even having breakfast at home.


    Yuqing Village is a small village located under Huyang Town. In fact, Huyang Town is also Huyang Township, just named after the town. There are dozens of villages like this in Huyang Township, and Yuqing Village is one of the larger villages.


    From Yuqing Village to the town, if walking, it takes nearly an hour. If you take an ox cart or a mule cart, it will be faster, and there are carts from the village below to the town every day. Bullock carts are slow and cheap, and you can take one ride for two pennies. Mule carts are expensive, and one person gets four renminbi, but the speed is not comparable to that of ox carts.


    Going out of Yuqing Village, walked to a fork in the road, and walked west for a while, Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang stopped and stood under the big tree by the roadside to wait for the bus.


    Although their clothes were simple, they were both neat and tidy, especially Zhao''er, who was wearing a man''s clothes.


    "It turns out that every time you go out, you have to walk through the vegetable field behind, just to change into this clothes?"


    Zhao''er nodded, feeling a little guilty. But now that she has made a decision, she has prepared for the worst. Fortunately, Xue Tingxiang only showed a trace of surprise when he saw it, but he didn''t show much disgust.


    "It''s more convenient to go out in this way. You can''t recognize me as a girl."


    Xue Tingxiang pursed his lips and glanced at her.


    The young man in front of him looks handsome. From a man''s point of view, he looks a little thinner, but there is really no sign of a daughter''s family. He observed carefully, only to find that Zhao''er had thickened his eyebrows, and he did not know how to do it on his chest, but it became flat.


    She also seemed to find that the little man''s eyes stayed on her chest for too long, Zhao''er explained: "This is too inconvenient, so I wrapped it with a cloth."


    She spoke very disapprovingly, as if she was talking about what we have for lunch, but Xue Tingxiang felt like he was reckless.


    He recalled the dream in which Zhao''er''s breasts were very plump, and he suddenly felt afraid that she would be crushed, so he couldn''t help but ask, "Won''t she be crushed?"


    Zhao''er was a little surprised when she heard that, but she didn''t think too much about it, so she said, "It''s useless anyway."


    Just as she was talking, she saw a mule cart approaching not far away, so she waved there. Naturally, she didn''t notice that Xue Tingxiang''s expression was very strange.


    Seeing that he was riding in a mule cart instead of an ox cart, Xue Tingxiang couldn''t help being a little surprised. He only knew that the mule cart was much more valuable than the ox cart. Zhao''er gave the money for the car, and pulled him into the car: "This car is faster, and it will be here in a while." In fact, Zhao''er was afraid that he would not be able to stand the bumps of the bullock cart after recovering from a serious illness, so he took the mule cart if he had one.


    The middle-aged man driving the car smiled and said, "My little brother is insightful. This car is not only fast, but also stable. It is not comparable to a bullock cart. By the way, this is your brother?"


    Xue Tingxiang, who was called his younger brother, turned dark.


    It''s not surprising that people say that he is Zhao''er''s younger brother, and he is also dressed as a man. He is obviously thinner than Zhao''er, and he is half a head shorter.


    Zhao''er was stunned for a moment, then nodded with a smile: "Yes, it''s my younger brother."


    While speaking, the middle-aged man had already driven the mule cart forward.


    This car is indeed much faster than the bullock cart, and it runs without bumps. The car will stop at intervals to pick up one or two people. This special extended car can seat twelve people. The roof of the car is specially customized, and some not-too-heavy things can be placed on it.


    By the way, the biggest advantage of taking this mule cart is that there is a carriage to keep out the dust, so you don''t have to find a place to pack yourself when you arrive in the town.


    "When I have money in the future, I will also buy this car." Zhao''er couldn''t help but said to Xue Tingxiang, finally showing a little childishness.


    "Will you rush?"


    She froze for a moment, then said: "I can''t rush, I can learn."


    The problem is that you have done everything, even drive the car by yourself, so why do you need a man? Xue Tingxiang thought silently in his heart, and then realized that in his dream, it seemed that he was really useless as a man.


    It seems that he will learn to drive in the future. Xue Tingxiang made a secret decision.


    *


    After the mule cart was full of people, it finally stopped halfway to pick up people.


    After about a quarter of an hour, the city wall of Huyang Town could be seen in the distance.


    The mule cart stopped not far from the city gate, and everyone in the cart got off, Zhao''er took Xue Tingxiang to the town.


    This Huyang Town is neither big nor small. Zhao''er used to go to Dongshi mostly, and Dongshi sells the most groceries, but this time he mainly went to the bookstore, so he was going to Nanshi.


    The previous dynasty emphasized civility over military affairs. This kind of folk custom did not die out after the wars at the end of the previous dynasty. On the contrary, it was because the first emperor of Daxi came to power at the beginning because he was a supporter of the civil servants in the previous dynasty. It is popular.


    Even illiterate ordinary people can say that everything is inferior, only reading is high, which is evident.


    Even in a small place like Huyang Town, any family with some spare money would send their children to a private school for two years. It is best to be able to test for fame and fame. If you can''t test for merit and fame, you can get a few words, and the workmanship is cheaper.


    This kind of folk custom has led to quite a few bookstores and book shops in the town. For example, there is a street in Nanshi that sells pens, ink, paper and inkstones, as well as other supporting facilities, all of which are business for scholars.


    Although Zhao''er is not a scholar, she has bought bamboo paper for Xue Tingxiang a few times, so she is familiar with the place. However, she did not lead Xue Tingxiang to go immediately, but went around to a place with a lot of food stalls, found a noodle stall, and planned to go there after breakfast.


    "The meal in the morning is the most important. We missed breakfast because we were in a hurry. Sharpening knives is not a mistake for woodcutters. Let''s go when we are full."


    The owner of the Zhaoerguan noodle stall ordered two bowls of sliced ??noodles.


    This noodle is a unique food in Pingyang Prefecture. It is made of buckwheat noodles and sorghum noodles. It is black and red in color.


    "The sliced ??slices here are very delicious, try it."


    Xue Tingxiang tasted it, and it was really delicious.


    Not to mention the craftsmanship, at least the portion is large, and the ingredients are sufficient, unlike Xue''s food, which is reluctant to put oil and salt, and tastes bland.


    But the price is also expensive, Xue Tingxiang finished a large bowl of jerky slices, and gave eight Wen when he asked his son to settle the bill, which means that this bowl of jerky slices is almost enough to buy half a catty of meat. .


    "Is it delicious?" Zhao''er was still asking him when he was walking towards Nanshi.


    "It''s just a bit expensive."


    It is indeed a little expensive for Xue Tingxiang. He has no pocket money since he was a child, and the only chance to have some money in his hands is the few pennies given by Mr. Xue every year.


    In his dream, these few pennies were really nothing, but it was these two weird thoughts mixed together that made Xue Tingxiang feel weird.


    "Why is it expensive? It''s not expensive. You don''t come to the town often, but you come here once after all. Naturally, I will take you to have a good meal."


    It''s really a good meal, don''t look at Zhao''er''s face without changing her face, but in fact, when she came to the town alone before, she would buy a steamed bun at most when she was hungry.


    She has never been reluctant to bear with herself, and always wants to save more, but she is very willing to bear with Xue Tingxiang, and she is at her wit''s end. So every time Xue Tingxiang thought of everything in his dream, he couldn''t believe that he would be a wife-killer and son-killer.


    "When I earn money by copying books, I will bring you to eat every day." He couldn''t help but said.


    The sun had already come out, and the pale golden sunlight shone on the boy''s still immature face. His fair face was like the finest white jade, with fine fluff on it. The slightly pale lips were pursed lightly at this moment, and it could be seen that the young man was a little uncomfortable. He didn''t dare to look directly at her, but looked aside.


    Zhao''er''s smile got bigger and bigger, and he couldn''t help stretching out his hand to rub his head: "Silly dog, you can only make a few money by copying books, how can you come to eat that every day." There was a pampering expression in his expression.


    But the voice was silenced in his dark pupils, and Zhao''er finally realized what he said and did.


    She was a little guilty, and it was strange, she had never been afraid of a little man before, but since he recovered from his illness this time, she has become a little afraid of him occasionally.


    It must be her illusion!


    She withdrew her hand, looked left and right, suddenly her eyes lit up, and said: "Look, we''re here." As she spoke, she walked into the bookstore first.

 Chapter 14

    This bookstore called "Dongliju" is not big, it only has two fronts, one is used to sell the four treasures of the study, and the other is full of bookcases next to the wall.


    The books in the bookcase are new and old, some are hardcover, which are worth a lot of money at first glance, and some are thread bound, which look a little rough. Most of them are transcripts of various kinds. Generally, it is not sure that the book will be a good seller. The boss of the bookstore always asks someone to copy it, because if it is opened, thousands of copies will be printed.


    Zhao''er was familiar with the boss, and greeted her with a smile as soon as she entered the door. The strange thing was that the boss recognized her, and when he saw her, he smiled and asked her if she came to buy paper for her brother.


    Bringing this up is a bit old.


    Back then, Zhao''er felt sorry for Xue Tingxiang, so she saved some money to buy paper for him to practice calligraphy. Who would have thought that this paper was much more expensive than she imagined. Even the worst yellow bamboo paper costs 40 Wen a knife, but that day Zhaoer collected all the money on his body, but only 30 Wen.


    In order to get the boss to sell the paper to her at a lower price, Zhao''er worked with the boss for a long time. He even made up the pretense of having a hard-working younger brother, but unfortunately both parents died and his family was poor, so the boss agreed to sell it to her cheaply. Later, she came to buy it several times, all at the previous price, but she became acquainted with Boss Chen.


    Boss Chen praised her for her noble character, earning hard money, but still supporting her younger brother''s education. Usually, when she comes to buy paper, she almost always buys half and gives half away.


    Normally, Zhao''er would accept this kind of talk with a cheeky face, but today with Xue Tingxiang around, she was inevitably a little embarrassed, for fear that Boss Chen would slip up and make the little man look down on her for lying.


    Zhao''er has suffered, so she knows the skills of survival, but the little man doesn''t, especially the scholar is very pedantic, so every time she encounters such a situation where the two people''s ideas conflict, she will always subconsciously go away. Avoid these.


    Within a day, two people said that they were his younger brothers, which made Xue Tingxiang very unhappy. Naturally, he didn''t notice Zhao''er''s hidden thoughts. When he came back to his senses, Zhao''er had already talked with the boss, and even showed him the copy of "Hundred Surnames" that he had copied overnight.


    "This is your brother? He looks handsome, but a little thinner." Boss Chen is a middle-aged man in his forties, with a goatee and elegant body. Wearing a scholar''s shirt, he doesn''t look like a business boss, but a scholar.


    "He was sick for a while a while ago, and he got better recently."


    "No wonder I haven''t seen you here for a long time." While talking, Boss Chen took the manuscript that Zhao''er handed over, whether it was bound or paper quality, it was very poor.


    He knew in his heart that this kind of peasant boy could not write very good characters, but he admired this young man named Zhao''er, so he planned not to criticize too much even if he really did not do well, just say some mild words and refuse it. up.


    If the level is not bad and the words can still be read, it is not impossible to give him some casual work, just as a help.


    But when Boss Chen saw the writing on the yellow bamboo paper, he was still taken aback.


    "He wrote this word?" Boss Chen looked at Xue Tingxiang in surprise, and went to flip through the manuscript in his hand.


    His expression was so weird that Zhao''er had a bad feeling in his heart. She couldn''t help wondering if the little man''s handwriting was not good, after all, no one had ever praised the little man''s handwriting, even Xue Qingshan said that his handwriting was like a spring worm and autumn snake.


    Although Zhao''er doesn''t know what spring worms and autumn snakes are, she understands the sad look on the little man''s face, and she knows it means poor writing.


    But she didn''t think it was the little man''s fault. He even had to pick and use the paper that could practice calligraphy. Can he write well? It was that time that she lost her temper, collected vegetables and sold them in the town, and saved a sum of money to buy Xue Tingxiang''s first piece of paper in her life.


    It was a whole knife, not a few pieces given as a charity from Xue Qingshan or Xue Juncai.


    Zhao''er''s head felt cold for a while, and she couldn''t help wondering if she was too blind to the little man at ordinary times, or if she flattered her too much. She was not afraid of anything else, but she was afraid that if Boss Chen said something unpleasant later, the little man would not be able to stand the blow.


    Thinking of this, she hurriedly turned her back and made a gesture to Boss Chen, leading him aside, then said to him in a low voice: "Uncle Chen, if my younger brother''s handwriting is really bad, can you..."


    "Can you do something?" Immediately, Boss Chen understood and said with a smile: "You kid too, even if you have a heart of love and affection, you should not deceive him, but point out his shortcomings, so that he will to make progress.¡±


    His voice was a bit loud, Xue Tingxiang over there must have heard it, Zhao''er blushed, but Na Na didn''t know what to say.


    Boss Chen said again: "But your brother''s handwriting is really good, he must be a famous teacher."


    He walked up to Xue Tingxiang in a few steps, and saluted with cupped fists: "I don''t know who my little friend is your teacher?" He said hesitantly in his eyes, because the poor boy in front of him, who was dressed in coarse cloth and short brown, really didn''t seem to be able to learn from anyone. Famous teachers.


    Just his words...


    Since Boss Chen runs a book shop, he is either a hobby or a ancestral business. In fact, Boss Chen has both, which can be regarded as the origin of family education. He also passed the exam several times when he was young, but he stopped at being a scholar. However, he was not interested in being an official, so he turned around and took care of his ancestral business. It is also a great thing in life to meet a few literary friends, play chess, drink tea, taste calligraphy and painting together.


    From his point of view, although this son''s handwriting is immature, he already has a strong character.


    We must know that the form is easy to obtain, but the spirit is hard to find. Master Yan and Master Liu have always been collectively called "Yan Jin Liu Gu", which is enough to show the characteristics of Yan body. However, Xue Tingxiang''s calligraphy has already possessed its fundamentals. As long as it does not go astray, in time, he will definitely be a great calligrapher of a generation.


    How did he know that Xue Tingxiang deliberately hid the edge of his pen in order to hide himself, and it took most of the night to finish copying the book that could have been copied in half an hour at most. Otherwise, if the word is taken out, Boss Chen will definitely think it is someone''s calligraphy.


    Just when Boss Chen was thinking about it, Xue Tingxiang had already answered: "I don''t have a teacher."


    "Just copying?"


    "I''ve been to "Yan Qinli Monument" before."


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t lie, he did only copy "Yan Qinli Monument", this set of copybooks is Xue Qingshan''s favorite treasure, and he never let people touch it. And the reason why he was lucky enough to see and touch it once was that Xue Jun, who was still young at that time, was shown off in front of him.


    Because of this incident, he was extremely impressed with "Yan Qinli Monument", and even became obsessed with it. Later, after some money at home, Zhao''er bought a set with him, and the first font he learned was Yanti.


    "Just came across "Yan Qin Li Monument"?"


    Xue Tingxiang nodded.


    Boss Chen''s eyes became brighter, and he sighed after a long time: "Perhaps you have a talent in this field that is difficult for others to surpass. I hope you practice hard and don''t slack off. That''s all, let''s talk about business. Your handwriting is very good. In my opinion It''s passed here."


    He walked inside the counter, took a book and handed it to Xue Tingxiang.


    "I have a copy of "University Chapters and Sentences" here. You can take it back and try it out. I will provide the pen and ink. After copying, if the finished product is not inferior to the standard of this book, I will pay you a tael of silver."


    "One tael of silver? Uncle Chen, isn''t that too much?" Zhao''er asked in surprise.


    Uncle Chen laughed: "Do you know how many characters are in this book? And do you know how much money I will resell this book for?"


    After finishing speaking, he continued to say to Xue Tingxiang: "It is reasonable to say that it is to be copied in my book shop. If you take the book back and copy it, you need to pay some pledged money or things. I know your brother well, so forget it." Well, how long do you think it will take to finish copying?"


    Xue Tingxiang hesitated for a moment, and said: "Since Boss Chen has rules here, how about the boy copying here? I just hope that Boss Chen will be more flexible. Can you let the boy read a few books here in his spare time?"


    Boss Chen was taken aback for a moment, and then he understood. He took a deep look at this thin but neither humble nor overbearing boy.


    "Can!"


    "Then thank you Boss Chen first, don''t worry, the boy will definitely not damage the books here."


    Zhao''er kept silent until the end of the conversation, and then pulled Xue Tingxiang aside to speak.


    "Do you really want to copy books here? It would be nice to take it home. If you are afraid that Boss Chen won''t allow it, I still have some money to pledge."


    "You don''t think this is a good place."


    Xue Tingxiang looked back at the room full of books, he himself had only read a limited number of books, and in the memory of ''Xue Tingxiang'', many memories about this aspect were blurred.


    But life is his, and he wants to move forward step by step. It doesn''t mean that he has a dream, and he will definitely be the chief assistant in the future, and he will definitely be able to pass the Jinshi examination. After all, even Xue Tingxiang in the dream had to put in a lot of hard work and go through many detours before he could reach the first rank of official residence step by step.


    Of course Zhao''er understood what he meant, but she was very worried about suddenly leaving the little man outside alone. She was thinking about finding an excuse to stay here with him, but Boss Chen said from the side: "Okay, you don''t have to worry about your brother, can you lose it with me? You don''t have to sell vegetables to work today? Hurry up. "


    In the eyes of Boss Chen, Zhao''er is a hard-working brother who supports his younger brother by selling vegetables in the town.


    "Uncle Chen, I''m leaving now."


    She hurriedly took out a dozen or so copper coins from her pocket and handed them to Xue Tingxiang: "I should come to find you for lunch at noon, if not, you can buy it yourself, right here..."


    "Copy books here, and you can have a light meal at noon." Boss Chen interrupted again.


    Zhao''er was still rambling: "You still have the money, you can buy whatever you want, and I will pick you up in the afternoon."


    "You''d better pick up your work and finish it first, don''t worry your brother won''t lose it."


    This Uncle Chen!


    Zhao''er couldn''t go on talking anymore, and ran out of the bookstore almost in despair.


    After the person had left, Boss Chen teased with a smile: "Your brother treats you very well."


    Xue Tingxiang smirked, "It''s pretty good, like a little hen who doesn''t care about her chicks. For some reason, he actually thought of this sentence.


    After that, under the guidance of the shop assistant, he went to a room behind the shop.


    The layout of this room is simple, but it is elegant. It can be seen that Boss Chen is an elegant person. The best thing about this house is that there is a large window facing the outside yard, and there is a set of tables and chairs, which is completely different from Xue Tingxiang''s imagination of being hidden in a dark room without light.


    The clerk even brought a basin of water for him to wash his hands, prepared pens, ink, paper and inkstone, etc., and said he could call him if he had anything to do, so he went down.


    Xue Tingxiang came to the water basin, dipped his hands in the water, rubbed them gently a few times, and wiped them dry with a cloth towel beside him, before going to the desk and sitting down.


    He grinds the ink first. Grinding ink can well adjust people''s emotions and achieve a ''quiet'' state.


    After the ink was polished, his mind was empty at this moment. He rolled up his sleeves to write, and his hands were empty, only to realize that he was wearing a short brown at this time, where there were no sleeves, so naturally he was not afraid of staining the sleeves.


    All this was just for a moment, he didn''t care about it, and wrote quietly.


    But Boss Chen, who was standing outside the door, was a little skeptical, and couldn''t help but wonder if this son was from a famous family, but it''s a pity that his family has fallen, rather than a poor kid. His words and deeds, and even his demeanor, don''t look like those from a poor family at all.


    After thinking for a while, but unable to figure out why, Boss Chen shook his head and went back to the front.

 Chapter 15

    Zhao''er left the street where the book shop was located, only to realize that she had nowhere to go.


    She was accompanying the little man to the book shop today, and the work in the embroidery workshop was already too much, and she hadn''t picked up the vegetables for many days, so it would be too much trouble to go back to the village and wait for the afternoon.


    She calculated in her mind what day it was today, and decided to visit her second sister.


    Zhao''er''s second sister, Wang Zhaodi, is not in Huyang Town, but works as a girl in Shen''s Mansion in Xia County. From Huyang Town to Xia County, it only took half an hour to take a mule cart, but it was a little expensive, 15 cents.


    By the time Zhao''er arrived at the county seat, it was three o''clock. It was just right to meet someone at this time, her second sister might not have time to see her if it was too early or too late, and she would have to wait for a long time.


    Zhao''er came all the way to the south of the city, before entering the archway where Shen''s house was located, he saw the two large flags more than five feet high erected in front of Shen''s residence.


    This is the Jinshi Jidi Banner, which can be set up only if someone in the family has won the Jinshi.


    This fame flagpole is divided into two structures, the flagpole sandwich stone and the flagpole.


    The flag buckets on the flagpoles are also exquisite. If you come from a serious imperial examination, you can stand up two flagpoles if you have passed the Jinshi in the palace examination. If it is the number one scholar, it will be the flagpole of three fights, and if there are members of the third rank or above in the clan, four fights can be set up.


    There are two large flags in front of the Shen family''s gate, one is three buckets and the other is four buckets. In other words, the Shen family once had a number one scholar, and had an important minister in the court.


    Zhao''er, a country girl, knows this because her second sister told her when she came to visit her.


    The main entrance, side entrance, and even the corner entrance were not accessible to Zhao''er with her status. She made a long detour before arriving at the back entrance of Shen''s residence.


    The back door was ajar, and Zhao''er didn''t dare to rush in, so he knocked on the door respectfully.


    The door opened with a creak, and a round woman came out from inside, and asked her, "Who are you looking for?"


    This old lady is just a doorkeeper, but she is also wearing satin gowns and jewelry on her ears and hands, which is enough to show the wealth of the Shen family.


    The Shen family is indeed rich, and in this Xia County, it can be said that they are stomping their feet, and the county is about to tremble three times. The Shen Mansion here is the ancestral home of the Shen family, except for the Shen family''s uncle and second master who are officials outside, the rest of the Shen family live here.


    "Mother-in-law, I''m looking for Sulan. I''m her younger brother. I''m here to see her."


    This woman''s attitude is not warm, but she is not as inferior as a dog''s eye. At least from this trick, it can be seen that the rules of the Shen family must be very strict. She asked Zhao''er to wait, then closed the door and went inside.


    Zhao''er waited for a long time before the back door opened again, and a very beautiful woman came out from inside. I saw her radiant skin, phoenix eyes and vermilion lips, wearing a water-red jacket and a moon-white pleated skirt. A head of black and thick long hair was simply tied up in a bun, with a golden hairpin inserted into it.


    Obviously the clothes are ordinary, and the hair accessories are also ordinary, but wearing all these on her body gives her a sense of beauty that no one else has. Her chest is bulging, but her waist is very thin, she has a good figure.


    This person is Zhao''er''s second sister Wang Zhaodi, but she changed her name to Su Lan in Shen''s residence.


    Zhao''er couldn''t help frowning, since the last time she saw her second sister, her second sister has changed a lot. Not only the material of the clothes, but also the jewelry on his body, his complexion and even his figure have changed a lot.


    She was a little panicked, grabbed Su Lan, and went to the corner where there was no one nearby.


    "Sister, did you really do it?"


    Seeing her younger sister frivolously wrinkling her sleeves, Su Lan asked impatiently, "What can I do or not?"


    "It''s that, that..." Zhao''er hesitated for a while, and then said with a blushing face: "You can''t really be the housekeeper for the sixth young master, right?"


    The corners of Su Lan''s eyes twitched, and the corners of her mouth twitched: "Why do you care about these things?"


    "Sister!" Zhao''er couldn''t help stamping her feet.


    Su Lan looked at her younger sister, and remembered that she was sold by her family back then. Only the third younger sister, Zhao''er, found out her whereabouts from the matchmaker, and walked all day and night to see her by herself. At that time, she was full of panic, Zhao''er''s appearance made her know that she was not alone, and that no one would know that she would not die in this mansion, and she immediately softened her heart.


    She sighed lightly: "Didn''t I tell you before, I won''t go out of the house to go through that kind of hard life. Although I am a housekeeper now, but the sixth young master promised me that when grandma came in, I would give it to me." An aunt will do it."


    Zhao''er was so surprised that she couldn''t believe it. She knew it already, but she was still shocked when she learned from the second sister that she really did such a thing.


    For the first time in her life, she didn''t know what to say, so she hesitated for a while and said, "That''s it? If you treat someone like a child, you will be bullied by the big wife."


    Zhao''er''s only cognition told her that when she was young, she had few days to live comfortably.


    What the younger sister said made Su Lan feel extremely uncomfortable, and she waved her hand nonchalantly. On the snow-white and slender jade fingers, there is a golden opal ring on it, which exudes a faint light and is dazzling in the sun.


    "You don''t understand, and you don''t have to be afraid of me being bullied. As long as the sixth young master is on my side, even if the sixth grandma comes in later, she won''t dare to bully me."


    "Can¡­¡­"


    "Okay, don''t talk about me, your little husband is healed? I''m not talking about you. It''s better for you to come into the mansion to be a girl to be my company than to stay in that house and work hard." .Which woman is looking for a man who is not looking for someone who can protect herself. You are fine, but you are working outside to earn money to support your family.¡±


    "Isn''t he still young? Besides, sister, it''s not like you don''t know. If it weren''t for my mother and father, I''m afraid I would have been sold to nowhere. You were lucky enough to be sold into Shen''s residence. But there are also those who are unlucky and sold into that dirty place."


    Su Lan pressed her bright red lips tightly and did not speak.


    She was sold into Shen''s residence back then, it was not explained by good luck.


    In the sparkling eyes of the phoenix, all kinds of light returned to silence. She let out a breath and scolded: "That''s why I don''t want to see you the most. Every time you come, you make me angry and make me troubled."


    Zhao''er kicked the pebbles under his feet: "I just thought I haven''t seen you for a long time, so I came here to have a look at you."


    "How are you doing? The Xue family didn''t make things difficult for you, right? Just wait, when my sister becomes the sixth young master''s aunt, whoever bullies you in the future, I will help you deal with him."


    Zhao''er heard it warmly in her heart, and couldn''t help leaning over, hugging Su Lan''s slender waist coquettishly: "Sister, don''t worry, I''m so aggressive, who dares to bully me. You don''t know that the Xue family is such a moth." too much¡­¡­"


    She recounted what happened to Xue''s family recently.


    The corners of Su Lan''s mouth curled up when she heard this, and she said sarcastically: "So this is the human heart. Don''t try to test the human heart, it will usually disappoint you. Don''t rely on others, what you hold in your hands is the truth."


    Su Lan is a bit extreme, but Zhao''er knows why the second sister is like this. In fact, occasionally she will be extreme, but she rarely speaks out.


    "Then what do you do now? If your little man really loses, then he won''t be able to go to school? Have you ever thought about this matter, if you win, if you lose, it will be hard for the two of you The Xue family has a foothold."


    Of course Zhao''er understood this truth. She stood up straight and smiled: "Sister, I know. Don''t worry, I plan to find another way to do business. At worst, the two of us will be alone. Dog likes to learn, so let him learn." , until I can''t afford it anymore."


    Su Lan poked her forehead with her jade finger, hating iron and steel: "You still can''t confess, how old are you? After a day of good life, I think I can''t confess. Come on, don''t tell me The second sister doesn''t feel sorry for you, I have someone I know who is the third shopkeeper in ''He Rongsheng'', if you go to him, he can at least find a way for you to make some money."


    ''Herongsheng'' is the name of the pawn shop, there are many branches in Binh Duong Province, and there is one in Huyang Township. Zhao''er usually comes and goes in the town, so he has naturally heard of this name.


    "This is the Shen family''s business with Rongsheng? Sister, how do you know the three shopkeepers?"


    Su Lan''s eyes flashed a hint of complexity, and she said impatiently: "Don''t worry about it, you can go directly to a man named Shen Ping. Well, I won''t tell you anymore, the sixth young master will have lunch later Now, I have to go and wait, lest those little hoofs rush to the front to show courteousness again."


    After a pause, she took out something from her sleeve and stuffed it into Zhao''er''s hand: "Take it, it doesn''t matter if you really lose, let''s do it by ourselves first. The Shen family''s genealogy is famous in the whole Pingyang Mansion. Sister will become an aunt in the future, and see if I can ask the Sixth Young Master to let your little man come in as a companion or something. I really owe you in my previous life, and I have to worry about everything."


    Su Lan''s figure quickly disappeared through the door.


    Zhao''er stood where he was, looking down at the silver ingot in his hand. After a long time, Fang grabbed it tightly and left.


    *


    Zhao''er didn''t know where He Rongsheng in the county was, she had inquired along the way.


    When we got there, it was a coincidence that the third shopkeeper named Shen Ping was there.


    Shen Ping is a very young boy with a good appearance, very mature and stable. He was wearing a dark blue straight gown, and looked about twenty years old, but he did not expect to be the shopkeeper of a pawnshop.


    When he heard about Zhao''er''s purpose, his eyes flashed: "You are Zhao''er, I heard your sister said about you."


    Zhao''er didn''t expect that the second sister would tell Shen Ping her name, and she smelled something unusual. While speaking, Shen Ping had already led her in.


    "When your sister told me about you before, I was thinking about what kind of business would allow you to do it for a long time. After thinking about it, I think selling old clothes is quite suitable for a girl like you."


    The second sister even told her gender to the other party''s surprise, it didn''t last long, Zhao''er''s attention was attracted by Shen Ping''s words.


    "What is selling used clothes?"


    "You should know what a pawnshop is for. This pawnshop accepts everything, and you can pawn anything. The current period is divided into dead pawns and live pawns. If it is a live pawn, it means that the other party will come to redeem it. If it is a dead pawn, it means that the things are not needed. Of course, there are also those who do not redeem their living debts within the time limit, and naturally they become death debts.


    "These things are accepted by the pawn shop and exchanged for money to the owner. Naturally, they will be resold. For example, some old clothes that come from pawns are directly sold to embroidery workshops or clothing shops. If you are willing to do this business, you can buy them from Take some old clothes here and sell them back."


    Following Shen Ping''s narration, Zhao''er''s eyes flickered again and again, and he asked, "Then I don''t know what the price is? Is it calculated on a piece-by-piece basis, or what? Since it''s an old clothes, surely it won''t be as expensive as a new one, right?"


    Shen Ping glanced at her: "You are very smart." He turned around and went to the layman: "Come with me, I will take you to have a look."


    Zhao''er followed him all the way back, the yard behind the pawn shop was huge, it looked like it was a warehouse.


    On the way, he met a lot of people in pawnshops, and they were all respectful when they saw Shen Ping. Zhao''er followed him to a warehouse, but neither of them went in. A man who looked like a buddy dragged a large bag of things out, and opened the door in front of it.


    This big bag is full of clothes, some are worn out, some are 80% or 90% new, and some are even brand new. It seems that they have not been worn twice. The texture of the clothes is also various, some are made of cotton, some are made of silk, some are made of silk, but they are all of good quality, anyway, they are better than the coarse cloth clothes Zhao''er is wearing.


    "These are usually mixed together, because they are collected at a low price, so the asking price is not high. If you give me two taels of such a bag of clothes, it will be yours."


    Zhao''er couldn''t see through her eyes. In order to make sure that the business could be done, she went up to check it out.


    Such a package of clothes, at least a hundred pieces.


    Even if a piece of clothing sells for 20 Wen, it is enough for her to pay back. And some clothes are sold for more than twenty yuan just based on her visual inspection. What can be done with twenty renminbi, at least six or seven feet of cloth is needed to make a suit of clothes, and the worst cotton cloth is seven or eight renminbi.


    Not to mention that there are some good fabrics in it, and even some cotton clothes, even if you don''t sell them, you won''t lose money if you wear them yourself.

 Chapter 16

    Zhao''er was in a turbulent mood, and it took him a long time to regain his composure.


    After she calmed down, she asked Shen Ping: "Shopkeeper Shen, these clothes only cost two taels in total. Will the pawnshop lose money? Are you doing it just to take care of me..."


    Zhao''er didn''t finish the rest of the sentence, Shen Ping also understood.


    He laughed, but he appreciated Zhao''er''s frankness of not wanting to take advantage of others: "These were sold to a clothing store or an embroidery workshop, and the price was the same. Regardless of the quantity, there are not many good ones that can be sold at a reasonable price." The ones have already been picked away."


    Zhao''er thinks about it too, the eyes of the county people are naturally different from those of the country people, let alone this kind of big pawn shop, what is bad in their eyes is actually good for the country people to see.


    She breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "I want the bag of clothes from Shopkeeper Shen, and I''ll give you the money right now."


    "Are you rich now?"


    Of course she is rich, Zhao''er now has more than two taels of silver in total, and just now Su Lan gave her another five taels, which is naturally enough.


    At the same time, Shen Ping laughed a little, "Well, I forgot that you had visited her before, so I came here, and she won''t take advantage of me." The voice was very small, almost like a murmur, and Zhao''er only cared about it. I had to look at the clothes, but I didn''t hear clearly.


    "I''ll find a guy to call a car for you, and you, a little girl, can''t transport these things."


    "Thank you, Shopkeeper Shen."


    After seeing Zhao''er off, Shen Ping turned around and went into the pawn shop.


    Although he is called the third shopkeeper, he is not the third shopkeeper of this store, but the third shopkeeper of the entire ''Herongsheng'', and he will only stay in Xia County permanently under his deliberate request.


    Shen Ping is the son of the Shen family, his father is the chief manager of the Shen residence, and he has been a servant with the third young master Shen Fu since he was a child. It was not until he became an adult that he was released to become a shopkeeper.


    "If she comes again next time, just do as I told you before."


    "Yes, shopkeeper."


    *


    Just after noon, the clerk Ah Cai came to deliver meals to Xue Tingxiang.


    Boss Chen said it was simple food, but in fact the food was not bad, with one meat and one vegetable, and one soup. Xue Tingxiang knew very well that Boss Chen was taking care of him deliberately. How could anyone hire someone to copy books, take care of tea and food, and the wages they paid were not low.


    It was because he knew it in his heart that he didn''t say no. In this case, the refusal retained his character, but it seemed too petty and hypocritical.


    It can only be repaid in the future, Xue Tingxiang thought lightly in his heart.


    After eating, when the man came to clean up the dishes, he said that he could rest for an hour. There is a chaise longue available in this room, and of course you can go to the front to read a book to pass the time.


    In fact, the latter sentence is the key point, Xue Tingxiang was not pretentious, after cleaning his hands, he went forward.


    This store may not seem big, but it has a lot of books of all kinds, ranging from rural tales to books about the imperial examination, and there are many books about the imperial examination.


    Since the former dynasty, the imperial examination has used eight-legged essays as the standard style, with strict regulations, and even restrictions on the length of sentences, the number of words, the level of rhymes, and even the scope of questions.


    Stereotype essays take questions from the Four Books and Five Classics, and are composed of eight parts: breaking the title, inheriting the title, starting the lecture, starting, starting the essay, middle section, back section, and binding the section. It seems rigid and rigid, but in fact it is not easy to do a good stereotyped essay. If you really think that only reading the Four Books and Five Classics is enough, you are wrong. Not to mention astronomy and geography, at least you have to be involved in all aspects, so that you can write a good article full of flowers and content.


    In that dream, Xue Tingxiang won the Jinshi with the 21st place in the second class, and was admitted to the Hanlin Academy after passing through the hall. He should have been on a steady rise since then, but because he offended someone, a majestic Hanlin was sent down. The kind of place where the birds don''t shit is an official.


    Xue Tingxiang pursed his lips slightly, feeling that he was thinking too much, after all, he is not even a child now, let''s think about the present.


    So, without thinking too much, he took out a book from the bookcase and read it quietly.


    During this period, customers from the bookstore came to sell some pens, ink, paper and inkstones, or came to buy books, always interrupting Xue Tingxiang''s reading.


    Seeing this, Boss Chen said: "Brother Xue, you can take the book to the back and read."


    Xue Tingxiang looked at him in surprise: "This..."


    "It''s okay, it''s not bad for your book."


    Xue Tingxiang was silent, bowed deeply in salute, and then went back.


    When Xue Tingxiang woke up, he heard Boss Chen talking outside and Zhao''er''s voice at the same time.


    "Where did you get this big bag?" Boss Chen looked at Zhao''er in surprise, and asked for the bag at her feet that was much bigger than her.


    Zhao''er was sweating profusely and said: "Uncle Chen, I got it from the county, and so did the man from the car dealership. They only helped me to the intersection and left me behind. I wanted to be dragged to the car dealership. But thinking that my brother is still here..."


    Boss Chen laughed, and called his assistant: "Ah Cai, come and help little brother Zhao''er carry the things in." Then he said to Zhao''er: "Come in and have a drink and rest before leaving."


    "Uncle Chen, what a shame."


    "When you were bargaining with me, you were never polite, but now you are more polite." Boss Chen pretended to stare.


    Generally speaking, Boss Chen is an elegant and humorous person.


    Xue Tingxiang also came out to help, and asked, "What''s in it? Why is it so heavy? Where did you get it?"


    Not to mention it was really heavy, Ah Cai tried a few times but couldn''t lift it, only three people could lift it.


    "I got it from a pawn shop. If I can sell this package, my sister will have enough money to send you to the Qinghe Academy."


    Zhao''er hadn''t realized that he had slipped up, but Xue Tingxiang had. He glanced at Boss Chen, and Zhao''er understood what he said at this moment, and looked at Boss Chen with some guilt: "Uncle Chen, I will explain to you later."


    She was a little anxious, and without asking the two of them to help, she lifted the big bag and carried it on her shoulders. The big bag pushed her to one side, but she still stopped, and she quickly carried the things inside.


    Ah Cai praised: "It doesn''t look like she is strong, she is so strong."


    Here, Xue Tingxiang looked at the back and pursed the corners of his mouth, while Boss Chen''s eyes darkened.


    Xue Tingxiang looked up at Boss Chen, and walked towards him.


    ...


    Zhao''er found a place to put down the big bag, then went to wash his hands and face to clean up his body, and then A Cai led him to see Boss Chen.


    Seeing Boss Chen, Zhao''er felt a little guilty. But she didn''t intend to continue to lie to Boss Chen, because Boss Chen is a good person. Not to mention the benefits he gave her before, just because he asked the little man to copy books for such a high price, let him read books here, and take care of the lunch at noon, Zhao''er can no longer continue to deceive.


    In fact, Zhao''er is not a liar, it''s just that she concealed her gender, and then the so-called workmanship is just collecting some vegetables and selling them to make some purses or something.


    "Uncle Chen..."


    Boss Chen sighed and waved his hands: "Okay, you don''t need to say anymore, you are a girl, and you are really embarrassing."


    Zhao''er looked surprised, her round eyes widened.


    Boss Chen laughed a little and said, "Your little husband has already told me everything."


    "He, what did he say..." Zhao''er stammered, still in disbelief. Because she knows that the little man always pays attention to face and has a lot of thoughts, and she doesn''t like to mention her as his child bride-in-law in front of outsiders, and the Xue family''s bad things.


    "I''ve said everything that needs to be said." After a pause, Boss Chen asked, "Look at how surprised you are, isn''t it still a secret?"


    Zhao''er laughed awkwardly, and faltered: "That''s not true, it''s just that he''s young, and people in our village hate him. People always think that I''m older than him, and my daughter-in-law teases men and laughs at him."


    The same sentence sounds different to different people.


    Boss Chen couldn''t help but want to laugh, but Xue Tingxiang outside had mixed feelings in his heart.


    That''s why she always called herself sister, so in the dream he was old, but she didn''t want to marry him. Or he ignored her wishes and insisted on marrying him with his parents'' orders.


    She actually understood her awkward state of mind. He told himself not to be surprised by what other people said, but he cared about it in his heart, so even if the two got married, they couldn''t do it together.


    She actually knew everything, yet she relied on him for everything! Follow him!


    While the mood was churning, the topic was changed inside.


    "I just heard from you that you plan to save money to send him to Qinghe Academy?"


    Zhao''er nodded, seeing the strange expression on Boss Chen''s face, she couldn''t help but ask, "Is that school bad?"


    "Take the road of opportunism, and it won''t last long."


    Zhao''er didn''t quite understand what he heard, but he also knew that it was not a good word.


    "If you want to help him find a good book academy, I have something to recommend. It''s just..." Boss Chen sighed suddenly: "Well, let me tell you that you don''t understand either. Let''s talk about it later."


    Zhao''er nodded in a daze.


    It was not too early to meet later, and the two planned to return to Yuqing Village.


    Because the big bag of clothes was too much, and it would be eye-catching to bring back, Boss Chen asked Zhao''er to put the things in his shop temporarily. Anyway, there are still a few vacant rooms behind the shop, so just find a place to put them.


    The two went back to the village by car, because after time, only the ox cart could be used, so the two sat on the ox cart and walked back bumping back and forth.


    Halfway along the road, a mule cart came head-on.


    The driver was a man, dark and tall. When he got closer, he could see his appearance clearly. He had thick eyebrows and tiger eyes, a high nose bridge, and he was very heroic. His sleeves were half rolled up above his elbows, and his arms seemed to be full of muscles. He looked like a powerful man.


    Xue Tingxiang saw the person coming at a glance, and his pupils shrank immediately.


    He glanced at Zhao''er next to him, saw her with her head half down, and he was relieved.


    But the visitor still saw them, his eyes lit up, and he raised his voice and shouted: "Zhaoer."


    Zhao''er looked over and immediately smiled: "Brother Jiang Wu, where are you going?"


    Jiang Wu tightened the reins and stopped the mule cart.


    "I''m going to town, are you going back? Get out of the car, and I''ll see you off."


    Zhao''er hesitated and said, "Don''t you still want to go to town? Anyway, we''ve already got in the car, so you should do your own work."


    "I don''t have anything to do. I just went to Lao Li''s place to have a look. Originally, my father said that I would go tomorrow and buy some things on the way back. It doesn''t matter whether I go or not. Come on, this car is slow and bumpy. My car is still faster." Jiang Wu said to Zhao''er with a smile, completely unaware that the face of the owner of the bullock cart turned black.


    Seeing this, Zhao''er didn''t let the owner of the ox cart stop, and jumped off from above. After taking two steps over there, I realized that I had forgotten the person.


    While letting the owner of the bullock cart stop, she said to Xue Tingxiang: "Come on down, let''s go back in Brother Jiang Wu''s car." With her beaming face, she was in a good mood.


    Xue Tingxiang''s face was a bit ugly, he glanced at Zhao''er, and then slowly got out of the car.


    The two got into the mule cart, and Jiang Wu drove the cart to Yuqing Village.


    "If I knew you were coming to the county today, I would have asked you to help me get my things back. Brother Jiang Wu, let me tell you, I found a business to do, and this business can make a lot of money. I definitely can''t do it alone. Why don''t we partner up and pay half a penny?"


    It wasn''t Jiang Wu''s first time doing business with Zhao''er. To be honest, before Zhao''er came to collect vegetables and sell them in the town, Jiang Wu helped her a lot.


    How much food can Zhao''er collect in other villages by herself, and besides, she doesn''t have a car, so it''s not convenient to go back and forth. But the Jiang family has a car, and the ancestors of the Jiang family were hunters. With this unique skill, the life of the Jiang family is very comfortable.


    The men of Jiang''s family don''t usually farm land, and the family''s more than 20 acres of land are rented out, and they only earn money by collecting rent and hunting with the men in the family. But hunting is not every day, so Jiang Wu is very free when he is not in the mountains, so he helps recruits to collect vegetables and so on, saying that the two share half and half, but Jiang Wu does not want the money every time .


    "But let me tell you first, if you don''t want to split the money, I won''t do this business with you."

 Chapter 17

    Jiang Wu looked helpless, but with a smile in his eyes: "Okay, I can''t do it according to what you say, but I don''t need half of it, after all, this is a deal you got, so I''ll help you run some errands or something. Twenty-eight, you eight and I two."


    "How can it be done on February 8th? I will definitely use your car when the time comes. Your Daqing mule is not considered labor? Daqing, look, Brother Jiang Wu said that you are not considered labor, and even your rations will be deducted."


    The mule named Daqing shook its head and snorted, which seemed to mean that if he dared to deduct my rations, I would slow down and let him carry it by himself.


    Zhao''er laughed loudly, pointed at Daqing and said, "Look, even Daqing protested."


    Jiang Wu looked sideways at the girl who was smiling wantonly, with a strange gleam in her eyes. Fortunately, Daqing knew the way and was docile, otherwise he would have ordered all three people in the car into the ditch beside the road.


    Seeing this scene, Xue Tingxiang''s face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.


    He was both annoyed and angry, he actually forgot about Jiang Wu.


    In that dream, Jiang Wu has been coveting Zhao''er.


    Jiang Wu was two years older than Zhao''er, but he never married. If Zhao''er hadn''t been his child bride-in-law, the Jiang family would have come to propose marriage a long time ago.


    Even so, Jiang Wu never gave up, and once even approached him and told him that he wanted to marry Zhao''er, telling him not to be so selfish, and letting Zhao''er go free. She also said that she and Zhao''er would support him to study together and treat him like a younger brother, that''s how he knew about it.


    Shocked and annoyed, he also remembered Zhao''er''s reluctance to marry him. He mistakenly thought that Zhao''er had an affair with Jiang Wu, so he borrowed his parents'' orders to forcefully marry her. Later, by chance, Only then did he realize that he had wronged her.


    This matter has always been a scar between the two, even though it was never mentioned again, there is a gap between them. Afterwards, he was busy starting his career, while Zhao''er was busy running business. The two met only once in a long time, and even when they met, they seldom talked again until he went to Beijing to rush for the exam after winning the exam.


    The he in the dream once thought after Zhao''er died, if he hadn''t been so despicable back then and forced Zhao''er by his parents'' orders, Zhao''er wouldn''t have died.


    But this kind of thought is like a superficial thought, it just passed by in a flash. At this time, thinking about it, he is probably despicable in his bones. Even if he is not the Xue Tingxiang in his dream, he never thought of letting him go.


    She was supposed to be his, and when he still half understood, someone would always point to her and say, this is his future wife, isn''t it?


    "Brother Jiang Wu, you''d better look at some roads, this road is uneven, don''t lead us all into a ditch."


    Xue Tingxiang''s voice successfully interrupted the chatting and laughing of Jiang Wu and Zhao''er, as if a very ignorant person suddenly appeared, making the already warm atmosphere suddenly cool down.


    Zhao''er laughed dryly: "Look at me, I was so focused on talking to you about the business that I forgot that you were still driving the car. Fortunately, Daqing is smart, otherwise I would have fallen."


    Da Qing called out, looking very complacent.


    Jiang Wu looked back subconsciously, just in time to meet the young man''s dark eyes. Those eyes made him inexplicably guilty, but soon he regained his confidence.


    He knew that the dogs of the Xue family didn''t like to recruit children, and he also knew that the second bedroom couple of the Xue family originally recruited children as daughters, not child brides. The child bride-in-law was only passed on from the villagers to the villagers, and it became true because of the entrustment of the second wife of the Xue family at the end of their lives.


    Not only that, but he also knew that Zhao''er only regarded the other party as a younger brother, and had no intention of marrying the other party.


    The young man was undoubtedly thin and thin, although he was handsome, there was still a bit of childishness on his face. Such a young man made the strong and powerful Jiang Wu inexplicably feel condescending. He smiled heartily and said indifferently: "Don''t be afraid, you dog, Brother Jiang Wu drives the car every day, and you can walk back with your eyes closed."


    Xue Tingxiang did not speak, but lowered his head with the corners of his lips pursed.


    Seeing this, Zhao''er immediately understood whether the title Gouzi made the little man feel uncomfortable again. But facing Jiang Wu, she couldn''t show a cold face, she could only smile and say: "Brother Jiang Wu, let me tell you that the dog has a name, it''s called Tingxiang, Xue Tingxiang."


    "It''s an elegant name."


    "Yeah, so don''t call me Gouzi Gouzi in the future, it''s weird."


    While speaking, the car had arrived at Yuqing Village.


    Jiang Wu inertially circled to the end of the village before stopping, Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang got out of the car.


    "When will the business be done? Tell me a time, and I will pick you up when the time comes."


    "Aren''t you going to be busy in the town tomorrow, and those clothes have to be tidied up. When I''m ready, I''ll go to your house and give you a letter."


    Zhao''er also thought that two days later would be the day when Xue Tingxiang and Xue Juncai competed, and she would not be in the mood to do business until this matter was over.


    "OK."


    *


    Now that the matter was settled, they said goodbye to each other.


    Jiang Wu drove the car home, while Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang went home together.


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t say anything along the way, but just walked silently.


    Zhao''er glanced at him: "What''s the matter? You seem a little unhappy. Did Brother Jiang Wu call you angry just now? He didn''t know you were famous. I told him that he would never That''s what it''s called."


    He suppressed the jealousy in his heart, and said in a muffled voice, "Why do you know him so well?"


    "Brother Jiang Wu, we''ve known each other since we were young. You forgot that Heizi was brought back by his dog after he gave birth to a cub. Brother Jiang Wu is a very nice person and has helped me a lot."


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t speak, but stopped.


    Zhao''er walked forward for a while, only to realize that he hadn''t followed.


    She came back in a few steps, and asked suspiciously: "What''s wrong with you, why are you so weird?"


    He held his breath: "Don''t forget, you are a man."


    Zhao''er was taken aback for a moment, then looked at him and laughed. But he just smiled and didn''t speak, which made Xue Tingxiang angry and annoyed.


    Don''t think about it, she must have thought of something good.


    Seeing his fair face flushed with anger, Zhao''er hurriedly said: "Okay, don''t be angry, I know I have a man."


    There was a teasing taste in her voice, knowing that she was coaxing him, his heart still jumped several times.


    With the experience in the dream, Xue Tingxiang knew that this was not the time to be awkward, besides, there was Jiang Wu watching over him, so he didn''t want to repeat the experience in the dream again.


    He couldn''t help but reiterated: "I''m also doing it for your own good, lest people in the village see and make irresponsible remarks." He didn''t dare to look at her, but stared at the ground beside him, with some confidence in his heart. Distracted.


    Seeing him confessing himself like an adult, with a fair face and a slightly childish face, I don''t know how to trick him and want to rub his head.


    She did the same, and said at the same time: "Well, well, you are right, I will listen to you."


    He suddenly became more angry, and a sense of powerlessness and discouragement came to his heart.


    Why does she always treat herself like a child!


    *


    Early the next morning, Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang went out.


    When I arrived, Dongliju had just opened, Xue Tingxiang went to the clean room yesterday to continue copying books, but Zhao''er went to the yard behind the shop.


    She discussed with Boss Chen and borrowed this place to pack her clothes. Zhao''er had seen those clothes before, they were all old clothes, since she wanted to make money, she couldn''t afford to sell them poorly, so she came here today mainly to do this job.


    She borrowed the bamboo mat used for drying books from the shop, poured out the big bag of clothes, first sorted them into men''s and women''s styles, and then divided them into several piles according to texture and thickness, and then began to check the clothes one by one for damage. The place.


    If there was a hole somewhere, she would sew it up with the needle and thread she brought. Zhao''er''s needlework is pretty good, but she can''t do embroidery or something, and she''s fine with sewing and making clothes.


    She managed to clean up a pile, and seeing that the sun was shining outside, she went to fetch water from the well in the courtyard. There is a pulley in the well, so it is very convenient to fetch water. Zhao''er fetched a basin of water, soaked the clothes in the big wooden basin, wiped the soap locust water and scrubbed it.


    After washing and rinsing, the rice soup in the kitchen is also ready.


    Although Boss Chen and the others don''t cook in the shop, they always need a place to boil water for tea and so on, so the shop also turned on the fire, and Zhao''er borrowed the stove to cook a big pot of rice soup.


    She brought out the boiled rice soup, poured it into the wooden basin, and added some water into it, it is most suitable if it is slightly hot. Fang poured all the washed clothes into it and kept stirring with a stick.


    Stir well, put half a cup of tea, pick up the clothes from the wooden basin, fetch water and rinse again.


    This is the so-called starched clothes. The clothes that have been washed are sticky and sticky. As long as they don''t fade, they look like new ones. Some people who are fastidious will iron it with an iron, but since there is no such condition, Zhao''er does not intend to do so.


    During this period, Boss Chen came in. Seeing that Zhao''er was in full swing, he pointed to the various clothes hanging out in the yard and said with a smile, "It''s good for you, you take my place as your own. You make it look like a laundry room."


    Nowadays, there are places like starch washing rooms. Some people don''t want to wash their clothes at home, so they will send their clothes to the starch washing room for washing. Inexpensive and saves time and effort.


    Knowing that Boss Chen was joking with himself, Zhao''er also joked: "After what Uncle Chen said, it opened my eyes again. When I don''t have any business to do, I will buy a laundry room. When the time comes Uncle Chen will bring you the clothes, and I will wash them for you without charge."


    "You girl, you are really a good businessman." Boss Chen shook his head and laughed, and went back to the front.


    The room where Xue Tingxiang copied the books was in this yard, and the big window happened to be facing the yard, so Zhao''er''s every word and deed could be seen by him.


    Usually he can concentrate on nothing else, but today he is always going to see her intentionally or unintentionally.


    Seeing her tossing around in the yard, seeing her very lively face under the sun, seeing the beads of sweat on her forehead, she had no intention of copying the book at all, and only copied less than two pages in one morning.


    Boss Chen walked in to take a look, and followed his gaze to Zhao''er: "You are lucky to have such a woman at the booth."


    Xue Tingxiang did not speak.


    Boss Chen said again: "By the way, how far have you reached in your studies?"


    "I have finished studying the four books, but I can only read them, but I can''t understand them."


    "It''s okay to be able to read but not understand. Now that you have entered the university, you should start to learn Mingjing. However, in that kind of country school, many teachers themselves have only a half-knowledge, and they can''t teach anything. You can read more when you have nothing to do. Reading books like "Four Books Chapters" and "Zhu Zi Ji Zhu" can''t help you fully understand the scriptures, but they are somewhat helpful. The most important thing is to find a good school with good teachers to guide you. "Boss Chen pointed out.


    After a pause, he said again: "I heard from Zhao''er that he wanted to send you to the Qinghe Academy. Instead of spending a lot of money to go to that kind of place, I suggest that you go to the Qingyuan Academy."


    "Qingyuan Academy?" Xue Tingxiang asked in a daze.


    Boss Chen thought he didn''t know, or was deceived by rumors like those ordinary people, and said: "This Qingyuan Academy is one of the oldest schools in Huyang Township, and it used to be famous throughout Xia County. In our township, half of the people who pass the county examination every year come from the Qingyuan Academy, and there are not a few of them who pass the exam. It¡¯s just that the Qinghe Academy has risen suddenly in the past few years, and it seems to have declined.¡±


    Boss Chen''s voice was low, as if he was sighing infinitely, and suddenly turned high, quite angry: "Everyone in the world values ??fame and fortune, and is easily deceived by false appearances. They don''t know that the Qinghe Academy is using opportunism. The owner Gao Relying on his relationship with County Magistrate Hu, Youzhi became attached to him, and all the money allocated by the imperial court to the county to support local social studies and village studies flowed into the Qinghe Academy, and the two of them made a lot of money and filled their own pockets.


    "And the owner of the Qingyuan Academy is an upright person, and he doesn''t want to be with him. In addition, the Qingyuan Academy has a lot of preferential treatment for the children of poor families. Without this silver subsidy, we can only encourage and support it. The county that presides over the county examination Lingdu looked at Qinghe Academy differently, and even the students who wanted to enroll flocked there. This has changed, and the reputation of Qinghe Academy has gradually declined in recent years."

 Chapter 18

    "Uncle Chen is acquainted with the owner of the Qingyuan Academy?" Seeing that Boss Chen was so indignant, Xue Tingxiang asked curiously.


    Boss Chen stroked his beard and said, "I''m ashamed to say that I was a classmate with him when I was young, but I was not good at studies and only passed the exam as a boy student, but he was selected as a scholar in one fell swoop, and he was still a boy student. Unfortunately, bad luck, has not It took him many years to pass the exam, and he had no intention of pursuing a career, so he returned to his hometown to inherit his father''s career in teaching and educating people."


    "It won''t be bad luck all the time." Xue Tingxiang said.


    If he remembers correctly, the whole town was a sensation when Director Lin of the Qingyuan Academy finally passed the exam three years later, and Gao Youzhi, the owner of the Qinghe Academy, was so angry that he almost vomited blood. At that time, he was planning to leave the Qinghe Academy to study at the Shen family''s ethnology, and happened to hear something about it.


    Boss Chen thought the young man was just comforting him, and smiled, "Thank you for your good words."


    Xue Tingxiang was not ambiguous either, and cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Uncle Chen, for your suggestion, but there are still trivial matters at home that have not been dealt with. When everything is settled, I will go to the Qinghe Academy to study."


    "You are straightforward, so you are not afraid of being implicated and hindering your fame?" Boss Chen asked curiously.


    "The kid hasn''t entered school yet, so why talk about fame? Besides, the imperial court has always attached great importance to the selection of talents. If they are really talented, presumably the magistrate Hu will not dare to stop them too much."


    "I can''t see that you have high ambitions. Well, since you dare to go, I will recommend you one or two. Although my classmate is rigid and dull, he is not good at words, but his knowledge is first-rate. Don''t dare It is no problem to teach a person to become a Jinshi, but a scholar is fine."


    "Then thank Uncle Chen first."


    *


    For several days, Xue Tingxiang and Zhao''er left early and returned late.


    Someone from Xue''s family asked twice, and Zhao''er said to take Xue Tingxiang out to get some fresh air, so as not to be overwhelmed. The people in the big room showed contempt, and Mr. Xue couldn''t help shaking his head. After that, no one asked any more questions, and most of them knew in their hearts that Xue Tingxiang was doomed. Maybe the two children in Erfang also have a lot of mentality, so they broke the cans and didn''t read books, but ran around playing.


    You must know that even if you are as qualified as Xue Juncai, you have to read books at home for many days to prepare.


    In the blink of an eye, it was five days.


    This day is no different from ordinary days.


    The farmhouse is always busy in the morning, and after a night, the family''s livestock have to be waited on, and the whole family has to be tossed about to eat. After breakfast, the men will go to the fields, and the women will do housework at home.


    If there is some difference, Xue Juncai had two more poached eggs in his bowl than others for breakfast.


    Because of Mr. Xue''s beating some time ago, Mrs. Zhao didn''t dare to openly fight against the big family members these days. Today, seeing that life is not normal, she couldn''t hold back.


    Originally, Xue Tingxiang didn''t have any, but Yang Shi saw that her father-in-law looked bad, so she took the initiative to ask Zhao Shi to ask for two eggs, and put them in the bowl for him.


    Xue Tingxiang wants to recruit one of them separately, but he doesn''t want to be recruited, but it''s a pity that he can''t be persuaded.


    For the sake of one egg, the two of you whispered one sentence at a time, while Mr. Xue''s expression on the top was particularly serious.


    But life in the country is like this, no matter how heavy your heart is, you can''t lose your livelihood. Especially when rushing for spring plowing, Mr. Xue still took his two sons to work in the fields for a while, and didn''t come back until the sun was high.


    The news about the competition between the two children of Xue''s family has spread throughout Yuqing Village.


    It''s not that there are people who say strange things, but most people can still understand what old man Xue did. It''s not easy for rural people to earn a little money, and no one''s money comes from the big river. If there is a way, no one will do this.


    Knowing that today is the day, let the children of the family watch in the village. Seeing a stranger go to Zheng Lizheng''s house, these hairy kids ran into the field, shouting from a long distance, "Someone is coming from Lizheng''s house". The adults stopped planting the land, so they picked up the hoes and rushed back.


    Not long after, the big courtyard of Zheng Lizheng''s house was full of people, and more villagers kept coming here.


    There was a lot of commotion in the yard, everyone was gossiping and discussing today''s matter at the same time.


    In the room, Zheng Li was talking with a middle-aged man in a scholar''s shirt and a flat scarf on his head.


    This man had a thin and long face, his complexion was a little pale, and his eyes were slightly swollen. She doesn''t look good, but her identity seems to be extraordinary, and she actually sits in the main seat.


    And Zheng Lizheng could only sit on the sidelines.


    His Gu Pan has a different temperament from ordinary people. This person is Qiao Xiucai, who has a reputation in the surrounding ten miles and eight villages.


    Long before, Zheng Lizheng had thought about it. Xue Qingshan came forward to invite someone from the Xue family, if he didn''t expect, it should be his father-in-law Yang Zhong, Yang Zhong is just a boy, so he will invite a scholar.


    On the one hand, it seemed that he was impartial, and on the other hand, it was a good time to show his prestige.


    "Qiao Xianggong, you drink tea, I will order someone to remind you."


    Qiao Xiucai waved his hand indifferently: "Don''t worry."


    Just as he was talking, there was a commotion outside, but it was patriarch Xue who came with someone.


    However, it was not Patriarch Xue who took the lead, but an old man over fifty years old. This old man is of medium stature, dressed the same as Qiao Xiucai, also wearing a scholar''s shirt and a flat scarf, obviously even if he is not a scholar, he is still a child.


    Sure enough, when Qiao Xiucai saw the old man, he quickly stood up from his chair and bowed to him.


    "I never thought it would be Senior He, late born is so polite."


    "Don''t be too polite, just sit down."


    This He Xiucai was the person invited by patriarch Xue to preside over this competition.


    Zheng Lizheng was right, at first Xue Qingshan really planned to invite his father-in-law, but it was a pity that this matter was rejected by Patriarch Xue.


    Patriarch Xue also only knew that Xue Qingshan was so stupid. They all said that he should not avoid relatives when he was a virtuous person, but this is not the way. Since he felt that the chances of winning were more than guaranteed, there was no need for people to make mistakes, so he took care of this matter.


    He knew in his heart that the surname Zheng would not let go of the opportunity to show off, and if he came forward to invite someone, he must be a scholar. He originally planned to invite Qiao Xiucai, but he was a step late, so he had to delay the relationship and invite He Xiucai.


    After courteously giving way to each other, the two scholars sat down on the main seat.


    Zheng Lizheng and Patriarch Xue sat beside him.


    "Let Brother Lizheng worry about it."


    "Don''t bother, don''t worry, I''m the leader here, so I can''t show up if something happens in the village."


    A lot of back and forth, seemingly amiable, but there is a hint of wit hidden in the words. During this period, a few old people walked in from the outside, but they were a few old people from Yuqing Village, Mr. Xue, Xue Qingshan and others also came.


    Another uninvited guest was Xue Qingshan''s father-in-law Yang Zhong.


    Yang Zhong was in his fifties, with a chubby body. He didn''t look like a scholar, but a landlord with a fat brain. As soon as he came in, he joined Qiao Xiucai and He Xiucai, but unfortunately, these two scholars were not willing to talk to him, they said a few words with him, and then went to sit aside awkwardly.


    Xue Qingshan sat at the end.


    The Weng and the son-in-law are considered pretty people, and those who can sit here are all respectable people in the village, but because of the identity of this boy, they can also sit in the hall. You know, even Mr. Xue doesn''t have a seat, so he can only stand aside.


    "I don''t know the real master, but he''s here?" He Xiucai asked when he saw that almost everyone had come.


    Patriarch Xue looked at Mr. Xue, and Xue Qinghuai hurriedly said, "Here we come."


    Just as he was speaking, the villagers surrounding the door made way, and two teenagers walked out from the crowd.


    These two teenagers are all dressed in short brown, and they can be seen from humble backgrounds at a glance.


    The one in the lead looks gentle and handsome, with a slender figure. Although the clothes are simple, he is quite personable. The one in the back is half a head shorter than the one in the front, his body seems a little weak, and he seems a little introverted, his eyelids are always half down, and he seems a little afraid of strangers.


    But when the two came to the hall and accepted the scrutiny of the crowd, they had some clues.


    The elder''s appearance is not bad, but he always pulls his sleeves intentionally or unintentionally, as if the clothes don''t fit well. But the young one has been standing neither humble nor overbearing, the half-drooped eyelids not only do not make people feel contemptuous, but it feels like the respect that the younger generation should have for the elders.


    Therefore, it seemed that the older one looked directly into the eyes of everyone, which was a bit too abrupt. It is good to have self-confidence, but when the younger generation faces the elders, a humble and respectful attitude is indispensable.


    All this happened in an instant, and Qiao Xiucai and He Xiucai, who were seated in the main seats, had the initial judgment on these two young people.


    "Student Xue Juncai, student Xue Tingxiang, I have met all the elders."


    He Xiucai nodded, Qiao Xiucai nodded, and asked curiously, "Tingxiang? Does this name have a meaning?"


    Xue Tingxiang was taken aback, and Fang Zuoyi said: "Hey, I mean to follow suit. The student''s great-great-grandfather was also a student, and the biggest regret in his life was that he failed to pass the exam. Although my Xue family was born in a poor family, there are many generations. Forgetting the last wish of the ancestors, while settling down to live and work, he has been working hard to let the children of the clan read and write, and be able to understand the principles of life.


    "It should be noted that if you read a lot, you will have hills and valleys in your heart, and you will have a poetic spirit in your stomach. The younger generation will follow the last wish of the ancestors. Although they are not very knowledgeable at a young age, they have great ambitions. They hope that one day they can continue the path that their ancestors walked, and continue to do so. go down."


    These words are very well-chosen, and the words are too polite, or they say something to study and become an official to serve the court, to establish a life for the people, and to bring peace to all generations. They are all suspected of deliberately showing off, which makes people laugh. After all, they are still brats, not even children.


    And Xue Tingxiang''s words just echoed his age and knowledge, and even because of the ancestor''s last wish, it added a bit of filial piety.


    After listening to Qiao Xiucai, he stroked his beard and said, "Okay! What a big ambition!"


    With this praise, everyone''s eyes were on Xue Tingxiang.


    Most people don''t understand what it means, they only think that Qiao Xiucai is exaggerating the dog of Xue''s second room, but they can understand but they have different thoughts.


    Shocked and complicated like patriarch Xue, the look in Xue Tingxiang''s eyes implied excitement and admiration. He is the head of the clan, and he always regards the glory of the clan as his great responsibility. Xue Tingxiang''s words not only praised his ancestors in front of others, but also inadvertently showed the unusualness of the Xue clan, which made his face extraordinarily honored. Unconsciously, he straightened his back.


    Some secretly scolded this son for being cunning, and even used the occasion to grandstanding.


    Still upholding the last wish of his ancestors, whoever asked him to uphold it was just bragging! Why didn''t I see that this son was so eloquent earlier.


    "The elders in your family took this name for you, and they have high hopes for you."


    When Qiao Xiucai said this, he was embarrassed again, but it was the Xue family who were embarrassed.


    Just when Patriarch Xue and the others were afraid that Xue Tingxiang would be ignorant to tell the reason, he saluted again and said: "This junior will definitely study hard and live up to the expectations of his family."


    Xue Qingshan couldn''t sit still.


    Today''s book is for the examination of Xue Juncai and Xue Tingxiang, who is eligible to enter the school. The exam hadn''t even started yet, but Qiao Xiucai''s words were intended to encourage and agree with the other party. The so-called failure before the battle was nothing more than that.


    He couldn''t help but interjected: "Seniors, can we start?"


    Only then did Qiao Xiucai realize that he had spoken too much, but once he said it, he would naturally not take it back, and Xue Qingshan''s words obviously made him feel embarrassed. There was a slight displeasure in his heart, so instead of avoiding it, he nodded appreciatively to Xue Tingxiang, and then went to take a sip of tea on the table.


    Between the actions, there was a sense of treating Xue Qingshan as nothing, which made his face darken immediately. But he didn''t dare to have any doubts at all, he just smiled and sat back.


    Qiao Xiucai put down the teacup, cupped his hands and said to He Xiucai: "Senior He, look at this¡ª"


    "Let''s begin then."


    "Are you a senior, or you are the main one."


    Qiao Xiucai is a polite word. He is only in his thirties, he is already a scholar, he may be able to raise a scholar in the future, but He Xiucai is already an old man, the possibility of being selected is very slim. That''s why it was obvious that He Xiucai was the main one, but when Qiao Xiucai spoke, He Xiucai didn''t interrupt him, and didn''t even blame him for taking the lead.


    This is the way of the imperial examination, which pays attention to qualifications and seniority, but also pays attention to potential.


    Talents like Yang Zhong who fail the exam all their lives will be old boys when they grow old. However, if one can pass the examination as a scholar, even if one is over half a hundred years old and the other is a young man with a weak crown, they can still be on equal footing and be friends with each other as peers.


    It''s like Xue Qingshan is about to call himself a junior in front of Qiao Xiucai, and he can only accept Qiao Xiucai''s embarrassment to him. Although Qiao Xiucai gave He Xiucai too much courtesy, He Xiucai put him first in words and deeds.


    Few of the people present understood these principles, but Xue Tingxiang did, which made him even more determined to be a scholar.


    "Where are you two in your studies now?"


    "I have finished studying the Four Books, and now I am diligently reading the "Book of Songs" among the Five Classics." Xue Juncai answered first.


    He Xiucai set his sights on Xue Tingxiang.


    He pondered for a while, and said: "After studying the four books, I can only read them, but I can''t understand them."


    He Xiucai didn''t say anything, but Zheng Lizheng said in confusion, "If I remember correctly, you and the talented boy Kaimeng came one after another. How could you have fallen behind so much in your studies?"


    Xue Tingxiang remained silent, but Xue Qingshan''s eyebrows twitched.

 Chapter 19

    Because of Zheng Lizheng''s words, the eyes of He Qiao and the two scholars were all on Xue Tingxiang''s face.


    Naturally, they didn''t understand the clues of this, and they only thought that Zheng Lizheng suddenly mentioned whether there was something hidden in it. After all, they all knew before coming that this was a competition between two descendants of the same family.


    What is compared is knowledge, and what is compared is also future.


    They were all from humble backgrounds, and of course they knew how difficult it was to study in a farming family, so before Xue Tingshan said that the Xue family never forgot to cultivate their children and grandchildren while they settled down, Qiao Xiucai praised them greatly.


    Because he knew that this matter seemed insignificant, but it was actually too difficult for farmers. How many families had the idea of ??changing their own destiny by reading books.


    It can be said that those who are born in a poor family in the countryside and can achieve great fame have all experienced great hardships. The starting point is much lower than others. It takes countless efforts to catch up with others, and at the same time they have to face all kinds of cruel competition.


    This kind of competition is not only between classmates, but also between the same clan, and even one''s own brothers.


    If you succeed, the sea and the sky will be bright, and you will not be an ordinary person since then. If you fail, you will put down the book and pick up the hoe, and face the loess and the sky for the rest of your life.


    It is because they understand this kind of cruelty that the two of them can''t help but wonder whether this son deliberately said that his knowledge is weak, or he just wants to pull his brother to reduce the difficulty of the question. But this is a double-edged sword. After all, it is a disadvantage to oneself to lose one''s studies to others.


    These thoughts only happened in an instant, and because of the sudden attention of He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai, Xue Qingshan''s eyebrows jumped wildly, for fear that Xue Tingxiang would say something amazing again. At this moment, he couldn''t care less about why Xue Tingxiang knew the explanation of the scriptures, and he completely forgot that his previous idea was that Xue Tingshan didn''t understand the scriptures, and it would be easy for his son to beat him.


    This is also true for Patriarch Xue. If something happens in the clan that cannot be seen by others, it is limited to the clan. If it happens in public, it will be a bit ugly.


    The eyes of the two seemed to have needles, and they were anxiously focused on Xue Tingxiang''s face. Unexpectedly, he smiled shyly and said: "The boy was weak and sick when he was young, so he inevitably fell behind."


    Xue Qingshan hurriedly laughed and said: "That''s exactly the case. Don''t be afraid that the two seniors will laugh at me. My nephew is talented and intelligent, but his weak body hinders his studies."


    Patriarch Xue also nodded in agreement.


    Others didn''t know what was going on, they just opened their eyes and watched. Only Zheng Lizheng seemed to realize that there was something wrong, but he couldn''t tell the details, so he could only keep silent.


    After He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai gave in to each other again, He Xiucai was the main one in the end. Sitting at the top, he said to Xue Tingxiang: "Since you don''t understand the scriptures, it''s a bit unfair to go beyond the scope of what you have learned. You two are still young, and it''s time to lay down the foundation, so I will test your two. Human base."


    Hearing this, although Xue Juncai was a little disappointed that he was overqualified and missed his opportunity to perform, he also felt disdainful.


    If you don''t test the scriptures, then Xue Tingxiang is not his opponent!


    He Xiucai squeezed his beard with his hands, and after pondering for a while, said: "Zhu Zi said: the size of learning is inherently different, but it is the way, it is only one. It is also suitable for young people. If you don''t learn it in elementary school, you will have nothing to learn. Its heart, to cultivate its virtue, is the foundation of the university. The two of you will each silently write a "Disciple Regulations."


    Neither of them expected that the first question would be Mo''s "Disciple Regulations". You must know that "Disciples Regulations" was learned at the beginning of elementary school, and the whole article is only about a thousand words. In addition to the general narrative, it is divided into seven chapters: filial piety when you enter, brotherhood when you go out, sincerity, faith, universal love for all, kindness and benevolence, and Yu Liwen.


    Each chapter is not long, with three words and one sentence, rhyming in the same pattern, and catchy. It lists the various norms that disciples should abide by at home, when going out, and when dealing with people. It also just proves what He Xiucai said before, the size of learning is inherently different, but it is the truth that it is only one.


    Someone has already prepared a square table and pens and inks, and each person has a table and table in front of the hall, and even the ink has been sharpened.


    When the two came to the table, they picked up a pen and wrote without any hesitation.


    As the two rushed to write and write, the noise gradually faded away. Even if the country people don''t understand the basic principles, they also know that scholars should not be disturbed when they are doing their studies.


    This is not a problem for Xue Tingxiang, because he only has one book, so he has spent too much effort to memorize the things he has learned.


    Not only memorizing, but also keeping in mind, so that when asked in school, he can answer fluently, because he has no reference at all.


    It is better to have no books than to have books, because these are all engraved in the mind. Especially since having that dream, in order not to affect his memory, he has silently recited the book he had memorized countless times in his mind.


    While Xue Tingxiang was writing vigorously, he also had a slight change in his opinion of He Xiucai.


    He could see that the other party asked such an unexpected question, not because the other party deliberately released the water, but because the other party wanted to make a surprise. Because this discipline is too simple for scholars, they have learned it when they were just learning, but they just throw it away after learning it.


    Except for the beginning of learning, my husband will not take these things in the future. It may be to test the Three Character Classic, or even a hundred surnames, and a thousand character prose, but it will not be the rules of this disciple.


    Xue Tingxiang even couldn''t wait to see Xue Juncai''s reaction. Maybe the other party can roughly write down this article, but can you write down all the thousands of words, and the words are correct and the order is good? And He Xiucai''s request to silence this disciple''s rule is probably not just silent, but also one of the "books" in elementary school.


    Just relying on your own words is enough to beat the opponent.


    As Xue Tingxiang thought, at first Xue Juncai really felt contemptuous. He even wondered if this He Xiucai was out of his mind to take the "Disciple Regulations" test.


    Who wouldn''t know this disciple? It is something to learn at the beginning of school. But after he fell silent, he realized that he really wasn''t as good as he thought.


    After you leave, do you love me, or are you hurt? You must know that this Disciple Rules is not like other articles, it can connect the past and the future, confirming each other, if the first sentence is wrong, the latter paragraph will be wrong.


    The more Xue Juncai became silent, the more annoyed he felt, and he always felt that he was wrong in being silent. If someone asks a question, he can naturally answer it fluently. Ke Mo, Mo is still a good word!


    At first, he wrote like flying, but then it became slower and slower, and even reached the point where he couldn''t write, obviously he was not sure if his memory was wrong.


    On the contrary, Xue Tingxiang has been calm from the beginning, and he is still writing at a leisurely pace at this time, but it can be seen that his writing is very coherent, with almost no pause.


    At the first place, Qiao Xiucai glanced at He Xiucai with exclamation, and did not hide her surprise at all. He naturally had a panoramic view of the following situation, and he had to admire He Xiucai''s ingenuity.


    He Xiucai smiled slightly. In fact, he would ask this kind of question, but he just wanted people to make mistakes. I was very proud of my inspiration.


    He stroked his beard and said with a faint smile, "You two little friends, don''t worry, there is a stick of incense time, enough to write it down."


    Yizhuxiang wrote more than a thousand characters, which seemed a bit hasty, but it is not impossible to write something as simple as the disciple''s rules silently, as long as you pay close attention to it.


    But that was before, Xue Juncai couldn''t help but feel even more anxious when he heard someone mention the time.


    In the following time, he kept looking at the stick of incense, because he looked at it too frequently, which made his speed even slower.


    "Okay, time is up."


    As the words fell, Xue Tingxiang made a big stroke and put down the brush in his hand.


    Xue Juncai didn''t move, until someone went in front of him, only to find that his whole body was as stiff as a stone, and he was dripping with sweat, and the paper in front of him was only half full.


    Because the two were behind the gate, and Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong were sitting at the end, they didn''t notice anything strange about it. In their minds, a "Regulations for Disciples" couldn''t be simpler, and Xue Juncai''s strange appearance also attracted the attention of the two of them, but they still didn''t expect that Xue Juncai could not finish writing it.


    It wasn''t until He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai looked at each other''s papers that they looked at each other, and He Xiucai announced that Xue Tingxiang won this match.


    Xue Qingshan stood up from the chair in surprise: "How is it possible?"


    At the same time, there was a lot of discussion below and outside the door, and it seemed that Xue Juncai couldn''t believe that Xue Juncai had lost. Insiders look at the doorway, while laymen watch the excitement. The villagers who didn''t know a single word didn''t know what the test was about, they only knew that Master Xiucai said that Xue Juncai lost to the Xue family dog.


    Xue Juncai lost to Xue Gouzi?


    This, this is really surprising. You must know that Xue Juncai has always been the most outstanding young man among the younger generation in Yuqing Village. Whoever mentions him does not give a thumbs up.


    "Senior He, Senior Qiao, did you make a mistake, a disciple''s regulation..."


    He Xiucai gestured with his gaze, and two people stepped forward to unfold Xue Juncai''s and Xue Tingxiang''s papers, held them up, and showed them to everyone.


    I saw that on one of the rice papers, the handwriting was full of strength, correct and beautiful. On the other piece of rice paper, the handwriting was not bad, but it was anticlimactic, and it became more and more scribbled as it went to the back, and there were even spots of ink on it.


    "Xue Tingxiang''s words are not bad, and there is no ink on the scroll, which is a good appearance. And Xue Juncai didn''t finish his silence, and there were mistakes and omissions, so Xue Tingxiang won this round."


    "Brilliant!" Xue Qingshan said in surprise, his eyes were full of disbelief, he wanted to say something, but was pulled by Yang Zhong.


    Xue Juncai didn''t raise his head until now, he raised his head stiffly and looked at Xue Tingxiang with red eyes.


    ...


    Next is the second round, and this round will return to the normal school exam homework.


    He Xiucai asked the question, and the two answered.


    "Seeking the ancients to seek the theory, how can you solve it if you let go of your worries?"


    "Search for the ancients and the ancient things, and read more wise and famous sayings, so that you can get rid of distracting thoughts and be at ease." Xue Juncai took a step forward and replied.


    "Meng Ke is dunsu, Shi Yu is upright. What''s the explanation for Lao Qian''s edict?" This sentence was asked by Xue Tingxiang.


    He pondered for a while, and said: "Mencius advocates simplicity, while Ziyu, the official historian, is upright. What he said is that a person should conform to the standard of the mean as much as possible. He must be hardworking and humble, be cautious, and know how to advise himself."


    "Saying the warning, what''s the next sentence?" When He Xiucai asked this sentence, he didn''t look at any of the two of them.


    Xue Juncai was still in a daze, but Xue Tingxiang had already replied: "I''m almost ashamed, Lin Gao is lucky."


    "Don''t talk about each other''s weaknesses, what''s the solution to relying on your own strengths?"


    This time Xue Juncai didn''t let up, and hurriedly said: "Don''t talk about other people''s shortcomings, and don''t rely on your own strengths to make progress." Before he finished speaking, his cheeks were hot, and he didn''t know whether it was embarrassment or self-ashamed.


    "Okay!" He Xiucai clapped his hands together, "All the answers are pretty good."


    Suddenly, he said again: "Shuixie."


    Xue Juncai was stunned for a moment, Xue Tingxiang''s eyes flashed, and he replied: "Shanzhai."


    Hearing this, Xue Juncai realized that He Xiucai was taking a pair test.


    Before schoolchildren enter university, in addition to the basic three hundred and thousand thousand, they also need to learn "Enlightenment of Rhythm", "Longwen Whip Shadow", "Children''s Learning Qionglin", "Zengguang Xianwen" and so on.


    Among them, "Enlightenment of Rhythm" and "Longwen Whip Shadow" teach children to understand the rules of rhythm and parallelism. In the process of learning Pingzheqie rhyme, at the same time begin to understand and master poetry rhyme, and acquire a large number of vocabulary and ancient allusions.


    Nowadays there is a saying that few schoolchildren who have been taught can''t match the right pair.


    Especially this simple pair and couplet.


    After suffering two losses in a row, Xue Juncai was obviously smarter. It was almost He Xiucai who asked the question. Answered successfully.


    It can be seen that Xue Juncai is doing well in his studies, and there are almost no pairs that He Xiucai can''t answer.


    "Recently, the old man sighed in his heart. He occasionally got something. He came up with an upper couplet, but so far he has not been able to get a suitable second couplet. This time I will test you two. It may be too difficult for you now, but give it a try. It doesn''t matter." He Xiucai withdrew his gaze and looked at Qiao Xiucai: "Brother Qiao, if you are interested, you can also try it, so as to relieve the pain of brooding for many days."


    Qiao Xiucai smiled slightly, knowing that this was He Xiucai''s desire to compete.


    As the saying goes, there is no first in writing, and there is no second in martial arts. In the nearby villages, he and He Xiucai were the only ones who passed the entrance examination. He Xiucai''s reputation in the outside world has never been prominent, and he can understand that he will compare.


    "Brother He, it''s okay to say."


    He Xiucai stroked his beard and said: "One person is great, and two are heaven. Heaven is greater than human affection, and human affection is greater than heaven."


    Xue Tingxiang''s eyes flashed, his eyes flicked across the faces of the first two people, and then fell on Xue Juncai''s face. Seeing him bow his head in thought, he also lowered his head.


    There was silence in the hall, no one dared to make a sound, and couldn''t figure it out that there were two juniors in the examination school, so how could these two match up.


    Suddenly, a clear high-five sounded.


    Seeing Qiao Xiucai clapping his hands, he said, "Two trees make a forest, three trees make a forest. The forest is luxuriant, and the forest becomes a forest."


    Xue Tingxiang thought to himself: In fact, this pair is difficult to say, and it is not difficult to say that it is not difficult.


    He Xiucai''s one person turns into a big man, and two people turn into a sky, and the two lines of confrontation afterwards have the finishing touch. And Qiao Xiucai used two trees to form a forest, and three trees to form a forest, which is perfect.


    In fact, he was also right. Before Qiao Xiucai, he only knew that this question was not mainly about him and Xue Juncai, so he kept silent. Now that Qiao Xiucai has matched up, he naturally doesn''t have to be afraid of Zhuanmei, after all, he and Xue Juncai are the two who got the most out of the test.


    He raised his head and said, "The kid has it too."

 Chapter 20

    The clear voice of the young man caught the eyes of everyone in the hall, including Qiao Xiucai and He Xiucai who were praising each other for humility.


    Xue Juncai raised his head in disbelief, he couldn''t believe that he didn''t even think about it, how could Xue Tingxiang have it.


    I saw that gentle and thin young man with his hands behind his back, walking back and forth in the hall for a few steps, Fang said: "If you take the bait, you are an old man, and if you take the bait, you are a test. The old man takes the test for the children, and the children get the test for the old."


    In fact, Xue Tingxiang is not good at reciting poems and fighting against each other, but he can''t hold back that the person in his dream has lived a long life and has a wide market. There used to be a long-standing joke among scholars¡ª¡ª


    It is said that there was a gray-haired scholar who took the exam, and the examiner knew from his appearance that he was an old boy who had repeatedly failed the exam, so he intentionally made things difficult for him: "I have a couplet, if you can match it, I will take it." you."


    The old boy felt bitter in his heart, but he didn''t dare to give up.


    The chief examiner asked the question: "If you take the bait, you are old; if you take the bait, you are a tester. If you are old, you will be a child, and if you are a child, you will be old."


    The old boy bowed to Rao, and replied: "One person is great, and two are heaven. Heaven is greater than human affection, and human affection is greater than heaven."


    This flattery was so exquisite that the examiner was too embarrassed to go back on his word, so he had no choice but to choose him as a scholar.


    In fact, upon hearing this story, one knew it was made up. Anyone who has participated in the hospital examination should know what the situation will be. How can the examiner take the initiative to test an old student? The examiner and the examinee will not talk to each other, and it is also for avoidance.


    It was obviously made up by a failed scholar, and it was used as a comforting chat, and because it made people laugh, it spread among scholars. It even extended to the fact that any official in the DPRK was released as an academic officer, or presided over a new department examination, and the official who had a good relationship with him could not help telling the last sentence, but don''t be ''human beings are too big''.


    It is not only a joke, but also an exhortation. There have always been many frauds involved in imperial examinations.


    Xue Tingxiang did not expect to hear this pair here.


    He didn''t feel uneasy because this second line was borrowed, because winning Xue Juncai has always been the biggest obsession in his heart.


    It is now, and it was also in the dream.


    In the dream, he was troubled by this matter for a long time, and after all kinds of hard work, he finally felt proud. It was because of the experience that he knew that this kind of obsession affects a person''s xinxing too much. He has a more ambitious goal, and there are still many things to do, but Xue Juncai is just an obstacle to him now, overcoming him is what he needs to do now.


    As for why he discarded the second couplet he came up with and chose to borrow this. Xue Tingxiang took a look at Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong, and thought it was because of his insignificance that he made fun of them with resentment.


    Obviously, only Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong are Tongsheng, and although this pair is perfect, it is obviously ironic. Old students test children, children students test to old age. This is undoubtedly the greatest ridicule and curse for a person who has failed to pass the entrance examination for many years.


    The faces of the two of them immediately turned purple, but they had to hold back. At this time, He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai had already clapped their hands and praised it.


    "Okay, that''s right!"


    It seemed that everyone had forgotten about Xue Juncai. He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai whispered a few times, and then He Xiucai announced: "After the unanimous decision of the two of us, the winner is Xue Tingxiang and Xue Xiaoyou."


    "Xue Xiaoyou, I hope you can work hard and achieve fame as soon as possible." He said to Xue Tingxiang with a pleasant face.


    "Thank you two seniors for your encouragement, I will definitely work harder." Xue Tingxiang bowed to him.


    While He Qiao and Xue Tingxiang were talking, the villagers standing in the hall and outside the house had already started discussing. Most of them are admiration, but of course there are also those who can''t believe it and question it.


    Among them, the Xue family is the most unbelievable, especially Xue Qingshan. He had suppressed it before, but now he couldn''t help it anymore, stood up and said: "Just relying on these to judge victory or defeat, are the two seniors Too hasty?"


    Seeing that both He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai looked over, he flinched a bit, and then became confident again: "The kid''s pair hasn''t been made yet, so the winner is decided like this..."


    He Xiucai showed displeasure on his face, and ignored him, but asked patriarch Xue with a cold old face: "Could it be that patriarch Xue also disagrees with the conclusions of the two of us?"


    Patriarch Xue dared to offend Mr. Xiucai, he was still two Mr. Xiucai. Besides, from his point of view, Xue Tingxiang''s performance this time was indeed somewhat unexpected, and it was much more talented than Xue Jun. He was an outsider, so he could see it clearly, so he quickly scolded Xue Qingshan and asked him to apologize publicly to the two scholars.


    Xue Juncai was also full of dissatisfaction: "The boy is not convinced either, he has never been as good as me, I just didn''t prepare properly, the two seniors can ask another question, this time the boy will definitely beat him."


    At this time, a woman squeezed in from the crowd outside the door.


    Her clothes are disheveled and her hair is messy. It is Mrs. Yang.


    Yang stumbled in and cried, "My son can''t lose, you two must have been bribed to hurt my son on purpose."


    This remark made a big fuss, especially on such an occasion, when a woman rushed in and made a loud noise, not only He Qiao and the two scholars showed anger, but even several village elders present repeatedly reprimanded them as inappropriate.


    "Ridiculous, really ridiculous! Could it be that Li Zheng and the patriarch thought we were bribed?"


    "You two scholars, don''t be angry. This woman has long hair but short knowledge. She is talking nonsense."


    "Lian Xing, don''t get your shrew back!"


    The old man Xue beside him was so anxious that he didn''t know what to do, but as a father-in-law, he couldn''t help his daughter-in-law, so he had to ask his eldest son Xue Qingshan to take his wife away quickly.


    It''s just that Xue Qingshan still wants an explanation at this time, so how could he care about this.


    There was a lot of trouble on the field, He Xiucai wanted to leave, and Qiao Xiucai didn''t want to stay longer. Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng repeatedly tried to persuade them to stay, and at the same time angrily reprimanded them to get rid of these people quickly.


    Qiao Xiucai sneered, and did not reprimand Xue Juncai, but sneered at Xue Qingshan: "You are a boy, and you have passed the exam several times, but you can''t see the meaning of these exams, brother He, no wonder you took the exam. After so many years, he is still a child!"


    This Qiao Xiucai''s words were too touching, Xue Qingshan''s face turned green and pale. In fact, Qiao Xiucai was not usually so bitter, but he uttered bad words because he saw that the father and son refused to admit their losses and wanted to pester them.


    "In terms of adapting to the situation and calmness of mind, he is not as good as him." He pointed to Xue Tingxiang, and then pointed to Xue Juncai: "You have time in the examination room to dawdle for you, another chance? Let''s talk about the roll , full of stains, I am afraid that if you don¡¯t need to read what you wrote, you will end up not taking it!¡±


    At this time, Xue Juncai was already pale with fright, how could he react, but Xue Qingshan was as if struck by lightning, so he didn''t speak anymore.


    *


    He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai stayed in the end.


    Taking advantage of the chaos in the hall, Xue Qingshan sneaked into the crowd with Xue Juncai and Yang surreptitiously.


    Seeing that there is no excitement, the villagers also dispersed, and while walking home, they discussed today''s affairs with the people around them.


    In fact, they don''t know anything, as long as they know that the person who wins in the end is the dog of the second wife of Xue Lianxing''s family. It can be predicted that after this incident, many people in the village will change their views on Xue Tingxiang, and they will even talk about it endlessly.


    And Xue Juncai''s name in the village is destined to be replaced by Xue Tingxiang.


    Taking advantage of the crowd, Xue Tingxiang walked out from Zheng Lizheng''s house.


    Zhao''er had been waiting outside for a long time, and as soon as he saw him, he said happily: "Gou''er, you really won, you beat Xue Juncai! My sister is so happy."


    She was so happy that she didn''t know how to be happy. Seeing this, Xue Tingxiang couldn''t say anything to condemn her, but just looked at her with a smile.


    After being happy for a while, Zhao''er showed a little hesitation: "By the way, after you beat him, do you really want to go to Qinghe Academy to study?"


    Xue Tingxiang pondered for a while: "I don''t plan to go to Qinghe Academy. Uncle Chen said that he can introduce me to Qingyuan Academy."


    "Qingyuan Academy? The name seems to be quite similar to Qinghe Academy. Is this academy good?" Immediately, Zhao''er laughed and said, "That''s right, Uncle Chen is well-informed, so what he can say is definitely not bad. .¡±


    Xue Tingxiang nodded: "I plan to go to town in these two days and talk to Uncle Chen about it."


    "What are you waiting for these two days, let''s go now."


    Xue Tingxiang did not expect Zhao''er to be so eager, so he hesitated.


    Zhao''er said again: "There must be chaos at home right now, let''s avoid the limelight first."


    He immediately understood the meaning of her words, with the dispositions of the eldest couple, and the always eccentric Zhao family, he didn''t know what kind of chaos would happen in the family.


    The two left the village avoiding the crowd, and because they didn''t meet the mule cart, they took the bullock cart to the town.


    When we arrived at Dongliju, Uncle Chen happened to be there. Xue Tingxiang explained the matter, and Uncle Chen agreed that he would go to his classmate tomorrow. After that, the two of them didn''t go back, Xue Tingxiang continued to copy his unfinished book, while Zhao''er continued to tidy up the pile of clothes that she hadn''t finished.


    It was not until the evening that the two returned to Yuqing Village.


    The courtyard of Xue''s house was quiet, with cooking smoke wafting from the chimney, and it seemed that cooking was going on in the stove.


    Standing in the yard, Mrs. Zhao saw two people walking in from the outside. She had a cold old face and scolded without naming names: "People say that we enjoy the blessings of our children and grandchildren, but we have become old slaves. We don''t see anyone for a day." , Open your mouth to eat when you get home, I owe you in my previous life!"


    Mrs. Yang came out from the east chamber: "Mother, the meal for the third sibling is ready, let''s quickly set the table for dinner."


    Mrs. Zhao snorted coldly, turned around and entered the door of the main house. Yang Shi didn''t even look at the two of them, but followed behind and went in.


    Zhao''er looked at Xue Tingxiang.


    Xue Tingxiang looked at her: "What are you looking at?"


    Zhao''er sneered, and muttered in a low voice: "Don''t pay attention to grandma, she just has no side."


    "Ok, I know."


    *


    When the two were tidying up in the house, there was a sudden commotion in the courtyard, not only the voices of Mr. Xue and Xue Qingshan, but also a familiar voice.


    Zhao''er looked out the window, and saw Yang''s father, Yang Zhong.


    Yang Zhong was from nearby Niujiaoling, and because he was a boy, he was considered a respectable figure in Niujiaoling. Like his son-in-law, he opened a private school to make ends meet. However, this person is exaggerated, good at putting on airs, relying on the old to sell the old, the most important thing is to attract children''s dislike.


    Yang Zhong seemed to have eaten too much wine somewhere, his steps were a little staggering, and his fat face was flushed.


    The couple from Dafang greeted them, as well as Mr. Xue.


    Mr. Xue looked a little embarrassed: "Old relative, for my family''s affairs, I have troubled you to run several times. This is because you have eaten too much wine. Come in and sit down."


    Yang complained: "Father, you too, why do you drink so much wine?"


    "It''s not that Zheng Lizheng is too hospitable. After drinking for so long, your father is still not drunk?" Yang Zhong looked a little smug, and said to Mr. Xue: "It''s nothing, a handsome man is too. My grandson, as a grandfather, how can I not come to make decisions for him. "


    This made Mr. Xue even more embarrassed. He also knew what happened in the morning, and it must not be so simple. He accompanied him with a smile and said: "I made my in-laws laugh at me, if it wasn''t for the family''s financial difficulties, this kind of thing wouldn''t have happened..."


    The voices of the two gradually lowered, and they entered the room together.


    Zhao''er took a look at Xue Tingxiang: "Fortunately, I bought a few buns when I came back. Well, I don''t need to eat this dinner."


    In fact, no one asked them to eat, because Yang Zhong''s sudden arrival made the whole Xue family toss around.


    This Yang Zhong used to have a temperament that likes to toss people, and he also likes to put on airs. The key person has the status of a child, and Mr. Xue also respects him. Every time he comes, he must be greeted with good wine and good food.


    The Xue family was not wary of Yang Zhonghui coming at this time before, they just cooked some meals casually, this kind of meal is not good for entertaining people, they have to do it all over again.


    Zhao''er didn''t bother with outside affairs, went to the kitchen to pour some hot water, then went back to the house and Xue Tingxiang ate buns together.


    After eating the buns, it was already dark outside.


    Zhao''er stood in front of the door, seeing the brightly lit lights in the main room, it was obvious that he had already eaten.


    She was about to go to the kitchen to boil water and wash her feet, when Xue Tao''er hurried out from the main room and said, "Miss Zhao''er, grandpa asks the dog to come over."

 Chapter 21

    What good can we do at this time?


    Zhao''er had vigilance in his eyes.


    Xue Tao''er ran over, leaned closer and whispered, "Isn''t my aunt''s father, he said he wants to talk to the dog."


    Xue Tingxiang also heard the movement outside the room and came out.


    "Don''t go, I''ll push." ??Zhao''er knew that it would be no good for Yang Zhong to find a young man because of his elder status. What about the previous incident?


    "No problem."


    Having said this, Zhao''er was taken aback for a moment, and Xue Tingxiang remembered that he would never speak like this in normal times.


    He smiled and said, "It''s okay, you''re still afraid that I won''t succeed if he eats it."


    "Can¡­¡­"


    At this time, Xue Tingxiang had already passed her to the main room, so she could only follow in a hurry.


    *


    Here in the main room, as expected, the wine is in full swing.


    Yang Zhong''s white and chubby face was flushed from drinking, and he looked like he was slightly drunk. Mr. Xue''s dark red face glowed red under the light. Xue Qingshan also sat on the side, along with Xue Juncai, Xue Qingbai and Xue Qinghuai.


    Women are not at the table.


    Seeing Xue Tingxiang walking in, Yang Zhong said: "Our little talent is here, come and let me see."


    He waved his hands, not treating himself as an outsider at all, and when Xue Tingxiang approached, he opened a pair of drunken eyes and looked up and down: "I don''t see anything changed, how did you become so promising?"


    As soon as these words were sarcasm, the court immediately fell silent.


    Xue Qingshan focused on eating vegetables between his sandwiches, as if he didn''t hear him. Xue Juncai seemed to be sitting upright, but in fact he was looking at this place intentionally or unintentionally.


    The rest of the Xue family were a little embarrassed, especially Mr. Xue, his face was a little stiff, but he hesitated to speak.


    Zhao''er was about to attack, when Xue Qinghuai suddenly stood up, smiled and picked up the wine bowl: "My father-in-law, I respect you for a bowl, this wine is brewed by my father himself, and most people can''t drink it when they come here. Don''t look at your old man When I came, I quickly dug a jar and said to drink a few more bowls with you."


    Yang Zhong looked at Xue Qinghuai with a smile, and without hesitation, he picked up the wine bowl and drank it down in one gulp, and ate a few mouthfuls of food. Taking advantage of the situation, Xue Qinghuai hurriedly winked at Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang, telling them to leave quickly.


    Xue Tingxiang smirked slightly, and planned to take Zhao''er away, and listened to Yang Zhong before he even took a step.


    "What''s the matter? Why is the elder leaving before he finished talking? Although I am not your own grandfather, I am also your own grandfather. Is this old man not paying attention to me, or what?"


    The hat was buttoned too big, Zhao''er was about to say something, Xue Tingxiang gave her a hand.


    He took two steps forward, pretending to be listening respectfully: "Since my in-laws and grandpas have taught me, I will just listen to you." After a pause, he continued: "It''s just that my in-laws and grandpas are also scholars, so I think they know how to be rude. reason"


    "According to what you little brat thinks, as an elder, I can''t say that you are a junior?"


    The smell of alcohol came straight to Xue Tingxiang''s face, and there was also a strange smell of various vegetables mixed in it.


    Xue Tingxiang did not evade, and nodded calmly: "Naturally."


    "Hey! Look! It''s really different."


    Yang Zhong tapped Xue Tingxiang a few times with his finger, and looked at the rest of Xue''s family with a smirk, and the villain first complained: "In-law, is this your family''s tutor?"


    It was obvious that Yang Zhong was here to make trouble, and of course it was for Xue Juncai. When he came back from Lizheng''s house before, Mr. Xue guessed that the big room would definitely make a fuss, but he didn''t expect that the fuss should be here.


    In fact, as the son and daughter-in-law, how could the married couple blatantly quarrel with Mr. Xue? After all, they swore before that whoever wins will go, and whoever loses should not complain. And Yang Zhong, as Xue Juncai''s grandfather, couldn''t be more appropriate to stand in for him. If it works, it''s good, if it doesn''t, it won''t hurt the relationship between father and son.


    "relatives by marriage¡­¡­"


    Mr. Xue was about to speak, but was interrupted by Xue Tingxiang''s voice.


    "Although my parents are both deceased, there are my grandfather, uncles, and other elders of the Xue family. Even if there is something wrong, it is not up to people of other surnames to point fingers here. Although my grandfather and my family are connected I want to kiss you, but I definitely didn''t go to the Xue family''s table, eat the Xue family''s food, and scold the Xue family for their reasons."


    Because there are guests, candles are rarely lit in the house, which illuminates the room brightly.


    Standing in the middle, the boy is thin and thin, but he is tall and straight. He was wearing a shabby clothes, the cuffs and the front of the clothes were a little white, but it made people feel an inviolable aura.


    "Could this be the way of in-laws and grandpas being guests? One day when I, the Xue family, went to your house as guests, I would point and point at the Yang family, and be eccentric. Presumably, my in-laws and grandpas would not be angry. After all, coming here is not indecent. Thanks ah Master is always the junior in the family and talks about his in-laws and grandpas, but the boy is only his in-laws and grandpas, he is a literati, he is respected by the younger generation as a person who understands etiquette, now it seems that it is nothing more than that!"


    "you--"


    There was silence in the room, and no one thought that Xue Tingxiang would explode on the spot regardless of his seniority.


    Xue Qingshan stopped eating, and suddenly felt restless.


    But he didn''t stand up to speak for his father-in-law. Xue Tingxiang''s hat was too big, which brought the face of the whole Xue family and even the Xue clan. If he speaks for it, he is echoing the fact that the face of the Xue family can be trampled on the ground by the Yang family.


    In particular, this is not in line with what he planned.


    Yang Zhong''s face was flushed red, and his lips trembled with anger: "You kid, you dare to teach your elders a lesson at such a young age."


    "Don''t dare! A gentleman is harmonious but different, and a villain is the same but not harmonious. The boy is just telling the truth. I also hope that the in-laws and grandparents should be cautious in their words and deeds, so that they can be the appearance of a gentleman."


    This is teaching myself through the words of the sage!


    Yang Zhong laughed back angrily, and pointed at him with his finger: "Okay, okay, it''s really amazing. After studying for a few days, people are different. You really think that it''s a big deal if you win the handsome talent today, even if you furious."


    "A gentleman has nothing to fight for, and he will definitely shoot! When he bows and rises, he goes down to drink, and his fight is also a gentleman."


    This sentence comes from the eight chapters of "The Analects of Confucius". It roughly means that a gentleman will not argue about anything. If there is a dispute, it must be upholding the way of a gentleman. Neither humble nor overbearing, neither angry nor complaining, and having fun with wine after the competition is the battle between gentlemen. It''s not that you must be flushed in the face, like a black-eyed chicken, that would be out of style.


    It is about being a person and dealing with affairs, and at the same time, it is using the words of the saints to ridicule Yang Zhong for not having the manners and tolerance of his elders, and to make things difficult for his juniors in order to protect his grandson.


    There were only four scholars present, and the others were all at a loss. They could only see that Xue Tingxiang was not at a disadvantage, but Yang Zhong was so angry that his seven orifices seemed to be smoking.


    Forget about Yang Zhong, Xue Qingshan and his son couldn''t help being a little bit surprised when he was angry.


    You must know that although Xue Tingxiang has studied the Four Books, he only understands the superficiality and does not understand the meaning of the scriptures. But just now he uttered two sentences in a row, both of which are from the Four Books, and if he didn''t understand the meaning of the scriptures, how could he use them to harm others.


    Could it be that someone taught him behind his back? No wonder his performance was so unexpected today.


    And right at this moment, other changes took place in the field.


    It was Yang Zhong who stood up in anger and wanted to teach Xue Tingxiang a lesson, but was stopped by Mr. Xue, Xue Qinghuai and Xue Qingbai.


    "Well, you little bastard, you have learned to swear before your hair grows."


    "A gentleman does not mirror water, but mirrors people. Mirroring water, the appearance of meeting, mirroring people, you can know good and bad, but if you want to come to your relatives and grandpas, you don''t understand this sentence."


    Xue Tingxiang had a smile on his face, obviously there was nothing wrong with that smile, even a bit shy, and his words were gentle and polite, but it made people taste a bit ironic.


    "I know if I understand you or not, I know you are swearing, I must teach you a lesson today!" Yang Zhong struggled to raise his hand, and at this moment, a violent shout sounded in vain.


    "Father-in-law!"


    It was Mr. Xue who spoke.


    "My father-in-law, I respect your in-laws, but this is my Xue family!"


    Mr. Xue''s complexion was very ugly. He had been tolerant just now because of the other party''s identity, but Xue Tingxiang was right. There was a whole family sitting in the room, all of whom were surnamed Xue. There was absolutely no reason for someone surnamed Yang to teach others a lesson. .


    No matter how much the family makes trouble, it is wrong for outsiders to intervene.


    There was silence in the room, only the sound of Yang Zhong panting heavily.


    The sound of a stool falling to the ground sounded, and it was Xue Qingshan who stood up.


    At this time, Yang Shi, who had been hiding in the house, also ran out, and said angrily and anxiously: "Father, what are you doing! Why did you drink some wine and start to make trouble."


    She explained to the dark-faced old man Xue: "Father, don''t blame me, my father is like this, when he starts to drink. Oh, father, what do you think you are making a fuss about?" Then she complained to Xue Qingshan: " Juncai''s father, and you too, why don''t you stop him from making trouble like this."


    Yang Zhongdao: "I''m making trouble, what''s wrong with me?! Xue Lianxing, don''t forget what you promised me back then. Juncai is your eldest grandson, so you plan to let it go?"


    "Father, stop talking, I''ll help you down to rest."


    The Dafang couple, one on the left and the other on the right, helped Yang Zhong out, and Yang Zhong seemed to be really drunk, shouting that you should really let go, and stumbled and was helped out by the couple.


    *


    Because of this commotion, the Xue family was extremely quiet afterwards.


    Mrs. Zhou originally asked Zhao''er and the two of them to eat, but they said they had eaten, so they went back to the house.


    A table of food and wine, only half eaten, old man Xue sat there alone, eating food and drinking wine, no one dared to disturb.


    Mrs. Zhao hid in the back room, don''t look at her usually yelling at Mr. Xue, but when Mr. Xue really got angry, she didn''t dare to make trouble.


    Xue Qinghuai walked to the table and sat down, saying: "Father, it''s getting late, let''s rest early."


    Mr. Xue nodded, but when he put down his chopsticks, he sighed again.


    Xue Qinghuai couldn''t help but persuaded: "Father, don''t think too much."


    "Look at the eldest couple. Why don''t you remember your kindness? The second has only been dead for a few years. Even if the child is not sensible, there is no need to do so."


    Xue Qinghuai understood what the old man meant, but he couldn''t answer these words well, so he could only say awkwardly: "Maybe the eldest brother and sister-in-law don''t know that the in-laws guild will make such a fuss."


    Mr. Xue snorted, but did not speak.


    "But Gouzi didn''t suffer, you see he was mad at sister-in-law."


    Hearing this, Mr. Xue couldn''t help but twitch his eyebrows and eyes: "I followed the second child."


    Xue Qingsong has this kind of temperament, usually taciturn, but don''t push him into a hurry, he can surprise everyone.


    "This big family has been living in harmony and beauty, but it''s getting more and more difficult." Mr. Xue sighed, probably because he drank some wine, and his emotions were particularly leaking.


    Xue Qinghuai didn''t respond.


    After a long time, Mr. Xue sighed: "Let your wife clean up this table, and you should go and rest earlier."


    "Hey, I''ll let her clean it up."

 Chapter 22

    In the second room, Zhao''er went to pour some hot water, and after washing their feet, they went to rest on the kang.


    A big Kang, two quilts, one for each person.


    But Zhao''er couldn''t sleep today, and when she came back from the main room, she was a little excited.


    She rolled over and over again.


    "You do not sleep?"


    It is reasonable to say that they would not rest so early, but today both of them have been busy all day, so they turned off the lights after recruiting children to go to the kang. However, there is a moon outside, and you can still see clearly in the room.


    Zhao''er sat up halfway, and moved to Xue Tingxiang''s side.


    "Dog, tell me what you meant when you scolded that old killer just now?"


    Zhao''er knows how to swear, and has sweared before, but she has never seen such a method of swearing, and Yang Zhong is so annoyed by the swearing, and Xue''s family doesn''t even know how to persuade him. From Zhao''er''s point of view, isn''t this the culmination of swearing, can you swear without uttering dirty words?


    She wanted to learn this method, and it would come in handy.


    Xue Tingxiang turned over and gave her a backbone.


    Zhao''er poked his shoulder with her finger: "What''s wrong? Why are you angry again?"


    He didn''t move, and she moved closer.


    The two of them were only separated by one person, and they wore thin clothes when they slept. Zhao''er leaned over, and even though Xue Tingshan had his back on his back, he could feel a wave of hot air rushing towards him, mixed with a wisp of faint fragrance.


    There was a strange softness slightly attached to his shoulders, Xue Tingshan''s back was stiff, and she heard her say on top of her head: "Don''t take that old killer''s words to heart, it''s not that I said uncle and aunt are too narrow-minded." It¡¯s too much, and even made such a fuss, do you really think that grandpa will regret it? Even if the family doesn¡¯t say anything, there are still so many people watching outside, so don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll go to the school to make a decision.¡±


    She was very close to him, and the heat of her words sprayed on the tips of his ears, making him shiver again and again. At the same time, a hot numbness rushed from the tips of his ears to his neck, causing waves of unconscious trembling.


    His breathing was a little tight, and he couldn''t help turning over.


    Zhao''er was still talking, and she didn''t expect that he would turn over suddenly, and his face just crashed into her arms.


    Xue Tingxiang''s brain went blank for a moment, and he subconsciously fell backwards. It is obvious that it is about to leave at the touch of a touch, but it clearly feels a suffocating softness, and there is something faintly raised.


    He recalled some situations in the dream, and he only felt his nose was hot, as if something flowed out.


    "Are you alright?" Zhao''er heard a thud, saw him motionless, thought that something was wrong with him being bumped, hurriedly leaned over to look at his face.


    "Why are you panicking! Really. Come on, let me rub it for you."


    He covered his nose with one hand and pushed her with the other: "I''m fine, it doesn''t hurt." He quickly turned over and said falteringly: "It''s getting late, go to sleep."


    "You haven''t told me what you mean by that!"


    "It doesn''t mean anything, just let him take a pee and take a picture of himself!"


    "Ah?!" Zhao''er was stunned, and said after a while, "So that''s what he meant, then you just let him take a pee and take a picture of yourself, and you said so much."


    Seeing that he didn''t answer himself, Zhao''er sat for a while and then lay down.


    "Okay, go to bed now, I won''t disturb you anymore."


    *


    Yang Zhong stayed at Xue''s house for one night and left the next day.


    Because it was rushing to the busy farming season, the Xue family resumed their usual work, and no one mentioned the previous incident, as if nothing happened that night.


    Everything is so busy yet full of peace.


    On this day, Xue Tingxiang and Zhao''er went to town early in the morning.


    Different from the past, today Xue Tingxiang wore new clothes.


    The clothes were brought out overnight by Zhao''er, because Boss Chen said that he would take Xue Tingxiang to Qingyuan Academy. This trip is very meaningful, so naturally it can''t be as casual as before.


    The gray-blue cotton gown was made by Zhao''er after imitating those school shirts in the town. Although the style is simple, it looks extraordinarily straight and docile after being washed with starch. Although Xue Tingxiang is thin and thin, his shoulders are flat and his back is straight. Wearing this student shirt, he has a particularly graceful temperament.


    When they arrived at the place, Boss Chen took Xue Tingxiang out, while Zhao''er stayed at Dongliju.


    The two of them went all the way to the east of the town, the more secluded they became as they went outside, and after walking for almost a cup of tea, they saw a building with white walls and black tiles standing at the end of their line of sight.


    Seeing Xue Tingxiang''s gaze resting on the building, Boss Chen said: "That is the Qinghe Academy." After a pause, he raised his hand and pointed to a building not far behind the Qinghe Academy: "That is the Qinghe Academy. Academy."


    The two walked forward and passed Qinghe Academy, and saw that this academy was really extraordinary. The whole building exudes a magnificent temperament, the gate tower stands majestically, with a few golden characters "Qinghe Academy" written on the door plaque, and the two black-painted gates are closed tightly, with a look of repelling people thousands of miles away. momentum.


    "It''s too late for you to regret it now." Boss Chen said.


    Following the sound of talking, the two of them crossed the Qinghe Academy, only to see the obviously much dilapidated small courtyard not far away.


    The small courtyard is rigorous and simple, with clear water and white walls, and gray and black tiles. Even the door plaque is much smaller than that of the Qinghe Academy, with a few simple big-character books on it¡ª¡ª


    Qingyuan Academy.


    Obviously, no matter where you look at it, it is not as good as the Qinghe Academy, but standing under the square door plaque and looking at the words on it, Xue Tingxiang felt a peaceful and peaceful atmosphere.


    "Since the kid is here, I don''t intend to regret it."


    Boss Chen glanced at him appreciatively, and went to call the door.


    Not long after, an elderly Zhaifu opened the door from the inside.


    He seemed to know Boss Chen, and he led the two of them in without asking too much.


    This school may not seem big, but it is actually small but well-equipped. It is the same as a general school. After passing the screen wall, there is a lecture hall on the central axis. There are two houses on the left and right sides. The temple on the left is built to worship the saint Confucius, and the house on the right is the place where the gentleman sits and rests and collects books.


    After the lecture hall, there must be a shooting garden, a hall, a kitchen, etc. Xue Tingxiang knew the layout without looking. Because in his dream, he studied in Qinghe Academy for several years, but Qinghe Academy is much more spacious and grand than Qingyuan Academy.


    Boss Chen led Xue Tingxiang to the right side of the house with ease, and when he reached a wing room, he straightened his clothes and sleeves, and then brought Xue Tingxiang in.


    This wing room is furnished in a simple and elegant way, and there is a large painting on the central hall facing it, on which are written the words ''peace and distance''. Standing in front of the words was a thin middle-aged man, wearing a dark blue scribe shirt and a square scarf.


    When he heard the movement, he turned around, and saw that he had long eyebrows, a thin face, and a few strands of beard. Judging from his appearance, he is a very serious and rigid person, but his eyes are calm and deep, obviously a person of great wisdom.


    This person is Lin Miao, the owner of Qingyuan Academy.


    "Brother Anqi, I''m here to bother you again." Boss Chen cupped his hands with a smile.


    "The good brother of Mo."


    Lin Miao smiled, obviously he had a good relationship with Boss Chen. After the two exchanged pleasantries, Boss Chen pointed to Xue Tingxiang and said, "This is the young man I told you about."


    Lin Miao looked over.


    Obviously Xue Tingxiang has extensive knowledge, and he has never seen any kind of person in that dream, even the Ninth Five-Year Master, he has seen several, but there is an inexplicable sense of awe.


    "Boy Xue Tingxiang, I have met you." He clasped his hands together and bowed in salute.


    Lin Miao nodded: "Since you''re here, stay here. The school will open in ten days, so you can just come here when it''s time."


    "Mr. Xie."


    Boss Chen glanced at Lin Miao, as if he wanted to say something, seeing this, Xue Tingxiang tactfully said that he was going out for a walk, so he avoided going out.


    After Xue Tingxiang went out, Boss Chen said: "Brother An Qi, don''t you believe in the eyes of a younger brother? I have observed these days, and this son has a calm mind, is diligent and hardworking, and is quite talented in reading. He only needs one A good teacher, if there is a good teacher to guide, I think the future will be limitless in the future."


    The reason why Boss Chen said that was because Lin Miao''s performance was too plain. He originally thought that Lin Miao loves calligraphy, and after reading Xue Tingxiang''s calligraphy, and his lobbying, he should accept him as a student no matter what.


    This student is different from the students in the academy, and can be regarded as a student entering the room. As the saying goes, a teacher for a day is a father for life. A young child has more than one teacher from the beginning of school until he takes the first exam.


    When you start learning, you are called a teacher, that is, a teacher of enlightenment. The karma teacher is the teacher who teaches the karma, also known as the scripture teacher. Those who teach their work must pass on their scriptures, and those who pass on their scriptures must educate their people, so a teacher is extremely important to a student. There are also human teachers and seat teachers, which will not be mentioned here.


    As for what Boss Chen said about "accepting students", the teacher is more like a combination of a professional teacher and a human teacher to students. He not only needs to teach them, but also teaches them the principles of life, which is different from treating ordinary students. The teacher has to cultivate it carefully, and it can be regarded as inheriting his mantle.


    Of course, students have to pay relatively, and they must truly be teachers for one day and fathers for life. This kind of relationship is not father and son, but victory is father and son, which is very popular among scholars today. The intertwined relationship among scholars in Shilin was laid on this basis, and gradually developed into a towering tree.


    Lin Miao laughed: "You really value him very much."


    Boss Chen sneered: "If I didn''t miss you, you would think that I have the time to meddle in your business. Don''t forget the October competition, if Qingyuan Academy loses again this year..."


    Boss Chen didn''t say what he said next, but Lin Miao understood what it meant.


    He sighed softly: "Everything is determined by God, if it is the case in reality, you can''t force it."


    Boss Chen repeatedly shook his head and stomped his feet and said, "Oh, I''m not talking about you. Your temperament is the most troublesome. You talk about the way of a gentleman with others, but others never follow you. Year after year They were all defeated by that villain, and now there are no good seedlings who are willing to come here to study, what should we do in the long run."


    "Brother Mo Zhi, you don''t understand."


    "Yes, yes, I don''t understand, I just know that if this continues, the reputation of the Qingyuan Academy will be lost in your hands."


    After finishing speaking, both of them were silent.


    Lin Miao looked tired, and Boss Chen seemed to know that he had made a slip of the tongue. He slowed down his tone, and said, "I can''t do anything about you. Anyway, I brought him for you. I''m really optimistic about this child. As for the rest, you can figure it out yourself."


    Lin Miao nodded: "Brother Mo Zhi, thank you in advance for my brother, but the matter of accepting apprentices will be discussed later. Don''t worry, he has entered the Qingyuan Academy, and I will teach him carefully."


    Boss Chen also understood where his heart knot was, and he didn''t force it. The two chatted for a while, and Boss Chen said goodbye.


    When Boss Chen came out of the wing, Xue Tingxiang had just returned.


    He was taken by Zhaifu to wander around the school, and he could see that the school was a bit old, and the paint on many buildings was peeling off, but every flower, plant and tree could be seen to be elegant.


    It''s like a place to study, unlike the Qinghe Academy, where there is a smell of copper everywhere.


    The two left hand in hand, Xue Tingxiang asked Boss Chen about Shu Xiu on the way.


    After asking about it, I found out that the repairs at Qingyuan Academy are very cheap, apart from the usual six rites of apprenticeship, only one tael of silver is needed a year.


    As for the usual etiquette of filial piety, it only depends on family background and intentions, and it doesn''t matter whether you give it or not. In addition, regarding the dormitory study, you can choose to do the dormitory study or not, but you must come to the morning study every day. As for meals, you can choose to bring your own rice, or you can choose to pay a certain amount of money every month and have it supplied by the school, both of which are debatable.


    It''s not like the Qinghe Academy that requires students to live in dormitories, just to charge the expensive accommodation and meals.


    According to Boss Chen, in the past, when the Qingyuan Academy had court subsidies, the annual tael of silver was not collected. It was only later that the subsidies were lost, and the gentlemen and handymen in the academy had to support their families before they were charged. Silver taels.


    Boss Chen sighed in his tone, and Xue Tingxiang also sighed in his heart.


    In his dream, ''Xue Tingxiang'' had been studying in the Qinghe Academy for three years. If he had known about the existence of this Qingyuan Academy, Zhao''er would not have been so busy for his training. It would not be so desperate to give up, and he would not waste three years in Qinghe Academy.


    Fortunately, the reality and the dream finally deviated, and the inexplicable Xue Tingxiang felt relieved.

 Chapter 23

    After lunch, Xue''s family members went to rest, and Mrs. Zhou cleaned up the place and went back to the house.


    When he entered the door, he saw a man leaning on the kang. Xue Qingbai was really tired after working in the field all morning.


    Seeing his daughter-in-law coming in, Xue Qingbai said: "You are tired, come and have a rest."


    "I''m used to doing anything when I''m tired." Zhou said as he took off his shoes and got on the kang. She sat cross-legged next to Xue Qingbai''s lap, pressed his calf that was as hard as a stone, and said with some distress: "But you, if you really can''t do it, just take a rest, and I won''t rush you to do that. By the way, please help me." What the hell are you talking about, why haven¡¯t you seen dad talking about it?¡±


    The Xue family has 30 acres of land, and the few men in the Xue family alone are not enough. Even when the second eldest Xue Qingsong was still there, he would hire a few helpers in the village every year during the busy farming season.


    They are all from the folks in the village, so we can''t let people help them all the time. This principle applies everywhere, so Xue''s family always spends money to hire people. This matter is old calendar, and it stands to reason that there should have been some movement, but this year is a surprise, and the seeds will be planted soon, but Mr. Xue has not made any movement.


    When this matter was mentioned, Xue Qingbai frowned.


    He hesitated for a moment: "I see Dad looks like that, maybe he doesn''t want to invite someone this time."


    "Don''t want to invite people? Don''t want to invite people, so what should I do?" Zhou''s face was a little ugly, "In such a place, if you don''t invite people, won''t you be exhausted to death?"


    Xue Qingbai smacked his mouth: "I don''t think the family can afford the money."


    Hearing this, Zhou''s face became even uglier.


    Xue Taoer was in the back room, and she had heard her father and mother talking for a long time. She couldn''t help but came out of the room and said, "Father, how could the family not be able to get this money. One person pays 30 yuan a day regardless of food, and please pay five yuan at a time." Well, it¡¯s less than a tael of silver to do it for five or six days. If it¡¯s spending money, isn¡¯t money more important than people? Maybe it¡¯s because of the trouble in the big house before, grandpa still wants to send Xue Juncai to school, That''s how it is."


    "Thirty acres of land, three people planting, dad is trying to exhaust you to death!" Zhou''s voice was full of tears.


    Although Xue Qinghuai, the fourth son, also helps in farming, he still has a job as a peddler. Being a peddler is easier than farming and earning money. This old business couple will never let them stop. However, Mr. Xue is getting older, and his hands and feet are no longer as agile as before. That is to say, Xue Qingbai is the one who works hard on the 30-odd acres of land.


    "What nonsense are you talking about? Dad will also go to the ground. Maybe this is all my wild imagination. Dad is planning to do this."


    With a sneer on the corner of Zhou''s mouth, he didn''t speak.


    Xue Taoer''s face was full of resentment.


    Xue Qingbai touched his head uncomfortably: "Okay, don''t worry, I will mention this to Dad later."


    "Anyway, you can figure it out on your own, and you''re exhausted, leaving us orphans and widows. Think about the second brother and second sister-in-law gone, what''s the dog''s life like! Xue Qingbai, don''t forget, you also have a son people!"


    After Zhou finished speaking, she took her daughter into the back room.


    This is the always virtuous Mrs. Zhou, the first time he said such harsh words in front of Xue Qingbai, he couldn''t react for a while, and it took a long time to show a bit of bitterness on his face.


    *


    On the way back from the field in the afternoon, Xue Qingbai mentioned to Mr. Xue about hiring part-time workers.


    Xue Qingbai was usually a taciturn person at home, and he always only worked and didn''t talk. It was the first time he said such superfluous words in front of Mr. Xue, probably because he knew what Mr. Xue was thinking in his heart, and he felt a little uncomfortable.


    Mr. Xue looked at his three sons.


    Compared with the eldest and fourth children, the third child looked much older. Although he was born with a tall figure and good facial features, there were many fine lines on his face that did not match his age.


    This is the result of being exposed to the sun for a long time in the ground. It is the skin that has faded layer by layer, and the dryness that lacks moisture all the year round, so that this kind of fine lines are produced, as long as people who plan and eat in the soil all year round are like this .


    He was dark and thin, because he had just returned from the field, his clothes were drenched with sweat, and his face was greasy. Obviously it''s only less than March now, and ordinary people have to wear jackets.


    Old Master Xue''s eyes darkened, and his already slightly hunched back bent downward. He smiled wryly: "Dad is too naive. He always thinks that the family is not well-off and he can do something, but he forgets that people are not hard-working. Dad will go to the village and ask later to see if there is any idler to invite. Come back a few."


    Hearing what Mr. Xue said, Xue Qingbai was even more embarrassed. He stomped on the ground with his feet in straw sandals, and then rubbed his palm again: "Father, if it doesn''t work, let''s do it ourselves first, and wait until we can''t do it."


    Mr. Xue straightened up and said loudly, "Please. You take the cow back, and Dad will go to the village to ask."


    When the sun was about to set, Xue Qinghuai came back from the outside with a pick.


    As soon as he entered the gate, he bumped into a few men from the village, turned his head and told Mr. Xue that he would come early in the morning, and walked out. After greeting each other, he put the pick into the barn and went back to the house.


    Seeing him coming back, Mrs. Sun went to fetch water for him to freshen up.


    While Xue Qinghuai was washing up, she suppressed her voice and said, "Father came back from the field in the afternoon, so he went to the village to hire someone, and I guessed that Sanfang couldn''t help it, and told Dad about it. "


    Xue Qinghuai wiped her body and said, "I should invite someone, but I will talk about this matter if the third brother doesn''t talk about it, so I don''t have to exhaust everyone."


    Sun spat and said: "Don''t get meddled in this matter, just wait and see. Don''t think that the third sister-in-law is usually silent, she has something in her heart. I thought she couldn''t hold back and wanted to take this risk. Head, really can''t bear it!"


    "Look at what you''re talking about. Don''t you feel sorry for your man? Don''t I need to do the work in the field?"


    Mrs. Sun stopped talking immediately.


    Xue Qinghuai glanced at her: "It''s not that I said you, you put your mind on the business, and the whole family insists on arguing about the merits, are you tired?"


    Mrs. Sun didn''t want to listen: "You think I''m so tired. I don''t want to offend your elder brother. I plan to wait for Maodan to be two years older. I beg my elder brother to teach him. Maybe Maodan has that ability. If you can pass the exam for a child-born scholar, you naturally don''t want to offend Da Fang."


    Xue Qinghuai didn''t take it seriously: "You don''t need to beg for Maodan''s study, and he will naturally be able to enter the private school of big brother when he reaches his age."


    Sun gave him a supercilious look: "Are you stupid or not, is it the same to teach with your heart or not to teach with your heart? Look at the handsome boy in the big house, and then look at the dog. They are also taught by the big brother. Why? Gouzi has learned less than handsome talent? Which master will teach his apprentice not to keep a good hand, isn''t he afraid that if he teaches Gouzi, he will make the handsome boy less obvious."


    "But this time it was Gouzi who won against Juncai."


    Sun stifled: "Who knows what kind of shit luck he has had, he has not won for so many years, and he won in that day. Besides, even if he is a dog, if the second brother and sister-in-law are not gone, you will be your eldest brother." Teach him with heart. Look at Shuan Zi from Sanfang, he is not too young. Your elder brother always says he is stupid. From my point of view, Shuan Zi will come back to help the family in the fields in a few years. Yes. I don¡¯t want my idiot to come back to work early and work hard for others all my life, and people still think you smell like sweat.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Xue Qinghuai''s face immediately darkened.


    Sun''s words hit his mind. In fact, among the brothers of the Xue family, except for the youngest Xue Qingbai who is a bit dull, the other three brothers are not bad at thinking.


    Xue Qinghuai is more than ten years younger than Xue Qingshan. When he started to understand, his eldest brother was the cusp of his parents. He only spent his days in the room reading and learning, and he didn''t have to do any work.


    No one knew that Xue Qinghuai wanted to study very much. When he was a child, he helped the family herd cows. He took the opportunity to go to a private school in a neighboring village to eavesdrop on the teacher''s lectures to the students, but he knew that it was impossible for him to study. , can no longer afford another one.


    The second brother learned the carpenter''s craft early on, and the third brother devoted himself to the field. He didn''t want to farm, so he chose to be a shopkeeper. In fact, this is also very good. With a skill, I finally have the ability to settle down.


    After so many years, he got married and had a son. Could he let his son follow in his own footsteps?


    "It''s not that I said, the big brother and sister-in-law have too many eyes. The old man of the Yang family made a fuss that day, and Juncai had a minor illness in the house these two days. Looking at it this way, your father might want to take Juncai away. Send it, otherwise why would you be reluctant to hire a few helpers."


    Xue Qinghuai came to his senses, smiled and said: "Where does the family have that kind of money?"


    Although the Xue family''s family is in front of the old couple, Xue Qinghuai knows how much food is produced in the field every year, how much can be paid after paying taxes, and how much he can earn from trading as a shopkeeper.


    In fact, if it is only for two children, the Xue family''s wealth is enough, but there is still Xue Qingshan. Xue Qingshan went to Qinghe Academy to study for five years, and after that, he always asked for some money from home every now and then, saying that he was going out to socialize, and he also emptied his gold and silver mountains.


    "If you don''t have any money left, can''t you sell the land? Isn''t the land just money!" Sun blurted out.


    Xue Qinghuai scolded her: "Don''t talk nonsense, my father can''t sell the land."


    The land is the reliance of the older generations of the peasant family, and no one will sell the land unless the family is about to starve to death.


    Sun sneered: "It''s hard to say. I have seen through your sister-in-law and brother these few years. They have as many eyes as that hornet''s nest. The quarrel when you were the old man of the Yang family was for nothing. Just wait and see. There is a moth!"


    Xue Qinghuai felt a little irritable, and said impatiently: "You have a lot of things to do, and you can tell a story about things that have no shadow."


    Sun stared at him with her eyes: "it''s not that everyone in your family is thinking too much, you think I''m willing to be so tired?! What am I doing for, not for you and for our son! When can we be separated, I''m free, You are free too. But judging from the current situation, there are still some who are suffering. Since I have been suffering, why don¡¯t you let me talk. I¡¯m talking, you listen, you have to listen if you don¡¯t want to.¡±


    Outside, Mrs. Zhou called for dinner, Mrs. Sun cast a sideways glance at the man and went out, but Xue Qinghuai sighed.


    Even though Mrs. Sun has various flaws, she still has general knowledge. If you don''t understand the general situation, it is estimated that the family will have been in trouble for a long time.


    When eating, the atmosphere at the dinner table was very dull, everyone just buried their heads in their meals and didn''t speak.


    Mrs. Zhao took a few mouthfuls, then suddenly put down her chopsticks and stood up.


    "What are you doing here? Didn''t you eat any food?" Mr. Xue asked.


    "I''ll go and see Juncai. This kid has been strong since he was young, but this time he''s so sick that he can''t eat for a few days. I''ll go get him a bowl of egg noodles. You don''t feel sorry for this grandson, I feel sorry for him!" In the end, Zhao couldn''t hide her anger. She touched the key at her waist and went to the back room to get flour.


    White flour is fine food in Xue''s family, and Zhao''s usually locks it in a cabinet in the back room.


    "you¡­¡­"


    Mrs. Yang quickly stood up: "Mother, don''t bother, what kind of egg noodles are you giving him? This white flour is a fine grain, and everyone hasn''t eaten it yet, so there is no reason to cook for him." She said to the man in the back room. Zhao said, looking at the others in embarrassment.


    "I''ll leave as soon as I say it. Juncai is so sick, who is in the way of eating a bowl of egg noodles. Whoever has an opinion, let him tell me!"


    Not long after, Mrs. Zhao came out with a bowl, Mrs. Yang smiled awkwardly, and hurriedly followed.


    Dinner was over soon, Zhou took Xue Taoer to clean up the mess, and the others went back to their respective houses.


    On the other side of the kitchen, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law made a bowl of egg noodles, and Mrs. Zhao brought them to the East Chamber herself.


    In the east chamber, Xue Juncai lives alone in the west chamber.


    This was originally Xue Qingshan''s study room, but when Xue Juncai grew up, he set aside a special area for the kang. There is a room in four squares, with a big kang by the window, bookcases, desks and other things beside the wall, and two chairs. There are a few calligraphy and paintings hanging on the wall, but Xue Qingshan bought them from outside for the sake of being arty.


    On the kang, Xue Juncai lay there with a pale face and dry lips. Seeing Mrs. Zhao coming, he hurriedly sat up from the kang and called grandma.


    The cry of ''Grandma'' made Zhao''s tears come out immediately, he stroked his head and said: "Get up and eat a bowl of noodles, and if you don''t want to eat, you have to eat as much as you want. Only when you are healthy can you have the strength to study."


    Xue Juncai showed a look of pain, and said in a low voice: "Even if I take care of myself, I can''t read anymore."


    Mrs. Zhao slapped him: "Nonsense, what can be read but not read. And your father, why can''t read. Get up and eat noodles. This is made by grandma for you. There are eggs in it, but Fragrant."


    "Grandma, my grandson is not filial, but I really can''t bear it. I just need to think about... I thought about it, and studied hard for a year. When the time comes, I will take the exam to be a scholar, and I will be proud of you for my father and grandpa. Can¡­¡­"


    Yang Shi stood aside and began to cry, Zhao Shi was also heartbroken.


    Xue Juncai was her first grandson, and she was also the grandson she brought up from infancy. She loved Xue Juncai since she was a child. Who in the entire Xue family didn''t know that Xue Jun was Zhao''s darling, lumpy meat, whoever provoked him would be unlucky. This time, if the incident wasn''t too big, and she, a woman, could not intervene, she might not be able to tell what it would be like.


    "Don''t worry, eat noodles first, there will always be a way."


    ...


    When Mrs. Zhao came back, Mr. Xue was sitting cross-legged on the Kang, smoking dry cigarettes. There is a water basin on the kang table, and a bowl of rice is warmed in the water basin.


    "Eat quickly, what have you been doing for so long?"


    Mrs. Zhao walked to the edge of the Kang and sat down without making a sound. Seeing that she was not moving, Mr. Xue said again: "What''s the matter? Didn''t you eat any food?"


    "What''s wrong with you, what''s wrong with me? You don''t even go to see what Juncai is now, he''s not your grandson, isn''t he your grandson?" After roaring twice, Mrs. Zhao raised the corner of her clothes Wiping his eye sockets, he cried and said, "You cruel one, I said I would go find that brat and you wouldn''t let me, but look at Juncai, my grandson is so filial, he is so sick and still keeps saying he wants to give it to the family. Feel elated. Just live for your face, who will spend our own money, can''t you decide for yourself?


    "Juncai has done a good job in learning. Who doesn''t praise him for his achievements? The boss also said that he will go to the academy to study for a year and a half. It will be no problem to get a scholar in the end. Now all this is ruined by that brat! Let me It seems that those two gentlemen are deliberately suppressing my handsome talent, that old scholar was invited by Zheng Lizheng, who knows who they are targeting..."


    These words made Mr. Xue''s eyebrows twitch.


    He also went to talk to the patriarch about it, but the patriarch told him not to think too much. But compared to Xue Tingxiang who suddenly seemed to have opened his eyes, Mr. Xue must have taken a fancy to Xue Juncai.


    This is a thought that has been deeply rooted for many years, and it is also because Xue Jun is the eldest grandson, and the person who will establish the Xue family in the future. Could it be that because he lost this time, he was really not allowed to go to school.


    But it costs money to go to school. How do you get the money?


    Mrs. Zhao was crying and complaining at the same time, but Mr. Xue didn''t speak, he just smoked the pipe more and more hard.


    After smoking a bag of tobacco leaves, he suddenly woke up. He threw the cigarette bag at the foot of the kang, took off his shoes, and leaned sideways on the kang: "Sleep!"


    Mrs. Zhao was taken aback by his movement, but didn''t dare to say anything more.


    *


    Dongliju, Boss Chen flipped through the stack of rice paper in his hand, feeling like he had found a treasure.


    "Very good, the writing is more refined than before."


    Xue Tingxiang said modestly: "It''s also because I wrote too much."


    Boss Chen told Ah Cai to go to the counter and get a tael of silver for him.


    "In a few days, the school will open. Don''t forget to go when you are. Don''t forget to pay homage to the teacher. As for Shu Xiu, if you don''t have enough money, it''s okay to take it slow."


    Before Xue Tingxiang could speak, Zhao''er had already said: "Uncle Chen, don''t worry, this Qingyuan Academy is not the Qinghe Academy that asks for money, we have enough money for Shu Xiu."


    Boss Chen nodded, and said to Xue Tingxiang: "As for me, I still have a lot of book copying jobs, and the price is generous for you. You can take it home and copy it, or copy it in the store. Of course, if you have time, come here. You can also read the book."


    "Thank you, Uncle Chen."


    "Thank you, anyway, whoever you hire is not hired. Your handwriting is good, and it is said that I took advantage of you." Boss Chen is a sensible person, and he knows that scholars have their own arrogance, so he said this.


    But Xue Tingxiang really kept this kindness in his heart.


    After that, he took over a job of copying books from Boss Chen, and then he took Zhao''er out of Dongliju.


    The two walked forward all the way, and when they were about to walk out of Nanshi, he suddenly pulled Zhao''er to change the course.


    "What''s wrong? Where is this going?"


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t speak, just dragged Zhao''er away, Zhao''er didn''t understand until they arrived at the noodle stall where they ate noodles last time.


    "Boss, here are two bowls of sliced ??slices. I want extra toppings."


    He chose a clean empty table and sat down, seeing that she was still standing, he pulled her to sit down.


    "What else do you eat? I''ll take you to eat."


    The young man''s expression was very serious, Zhao''er''s eyes became inexplicably hot, and he said with a smile: "How much money have you made just now, and you just eat and drink like this."


    Xue Tingxiang''s eyes darkened, but Zhao''er didn''t realize it yet, and he said that he would take it away if he had money, and he would go to the school immediately.


    After talking for a long time, Zhao''er didn''t see any movement from the other party, so Zhao''er raised his head to look at him, and sure enough, he saw that the little man looked angry.


    In fact, Xue Tingxiang''s anger is not obvious, and it may be a kind of expressionless face to outsiders. It''s just that Zhao''er is too familiar with him, so he reacted immediately.


    Look at him, his lips are slightly pursed, his cheeks bulge a little unconsciously, and he still looks at her with a pair of dark eyes, he is either angry or something!


    "Why are you angry again?" Her tone was full of helplessness.


    He still didn''t speak, so she could only lean closer: "What did I say to make you angry again? Okay, okay, I''m wrong."


    He pursed his lips: "I said I brought you here to eat after earning money."


    Just because of this angry?


    Zhao''er was still in a daze, and he said again: "I''m your man, I should take you out for dinner."


    After saying this, Zhao''er almost choked on his own saliva, and then stammered after a while: "What''s wrong with you, dog? Why are you talking about this?"


    Xue Tingxiang narrowed his eyes slightly, and looked at her: "Am I not your man?"


    Well¡­¡­


    "Don''t you think of me as your man?"


    "Don''t tell me you don''t want to be my daughter-in-law, do you have other men in your heart?"


    This series of questioning directly made Zhao''er at a loss as to how to answer, and his mind was in a mess.


    "Stop, stop, what are you babbling about!" She tried her best to organize her words, and said, "Isn''t it just eating a bowl of tea, why did so many things come up. Look, here comes the tea."


    As soon as the words fell, the boss came with two bowls of hot and fragrant tea.


    "Don''t move, don''t move, be careful of burning, the two guests take it slowly." The boss put down the slicer, said that there was garlic and vinegar on the table, take care of yourself if necessary, and left.


    "Eat it quickly, it won''t taste good if it gets mushy." Zhao''er said, put some vinegar in one of the bowls, and pushed it in front of Xue Tingxiang.


    Xue Tingxiang likes to put some vinegar in his noodles, not too much, he is afraid of sourness, but not too little, as it will lose the vinegar taste. Back then when Mrs. Qiu was still there, she couldn''t control her son''s taste, so she was able to accurately control Zhao''er.


    This taste has followed Xue Tingxiang for a long time, but since Dazhao''er died, he is no longer jealous.


    Because there is no one who can help him release the jealousy, he has tried to let it go by himself, but every time it ends with choking acidity.


    Thinking of these in his heart, Xue Tingxiang''s heart suddenly calmed down.


    She didn''t die, which is actually quite good, he will have a lot of time to let her understand that he is her man, not her brother.


    "You can eat too." Xue Tingxiang took out two pairs of chopsticks from the bamboo tube and handed Zhao''er a pair.


    Zhao''er sneaked a glance at him from below, and finally heaved a sigh of relief.


    He finally stopped being angry. This strange temper is exactly the same as when he was a child, and he will not change when he grows up!


    She thought helplessly in her heart, picked up the chopsticks and started eating.


    After the two finished eating, Xue Tingxiang called the boss to settle the account.


    He handed the one tael of silver to the boss, and the chubby noodle stall boss looked embarrassed. It turned out that the small noodle stall rarely received money, and the bills were paid with copper coins, and the boss had no change at all.


    Xue Tingxiang was stunned, he actually forgot about this.


    Just when Zhao''er was about to take out copper coins to pay, he suddenly said "wait a minute" and took out a few copper coins from his belt, no more, no less, exactly eight.


    It was the one that Zhao''er gave to him when he went to Dongliju for the first time that day. I was thinking of using the money I earned to treat her to noodles, but who knows that I still used her money in the end.


    After leaving the noodle stall, Xue Tingxiang asked: "What else do you want to eat, let''s go buy it."


    Zhao''er looked at him in surprise: "What else to eat, I''m going to be exhausted right now."


    Without saying a word, he dragged Zhao''er all the way to Dongshi.


    I bought some fruits in this shop, some oil cakes in that shop, and some peanuts and kidney beans. There were six or seven paper bags tied together, all of which Zhaoer loved to eat.


    With previous experience, Zhao''er didn''t dare to say that he spent money indiscriminately.


    Just carrying these paper bags all the way and walking behind him, Zhao''er felt strange, and an indescribable feeling spread in her heart.


    After a while, she shook her head helplessly.


    What a child''s temper!


    *


    After dinner, Mr. Xue asked Xue Qingshan and his three brothers to talk.


    Seeing this, he was about to say something, Mrs. Sun found an excuse to stay as usual, so Mrs. Zhou did not leave, and Mrs. Yang sat beside Xue Qingshan without moving.


    As for the juniors, they were all sent back to the house.


    It is customary for Mr. Xue to smoke a pot of cigarettes before he briefly talked about the matter.


    "Father, what are you talking about? You want to sell the land?"


    It was Xue Qingbai''s voice.


    In the second room, Zhao''er couldn''t help but glance at Xue Tingxiang when he heard the voice. Neither of them spoke, just listening quietly in the room.


    In the main room, Xue Qingbai said excitedly: "Father, whatever you do, you have to sell the land. The land is the livelihood of our farmers, and it is the dependence of the older generations. After the land is sold, we can use whatever we eat and drink. ah."


    Mr. Xue raised his hand to interrupt him: "Young three, don''t get excited, just listen to what dad has to say, that''s what I think."


    Having said that, he started to stuff shredded tobacco into the cigarette pot again, lit it up and took a deep breath, before saying, "I think it''s not easy to be talented. After studying for so many years, I finally got through it and now I don''t want to learn anymore. It¡¯s always a pity. I just wanted to send him to that school to study for a year, no matter how good or bad it is for a year, the boss said that with Juncai¡¯s knowledge, he can end up with a year of study. If Juncai really wins, our family¡¯s life in the future It''s better."


    "What about the dog?"


    "Of course the dog will go too." From the beginning to the end, Mr. Xue had no intention of not letting Xue Tingxiang go. Everyone in the village watched, but he had no face to back down. "That''s why I want to sell the land. You brothers know about our family''s situation. It''s hard to send one away, but it''s not so much money to send two away."


    After a pause, he continued: "It''s not all sold, just sell two acres to make up for Gouzi and Juncai''s school expenses for a year. Our family has so much land, selling two acres of land is not a pain in the ass." bone."


    "It doesn''t matter whether he sells one mu or two mu, he will always sell the land. Dad, what will the villagers think of our family when the time comes?" Xue Qingbai said.


    "It doesn''t matter how you look at it. I sell the land for my grandson to study, and I don''t have to talk to anyone about it." Don''t look at Mr. Xue''s stubborn mouth. He can say this kind of thing, which shows that he really cares.


    In the countryside, selling land is a very shameful thing.


    "Anyway, I told you about this, and I will go to the seller in the next two days."


    Seeing that Mr. Xue was so determined, Xue Qingbai held his breath and asked: "We have plowed that land, and now we are buying it, then our previous efforts will not be in vain."


    "That''s right, brother, you see, daddy is going to sell the land in order to send Juncai to study, so why don''t you say a word?" Mrs. Sun pinched Xue Qinghuai a few times from behind, but he didn''t speak, and couldn''t help but make a sound .


    Xue Qingshan evasively said: "Look at this, isn''t this Dad''s idea?"


    "Sister-in-law, you don''t say anything? This land is sold now, but if you want to buy it back later, you won''t be able to buy it."


    There is a lot of land near Yuqing Village. All the wasteland that can be reclaimed has been opened up these years. There is only so much land, but the population is increasing every year. Whoever owns the land is tightly in their hands and is unwilling to take it out. Now that Mr. Xue said he was going to sell the land, and when word got out, someone came to buy it.


    It is easy to sell, but it depends on luck if you want to buy it back.


    Yang''s eyebrows were lowered and said: "Land is dead, people are alive. When a talented person becomes a scholar, no matter how much land can be bought back. Besides, this is not Dad''s idea. I am a woman, and I can''t talk about it at home." talk."


    Seeing Dafang and his wife sitting peacefully at the side, and being careless about waiting for others like black-eyed chickens, Sun was stuck in his heart and couldn''t get out.


    She sneered and said, "Brother said that Juncai would finish after one year of study, and the elder brother also said that he would definitely get in, but I haven''t seen it in so many years. If he doesn''t get in after one year, will he still be able to study later? Continue reading Go down, do you still want to sell the land?"


    Xue Qinghuai gave her a hand: "What are you talking about?"


    "What am I talking about, I''m talking! Why should the whole family have to stick to Dafang? The land is planted by third brother and our family, and you have to go out to sell goods every day. If Dafang and his family don''t have to do anything, When you want to spend money, the money will come at your mouth, and if you don¡¯t have money, you won¡¯t sell the land, this Xue family is not just Dafang¡¯s family!"


    "Fourth daughter-in-law!" Mr. Xue patted the kang table.


    Sun waved Xue Qinghuai away and took his hand, and said sharply: "I''ve had enough, I can sell the land if I want, dad, let''s talk plainly today. I won''t mention the dog, although I am narrow-minded I like to argue with people, but I also heard from Maodan''s father that the second brother made a lot of money for the family by relying on his carpentry skills. After the second sister-in-law left, Gouzi didn''t spend much of the family''s money.


    "If the dog goes to school, I have no objection. This is what the family should give. But let''s talk about the big house. Let''s not talk about how much the big brother spent on studying. It''s the old calendar. Now let''s talk about Juncai. Did Juncai not study today?" For money, the family can sell the land to support, so if you don¡¯t have the money to go to school in the future, will the family also sell the land to support! "


    She didn''t wait for Mr. Xue to speak, and said again: "By the way, not only us Maodan, but also Shuanzi from the third brother''s family. They are all grandchildren, and a bowl of water must be level. As long as Dad, you said today, Maodan went to school. Qian¡¯s family also sells the land, so I have no objections.¡±


    Mr. Xue was surprised that all the dry tobacco fell off, and the shredded tobacco hidden in the smoke pot rolled out, scalding him so much that he slapped his trouser legs again and again.


    He was so angry that his hands were shaking, and he stared at Xue Qinghuai: "Fourth brother, don''t you care about your daughter-in-law?!"


    Xue Qinghuai went to pull Mrs. Sun, trying to drag her back to the room, but Mrs. Sun insisted on not leaving. She sat down on the ground and couldn''t get up: "I''m just waiting for my father to say something today, and you can give me a clear word."


    "What are you doing, come back with me!" Xue Qinghuai roared, and grabbed her again.


    Mrs. Sun slapped his hand away: "You''re not good at me, Xue Qinghuai, are you still a man? You work like an old scalper for the family. If you don''t have a good one, you won''t spend a penny of the money. Look at it." I will wear whatever my sister-in-law wears, so why would I fall in love with a man like you!"


    She began to cry as she scolded, and then shouted to Mrs. Zhou: "Sister-in-law San, tell me something, are you willing to continue living like this? I admit that it''s wrong for me to run on you and make you work harder. That''s my fault." I can''t be angry. Why do some people sit there and be young mistresses? We are the fate of the old servant. If she doesn''t do it, I won''t do it. But today this matter is related to our two families, you say something!"


    Zhou Shi pursed her lips tightly, Xue Qingbai subconsciously pulled her, but she still didn''t.


    She took two steps forward, licked the broken hair at the side of her temples, and kept her eyes lowered: "Brother said that Shuanzi of my family is stupid, and it''s fine if he can read a few words. What a prospect. Just one, the bowl of water that the four siblings said is flat, if it is really to send Juncai to school and sell land, Dad, you will always give us an explanation."


    "What do you want to say, this place and this house belong to me!" Old man Xue blushed.


    "It is true that this land belongs to my father, but Shuan Zi''s father usually grows a lot of this land. Shuan Zi''s father has no skills, unlike his eldest brother who can read books, and unlike his fourth brother who can sell goods, he just goes there with all his strength." The envoy of the land serves every day like a child. Dad said he wanted to send Juncai to school, and he said he would sell the land, so why don¡¯t you consider Shuan Zi¡¯s father¡¯s feelings?¡±


    Xue Qingbai squatted down, a big man, he was wronged like a child: "Father, that land cannot be sold!"


    "Third!"


    "Of course, if you always want to sell, we can''t stop it, but let''s make it clear in advance that if you want to sell, you can sell the land of the big house, and we can''t sell the land of the other three houses."


    Unlike Sun''s, Zhou''s emotions are not agitated, even extremely calm. She was able to say these words, obviously thinking for a long time in her heart.


    In fact, this is indeed the case. Zhou knows that his son is not a seedling who can study. Since he can''t study, he can only farm at home. The son will marry a wife in the future, and the daughter will marry in the future, all of which need money, but the Xue family''s money has never been spent on the other three households, and it has all flowed to the eldest household.


    Just as Mrs. Sun said, no one wants to be an old servant and serve others all her life, but Mrs. Zhou is her daughter-in-law after all, and she has nothing to say in Xue''s family. But she is not a clay figurine, and she has her own thoughts and thoughts, and she has endured to the extreme for so many years. It is simply that Sun''s family took the lead today, so he took the opportunity to clarify the matter.


    "What do you mean by that?"


    Mrs. Zhou still lowered her head: "Daughter-in-law is nothing interesting. There are too many people to separate the family, the tree grows taller, and the parents do not separate the family. We all understand these reasons. But this family will be divided sooner or later, even if it is not now. , and it will be divided in the future. Since it is necessary to divide, naturally each of the four houses will have one share, and there is no reason for any one house to be exclusive.


    "The four younger brothers and sisters have said so much before, so the daughter-in-law will not repeat it. Each house has its own children, each of which is a small family. They must support the family, and the children must start a family and start a business. Father, you want to support the eldest brother, even if it is for a talented person. We don¡¯t have anything to say, but the big one is the only one that needs to be confessed, and the other three families should stay put.¡±


    Mr. Xue was so angry that he laughed back: "You are giving me the whole family, and your mother and I are not dead yet!"


    Xue Qingshan stood up, with a desperate look: "Third son, don''t care about your wife! What is she doing, she is treasonous!"


    Mrs. Yang also changed her previous appearance and repeatedly reprimanded Mrs. Zhou, saying that she actually provoked discord in the family.


    Mrs. Sun chimed in: "Sister-in-law San agrees with what she said. I have no objection to selling the land. If you want to sell it, you can sell the big house. At that time, you can sell it as you want, and we have nothing to say."


    "Third and fourth, you think so too!" Seeing the turmoil below, Mr. Xue seemed to be more than ten years older, and asked Xue Qingbai and Xue Qinghuai.


    "I¡­¡­"


    The two brothers looked at each other, but they were silent.


    At this time, two people walked in from the door.


    But it was Xue Tingxiang and Zhao''er.


    There was such a commotion in the main room, and the two of them had been standing outside the door and listening for quite a while.


    "Dog..."


    Zhao''er didn''t know what the little man wanted to do, so she couldn''t help but give him a hand. Xue Tingxiang gave her a comforting look before he stepped forward and said, "Master, I have something to say."


    His sudden interruption made everyone look over.


    "The grandson just listened to a few words outside, and what the third aunt and the fourth aunt said made sense."


    Without waiting for Mr. Xue to talk to Xue Qingshan, he said again: "Grandson is also studying, and he will spend money from the family in the future. If the family has money, it''s fine, but there is no money. Big brother has been studying for so many years, so he is not allowed to learn. It''s always a pity. But the grandson also wants to learn, but he can''t do what Kong Rong did.


    "Shuanzi is eight years old this year, and Maodan is four years old. I can''t let the two older ones learn, and the two younger ones won''t let me learn. My sister-in-law is going to get married soon. In two years, Sister Taoer will also talk about others. It''s all tight." If you want to use the money, how can you use it for someone or not? If you use it for someone, it will inevitably make the people who don¡¯t need it feel uneasy. Rather than having conflicts in your family because of these things, it¡¯s better to divide the family early.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Zhao''er immediately stopped dragging Xue Tingxiang, and stood behind him obediently and listened.


    Mr. Xue was about to say something, but was interrupted by Xue Tingxiang: "My lord, listen to me. There is indeed a saying in the village that parents do not separate the family. At this time, it is inevitable that outsiders will laugh at the separation. You can only separate the family, but people don''t. Live separately, each room is in charge of the flowers in each room, as for the rest, it is as usual."


    "Who will plant the land in that family, you plant it?" Xue Qingshan looked at him with a sneer.


    Xue Tingxiang smiled slightly, confident in his mind: "You can grow it yourself, or you can rent it out. It can also be planted by the father and the third and fourth uncles as before, and those who don''t work will give food or money. Whatever the price outside, just follow No one will suffer at any price."


    "Then do you still want to go to the school in the town? The family is separated, who will pay for your schooling?"


    This matter does not scare Xue Tingxiang, he said indifferently: "Since they are separated, each of them will have their own destiny, and there is no one to blame!"


    "You kid is a set of things, I don''t agree!" Xue Qingshan cursed, showing his true nature.


    He never expected that he planned to put pressure on Mr. Xue to find a way to send Juncai to school, but it would turn into a farce like family separation.


    Xue Qingshan has self-knowledge, he has never been in the field since he was a child, let alone the Yang family, he is a married woman, and his son still has to study, who will do the work in the field after dividing the family? Besides, he was still thinking about the money the fourth child earned as a shopkeeper, and the dead money produced in the field alone was not enough to cover the expenses of the big house.


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 Chapter 24

    There was a dead silence in the room, Mr. Xue''s face was ashen, he parted his lower lip, but he didn''t know what to say.


    Xue Qingshan blushed and cursed loudly: "Well, you are the third and fourth, your wings have grown hard, right? You are not afraid of making dad angry! And you, you brat, your hair hasn''t even grown yet. Dare to stir up trouble! You have read all your books into the belly of a dog? You are everywhere, if it weren''t for you, why would there be such a mess at home!"


    He stretched out his hand and wanted to hit someone, Zhao''er pulled Xue Tingxiang away, and clamped the big palm he slapped.


    "Uncle, talk is all about talking, why did you start? You are a scholar! What else is there because of the dog''s house, why is it like this at home, don''t you know in your own mind?"


    Xue Qingshan is tall, plus he has put on weight over the years, making him look tall and strong. Standing in front of him with a small body like Zhao''er is undoubtedly holding back the car with his arms, but he is a big man, and he couldn''t move away even after a few swings: "Let go! What are you, when is the Xue family going?" It''s your turn to speak!"


    Zhao''er sneered: "I don''t count anything, just one thing, I never feel at ease spending other people''s hard-earned money!"


    "you¡­¡­"


    "Okay, shut up! Shut up!" Mr. Xue yelled almost hysterically, and he slapped the kang table loudly.


    It was quiet down there, and Mr. Xue on the kang was as stiff as a rock.


    It took him a while before he could move. He slowly took out shredded tobacco from the pouch, stuffed it into the pot and lit it.


    Zhao''er threw away his hand, Xue Qingshan quickly retracted his hand. He sucked in the air-conditioning, opened his sleeves, and sure enough, there were a few red fingerprints on the lower part of his wrist.


    Where did this damn girl get her strength from!


    Mr. Xue took several deep puffs of cigarettes before he calmed down. He looked at these people in front of him with painful eyes. These people were all his descendants, but now they made such a fuss for money.


    Whose fault is it?


    Mr. Xue was a little stunned. He admits that the family favors the older one, but the older one is the one who established the family. Shanzi was smart when he was young, and he is good at reading, not to mention handsome, and has been praised since he was a child.


    If a small family from a poor family wants to get ahead, they can only use the whole family''s strength to provide for one person. That''s how his master got out back then. Later, he passed the examination as a scholar and benefited the entire Xue family. He always felt that he was right, but now he is not so sure.


    For a while, Mr. Xue was in a state of confusion, and many pictures flashed through his mind.


    There are the joy of the eldest son when he was just starting school, the pride of his passing the school entrance examination, the elder grandson showing superhuman intelligence, and he lamented that there are successors; Worried and unwilling faces, and many, many more...


    And all of this was frozen again, and became the following faces with different thoughts.


    Mr. Xue opened his mouth again, and he heard a hoarse and dry voice: "Okay, if you want to share, I will share it with you!"


    "Father!" Xue Qingshan didn''t dare to answer.


    Yang was also so panicked that she didn''t know what to do. She looked at her man, and then at Mr. Xue. Seeing that Mr. Xue''s appearance really didn''t look like a joke, she suddenly made a move, and shouted hastily into the back room: "Mother, don''t you care?!"


    Mr. Xue suddenly felt an unbearable irritability, and shouted angrily: "Shut up! This family is still my boss!"


    Immediately, everyone was afraid to make a sound, and the door curtain that was lifted inside was lowered again.


    "Tell me, how do you want to divide?"


    The people in the third room and the fourth room looked at each other, and went to see Xue Tingxiang again, but Xue Tingxiang didn''t speak this time.


    Afraid that things might get worse, Sun took a step forward and said, "Just like Gou''er said just now, divide the family''s land. By the way, there are still houses, and each family belongs to each family."


    Zhao''er suddenly said, "Then what about our house? Do we live in this place now, or do we move back to the old place?"


    Let me talk about this, the house that Erfang lives in is not Erfang''s.


    Xue''s house is similar to the houses in the country, generally in the form of a courtyard. The three rooms in the main room are where Mr. Xue, Mrs. Zhao and the little girl Xue Cuie live, and the other room is a granary, which is used to store grain and some more expensive things.


    On the left and right are the east and west wing rooms, the stove room, the cowshed, the barn, and the pigsty, chicken coop and vegetable field are behind.


    In the past, Xue''s house was enough to live in, but since Xue Qingshan brothers got married and had children, Xue''s house became tense.


    At that time, the Xue family was relatively well-off. The eldest Xue Qingshan built a house when they got married, and the second son Xue Qinghuai also built a house when they got married. When the third child got married, the Xue family''s money had already started to become tense, so they said to cover it slowly.


    This slowdown has been slowed down for so many years.


    When the second-bedroom couple left, Xue Qinghuai was still unmarried and lived in a room by himself.


    After he got married and gave birth again, one room was no longer enough, so Mr. Xue decided to change the second room to the fourth room, and the two children of the second room moved into that room.


    It''s okay to live in this way, but since it''s about sharing the house, it''s natural to make it clear.


    Hearing this, Sun''s complexion immediately turned bad.


    Yang twitched the corners of her mouth sarcastically, and the dog bit the dog. But before she put away her smile, Sun gritted her teeth and said, "Zhaoer, if you want this room, Fourth Aunt will return it to you."


    Since then, Zhao''er''s attitude towards the Sun family has changed somewhat.


    Regardless of the fact that Mrs. Sun usually flatters the big house and likes to squeeze people from the other two houses, but when it comes to right and wrong, it is a bit unexpected today.


    Zhao''er shook her head: "Fourth Aunt, I don''t want to ask you to ask for a house. Since we are talking about the distribution of houses and land, we must make it clear. Your family has a large population, and we don''t want your house, but the area behind the house Give us a piece of land."


    The land behind the house was bought by Xue''s family long ago. This kind of homestead in the village is not expensive, with a total of more than two acres, it only cost more than two taels of silver. The Xue family had long said they wanted to build a house, but every year they said they would build it, and every year they didn''t have any money left, so the land was left empty to make a vegetable field.


    "This¡ª" Mrs. Sun hesitated, "How can a house and land be counted the same?"


    "Fourth Aunt, I want the land, not the house. Anyway, the dog and I don''t need it right now. When we have money, we can build it ourselves."


    "That''s fine, let''s assume that your fourth aunt and fourth uncle have taken advantage of you. The land is supposed to belong to a family, and our fourth room will be given to the second room. When you start a house someday, your fourth uncle and I will be together. I''m going to help you all..."


    "Give me another two taels of silver." Xue Qinghuai interrupted suddenly.


    When Mrs. Sun heard the words, she was stunned for a moment, then gritted her teeth and said, "Okay, make up another two taels of silver, and I will give it to you when your fourth uncle and I have money."


    Zhao''er hurriedly refused: "I don''t want money, how can I ask for money from my fourth uncle and aunt."


    "It has to be given to Fourth Uncle." Xue Qinghuai said firmly.


    Having said that, it''s not easy to push Zhao''er anymore, it just defaults.


    The two families here are talking back and forth, while Mr. Xue''s expression on the other side is frighteningly ugly.


    Children can''t help themselves, let''s divide, early division, good morning!


    "Is there anything else?"


    "The cattle, pigs, and chickens at home..."


    Xue Qinghuai gave Sun a hand and said, "Forget about these things."


    "Without cattle, what should I do when farming?"


    "There is only one cow at home..."


    The kang table was slammed by Mr. Xue: "Have you finished talking? It''s finished, now let me talk."


    He supported the Kang table and sat up straight: "Your mother and I are not dead yet, Cui''e is getting married at the end of the year, and the dowry has not been paid yet. According to the old rules, your mother and I will follow the big house, but we two old things are still there. To eat and drink, so the family land is not divided into four, but five."


    "The family has a total of 32 mu of land, which is divided into five shares. The family has six mu. The extra two mu are given to the second room. I learned the craft of a carpenter. He is well-known for his craftsmanship and is well-known in ten miles and eight villages. He also made a lot of money for the family. The second child contributed a lot to our family''s acquisition of a few acres of land later.


    "As for the six acres shared by your mother and I, we have it in our hands if we live. If we die, the four families share it equally. The cows in the family are considered common, and the two pigs are still young. They will be slaughtered and divided at the end of the year. The chickens are also divided in this way. If you want to keep them together, you can raise them together. If you don¡¯t want to keep them together, you can raise them separately. If the rations are enough, they will be enough to eat this year¡¯s harvest.¡±


    It is said that they all want to separate the family, but when Mr. Xue talked about it as if he was settling accounts, everyone felt uncomfortable.


    "But let me tell you something first, since you two are arguing about the separation of the family, your mother and I will not care about the future marriage of each house."


    Mrs. Sun accompanied her with a smile: "Of course I can''t let my parents take care of me anymore."


    "As for Cui''e, when she gets married, you are brothers and sisters-in-law. If you have the heart, you can give me something. If you don''t, it''s fine. Your mother and I have six acres of land and don''t need you to support me. When I get old, I can''t do it anymore. Say it again."


    At this time, the door curtain of the back room was suddenly lifted, and a person rushed out from inside.


    It was the Zhao family who had been forbearing for a long time.


    "Why don''t you support them? Raising such a big son is for nothing? All of them are blood-sucking leeches, they are white-eyed wolves! Now it''s time to settle the score with the old lady. Is it worthwhile for the old lady to give birth to you? Does it count if you grow up with shit and piss? Now that you have grown up, you have to separate from your family. If you divide the family''s things and don''t support your parents, the old mother can forgive you, and the ancestors can''t forgive!"


    Mrs. Zhao''s words were so sharp that Xue Qingbai and his brothers bowed their heads in shame and did not dare to speak. There were all kinds of emotions in their hearts, which were mixed.


    Xue Qingbai has always been the most filial among several sons, and also the most obedient to his parents. Hearing these words, I felt quite uncomfortable, and regretted how I opened my mouth.


    "Mom, how about we..."


    Zhou''s voice sounded in vain, and interrupted him: "Mother, why don''t you give it to me? Even if Dad says no, we will give it to you! We will give it to you according to the village''s custom, even though we have separated, but We are still living together, and we will still be filial to you and Dad in the future. The reason we want to separate is not because we don¡¯t want to be filial to Dad and you, but because our family is not rich. no?"


    These words successfully silenced Xue Qingbai. Yes, it is natural to take care of parents, but no younger brother takes care of the elder brother''s family.


    "To put it bluntly, you guys think that the boss spends too much money!" Mrs. Zhao sneered.


    The few people below said nothing, isn''t this obvious, and they need to say it clearly.


    Mrs. Zhao smiled even colder: "Okay, you have the ability, you want to live on your own. You think the old man is spending money from the family, so if the old man has the ability in the future, you must not post it in a shameless manner. !"


    Zhao''s words made everyone embarrassed.


    Yang Shi said hypocritically at the side: "We have no talent for being talented. Uncles and aunts look down on us, so how can we come to gain our favor in the future..."


    After all the words have been said, if you don''t say a word, you will be begging for nothing and want to get others'' money.


    Zhao''er sneered and said, "Auntie, don''t worry, even if the dog and I are poor enough to beg for food, we won''t come to your house to beg."


    Zhou also said: "Sister-in-law, don''t worry, we know what our fate is. We will be muddy legs thrown in the ground all our lives, and we can''t change it! If you don''t want to get rich, you don''t have that fate to get rich."


    Seeing this, Sun naturally couldn''t keep silent anymore. To put it bluntly, now Sanfang is a grasshopper on the same rope, no matter how snobbish she is, she has no face to pretend to be dead here.


    She was about to say something when a loud bang sounded in vain.


    It was Mr. Xue who lifted the Kang table.

 Chapter 25

    The kang table rolled down from the kang and hit the ground with a loud noise.


    Fortunately, this kang table was made by Xue Qingsong back then, and the wood he found in the mountains himself was solid, so it was not smashed.


    Everyone was taken aback.


    "What are you talking about! What are you talking about! Shut up!"


    Old Master Xue''s face turned pale, and his lips trembled. Even when he said that he was going to separate, he was not so excited, which is enough to prove how angry he is at this time.


    He looked at the group of people below with painful eyes, and suddenly sat back on the kang, and waved his hands weakly: "Everyone go back to the house, and we will talk about other things tomorrow."


    "Father, what about the title deed?" Mrs. Sun hesitated.


    Without waiting for Mr. Xue to speak, Xue Qinghuai grabbed her and pulled her outside: "Okay, are you enough? What''s the matter? Let''s talk about it tomorrow, and I can''t miss you?!"


    Everyone in the house dispersed.


    No one expected that it would end like this. Everyone felt a little unspeakable in their hearts. The thing they had been thinking about for a long time finally came to pass, but no one was happy.


    Xue Tingxiang was very silent. Seeing him like this, Zhao''er didn''t know what to say. The two of them took a rest after returning to the house, without talking for a whole night.


    *


    The morning light is faint, and the sky is breaking.


    Everyone in Xue''s family got up, but the courtyard was strangely silent.


    No one spoke.


    There was a lot of movement and activity, but no one spoke.


    Still as before, those who should cook should cook, and those who should feed livestock should. After breakfast, Mr. Xue called the whole family together and asked Mrs. Zhao to bring out the box containing the title deed.


    The Xue family''s land was bought in this way for one mu or two mu, and the land deeds were divided into several pieces. Fortunately, this is the case, otherwise, they would have to go to the county government to divide the land, and to go to the county government to cut the land would naturally have to go through Lizheng, and now this matter cannot be concealed.


    Mr. Xue divided the land deed, each family has six acres of land, and the second room has two acres more.


    Each house stepped forward to take the title deed.


    When it was Xue Tingxiang''s turn, Mr. Xue suddenly said: "It stands to reason that if you go to the school, the family will pay you money, but yesterday you said that you will have your own destiny, and you must never blame the family in the future."


    He said he didn''t complain, but Mr. Xue''s voice was somewhat angry. After all, Xue Tingxiang started this matter, if he hadn''t made such a fuss, how could the family have become like this.


    In fact, he knew in his heart that he couldn''t blame his second grandson for this matter, but suddenly the whole family became like this, which completely overturned his family''s desire to share weal and woe with Meimei. Under extreme pain, it is normal to vent their anger.


    "The grandson won''t complain."


    Looking at this thin grandson, Mr. Xue''s eyes flashed with complexity. He opened his lips several times, and then reached out and took out a worn-out purse from the box.


    "Don''t say that I, a master, favors one over another, since I agreed to it in front of Li Zheng and the patriarch, it is natural to do what I say. This little money has been saved a long time ago, and it is the only money left in the family. You, it¡¯s enough to go for a while. As for the future¡ª¡ª¡± He paused, sighed: ¡°Let¡¯s have our own destiny.¡±


    Xue Tingxiang took the purse.


    Everyone in the room looked at the purse.


    Especially the Dafang couple, who seemed to be calm, but actually had needles in their eyes, wishing they could get into their purses to see how much money was in there.


    Xue Tingxiang smirked slightly, opened the purse as if unconsciously, and took out a piece of broken silver from it, which looked about two taels in size.


    He took the piece of silver in his hand, and put the purse back intact.


    "What are you?" Mr. Xue''s eyes were filled with shock and puzzlement.


    Not only him, but everyone else.


    Besides Zhao''er, Zhao''er understands why the little man would do this. All along, she thought that the little man blamed these people, but she was worried but powerless, but now it seems that she was thinking too much.


    Of course, Zhao''er is not without complaints, but she has always felt that it is too unworthy to put all her thoughts on blaming others, and she is too sorry for herself.


    So she obviously has many ways to deal with the big house, to make them feel bad, and even to make everyone feel bad by breaking the cans, but she didn''t choose to do this, but chose to earn what she wanted with her hands.


    She wished the little man could do the same.


    Although she doesn''t understand the principles, she understands that a good man should stand upright, instead of turning into a blood-sucking leech like Xue Qingshan, always thinking of sucking blood from others to support herself.


    "Thanks to the help of an elder, my grandson has already found a school to enroll in. The school is very cheap, and the money is enough."


    His words stunned everyone in the room.


    Mr. Xue couldn''t help asking: "What school is it? How can a good school be cheap."


    These people were all deceived by Xue Qingshan''s experience, and they all thought that a good school must be expensive. In fact, this is indeed the case. Qinghe Academy is the best academy in Huyang Township, and is even well-known in Xia County, but the so-called ''good'' is a matter of opinion.


    In the dream, he had studied in that school for three years, so he knew the way of it all too well.


    If you are willing to spend money, you can please the gentlemen inside, or those with outstanding knowledge, and it is very easy to get ahead. As long as you follow the right path, big and small are also children. Going the wrong way, but those with "great perseverance" can also try their luck by luck.


    For example, a real peasant boy like Xue Qingshan sent a full five years of money into it. Qinghe Academy also wanted to admit a few more peasant children into the academy, so Xue Qingshan also stepped forward.


    But that''s all there is to it, and you have to rely on your real skills when you get to the college exam.


    Xue Tingxiang suppressed the complicated emotions in his heart and said the name of Qingyuan Academy.


    Xue Qingshan next to him couldn''t help snorting.


    Mr. Xue asked him: "Boss, but this school is not good?" He also faintly heard the sneer.


    Xue Qingshan quickly suppressed the expression on his face, with a serious look: "Okay, why not, this school is one of the best schools in Huyang Township." But it used to be.


    "Then why is Shu Xiu so cheap?"


    This question is a bit difficult to answer, Xue Qingshan thought for a while before saying: "This Qingyuan Academy is too small, and its name is not prominent. The museum is different, and it is well-known in our county. The county magistrate and Jiaoyu often come to the hall to teach the students in the hall. Dad, you forgot what I told you about the relationship between the museum owner and the county magistrate. hold head high?"


    Mr. Xue nodded, and then looked at Xue Tingxiang: "Since it''s not as good, I''d better go to the Qinghe Academy. After all, your uncle has studied there, and there are some benefits in it."


    Xue Tingxiang was in a complicated mood.


    Seriously speaking, his grandpa still cares about his grandson.


    Of course, this is no comparison with Dafang and his son.


    In fact, Mr. Xue is very good to the Xue family. He usually handles things in an orderly manner. Occasionally, when the Zhao family gets messy, he can take care of it. The only thing that is easy to get confused is when a bowl of water is uneven.


    Seriously speaking, this is not to be confused. The parents of a large family should consider the overall situation. For Mr. Xue, Dafang is the eldest son and grandson, and the most promising person in the family, so it is naturally biased.


    This is the case for small households from poor families. If they want to get ahead, they can only do their best to make offerings. Once in the early stage, one person will attain the Tao and ascend to heaven.


    The truth is that it is true to say so, but people are people, not cold truths, who wants to make wedding clothes for others forever? Who wants to be at the mercy of others forever?


    Especially after going through it year after year like this, it seems that there will never be an end in sight, and people''s hearts are floating.


    Everyone is right in their own standpoint, what is wrong is that people have different hearts.


    These truths are only understood by Xue Tingxiang after experiencing that dream. In fact, he in the dream did not finally understand all this until many years later.


    "Grandson..."


    Xue Tingxiang was about to speak, but was interrupted by Xue Qingshan''s words.


    "Father, don''t worry about this matter. Gou''er is not good at learning. Even if he goes to Qinghe Academy, he will waste his money. It''s better to find a random academy and learn first."


    "Can¡­¡­"


    Xue Tingxiang pursed his lips slightly, without moving his eyebrows or eyes: "Master, I went to that school to see it, it''s pretty good, I decided to study there."


    "Look, he even said so himself."


    Xue Tingxiang nodded and suggested: "Uncle, actually, I think elder brother can also go to this academy. My family is not rich, so I really don''t need to go to such an expensive academy."


    "What do you know!" Xue Qingshan was full of contempt, he wanted to say something, but fell silent under the warning eyes of Mr. Xue.


    In fact, Xue Tingxiang didn''t intend to say this before, because he knew how the Dafang people would react, but Mr. Xue''s dissuading words made him change his mind. Sure enough, speaking out, they responded this way. That''s fine, he has a clear conscience.


    "Since you have made your decision, Grandpa will not say more. I hope you will have a great future in the future, and don''t disappoint your father''s expectations."


    Xue Tingxiang nodded: "Grandson will definitely work hard."


    After that, Mr. Xue made some explanations about the separation of the family, and all the people in the house dispersed.


    After everyone left, Mr. Xue sat alone on the kang, smoking his dry cigarette with a lonely expression. The lingering green smoke hovered in the air, behind which was his old face with ravines and a pair of slightly bleak eyes.


    *


    The Xue family''s land was not worried about selling, and when word got out, several families in the village came to ask.


    Mr. Xue chose the family with the highest bid and sold two acres of land for a total of twenty-four taels of silver.


    Now the land price is the same, if you want to sell it at a higher place, it is not impossible, but at most, you can sell it for one or two taels per mu. The Xue family is waiting to use the silver, so naturally they can''t wait until then.


    After receiving the silver, Xue Qingshan hurriedly took Xue Juncai to the town.


    Unlike Qingyuan Academy, Qinghe Academy has a large number of students who come here to study every year. If you go late, you may be afraid that they will not be accepted, so the sooner you go, the better.


    In the evening, Xue Qingshan came back with his son, with a smile on his face.


    Xue Juncai couldn''t hide his joy, he had an unfamiliar bookbag on his body, with the words Qinghe Academy embroidered on it. It was bulging inside, as if it contained something.


    The father and son entered the house and came out after a while, Xue Jun changed into brand new clothes.


    It turned out that the Qinghe Academy issued student shirts, which are different from ordinary student shirts, this one is unique. It has a pale blue bottom, a toga with large sleeves, a wide soap-colored piping on the placket and cuffs, and a belt of the same color around the waist. Some look like raw shirts, but they are not.


    But I have to say that this clothes can enhance a person''s temperament, and Xue Juncai has an extra sense of elegance and coquettishness when he wears it. He was born to be handsome, so it made people unable to take their eyes off him.


    "It''s so beautiful!" Yang said with a smile and narrowed her eyes.


    Mrs. Zhao also nodded repeatedly, saying that the clothes are good. Xue Qingshan stood aside with a particularly bright face, and asked how the others were doing with a smile. Even Mr. Xue, who was sitting in front of the door, couldn''t help but smile a little more on his face.


    In such a situation, other people in the courtyard would naturally have to say something nice, which was considered a good thing after all.


    Everyone took turns to praise, Xue Juncai held his head high, but he still had to act modestly.


    He glanced at Xue Tingxiang and asked, "Tingxiang, did the Qingyuan Academy send out shirts?"


    Xue Tingxiang shook his head slightly: "Congratulations first brother. The school has not opened yet, but Shu Xiu is so cheap, it probably won''t be issued."


    "That''s true. You don''t know, this school not only distributes shirts, but also books and pens. The pens are not worse than the ones I usually use, and the shop sells for several hundred yuan."


    This is a bright display.


    Zhao''er was overwhelmed. Instead of worrying about it, it feels like arguing with a child, don''t care about it, why are you so indifferent!


    She has never been in the character of letting others be bitter and not fighting back, so she smiled fakely and said: "Such an expensive Shuxiu is only handsome. You think it is taking advantage of others."


    Xue Juncai moved his eyes and looked at her: "Zhao''er, you think it''s good too, don''t you? If you don''t let the dog come to Qinghe Academy, I, as the eldest brother, should take care of him."


    Who cares about your care!


    It''s just that this must not be said in person, Zhao''er gave him a dark look: "No need, we are reluctant to sell the land!"


    These words blocked Xue Juncai so that his face turned red immediately, and he hesitated to say anything, so he could only stare at Xue Tingxiang.


    Xue Tingxiang was stared at inexplicably, and was wondering why the other party was like this, so he listened to Zhao''er and said: "Let''s go back to the house and make a list, you will go to the school in two days, there are many things to buy, don''t miss them. "

 Chapter 26

    The two went back to the house and sat down on the kang.


    In order to show that there is indeed a list to be made, Zhao''er specially brought a pen and ink, and she asked Xue Tingxiang to write it.


    She reported the same, and Xue Tingxiang wrote the same on the paper.


    Afraid of missing it, I went back and forth with him to make sure. In the end, the two of them spent so much effort, but they only wrote seven or eight things, six of which are the six rites for apprenticeship.


    Zhao''er immediately felt a little embarrassed as he used pen and paper to memorize such things.


    But she would never expose her shortcomings, so she naturally said confidently that Xue Tingxiang should think about it again, there must be something missing.


    Xue Tingxiang was helpless, after a lot of thinking and thinking, and added two more things, Zhao''er finally nodded in satisfaction.


    Mrs. Sun made dinner and asked everyone to eat.


    Now the Xue family is still eating together, just like before. However, when cooking every day, the rations are paid by each house itself, and the food that is eaten at home is taken to the kitchen, and the food that is not eaten at home is not cooked. As for vegetables, they can be eaten casually in the vegetable garden and pickle jars, and they are not worth much anyway.


    Now the atmosphere at the dinner table is much better than before. Most of them have no worries. It is also because Mr. Xue has been unhappy after the separation, and everyone is trying to please him. The other three-room people would always deliberately find something to say, but the people in the big room were a little bit weird, but everyone didn''t pay attention to them.


    After eating, Zhao''er helped wash the dishes, and then boiled water to take a bath.


    It was Xue Tingxiang who washed it first, and Zhao''er helped him carry two buckets of water to the bathroom in the vegetable field at the back, and found his changed clothes, and then took his dirty clothes to the front yard to wash.


    It was dusk, and the small farmyard was peaceful and peaceful.


    Zhao''er threw the bucket into the well and drew water up.


    The bucket protruded from the deep well, Zhao''er grabbed the handle and pulled it up, just about to pour it into the wooden basin next to it, when someone suddenly appeared behind him.


    She turned her head and saw Xue Juncai standing behind her, looking a little strange.


    "What are you doing standing here!"


    Xue Juncai''s eyes flashed: "I''ll find some water to wash my hands."


    Zhao''er glanced at him, then picked up the bucket and poured some water into a wooden basin in the corner.


    It was for him to wash his hands, so Xue Juncai walked over.


    Zhao''er didn''t look at him again, and took the soap horns to wash the clothes.


    She lowered her head, feeling that there was another figure in front of her, and raised her head angrily: "Why are you standing in front of me?"


    Xue Juncai blushed a little: "Thank you."


    Zhao''er let out a cry, then lowered his head and continued to struggle with the clothes in the basin.


    Xue Juncai looked at her half-sagging face, and hesitated for a moment: "Zhao''er, I know you look down on me, but I will show you that I am a scholar."


    "It doesn''t matter to me whether you pass the exam or not, as long as you are worthy of grandpa and grandma!"


    These words made Xue Juncai speechless, and he said after a long while: "Anyway, I will definitely pass the exam to show you a scholar, and I will let you know that Gouzi must not be as good as me!"


    Show off again! What Zhao''er hates the most is Xue Juncai. Since he was a child, he likes to step on little men to show that he can do it!


    She was about to say something, but Xue Juncai actually left.


    Simply inexplicable!


    *


    Qinghe Academy and Qingyuan Academy opened on the same day, Xue Qingshan went out to borrow a mule cart as early as the first day, and planned to send Xue Juncai to the town early the next morning.


    Although the family spent a lot of money and even sold the land to send Xue Juncai to the Qinghe Academy, but at this time, Mr. Xue was very happy. He even told Xue Tingxiang to let him go with Xue Juncai tomorrow morning, the bullock cart was too slow, and it would be too late when he got to town.


    Although Yang Shi didn''t speak at the side, but the nose is not the nose and the face is not the face. It''s not that Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang don''t know how to read their faces, so they naturally refused.


    Back in the house, Zhao''er said to Xue Tingxiang: "In the future, when we have money, let''s quickly build a house and move away."


    It turned out that it was for this reason that she wanted land but not a house before, but Xue Tingxiang was not surprised.


    "You don''t need to worry about this kind of thing, it will only make you angry."


    Zhao''er looked him up and down, and Xue Tingxiang''s heart was pounding, wondering if she saw something. Zhao''er withdrew his gaze: "It''s not that I care about it, it''s just a little annoying."


    Afterwards, Xue Tingxiang took out the book he had brought back from Dongliju and copied it, but Zhao''er went out.


    He didn''t think much about it, he only thought that he had some work to do when he was recruited out, and he came back soon after he was recruited out.


    At dinner time, the dishes on the table were very rich, Mr. Xue specially asked Mrs. Zhao to take the money to buy a piece of meat, served a pot of tofu, and killed a chicken. Mrs. Zhou and the three daughters-in-law joined hands to cook meal.


    The whole family sat around two tables. Little ones like Maodan, Shuanzi, and Youcai are all ready to move, but the adults have to wait for Mr. Xue to speak.


    Mr. Xue seems to have a lot to say, but he has no way to say it.


    After a long time, he sighed and said: "I will ignore the past, from now on, I hope that the three of you brothers can live in harmony, work together to live your life well, and make Xue''s family more and more prosperous. Even if I am dead, I can still close my eyes."


    "Old man, what are you talking about, you can''t die, don''t let it die!"


    "That''s right, Dad, what are you talking about!"


    "Father, don''t worry. Although we are separated, we are still brothers and a family. What is a brother is a broken bone and a tendon. We will be fine in the future."


    Mr. Xue nodded with some relief: "If you can have such thoughts, I will be satisfied." As for the other things, he has no choice but to do so.


    "Tomorrow is the day when Juncai and Tingxiang go to school. Our Xue family has been living in the dirt all our lives. I hope you will be successful and earn a lot of face and glory for the Xue family!"


    Although these words were addressed to two people, Mr. Xue was facing Xue Juncai''s direction when he spoke, and it was obvious who he valued more.


    Under the dizzy yellow light, Xue Juncai''s face flushed with excitement, and he stood up: "Don''t worry, Grandpa, my grandson will definitely not let you down!"


    "Okay, okay!" Old Master Xue nodded again and again, picked up his chopsticks, "Eat them all, have a good meal, and use it as a cheer for the two little ones."


    This meal was extremely harmonious, there was laughter on the table, and the unpleasant topics that everyone avoided, only picked up pleasant ones.


    Mr. Xue drank too much again, and his face was flushed. But it can be seen that he is very happy. This is a joy full of hope and gratification, and no one can bear to break it.


    After the meal, people left, all the people in each room dispersed, Mr. Xue was smiling, and chatted a few gossips with Mrs. Zhao. In this situation, Mrs. Zhao couldn''t put on a bad face, so she patted him several times, saying that he didn''t know what he was having fun with.


    What are you happy about? In fact, he doesn''t know either, it''s just music anyway.


    *


    Early in the morning, the Xue family got up.


    The third room and the fourth room didn''t think of it so early, but the people who couldn''t stand the big room were tossing. Before dawn, there was constant movement in the east chamber, with people coming in and out.


    Yang''s voice resounded throughout the yard, sometimes asking Xue Qingshan when the car would arrive, sometimes saying that he forgot to pack something and should hurry to pack it up.


    So, they all got up.


    Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang also got up.


    Unlike Yang''s side, this side is quiet. Zhao''er packed everything up last night. It was a big bag, which contained bedding and matting, a few changes of clothes, and some trivial items that Xue Tingxiang used in daily life.


    "Don''t wash your clothes if they are dirty. I will go to the library to get them for you when I have time, and I will send them to you after you wash them. Anyway, I can come back in ten days, and the clothes I brought with me are enough for you to wear. Money Keep it close to your body. There are many people in the academy, so you should be more careful when you go out. Beware of gentlemen and villains. You have to do everything yourself first, so as not to cause trouble. Don¡¯t be harsh on yourself, buy what you need Just go buy it, tell me if you don¡¯t have enough money.¡±


    Zhao''er babbled like an old woman.


    Xue Tingxiang stood beside her, watching her check the things she was going to take to the school, her nagging voice could be heard in her ears, and she felt a little melancholy.


    As a matter of fact, he had considered for a long time in private whether to study overnight or to study outside, and finally decided to study overnight.


    A dream is a dream after all, even if the dream is miraculous, it is not his experience after all, and he should put all his thoughts on his studies, so he can only temporarily separate from Zhao''er.


    "Don''t worry, I will take care of myself. And your business, you can do it if you can, and you can''t do it. You still have this land at home, and the food deducted for the third and fourth uncles is enough for us to eat and drink Not enough, I copy more books on weekdays, and the money I earn is enough for both of us."


    "Yeah, I''m listening to you."


    As soon as Zhao''er said this, Xue Tingxiang knew that she didn''t listen to her at all.


    He had talked to her several times about this since the division of the family, and he didn''t want her to work so hard to do business again. But Zhao''er always goes in one ear and out the other, and she doesn''t take it seriously at first glance. She usually counts every sentence when she speaks and does things, but she has learned to be perfunctory in this matter.


    Xue Tingxiang was very helpless about this.


    But who is to blame? I can only blame him for being ignorant at the time, thinking that he recruited a woman to make money just to support himself. He was obviously a man, so he couldn''t accept it in his heart, and had a few awkward fights with her.


    Because of this, Zhao''er has always avoided discussing this issue with him, but her attitude is very clear, she will not listen to him when it comes to business.


    Xue Tingxiang was still about to say something, when suddenly there was a burst of talking in the yard.


    One of the voices belonged to Jiang Wu.


    "Wu Zi, why are you here at this time?"


    Jiang Wu was dressed in dark blue and short brown, with a tall and strong figure, very heroic. There was still mist on his hair and eyebrows, and it was still a bit cold in March in Yuqing Village, especially since the morning mist hadn''t cleared yet.


    "I''m here to send Tingxiang to the school in the town. Isn''t this his first time going to school? Zhao''er went to the house yesterday and told me about it. My father asked me to come early so don''t delay."


    The person talking to Jiang Wu was Mrs. Zhou, and he understood what was going on as soon as he heard this.


    I have to say that Zhao''er is really high-spirited. Yesterday, he was squeezed face to face by the big house, but today he got it back by himself. Li Zheng''s and Jiang''s families in Yuqing Village and He Village have mule carts, because they often run back and forth in the county and town. As for the Jiang family, they are really rich.


    Still don''t reveal the rich rich.


    The Jiang family is low-key, and their two sons are well-known in the village. Among the younger generation in Yuqing Village, there are two young people who are the most popular. One is Xue Juncai, who is gentle and handsome and can read. The other is Jiang Wu.


    Whether it is in terms of appearance or wealth, Jiang Wu is one of the best among the unmarried young people in the village. Moreover, he is also good at hunting, and there are not many girls in the village who want to marry him.


    The Jiang family and the second room are old, Jiang Wu''s father, Jiang Hai, and Xue Qingsong, the second son of the Xue family, have a deep friendship, but since Xue Qingsong died, after Jiang Hai and Xue Qingshan had a quarrel, the Jiang family seldom visited the Xue family. The door is closed, but everyone in the Xue family knows about this relationship.


    So Mrs. Zhou didn''t think too much after hearing this, and just pretended that Zhao''er asked Jiang Wu for help.


    Zhao''er came out of the room: "Brother Jiang Wu, why are you here so early, have you had breakfast yet?"


    "Not yet, I was afraid that I would be late, so I went out early."


    "You are too, so stay home for dinner, and I will do it."


    Zhao''er turned around and entered the room, Xue Tingxiang was still standing at the door, looking at Jiang Wu.


    Jiang Wu came over with a smile on his face: "Ting Xiang, you won''t let Brother Jiang Wu go in and sit?"


    Xue Tingxiang could only step aside.


    *


    Zhao''er went back to the house to get flour and went to the kitchen.


    When the family was separated, the second room also shared a bag of flour and fine grains. Zhao''er originally planned to make something suitable for Xue Tingshan, and Jiang Wu came just in time to eat together.


    Zhao''er''s work on the stove is good, but she seldom does it. It was not her turn to do it before. Later, all her thoughts were on where to find money, so naturally she didn''t have time to do it.


    After reconciling the noodles, Zhao''er went to the vegetable garden behind.


    It was the time when all things were recovering. Because of the cold weather and the incomplete thawing of the ground in Yuqing Village, the plow could not be plowed, so the spring plowing came late. But the vegetables in the vegetable field have been planted a long time ago, and nothing else has grown much, but the green garlic sprouts are tender and attractive.


    Zhao''er pulled it out and went to the well to wash it.


    Mrs. Zhou was cooking at another stove, and she took a handful of dry firewood and lit it, turned on the stove, cleaned the cauldron and heated it up. Taking advantage of this spare time, she cracked a few eggs, which were also separated from the family back then. Mr. Xue did what he said. When the rations were divided, all the edible food in the family, including pickles, pickles, eggs and bacon, were all divided.


    Beat the eggs until foamy, so that the scrambled eggs are fluffy and soft. Put oil in the oil pan, pour the frothed egg liquid into it, but in the blink of an eye, it bulges.


    Zhao''er stir-fried a few times with a shovel, and pushed the eggs aside.


    Because there was a lot of oil put in before, there was still some oil at the bottom of the pot, so she took out the tofu bought from a tofu maker in the village last night, cut it into small pieces and threw it into the pot.


    The tofu was quickly fried to a slightly yellowish color. Zhao''er put some more oil in the pan, poured the chopped ginger and red pepper into it and fried it until fragrant. With a puff of white smoke rising up, and the tempting aroma rushing towards her face, she quickly fried the eggs and tofu a few times with her hands and feet, added seasonings, and put some water in it before covering the pot.


    As the bones boiled in the pot, the aroma became more and more intense. Before it comes out of the pot, Zhao''er throws the chopped garlic sprouts in, and a big bowl of delicious and rich noodle toppings is ready.


    Take it out, put water in the pot again, and take advantage of this opportunity to start rolling the noodles.


    Her hands were very fast, Zhou saw her hands flying up and down, and after a while, rows of noodles cut to the same width appeared on the chopping board.


    "You girl has really quick hands and feet. Compared with you, Third Aunt is old."


    Zhao''er lifted the lid of the pot with a smile, and the rising smoke enveloped her face, but the voice was clear and pleasant.


    "Third Aunt, please don''t praise me. I can only talk about my quick hands. The craftsmanship is not as good as yours."


    "You girl will be humble!"


    At the same time, in the second room, Xue Tingxiang and Jiang Wu were sitting face to face.

 Chapter 27

    Sitting on the kang was a boy and a man.


    The boy was thin and fair-skinned, but the man was tall and straight, with a bronze complexion and heroic features.


    The boy is Xue Tingxiang, and the man is Jiang Wu.


    Jiang Wu is two years older than Zhao''er. He is eighteen this year, and he is about to get married, so he can be called a man.


    "Tingxiang, go to the school and study hard, don''t disappoint your sister''s hard work for you. If someone bullies you, come back and tell Brother Jiang Wu, I will help you deal with him!"


    Ever since he came in, Jiang Wu had been looking for something to talk to Xue Tingxiang all the time, he could tell that the boy didn''t like him very much. But it doesn''t matter whether he likes him or not, as long as the person he likes likes it is enough.


    Zhao''er cared about the young man in front of him, and if he married Zhao''er in the future, the young man would become his younger brother, so Jiang Wu didn''t mind putting his hot face on the other''s cold ass.


    Especially in his eyes, the dog of Xue''s second room is still a child, and it is normal for children to have a temper.


    Xue Tingxiang stared at Jiang Wu, Xiili suppressed the jealousy in his heart. He didn''t want to make himself look childish in the eyes of the other party, and he didn''t want to fall to the bottom, but he really couldn''t help it.


    "Do you like to recruit children?"


    Jiang Wu was taken aback for a moment, but also nodded vaguely.


    Xue Tingxiang''s face became even uglier, "She is my child bride."


    "She is not your child bride-in-law. You should know that Uncle Xue and Aunt Xue adopted her as their daughter back then. She is your sister. It was only because of an accident that they entrusted you to her."


    Of course Xue Tingxiang knew, that''s why Jiang Wu''s appearance made him blow up.


    "If you love your sister, you should find her a man who can love her. You know the situation in your family and how hard your sister has worked for you. But don''t worry, if I marry your sister in the future, I will I will make offerings to you with her, and I will treat you as my own brother."


    Jiang Wu understood the reasoning and was persuasive, but Xue Tingxiang''s complexion became darker and darker.


    "Don''t think about it, I won''t give her up to you."


    Jiang Wu looked at him with a smile, with a look of indifference, which clearly didn''t pay attention to what he said.


    At this moment, Zhao''er came in carrying a wooden tray with three bowls on it. One is a large bowl, and the other two bowls are smaller.


    "Come and eat noodles."


    "Such a big bowl, Zhaoer, you are feeding me like a pig." Jiang Wu said with a smile.


    Zhao''er said angrily, "Brother Jiang Wu, what are you talking about? I''m not afraid that you won''t have enough to eat." As she spoke, she pushed the vinegared bowl in front of Xue Tingxiang: "Hurry up and eat, we''ll eat it later." Let''s go, there''s still time."


    Saying that, she also got on the kang, and sat on the edge of the kang, with Xue Tingxiang on the left and Jiang Wu on the right.


    Jiang Wu was very face-saving, and started to eat with a sigh of relief, saying repeatedly that the noodles made by Zhao''er were delicious.


    Does that mean it''s the first time you''ve eaten it? Another time, or a few more times, when? Why doesn''t he know?


    Xue Tingxiang thought crazily in his heart, obviously the noodles are delicious and his favorite food, but he has no appetite at all.


    It wasn''t until Zhao''er asked him suspiciously that his face froze for a moment, and he said, "No vinegar."


    "No vinegar?"


    Zhao''er brought the bowl over and smelled it, she clearly remembered that vinegar was put in it before bringing it. But I''m not sure, because if you put only a little vinegar, you won''t be able to smell it.


    "Then I''ll add some more for you." After speaking, she took the bowl and got off the kang and went out.


    Xue Tingxiang stared at Jiang Wu viciously, eating so fast, he was not afraid of choking to death!


    Jiang Wu felt him looking at him, raised his head and said, "Your sister''s noodles are delicious, and they taste great without vinegar."


    Xue Tingxiang ignored him, when Zhao''er came in and put the noodle bowl in front of him. He took a little bit of it with chopsticks and fed it into his mouth. It was still tasteless, but he didn''t say anything, and started to eat silently.


    "You need to eat more, so that you can grow as strong as your brother Jiang Wu in the future."


    She thought he was not strong, and thought Jiang Wu was very good.


    The meal was full of different thoughts, Jiang Wu and Zhao''er were chatting and laughing, but Xue Tingxiang was very silent.


    After eating, Zhao''er went to wash the dishes, then packed up and planned to leave.


    Jiang Wu carried the big bag that Zhao''er had prepared for Xue Tingxiang, and the three of them walked out together. As soon as he reached the gate of the courtyard, he was suddenly stopped by Mr. Xue.


    "Jiang Wu, are you going to send the dog to town?"


    Jiang Wu stopped and nodded.


    "Can you drop Juncai along? Juncai is going to town too, but he''s going to the Qinghe Academy. I heard from your Uncle Shanzi that he seems to be on the way."


    "This¡ª" Jiang Wu looked at Zhao''er.


    Zhao''er went yesterday but told Dafang that she had borrowed a car, but she and Xue Tingxiang didn''t want to hitch a ride. Jiang Wu knew Zhao''er''s knot in his heart, so he agreed without asking much.


    Xue Qingshan came out from the east chamber and said: "Father, why are you telling people about this, the car to pick us up will be here soon."


    "Here you come? Let''s see what time it is now? From the village to the town, even a mule cart takes two quarters of an hour. Juncai went to the school on the first day. If he was late, he would definitely be reprimanded." Old Master Xue said angrily. .


    Don''t look at what Xue Qingshan said, in fact, his heart is also on fire. Yesterday he purposely borrowed a car from a friend he made friends with in the neighboring village, but he had breakfast and everything was ready, and there was no one there.


    He knew that the second room had also borrowed a car, and it was from the Jiang family. There are only two families in the village with mule carts, and the Lizheng family of these two families must not go there. The Jiang family has a rift with him. He has not forgotten how Jiang Hai scolded him when the second child died. He usually met the Jiang family. A nose is not a nose and a face is not a face.


    So even though he knew that there was a car in the second room, the mother-in-law and son were in a hurry, and he couldn''t bear to say it.


    "Jiang Wu, just give them a ride."


    With all the words said like this, Jiang Wu naturally couldn''t refuse.


    "Okay, Master Xue, this is nothing."


    Seeing that Xue Qingshan hadn''t moved yet, Old Master Xue turned around and scolded him: "Why are you dawdling! Mrs. Yang, quickly take out Juncai''s things."


    "Hey, here we come."


    After a while of people turned their backs, the four got into the car.


    Originally, Xue Qingshan planned to send his son off in person, but now there is no room for anyone in the car, so naturally he had no choice but to dismiss this idea.


    Watching the mule cart go away, Xue Qingshan felt quite uncomfortable. Originally, he wanted to show himself, but he didn''t show it now, and he was ashamed in front of Erfang and Jiang''s family.


    Because there was another Xue Juncai in the car, no one spoke on the road. The mule cart soon arrived at Huyang Town, heading east of the town all the way, and Jiang Wu stopped in front of the Qinghe Academy.


    Jiang Wu never waited to see the eldest family member of the Xue family, so he didn''t offer to help.


    Mrs. Yang prepared a lot of things for Xue Juncai, two big bags, Xue Juncai went to pick up one, but it was already reluctant, but he couldn''t take the second one.


    He blushed and didn''t ask for help.


    Zhao''er couldn''t stand it anymore, jumped out of the car, picked up two big bags in each hand, and went to the gate of the courtyard.


    She put the two big bags in front of the door, and said to Xue Juncai who followed: "I won''t send you in, you call the people inside to help. Ting''er is also waiting there, if you don''t leave, it will be too late. "


    Xue Juncai had mixed feelings in his heart, and looked at her: "Zhaoer, I will be admitted as a scholar."


    "Yeah, work hard."


    She quickly turned around and left, naturally missing Xue Juncai''s eyes looking at her back.


    *


    The mule cart stopped in front of the Qingyuan Academy.


    Unlike Xue Juncai, Jiang Wu carried a big bag, Zhao''er took a small bag, and sent Xue Tingxiang in.


    All the way was led by Zhaifu to the house.


    The decoration in the hall is extremely simple, it is just a Datong shop. It is divided into four positions, the table is placed along the Kang, and there are four simple wooden cabinets next to the wall, which can just sleep four people.


    Because Xue Tingxiang was the first to come, Zhaifu said he could choose any local people and left. Before leaving, tell Zhao''er and Jiang Wu not to stay for long.


    Zhao''er chose a position for Xue Tingxiang, which is the innermost position next to the wall, and there is a window next to it, which has good ventilation and light.


    She opened the big bag and laid the kang for Xue Tingxiang.


    Jiang Wu wanted to help, but Xue Tingxiang preempted him.


    The two of them joined hands to make the shop ready, and it was obvious that this was not the first time for the two of them to do this, and they had a tacit understanding.


    Jiang Wu looked at it with eager eyes.


    Xue Tingxiang glanced at him, then went to help Zhao''er organize other things.


    Zhao''er opened the wooden cabinet, reached out to touch it, and wiped the inside very clean. She put all the clothes and things in, and when she closed the cabinet door, she saw a lock on it, and said, "I''ll go buy you a lock later, and lock the cabinet when I''m not around."


    After everything is done, Zhao''er and Jiang Wu should also leave.


    At the door, Xue Tingxiang pulled Zhao''er aside and said, "Don''t forget that you are a man!"


    "Why are you talking about this again?"


    "Don''t worry about it, you just remember anyway." Xue Tingxiang originally wanted to tell Zhao''er to stay away from Jiang Wu, but suddenly changed his mind. He could see that Zhao''er still didn''t know Jiang Wu''s feelings for her.


    If you don''t know, then don''t know, it''s better not to know all the time.


    "Okay, okay, I see, you can study at ease."


    Xue Tingxiang pursed his lips: "I will tell my husband to go back when I have time. You should watch the door at home and don''t go out at night."


    "With Heizi here, are you still afraid that someone will eat me?" Besides, she also knows a few kung fu skills, which Zhao''er learned from the Jiang family''s father and son when she was a child, plus her strength is stronger than ordinary people, which is normal anyway. The one or two big guys in the house are really no match for her.


    "Anyway, I said it, you just remember it."


    "Okay, okay, I see."


    Zhao''er left quickly, and Xue Tingxiang was the only one left in the dormitory.


    He paced back and forth in the dormitory for a while, and when he calmed down, he went to the common bunk, took out half-copied books and rice paper from the cabinet, spread them out on the table at the top of the kang, and copied them.


    After copying for a while, someone opened the door and walked in.


    "Hey, there is someone who is earlier than me!"


    The person who came was a little fat man, about sixteen or seventeen years old, with a bag fatter than himself on his back.


    Even though the weather wasn''t hot yet, this man was sweating profusely. Panting, he put the big bag on the bunk, and then slumped on the Kang.


    "Hey new here, what''s your name?"

 Chapter 28

    Xue Gouzi pondered for a moment, "Call me Ting Xiang."


    "Tingxiang? This is your own name? Gou''er, why did you give yourself such a name?" Soon she understood, remembering that the talented boy in Dafang always carried his own name because of his young age. People laugh at the same name as Gou''er and Heizi.


    A look of distress flashed in her eyes, and she nodded repeatedly: "Gou''er, no, Ting''er is a different scholar, and the name is so nice. From now on, my sister won''t call you Gou''er, and I won''t let outsiders call you that. It''s called Tingxiang." Anyway, in her heart, whatever the dog says is good,


    Xue Gouzi, no, he should be called Xue Tingxiang now, and he feels a little depressed. He is only less than two years younger than Zhao''er, but he is a deep ravine that he will not be able to cross in his life. Having said that, he said again: "Also, can you stop calling yourself sister to me in the future?"


    This time, Zhao''er was even more surprised, and even reached out to touch his forehead: "Ting''er, what''s wrong with you? Did you have some evil? You didn''t call me sister since you were a child."


    Xue Tingxiang took a deep breath and smiled: "But you are not my sister, you will be my daughter-in-law in the future, no man calls his wife a sister."


    He was originally pale, half leaning on the quilt at the top of the kang, and suddenly smiled, with clear eyes and brows, which made people dare not look directly at him.


    Zhao''er''s face turned red all of a sudden, and he couldn''t make sense of what he said: "Dog, you, what are you talking about, I, I..."


    "Don''t you want to be my daughter-in-law and have a baby for me?" He moved closer.


    She stood up abruptly, and reprimanded: "You little kid, why are you talking about this? Your hair hasn''t grown fully yet!" She said a foul language that Xue Tingxiang didn''t like to hear the most, and she didn''t realize it: "You want to The thing to do is to take care of your body, as for these things, we will talk about them later!"


    Her eyes were fierce, and her tone was also fierce. After she finished speaking, she lowered her head and scooped rice from the bowl to Xue Tingshan''s mouth. He glanced at her, ate honestly, and suddenly became in a good mood.


    Maybe the two of them can change the way they get along in the future, and change it if they don''t like it, there is no need to wait for her to understand.


    *


    Zhao''er threw away the mess, turned around and went back to the house, leaving the whole family to finish their lunch in a depressing atmosphere.


    During this period, Sun had nothing to say to her, but no one paid any attention to her.


    Yang couldn''t eat, if it wasn''t for her parents-in-law, if she didn''t want to embarrass herself in front of the two younger siblings, she would have thrown her chopsticks and left. But now he can only suppress the aggrieved stomach, and eat the food in front of him like chewing wax.


    After dinner, Mrs. Sun took Mao Dan away, knowing that her son got into trouble today, and she was afraid that she would be angered later. Mrs. Zhou took Xue Taoer to clean up the table, and took the dishes and chopsticks to the kitchen to wash. Xue Qingbai helped her, Zhou could not carry such a pot of dishes by himself, usually when Xue Qingbai was not at home, she and her daughter could only carry them.


    Only Dafang, mother and son were left in the room, along with Mr. Xue and Mrs. Zhao.


    Yang stood up and wanted to go back to the East Chamber, but was stopped by Mr. Xue.


    Mr. Xue took out his dry pipe, took out some shredded tobacco grown by himself from the dark blue tobacco pouch, rolled it into a ball, pressed it into the tobacco pot, and then lit it with a torch.


    His movements are very slow, neither fast nor slow. Anyone who is familiar with Mr. Xue''s character knows that he has something on his mind.


    It''s true that there is something wrong, and if it''s not something, he won''t call his daughter-in-law to stop.


    "The handsome boy and the talented boy go back to the house first. Grandpa has something to say to your mother."


    Xue Youcai glanced at his mother and wanted to say something, but was dragged away by his elder brother Xue Juncai.


    "Father, just tell me if you have anything to say."


    Mrs. Yang is thirty-four this year. In the countryside, a woman in her thirties is no longer considered young. Here, the wind blows and the sun shines and eats, so the women look old.


    But Yang''s maintenance is very good, her face is like a disc, her skin is fair, and there are a few fine lines at the corners of her eyes. She was wearing a worn-out stone blue satin gown with make-up, her shiny black hair was pulled into a bun behind her head, a gilt hairpin was inserted into it, and a pair of old silver earrings were on her ears. It can''t be called onion tip, but it is also white and soft, wearing a gold ring.


    It is not an exaggeration to say that she is the grandma of the landlord''s family in this dress and bearing, even the Zhao family is not as good as her.


    With his old eyes, Mr. Xue moved Yang back and forth a few times, making her stand uneasy.


    Just as I was about to say something, my father-in-law said suddenly: "Boss daughter-in-law, how long have you been married to our family?"


    Yang was startled, and replied: "Seventeen years, my daughter-in-law married into the Xue family in the seventeenth year."


    "Then how will your mother and I treat you?"


    Yang''s heart skipped a beat: "Father and mother treat their daughter-in-law like their own daughters."


    Mr. Xue nodded, took a puff of the dry cigarette, and the light blue smoke began to linger on his old face again, making it difficult to see the expression on his face clearly.


    "You are the eldest daughter-in-law of our family, and your mother has always loved you. You and the boss have the same heart as your mother and I. I only wish that you can become a talent."


    Yang''s heart relaxed, and she couldn''t help laughing: "Juncai is serious about his studies, even my father said that he is a rare and good seedling, and it is no problem to be a scholar."


    Speaking of Xue Juncai who is the most proud, even Mr. Xue couldn''t help showing a smile.


    Seeing that the father-in-law''s face softened, Yang took advantage of the situation and said: "It''s just that you know, father, that when it''s time to end, you don''t have to just sit at home and study. Thinking back then, Juncai''s father also listened to my father''s words, I went to Qinghe Academy to study for two years, met some classmates, and registered in front of my husband. I took the opportunity to impress the county magistrate, and I passed the county exam. The ranking of the county exam As long as it is not bad, the government examination is not to say that it is sure, but it is half sure. It''s just that you have to rely on luck when you get to the hospital examination, and Juncai''s father is unlucky, so he will fail repeatedly."


    This is the real reason why Yang Shi is valued by the old couple in the Xue family, not only because her father is a child, but also because her father was kind to Xue Qingshan in the past.


    And Yang''s statement seems absurd, but it is true. The two county examinations are not as strictly controlled as the hospital examination, especially the county examination, which is presided over by the magistrate of the county.


    There are five county exams in total, and the results of the first exam are mainly to be judged. And this time, there are two stereotyped essays and one poem. As long as there are no typos and fluent essays, you can pass them all.


    Compared with people he doesn''t know well at all, the magistrate is still willing to pick people who are somewhat familiar.


    And going to a good school to study is to provide an opportunity to stand out in front of the county magistrate. Dachang has always attached great importance to the selection of talents. How many scholars can be produced in this county, and even a son can be a Jinshi, which is considered a political achievement. No matter how fatuous and incompetent the county magistrate, this kind of cutscene must go.


    And being able to enter a good school will not only increase your contacts, but also your vision.


    For example, the county examinations are nothing more than the Four Books and Five Classics and the sacred edicts. How to write and what taboos should not be violated all need guidance. No matter how wonderful your article is, if you violate taboos such as temple taboos, royal names, and holy taboos, you will not take it.


    And in places like the countryside, many private schools are opened by old children for the sake of making a living, and I still want to be a scholar to change my fortune, so how can I teach middle school children in every detail.


    Xue Qingshan himself was like this, that''s why he put all his energy into sending Xue Juncai to Qinghe Academy.


    Yang thought that her father-in-law wanted to tell her about sending Xue Juncai to the school, so she said this. Little did they know that her words really touched Mr. Xue''s mind, but Mr. Xue didn''t intend to tell her these things.


    Mr. Xue took a deep breath of dry cigarettes, and said: "The boss you said has been told to me, and we will talk about this matter later. You are Juncai''s mother, and there is nothing wrong with planning for your son, but you have to know that our family It¡¯s not just Dafang¡¯s family.¡±


    The father-in-law''s tone was a bit meaningful, Yang was startled for a moment, and forced a smile: "Father, of course my daughter-in-law knows that the Xue family is not just ours, but don''t worry, if Juncai''s father and Juncai are promising, they will never forget to be filial to you My mother." Seeing her father-in-law''s complexion was gloomy, she hurriedly added: "There are other people in the family, Juncai always remembers that he can study, thanks to a few uncles and aunts."


    Mr. Xue nodded: "If you understand, you should know that the other three families have been sacrificing for the eldest house. I won''t mention the far ones, just talk about the third and fourth children. The land in the house refers to the third and fourth children Kindly, your father is getting old, and his hands and feet are not as sharp as before. The fourth child has to pick up goods and sell them when he is busy with the house. I don¡¯t know how many pairs of shoes he has to wear out in a year, but all the money he earns is handed over to the public. , I haven¡¯t paid a penny. What is everyone working so hard for? It¡¯s not for our family, but for Dafang.¡±


    Yang''s complexion became forced: "Father, why is this all for our eldest family? Juncai''s father is promising, isn''t it because the Xue family has a good face? Because Juncai''s father was born in Tongsheng, no one in the village would look at us highly, even that The Zheng family, don¡¯t you also give us three points of courtesy to the Xue family. This is for the overall situation, for the future generations of our Xue family..."


    Old Master Xue sighed and interrupted: "Father understands what you said, and so does your mother. But as the saying goes, if the board is not on your body, of course you don''t feel pain. You put yourself in the position of the third and fourth child , What do you think? I have done the most work, and I can¡¯t even put my good words into my mouth, and it¡¯s all in other people¡¯s mouths.¡±


    These words were in line with what Zhao''er said just now, Yang''s face turned red immediately, her round face flushed red.


    "Father, why did you call this into my mouth, I..."


    Mr. Xue ignored her, and went to scold Mrs. Zhao again: "There is also you, who is biased in front of people. You just continue to do it, so that the third and fourth are chilled, and they make a fuss about separating from the family. You go there Planted for the boss and talented people to take the imperial examination!"


    At the end, his tone was full of sighs of hatred for iron.


    Mrs. Zhao didn''t want to listen to this anymore, and muttered: "What do you mean I am biased? Why am I biased? Didn''t I think that the boss and Juncai want to study, and studying is a waste of brain, so I should give them more supplements. Don''t those who are good? It fell into my mouth."


    The more she spoke, the angrier she became, and she couldn''t help cursing: "Separate the family, don''t they want to turn the world upside down, if the parents don''t separate, even if I can spare them, the ancestors'' family law can''t forgive them."


    Old Master Xue smiled wryly. If it wasn''t for these two old things and the family law of the ancestors, the family would not be like this a long time ago.


    He shifted his gaze to Mrs. Yang: "You also understand the situation at home. Can your mother and I manage it for a while, or for a lifetime? Since you want to send Juncai to study in the school in the town, you should win over the third and fourth bedroom. "


    "Father, I..."


    "In the past, your mother doted on you. I never said it. You can tell which is right and which is wrong. But from tomorrow onwards, you and the third and fourth families will share the work at home. "


    After Mr. Xue finished speaking, he stopped talking and just smoked his own cigarette with a sullen head. Yang couldn''t stand here either, and hurried out of the main room with her head down.


    *


    As soon as Mrs. Zhou cleaned up the kitchen and came out, she saw her sister-in-law returning to the east chamber with her head down, her expression was not very good.


    Her eyes flickered, and she glanced towards the south end of the west wing, which was a four-bedroom house.


    There was a faint person behind the window facing the courtyard in the fourth room, and Mrs. Zhou knew that Mrs. Sun had been watching the movement. She pretended not to notice, wiped her hands on the apron, and went back to the house.


    When it was time to cook in the evening, Mrs. Yang was wearing coarse clothes, which was rare, and came to the kitchen to compete with Mrs. Zhou for work.


    Mrs. Zhou couldn''t even refuse, so Mrs. Yang smiled and said that Mrs. Zhou had worked hard, so she just let her rest.


    Mrs. Zhou was pushed out of the kitchen by her, and she happened to meet Mrs. Sun who was standing at the door of the west chamber. There was also surprise in their eyes.


    But what surprised them was yet to come, because from this day on, Mrs. Yang changed her previous attitude and started doing all kinds of work. Although it was many years of not touching her hands, she was clumsy in doing things now, but she did it.


    Not only cooking, but also being very generous, often actively persuade Mrs. Zhao to take some money, or buy some meat or bring out some eggs, and cook dishes for the family to eat.


    The sparks that had been stirred up by Zhao''er''s words in the Xue family were suppressed just like that. During this period, Xue Tingxiang''s body finally recovered, and he had the strength to walk around.


    This day, after getting up early in the morning and having breakfast, Zhao''er planned to go to town.


    The rags she brought back from the embroidery workshop have all been made into things like purses and embroidered shoes. After saving for many days, it should be sold in the embroidery workshop.


    She put everything into the back basket, and before leaving, she told Xue Tingxiang that the weather was fine today and asked him to go out to bask in the sun more often.


    Xue Tingxiang nodded and agreed honestly, and then she went out with peace of mind.


    Not long after she left, Xue Tingxiang walked out of the house.


    The yard is very quiet, the curtains of the doors of each room are all lowered, and it is hard to see if anyone is there.

 Chapter 29

    Zhao''er was in a turbulent mood, and it took him a while to regain his composure.


    After she calmed down, she asked Shen Ping: "Shopkeeper Shen, these clothes only cost two taels in total. Will the pawnshop lose money? Are you doing it just to take care of me..."


    Zhao''er didn''t finish the rest of the sentence, Shen Ping also understood.


    He laughed a little, but he appreciated Zhao''er''s frankness of not wanting to take advantage of others: "These were sold to a garment shop or an embroidery workshop, and the price was the same. Regardless of the quantity, there are not many good ones that can be sold at a reasonable price." The ones have already been picked away."


    Zhao''er thinks about it too, the eyes of the county people are naturally different from those of the country people, let alone this kind of big pawn shop, what is bad in their eyes is actually good for the country people to see.


    She breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "I want the bag of clothes from shopkeeper Shen, and I''ll give you the money right now."


    "Are you rich now?"


    Of course she is rich, Zhao''er now has more than two taels of silver in total, and just now Su Lan gave her another five taels, which is naturally enough.


    At the same time, Shen Ping laughed a bit, "Well, I forgot that you have visited her before, so I came here, and she won''t take advantage of me." The voice was very small, almost like a murmur, Zhao''er only cares about it. I had to look at the clothes, but I didn''t hear clearly.


    "I''ll find a guy to call a car for you, and you, a little girl, can''t transport these things."


    "Thank you, Shopkeeper Shen."


    After seeing Zhao''er off, Shen Ping turned around and went into the pawn shop.


    Although he is called the third shopkeeper, he is not the third shopkeeper of this store, but the third shopkeeper of the entire ''Herongsheng'', and he will only stay in Xia County permanently under his deliberate request.


    Shen Ping is the son of the Shen family, his father is the chief manager of the Shen residence, and he has been a servant with the third young master Shen Fu since he was a child. It was not until he became an adult that he was released to become a shopkeeper.


    "If she comes again next time, just do as I told you before."


    "Yes, shopkeeper."


    *


    Just after noon, the clerk Ah Cai came to deliver meals to Xue Tingxiang.


    Boss Chen said it was simple food, but in fact the food was not bad, with one meat and one vegetable, and one soup. Xue Tingxiang knew very well that Boss Chen was taking care of him deliberately. How could anyone hire someone to copy books, take care of tea and food, and the wages they paid were not low.


    It was because he knew it in his heart that he didn''t say no. In this case, the refusal retained his character, but it seemed too petty and hypocritical.


    It can only be repaid in the future, Xue Tingxiang thought lightly in his heart.


    After eating, when the man came to clean up the dishes, he said that he could rest for an hour. There is a chaise longue available in this room, and of course you can go to the front to read a book to pass the time.


    In fact, the latter sentence is the key point, Xue Tingxiang was not pretentious, after cleaning his hands, he went forward.


    This store may not seem big, but it has a lot of books of all kinds, ranging from rural tales to books about the imperial examination, and there are many books about the imperial examination.


    Since the former dynasty, the imperial examination has used eight-legged essays as the standard style, with strict regulations, and even restrictions on the length of sentences, the number of words, the level of rhymes, and even the scope of questions.


    Stereotype essays take questions from the Four Books and Five Classics, and are composed of eight parts: breaking the title, inheriting the title, starting the lecture, starting, starting the essay, middle section, back section, and binding the section. It seems rigid and rigid, but in fact it is not easy to do a good stereotyped essay. If you really think that only reading the Four Books and Five Classics is enough, you are wrong. Not to mention astronomy and geography, at least you have to be involved in all aspects, so that you can write a good article full of flowers and content.


    In that dream, Xue Tingxiang won the Jinshi with the 21st place in the second class, and was admitted to the Hanlin Academy after passing through the hall. He should have been on a steady rise since then, but because he offended someone, a majestic Hanlin was sent down. The kind of place where the birds don''t shit is an official.


    Xue Tingxiang pursed his lips slightly, feeling that he was thinking too much, after all, he is not even a child now, let''s think about the present.


    So, without thinking too much, he took out a book from the bookcase and read it quietly.


    During this period, customers from the bookstore came to sell some pens, ink, paper and inkstones, or came to buy books, always interrupting Xue Tingxiang''s reading.


    Seeing this, Boss Chen said: "Brother Xue, you can take the book to the back and read."


    Xue Tingxiang looked at him in surprise: "This..."


    "It''s okay, it''s not bad for your book."


    Xue Tingxiang was silent, bowed deeply in salute, and then went back.


    When Xue Tingxiang woke up, he heard Boss Chen talking outside and Zhao''er''s voice at the same time.


    "Where did you get this big bag?" Boss Chen looked at Zhao''er in surprise, and asked for the bag at her feet that was much bigger than her.


    Zhao''er was sweating profusely and said: "Uncle Chen, I got it from the county, and so did the man from the car dealership. They only helped me to the intersection and left me behind. I wanted to be dragged to the car dealership. But thinking that my brother is still here..."


    Boss Chen laughed, and called his assistant: "Ah Cai, come and help little brother Zhao''er carry the things in." Then he said to Zhao''er: "Come in and have a drink and rest before leaving."


    "Uncle Chen, what a shame."


    "When you were bargaining with me, you were never polite, but now you are more polite." Boss Chen pretended to stare.


    Generally speaking, Boss Chen is an elegant and humorous person.


    Xue Tingxiang also came out to help, and asked, "What''s in it? Why is it so heavy? Where did you get it?"


    Not to mention it was really heavy, Ah Cai tried a few times but couldn''t lift it, only three people could lift it.


    "I got it from a pawn shop. If I can sell this package, my sister will have enough money to send you to the Qinghe Academy."


    Zhao''er hadn''t realized that he had slipped up, but Xue Tingxiang had. He glanced at Boss Chen, and Zhao''er understood what he said at this moment, and looked at Boss Chen with some guilt: "Uncle Chen, I will explain to you later."


    She was a little anxious, and without asking the two of them to help, she lifted the big bag and carried it on her shoulders. The big bag pushed her to one side, but she still stopped, and she quickly carried the things inside.


    Ah Cai praised: "It doesn''t look like she is strong, she is so strong."


    Here, Xue Tingxiang looked at the back and pursed the corners of his mouth, while Boss Chen''s eyes darkened.


    Xue Tingxiang looked up at Boss Chen, and walked towards him.


    ...


    Zhao''er found a place to put down the big bag, then went to wash his hands and face to clean up his body, and then A Cai led him to see Boss Chen.


    Seeing Boss Chen, Zhao''er felt a little guilty. But she didn''t intend to continue to lie to Boss Chen, because Boss Chen is a good person. Not to mention the benefits he gave her before, just because he asked the little man to copy books for such a high price, let him read books here, and take care of the lunch at noon, Zhao''er can no longer continue to deceive.


    In fact, Zhao''er is not a liar, it''s just that she concealed her gender, and then the so-called workmanship is just collecting some vegetables and selling them to make some purses or something.


    "Uncle Chen..."


    Boss Chen sighed and waved his hands: "Okay, you don''t need to say anymore, you are a girl, and you are really embarrassing."


    Zhao''er looked surprised, her round eyes widened.


    Boss Chen laughed a little and said, "Your little husband has already told me everything."


    "He, what did he say..." Zhao''er stammered, still in disbelief. Because she knows that the little man always pays attention to face and has a lot of thoughts, and she doesn''t like to mention her as his child bride-in-law in front of outsiders, and the Xue family''s bad things.


    "I''ve said everything that needs to be said." After a pause, Boss Chen asked, "Look at how surprised you are, isn''t it still a secret?"


    Zhao''er laughed awkwardly, and faltered: "That''s not true, it''s just that he''s young, and people in our village hate him. People always think that I''m older than him, and my daughter-in-law teases men and laughs at him."


    The same sentence sounds different to different people.


    Boss Chen couldn''t help but want to laugh, but Xue Tingxiang outside had mixed feelings in his heart.


    That''s why she always called herself sister, so in the dream he was old, but she didn''t want to marry him. Or he ignored her wishes and insisted on marrying him with his parents'' orders.


    She actually understood her awkward state of mind. He told himself not to be surprised by what other people said, but he cared about it in his heart, so even if the two got married, they couldn''t do it together.


    She actually knew everything, yet she relied on him for everything! Follow him!


    While the mood was churning, the topic was changed inside.


    "I just heard from you that you plan to save money to send him to Qinghe Academy?"


    Zhao''er nodded, seeing the strange expression on Boss Chen''s face, she couldn''t help but ask, "Is that school bad?"


    "Take the road of opportunism, and it won''t last long."


    Zhao''er didn''t quite understand what he heard, but he also knew that it was not a good word.


    "If you want to help him find a good book academy, I have something to recommend. It''s just..." Boss Chen sighed suddenly: "Well, let me tell you that you don''t understand either. Let''s talk about it later."


    Zhao''er nodded in a daze.


    It was not too early to meet later, and the two planned to return to Yuqing Village.


    Because the big bag of clothes was too much, and it would be eye-catching to bring back, Boss Chen asked Zhao''er to put the things in his shop temporarily. Anyway, there are still a few vacant rooms behind the shop, so just find a place to put them.


    The two went back to the village by car, because after time, only the ox cart could be used, so the two sat on the ox cart and walked back bumping back and forth.


    Halfway along the road, a mule cart came head-on.


    The driver was a man, dark and tall. When he got closer, he could see his appearance clearly. He had thick eyebrows and tiger eyes, a high nose bridge, and he was very heroic. His sleeves were half rolled up above his elbows, and his arms seemed to be full of muscles. He looked like a powerful man.


    Xue Tingxiang saw the person coming at a glance, and his pupils shrank immediately.


    He glanced at Zhao''er next to him, saw her with her head half down, and he was relieved.


    But the visitor still saw them, his eyes lit up, and he raised his voice and shouted: "Zhaoer."


    Zhao''er looked over and immediately smiled: "Brother Jiang Wu, where are you going?"


    Jiang Wu tightened the reins and stopped the mule cart.


    "I''m going to town, are you going back? Get out of the car, and I''ll see you off."


    Zhao''er hesitated and said, "Don''t you still want to go to town? Anyway, we''ve already got in the car, so you should do your own work."


    "I don''t have anything to do. I just went to Lao Li''s place to have a look. Originally, my father said that I would go tomorrow and buy some things on the way back. It doesn''t matter whether I go or not. Come on, this car is slow and bumpy. My car is still faster." Jiang Wu said to Zhao''er with a smile, completely unaware that the face of the owner of the bullock cart turned black.


    Seeing this, Zhao''er didn''t let the owner of the ox cart stop, and jumped off from above. After taking two steps over there, I realized that I had forgotten the person.


    While letting the owner of the bullock cart stop, she said to Xue Tingxiang: "Come on down, let''s go back in Brother Jiang Wu''s car." With her beaming face, she was in a good mood.

 Chapter 30

    Bringing this up is old stuff.


    At the beginning, Zhao''er felt sorry for Xue Tingxiang, so she saved some money to buy paper for him to practice calligraphy. Who would have thought that this paper was much more expensive than she imagined. Even the worst yellow bamboo paper costs 40 Wen a knife, but that day Zhaoer collected all the money on his body, but only 30 Wen.


    In order to get the boss to sell the paper to her at a lower price, Zhao''er worked with the boss for a long time. He even made up the pretense that he had a hard-working younger brother. Later, she came to buy it several times, all at the previous price, but she became acquainted with Boss Chen.


    Boss Chen praised her for her noble character, earning hard money, but still supporting her younger brother''s education. Usually, when she comes to buy paper, she almost always buys half and gives half away.


    Normally, Zhao''er would accept this kind of talk with a cheeky face, but today with Xue Tingxiang around, she was inevitably a little embarrassed, for fear that Boss Chen would slip up and make the little man look down on her for lying.


    Zhao''er has suffered, so she knows the skills of survival, but the little man doesn''t, especially the scholar is very pedantic, so every time she encounters such a situation where the two people''s ideas conflict, she will always subconsciously go away. Avoid these.


    Within a day, two people said that they were his younger brothers, which made Xue Tingxiang very unhappy. Naturally, he didn''t notice Zhao''er''s hidden thoughts. When he came back to his senses, Zhao''er had already talked with the boss, and even showed him the copy of "Hundred Surnames" that he had copied overnight.


    "This is your brother? He looks handsome, but a little thinner." Boss Chen is a middle-aged man in his forties, with a goatee and elegant body. Wearing a scholar''s shirt, he doesn''t look like a business boss, but a scholar.


    "He was sick for a while a while ago, and he got better recently."


    "No wonder I haven''t seen you here for a long time." While talking, Boss Chen took the manuscript that Zhao''er handed over, whether it was bound or paper quality, it was very poor.


    He knew in his heart that this kind of peasant boy could not write very good characters, but he admired this young man named Zhao''er, so he planned not to criticize too much even if he really did not do well, just say some mild words and refuse it. up.


    If the level is not bad and the words can still be read, it is not impossible to give him some casual work, just as a help.


    But when Boss Chen saw the writing on the yellow bamboo paper, he was still taken aback.


    "He wrote this word?" Boss Chen looked at Xue Tingxiang in surprise, and went to flip through the manuscript in his hand.


    His expression was so weird that Zhao''er had a bad feeling in his heart. She couldn''t help wondering if the little man''s handwriting was not good, after all, no one had ever praised the little man''s handwriting, even Xue Qingshan said that his handwriting was like a spring worm and autumn snake.


    Although Zhao''er doesn''t know what spring worms and autumn snakes are, she understands the sad look on the little man''s face, and she knows it means poor writing.


    But she didn''t think it was the little man''s fault. He even had to pick and use the paper that could practice calligraphy. Can he write well? It was that time that she lost her temper, collected vegetables and sold them in the town, and saved a sum of money to buy Xue Tingxiang''s first piece of paper in her life.


    It was a whole knife, not a few pieces given as a charity from Xue Qingshan or Xue Juncai.


    Zhao''er''s head felt cold for a while, and she couldn''t help wondering if she was too blind to the little man at ordinary times, or if she flattered her too much. She was not afraid of anything else, but she was afraid that if Boss Chen said something unpleasant later, the little man would not be able to stand the blow.


    Thinking of this, she hurriedly turned her back and made a gesture to Boss Chen, leading him aside, then said to him in a low voice: "Uncle Chen, if my younger brother''s handwriting is really bad, can you..."


    "Can you do something?" Immediately, Boss Chen understood and said with a smile: "You kid too, even if you have a heart of love and affection, you should not deceive him, but point out his shortcomings, so that he will to make progress.¡±


    His voice was a bit loud, Xue Tingxiang over there must have heard it, Zhao''er blushed, but Na Na didn''t know what to say.


    Boss Chen said again: "But your brother''s handwriting is really good, he must be a famous teacher."


    He walked up to Xue Tingxiang in a few steps, and saluted with cupped fists: "I don''t know who my little friend is your teacher?" He said hesitantly in his eyes, because the poor boy in front of him, who was dressed in coarse cloth and short brown, really didn''t seem to be able to learn from anyone. Famous teachers.


    Just his words...


    Since Boss Chen runs a book shop, he is either a hobby or a ancestral business. In fact, Boss Chen has both, which can be regarded as the origin of family education. He also passed the exam several times when he was young, but he stopped at being a scholar. However, he was not interested in being an official, so he turned around and took care of his ancestral business. It is also a great thing in life to meet a few literary friends, play chess, drink tea, taste calligraphy and painting together.


    From his point of view, although this son''s handwriting is immature, he already has a strong character.


    We must know that the shape is easy to get, but the spirit is hard to find. Master Yan and Master Liu have always been collectively called "Yan Jin Liu Gu", which is enough to show the characteristics of Yan body. However, Xue Tingxiang''s calligraphy has already possessed its fundamentals. As long as it does not go astray, in time, he will definitely be a great calligrapher of a generation.


    How did he know that Xue Tingxiang deliberately hid the edge of his pen in order to hide himself, and it took most of the night to finish copying the book that could have been copied in half an hour at most. Otherwise, if the word is taken out, Boss Chen will definitely think it is someone''s calligraphy.


    Just when Boss Chen was thinking about it, Xue Tingxiang had already answered: "I don''t have a teacher."


    "Just copying?"


    "I''ve been to "Yan Qinli Monument" before."


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t lie, he did only copy "Yan Qinli Monument", this set of copybooks is Xue Qingshan''s favorite treasure, and he never let people touch it. And the reason why he was lucky enough to see and touch it once was that Xue Jun, who was still young at that time, was shown off in front of him.


    Because of this incident, he was extremely impressed with "Yan Qinli Monument", and even became obsessed with it. Later, after some money at home, Zhao''er bought a set with him, and the first font he learned was Yanti.


    "Just came across "Yan Qin Li Monument"?"


    Xue Tingxiang nodded.


    Boss Chen''s eyes became brighter, and he sighed after a long time: "Perhaps you have a talent in this field that is difficult for others to surpass. I hope you practice hard and don''t slack off. That''s all, let''s talk about business. Your handwriting is very good. In my opinion It''s passed here."


    He walked inside the counter, took a book and handed it to Xue Tingxiang.


    "I have a copy of "University Chapters and Sentences" here. You can take it back and try it out. I will provide the pen and ink. After copying, if the finished product is not inferior to the standard of this book, I will pay you a tael of silver."


    "One tael of silver? Uncle Chen, isn''t that too much?" Zhao''er asked in surprise.


    Uncle Chen laughed: "Do you know how many characters are in this book? And do you know how much money I will resell this book for?"


    After finishing speaking, he continued to say to Xue Tingxiang: "It is reasonable to say that it is to be copied in my book shop. If you take the book back and copy it, you need to pay some pledged money or things. I know your brother well, so forget it." Well, how long do you think it will take to finish copying?"


    Xue Tingxiang hesitated for a moment, and said: "Since Boss Chen has rules here, how about the boy copying here? I just hope that Boss Chen will be more flexible. Can you let the boy read a few books here in his spare time?"


    Boss Chen was taken aback for a moment, and then he understood. He took a deep look at this thin but neither humble nor overbearing boy.


    "Can!"


    "Then thank you Boss Chen first, don''t worry, the boy will definitely not damage the books here."


    Zhao''er kept silent until the end of the conversation, and then pulled Xue Tingxiang aside to speak.


    "Do you really want to copy books here? It would be nice to take it home. If you are afraid that Boss Chen won''t allow it, I still have some money to pledge."


    "You don''t think this is a good place."


    Xue Tingxiang looked back at the room full of books, he himself had only read a limited number of books, and in the memory of ''Xue Tingxiang'', many memories about this aspect were blurred.


    But life is his, and he wants to move forward step by step. It doesn''t mean that he has a dream, and he will definitely be the chief assistant in the future, and he will definitely be able to pass the Jinshi examination. After all, even Xue Tingxiang in the dream had to put in a lot of hard work and go through many detours before he could reach the first rank of official residence step by step.


    Of course Zhao''er understood what he meant, but she was very worried about suddenly leaving the little man outside alone. She was thinking about finding an excuse to stay here with him, but Boss Chen said from the side: "Okay, you don''t have to worry about your brother, can you lose it with me? You don''t have to sell vegetables to work today? Hurry up. "


    In the eyes of Boss Chen, Zhao''er is a hard-working brother who supports his younger brother by selling vegetables in the town.


    "Uncle Chen, I''m leaving now."


    She hurriedly took out a dozen or so copper coins from her pocket and handed them to Xue Tingxiang: "I should come to find you for lunch at noon, if not, you can buy it yourself, right here..."


    "Copy books here, and you can have a light meal at noon." Boss Chen interrupted again.


    Zhao''er was still rambling: "You still have the money, you can buy whatever you want, and I will pick you up in the afternoon."


    "You''d better pick up your work and finish it first, don''t worry your brother won''t lose it."


    This Uncle Chen!


    Zhao''er couldn''t go on talking anymore, and ran out of the bookstore almost in despair.


    After the person had left, Boss Chen teased with a smile: "Your brother treats you very well."


    Xue Tingxiang smirked, "It''s pretty good, like a little hen who doesn''t care about her chicks. For some reason, he actually thought of this sentence.


    After that, under the guidance of the shop assistant, he went to a room behind the shop.


    The layout of this room is simple, but it is elegant. It can be seen that Boss Chen is an elegant person. The best thing about this house is that there is a large window facing the outside yard, and there is a set of tables and chairs, which is completely different from Xue Tingxiang''s imagination of being hidden in a dark room without light.


    The clerk even brought a basin of water for him to wash his hands, prepared pens, ink, paper and inkstone, etc., and said he could call him if he had anything to do, so he went down.


    Xue Tingxiang came to the water basin, dipped his hands in the water, rubbed them gently a few times, and wiped them dry with a cloth towel beside him, before going to the desk and sitting down.


    He grinds the ink first. Grinding ink can well adjust people''s emotions and achieve a ''quiet'' state.


    After the ink was polished, his mind was empty at this moment. He rolled up his sleeves to write, and his hands were empty, only to realize that he was wearing a short brown at this time, where there were no sleeves, so naturally he was not afraid of staining the sleeves.


    All this was just for a moment, he didn''t care about it, and wrote quietly.


    But Boss Chen, who was standing outside the door, was a little skeptical, and couldn''t help but wonder if this son was from a famous family, but it''s a pity that his family has fallen, rather than a poor kid. His words and deeds, and even his demeanor, don''t look like those from a poor family at all.


    After thinking for a while, but unable to figure out why, Boss Chen shook his head and went back to the front.


    What is compared is knowledge, and what is compared is also future.


    They were all from humble backgrounds, and of course they knew how difficult it was to study in a farming family, so before Xue Tingshan said that the Xue family never forgot to cultivate their children and grandchildren while they settled down, Qiao Xiucai praised them greatly.


    Because he knew that this matter seemed insignificant, but it was actually too difficult for farmers. How many families had the idea of ??changing their own destiny by reading books.


    It can be said that those who are born in a poor family in the countryside and can achieve great fame have all experienced great hardships. The starting point is much lower than others. It takes countless efforts to catch up with others, and at the same time they have to face all kinds of cruel competition.


    This kind of competition is not only between classmates, but also between the same clan, and even one''s own brothers.


    If you succeed, the sea and the sky will be bright, and you will not be an ordinary person since then. If you fail, you will put down the book and pick up the hoe, and face the loess and the sky for the rest of your life.


    It is because they understand this kind of cruelty that the two of them can''t help but wonder whether this son deliberately said that his knowledge is weak, or he just wants to pull his brother to reduce the difficulty of the question. But this is a double-edged sword. After all, it is a disadvantage to oneself to lose one''s studies to others.


    These thoughts only happened in an instant, and because of the sudden attention of He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai, Xue Qingshan''s eyebrows jumped wildly, for fear that Xue Tingxiang would say something amazing again. At this moment, he couldn''t care less about why Xue Tingxiang knew the explanation of the scriptures, and he completely forgot that his previous idea was that Xue Tingshan didn''t understand the scriptures, and it would be easy for his son to beat him.


    This is also true for Patriarch Xue. If something happens in the clan that cannot be seen by others, it is limited to the clan. If it happens in public, it will be a bit ugly.


    The eyes of the two seemed to have needles, and they were anxiously focused on Xue Tingxiang''s face. Unexpectedly, he smiled shyly and said: "The boy was weak and sick when he was young, so he inevitably fell behind."


    Xue Qingshan hurriedly laughed and said: "That''s exactly the case. Don''t be afraid that the two seniors will laugh at me. My nephew is talented and intelligent, but his weak body hinders his studies."


    Patriarch Xue also nodded in agreement.


    Others didn''t know what was going on, they just opened their eyes and watched. Only Zheng Lizheng seemed to realize that there was something wrong, but he couldn''t tell the details, so he could only keep silent.


    After He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai gave in to each other again, He Xiucai was the main one in the end. Sitting at the top, he said to Xue Tingxiang: "Since you don''t understand the scriptures, it''s a bit unfair to go beyond the scope of what you have learned. You two are still young, and it''s time to lay down the foundation, so I will test your two. Human base."


    Hearing this, although Xue Juncai was a little disappointed that he was overqualified and missed his opportunity to perform, he also felt disdainful.


    If you don''t test the scriptures, then Xue Tingxiang is not his opponent!


    He Xiucai squeezed his beard with his hands, and after pondering for a while, said: "Zhu Zi said: the size of learning is inherently different, but it is the way, it is only one. It is also suitable for young people. If you don''t learn it in elementary school, you will have nothing to learn. Its heart, to cultivate its virtue, is the foundation of the university. The two of you will each silently write a "Disciple Regulations."

 Chapter 31

    Xue Tingxiang looked at the woman who was talking to him, and said with a smile, "Auntie, I''ll just walk around."


    It was just a casual remark, but the woman didn''t say anything more to him, she turned to get something in the house, and the mother-in-law in the room asked her, "Third daughter-in-law, who were you talking to just now?"


    "The dog of the second room of Xue Lianxing''s family. Hey, mother, it''s strange to say that he just knocked on the door, but I didn''t recognize him for a while. I always feel like a different person."


    Her mother-in-law didn''t take it seriously: "What can I become, but I can''t change my body, I remember that kid has been ill recently."


    The daughter-in-law said: "I see, maybe I plan to go to the back mountain." There is a mountain behind Yuqing Village, where all the dead villagers in the village are buried, and the Xue family''s ancestral grave is also there.


    Hearing this, her mother-in-law sighed: "Don''t even mention it, it''s a pity for the second child of the Xing family. Both of them are gone. It''s a pity to leave a baby."


    This is just gossip between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and while they were talking, Xue Tingxiang had already brought Heizi into the back mountain.


    *


    Houshan is called Houshan, the mountain behind Yuqing Village.


    This mountain has no name and is not high, but it is extremely deep. Anyway, so far, no villager has been able to walk back and forth from this deep mountain and old forest, most of them are activities outside the mountain.


    The Xue family''s ancestral grave was built on a small hill not far from the village. This Xue family is not only Xue Tingxiang''s family, but the ancestors of the entire Xue clan are buried here.


    On such a big hill, the lineage of the patriarch is in the middle, and the branches of the various families spread out. The lineage of Mr. Xue is at a place near the foot of the southwest mountain.


    Because the couple in the second room died young, and Xue Qingsong died in an accident, they were buried at the edge.


    When Xue Tingxiang arrived at the place, he began to pull the grass around the grave mound casually.


    There were not many weeds, they had just been cleared during the Chinese New Year, so he gathered the grass at random and placed it on the ground, taking advantage of the opportunity and sat down in front of the grave.


    A piece of mountainous land, two small graves, in front of each of the graves stood a small bluestone stele, on which the names of the second family and the couple were crudely written.


    This monument was originally recruited to find someone to make it and set it up.


    Nowadays, there are three kinds of people who cannot erect monuments after they die, those who die suddenly, die young, and have no heirs. Xue Qingsong belongs to violent death.


    Although everyone doesn''t say it, people who feel that they died suddenly have resentment after death, which is not conducive to the feng shui of the ancestor''s grave, so no monument is erected. I also want him to forget who he is, so as not to cause trouble if he is ignorant.


    But at the same time, there is another saying that after death without a monument, you will be a lonely ghost, who cannot stand the incense of future generations.


    At the beginning, the funeral of the second wife was arranged by the Xue family, and they acquiesced to follow the old customs. At that time, Xue Tingxiang was still young and didn''t understand these things at all, but Zhao''er understood.


    She talked to Xue''s family about erecting a monument, but was blocked, and Xue''s family took turns to persuade her. Later, Zhao''er didn''t tell anyone about it, and took the money to ask someone to make these two simple monuments and put them in front of the grave.


    It was too late when Xue''s family found out, and they couldn''t tear down the stele in front of the villagers.


    The villagers were also surprised when they saw the stele, but after thinking about how the Xue family''s second child died, they could understand it.


    Therefore, Xue Qingshan also gained a good reputation. He would rather risk his family''s feng shui to erect a monument for his brother.


    With various thoughts spinning in his mind, Xue Tingxiang took out a piece of cloth from his arms and slowly wiped the tombstone.


    The words on it were still written by him, and the strokes are immature, but after all, people can still tell what is written on it.


    ...


    Today is the anniversary of Mr. Zheng''s death. Zheng Hu brought his two sons to the grave to worship.


    The country people are not so particular, they just prepared some steamed buns, wine and meat, and the father and son burned the paper money in front of the grave, so let''s forget about it.


    Zheng Hu had always had a deep relationship with his father, so he was inevitably depressed, so he let his two sons go back first, while he sat in front of the grave, smoking a pipe and talking to his father.


    After talking for a while, he stood up and planned to go back.


    There was still work waiting to be done in the field, and Zheng Hu didn''t want to waste time, so he decided to take a shortcut. When he passed near Xue Lianxing''s ancestral grave, he suddenly heard someone crying.


    There are graves on the two nearby hills, one is of the surname Xue, and the other is of the surname Zheng. This kind of festive day is not like Zheng Hu''s on the anniversary of the death of an elder in the family, but no one would come to this kind of place.


    In particular, there may be a lot of dead people buried here, the trees are dense, and sometimes the sky and day are gloomy. Hearing this strange sound under such circumstances, Zheng Hu was so frightened that his hair stood on end and his legs went limp.


    After all, he had lived for decades. He listened intently and calmly, and it took him a while to understand that it was a boy''s voice.


    Thinking about who''s grave was here, he bravely walked closer, bypassed a big tree, and saw a young man in blue clothes sitting in front of the grave from a distance.


    Next to it was a big black dog wagging its tail.


    It''s the dog of the second room of Xue Lianxing''s family.


    Only then did Zheng Hu heave a sigh of relief, and the voice came into his ears again: "...Father, what do you think I should do? Uncle wants to send brother Juncai to the school in town, I thought I could do the same." Go... But my aunt came to the house a few days ago, but she told me to let Brother Juncai, before..."


    The young man''s voice was full of hesitation and bewilderment, Zheng Hu did not expect to hear the secret affairs of the Xue family in such a place. He was so surprised that the pipe in his hand dropped without realizing it. He didn''t realize it until his foot was hit by the pipe, picked up the pipe in a hurry and left.


    He didn''t know that after he left, the lonely and helpless boy in his eyes stopped crying.


    In the past few days, Xue Tingxiang has been thinking hard, trying to find a suitable opportunity, and somehow he thought of Zheng Hu.


    Zheng Hu''s father, Mr. Zheng, died during the spring plowing. It was not a happy funeral, but an accident. He was accidentally squeezed to the foot of the field by his own cattle and fell to his death.


    The ridge was not very tall, and countless villagers fell off the ridge every year, and Mr. Zheng died unluckily. At the beginning, this incident was widely circulated in the village, so Xue Tingxiang remembered it very clearly.


    Since it was the anniversary of the father''s death, the son Zheng Hu would definitely come to visit the grave, and Zheng Hu used to like to take shortcuts, so he would definitely pass by this area, so who else is more suitable than him.


    The most important thing is that Yuqing Village doesn''t seem big, but Xue and Zheng''s surnames have always been different from each other. Zheng Hu''s uncle is Li Zheng, and if he knows it, Zheng Lizheng will know it too.


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t stay any longer, and quickly returned home with Heizi the same way.


    The yard was still silent, he found a twig and put it in front of the door, and sat there quietly basking in the sun, thinking about Zhao''er who went to the town.


    *


    Zheng Hu hurried all the way, without even returning home, he went to Zheng Lizheng''s house.


    Zheng Li is the Lizheng of Yuqing Village and the head of the Zheng clan. Naturally, the family''s house is the only one in Yuqing Village. If it can be compared with it, it is the house of Patriarch Xue''s family.


    Yishui''s green brick and tile-roofed house, and the courtyard walls are also made of green bricks. The most conspicuous thing is the ancestral hall of the Zheng family on the front, but this ancestral hall will not be opened until a certain time. The two black doors The paulownia gate is closed all year round.


    Going around to the side is the courtyard of Zheng Lizheng''s family.


    The yard is huge, unlike other houses where the barn, barn, kitchen, etc. are all in the front yard, the front yard of Zheng Lizheng''s house is just a big empty yard, only two sycamore trees are planted in the yard. Whenever there is any major event in the village, the courtyard will always be densely packed with people.


    There are three main rooms facing the face, and east and west wing rooms on the left and right, all of which are blue bricks and black tiles, which are extraordinarily magnificent.


    When Zheng Hu arrived, only Zheng Lizheng and his wife Tian Shi were at home.


    As soon as Tian saw his nephew coming, he greeted him: "Huzi, why are you here at this time? Do you have something to do with your uncle?"


    "Hey, there''s something wrong."


    With that said, Zheng Hu hurried into the house. Tian shook her head, thinking that there must be something wrong, since Zheng Hu is usually very steady.


    After Zheng Hu entered, he turned to the east room.


    Sure enough, his uncle Zheng Li was sitting cross-legged on the big kang in the east room, smoking dry cigarettes.


    "Why, in a hurry."


    Zheng Hu sat down on a pier under the kang, panting heavily, unable to speak for a while.


    Zheng Lizheng looked to be in his sixties, with a long face and a pair of medium-sized eyes. From the appearance, he is just an ordinary farmer''s old man, even the clothes he wears are ordinary. There is only that unmoving calmness, which can be seen as a person who has been around the world for a long time.


    With the cigarette holder in his mouth, he pushed the teapot on the kang table forward, Zheng Hu was not polite, stood up and poured a bowl of tea, and drank it down.


    "Uncle, let me tell you, something happened to me today."


    "What''s the matter?"


    "Today is not the anniversary of my father''s death. I took it with me early in the morning..."


    Halfway through Zheng Hu''s speech, Zheng Lizheng sat up from the kang, as if listening seriously.


    Seeing his uncle like this, Zheng Hu knew he had come to the right place. After hearing what the only son of Xue Lianxing''s family cried, he realized that this was an opportunity, an opportunity to suppress the prestige of Xue in Yuqing Village.


    He spoke in more detail, almost repeating every word, while Zheng Li was smoking a pipe, his eyes narrowed.


    *


    Zhao''er didn''t come back until the second half of the afternoon, and when he came back, he looked a little unhappy.


    Xue Tingxiang looked at the basket behind her, every time Zhao''er came back before, the basket was always full, but today he knew that there was nothing in it.


    "What''s wrong?"


    Zhao''er was thinking about it, when the little man asked him, he was taken aback for a moment, and then said: "It''s nothing, I brought you meat buns from the town, and I''ll heat them up for you to eat later."


    How could there be nothing, obviously there is something.


    Xue Tingxiang glanced at her face, but since she didn''t want to say more, he didn''t want to press her.


    Zhao''er went back and forth to the town, covered in dust, she went to the kitchen to boil water, and took a bath in the bathroom. The Xue family has a special room for bathing, in the vegetable field in the backyard. The house is not big, three meters square, the floor is paved with bluestone slabs, and there is a drain in the corner, through which the bath water can flow directly into the vegetable field.


    Taking off her clothes, Zhao''er rubbed the soap horns on her body, but a burst of melancholy came to her heart.


    In fact, something really happened, but she didn''t say it because she was afraid that the little man would worry.


    The way she finally found to get money was robbed.


    The person who robbed was none other than the owner of the embroidery workshop who took her finished product and pocketed the embroidered shoes.


    In fact, Zhao''er is quite clever. He bought rags from the owner of this embroidery workshop, but the finished product was not sold to this one, but to another one. It''s just that she didn''t expect that the two bosses were actually relatives, and she didn''t know how the other party knew. When she went again this time, the other party was unwilling to sell her rags.


    Not only does this embroidery workshop have no rags, but the owner of this embroidery workshop ordered people to buy all the rags from other embroidery workshops. Zhao''er didn''t know about this until after visiting several embroidery workshops.


    She has already made plans to pay for the little man to study in the town. She has asked about the Qinghe Academy, and the beam repair will cost five taels of silver every year. Among them, because many students live too far away, they can choose to study in dormitories. If it is a place to study, the monthly meals, accommodation, etc. are added together, and another one or two taels of silver will be needed.


    In Zhao''er''s heart, she wanted Xue Ting to study overnight. She felt that Xue''s house was not a good place to study, and there were too many messes in the family, which meant that she had to prepare six taels of silver before sending the little man to school.

 Chapter 32

    ;Xue Juncai raised his head in disbelief, he couldn''t believe that he didn''t even think about it, how could Xue Tingxiang have it.


    I saw that gentle and thin young man with his hands behind his back, walking back and forth in the hall for a few steps, Fang said: "The hook is for the old, the hook is for the test, the old test is for the children, and the children are for the old."


    In fact, Xue Tingxiang is not good at reciting poems, but he can''t stand that the person in his dream has lived a long life and has a wide market. There used to be a long-standing joke among scholars¡ª¡ª


    It is said that there was a gray-haired scholar who took the exam, and the examiner knew from his appearance that he was an old boy who failed the exam repeatedly, so he deliberately made things difficult for him: "I have a couplet, if you can match, I will take it." you."


    The old boy felt bitter in his heart, but he didn''t dare to give up.


    The chief examiner asked the question: "If you take the bait, you are old; if you take the bait, you are a tester. If you are an old man, you will be a child. If you are a child, you will be an old man."


    The old boy bowed to Rao, and replied: "One person is great, and two are heaven. Heaven is greater than human affection, and human affection is greater than heaven."


    This flattery was so exquisite that the examiner was too embarrassed to go back on his word, so he had no choice but to choose him as a scholar.


    In fact, upon hearing this story, one knew it was made up. Anyone who has participated in the hospital examination should know what the situation will be. How can the examiner take the initiative to test an old student? The examiner and the examinee will not talk to each other, and it is also for avoidance.


    It was obviously made up by a failed scholar, and it was used as a comforting chat, and because it made people laugh, it spread among scholars. It even extended to the fact that any official in the DPRK was released as an academic officer, or presided over a new department examination, and the official who had a good relationship with him could not help telling the last sentence, but don''t be ''human beings are too big''.


    It is not only a joke, but also an exhortation. There have always been many frauds involved in imperial examinations.


    Xue Tingxiang did not expect to hear this pair here.


    He didn''t feel uneasy because this second line was borrowed, because winning Xue Juncai has always been the biggest obsession in his heart.


    It is now, and it was also in the dream.


    In the dream, he was troubled by this matter for a long time, and after all kinds of hard work, he finally felt proud. It was because of the experience that he knew that this kind of obsession affects a person''s xinxing too much. He has a more ambitious goal, and there are still many things to do, but Xue Juncai is just an obstacle to him now, overcoming him is what he needs to do now.


    As for why he discarded the second couplet he came up with and chose to borrow this. Xue Tingxiang took a look at Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong, and thought it was because of his insignificance that he made fun of them with resentment.


    Obviously, only Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong are Tongsheng, and although this pair is perfect, it is obviously ironic. Old students test children, children students test to old age. This is undoubtedly the greatest ridicule and curse for a person who has failed to pass the entrance examination for many years.


    The faces of the two of them immediately turned purple, but they had to hold back. At this time, He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai had already clapped their hands and praised it.


    "Okay, that''s right!"


    It seemed that everyone had forgotten about Xue Juncai. He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai whispered a few times, and then He Xiucai announced: "After the unanimous decision of the two of us, the winner is Xue Tingxiang and Xue Xiaoyou."


    "Xue Xiaoyou, I hope you can work hard and achieve fame as soon as possible." He said to Xue Tingxiang with a pleasant face.


    "Thank you two seniors for your encouragement, I will definitely work harder." Xue Tingxiang bowed to him.


    While He Qiao and Xue Tingxiang were talking, the villagers standing in the hall and outside the house had already started discussing. Most of them are admiration, but of course there are also those who can''t believe it and question it.


    Among them, the Xue family is the most unbelievable, especially Xue Qingshan. He had suppressed it before, but now he couldn''t help it anymore, stood up and said: "Just relying on these to judge victory or defeat, are the two seniors Too hasty?"


    Seeing that both He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai looked over, he flinched a bit, and then became confident again: "The kid''s pair hasn''t been made yet, so the winner is decided like this..."


    He Xiucai showed displeasure on his face, and ignored him, but asked patriarch Xue with a cold old face: "Could it be that patriarch Xue also disagrees with the conclusions of the two of us?"


    Patriarch Xue dared to offend Mr. Xiucai, he was still two Mr. Xiucai. Besides, from his point of view, Xue Tingxiang''s performance this time was indeed somewhat unexpected, and it was much more talented than Xue Jun. He was an outsider, so he could see it clearly, so he quickly scolded Xue Qingshan and asked him to apologize publicly to the two scholars.


    Xue Juncai was also full of dissatisfaction: "The boy is not convinced either, he has never been as good as me, I just didn''t prepare properly, the two seniors can ask another question, this time the boy will definitely beat him."


    At this time, a woman squeezed in from the crowd outside the door.


    Her clothes are disheveled and her hair is messy. It is Mrs. Yang.


    Yang stumbled in and cried, "My son can''t lose, you two must have been bribed to hurt my son on purpose."


    This remark made a big fuss, especially on such an occasion, when a woman rushed in and made a loud noise, not only He Qiao and the two scholars showed anger, but even several village elders present repeatedly reprimanded them as inappropriate.


    "Ridiculous, really ridiculous! Could it be that Li Zheng and the patriarch thought we were bribed?"


    "You two scholars, don''t be angry. This woman has long hair but short knowledge. She is talking nonsense."


    "Lian Xing, don''t get your shrew back!"


    The old man Xue beside him was so anxious that he didn''t know what to do, but as a father-in-law, he couldn''t help his daughter-in-law, so he had to ask his eldest son Xue Qingshan to take his wife away quickly.


    It''s just that Xue Qingshan still wants an explanation at this time, so how could he care about this.


    There was a lot of trouble on the field, He Xiucai wanted to leave, and Qiao Xiucai didn''t want to stay longer. Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng repeatedly tried to persuade them to stay, and at the same time angrily reprimanded them to get rid of these people quickly.


    Qiao Xiucai sneered, and did not reprimand Xue Juncai, but sneered at Xue Qingshan: "You are a boy, and you have passed the exam several times, but you can''t see the meaning of these exams, brother He, no wonder you took the exam. After so many years, he is still a child!"


    This Qiao Xiucai''s words were too touching, Xue Qingshan''s face turned green and pale. In fact, Qiao Xiucai was not usually so bitter, but he uttered bad words because he saw that the father and son refused to admit their losses and wanted to pester them.


    "In terms of adapting to the situation and calmness of mind, he is not as good as him." He pointed to Xue Tingxiang, and then pointed to Xue Juncai: "You have time in the examination room to dawdle for you, another chance? Let''s talk about the roll , full of stains, I am afraid that if you don¡¯t need to read what you wrote, you will end up not taking it!¡±


    At this time, Xue Juncai was already pale with fright, how could he react, but Xue Qingshan was as if struck by lightning, so he didn''t speak anymore.


    *


    He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai stayed in the end.


    Taking advantage of the chaos in the hall, Xue Qingshan sneaked into the crowd with Xue Juncai and Yang surreptitiously.


    Seeing that there is no excitement, the villagers also dispersed, and while walking home, they discussed today''s affairs with the people around them.


    In fact, they don''t know anything, as long as they know that the person who wins in the end is the dog of the second wife of Xue Lianxing''s family. It can be predicted that after this incident, many people in the village will change their views on Xue Tingxiang, and they will even talk about it endlessly.


    And Xue Juncai''s name in the village is destined to be replaced by Xue Tingxiang.


    Taking advantage of the crowd, Xue Tingxiang walked out from Zheng Lizheng''s house.


    Zhao''er had been waiting outside for a long time, and as soon as he saw him, he said happily: "Gou''er, you really won, you beat Xue Juncai! My sister is so happy."


    She was so happy that she didn''t know how to be happy. Seeing this, Xue Tingxiang couldn''t say anything to condemn her, but just looked at her with a smile.


    After being happy for a while, Zhao''er showed a little hesitation: "By the way, after you beat him, do you really want to go to Qinghe Academy to study?"


    Xue Tingxiang pondered for a while: "I don''t plan to go to Qinghe Academy. Uncle Chen said that he can introduce me to Qingyuan Academy."


    "Qingyuan Academy? The name seems to be quite similar to Qinghe Academy. Is this academy good?" Immediately, Zhao''er laughed and said, "That''s right, Uncle Chen is well-informed, so what he can say is definitely not bad. .¡±


    Xue Tingxiang nodded: "I plan to go to town in these two days and talk to Uncle Chen about it."


    "What are you waiting for these two days, let''s go now."


    Xue Tingxiang did not expect Zhao''er to be so eager, so he hesitated.


    Zhao''er said again: "There must be chaos at home right now, let''s avoid the limelight first."


    He immediately understood the meaning of her words, with the dispositions of the eldest couple, and the always eccentric Zhao family, he didn''t know what kind of chaos would happen in the family.


    The two left the village avoiding the crowd, and because they didn''t meet the mule cart, they took the bullock cart to the town.


    When we arrived at Dongliju, Uncle Chen happened to be there. Xue Tingxiang explained the matter, and Uncle Chen agreed that he would go to his classmate tomorrow. After that, the two of them didn''t go back, Xue Tingxiang continued to copy his unfinished book, while Zhao''er continued to tidy up the pile of clothes that she hadn''t finished.


    It was not until the evening that the two returned to Yuqing Village.


    The courtyard of Xue''s house was quiet, with cooking smoke wafting from the chimney, and it seemed that cooking was going on in the stove.


    Standing in the yard, Mrs. Zhao saw two people walking in from the outside. She had a cold old face and scolded without naming names: "People say that we enjoy the blessings of our children and grandchildren, but we have become old slaves. We don''t see anyone for a day." , Open your mouth to eat when you get home, I owe you in my previous life!"


    Mrs. Yang came out from the east chamber: "Mother, the meal for the third sibling is ready, let''s quickly set the table for dinner."


    Mrs. Zhao snorted coldly, turned around and entered the door of the main house. Yang Shi didn''t even look at the two of them, but followed behind and went in.


    Zhao''er looked at Xue Tingxiang.


    Xue Tingxiang looked at her: "What are you looking at?"


    Zhao''er sneered, and muttered in a low voice: "Don''t pay attention to grandma, she just has no side."


    "Ok, I know."


    *


    When the two were tidying up in the house, there was a sudden commotion in the courtyard, not only the voices of Mr. Xue and Xue Qingshan, but also a familiar voice.


    Zhao''er looked out the window, and saw Yang''s father, Yang Zhong.


    Yang Zhong was from nearby Niujiaoling, and because he was a boy, he was considered a respectable figure in Niujiaoling. Like his son-in-law, he opened a private school to make ends meet. However, this person is exaggerated, good at putting on airs, relying on the old to sell the old, the most important thing is to attract children''s dislike.


    Yang Zhong seemed to have eaten too much wine somewhere, his steps were a little staggering, and his fat face was flushed.


    The couple from Dafang greeted them, as well as Mr. Xue.


    Mr. Xue looked a little embarrassed: "Old relative, for my family''s affairs, I have troubled you to run several times. This is because you have eaten too much wine. Come in and sit down."


    Yang complained: "Father, you too, why do you drink so much wine?"


    "It''s not that Zheng Lizheng is too hospitable. After drinking for so long, your father is still not drunk?" Yang Zhong looked a little smug, and said to Mr. Xue: "It''s nothing, a handsome man is too. My grandson, as a grandfather, how can I not come to make decisions for him. "


    This made Mr. Xue even more embarrassed. He also knew what happened in the morning, and it must not be so simple. He accompanied him with a smile and said: "I made my in-laws laugh at me, if it wasn''t for the family''s financial difficulties, this kind of thing wouldn''t have happened..."


    The voices of the two gradually lowered, and they entered the room together.


    Zhao''er took a look at Xue Tingxiang: "Fortunately, I bought a few buns when I came back. Well, I don''t need to eat this dinner."


    In fact, no one asked them to eat, because Yang Zhong''s sudden arrival made the whole Xue family toss around.


    This Yang Zhong used to have a temperament that likes to toss people, and he also likes to put on airs. The key person has the status of a child, and Mr. Xue also respects him. Every time he comes, he must be greeted with good wine and good food.


    The Xue family was not wary of Yang Zhonghui coming at this time before, they just cooked some meals casually, this kind of meal is not good for entertaining people, they have to do it all over again.


    Zhao''er didn''t bother with outside affairs, went to the kitchen to pour some hot water, then went back to the house and Xue Tingxiang ate buns together.


    After eating the buns, it was already dark outside.


    Zhao''er stood in front of the door, seeing the brightly lit lights in the main room, it was obvious that he had already eaten.


    She was about to go to the kitchen to boil water and wash her feet, when Xue Tao''er hurried out from the main room and said, "Miss Zhao''er, grandpa asks the dog to come over."


    Thinking of all the disobedient things this girl did in the past, Mr. Xue felt disgusted in his heart. But he also knew that now was not the time to vent his anger, but to settle the matter.


    "Since you want to listen, then listen." The tone was the same as before, but anyone could hear the dissatisfaction in his voice.


    Zhao''er couldn''t hear it, so he stood aside.


    Seeing this, Mrs. Sun hurriedly dragged Xue Qinghuai to stay.


    "Since Zhao''er has stayed, let''s stay and listen too." She laughed along with her.


    Mr. Xue was immediately furious: "Since you want to listen, stay and listen."


    So everyone stayed, including the four-year-old Mao Dan, and even Mrs. Zhou, who was busy in the kitchen, stayed behind under the guise of cleaning the table.


    In the huge main room, only an oil lamp was lit on the square table. The wick was jumping and shadowy, and everyone''s eyes were on Mr. Xue. But he suddenly didn''t know where to start. He looked around everyone''s faces with heavy eyes, and finally fell on Xue Tingxiang''s face.


    "Actually, it''s nothing. I just want to talk about what the boss said a while ago that he wants to send the child to the school in the town."


    Zhao''er was inexplicably nervous, and couldn''t help but glance at Xue Tingxiang, and then went to see Mr. Xue.


    Dafang and his wife were overjoyed, they knew this would happen, and it was not in vain for them to swallow their anger for many days.


    Xue Qingshan couldn''t hide the joy on his face, he looked at Xue Tingxiang with pity and compassion, then looked at other people, and finally fell on Xue Tingxiang.


    "Dog, don''t be discouraged. You are still much worse than your talented brother. You will study with uncle for another two years, and then the family will send you to the town to study."


    This kind of tone was too stinging at this time, Zhao''er had a sneer on the corner of his mouth, and wanted to say something, but was pulled by Xue Tingxiang.

 Chapter 33

    Xue Tingxiang originally planned to wait for Xiu Mu to take Chen Jian to Dongliju.


    After thinking about it, Xiu Mu was only for one day, and he still had other uses for the time, so he took a noon and told Zhai Fu that he would only go out for half an hour to buy some things, and Zhai Fu let them go out.


    All the way to Dongliju, only Ah Cai sat in the shop bored.


    After asking, I found out that Boss Chen is in the small courtyard behind.


    Xue Tingxiang came here often and got to know Ah Cai well, so he took the three of them to the back. Mao Badou, who was always talkative, did not dare to speak nonsense when he came to this kind of place, he was very honest.


    Boss Chen was basking in the sun and drinking tea in the yard. There was a recliner under a lush tree, and a small table was placed beside the recliner, which was more nourishing than a fairy.


    Seeing Xue Tingxiang coming, he waved with a smile: "Why are you free today?" But his eyes were on Chen Jian and the others in the corridor.


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t restrain himself either, and sat down on the little chair beside the recliner.


    "Uncle Chen, it''s like this, I have a classmate..." He briefly explained the matter, and showed Chen Jian''s calligraphy to Boss Chen.


    Boss Chen took the booklet, flipped through it casually a few times, and as he flipped through it, his movements froze.


    After a long time, he let out a breath, and said with a broken smile: "I said your handwriting is good, but I didn''t expect this handwriting to be as good as yours, even if it is a little immature and a little too sharp. There is a faint sense of unyielding rushing towards me, not as elegant and harmonious as yours. The so-called writing is like a person, I am afraid that this child has a big universe in his heart."


    Xue Tingxiang was listening beside him, but there was darkness in his eyes.


    What he thought was nothing else, but that was the case in that dream. He is hypocritical, hides a knife in his smile, and has a sweet mouth. After undergoing that great change, he changed his previous disposition and became sanctimonious, with duplicity.


    I remember someone scolded him in the dream: "Zhuzi is treacherous, a hypocrite on the surface, but he is really a villain."


    This is not wrong, he is such a person.


    His teacher taught him that the heart is reason, the unity of knowledge and action, and the extension of conscience, but he taught him a rebellious person. In his eyes, there is no imperial power, no dignity, no three cardinal principles and five constant principles. It seems that Xue Shoufu is gentle to his subordinates. Whoever says that Shoufu is approachable and approachable, tolerance is great. But in fact, this sanctimonious appearance hides wolfish ambitions, those who follow me prosper and those who oppose me perish.


    But Chen Huanzhi is different, he has always been rebellious, but he looks extreme on the outside, but he has a square heart in his heart.


    Such a person is destined to live a rough life, because there are too many weaknesses exposed, and it happens to be attacked by a villain like him. Just like his befriending Chen Jian this time, the purpose is so simple.


    Even Xue Tingxiang didn''t expect that Boss Chen''s just a few casual words would cause turbulence deep in his heart. As for Boss Chen, he didn''t know. He closed the booklet and asked, "Who is the classmate you are talking about?"


    Xue Tingxiang walked over and called Chen Jian over.


    Chen Jian didn''t know that there were so many secrets happening during this period, so he walked over nervously, bowing and saluting.


    "Don''t be restrained. Since you are a friend of the court, you can also be regarded as my junior. Your handwriting is very good, and you will surely achieve a lot in time. It''s just that you are still studying now. If you want to get a job in the end, you are too sharp Words and people don¡¯t have a good impression, so we should pay more attention to it in the future.¡±


    "Thank you, Boss Chen, for your guidance."


    Boss Chen smiled and said: "If you don''t dare to give advice, don''t call me Boss Chen, just call me Uncle Chen. I have a lot of books here, and I need someone to copy them. If you are willing, just like Ting Xiang, I will pay you one tael for the pen and ink for one volume. As for the paper and pen and ink, I will pay for it. You can go to Ah Cai later, and he will tell you some things to pay attention to.¡±


    Afterwards, Xue Tingxiang spoke a few more words with Boss Chen, and Chen Jian went to get the paper and ink, and the four of them left the gate of Dongliju together.


    "One tael of silver is really a lot." Mao Badou sucked his teeth enviously. He had been holding back in it for a long time, but now he was finally able to speak when he came out.


    "That''s because Ah Jian''s handwriting is good. If your handwriting can match Shang Tingxiang and Ah Jian''s, you can also get a tael of silver for a roll." Li Datian likes honest people to tell the truth.


    "Tsk, we must have been enemies in our previous life, and you like to poke my sore spot."


    The two people over there were laughing, while Chen Jian said to Xue Tingshan, "Thank you, I know that if it wasn''t for you, Uncle Chen would not be able to offer me such a high price."


    "Thank you, Datian didn''t say that your handwriting is good."


    "Thank you anyway." Chen Jian was a little excited, and he tightly squeezed the hand of the book bag, which contained the rice paper and ink ingots Dong Liju gave him: "The money is very important to me. I will definitely copy it well.¡±


    Xue Tingxiang patted him on the shoulder, said nothing, just nodded.


    At this time, Mao Badou and Li Datian came over after laughing and quarrelling: "Okay, don''t thank me for coming over. It''s still early, should we play around?"


    where to play? This is what the three of them thought.


    Li Datian hurriedly said: "Okay, okay, it''s just this little time, what else do you want to play, take a rest tomorrow, and then you can play as you want."


    Xue Tingxiang suddenly said: "By the way, I want to go shopping." After hesitating for a while, he asked: "Ba Dou, do you know that there are some things that girls like to sell in the town, that is..."


    He was still explaining, afraid that Mao Badou wouldn''t understand, but Mao Badou suddenly jumped three feet high, smiled cheaply and came over: "Do you want to buy it for your little fiancee? Let''s go." ,I''ll take you!"


    Following him all the way around, four teenagers in school shirts came to a deep alley.


    Mao Badou was leading the way, and said: "Don''t look at this place as inconspicuous, but in fact, there are all kinds of things inside. My sister will come here every once in a while to buy some flowers for my daughter''s family. .My family is not considered rich, and the peddlers sell not very good, and we can¡¯t afford to go to the silver house, this kind of place is just right.¡±


    Before the words fell, there was a small gate not far away, as if a certain family had opened the gate through the courtyard wall. The place is not big, it looks like a room.


    There is no signboard, no pretense, and no name, but when you get closer, you find that the interior is very elegantly furnished, and it looks like a place to sell your daughter''s belongings.


    "Boss, here I come again!" Mao Badou greeted as he stepped into the threshold.


    "It''s you, brother, your sister didn''t come today?" The boss is a woman in her forties, she doesn''t look young anymore, but she is clean and decent, which makes people feel good.


    "Haha, I brought my friend to buy some things."


    The female boss glanced at a few young scholars, and nodded understandingly: "Then look for yourself, and I will give you a bargain if you like it."


    While Mao Badou was talking to the female boss, Xue Tingxiang had already gone to the front of the counter. The counter design of this store is quite special, the countertop is half a person''s height, and there are wooden boxes on it. The wooden boxes are padded with bright satin, and there are little gadgets on the satin.


    There are everything from purses, sachets, combs, hand mirrors, and hairpins to small headbands, hair flowers, earrings, and earrings. Xue Tingxiang had never come into contact with such women''s things, and his eyes were blurred for a while.


    After Mao Badou finished speaking, he came over, looking like an insider: "You see what you want to buy and how much money you plan to spend. Do you plan to buy one, or buy several, I will give you advice."


    Since then, Xue Tingxiang, who has always been calm and composed, has completely turned into a green head. And Mao Badou changed suddenly and became the leader.


    "What do you think of this pearl flower? My daughter''s family likes pink and tender colors, and my sister likes this kind..."


    "Or this wooden hairpin, which looks quite special. And this earring..."


    "Ba Dou, how do you understand this?" Li Datian asked curiously beside him.


    Mao Badou looked helpless: "It''s not my sister. Every time I come here, I will accompany you. I can read and watch and understand."


    Seeing Xue Tingxiang''s eyes resting on an old mahogany hibiscus hairpin, he was distracted and said, "This hairpin is not bad, elegant and generous, and not too childish. It comes with a pair of earrings, but I''m afraid the price is not cheap."


    "My little brother has good eyesight. This is a new style that just came back from Fucheng. It''s just like this. The wood is old peach wood, and the workmanship is also exquisite. The head of the hairpin is made of silver, and this hibiscus is inlaid with hibiscus stones..."


    After a while, the four of them came out of the shop, and there was a wooden box in Xue Tingxiang''s book bag.


    "Tingxiang, you are really willing to part with it. You spent a tael of silver for two things, and you earned it by copying books for a long time." Even Mao Badou, who has always been generous, can''t help but have some toothaches. Asking him to look at the belongings of these women''s homes was only a matter of sending a hundred and ten cash. I didn''t expect my friend to buy such expensive ones.


    "The things are suitable, and the money will be earned in the future." Xue Tingxiang smiled, rubbing the box with his fingers through the book bag.


    "That''s right. After all, it''s a gift for a young fiancee. It''s not okay to be too picky."


    A few people returned to the academy, entered the door with their front feet, and the bell rang with their back feet.


    The four of them didn''t dare to delay, they hurried back to the dormitory, put their things away, and took their books to the lecture hall.


    Usually there are no lectures in the afternoon, and the students themselves manage the books.


    It''s normal, but tomorrow is Xiumu, and in the afternoon, everyone seems to be eager to move.


    Because many students are from the nearby villages, the hall closed before the application time. They went back to the dormitory to pick up their things, and the school hall was empty after a while.


    The four walked out of the gate of the academy together, and heard someone shouting from a distance: "Ting''er, this way."


    I saw a mule cart parked diagonally, and two people were sitting on the shaft.


    A man, a teenager.


    Xue Tingxiang''s face turned dark on the spot.


    Mao Badou was about to ask something, when he saw the young man coming like a gust of wind: "I remember that you should be dismissed at this time, but Brother Jiang Wu still said no. Let''s go, let''s go, I bought a lot of vegetables, and I will give them to you in the evening." Make it delicious."


    This boy is exactly the trick.


    She didn''t deliberately lower her voice to speak, and the crispness that a girl should have in her voice was fully revealed. Mao Badou was speechless as if he had swallowed an egg raw.


    Only then did Zhao''er come to his senses, and asked, "Is this your classmate?"


    Xue Tingxiang hummed in a low voice.


    "What''s the matter? Why are you unhappy? Whoever bullied you, tell me, I''ll teach him a lesson for you!"


    "Didn''t bully Tingxiang, you, you are..."


    "I''m Sister Ting''er, you are his classmates." Zhao''er was very happy. She always felt that the little man was too withdrawn. Although he has changed a lot since he got sick, it''s better to have more friends. Be more lively.


    "She''s not my sister, she''s my daughter-in-law!" With that said, Xue Tingxiang pulled her over, hurriedly said "I''ll go first", and then dragged her away.


    Mao Badou returned to the appearance of eating eggs raw, and said after a while: "So Tingxiang likes sister, so this is the little fiancee..."


    "What sister is not sister! How come the words have changed from your mouth. Go, if you don''t go, you won''t be able to get in the car."


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t have a good face along the way, and Zhao''er was worried about Jiang Wu''s presence, so it was hard to ask him what''s wrong. They could only laugh and laugh from the sidelines, as if it was an active atmosphere.


    Jiang Wu didn''t realize it, with a smile on the corner of his mouth, he was talking to Zhao''er without saying a word.


    When he arrived at the village, Jiang Wu didn''t go around to the end of the village, but drove the mule cart directly to Xue''s house.


    Both Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang got out of the car, and Jiang Wu began to move things out of the car.


    Zhao''er said that she bought a lot of things, which is true. One bag of rice and noodles, two pig''s trotters, five catties of pork and some other miscellaneous things, and two bolts of cloth.


    The Xue family all came out of the house, including Zhao and Yang.


    Xue Juncai will come back today, they thought it was Xue Qingshan who went to pick Xue Juncai back.


    "Zhaoer, why did you buy so many things?" Sun asked curiously.


    Zhao''er opened the door, put the things in the room, and said: "Ting''er finally came back, so I bought some good ones for him."


    Mrs. Zhao stood in front of the main room door, her nose was not her nose, her face was not her face: "You also know that when you come back, you run around all day without seeing anyone, which daughter''s family is like you."


    Zhao''er said innocently: "Grandma, what day did I not come back? I came back before it was dark. I just wanted to find some money everywhere. Ting''er''s school expenses are used for the two of them. There is no need for money."


    Mrs. Zhao snorted, threw down the curtain and entered the room.


    Zhao''er didn''t take it seriously, and turned to Brother Jiang Wu and said, "Brother Jiang Wu, I''m sorry to trouble you, rest at home tomorrow."


    Jiang Wu nodded: "Then I will leave."


    "Okay, I won''t see you off."


    After some tidying up, Zhao''er turned to look at Xue Tingxiang.


    Seeing him is still angry, this kid is really stingy! She touched her nose, took the clothes and went to the corner of the room, closed a cloth curtain hanging there, and began to change clothes.


    Not long after it came out, men''s clothing became women''s clothing.


    She lowered her head and tied her hair, suddenly there was someone more in front of her.


    She looked up, and saw him handing over a small wooden box.


    "What?"


    He didn''t speak, just looked at her with his black eyes.


    Zhao''er took it and opened it.


    "Is this for me?"

 Chapter 34

    The clear voice of the young man caught the eyes of everyone in the hall, including Qiao Xiucai and He Xiucai who were praising each other for their humility.


    Xue Juncai raised his head in disbelief, he couldn''t believe that he didn''t even think about it, how could Xue Tingxiang have it.


    I saw that gentle and thin young man with his hands behind his back, walking back and forth in the hall for a few steps, Fang said: "The hook is for the old, and the hook is for the test. The old test is for the children, and the children are for the old."


    In fact, Xue Tingxiang is not good at reciting poems, but he can''t hold back that the person in his dream has lived a long life and is widely seen in the market. There used to be a long-standing joke among scholars¡ª¡ª


    It is said that there was a gray-haired scholar who took the exam, and the examiner knew from his appearance that he was an old boy who had repeatedly failed the exam, so he deliberately made things difficult for him: "I have a couplet, if you can match, I will take it." you."


    The old boy felt bitter in his heart, but he didn''t dare to give up.


    The chief examiner asked the question: "If you take the bait, you are old; if you take the bait, you are a tester. If you are old, you will be a child, and if you are a child, you will be an old man."


    The old boy bowed to Rao, and replied: "One person is great, and two are heaven. Heaven is greater than human affection, and human affection is greater than heaven."


    This flattery was so exquisite that the examiner was too embarrassed to go back on his word, so he had no choice but to choose him as a scholar.


    In fact, upon hearing this story, one knew it was made up. Anyone who has participated in the hospital examination should know what the situation will be. How can the examiner take the initiative to test an old student? The examiner and the examinee will not talk to each other, and it is also for avoidance.


    It was obviously made up by a failed scholar, and it was used as a comforting chat, and because it made people laugh, it spread among scholars. It even extended to the fact that any official in the DPRK was released as an academic officer, or presided over a new department examination, and the official who had a good relationship with him could not help telling the last sentence, but don''t be ''human beings are too big''.


    It is not only a joke, but also an exhortation. There have always been many frauds involved in imperial examinations.


    Xue Tingxiang did not expect to hear this pair here.


    He didn''t feel uneasy because this second line was borrowed, because winning Xue Juncai has always been the biggest obsession in his heart.


    It is now, and it was also in the dream.


    In the dream, he was troubled by this matter for a long time, and after all kinds of hard work, he finally felt proud. It was because of the experience that he knew that this kind of obsession affects a person''s xinxing too much. He has a more ambitious goal, and there are still many things to do, but Xue Juncai is just an obstacle to him now, overcoming him is what he needs to do now.


    As for why he discarded the second couplet he came up with and chose to borrow this. Xue Tingxiang took a look at Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong, and thought it was because of his insignificance that he made fun of them with resentment.


    Obviously, only Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong are Tongsheng, and although this pair is perfect, it is obviously ironic. Old students test children, children students test to old age. This is undoubtedly the greatest ridicule and curse for a person who has failed to pass the entrance examination for many years.


    The faces of the two of them immediately turned purple, but they had to hold back. At this time, He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai had already clapped their hands and praised it.


    "Okay, that''s right!"


    It seemed that everyone had forgotten about Xue Juncai. He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai whispered a few times, and then He Xiucai announced: "After the unanimous decision of the two of us, the winner is Xue Tingxiang and Xue Xiaoyou."


    "Xue Xiaoyou, I hope you can work hard and achieve fame as soon as possible." He said to Xue Tingxiang with a pleasant face.


    "Thank you two seniors for your encouragement, I will definitely work harder." Xue Tingxiang bowed to him.


    While He Qiao and Xue Tingxiang were talking, the villagers standing in the hall and outside the house had already started discussing. Most of them are admiration, but of course there are also those who can''t believe it and question it.


    Among them, the Xue family is the most unbelievable, especially Xue Qingshan. He had suppressed it before, but now he couldn''t help it anymore, stood up and said: "Just relying on these to judge victory or defeat, are the two seniors Too hasty?"


    Seeing that both He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai looked over, he flinched a bit, and then became confident again: "The kid''s pair hasn''t been made yet, so the winner is decided like this..."


    He Xiucai showed displeasure on his face, and ignored him, but asked patriarch Xue with a cold old face: "Could it be that patriarch Xue also disagrees with the conclusions of the two of us?"


    Patriarch Xue dared to offend Mr. Xiucai, he was still two Mr. Xiucai. Besides, from his point of view, Xue Tingxiang''s performance this time was indeed somewhat unexpected, and it was much more talented than Xue Jun. He was an outsider, so he could see it clearly, so he quickly scolded Xue Qingshan and asked him to apologize publicly to the two scholars.


    Xue Juncai was also full of dissatisfaction: "The boy is not convinced either, he has never been as good as me, I just didn''t prepare properly, the two seniors can ask another question, this time the boy will definitely beat him."


    At this time, a woman squeezed in from the crowd outside the door.


    Her clothes are disheveled and her hair is messy. It is Mrs. Yang.


    Yang stumbled in and cried, "My son can''t lose, you two must have been bribed to hurt my son on purpose."


    This remark made a big fuss, especially on such an occasion, when a woman rushed in and made a loud noise, not only He Qiao and the two scholars showed anger, but even several village elders present repeatedly reprimanded them as inappropriate.


    "Ridiculous, really ridiculous! Could it be that Li Zheng and the patriarch thought we were bribed?"


    "You two scholars, don''t be angry. This woman has long hair but short knowledge. She is talking nonsense."


    "Lian Xing, don''t get your shrew back!"


    The old man Xue beside him was so anxious that he didn''t know what to do, but as a father-in-law, he couldn''t help his daughter-in-law, so he had to ask his eldest son Xue Qingshan to take his wife away quickly.


    It''s just that Xue Qingshan still wants an explanation at this time, so how could he care about this.


    There was a lot of trouble on the field, He Xiucai wanted to leave, and Qiao Xiucai didn''t want to stay longer. Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng repeatedly tried to persuade them to stay, and at the same time angrily reprimanded them to get rid of these people quickly.


    Qiao Xiucai sneered, and did not reprimand Xue Juncai, but sneered at Xue Qingshan: "You are a boy, and you have passed the exam several times, but you can''t see the meaning of these exams, brother He, no wonder you took the exam. After so many years, he is still a child!"


    This Qiao Xiucai''s words were too touching, Xue Qingshan''s face turned green and pale. In fact, Qiao Xiucai was not usually so bitter, but he uttered bad words because he saw that the father and son refused to admit their losses and wanted to pester them.


    "In terms of adapting to the situation and calmness of mind, he is not as good as him." He pointed to Xue Tingxiang, and then pointed to Xue Juncai: "You have time in the examination room to dawdle for you, another chance? Let''s talk about the roll , full of stains, I am afraid that if you don¡¯t need to read what you wrote, you will end up not taking it!¡±


    At this time, Xue Juncai was already pale with fright, how could he react, but Xue Qingshan was as if struck by lightning, so he didn''t speak anymore.


    *


    He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai stayed in the end.


    Taking advantage of the chaos in the hall, Xue Qingshan sneaked into the crowd with Xue Juncai and Yang surreptitiously.


    Seeing that there is no excitement, the villagers also dispersed, and while walking home, they discussed today''s affairs with the people around them.


    In fact, they don''t know anything, as long as they know that the person who wins in the end is the dog of the second wife of Xue Lianxing''s family. It can be predicted that after this incident, many people in the village will change their views on Xue Tingxiang, and they will even talk about it endlessly.


    And Xue Juncai''s name in the village is destined to be replaced by Xue Tingxiang.


    Taking advantage of the crowd, Xue Tingxiang walked out from Zheng Lizheng''s house.


    Zhao''er had been waiting outside for a long time, and as soon as he saw him, he said happily: "Gou''er, you really won, you beat Xue Juncai! My sister is so happy."


    She was so happy that she didn''t know how to be happy. Seeing this, Xue Tingxiang couldn''t say anything to condemn her, but just looked at her with a smile.


    After being happy for a while, Zhao''er showed a little hesitation: "By the way, after you beat him, do you really want to go to Qinghe Academy to study?"


    Xue Tingxiang pondered for a while: "I don''t plan to go to Qinghe Academy. Uncle Chen said that he can introduce me to Qingyuan Academy."


    "Qingyuan Academy? The name seems to be quite similar to Qinghe Academy. Is this academy good?" Immediately, Zhao''er laughed and said, "That''s right, Uncle Chen is well-informed, so what he can say is definitely not bad. .¡±


    Xue Tingxiang nodded: "I plan to go to town in these two days and talk to Uncle Chen about it."


    "What are you waiting for these two days, let''s go now."


    Xue Tingxiang did not expect Zhao''er to be so eager, so he hesitated.


    Zhao''er said again: "There must be chaos at home right now, let''s avoid the limelight first."


    He immediately understood the meaning of her words, with the dispositions of the eldest couple, and the always eccentric Zhao family, he didn''t know what kind of chaos would happen in the family.


    The two left the village avoiding the crowd, and because they didn''t meet the mule cart, they took the bullock cart to the town.


    When we arrived at Dongliju, Uncle Chen happened to be there. Xue Tingxiang explained the matter, and Uncle Chen agreed that he would go to his classmate tomorrow. After that, the two of them didn''t go back, Xue Tingxiang continued to copy his unfinished book, while Zhao''er continued to tidy up the pile of clothes that she hadn''t finished.


    It was not until the evening that the two returned to Yuqing Village.


    The courtyard of Xue''s house was quiet, with cooking smoke wafting from the chimney, and it seemed that cooking was going on in the stove.


    Standing in the yard, Mrs. Zhao saw two people walking in from the outside. She had a cold old face and scolded without naming names: "People say that we enjoy the blessings of our children and grandchildren, but we have become old slaves. We don''t see anyone for a day." , Open your mouth to eat when you get home, I owe you in my previous life!"


    Mrs. Yang came out from the east chamber: "Mother, the meal for the third sibling is ready, let''s quickly set the table for dinner."


    Mrs. Zhao snorted coldly, turned around and entered the door of the main house. Yang Shi didn''t even look at the two of them, but followed behind and went in.


    Zhao''er looked at Xue Tingxiang.


    Xue Tingxiang looked at her: "What are you looking at?"


    Zhao''er sneered, and muttered in a low voice: "Don''t pay attention to grandma, she just has no side."


    "Ok, I know."


    *


    When the two were tidying up in the house, there was a sudden commotion in the courtyard, not only the voices of Mr. Xue and Xue Qingshan, but also a familiar voice.


    Zhao''er looked out the window, and saw Yang''s father, Yang Zhong.


    Yang Zhong was from nearby Niujiaoling, and because he was a boy, he was considered a respectable figure in Niujiaoling. Like his son-in-law, he opened a private school to make ends meet. However, this person is exaggerated, good at putting on airs, relying on the old to sell the old, the most important thing is to attract children''s dislike.


    Yang Zhong seemed to have eaten too much wine somewhere, his steps were a little staggering, and his fat face was flushed.


    The couple from Dafang greeted them, as well as Mr. Xue.


    Mr. Xue looked a little embarrassed: "Old relative, for my family''s affairs, I have troubled you to run several times. This is because you have eaten too much wine. Come in and sit down."


    Yang complained: "Father, you too, why do you drink so much wine?"


    "It''s not that Zheng Lizheng is too hospitable. After drinking for so long, your father is still not drunk?" Yang Zhong looked a little smug, and said to Mr. Xue: "It''s nothing, a handsome man is too. My grandson, as a grandfather, how can I not come to make decisions for him. "


    This made Mr. Xue even more embarrassed. He also knew what happened in the morning, and it must not be so simple. He accompanied him with a smile and said: "I made my in-laws laugh at me, if it wasn''t for the family''s financial difficulties, this kind of thing wouldn''t have happened..."


    The voices of the two gradually lowered, and they entered the room together.


    Zhao''er took a look at Xue Tingxiang: "Fortunately, I bought a few buns when I came back. Well, I don''t need to eat this dinner."


    In fact, no one asked them to eat, because Yang Zhong''s sudden arrival made the whole Xue family toss around.


    This Yang Zhong used to have a temperament that likes to toss people, and he also likes to put on airs. The key person has the status of a child, and Mr. Xue also respects him. Every time he comes, he must be greeted with good wine and good food.


    The Xue family was not wary of Yang Zhonghui coming at this time before, they just cooked some meals casually, this kind of meal is not good for entertaining people, they have to do it all over again.


    Zhao''er didn''t bother with outside affairs, went to the kitchen to pour some hot water, then went back to the house and Xue Tingxiang ate buns together.


    After eating the buns, it was already dark outside.


    Zhao''er stood in front of the door, seeing the brightly lit lights in the main room, it was obvious that he had already eaten.


    She was about to go to the kitchen to boil water and wash her feet, when Xue Tao''er hurried out from the main room and said, "Miss Zhao''er, grandpa asks the dog to come over."


    After sending the doctor away, grandmother Zhao slapped her face on the spot.


    She looked like she was in her fifties, with her gray hair neatly pulled back behind her head. With a long face, the eyelids are a little sunken, and when the face is pulled, it becomes a triangular eye, which looks particularly unfriendly.


    Without Mrs. Zhao''s words, Mrs. Sun said: "Zhao''er, it''s not the fourth aunt talking about you, you girl likes to make a fuss. Could it be that you deliberately torment us all, even if you don''t like it..."


    Before she finished speaking, she was pulled by the man Xue Qinghuai.


    "Okay, let''s say a few words less, Zhao''er is not ignorant, and besides, the dog is already sick, so it''s better to find a doctor to take a look, so the family can rest assured."


    "I said less and said less, and I didn''t say anything..."


    "You also said..."


    The couple went out while chatting and tugging. The eldest aunt Yang smiled at Zhao''er, and then said to the mother-in-law: "Mother, let''s go too, let the dog have a good rest."


    Mrs. Zhao glanced at the dog on the kang, snorted coldly, turned her head and left. It can be seen from her posture that she is very angry.


    In fact, it is true. The Xue family can''t be called a rich family. It costs at least one or two hundred dollars to invite a doctor from the town. ! In particular, the doctor''s pulse just now confirmed Zhao''s guess that Xue Gouzi was deliberately pretending to be ill, and it was only strange that she was happy.


    Let Mrs. Zhao see that the two little boys in the second room are deliberately torturing the family, but since the eldest daughter-in-law has come forward to persuade her, Mrs. Zhao will naturally not say more.


    Generally speaking, among the three daughters-in-law of the Xue family, Yang is the one who wins Zhao''s heart the most. The eldest has an unusual status, and Zhao is willing to show the eldest daughter-in-law some face.

 Chapter 35

    Because of Zheng Lizheng''s words, the eyes of the two scholars, He Qiao, are all focused on Xue Tingxiang''s face.


    Naturally, they didn''t understand the clues of this, and they only thought that Zheng Lizheng suddenly mentioned whether there was something hidden in it. After all, they all knew before coming that this was a competition between two descendants of the same family.


    What is compared is knowledge, and what is compared is also future.


    They were all from humble backgrounds, and of course they knew how difficult it was to study in a farming family, so before Xue Tingxiang said that the Xue family never forgot to cultivate their children and grandchildren while they settled down, Qiao Xiucai praised them greatly.


    Because he knew that this matter seemed insignificant, but it was actually too difficult for farmers. How many families had the idea of ??changing their own destiny by reading books.


    It can be said that those who are born in a poor family in the countryside and can be famous have all experienced great hardships. The starting point is much lower than others. It takes countless efforts to catch up with others, and at the same time they have to face all kinds of cruel competition.


    This kind of competition is not only between classmates, but also between the same clan, and even one''s own brothers.


    If you succeed, the sea and the sky will be bright, and you will not be an ordinary person since then. If you fail, you will put down the book and pick up the hoe, and face the loess and the sky for the rest of your life.


    It is because they understand this kind of cruelty that the two of them can''t help but wonder whether this son deliberately said that his knowledge is weak, or he just wants to pull his brother to reduce the difficulty of the question. But this is a double-edged sword. After all, it is a disadvantage to oneself to lose one''s studies to others.


    These thoughts only happened in an instant, and because of the sudden attention of He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai, Xue Qingshan''s eyebrows jumped wildly, for fear that Xue Tingxiang would say something amazing again. At this moment, he couldn''t care less about why Xue Tingxiang knew the explanation of the scriptures, and he completely forgot that his previous idea was that Xue Tingshan didn''t understand the scriptures, and it would be easy for his son to beat him.


    This is also true for Patriarch Xue. If something happens in the clan that cannot be seen by others, it is limited to the clan. If it happens in public, it will be a bit ugly.


    The eyes of the two seemed to have needles, and they were anxiously focused on Xue Tingxiang''s face. Unexpectedly, he smiled shyly and said: "The boy was weak and sick when he was young, so he inevitably fell behind."


    Xue Qingshan hurriedly laughed and said: "That''s exactly the case. Don''t be afraid that the two seniors will laugh at me. My nephew is talented and intelligent, but his weak body hinders his studies."


    Patriarch Xue also nodded in agreement.


    Others didn''t know what was going on, they just opened their eyes and watched. Only Zheng Lizheng seemed to realize that there was something wrong, but he couldn''t tell the details, so he could only keep silent.


    After He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai gave in to each other again, He Xiucai was the main one in the end. Sitting at the top, he said to Xue Tingxiang: "Since you don''t understand the scriptures, it''s a bit unfair to go beyond the scope of what you have learned. You two are still young, and it''s time to lay down the foundation, so I will test your two. Human base."


    Hearing this, although Xue Juncai was a little disappointed that he was overqualified and missed his opportunity to perform, he also felt disdainful.


    If you don''t test the scriptures, then Xue Tingxiang is not his opponent!


    He Xiucai squeezed his beard with his hands, and after pondering for a while, said: "Zhu Zi said: the size of learning is inherently different, but it is the way, it is only one. It is also suitable for young people. If you don''t learn it in elementary school, you will have nothing to learn. Its heart, to cultivate its virtue, is the foundation of the university. The two of you will each silently write a "Disciple Regulations."


    Neither of them expected that the first question would be Mo''s "Disciple Regulations". You must know that "Disciples Regulations" was learned at the beginning of elementary school, and the whole article is only about a thousand words. In addition to the general narrative, it is divided into seven chapters: filial piety when you enter, brotherhood when you go out, sincerity, faith, universal love for all, kindness and benevolence, and Yu Liwen.


    Each chapter is not long, with three words and one sentence, rhyming in the same pattern, and catchy. It lists the various norms that disciples should abide by at home, when going out, and when dealing with people. It also just proves what He Xiucai said before, the size of learning is inherently different, but it is the truth that it is only one.


    Someone has already prepared a square table and pens and inks, and each person has a table and table in front of the hall, and even the ink has been sharpened.


    When the two came to the table, they picked up a pen and wrote without any hesitation.


    As the two rushed to write and write, the noise gradually faded away. Even if the country people don''t understand the basic principles, they also know that scholars should not be disturbed when they are doing their studies.


    This is not a problem for Xue Tingxiang, because he only has one book, so he has spent too much effort to memorize the things he has learned.


    Not only memorizing, but also keeping in mind, so that when asked in school, he can answer fluently, because he has no reference at all.


    It is better to have no books than to have books, because these are all engraved in the mind. Especially since having that dream, in order not to affect his memory, he has silently recited the book he had memorized countless times in his mind.


    While Xue Tingxiang was writing vigorously, he also had a slight change in his opinion of He Xiucai.


    He could see that the other party asked such an unexpected question, not because the other party deliberately released the water, but because the other party wanted to make a surprise. Because this discipline is too simple for scholars, they have learned it when they were just learning, but they just throw it away after learning it.


    Except for the beginning of learning, my husband will not take these things in the future. It may be to test the Three Character Classic, or even a hundred surnames, and a thousand character prose, but it will not be the rules of this disciple.


    Xue Tingxiang even couldn''t wait to see Xue Juncai''s reaction. Maybe the other party can roughly write down this article, but can you write down all the thousands of words, and the words are correct and the order is good? And He Xiucai''s request to silence this disciple''s rule is probably not just silent, but also one of the "books" in elementary school.


    Just relying on your own words is enough to beat the opponent.


    As Xue Tingxiang thought, at first Xue Juncai really felt contemptuous. He even wondered if this He Xiucai was out of his mind to take the "Disciple Regulations" test.


    Who wouldn''t know this disciple? It is something to learn at the beginning of school. But after he fell silent, he realized that he really wasn''t as good as he thought.


    After you leave, do you love me, or are you hurt? You must know that this Disciple Rules is not like other articles, it can connect the past and the future, confirming each other, if the first sentence is wrong, the latter paragraph will be wrong.


    The more Xue Juncai became silent, the more annoyed he felt, and he always felt that he was wrong in being silent. If someone asks a question, he can naturally answer it fluently. Ke Mo, Mo is still a good word!


    At first, he wrote like flying, but then it became slower and slower, and even reached the point where he couldn''t write, obviously he was not sure if his memory was wrong.


    On the contrary, Xue Tingxiang has been calm from the beginning, and he is still writing at a leisurely pace at this time, but it can be seen that his writing is very coherent, with almost no pause.


    At the first place, Qiao Xiucai glanced at He Xiucai with exclamation, and did not hide her surprise at all. He naturally had a panoramic view of the following situation, and he had to admire He Xiucai''s ingenuity.


    He Xiucai smiled slightly. In fact, he would ask this kind of question, but he just wanted people to make mistakes. I was very proud of my inspiration.


    He stroked his beard and said with a faint smile, "You two little friends, don''t worry, there is a stick of incense time, enough to write it down."


    Yizhuxiang wrote more than a thousand characters, which seemed a bit hasty, but it is not impossible to write something as simple as the disciple''s rules silently, as long as you pay close attention to it.


    But that was before, Xue Juncai couldn''t help but feel even more anxious when he heard someone mention the time.


    In the following time, he kept looking at the stick of incense, because he looked at it too frequently, which made his speed even slower.


    "Okay, time is up."


    As the words fell, Xue Tingxiang made a big stroke and put down the brush in his hand.


    Xue Juncai didn''t move, until someone went in front of him, only to find that his whole body was as stiff as a stone, and he was dripping with sweat, and the paper in front of him was only half full.


    Because the two were behind the gate, and Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong were sitting at the end, they didn''t notice anything strange about it. In their minds, a "Regulations for Disciples" couldn''t be simpler, and Xue Juncai''s strange appearance also attracted the attention of the two of them, but they still didn''t expect that Xue Juncai could not finish writing it.


    It wasn''t until He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai looked at each other''s papers that they looked at each other, and He Xiucai announced that Xue Tingxiang won this match.


    Xue Qingshan stood up from the chair in surprise: "How is it possible?"


    At the same time, there was a lot of discussion below and outside the door, and it seemed that Xue Juncai couldn''t believe that Xue Juncai had lost. Insiders look at the doorway, while laymen watch the excitement. The villagers who didn''t know a single word didn''t know what the test was about, they only knew that Master Xiucai said that Xue Juncai lost to the Xue family dog.


    Xue Juncai lost to Xue Gouzi?


    This, this is really surprising. You must know that Xue Juncai has always been the most outstanding young man among the younger generation in Yuqing Village. Whoever mentions him does not give a thumbs up.


    "Senior He, Senior Qiao, did you make a mistake, a disciple''s regulation..."


    He Xiucai gestured with his gaze, and two people stepped forward to unfold Xue Juncai''s and Xue Tingxiang''s papers, held them up, and showed them to everyone.


    I saw that on one of the rice papers, the handwriting was full of strength, correct and beautiful. On the other piece of rice paper, the handwriting was not bad, but it was anticlimactic, and it became more and more scribbled as it went to the back, and there were even spots of ink on it.


    "Xue Tingxiang''s words are not bad, and there is no ink on the scroll, which is a good appearance. And Xue Juncai didn''t finish his silence, and there were mistakes and omissions, so Xue Tingxiang won this round."


    "Brilliant!" Xue Qingshan said in surprise, his eyes were full of disbelief, he wanted to say something, but was pulled by Yang Zhong.


    Xue Juncai didn''t raise his head until now, he raised his head stiffly and looked at Xue Tingxiang with red eyes.


    ...


    Next is the second round, and this round will return to the normal school exam homework.


    He Xiucai asked the question, and the two answered.


    "Seeking the ancients to seek the theory, how can you solve it if you let go of your worries?"


    "Search for the ancients and the ancient things, and read more wise and famous sayings, so that you can get rid of distracting thoughts and be at ease." Xue Juncai took a step forward and replied.

 Chapter 36

    Because he knew that this matter seemed insignificant, but it was actually too difficult for farmers. How many families had the idea of ??changing their own destiny by reading books.


    It can be said that those who are born in a poor family in the countryside and can achieve great fame have all experienced great hardships. The starting point is much lower than others. It takes countless efforts to catch up with others, and at the same time they have to face all kinds of cruel competition.


    This kind of competition is not only between classmates, but also between the same exams, but also between the same clan, and even one''s own brothers.


    If you succeed, the sea and the sky will be bright, and you will not be an ordinary person since then. If you fail, you will put down the book and pick up the hoe, and face the loess and the sky for the rest of your life.


    It is because they understand this kind of cruelty that the two of them can''t help but wonder whether this son deliberately said that his knowledge is weak, or he just wants to pull his brother to reduce the difficulty of the question. But this is a double-edged sword. After all, it is a disadvantage to oneself to lose one''s studies to others.


    These thoughts only happened in an instant, and because of the sudden attention of He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai, Xue Qingshan''s eyebrows jumped wildly, for fear that Xue Tingxiang would say something amazing again. At this moment, he couldn''t care less about why Xue Tingshan knew the explanation of the scriptures, and he completely forgot that his previous idea was that Xue Tingshan didn''t understand the scriptures, and it would be effortless for his son to beat him.


    This is also true for Patriarch Xue. If something happens in the clan that cannot be seen by others, it is limited to the clan. If it happens in public, it will be a bit ugly.


    The eyes of the two seemed to have needles, and they were anxiously focused on Xue Tingxiang''s face. Unexpectedly, he smiled shyly and said: "The boy was weak and sick when he was young, so he inevitably fell behind."


    Xue Qingshan hurriedly laughed and said: "That''s exactly the case. Don''t be afraid that the two seniors will laugh at me. My nephew is talented and intelligent, but his weak body hinders his studies."


    Patriarch Xue also nodded in agreement.


    Others didn''t know what was going on, they just opened their eyes and watched. Only Zheng Lizheng seemed to realize that there was something wrong, but he couldn''t tell the details, so he could only keep silent.


    After He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai gave in to each other again, He Xiucai was the main one in the end. Sitting at the top, he said to Xue Tingxiang: "Since you don''t understand the scriptures, it''s a bit unfair to go beyond the scope of what you have learned. You two are still young, and it''s time to lay down the foundation, so I will test your two. Human base."


    Hearing this, although Xue Juncai was a little disappointed that he was overqualified and missed his opportunity to perform, he also felt disdainful.


    If you don''t test the scriptures, then Xue Tingxiang is not his opponent!


    He Xiucai squeezed his beard with his hands, and after pondering for a while, said: "Zhu Zi said: the size of learning is inherently different, but it is the way, it is only one. It is also suitable for young people. If you don''t learn it in elementary school, you will have nothing to learn. Its heart, to cultivate its virtue, is the foundation of the university. The two of you will each silently write a "Disciple Regulations."


    Neither of them expected that the first question would be Mo''s "Disciple Regulations". You must know that "Disciples Regulations" was learned at the beginning of elementary school, and the whole article is only about a thousand words. In addition to the general narrative, it is divided into seven chapters: filial piety when you enter, brotherhood when you go out, sincerity, faith, universal love for all, kindness and benevolence, and Yu Liwen.


    Each chapter is not long, with three words and one sentence, rhyming in the same pattern, and catchy. It lists the various norms that disciples should abide by at home, when going out, and when dealing with people. It also just proves what He Xiucai said before, the size of learning is inherently different, but it is the truth that it is only one.


    Someone has already prepared a square table and pens and inks, and each person has a table and table in front of the hall, and even the ink has been sharpened.


    When the two came to the table, they picked up a pen and wrote without any hesitation.


    As the two rushed to write and write, the noise gradually faded away. Even if the country people don''t understand the basic principles, they also know that scholars should not be disturbed when they are doing their studies.


    This is not a problem for Xue Tingxiang, because he only has one book, so he has spent too much effort to memorize the things he has learned.


    Not only memorizing, but also keeping in mind, so that when asked in school, he can answer fluently, because he has no reference at all.


    It is better to have no books than to have books, because these are all engraved in the mind. Especially since having that dream, in order not to affect his memory, he has silently recited the book he had memorized countless times in his mind.


    While Xue Tingxiang was writing vigorously, he also had a slight change in his opinion of He Xiucai.


    He could see that the other party asked such an unexpected question, not because the other party deliberately released the water, but because the other party wanted to make a surprise. Because this discipline is too simple for scholars, they have learned it when they were just learning, but they just throw it away after learning it.


    Except for the beginning of learning, my husband will not take these things in the future. It may be to test the Three Character Classic, or even a hundred surnames, and a thousand character prose, but it will not be the rules of this disciple.


    Xue Tingxiang even couldn''t wait to see Xue Juncai''s reaction. Maybe the other party can roughly write down this article, but can you write down all the thousands of words, and the words are correct and the order is good? And He Xiucai''s request to silence this disciple''s rule is probably not just silent, but also one of the "books" in elementary school.


    Just relying on your own words is enough to beat the opponent.


    As Xue Tingxiang thought, at first Xue Juncai really felt contemptuous. He even wondered if this He Xiucai was out of his mind to take the "Disciple Regulations" test.


    Who wouldn''t know this disciple? It is something to learn at the beginning of school. But after he fell silent, he realized that he really wasn''t as good as he thought.


    After you leave, do you love me, or are you hurt? You must know that this Disciple Rules is not like other articles, it can connect the past and the future, confirming each other, if the first sentence is wrong, the latter paragraph will be wrong.


    The more Xue Juncai became silent, the more annoyed he felt, and he always felt that he was wrong in being silent. If someone asks a question, he can naturally answer it fluently. Ke Mo, Mo is still a good word!


    At first, he wrote like flying, but then it became slower and slower, and even reached the point where he couldn''t write, obviously he was not sure if his memory was wrong.


    On the contrary, Xue Tingxiang has been calm from the beginning, and he is still writing at a leisurely pace at this time, but it can be seen that his writing is very coherent, with almost no pause.


    At the first place, Qiao Xiucai glanced at He Xiucai with exclamation, and did not hide her surprise at all. He naturally had a panoramic view of the following situation, and he had to admire He Xiucai''s ingenuity.


    He Xiucai smiled slightly. In fact, he would ask this kind of question, but he just wanted people to make mistakes. I was very proud of my inspiration.


    He stroked his beard and said with a faint smile, "You two little friends, don''t worry, there is a stick of incense time, enough to write it down."


    Yizhuxiang wrote more than a thousand characters, which seemed a bit hasty, but it is not impossible to write something as simple as the disciple''s rules silently, as long as you pay close attention to it.


    But that was before, Xue Juncai couldn''t help but feel even more anxious when he heard someone mention the time.


    In the following time, he kept looking at the stick of incense, because he looked at it too frequently, which made his speed even slower.


    "Okay, time is up."


    As the words fell, Xue Tingxiang made a big stroke and put down the brush in his hand.


    Xue Juncai didn''t move, until someone went in front of him, only to find that his whole body was as stiff as a stone, and he was dripping with sweat, and the paper in front of him was only half full.


    Because the two were behind the gate, and Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong were sitting at the end, they didn''t notice anything strange about it. In their minds, a "Regulations for Disciples" couldn''t be simpler, and Xue Juncai''s strange appearance also attracted the attention of the two of them, but they still didn''t expect that Xue Juncai could not finish writing it.


    It wasn''t until He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai looked at each other''s papers that they looked at each other, and He Xiucai announced that Xue Tingxiang won this match.


    Xue Qingshan stood up from the chair in surprise: "How is it possible?"


    At the same time, there was a lot of discussion below and outside the door, and it seemed that Xue Juncai couldn''t believe that Xue Juncai had lost. Insiders look at the doorway, while laymen watch the excitement. The villagers who didn''t know a single word didn''t know what the test was about, they only knew that Master Xiucai said that Xue Juncai lost to the Xue family dog.


    Xue Juncai lost to Xue Gouzi?


    This, this is really surprising. You must know that Xue Juncai has always been the most outstanding young man among the younger generation in Yuqing Village. Whoever mentions him does not give a thumbs up.


    "Senior He, Senior Qiao, did you make a mistake, a disciple''s regulation..."


    He Xiucai gestured with his gaze, and two people stepped forward to unfold Xue Juncai''s and Xue Tingxiang''s papers, held them up, and showed them to everyone.


    I saw that on one of the rice papers, the handwriting was full of strength, correct and beautiful. On the other piece of rice paper, the handwriting was not bad, but it was anticlimactic, and it became more and more scribbled as it went to the back, and there were even spots of ink on it.


    "Xue Tingxiang''s words are not bad, and there is no ink on the scroll, which is a good appearance. And Xue Juncai didn''t finish his silence, and there were mistakes and omissions, so Xue Tingxiang won this round."


    "Brilliant!" Xue Qingshan said in surprise, his eyes were full of disbelief, he wanted to say something, but was pulled by Yang Zhong.


    Xue Juncai didn''t raise his head until now, he raised his head stiffly and looked at Xue Tingxiang with red eyes.


    ...


    Next is the second round, and this round will return to the normal school exam homework.


    He Xiucai asked the question, and the two answered.


    "Seeking the ancients to seek the theory, how can you solve it if you let go of your worries?"


    "Search for the ancients and the ancient things, and read more wise and famous sayings, so that you can get rid of distracting thoughts and be at ease." Xue Juncai took a step forward and replied.


    "Meng Ke is dunsu, Shi Yu is upright. What''s the explanation for Lao Qian''s edict?" This sentence was asked by Xue Tingxiang.


    He pondered for a while, and said: "Mencius advocates simplicity, while Ziyu, the official historian, is upright. What he said is that a person should conform to the standard of the mean as much as possible. He must be hardworking and humble, be cautious, and know how to advise himself."


    "Saying the warning, what''s the next sentence?" When He Xiucai asked this sentence, he didn''t look at any of the two of them.


    Xue Juncai was still in a daze, but Xue Tingxiang had already replied: "I''m almost ashamed, Lin Gao is lucky."


    "Don''t talk about each other''s weaknesses, what''s the solution to relying on your own strengths?"


    This time Xue Juncai didn''t let up, and hurriedly said: "Don''t talk about other people''s shortcomings, and don''t rely on your own strengths to make progress." Before he finished speaking, his cheeks were hot, and he didn''t know whether it was embarrassment or self-ashamed.


    "Okay!" He Xiucai clapped his hands together, "All the answers are pretty good."


    Suddenly, he said again: "Shuixie."


    Xue Juncai was stunned for a moment, Xue Tingxiang''s eyes flashed, and he replied: "Shanzhai."


    Hearing this, Xue Juncai realized that He Xiucai was taking a pair test.


    Before schoolchildren enter university, in addition to the basic three hundred and thousand thousand, they also need to learn "Enlightenment of Rhythm", "Longwen Whip Shadow", "Children''s Learning Qionglin", "Zengguang Xianwen" and so on.


    Among them, "Enlightenment of Rhythm" and "Longwen Whip Shadow" teach children to understand the rules of rhythm and parallelism. In the process of learning Pingzheqie rhyme, at the same time begin to understand and master poetry rhyme, and acquire a large number of vocabulary and ancient allusions.


    Nowadays there is a saying that few schoolchildren who have been taught can''t match the right pair.


    Especially this simple pair and couplet.


    After suffering two losses in a row, Xue Juncai was obviously smarter. It was almost He Xiucai who asked the question. Answered successfully.


    It can be seen that Xue Juncai is doing well in his studies, and there are almost no pairs that He Xiucai can''t answer.


    "Recently, the old man sighed in his heart. He occasionally got something. He came up with an upper couplet, but so far he has not been able to get a suitable second couplet. This time I will test you two. It may be too difficult for you now, but give it a try. It doesn''t matter." He Xiucai withdrew his gaze and looked at Qiao Xiucai: "Brother Qiao, if you are interested, you can also try it, so as to relieve the pain of brooding for many days."


    Qiao Xiucai smiled slightly, knowing that this was He Xiucai''s desire to compete.


    As the saying goes, there is no first in writing, and there is no second in martial arts. In the nearby villages, he and He Xiucai were the only ones who passed the entrance examination. He Xiucai''s reputation in the outside world has never been prominent, and he can understand that he will compare.


    "Brother He, it''s okay to say."


    He Xiucai stroked his beard and said: "One person is great, and two are heaven. Heaven is greater than human affection, and human affection is greater than heaven."


    Xue Tingxiang''s eyes flashed, his eyes flicked across the faces of the first two people, and then fell on Xue Juncai''s face. Seeing him bow his head in thought, he also lowered his head.


    There was silence in the hall, no one dared to make a sound, and couldn''t figure it out that there were two juniors in the examination school, so how could these two match up.


    Suddenly, a clear high-five sounded.


    Qiao Xiucai clapped his hands and said, "Two trees make a forest, three trees make a forest. The forest is luxuriant, and the forest is luxuriant."


    Xue Tingxiang thought to himself: In fact, this pair is difficult to say, and it is not difficult to say that it is not difficult.


    He Xiucai''s one person turns into a big man, and two people turn into a sky, and the two lines of confrontation afterwards have the finishing touch. And Qiao Xiucai used two trees to form a forest, and three trees to form a forest, which is perfect.

 Chapter 37

    It can be said that those who are born in a poor family in the countryside and can achieve great fame have all experienced great hardships. The starting point is much lower than others. It takes countless efforts to catch up with others, and at the same time they have to face all kinds of cruel competition.


    This kind of competition is not only between classmates, between the same exams, but also between the same clan, and even one''s own brothers.


    If you succeed, the sea and the sky will be bright with fishes, and you will not be an ordinary person from then on. If you fail, you will put down your books and pick up a hoe, and face the loess with your back to the sky for the rest of your life.


    It is because they understand this kind of cruelty that the two of them can''t help but wonder whether this son deliberately said that his knowledge is weak, or he just wants to pull his brother to reduce the difficulty of the question. But this is a double-edged sword. After all, it is a disadvantage to oneself to lose one''s studies to others.


    These thoughts only happened in an instant, and because of the sudden attention of He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai, Xue Qingshan''s eyebrows jumped wildly, for fear that Xue Tingxiang would say something amazing again. At this moment, he couldn''t care less about why Xue Tingshan knew the interpretation of the scriptures, and he completely forgot that his previous idea was that Xue Tingshan didn''t understand the scriptures, and it would be easy for his son to beat him.


    This is also true for Patriarch Xue. If something happens in the clan that cannot be seen by others, it is limited to the clan. If it happens in public, it will be a bit ugly.


    The eyes of the two seemed to have needles, and they were anxiously focused on Xue Tingxiang''s face. Unexpectedly, he smiled shyly and said: "The boy was weak and sick when he was young, so he inevitably fell behind."


    Xue Qingshan hurriedly laughed and said: "That''s exactly the case. Don''t be afraid that the two seniors will laugh at me. My nephew is talented and intelligent, but his weak body hinders his studies."


    Patriarch Xue also nodded in agreement.


    Others didn''t know what was going on, they just opened their eyes and watched. Only Zheng Lizheng seemed to realize that there was something wrong, but he couldn''t tell the details, so he could only keep silent.


    After He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai gave in to each other again, He Xiucai was the main one in the end. Sitting at the top, he said to Xue Tingxiang: "Since you don''t understand the scriptures, it''s a bit unfair to go beyond the scope of what you have learned. You two are still young, and it''s time to lay down the foundation, so I will test your two. Human base."


    Hearing this, although Xue Juncai was a little disappointed that he was overqualified and missed his opportunity to perform, he also felt disdainful.


    If you don''t test the scriptures, then Xue Tingxiang is not his opponent!


    He Xiucai squeezed his beard with his hands, and after pondering for a while, said: "Zhu Zi said: the size of learning is inherently different, but it is the way, it is only one. It is also suitable for young people. If you don''t learn it in elementary school, you will have nothing to learn. Its heart, to cultivate its virtue, is the foundation of the university. The two of you will each silently write a "Disciple Regulations."


    Neither of them expected that the first question would be Mo''s "Disciple Regulations". You must know that "Disciples Regulations" was learned at the beginning of elementary school, and the whole article is only about a thousand words. In addition to the general narrative, it is divided into seven chapters: filial piety when you enter, brotherhood when you go out, sincerity, faith, universal love for all, kindness and benevolence, and Yu Liwen.


    Each chapter is not long, with three words and one sentence, rhyming in the same pattern, and catchy. It lists the various norms that disciples should abide by at home, when going out, and when dealing with people. It also just proves what He Xiucai said before, the size of learning is inherently different, but it is the truth that it is only one.


    Someone has already prepared a square table and pens and inks, and each person has a table and table in front of the hall, and even the ink has been sharpened.


    When the two came to the table, they picked up a pen and wrote without any hesitation.


    As the two rushed to write and write, the noise gradually faded away. Even if the country people don''t understand the basic principles, they also know that scholars should not be disturbed when they are doing their studies.


    This is not a problem for Xue Tingxiang, because he only has one book, so he has spent too much effort to memorize the things he has learned.


    Not only memorizing, but also keeping in mind, so that when asked in school, he can answer fluently, because he has no reference at all.


    It is better to have no books than to have books, because these are all engraved in the mind. Especially since having that dream, in order not to affect his memory, he has silently recited the book he had memorized countless times in his mind.


    While Xue Tingxiang was writing vigorously, he also had a slight change in his opinion of He Xiucai.


    He could see that the other party asked such an unexpected question, not because the other party deliberately released the water, but because the other party wanted to make a surprise. Because this discipline is too simple for scholars, they have learned it when they were just learning, but they just throw it away after learning it.


    Except for the beginning of learning, my husband will not take these things in the future. It may be to test the Three Character Classic, or even a hundred surnames, and a thousand character prose, but it will not be the rules of this disciple.


    Xue Tingxiang even couldn''t wait to see Xue Juncai''s reaction. Maybe the other party can roughly write down this article, but can you write down all the thousands of words, and the words are correct and the order is good? And He Xiucai''s request to silence this disciple''s rule is probably not just silent, but also one of the "books" in elementary school.


    Just relying on your own words is enough to beat the opponent.


    As Xue Tingxiang thought, at first Xue Juncai really felt contemptuous. He even wondered if this He Xiucai was out of his mind to take the "Disciple Regulations" test.


    Who wouldn''t know this disciple? It is something to learn at the beginning of school. But after he fell silent, he realized that he really wasn''t as good as he thought.


    After you leave, do you love me, or are you hurt? You must know that this Disciple Rules is not like other articles, it can connect the past and the future, confirming each other, if the first sentence is wrong, the latter paragraph will be wrong.


    The more Xue Juncai became silent, the more annoyed he felt, and he always felt that he was wrong in being silent. If someone asks a question, he can naturally answer it fluently. Ke Mo, Mo is still a good word!


    At first, he wrote like flying, but then it became slower and slower, and even reached the point where he couldn''t write, obviously he was not sure if his memory was wrong.


    On the contrary, Xue Tingxiang has been calm from the beginning, and he is still writing at a leisurely pace at this time, but it can be seen that his writing is very coherent, with almost no pause.


    At the first place, Qiao Xiucai glanced at He Xiucai with exclamation, and did not hide her surprise at all. He naturally had a panoramic view of the following situation, and he had to admire He Xiucai''s ingenuity.


    He Xiucai smiled slightly. In fact, he would ask this kind of question, but he just wanted people to make mistakes. I was very proud of my inspiration.


    He stroked his beard and said with a faint smile, "You two little friends, don''t worry, there is a stick of incense time, enough to write it down."


    Yizhuxiang wrote more than a thousand characters, which seemed a bit hasty, but it is not impossible to write something as simple as the disciple''s rules silently, as long as you pay close attention to it.


    But that was before, Xue Juncai couldn''t help but feel even more anxious when he heard someone mention the time.


    In the following time, he kept looking at the stick of incense, because he looked at it too frequently, which made his speed even slower.


    "Okay, time is up."


    As the words fell, Xue Tingxiang made a big stroke and put down the brush in his hand.


    Xue Juncai didn''t move, until someone went in front of him, only to find that his whole body was as stiff as a stone, and he was dripping with sweat, and the paper in front of him was only half full.


    Because the two were behind the gate, and Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong were sitting at the end, they didn''t notice anything strange about it. In their minds, a "Regulations for Disciples" couldn''t be simpler, and Xue Juncai''s strange appearance also attracted the attention of the two of them, but they still didn''t expect that Xue Juncai could not finish writing it.


    It wasn''t until He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai looked at each other''s papers that they looked at each other, and He Xiucai announced that Xue Tingxiang won this match.


    Xue Qingshan stood up from the chair in surprise: "How is it possible?"


    At the same time, there was a lot of discussion below and outside the door, and it seemed that Xue Juncai couldn''t believe that Xue Juncai had lost. Insiders look at the doorway, while laymen watch the excitement. The villagers who didn''t know a single word didn''t know what the test was about, they only knew that Master Xiucai said that Xue Juncai lost to the Xue family dog.

 Chapter 38

    "The dog of the second room of Xue Lianxing''s family. Hey, mother, it''s strange to say that I didn''t recognize him when he knocked on the door just now. I always feel like a different person."


    Her mother-in-law didn''t take it seriously: "What can I become, but I can''t change my body. I remember that kid has been ill recently."


    The daughter-in-law said: "I see, maybe I plan to go to the back mountain." There is a mountain behind Yuqing Village, where all the dead villagers in the village are buried, and the ancestral grave of Xue''s family is also there.


    Hearing this, her mother-in-law sighed: "Don''t even mention it, it''s a pity for the second child of the Xing family. Both of them are gone. It''s a pity to leave a baby."


    This is just gossip between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and while they were talking, Xue Tingxiang had already brought Heizi into the back mountain.


    *


    Houshan is called Houshan, the mountain behind Yuqing Village.


    This mountain has no name and is not high, but it is extremely deep. Anyway, so far, no villager has been able to walk back and forth from this deep mountain and old forest, most of them are activities outside the mountain.


    The ancestral grave of the Xue family was built on a small hill not far from the village. This Xue family is not only Xue Tingxiang''s family, but the ancestors of the entire Xue clan are buried here.


    On such a big hill, the lineage of the patriarch is in the middle, and the branches of the various families spread out. The lineage of Mr. Xue is at a place near the southwestern foot of the mountain.


    Because the couple in the second room died young, and Xue Qingsong died in an accident, they were buried at the edge.


    When Xue Tingxiang arrived at the place, he began to pull the grass around the grave mound casually.


    There were not many weeds, they had just been cleared during the Chinese New Year, so he gathered the grass at random and placed it on the ground, taking advantage of the opportunity and sat down in front of the grave.


    A piece of mountainous land, two small graves, in front of each of the graves stood a small bluestone stele, on which the names of the second family and the couple were crudely written.


    This monument was originally recruited to find someone to make it and set it up.


    Nowadays, there are three kinds of people who cannot erect monuments after they die, those who die suddenly, die young, and have no heirs. Xue Qingsong belongs to violent death.


    Although everyone doesn''t say it, people who feel that they died suddenly have resentment after death, which is not conducive to the feng shui of the ancestor''s grave, so no monument is erected. I also want him to forget who he is, so as not to cause trouble if he is ignorant.


    But at the same time, there is another saying that after death without a monument, you will be a lonely ghost, who cannot stand the incense of future generations.


    At the beginning, the funeral of the second wife was arranged by the Xue family, and they acquiesced to follow the old customs. At that time, Xue Tingxiang was still young and didn''t understand these things at all, but Zhao''er understood.


    She talked to Xue''s family about erecting a monument, but was blocked, and Xue''s family took turns to persuade her. Later, Zhao''er didn''t tell anyone about it, and took the money to ask someone to make these two simple monuments and put them in front of the grave.


    It was too late when Xue''s family found out, and they couldn''t tear down the stele in front of the villagers.


    The villagers were also surprised when they saw the stele, but after thinking about how the Xue family''s second child died, they could understand it.


    Therefore, Xue Qingshan also gained a good reputation. He would rather risk his family''s feng shui to erect a monument for his brother.


    With various thoughts spinning in his mind, Xue Tingxiang took out a piece of cloth from his arms and slowly wiped the tombstone.


    The words on it were still written by him, and the strokes are immature, but after all, people can still tell what is written on it.


    ...


    Today is the anniversary of Mr. Zheng''s death. Zheng Hu brought his two sons to the grave to worship.


    The country people are not so particular, they just prepared some steamed buns, wine and meat, and the father and son burned the paper money in front of the grave, so let''s forget about it.


    Zheng Hu had always had a deep relationship with his father, so he was inevitably depressed, so he let his two sons go back first, while he sat in front of the grave, smoking a pipe and talking to his father.


    After talking for a while, he stood up and planned to go back.


    There was still work waiting to be done in the field, and Zheng Hu didn''t want to waste time, so he decided to take a shortcut. When he passed near Xue Lianxing''s ancestral grave, he suddenly heard someone crying.


    There are graves on the two nearby hills, one is of the surname Xue, and the other is of the surname Zheng. This kind of festive day is not like Zheng Hu''s on the anniversary of the death of an elder in the family, but no one would come to this kind of place.


    In particular, there may be a lot of dead people buried here, the trees are dense, and sometimes the sky and day are gloomy. Hearing this strange sound under such circumstances, Zheng Hu was so frightened that his hair stood on end and his legs went limp.


    After all, he had lived for decades. He listened intently and calmly, and it took him a while to understand that it was a boy''s voice.


    Thinking about who''s grave was here, he bravely walked closer, bypassed a big tree, and saw a young man in blue clothes sitting in front of the grave from a distance.


    Next to it was a big black dog wagging its tail.


    It''s the dog of the second room of Xue Lianxing''s family.


    Only then did Zheng Hu heave a sigh of relief, and the voice came into his ears again: "...Father, what do you think I should do? Uncle wants to send brother Juncai to the school in town, I thought I could do the same." Go... But my aunt came to the house a few days ago, but she told me to let Brother Juncai, before..."


    The young man''s voice was full of hesitation and bewilderment, Zheng Hu did not expect to hear the secret affairs of the Xue family in such a place. He was so surprised that the pipe in his hand dropped without realizing it. He didn''t realize it until his foot was hit by the pipe, picked up the pipe in a hurry and left.


    He didn''t know that after he left, the lonely and helpless boy in his eyes stopped crying.


    In the past few days, Xue Tingxiang has been thinking hard, trying to find a suitable opportunity, and somehow he thought of Zheng Hu.


    Zheng Hu''s father, Mr. Zheng, died during the spring plowing. It was not a happy funeral, but an accident. He was accidentally squeezed to the foot of the field by his own cattle and fell to his death.


    The ridge was not very tall, and countless villagers fell off the ridge every year, and Mr. Zheng died unluckily. At the beginning, this incident was widely circulated in the village, so Xue Tingxiang remembered it very clearly.


    Since it was the anniversary of the father''s death, the son Zheng Hu would definitely come to visit the grave, and Zheng Hu used to like to take shortcuts, so he would definitely pass by this area, so who else is more suitable than him.


    The most important thing is that Yuqing Village doesn''t seem big, but Xue and Zheng''s surnames have always been different from each other. Zheng Hu''s uncle is Li Zheng, and if he knows it, Zheng Lizheng will know it too.


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t stay any longer, and quickly returned home with Heizi the same way.


    The yard was still silent, he found a twig and put it in front of the door, and sat there quietly basking in the sun, thinking about Zhao''er who went to the town.


    *


    Zheng Hu hurried all the way, without even returning home, he went to Zheng Lizheng''s house.


    Zheng Li is the Lizheng of Yuqing Village and the head of the Zheng clan. Naturally, the family''s house is the only one in Yuqing Village. If it can be compared with it, it is the house of Patriarch Xue''s family.


    Yishui''s green brick and tile-roofed house, and the courtyard walls are also made of green bricks. The most conspicuous thing is the ancestral hall of the Zheng family on the front, but this ancestral hall will not be opened until a certain time. The two black doors The paulownia gate is closed all year round.


    Going around to the side is the courtyard of Zheng Lizheng''s family.


    The yard is huge, unlike other houses where the barn, barn, kitchen, etc. are all in the front yard, the front yard of Zheng Lizheng''s house is just a big empty yard, only two sycamore trees are planted in the yard. Whenever there is any major event in the village, the courtyard will always be densely packed with people.


    There are three main rooms facing the face, and east and west wing rooms on the left and right, all of which are blue bricks and black tiles, which are extraordinarily magnificent.


    When Zheng Hu arrived, only Zheng Lizheng and his wife Tian Shi were at home.


    As soon as Tian saw his nephew coming, he greeted him: "Huzi, why are you here at this time? Do you have something to do with your uncle?"


    "Hey, there''s something wrong."


    With that said, Zheng Hu hurried into the house. Tian shook her head, thinking that there must be something wrong, since Zheng Hu is usually very steady.


    After Zheng Hu entered, he turned to the east room.


    Sure enough, his uncle Zheng Li was sitting cross-legged on the big kang in the east room, smoking dry cigarettes.


    "Why, in a hurry."


    Zheng Hu sat down on a pier under the kang, panting heavily, unable to speak for a while.


    Zheng Lizheng looked to be in his sixties, with a long face and a pair of medium-sized eyes. From the appearance, he is just an ordinary farmer''s old man, even the clothes he wears are ordinary. There is only that unmoving calmness, which can be seen as a person who has been around the world for a long time.


    With the cigarette holder in his mouth, he pushed the teapot on the kang table forward, Zheng Hu was not polite, stood up and poured a bowl of tea, and drank it down.


    "Uncle, let me tell you, something happened to me today."


    "What''s the matter?"


    "Today is not the anniversary of my father''s death. I took it with me early in the morning..."


    Halfway through Zheng Hu''s speech, Zheng Lizheng sat up from the kang, as if listening seriously.


    Seeing his uncle like this, Zheng Hu knew he had come to the right place. After hearing what the only son of Xue Lianxing''s family cried, he realized that this was an opportunity, an opportunity to suppress the prestige of Xue in Yuqing Village.


    He spoke in more detail, almost repeating every word, while Zheng Li was smoking a pipe, his eyes narrowed.


    *


    Zhao''er didn''t come back until the second half of the afternoon, and when he came back, he looked a little unhappy.


    Xue Tingxiang looked at the basket behind her, every time Zhao''er came back before, the basket was always full, but today he knew that there was nothing in it.


    "What''s wrong?"


    Zhao''er was thinking about it, when the little man asked him, he was taken aback for a moment, and then said: "It''s nothing, I brought you meat buns from the town, and I''ll heat them up for you to eat later."


    How could there be nothing, obviously there is something.


    Xue Tingxiang glanced at her face, but since she didn''t want to say more, he didn''t want to press her.


    Zhao''er went back and forth to the town, covered in dust, she went to the kitchen to boil water, and took a bath in the bathroom. The Xue family has a special room for bathing, in the vegetable field in the backyard. The house is not big, three meters square, the floor is paved with bluestone slabs, and there is a drain in the corner, through which the bath water can flow directly into the vegetable field.


    Taking off her clothes, Zhao''er rubbed the soap horns on her body, but a burst of melancholy came to her heart.


    In fact, something really happened, but she didn''t say it because she was afraid that the little man would worry.


    The way she finally found to get money was robbed.


    The person who robbed was none other than the owner of the embroidery workshop who took her finished product and pocketed the embroidered shoes.


    In fact, Zhao''er is quite clever. He bought rags from the owner of this embroidery workshop, but the finished product was not sold to this one, but to another one. It''s just that she didn''t expect that the two bosses were actually relatives, and she didn''t know how the other party knew. When she went again this time, the other party was unwilling to sell her rags.


    Not only does this embroidery workshop have no rags, but the owner of this embroidery workshop ordered people to buy all the rags from other embroidery workshops. Zhao''er didn''t know about this until after visiting several embroidery workshops.


    She has already made plans to pay for the little man to study in the town. She has asked about the Qinghe Academy, and the beam repair will cost five taels of silver every year. Among them, because many students live too far away, they can choose to study in dormitories. If it is a place to study, the monthly meals, accommodation, etc. are added together, and another one or two taels of silver will be needed.


    In Zhao''er''s heart, she wanted Xue Ting to study overnight. She felt that Xue''s house was not a good place to study, and there were too many messes in the family, which meant that she had to prepare six taels of silver before sending the little man to school.


    She originally thought that she could make enough money by doing this business twice, but who would have thought that such a thing would happen.


    In the middle of her thoughts, Zhao''er had already taken a shower, she wrapped her hair in a handkerchief, put on her clothes, and went back to the house.


    Xue Tingxiang was sitting on the kang reading a book, and it was his only book "Children Learning Qionglin". Seeing her coming in, he looked up at her and said, "It''s still cold, dry your hair quickly."


    Hearing this, Zhao''er''s heart warmed up.


    These days the little man has changed a lot compared to before, and this change is naturally good, so she couldn''t help showing a smile even though she was worried.


    She climbed onto the kang and took a cloth towel out of the kang cabinet. Xue Tingxiang was sitting on the side, inevitably he had to make room for her. When she passed by, a scent mixed with soap locust penetrated into the tip of his nose, he couldn''t help moving his nose, and his eyes fell on her who was close at hand.


    She sat up, raised her hand to touch the little man''s forehead, and made sure that her hands were not hot, then put on her clothes lightly and got off the kang.


    The first thing to do was to open the door, and Heizi, who had been restless for a long time, got out with a swish. Zhao''er also walked out of the room, seeing Heizi hurriedly running out of the courtyard to pee, she shook her head with a broken smile.


    At this time, someone has already got up in the courtyard, it is the Zhou family of the third bedroom and his eldest daughter Xue Tao''er.

 Chapter 39

    They were all from humble backgrounds, and of course they knew how difficult it was to study in a farming family, so before Xue Tingxiang said that the Xue family never forgot to cultivate their children and grandchildren while they settled down, Qiao Xiucai praised them greatly.


    Because he knew that this matter seemed insignificant, but it was actually too difficult for farmers. How many families had the idea of ??changing their own destiny by reading books.


    It can be said that those who are born in a poor family in the countryside and can achieve great fame have all experienced great hardships. The starting point is much lower than others. It takes countless efforts to catch up with others, and at the same time they have to face all kinds of cruel competition.


    This kind of competition is not only between classmates, between the same exams, but also between the same clan, and even one''s own brothers.


    If you succeed, the sea and the sky will be bright, and you will not be an ordinary person since then. If you fail, you will put down the book and pick up the hoe, and face the loess and the sky for the rest of your life.


    It is because they understand this kind of cruelty that the two of them can''t help but wonder whether this son deliberately said that his knowledge is weak, or he just wants to pull his brother to reduce the difficulty of the question. But this is a double-edged sword. After all, it is a disadvantage to oneself to lose one''s studies to others.


    These thoughts only happened in an instant, and because of the sudden attention of He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai, Xue Qingshan''s eyebrows jumped wildly, for fear that Xue Tingxiang would say something amazing again. At this moment, he couldn''t care less about why Xue Tingxiang knew the explanation of the scriptures, and he completely forgot that his previous idea was that Xue Tingshan didn''t understand the scriptures, and it would be easy for his son to beat him.


    This is also true for Patriarch Xue. If something happens in the clan that cannot be seen by others, it is limited to the clan. If it happens in public, it will be a bit ugly.


    The eyes of the two seemed to have needles, and they were anxiously focused on Xue Tingxiang''s face. Unexpectedly, he smiled shyly and said: "The boy was weak and sick when he was young, so he inevitably fell behind."


    Xue Qingshan hurriedly laughed and said: "That''s exactly the case. Don''t be afraid that the two seniors will laugh at me. My nephew is talented and intelligent, but his weak body hinders his studies."


    Patriarch Xue also nodded in agreement.


    Others didn''t know what was going on, they just opened their eyes and watched. Only Zheng Lizheng seemed to realize that there was something wrong, but he couldn''t tell the details, so he could only keep silent.


    After He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai gave in to each other again, He Xiucai was the main one in the end. Sitting at the top, he said to Xue Tingxiang: "Since you don''t understand the scriptures, it''s a bit unfair to go beyond the scope of what you have learned. You two are still young, and it''s time to lay down the foundation, so I will test your two. Human base."


    Hearing this, although Xue Juncai was a little disappointed that he was overqualified and missed his opportunity to perform, he also felt disdainful.


    If you don''t test the scriptures, then Xue Tingxiang is not his opponent!


    He Xiucai squeezed his beard with his hands, and after pondering for a while, said: "Zhu Zi said: the size of learning is inherently different, but it is the way, it is only one. It is also suitable for young people. If you don''t learn it in elementary school, you will have nothing to learn. Its heart, to cultivate its virtue, is the foundation of the university. The two of you will each silently write a "Disciple Regulations."


    Neither of them expected that the first question would be Mo''s "Disciple Regulations". You must know that "Disciples Regulations" was learned at the beginning of elementary school, and the whole article is only about a thousand words. In addition to the general narrative, it is divided into seven chapters: filial piety when you enter, brotherhood when you go out, sincerity, faith, universal love for all, kindness and benevolence, and Yu Liwen.


    Each chapter is not long, with three words and one sentence, rhyming in the same pattern, and catchy. It lists the various norms that disciples should abide by at home, when going out, and when dealing with people. It also just proves what He Xiucai said before, the size of learning is inherently different, but it is the truth that it is only one.


    Someone has already prepared a square table and pens and inks, and each person has a table and table in front of the hall, and even the ink has been sharpened.


    When the two came to the table, they picked up a pen and wrote without any hesitation.


    As the two rushed to write and write, the noise gradually faded away. Even if the country people don''t understand the basic principles, they also know that scholars should not be disturbed when they are doing their studies.


    This is not a problem for Xue Tingxiang, because he only has one book, so he has spent too much effort to memorize the things he has learned.


    Not only memorizing, but also keeping in mind, so that when asked in school, he can answer fluently, because he has no reference at all.


    It is better to have no books than to have books, because these are all engraved in the mind. Especially since having that dream, in order not to affect his memory, he has silently recited the book he had memorized countless times in his mind.


    While Xue Tingxiang was writing vigorously, he also had a slight change in his opinion of He Xiucai.


    He could see that the other party asked such an unexpected question, not because the other party deliberately released the water, but because the other party wanted to make a surprise. Because this discipline is too simple for scholars, they have learned it when they were just learning, but they just throw it away after learning it.


    Except for the beginning of learning, my husband will not take these things in the future. It may be to test the Three Character Classic, or even a hundred surnames, and a thousand character prose, but it will not be the rules of this disciple.


    Xue Tingxiang even couldn''t wait to see Xue Juncai''s reaction. Maybe the other party can roughly write down this article, but can you write down all the thousands of words, and the words are correct and the order is good? And He Xiucai''s request to silence this disciple''s rule is probably not just silent, but also one of the "books" in elementary school.


    Just relying on your own words is enough to beat the opponent.


    As Xue Tingxiang thought, at first Xue Juncai really felt contemptuous. He even wondered if this He Xiucai was out of his mind to take the "Disciple Regulations" test.


    Who wouldn''t know this disciple? It is something to learn at the beginning of school. But after he fell silent, he realized that he really wasn''t as good as he thought.


    After you leave, do you love me, or are you hurt? You must know that this Disciple Rules is not like other articles, it can connect the past and the future, confirming each other, if the first sentence is wrong, the latter paragraph will be wrong.


    The more Xue Juncai became silent, the more annoyed he felt, and he always felt that he was wrong in being silent. If someone asks a question, he can naturally answer it fluently. Ke Mo, Mo is still a good word!


    At first, he wrote like flying, but then it became slower and slower, and even reached the point where he couldn''t write, obviously he was not sure if his memory was wrong.


    On the contrary, Xue Tingxiang has been calm from the beginning, and he is still writing at a leisurely pace at this time, but it can be seen that his writing is very coherent, with almost no pause.


    At the first place, Qiao Xiucai glanced at He Xiucai with exclamation, and did not hide her surprise at all. He naturally had a panoramic view of the following situation, and he had to admire He Xiucai''s ingenuity.


    He Xiucai smiled slightly. In fact, he would ask this kind of question, but he just wanted people to make mistakes. I was very proud of my inspiration.


    He stroked his beard and said with a faint smile, "You two little friends, don''t worry, there is a stick of incense time, enough to write it down."


    Yizhuxiang wrote more than a thousand characters, which seemed a bit hasty, but it is not impossible to write something as simple as the disciple''s rules silently, as long as you pay close attention to it.


    But that was before, Xue Juncai couldn''t help but feel even more anxious when he heard someone mention the time.


    In the following time, he kept looking at the stick of incense, because he looked at it too frequently, which made his speed even slower.


    "Okay, time is up."


    As the words fell, Xue Tingxiang made a big stroke and put down the brush in his hand.


    Xue Juncai didn''t move, until someone went in front of him, only to find that his whole body was as stiff as a stone, and he was dripping with sweat, and the paper in front of him was only half full.


    Because the two were behind the gate, and Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong were sitting at the end, they didn''t notice anything strange about it. In their minds, a "Regulations for Disciples" couldn''t be simpler, and Xue Juncai''s strange appearance also attracted the attention of the two of them, but they still didn''t expect that Xue Juncai could not finish writing it.


    It wasn''t until He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai looked at each other''s papers that they looked at each other, and He Xiucai announced that Xue Tingxiang won this match.


    Xue Qingshan stood up from the chair in surprise: "How is it possible?"


    At the same time, there was a lot of discussion below and outside the door, and it seemed that Xue Juncai couldn''t believe that Xue Juncai had lost. Insiders look at the doorway, while laymen watch the excitement. The villagers who didn''t know a single word didn''t know what the test was about, they only knew that Master Xiucai said that Xue Juncai lost to the Xue family dog.


    Xue Juncai lost to Xue Gouzi?


    This, this is really surprising. You must know that Xue Juncai has always been the most outstanding young man among the younger generation in Yuqing Village. Whoever mentions him does not give a thumbs up.


    "Senior He, Senior Qiao, did you make a mistake, a disciple''s regulation..."


    He Xiucai gestured with his gaze, and two people stepped forward to unfold Xue Juncai''s and Xue Tingxiang''s papers, held them up, and showed them to everyone.


    I saw that on one of the rice papers, the handwriting was full of strength, correct and beautiful. On the other piece of rice paper, the handwriting was not bad, but it was anticlimactic, and it became more and more scribbled as it went to the back, and there were even spots of ink on it.


    "Xue Tingxiang''s words are not bad, and there is no ink on the scroll, which is a good appearance. And Xue Juncai didn''t finish his silence, and there were mistakes and omissions, so Xue Tingxiang won this round."


    "Brilliant!" Xue Qingshan said in surprise, his eyes were full of disbelief, he wanted to say something, but was pulled by Yang Zhong.


    Xue Juncai didn''t raise his head until now, he raised his head stiffly and looked at Xue Tingxiang with red eyes.


    ...


    Next is the second round, and this round will return to the normal school exam homework.


    He Xiucai asked the question, and the two answered.


    "Seeking the ancients to seek the theory, how can you solve it if you let go of your worries?"


    "Search for the ancients and the ancient things, and read more wise and famous sayings, so that you can get rid of distracting thoughts and be at ease." Xue Juncai took a step forward and replied.


    "Meng Ke is dunsu, Shi Yu is upright. What''s the explanation for Lao Qian''s edict?" This sentence was asked by Xue Tingxiang.


    He pondered for a while, and said: "Mencius advocates simplicity, while Ziyu, the official historian, is upright. What he said is that a person should conform to the standard of the mean as much as possible. He must be hardworking and humble, be cautious, and know how to advise himself."


    "Saying the warning, what''s the next sentence?" When He Xiucai asked this sentence, he didn''t look at any of the two of them.


    Xue Juncai was still in a daze, but Xue Tingxiang had already replied: "I''m almost ashamed, Lin Gao is lucky."


    "Don''t talk about each other''s weaknesses, what''s the solution to relying on your own strengths?"


    This time Xue Juncai didn''t let up, and hurriedly said: "Don''t talk about other people''s shortcomings, and don''t rely on your own strengths to make progress." Before he finished speaking, his cheeks were hot, and he didn''t know whether it was embarrassment or self-ashamed.


    "Okay!" He Xiucai clapped his hands together, "All the answers are pretty good."


    Suddenly, he said again: "Shuixie."


    Xue Juncai was stunned for a moment, Xue Tingxiang''s eyes flashed, and he replied: "Shanzhai."


    Hearing this, Xue Juncai realized that He Xiucai was taking a pair test.


    Before schoolchildren enter university, in addition to the basic three hundred and thousand thousand, they also need to learn "Enlightenment of Rhythm", "Longwen Whip Shadow", "Children''s Learning Qionglin", "Zengguang Xianwen" and so on.


    Among them, "Enlightenment of Rhythm" and "Longwen Whip Shadow" teach children to understand the rules of rhythm and parallelism. In the process of learning Pingzheqie rhyme, at the same time begin to understand and master poetry rhyme, and acquire a large number of vocabulary and ancient allusions.


    Nowadays there is a saying that few schoolchildren who have been taught can''t match the right pair.


    Especially this simple pair and couplet.


    After suffering two losses in a row, Xue Juncai was obviously smarter. It was almost He Xiucai who asked the question. Answered successfully.


    It can be seen that Xue Juncai is doing well in his studies, and there are almost no pairs that He Xiucai can''t answer.


    "Recently, the old man sighed in his heart. He occasionally got something. He came up with an upper couplet, but so far he has not been able to get a suitable second couplet. This time I will test you two. It may be too difficult for you now, but give it a try. It doesn''t matter." He Xiucai withdrew his gaze and looked at Qiao Xiucai: "Brother Qiao, if you are interested, you can also try it, so as to relieve the pain of brooding for many days."


    Qiao Xiucai smiled slightly, knowing that this was He Xiucai''s desire to compete.


    As the saying goes, there is no first in writing, and there is no second in martial arts. In the nearby villages, he and He Xiucai were the only ones who passed the entrance examination. He Xiucai''s reputation in the outside world has never been prominent, and he can understand that he will compare.


    "Brother He, it''s okay to say."


    He Xiucai stroked his beard and said: "One person is great, and two are heaven. Heaven is greater than human affection, and human affection is greater than heaven."


    Xue Tingxiang''s eyes flashed, his eyes flicked across the faces of the first two people, and then fell on Xue Juncai''s face. Seeing him bow his head in thought, he also lowered his head.


    There was silence in the hall, no one dared to make a sound, and couldn''t figure it out that there were two juniors in the examination school, so how could these two match up.


    Suddenly, a clear high-five sounded.


    Qiao Xiucai clapped his hands and said, "Two trees make a forest, three trees make a forest. The forest is luxuriant, and the forest is luxuriant."


    Xue Tingxiang thought to himself: In fact, this pair is difficult to say, and it is not difficult to say that it is not difficult.


    He Xiucai''s one person turns into a big man, and two people turn into a sky, and the two lines of confrontation afterwards have the finishing touch. And Qiao Xiucai used two trees to form a forest, and three trees to form a forest, which is perfect.


    In fact, he was also right. Before Qiao Xiucai, he only knew that this question was not mainly about him and Xue Juncai, so he kept silent. Now that Qiao Xiucai has matched up, he naturally doesn''t have to be afraid of Zhuanmei, after all, he and Xue Juncai are the two who got the most out of the test.

 Chapter 40

    Look at Honger, does he look like you?"


    ...


    Xue Tingxiang suddenly felt that someone was shaking him, opened his tired eyes, and saw the dark inner room, Hu San''s face that was no longer young, even the lines on the curtains were so familiar, so he knew He was just dreaming.


    It''s just that the dream was too clear, the sorghum fragrance in the air, the curve of her stubbornly pursed mouth, all made him feel like he was actually there. There were also her tears from being angry, crystal clear and shining with colorful light, he wanted to reach out to touch it, but someone woke him up.


    "My lord, it''s time to drink the medicine."


    Xue Tingxiang was propped up and given medicine. He was so ill that he had to be taken care of even to drink medicine. How could he look like Xue Shoufu, an extremely human minister who had ruled the court for decades.


    Oh no, he is not the chief assistant now.


    He has already written a letter to beg for bones, intending to return to his hometown for the elderly, and the Holy Majesty has already agreed, but he has no home to return to and no relatives to rely on.


    In fact, he didn''t intend to go back.


    "Master Zhang, Mr. Wang, and Mr. Li and Mr. Cao all came to visit you, but they obeyed your orders and blocked the door. They come every day, and they are here again today. Would you like to see me?"


    What can they do? Didn''t they think that his illness was an expedient measure, waiting for him to stand up and continue to lead them to fight against the emperor, but he was really ill, terminally ill, and the medicine was useless.


    "not see."


    "My lord, please sleep a little longer."


    The room became quiet again, Xue Tingxiang''s eyelids began to get heavy again, he blinked again and again, and fell into sleep again.


    ...


    "How come Mr. Wang is free to visit this old man?"


    Wang Mingcheng''s eyes were a bit complicated, but he smiled on his face: "After all, I am a minister of the same court, and I should come to visit Mr. Shoufu because of emotion and reason."


    "I didn''t expect you, Wang Mingcheng, to say such hypocritical things, but to see if the old man is dying on behalf of the emperor?" Xue Tingxiang sarcastically said.


    He is obviously a haggard old man who is obviously dying, but just because of his calm, indifferent eyes that seem somewhat unpredictable, people dare not ignore him in the slightest.


    After all, this is Xue Shoufu, and the name alone is enough to intimidate everyone. That was Xue Tingxiang''s deep-rooted roots left by him after going through three dynasties and dozens of years, just like a towering ancient tree with intertwined roots, without him doing anything, just standing there is enough to make everyone daunting.


    If not, why would the new emperor have to exhaust all means, but still dare not act rashly, only dare to take that roundabout strategy.


    "It seems that my lord has misunderstood His Majesty a lot."


    Xue Tingxiang snorted and laughed, half closed his eyes, did not speak, and looked obviously too lazy to talk to him.


    "Actually, I''m here for myself. I just came to see how lonely and miserable the villain who abandoned his wife and son was now. I''m afraid Mr. Xue is dead now, and even a descendant in mourning None, in fact, Mr. Xue is too hard to see, it is just a show, just listen to it and watch it, how can you take the fake show as real and make yourself like this? Is it because of a disturbed conscience or fear? His true face is known by the world, he is reviled by others, and he will be stigmatized for thousands of years?"


    "you¡­¡­"


    "To say that you abandoned your wife and son is too much to save your face. It should be killing your wife and son, isn''t it, Mr. Xue?"


    No one knows about all this. The world only knows that Xue Shoufu had a first wife before Mrs. Xue, but they don''t know what happened to that first wife. After all, the time is too long, Xue Tingxiang has stood in the court hall for dozens of years, and his former, former and current opponents have all been trampled under his feet.


    People in the world only know that Mr. Shoufu is friendly and respectful to the corporals, but they don''t know that Mr. Shoufu also has a vicious side. In recent years, anyone who wanted to make a fuss about his past events all became lonely ghosts. No one knows how many ghosts have been added to it, and the only one who can know is Wang Mingsheng, the "bitter master".


    "You, you are..."


    Wang Mingcheng leaned closer to his face: "It''s a pity that my mother''s life is so bad, and so is my life. The sinking ship didn''t kill us, but was saved by others. Do you know that for so many years, day and night, I I want to see this scene every night. It''s a pity that your life is too long, and the power is in the hands of the people. I can only climb up step by step, to the position where I can step on you..."


    "You are... Hong''er..." Xue Tingxiang struggled to say this.


    Wang Mingsheng stood up straight and smiled heartily: "My name is not Hong''er, nor is my surname Xue, but my surname is Wang. My mother remarried, to the person who saved us...don''t get excited, even if You are dead now, and I am not your son..."


    Wang Mingsheng has always been known for being calm and introverted, hiding his secrets, and it was probably the first time he laughed so freely in front of people.


    "By the way, you don''t have to think that even if my official surname is Wang, I can still pass on the family lineage to your Xue family. Let me think about it. Yao Ji released the rumor that my official is as good as Long Yang back then, as if you ordered someone to do it. You really hit the mark, I don¡¯t like women, that¡¯s why I haven¡¯t married for many years..."


    He smiled and looked at the old man on the bed, seeing how shocked, disappointed and remorseful he was.


    But so what?


    He suddenly found that he was not as happy as he had imagined, and even this smile seemed too fake. He suddenly lost interest, flattened the corners of his mouth, brushed off his sleeves, and said, "Since Mr. Xue is fine, I will take my leave."


    ...


    "I didn''t, I didn''t..."


    "My lord, what are you talking about?"


    Hearing this voice, the fog in front of Xue Tingxiang suddenly dissipated, and he woke up suddenly from his dream. In front of the eyes is this dark inner room again, Hu San''s unattractive or even ugly face, the air is filled with a bitter smell of medicine, and there seems to be a decadent smell floating gently.


    Xue Tingxiang moved his lips, but no sound came out.


    "My lord, what did you say?"


    Hu San was very anxious, and kept asking, but Xue Tingxiang couldn''t speak at all. Hu San could only ask based on his own guess: "Are you thinking about the past? Don''t worry, your words have been passed on to Mr. Zhang , he already knows that Lord Wang is your only son, and will follow your instructions."


    Xue Tingxiang blinked his eyelids. Hu San thought he still had something to say, so he put his ear next to his mouth, but only heard one sentence: "I didn''t..."


    After that there is no text.


    When Hu San anxiously looked up, he saw Xue Tingxiang''s wide-open eyes and gray-blue face.


    He moved forward to touch the other person''s breath with shaking hands, but was so startled that he sat down on the ground.


    *


    The cold wind came in through the holed window paper, blowing Xue Gouzi''s face coldly.


    Shocked, he opened his eyes.


    What imprinted in my eyes was a small room with blue brick walls and black tile roof. The walls were plastered with white ash, but it looked gray. The beams of the house are log-colored, and because there is no dust, they are bare/exposed. There are several bamboo baskets hanging on them. There seems to be something in the baskets, and they are covered with blue cloth.


    He was lying on a kang with a half-new quilt covering his body. The quilt looked clean and tidy, but in fact the cotton wadding inside had hardened.


    Facing his kang feet, there is a row of dark brown kang cabinets, with brass bare nails inlaid with hinged leaves and copper tassel handles, and simple patterns of auspicious clouds and flowing water carved on them, which look thick and generous. . Although it is nothing in a rich family, it is already a piece of furniture that can be sold in a peasant family.


    There is no problem passing it down for generations!


    This is what his father said back then, and his father was the best carpenter in the village.


    Xue Gouzi felt his head hurt, as if he had been hit hard with a hoe. He wanted to support himself to sit up, but he was exhausted and fell back onto the kang again.


    It was only then that he realized that he was Xue Gouzi, the eldest son of the second room of the Xue family. Because of something that happened, he couldn''t think about it for a while, and he was so angry that he became ill for a while, and he had been sick for many days.


    He is not Xue Tingxiang, that Xue Tingxiang is the person in his dream.


    How could he be like that?


    In order to prove that all that was just a dream, he raised his hand to look at it.


    really! The hand in front of him was slender and fair, and he hadn''t developed the muscles and bones that a man should have. He was only fourteen this year, how could he live to be over seventy years old, and die in the end.


    Xue Gouzi let out a heavy breath, looked around again, and finally felt more at ease.


    Someone was talking outside, and the voice came in through the cracks in the window.


    "I''m talking about recruiting, it''s not my aunt talking about you, look at what you are now, a girl who stays at home all day, and learns from those small traders to do business. That business is what you can do. Did it? Look at your fourth uncle, you can¡¯t save a lot of money by running around outside every day, so don¡¯t worry about it, and if you have that little time, you can help fourth aunt with some work!¡±


    The voice sounded like a young woman, but the sarcasm in the words was too strong. It is said that appearance is born from the heart, and it is no wonder that Mrs. Sun has a mean face.


    This thought flashed subconsciously in Xue Gouzi''s mind, and then he was stunned. It''s true that he hated Fourth Aunt, but why would he miss her so much?


    Before he could figure out why, he heard the voice in his dream.


    "Fourth aunt, I would like to help you with some work, but you also know that the dog has been ill for a few days, and the family gave a few pennies for the medicine at first, but after taking it for half a month, grandma said that the family The money is not in hand, so I stopped the medicine. Gouzi is my man, I can''t just watch him be so sick, it''s not impossible for the fourth aunt to want me to help with the work, or you can lend me some money to buy medicine, I Can I pay you back slowly in the future?"


    The owner of the voice was a young girl, and the tone revealed a capable and crisp taste, mixed with a bit of teasing.


    That''s right, Zhao''er deliberately ran on the Sun family.


    Mrs. Sun has always had a temperament of only getting in and out, and it is more difficult to ask her to give out a penny, let alone lending it to the two half-children of the second room.


    Now there are only these two people left in the second room, the top door is only fourteen, but there is an older one, only sixteen, and it is still a girl''s family. Every time Mrs. Sun heard the rumors from the villagers that Zhao''er, a dead girl, had made some money by doing some business, she would be full of disbelief.


    What kind of business can this dead girl do to make money, but she digs three melons and two dates from the wild, and takes them out to trick the people in the city into exchanging a few pennies.


    "Your fourth aunt has no money to lend you. Our family''s money is all in mother''s place. You don''t care about mother''s going!" Sun patted her buttocks, stood up and went into the house, too lazy to talk nonsense with Zhao''er.


    "Since the fourth aunt has no money to lend me, and I don''t dare to take care of grandma, I can only figure out where to get some money to get some medicine for the dog!"


    Zhao''er''s voice was very loud, so naturally she was speaking not only to Mrs. Sun, but also to Mrs. Zhao who was sitting in the main room.


    Sure enough, Zhao''er entered the house with his front foot, and Mrs. Zhao stood at the door behind him and scolded Mrs. Sun: "You haven''t cleaned the pigsty, so you''re going back to the house to hold a corpse?"


    Zhao''er curled her lips, lifted the door curtain and walked in, bumping head-on into Xue Gouzi''s eyes looking at her.


    Zhao''er thinks about it too, the eyes of the county people are naturally different from those of the country people, let alone this kind of big pawn shop, what is bad in their eyes is actually good for the country people to see.


    She breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "I want the bag of clothes from Shopkeeper Shen, and I''ll give you the money right now."


    "Are you rich now?"


    Of course she is rich, Zhao''er now has more than two taels of silver in total, and just now Su Lan gave her another five taels, which is naturally enough.


    At the same time, Shen Ping laughed a little, "Well, I forgot that you had visited her before, so I came here, and she won''t take advantage of me." The voice was very small, almost like a murmur, and Zhao''er only cared about it. I had to look at the clothes, but I didn''t hear clearly.


    "I''ll find a guy to call a car for you, and you, a little girl, can''t transport these things."


    "Thank you, Shopkeeper Shen."


    After seeing Zhao''er off, Shen Ping turned around and went into the pawn shop.


    Although he is called the third shopkeeper, he is not the third shopkeeper of this store, but the third shopkeeper of the entire ''Herongsheng'', and he will only stay in Xia County permanently under his deliberate request.


    Shen Ping is the son of the Shen family, his father is the chief manager of the Shen residence, and he has been a servant with the third young master Shen Fu since he was a child. It was not until he became an adult that he was released to become a shopkeeper.


    "If she comes again next time, just do as I told you before."


    "Yes, shopkeeper."


    *


    Just after noon, the clerk Ah Cai came to deliver meals to Xue Tingxiang.


    Boss Chen said it was simple food, but in fact the food was not bad, with one meat and one vegetable, and one soup. Xue Tingxiang knew very well that Boss Chen was taking care of him deliberately. How could anyone hire someone to copy books, take care of tea and food, and the wages they paid were not low.


    It was because he knew it in his heart that he didn''t say no. In this case, the refusal retained his character, but it seemed too petty and hypocritical.


    It can only be repaid in the future, Xue Tingxiang thought lightly in his heart.


    After eating, when the man came to clean up the dishes, he said that he could rest for an hour. There is a chaise longue available in this room, and of course you can go to the front to read a book to pass the time.


    In fact, the latter sentence is the key point, Xue Tingxiang was not pretentious, after cleaning his hands, he went forward.


    This store may not seem big, but it has a lot of books of all kinds, ranging from rural tales to books about the imperial examination, and there are many books about the imperial examination.


    Since the former dynasty, the imperial examination has used eight-legged essays as the standard style, with strict regulations, and even restrictions on the length of sentences, the number of words, the level of rhymes, and even the scope of questions.


    Stereotype essays take questions from the Four Books and Five Classics. It consists of eight parts: breaking the title, inheriting the title, starting the lecture, starting, starting the essay, middle section, back section, and binding the section. It seems rigid and rigid, but in fact it is not easy to do a good stereotyped essay. If you really think that only reading the Four Books and Five Classics is enough, you are wrong. Not to mention astronomy and geography, at least you have to be involved in all aspects, so that you can write a good article full of flowers and content.


    In that dream, Xue Tingxiang won the Jinshi with the 21st place in the second class, and was admitted to the Hanlin Academy after passing through the hall. He should have been on a steady rise since then, but because he offended someone, a majestic Hanlin was sent down. The kind of place where the birds don''t shit is an official.


    Xue Tingxiang pursed his lips slightly, feeling that he was thinking too much, after all, he is not even a child now, let''s think about the present.

 Chapter 41

    Xue Tao''er ran over, leaned closer and whispered, "It''s not my aunt''s father, he said he wants to talk to the dog."


    Xue Tingxiang also heard the movement outside the room and came out.


    "Don''t go, I''ll push it." Zhao''er knew that it would be no good for Yang Zhong to find a young man because of his elder status. Xue Jun is his grandson. And what happened before?


    "No problem."


    When these words came out, Zhao''er was stunned for a moment, and Xue Tingxiang remembered that he would never speak like this in normal times.


    He smiled and said, "It''s okay, you''re still afraid that I won''t succeed if he eats it."


    "Can¡­¡­"


    At this time, Xue Tingxiang had already passed her to the main room, so she could only follow in a hurry.


    *


    Here in the main room, as expected, the wine is in full swing.


    Yang Zhong''s white and chubby face was flushed from drinking, and he looked like he was slightly drunk. Mr. Xue''s dark red face shone red under the light. Xue Qingshan also sat on the side, along with Xue Juncai, Xue Qingbai and Xue Qinghuai.


    Women are not at the table.


    Seeing Xue Tingxiang walking in, Yang Zhong said: "Our little talent is here, come and let me see."


    He waved his hands without treating himself as an outsider, and when Xue Tingxiang approached, he opened his drunken eyes and looked up and down: "I don''t see anything has changed, how did you become so promising?"


    As soon as these words were sarcasm, the court immediately fell silent.


    Xue Qingshan focused on eating vegetables between his sandwiches, as if he didn''t hear him. Xue Juncai seemed to be sitting upright, but in fact he was looking at this place intentionally or unintentionally.


    The rest of the Xue family were a little embarrassed, especially Mr. Xue, his face was a little stiff, but he hesitated to speak.


    Zhao''er was about to attack, when Xue Qinghuai suddenly stood up, smiled and picked up the wine bowl: "My father-in-law, I respect you for a bowl, this wine is brewed by my father himself, and most people can''t drink it when they come here. Don''t look at your old man When I came, I quickly dug a jar and said to drink a few more bowls with you."


    Yang Zhong looked at Xue Qinghuai with a smile, and without hesitation, he picked up the wine bowl and drank it down in one gulp, and ate a few mouthfuls of food. Taking advantage of the situation, Xue Qinghuai hurriedly winked at Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang, telling them to leave quickly.


    Xue Tingxiang smirked slightly, and planned to take Zhao''er away, and listened to Yang Zhong before he even took a step.


    "What''s the matter? Why is the elder leaving before he finished talking? Although I am not your own grandfather, I am also your own grandfather. Is this old man not paying attention to me, or what?"


    The hat was buttoned too big, Zhao''er was about to say something, Xue Tingxiang gave her a hand.


    He took two steps forward, pretending to be listening respectfully: "Since my in-laws and grandpas have taught me, I will just listen to you." After a pause, he continued: "It''s just that my in-laws and grandpas are also scholars, so I think they know how to be rude. reason"


    "According to what you little brat thinks, as an elder, I can''t say that you are a junior?"


    The smell of alcohol came straight to Xue Tingxiang''s face, and there was also a strange smell of various vegetables mixed in it.


    Xue Tingxiang did not evade, and nodded calmly: "Naturally."


    "Hey! Look! It''s really different."


    Yang Zhong tapped Xue Tingxiang a few times with his finger, and looked at the rest of Xue''s family with a smirk, and the villain first complained: "In-law, is this your family''s tutor?"


    It was obvious that Yang Zhong was here to make trouble, and of course it was for Xue Juncai. When he came back from Lizheng''s house before, Mr. Xue guessed that the big room would definitely make a fuss, but he didn''t expect that the fuss should be here.


    In fact, as the son and daughter-in-law, how could the married couple blatantly quarrel with Mr. Xue? After all, they swore before that whoever wins will go, and whoever loses should not complain. And Yang Zhong, as Xue Juncai''s grandfather, couldn''t be more appropriate to stand in for him. If it works, it''s good, if it doesn''t, it won''t hurt the relationship between father and son.


    "relatives by marriage¡­¡­"


    Mr. Xue was about to speak, but was interrupted by Xue Tingxiang''s voice.


    "Although my parents are both deceased, there are my grandfather, uncles, and other elders of the Xue family. Even if there is something wrong, it is not up to people of other surnames to point fingers here. Although my grandfather and my family are connected I want to kiss you, but I definitely didn''t go to the Xue family''s table, eat the Xue family''s food, and scold the Xue family for their reasons."


    Because there are guests, candles are rarely lit in the house, which illuminates the room brightly.


    Standing in the middle, the boy is thin and thin, but he is tall and straight. He was wearing a shabby clothes, the cuffs and the front of the clothes were a little white, but it made people feel an inviolable aura.


    "Could this be the way of in-laws and grandpas being guests? One day when I, the Xue family, went to your house as guests, I would point and point at the Yang family, and be eccentric. Presumably, my in-laws and grandpas would not be angry. After all, coming here is not indecent. Thanks ah Master is always the junior in the family and talks about his in-laws and grandpas, but the boy is only his in-laws and grandpas, he is a literati, he is respected by the younger generation as a person who understands etiquette, now it seems that it is nothing more than that!"


    "you--"


    There was silence in the room, and no one thought that Xue Tingxiang would explode on the spot regardless of his seniority.


    Xue Qingshan stopped eating, and suddenly felt restless.


    But he didn''t stand up to speak for his father-in-law. Xue Tingxiang''s hat was too big, which brought the face of the whole Xue family and even the Xue clan. If he speaks for it, he is echoing the fact that the face of the Xue family can be trampled on the ground by the Yang family.


    In particular, this is not in line with what he planned.


    Yang Zhong''s face was flushed red, and his lips trembled with anger: "You kid, you dare to teach your elders a lesson at such a young age."


    "Don''t dare! A gentleman is harmonious but different, and a villain is the same but not harmonious. The boy is just telling the truth. I also hope that the in-laws and grandparents should be cautious in their words and deeds, so that they can be the appearance of a gentleman."


    This is teaching myself through the words of the sage!


    Yang Zhong laughed back angrily, and pointed at him with his finger: "Okay, okay, it''s really amazing. After studying for a few days, people are different. You really think that it''s a big deal if you win the handsome talent today, even if you furious."


    "A gentleman has nothing to fight for, and he will definitely shoot! When he bows and rises, he goes down to drink, and his fight is also a gentleman."


    This sentence comes from the eight chapters of "The Analects of Confucius". It roughly means that a gentleman will not argue about anything. If there is a dispute, it must be upholding the way of a gentleman. Neither humble nor overbearing, neither angry nor complaining, and having fun with wine after the competition is the battle between gentlemen. It''s not that you must be flushed in the face, like a black-eyed chicken, that would be out of style.


    It is about being a person and dealing with affairs, and at the same time, it is using the words of the saints to ridicule Yang Zhong for not having the manners and tolerance of his elders, and to make things difficult for his juniors in order to protect his grandson.


    There were only four scholars present, and the others were all at a loss. They could only see that Xue Tingxiang was not at a disadvantage, but Yang Zhong was so angry that his seven orifices seemed to be smoking.


    Forget about Yang Zhong, Xue Qingshan and his son couldn''t help being a little bit surprised when he was angry.


    You must know that although Xue Tingxiang has studied the Four Books, he only understands the superficiality and does not understand the meaning of the scriptures. But just now he uttered two sentences in a row, both of which are from the Four Books, and if he didn''t understand the meaning of the scriptures, how could he use them to harm others.


    Could it be that someone taught him behind his back? No wonder his performance was so unexpected today.


    And right at this moment, other changes took place in the field.


    It was Yang Zhong who stood up in anger and wanted to teach Xue Tingxiang a lesson, but was stopped by Mr. Xue, Xue Qinghuai and Xue Qingbai.


    "Well, you little bastard, you have learned to swear before your hair grows."


    "A gentleman does not mirror water, but mirrors people. Mirroring water, the appearance of meeting, mirroring people, you can know good and bad, but if you want to come to your relatives and grandpas, you don''t understand this sentence."


    Xue Tingxiang had a smile on his face, obviously there was nothing wrong with that smile, even a bit shy, and his words were gentle and polite, but it made people taste a bit ironic.


    "I know if I understand you or not, I know you are swearing, I must teach you a lesson today!" Yang Zhong struggled to raise his hand, and at this moment, a violent shout sounded in vain.


    "Father-in-law!"


    It was Mr. Xue who spoke.


    "My father-in-law, I respect your in-laws, but this is my Xue family!"


    Mr. Xue''s complexion was very ugly. He had been tolerant just now because of the other party''s identity, but Xue Tingxiang was right. There was a whole family sitting in the room, all of whom were surnamed Xue. There was absolutely no reason for someone surnamed Yang to teach others a lesson. .


    No matter how much the family makes trouble, it is wrong for outsiders to intervene.


    There was silence in the room, only the sound of Yang Zhong panting heavily.


    The sound of a stool falling to the ground sounded, and it was Xue Qingshan who stood up.


    At this time, Yang Shi, who had been hiding in the house, also ran out, and said angrily and anxiously: "Father, what are you doing! Why did you drink some wine and start to make trouble."


    She explained to the dark-faced old man Xue: "Father, don''t blame me, my father is like this, when he starts to drink. Oh, father, what do you think you are making a fuss about?" Then she complained to Xue Qingshan: " Juncai''s father, and you too, why don''t you stop him from making trouble like this."


    Yang Zhongdao: "I''m making trouble, what''s wrong with me?! Xue Lianxing, don''t forget what you promised me back then. Juncai is your eldest grandson, so you plan to let it go?"


    "Father, stop talking, I''ll help you down to rest."


    The Dafang couple, one on the left and the other on the right, helped Yang Zhong out, and Yang Zhong seemed to be really drunk, shouting that you should really let go, and stumbled and was helped out by the couple.


    *


    Because of this commotion, the Xue family was extremely quiet afterwards.


    Mrs. Zhou originally asked Zhao''er and the two of them to eat, but they said they had eaten, so they went back to the house.


    A table of food and wine, only half eaten, old man Xue sat there alone, eating food and drinking wine, no one dared to disturb.


    Mrs. Zhao hid in the back room, don''t look at her usually yelling at Mr. Xue, but when Mr. Xue really got angry, she didn''t dare to make trouble.


    Xue Qinghuai walked to the table and sat down, saying: "Father, it''s getting late, let''s rest early."


    Mr. Xue nodded, but when he put down his chopsticks, he sighed again.


    Xue Qinghuai couldn''t help but persuaded: "Father, don''t think too much."


    "Look at the eldest couple. Why don''t you remember your kindness? The second has only been dead for a few years. Even if the child is not sensible, there is no need to do so."


    Xue Qinghuai understood what the old man meant, but he couldn''t answer these words well, so he could only say awkwardly: "Maybe the eldest brother and sister-in-law don''t know that the in-laws guild will make such a fuss."


    Mr. Xue snorted, but did not speak.


    "But Gouzi didn''t suffer, you see he was mad at sister-in-law."


    Hearing this, Mr. Xue couldn''t help but twitch his eyebrows and eyes: "I followed the second child."


    Xue Qingsong has this kind of temperament, usually taciturn, but don''t push him into a hurry, he can surprise everyone.


    "This big family has been living in harmony and beauty, but it''s getting more and more difficult." Mr. Xue sighed, probably because he drank some wine, and his emotions were particularly leaking.


    Xue Qinghuai didn''t respond.


    After a long time, Mr. Xue sighed: "Let your wife clean up this table, and you should go and rest earlier."


    "Hey, I''ll let her clean it up."


    "Don''t go, I''ll push." ??Zhao''er knew that it would be no good for Yang Zhong to find a young man because of his elder status. What about the previous incident?


    "No problem."


    Having said this, Zhao''er was taken aback for a moment, and Xue Tingxiang remembered that he would never speak like this in normal times.


    He smiled and said, "It''s okay, you''re still afraid that I won''t succeed if he eats it."


    "Can¡­¡­"


    At this time, Xue Tingxiang had already passed her to the main room, so she could only follow in a hurry.


    *


    Here in the main room, as expected, the wine is in full swing.


    Yang Zhong''s white and chubby face was flushed from drinking, and he looked like he was slightly drunk. Mr. Xue''s dark red face glowed red under the light. Xue Qingshan also sat on the side, along with Xue Juncai, Xue Qingbai and Xue Qinghuai.

 Chapter 42

    Generally, the names are given by the elders, and it should not be picked by the juniors themselves. It is fine if it is an ordinary villager, but Xue Tingxiang is You are a scholar, and a scholar should understand etiquette and observe etiquette. If you don''t observe etiquette, this book will be read in vain.


    Xue Tingxiang was very clear in his heart and understood what uncle meant. He smiled and said: "When my father was still alive, I asked my grandfather and uncle to help me choose one. Uncle refused because of his humble name so that he can support me. Now the court My son is also fourteen, so I can¡¯t keep using her baby name, so I randomly picked one.¡±


    As soon as this remark came out, Xue Qingshan''s face turned ugly again. Xue Tingxiang was obviously saying that he, as an uncle, didn''t want to name him, with the intention of deliberately belittling him. After all, since I have already learned, I should definitely not have a name,


    He forced a smile, and explained: "It''s not that Uncle sees that you are not in good health, and wants to name you after you become an adult. You can''t understand this painstaking effort, if Uncle can choose one for you now?"


    As he said that, without waiting for Xue Tingxiang to agree, he sighed and made a melancholy look, and said: "You have been weak since you were born, your father wished you a long life when he was alive, so my uncle named you Fushou, what do you think? ?¡±


    This name is really random, and I am not at all sorry for the name of Xue Qingshan, the only child born in Yuqing Village.


    Xue Tingxiang hesitated for a moment before refusing: "It''s still not uncle, Ting''er''s name has been decided, and I went to the grave to inform my parents before, there is absolutely no chance to change it."


    These words also made it clear why he went to the cemetery every year. Since Xue Tingxiang saw that Xue Qingshan had invited so many people and made such a fuss, he knew that the other party must have plans.


    Regardless of what he plans, he just blocks the way that the other party may use to make a fuss, and the rest is to wait and see what happens.


    Sure enough, Patriarch Xue''s face softened a little.


    Before that, he always thought that this matter was done on purpose by Erfang, just to compete with Juncai for the opportunity to study in Qinghe Academy. This time I came to see this young man is gentle and polite, neither humble nor overbearing, patriarch Xue has no fame, but he can know a few words, and he has been the patriarch for many years, so he has a good eye for people.


    He was very surprised, because he had seen Gouzi before, but he didn''t have a deep impression of him. The only impression he had was that he was an inconspicuous boy. Looking at it now, this son has grown up somewhat unexpectedly.


    But no matter how unexpected he was, patriarch Xue did not forget what he was doing here.


    Just a good impression on one side is not enough to make him shake the decision he has made. He had asked someone to test Juncai''s child, and he was much more knowledgeable than his two grandchildren. If it was said who the next child in Yuqing Village would be, Patriarch Xue felt that Xue Juncai was the most likely.


    Maybe not just a child, but a scholar.


    With two future talent seedlings and a young man who doesn''t know his depth, Patriarch Xue naturally knows how to do this multiple-choice question.


    However, the idea of ??helping Xue Qingshan before was dispelled. If Xue Qingshan couldn''t even handle a child, he didn''t deserve his attention.


    How could Xue Qingshan fail to see Patriarch Xue''s thoughts. In his eyes, this old man is a master who does not see rabbits and does not scatter eagles. He accepts the benefits he brings to the clan, but never knows how to give him something.


    If any clan has ethnology, the clan will not subsidize one or two. On the contrary, he worked for nothing all day long, and every time a certain family in the clan brought some random food, the patriarch called him over and asked him to accept it.


    To be generous with the generosity of others, to spend other people''s wealth, is merciless to others, and it is meaningless to oneself!


    Xue Qingshan sneered in his heart, but pretended to be a respectful petition, and invited Xue patriarch Zheng Lizheng and others into the house.


    Patriarch Xue and Zheng Li were sitting cross-legged on the kang, one on the left and one on the right, while the others were sitting on the stools below. Mrs. Yang and Mrs. Zhou were busy pouring tea, and even Xue Tao''er was sent to ask Mr. Xue to come home quickly.


    Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng both had the habit of smoking dry pipes, and they took out the pipes as soon as they sat down.


    Xue Qingshan hurriedly took a bag of tobacco leaves from his mother Zhao, and while serving them, he said: "This is grown by my father himself. It is usually a treasure. Uncle and Uncle Li should try it."


    "Your father''s shredded tobacco is good, but it''s too little." After lighting it, Zheng Lizheng took a deep breath and said with a smile.


    Xue Qingshan replied: "If Uncle Lizheng likes it, I''ll pretend to be with you when I leave later, so don''t dislike it."


    These are all polite words, everyone knows each other well, Zheng Lizheng nodded with a smile, and went straight to the point: "What is Shan Zi planning to invite some of us old guys over here this time?"


    Looking at Zheng Lizheng''s smiling face, Xue Qingshan scolded the old fox in his heart.


    Things would turn out like this, and he absolutely wouldn''t believe that this guy surnamed Zheng didn''t do anything inside. But that''s exactly how he invited Zheng Lizheng here today. After all, he is the Lizheng of Yuqing Village and his surname is Zheng, so he won''t be said to be covering up.


    Including the few villagers present today, Xue Qingshan was thinking about inviting them. There was one with the surname Zheng, one with the surname Xue, and two families with mixed surnames in the village, but they were all well-known in the village.


    "Is there a matter that requires a few elders to decide, or wait for my father, he is in the field and will be back soon."


    Just as he was talking about Mr. Xue, he came back. After coming in, he exchanged greetings for a while before sitting down and getting to the point.


    "It''s ashamed to say this. Some things in my family have made everyone laugh."


    Hearing this was the beginning of the words, except for Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng, everyone present felt a little embarrassed. After all, this is someone else''s family matter. It''s two different things.


    "Actually, to put it bluntly, it''s all caused by poverty. In the previous situation of our family, it wouldn''t be like this. One baby was given away, but the other was not."


    One was also surnamed Xue, and was of the same generation as Mr. Xue. An old man named Xue Lianhe sighed: "Lian Xing, don''t say that, your family is also in trouble."


    Old Master Xue sighed with a wry smile: "It''s difficult, it''s not difficult for anyone, this light is all on the surface. But no matter how difficult it is, if you want your baby to have a future, you have to pay for it. If you don''t give it to someone, you will be successful." There''s a problem."


    With trembling hands, he took out the dry pipe from his waist, lit it and took a puff, before he said, "The palms and backs of the hands are full of meat, and it hurts me to give up any one. In fact, this matter was discussed last year, and I have been procrastinating on it." I did it because I was afraid that the baby would feel uncomfortable. It is not easy for a peasant family like us to provide for a scholar. The family finally gave up Shanzi. Although he failed to pass the exam several times, he still did it for the village and for us. Guys did something.


    "For so many years, our family has been doing things in the village. Everyone has seen it. If it is far away, it will not be mentioned. Let''s talk about the private school in Shanzi. As long as you are from the village and your family is not rich, Shu Xiu will be later or even less. , our family never mentioned it. Why? It¡¯s because it¡¯s not easy for us country people to make a living, with our faces turned to the loess and our backs turned to the sky. If God doesn¡¯t show mercy, the whole family suffers from famine.


    "Actually, I''m not afraid of the laughter of my brothers and sisters. Back then, I worked hard to support Shanzi''s education, just thinking that if I really passed the exam, I would give my family some tax exemption."


    These words were to the point, and it seemed that they were just a few words lightly, but they didn''t go deeper, but they said that everyone had mixed feelings in their hearts.


    What Mr. Xue said is the truth, or the truth that is in line with people''s reality, that''s what makes it so complicated.


    Finally someone stood up and spoke out for the previous incident, "Brother Lianxing, stop talking about it, we can''t trust you? When people spread rumors in the village, we told the children at home, Brother Lianxing Not that kind of person. There are those who are grandpas, and those who don¡¯t love their grandchildren.¡±


    "Yes, yes, everyone can understand, who is not difficult."


    Seeing that everyone was echoing Mr. Xue''s words, only the one surnamed Zheng remained silent. Zheng Lizheng''s eyes flashed, and he said with a smile: "Everyone in the village has watched Shanzi''s contribution to our village. Everyone knows that Shanzi is benevolent and righteous. This is for everyone''s sake. There is just one sentence, I don''t know if I, an elder, should say it."


    "Uncle Lizheng, you are the Lizheng of our village, there is nothing inappropriate to say."


    Zheng Lizheng nodded: "It stands to reason that this is your family''s business, and I, an outsider, shouldn''t interfere. But Lian Xing said it before, the palms and backs of his hands are all flesh." He suddenly sighed, and said earnestly: " Shanzi, don''t forget why your second child didn''t exist, everyone here can understand, because we have lived for decades, and we have never seen anything in our lives, so we are afraid that outsiders will not understand."


    These words made Xue Qingshan''s complexion look ugly on the spot, but since he can arrange this scene, it''s not that he has no countermeasures.


    He immediately said: "Uncle Lizheng is right, so I discussed it with my father and planned to give the two children a chance. Let the two have a competition, the winner will enter the school, and the one who fails will learn two lessons at home." Years, let¡¯s talk about it later when we have a chance.¡±


    Upon hearing this, the people present looked at each other without much opinion. Especially with the previous foreshadowing, Xue Qingshan''s words seem to be reasonable, which makes people have nothing to choose.


    After all, no family is rich, and money does not come from the river.


    Everyone went to see Zheng Lizheng, Zheng Lizheng looked at everyone with a smile, and said: "Why are you all looking at me? Since Lian Xingjia has an idea, let''s look at his family. But how does this compare? We old guys don''t Literacy, let Shanzi be the judge?"


    After a pause, he shook his head: "No, no, Shanzi is Juncai''s father, so he should avoid suspicion, or choose someone else to convince everyone."


    He looked up at Xue Qingshan and smiled: "Shanzi, you won''t blame me, Uncle Li Zheng, for being too talkative, right? In fact, I''m doing it for your own good. We should be upright in our conduct and conduct."


    Xue Qingshan can''t wait to throw out this person who always ruins his good things, how can he not complain, but on the surface he can''t say that, he can only seem to ponder for a while, and said: "What Uncle Li Zheng said is that although I''m an uncle, so I still have to avoid suspicion. If not, let me invite one, and Uncle Lizheng invite one, and the two of them will come up with the questions on the spot, and the two younger ones will be tested."


    Zheng Lizheng looked at Xue Qingshan with squinted eyes, seeing his confident appearance, he had some bad premonitions in his heart. But he has intervened too much, and it would be too obvious to be picky, so he could only nod and smile in agreement, and praised Xue Qingshan that he is indeed a scholar, but his mind is different.


    The matter has been settled, and what follows is gossip.


    Since people were invited to the door, it would be unreasonable not to ignore the meal at noon, so Mr. Xue ordered a few daughters-in-law to go down to pack the lunch.


    Just now when the elders were talking inside, Xue Tingxiang and Xue Juncai were standing outside, so they naturally knew what happened.


    Zhao''er''s face was a bit ugly, but Xue Jun gave Xue Tingxiang a proud look, and then went in to talk with his father beside several elders, and naturally won another round of praise without mentioning it.


    Zhao''er couldn''t help pulling Xue Tingxiang back into the house, and said anxiously: "What should I do? If I had known this earlier, I would have refrained from beating you. Gou''er, it''s all my sister''s fault. My sister caused trouble for you. "


    She was anxious, and brought up the words of Sister Gou''er again.


    "Don''t be afraid, it''s okay."


    "Is it really okay?" Zhao''er turned back and forth on the spot and said, "But, what if we lose?"


    Xue Tingxiang squinted his eyes: "Don''t you believe me? Think I''m not as good as him?"


    Zhao''er immediately said: "How is it possible! My dog ??is the smartest, and I will be a scholar in the future to become a high official, and my sister is still waiting to enjoy the blessing of the dog!"


    Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang have said this sentence countless times.


    When he was a child, she would encourage him every time he showed signs of discouragement. She even thought so in her heart, so when everyone looked down on him and everyone thought he was not good enough, only she was the only one who kept talking to him like this, and even kept doing it with actions.


    It''s a pity that she didn''t enjoy his blessing, not even a single day.


    Obviously, all that was not what he experienced, it was just a dream of his, but every time Xue Tingxiang thought about it, he felt a great sense of sadness.


    He closed his eyes for a moment, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "Since you have said so, are you still afraid that I will lose?"


    In fact, Xue Gouzi''s eyes are the only ones that look good. He has been weak since he was born, and the second wife and his wife managed to support him, and they are usually spoiled. The boys of his age in the village were all dark-skinned and as strong as a calf, but he was pale, emaciated, silent and taciturn.


    But Zhao''er has always been domineering, and never allowed anyone to talk about a little man, and whoever said she was in a hurry. Because of this incident, she had fought with many girls and boys in the village, although some people still said it behind their backs, no one dared to point fingers in front of others.


    Zhao''er always felt that the little man''s eyes were weird today, and he avoided them uncomfortably.


    She knew that the little man must be angry again, and he didn''t like her saying things like ''the dog is my man'' the most. Every time he heard her say such things, he would ignore her for a few days. In fact, Zhao''er has to face, but she is the child bride-in-law of the Xue family''s second room. If she didn''t claim to be like this, how could she have the right to challenge the fourth aunt, Sun''s.


    "Are you hungry? Look what I brought back for you?"


    Zhao''er turned her head and put all these troubles behind her, and took out a paper bag from her pocket. Opening the paper bag, there are two steamed buns inside. They are white and plump, and people like it when they look at them.


    "Eat quickly, while it''s still warm." She smiled and stuffed the paper bag into the little man''s hand, while putting the pannier on her shoulders in the corner.


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her.


    The girl in front of her was in her twenties and eighth year, and her skin was the wheat color that is common among girls in the country, but Zhao''er''s complexion was very different from others, it was smooth and radiant, as if she had been smeared with honey. He has a tall nose bridge, a pair of medium-sized eyes, and swarthy pupils. When he smiles, there is a flash of inspiration in him, and he looks lively.


    Zhao''er''s stature is taller than ordinary girls, and she is well-developed, front/convex/backward, full of youthful vigor.


    It was so vivid, as vivid as in his dream.


    He unconsciously took the steamed stuffed bun and gnawed on it. Seeing this trick, he smiled even more happily. He went to the kitchen and poured him a bowl of water, which he placed next to his hand. On the other hand, he bent down to tidy up the scattered quilts on the kang, thinking about what to cook for him at night to nourish his body.


    Finally, the little man got better, so he had to continue to drink the medicine, and he had to drink a few more to strengthen it. From this, he naturally began to calculate the little money left in his hand, and think of a way to get some money, so as to solve the urgent need.


    "Have you eaten yet?" Xue Gouzi asked.


    This kind of behavior rarely happens to him, so Zhao''er can''t help but look up at the little man sitting on the kang.


    In fact, the little man has a handsome appearance, which is different from the fair skin of the countrymen. The corners of his eyes are slightly raised, and the curvature makes his face a little more delicate and handsome. It''s just that the little man always hangs his head halfway on weekdays, with a gloomy and silent temperament, and is too thin, so he is not conspicuous in front of others.

 Chapter 43

    . You can see her appearance in her fifties, with her gray hair neatly tied behind her head. The face is long, the eyelids are a little sunken, and when the face is pulled, it becomes triangular eyes, which looks particularly unfriendly.


    Without Mrs. Zhao''s words, Mrs. Sun said: "Zhao''er, it''s not my aunt talking about you, you girl likes to make a fuss. Could it be that you deliberately torment us all, even if you don''t like it..."


    Before she finished speaking, she was pulled by the man Xue Qinghuai.


    "Okay, let''s say a few words less, Zhao''er is not ignorant, and besides, the dog is already sick, so it''s better to find a doctor to take a look, so the family can rest assured."


    "I said less and said less, and I didn''t say anything..."


    "You also said..."


    The couple went out while chatting and tugging. The eldest aunt Yang smiled at Zhao''er, and then said to the mother-in-law: "Mother, let''s go too, let the dog rest well."


    Mrs. Zhao glanced at the dog on the kang, snorted coldly, turned her head and left. Just from her posture, it can be seen that she is very angry.


    In fact, it is true. The Xue family can''t be called a rich family. It costs at least one or two hundred dollars to invite a doctor back from the town. ! In particular, the doctor''s pulse just now confirmed Zhao''s guess that Xue Gouzi was deliberately pretending to be ill, and it was only strange that she was happy.


    Let Mrs. Zhao see that the two little boys in the second room are deliberately torturing the family, but since the eldest daughter-in-law has come forward to persuade her, Mrs. Zhao will naturally not say more.


    Generally speaking, among the three daughters-in-law of the Xue family, Yang is the one who wins Zhao''s heart the most. The eldest has an unusual status, and Zhao is willing to show the eldest daughter-in-law some face.


    After Mrs. Zhao and Mrs. Yang left, only the third uncle Xue Qingbai and the third aunt Zhou were left in the house. The two were not used to talking much, and they didn''t stay long, Zhao''er thought that the third uncle had worked hard just now, so he sent the two of them out with a smile.


    When he turned his head and came back, he saw Xue Gouzi lying on the kang with his eyes open, his eyes staring blankly, as if he had lost his mind.


    She didn''t think much about it, she came to the side of the kang and patted his head: "Dog, don''t think too much, they don''t believe that you are sick and have a headache, sister believes you. Take care of your illness and don''t think about it anymore. "


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her, his mouth was dry and his throat was tight: "Zhaoer..."


    "What''s wrong? Is there something uncomfortable?"


    Feeling these undelicate but very warm hands touching his head and face, Xue Gouzi had a sense of reality and gratitude that he had never had before.


    She wasn''t dead, and neither was he.


    Although he didn''t like some of her daily actions, and even hated her as his child bride-in-law, but he never thought of letting her die, so how could he be the one who killed his wife and son.


    But Xue Gouzi was still very flustered, because that dream was too real. After going through that dream for more than seventy years, it seemed that he had also experienced that life. But after waking up from the dream, the vicissitudes of life have changed, and he dare not look back.


    "Zhaoer..."


    "Why!"


    "Zhaoer..."


    "Um."


    "Zhaoer..."


    A hot stream suddenly flowed out unconsciously from the dry eye sockets.


    This scared Zhao''er quite a bit, and he didn''t care to think that the little man would never call her that, let alone let himself get close to him. He hugged his head into his arms and asked him anxiously up.


    Seeing that he didn''t speak, but just buried himself in his arms and cried, Zhao''er couldn''t help but wonder if those people made him think too much just now. According to Zhao''er, the little man has a lot of things on his mind, and he never speaks out, otherwise he wouldn''t have this serious illness.


    She patted him on the back, hugged him like she did when she was a child, and comforted him: "Don''t be afraid, dog, even if they don''t send you to study, sister will send you there, and sister will send you even if she sells everything." go."


    *


    After all, Xue Gouzi had just recovered from a serious illness, and after experiencing such an incident, he fell asleep after drinking some porridge for dinner.


    Zhao''er covered him with a quilt before tidying up the basket she had just brought back.


    The back basket is full of needlework and cloth, which are rags that Zhao''er bought in the embroidery workshop in the town. The reason why I started this business was because I used to recruit children to carry the finished purses for the women in the village to sell in the embroidery workshop.


    There is no adult in the second room. Although the family is in charge of eating, after all, the pen, ink, paper and inkstone used by Xue Gouzi to study, as well as the clothes, bedding and some odds and ends of the two people on weekdays, etc., all need money.


    Wanting to ask for money from Mrs. Zhao is more expensive than ascending to the sky, and although the uncle Xue Qingshan is determined to treat his nephew as if he were his own, but Zhao''er usually only sees the big family''s child with greasy lips, and Xue Juncai never Lack of pens, ink, paper and inkstones. In contrast, the little man was as thin as a bamboo pole, and he picked up a bald pen that Xue Qingshan didn''t use back then.


    Zhao''er has always been a strong one, she couldn''t bear to wrong the little man, so she could only find money everywhere by herself. There was no opportunity to make money in the countryside, so she went to the town to look around, as long as it was within her power and did not require capital, she would try to do it.


    In the past few years, she has collected vegetables from the village and sold them in the town, picked up work from the embroidery workshop and assigned them to women with good craftsmanship in the village, and usually went to the mountains to find mountain products to sell.


    And now this business has been done several times, Zhao''er has a sweet mouth and a thick face, the boss of the embroidery workshop can''t hold her back, so he sells the unwanted rags to her in bags. She took it back, sorted and cut it, and then asked the women in the village to help make purses and other things, and she could earn a lot of money by reselling them in the embroidery workshop. It is much better than before just receiving the purses made by others, and earning a penny for a few purses.


    If he hadn''t made some money by doing this business, he didn''t know when Xue Gouzi would recover from his serious illness. Mrs. Zhao would have given up the money to get the medicine for a long time ago, and Zhao''er used his own money to catch the medicines later. I still have to hide it, for fear that other members of the Xue family will find out.


    Thinking of this, the corners of Zhao''er''s mouth tightened.


    She has always been agile in her hands and feet, and seeing that she picked out some usable cloth heads, she stopped tossing about. I chose clean ones and spread them out on a square table, and cut these strangely shaped cloth heads into a uniform shape with scissors.


    This is Zhao''er''s own calculation based on how much fabric is needed to make a purse, no more and no less, she will not take out these rags for people to see.


    It is not easy for country people to earn a penny. If someone finds out, the designated way to earn money will be robbed within a few days.


    Zhao''er also wants to use this to make money for the little man to go to the town to study, so that she can only go to see Xue Jun, and her little man can also go. Zhao''er has always been prepared with both hands when doing things, and she knows in her heart that the big house will never let such a good thing happen to the little man.


    It is better to ask for others than to ask for yourself, and it is better to rely on yourself than to rely on mountains and rivers.


    Zhao''er has understood this truth since she was seven years old when she was going to be exchanged for money by her grandmother and father.


    After Zhao''er finished what she was doing, seeing the little man was fast asleep, and seeing that it was already dark outside, she wrapped the tidy cloth in something, and hurried out with it.


    Under the night, Yuqing Village was exceptionally peaceful, and the light silver moonlight shone on the trails in the village. Although the road was still unclear, it was not completely dark after all.


    Zhao''er walked all the way and didn''t even startle a dog.


    This is not an ability that ordinary people can have. You must know that in places like the countryside, almost every household has a dog. Dogs are very alert at night, and whenever someone walks past the door, they bark wildly. Even if a petty thief came to the door, he would have been scared away by the dog long ago.


    Zhao''er also developed this ability after walking a lot at night.


    Of course, it was also related to the sunspot following her legs.


    Heizi is a country dog, but it is stronger and bigger than ordinary dogs. There are not many dogs in Yuqing Village that can beat Heizi, and it is because of Heizi that Zhao''er dares to walk alone at night.


    She went all the way to a family''s house with ease, and it was strange that the other party knew that she would come at this time and left the door open for her. As soon as she entered the door, the family''s dog rushed over. Before she could reach her, a black shadow rushed over and threw the other person to the ground. The dog was so frightened that it fell on the ground and stopped barking.


    Zhao''er gloated at the side: "I don''t have a long memory!"


    At this time, a person came out of the house, and he smiled as he walked up to the front: "This black man is here to bully our family Wangcai again, Zhao''er, come in and sit down."


    "Aunt Osmanthus, I won''t go in, I''m still rushing back."


    Zhao''er handed over the things in his hands to the visitor, took some things from the other person, wrapped them in cloth, and then went to the next household.


    Zhao''er went to five families.


    She is anxious to make money, but there are few women in the village who are good at needlework, and she needs to find someone who is tight-lipped and reliable. shit money.


    The reason why she said that was because when she collected vegetables from the village and sold them in the town, she was publicized by people who didn''t know the door, causing her to be pointed at all day long. She was not afraid of being pointed out, but these things finally reached the ears of the little man, and some villagers made fun of him, which caused a lot of conflicts between her and the little man. And after that, she won''t receive any vegetables in the village, even if someone sells them to her, it will be at a high price.

 Chapter 44

    After sending the doctor away, grandmother Zhao slapped her face on the spot.


    She looks like she is in her fifties, with her gray hair neatly tied behind her head. With a long face, the eyelids are a little sunken, and when the face is pulled, it becomes a triangular eye, which looks particularly unfriendly.


    Without Mrs. Zhao''s words, Mrs. Sun said: "Zhao''er, it''s not my aunt talking about you, you girl likes to make a fuss. Could it be that you deliberately torment us all, even if you don''t like it..."


    Before she finished speaking, she was pulled by the man Xue Qinghuai.


    "Okay, let''s say a few words less, Zhao''er is not ignorant, and besides, the dog is already sick, so it''s better to find a doctor to take a look, and the family can rest assured."


    "I said less and said less, and I didn''t say anything..."


    "You also said..."


    The couple went out while chatting and tugging. The eldest aunt Yang smiled at Zhao''er, and then said to the mother-in-law: "Mother, let''s go too, let the dog rest well."


    Mrs. Zhao glanced at the dog on the kang, snorted coldly, turned her head and left. Just from her posture, it can be seen that she is very angry.


    In fact, it is true. The Xue family can''t be called a rich family. It costs at least one or two hundred dollars to invite a doctor from the town. ! In particular, the doctor''s pulse just now confirmed Zhao''s guess that Xue Gouzi was deliberately pretending to be ill, and it was only strange that she was happy.


    Let Mrs. Zhao see that the two little boys in the second room are deliberately torturing the family, but since the eldest daughter-in-law has come forward to persuade her, Mrs. Zhao will naturally not say more.


    Generally speaking, among the three daughters-in-law of the Xue family, Yang is the one who wins Zhao''s heart the most. The eldest has an unusual status, and Zhao is willing to show the eldest daughter-in-law some face.


    After Mrs. Zhao and Mrs. Yang left, only the third uncle Xue Qingbai and the third aunt Zhou were left in the house. The two were not used to talking much, and they didn''t stay long, Zhao''er thought that the third uncle had worked hard just now, so he sent the two of them out with a smile.


    When he turned his head and came back, he saw Xue Gouzi lying on the kang with his eyes open, his eyes staring blankly, as if he had lost his mind.


    She didn''t think much about it, she came to the side of the kang and patted his head: "Dog, don''t think too much, they don''t believe that you are sick and have a headache, sister believes you. Take care of your illness and don''t think about it anymore. "


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her, his mouth was dry and his throat was tight: "Zhaoer..."


    "What''s wrong? Is there something uncomfortable?"


    Feeling these undelicate but very warm hands touching his head and face, Xue Gouzi had a sense of reality and gratitude that he had never had before.


    She wasn''t dead, and neither was he.


    Although he didn''t like some of her daily actions, and even hated her as his child bride-in-law, but he never thought of letting her die, so how could he be the one who killed his wife and son.


    But Xue Gouzi was still very flustered, because that dream was too real. After going through that dream for more than seventy years, it seemed that he had also experienced that life. But after waking up from the dream, the vicissitudes of life have changed, and he dare not look back.


    "Zhaoer..."


    "Why!"


    "Zhaoer..."


    "Um."


    "Zhaoer..."


    A hot stream suddenly flowed out unconsciously from the dry eye sockets.


    This scared Zhao''er quite a bit, and he didn''t care to think that the little man would never call her that, let alone let himself get close to him. He hugged his head into his arms and asked him anxiously up.


    Seeing that he didn''t speak, but just buried himself in his arms and cried, Zhao''er couldn''t help but wonder if those people made him think too much just now. According to Zhao''er, the little man has a lot of things on his mind, and he never speaks out, otherwise he wouldn''t have this serious illness.


    She patted him on the back, hugged him like she did when she was a child, and comforted him: "Don''t be afraid, dog, even if they don''t send you to study, sister will send you there, and sister will send you even if she sells everything." go."


    *


    After all, Xue Gouzi had just recovered from a serious illness, and after experiencing such an incident, he fell asleep after drinking some porridge for dinner.


    Zhao''er covered him with a quilt before tidying up the basket she had just brought back.


    The back basket is full of needlework and cloth, which are rags that Zhao''er bought in the embroidery workshop in the town. The reason why I started this business was because I used to recruit children to carry the finished purses for the women in the village to sell in the embroidery workshop.


    There is no adult in the second room. Although the family is in charge of eating, after all, the pen, ink, paper and inkstone used by Xue Gouzi to study, as well as the clothes, bedding and some odds and ends of the two people on weekdays, etc., all need money.


    Wanting to ask for money from Mrs. Zhao is more expensive than ascending to the sky, and although the uncle Xue Qingshan is determined to treat his nephew as if he were his own, but Zhao''er usually only sees the big family''s child with greasy lips, and Xue Juncai never Lack of pens, ink, paper and inkstones. In contrast, the little man was as thin as a bamboo pole, and he picked up a bald pen that Xue Qingshan didn''t use back then.


    Zhao''er has always been a strong one, she couldn''t bear to wrong the little man, so she could only find money everywhere by herself. There was no opportunity to make money in the countryside, so she went to the town to look around, as long as it was within her power and did not require capital, she would try to do it.


    In the past few years, she has collected vegetables from the village and sold them in the town, picked up work from the embroidery workshop and assigned them to women with good craftsmanship in the village, and usually went to the mountains to find mountain products to sell.


    And now this business has been done several times, Zhao''er has a sweet mouth and a thick face, the boss of the embroidery workshop can''t hold her back, so he sells the unwanted rags to her in bags. She took it back, sorted and cut it, and then asked the women in the village to help make purses and other things, and she could earn a lot of money by reselling them in the embroidery workshop. It is much better than before just receiving the purses made by others, and earning a penny for a few purses.


    If he hadn''t made some money by doing this business, he didn''t know when Xue Gouzi would recover from his serious illness. Mrs. Zhao would have given up the money to get the medicine for a long time ago, and Zhao''er used his own money to catch the medicines later. I still have to hide it, for fear that other members of the Xue family will find out.


    Thinking of this, the corners of Zhao''er''s mouth tightened.


    She has always been agile in her hands and feet, and seeing that she picked out some usable cloth heads, she stopped tossing about. I chose clean ones and spread them out on a square table, and cut these strangely shaped cloth heads into a uniform shape with scissors.


    This is Zhao''er''s own calculation based on how much fabric is needed to make a purse, no more and no less, she will not take out these rags for people to see.


    It is not easy for country people to earn a penny. If someone finds out, the designated way to earn money will be robbed within a few days.


    Zhao''er also wants to use this to make money for the little man to go to the town to study, so that she can only go to see Xue Jun, and her little man can also go. Zhao''er has always been prepared with both hands when doing things, and she knows in her heart that the big house will never let such a good thing happen to the little man.


    It is better to ask for others than to ask for yourself, and it is better to rely on yourself than to rely on mountains and rivers.


    Zhao''er has understood this truth since she was seven years old when she was going to be exchanged for money by her grandmother and father.


    After Zhao''er finished what she was doing, seeing the little man was fast asleep, and seeing that it was already dark outside, she wrapped the tidy cloth in something, and hurried out with it.


    Under the night, Yuqing Village was exceptionally peaceful, and the light silver moonlight shone on the trails in the village. Although the road was still unclear, it was not completely dark after all.


    Zhao''er walked all the way and didn''t even startle a dog.


    This is not an ability that ordinary people can have. You must know that in places like the countryside, almost every household has a dog. Dogs are very alert at night, and whenever someone walks past the door, they bark wildly. Even if a petty thief came to the door, he would have been scared away by the dog long ago.


    Zhao''er also developed this ability after walking a lot at night.


    Of course, it was also related to the sunspot following her legs.


    Heizi is a country dog, but it is stronger and bigger than ordinary dogs. There are not many dogs in Yuqing Village that can beat Heizi, and it is because of Heizi that Zhao''er dares to walk alone at night.


    She went all the way to a family''s house with ease, and it was strange that the other party knew that she would come at this time and left the door open for her. As soon as she entered the door, the family''s dog rushed over. Before she could reach her, a black shadow rushed over and threw the other person to the ground. The dog was so frightened that it fell on the ground and stopped barking.


    Zhao''er gloated at the side: "I don''t have a long memory!"


    At this time, a person came out of the house, and he smiled as he walked up to the front: "This black man is here to bully our family Wangcai again, Zhao''er, come in and sit down."


    "Aunt Osmanthus, I won''t go in, I''m still rushing back."


    Zhao''er handed over the things in his hands to the visitor, took some things from the other person, wrapped them in cloth, and then went to the next household.


    Zhao''er went to five families.


    She is anxious to make money, but there are few women in the village who are good at needlework, and she needs to find someone who is tight-lipped and reliable. shit money.


    The reason why she said that was because when she collected vegetables from the village and sold them in the town, she was publicized by people who didn''t know the door, causing her to be pointed at all day long. She was not afraid of being pointed out, but these things finally reached the ears of the little man, and some villagers made fun of him, which caused a lot of conflicts between her and the little man. And after that, she won''t receive any vegetables in the village, even if someone sells them to her, it will be at a high price.


    In the end, she had no choice but to go to other villages to collect vegetables. It was not a waste of time. Since then, Zhaoer has developed a memory.


    When Zhao''er came home, Xue Gouzi on the kang was still sleeping soundly.


    She went to get some water to wash her face and wipe her hands before getting on the kang. The second room only had this kang, and she had slept with Xue Gouzi since she was a child, and she was used to it.


    Heizi slept under the kang, just now when he invited his son into the house, he slid in at his feet and chose a random place to lie down. It seems that the dog''s eyes have been closed, but in fact the two ears are standing up, and they move from time to time.


    Before Zhao''er lay down, she bullied herself over to look at the little man, and touched his forehead, before falling asleep in peace.


    *


    Compared with the second room because of the sparse population, there are only two rooms and one kang, the treatment of the first room is obviously much better. The entire three east rooms were occupied by the big room, and at this time in the east room, Mrs. Yang was talking to Xue Qingshan.


    Yang narrated what happened during the day, Xue Qingshan immediately frowned after listening.


    He was not at home during the day, so naturally he didn''t know what happened at home. Nowadays, some respectable families will invite scholars to preside over their weddings and funerals, but where rural families can afford to hire scholars, some will invite children to make up the number.


    No matter how they are all scholars, they are different from ordinary people.


    Today, Xue Qingshan was invited by a family in a nearby village to have a wedding. It doesn''t matter what the etiquette is.


    But the people in the countryside are poor, so the happy money will not be too much, at most a few tens of pennies.


    Xue Qingshan likes this kind of work the most. Every time at this time, he will randomly assign articles to memorize for the students in the school, and then go out for a whole day, and no one will say anything. What he likes is not only having money to take, but also when this time is his happiest time.


    He was sitting in the position of the guest of honor, and the men who came to have a wedding banquet were all proud to have a conversation with him.


    He is the master of Tongsheng!


    Of course, it would be even better if Tongsheng could be replaced by a scholar, Xue Qingshan would have dreamed of it. But for so many years, he has more or less self-knowledge, so he can''t help pinning his hopes on his son.


    It''s a pity that someone is blocking this way now.


    Xue Qingshan drank a lot of wine, his chubby face was flushed, and he was holding his breath in his heart, so he spit and scolded: "What kind of moth is this son of a bitch, I really want to open a dyeing workshop just to give him some color. !"


    Yang sighed faintly: "Who told you that you agreed to the second child so easily at the beginning, but now it''s hard to get off the tiger because of our talents."


    "In that situation back then, the second child seemed to be honest, and he wanted to accompany his elder brother when he was about to die. If I knew that he was paying attention that day, I would have found a way to shut him up, but so many people I was present, and the accident happened because of me, if I don''t even agree to this matter, how can I gain a foothold in front of others."


    Of course, Mrs. Yang knew this truth, but she couldn''t calm down. Just because of that bullshit promise, Da Fang kept her hands tied. Her son wanted to go to the library to study, but he had to hide and beg the other party to show his respect.


    She was always proud and arrogant, so naturally the more she thought about it, the more annoyed she became, her eyes sparkled, but she sneered on her face: "Because he fell ill suddenly, originally Dad planned to make decisions for us, so we can only endure it. But he has been sick for these days, and today he has such a scene, and my mother is already annoyed. I asked the fourth daughter-in-law to tell my mother that the dog is probably pretending to be sick. I think my mother has already decided that he is pretending. sick."


    Xue Qingshan''s eyes lit up: "That''s good, I''ll go talk to my parents tomorrow and let them put this matter into practice." He put his arms around Yang''s shoulders with a smile, and said: "My wife is smarter. , Prepared a backhand early."


    Yang gave him an angry look, and the two of them rested together, without speaking for a whole night.


    The old boy felt bitter in his heart, but he didn''t dare to give up.


    The chief examiner asked the question: "If you take the bait, you are old; if you take the bait, you are a tester. If you are old, you will be a child, and if you are a child, you will be old."

 Chapter 45

    Zhao''er took the cloth towel, went back to the edge of the Kang, took off the cloth on his head and wiped his hair.


    Her hair was black and dense, reaching to her waist. She brushed her long hair to the side of her neck, and sat on the edge of the kang with her head slightly tilted, letting her long hair hang down, and combing it with a comb.


    The girl was wearing a lilac-colored floral jacket and maroon wide-leg pants. She had to straighten her back and tilt her neck so that the water from her wet hair wouldn''t wet her clothes. These were all subconscious actions, but in Xue Tingxiang''s eyes, his heartbeat accelerated inexplicably, and he felt a sense of blood tension.


    Without him, it is because of this posture that the girl''s figure is vividly displayed. With high/chest/upturned/hips, and a slender waist, Xue Tingxiang has never seen such a scene before, and an extremely strange feeling of dryness and heat climbed up in his body.


    But at the same time, he was familiar with it, and a picture appeared in his mind, which was the time of the two people''s bridal chamber.


    In the dream, he didn''t like her at that time, but he felt that marrying her was a matter of course.


    It was a deep-rooted thought that she should be his wife.


    It''s just that this hidden deepest emotion was covered up by his awkwardness and ignorance, especially when he went to the school to study and let his classmates know that he had a child bride in the country, which caused a lot of ridicule.


    But in fact, he liked her deep down in his heart, so she was tortured badly by him that night in the bridal chamber.


    Originally, he was just ignorant, and she was a newcomer, so he hurt her and also hurt her. But he still thought about the pain, and she cried with tears and snot running down her nose. That was the first time she showed weakness in front of him, and he liked this way of bullying her ever since.


    At that time, he was studying in the academy, and he would only come back once every ten days. Every time he came back, she was so afraid that she would hide. But he had to rely on him and let him do whatever he wanted. He obviously liked it, but pretended not to like it.


    Now that I think about it, he was really an asshole at that time.


    Thinking about these messes in his heart, he suddenly said, "I''ll wipe it for you."


    Zhao''er looked at him sideways in surprise, and subconsciously refused: "I still can''t, I''ll do it myself." After these days of corrections, she has gradually learned not to call herself sister.


    Before her words fell, Xue Tingxiang had already snatched the cloth towel, and pulled her to turn her back, Zhao''er could only freeze there, letting him wipe it.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Tingxiang is still half-headed now, so he can only half-kneel and sit up to wipe her hair. The two were very close, Zhao''er didn''t notice it, but Xue Tingxiang felt his blood was surging.


    Zhao''er''s hair is very black, dense and smooth, like a piece of fine satin. He was clumsy, and Fang began to pull and hurt her several times, until he heard her involuntarily inhaling, he slowed down his movements.


    Feeling that it was a bit difficult for him to reach, Zhao''er was a little distressed, he kept stretching his arms: "If I don''t lie here?"


    As she said that, she went to try it, and it was more convenient for him to lie on the kang, and both of them would not be tired. What she didn''t know was that her posture looked even more seductive from behind, especially for a young man with a fresh blood.


    Xue Tingxiang immediately regretted accepting this matter. It felt like a kind of torture. He needed to work hard to stabilize himself so as not to look randomly.


    "If not, why don''t you sit up?" he asked.


    But got no answer from her.


    When I went to see it, I found that she had fallen asleep.


    The girl seemed very tired and slept soundly. She lay prone on the long-folded quilt, her thick long hair was scattered behind her back and down to her waist. Because the quilt was covering her face, her face was squeezed out of shape, but her pink lips were pouty.


    Zhao''er, who had just taken a bath, still had water vapor on her face. Her plump and delicate cheeks looked young and tender at first glance. Her pink lips had a watery glow, which was attractive to pick.


    Something in his heart was clamoring, and he leaned on him unconsciously. The cheeks of the two were getting closer and closer, so close that he could see and smell the sweet smell.


    Suddenly, she moved, and he quickly backed away, pretending to be nonchalant, muttering in his mouth why he fell asleep, but actually watching her reaction nervously.


    Fortunately, she just moved, and there was no sign of waking up, so he was relieved.


    But the impulse in his heart was gone, he glanced at her several times, reached out and took the thin quilt to cover her, and continued to wipe her wet hair with a cloth towel.


    *


    Yuqing Village was originally a village established by a group of victims who fled during the war in the previous dynasty.


    At first it was not called Yuqing Village, but Zhengjiazhuang. The village is full of people with the surname Zheng, but the number of people is not large, only a dozen or so families. Many years later, there was a famine one year, and the government arranged for a group of people who fled the disaster to settle here. These people are the ancestors of the Xue family.


    There are not many people surnamed Zheng, and there are also many people surnamed Xue. At first, people surnamed Zheng took the lead.


    The Dachang Dynasty implemented the Lilao system, where one hundred households constituted one li, and Jiachang was set up, which is commonly known as Lizheng. There are also several old people, who are commonly known as village elders.


    Within the jurisdiction of Yuqing Village, everything in the village, such as adjudicating civil lawsuits, arbitrating right and wrong, guiding folk customs, persuading farming and mulberry, issuing sentiments, etc., and even urging taxes, military service, etc., are all handled by the local people. Li Zheng and the villagers co-hosted the completion.


    Li Lao''s power can be said to be quite large, and anyone who can be Li Lao is a person of high moral and respect in the local area.


    In fact, this kind of system is equivalent to a local people governing a local people.


    Nowadays there is such a saying that the so-called imperial power does not come down to the county, but only the clan under the county, and the clan is self-governing, self-government depends on ethics, and ethics creates squires, that''s how it is.


    Over the years, the two surnames of Xue and Zheng seem to be harmonious on the surface, but they have been at odds with each other, and what they are fighting for is the right to speak in the village. Although it was because there was a scholar among the people surnamed Xue before, the Xue family changed its previous decline and several village elders appeared in the clan, but the position of Lizheng has always been in the hands of the people surnamed Zheng.


    Now Yuqing Village has one Lizheng and four village elders. Three of these four elders have the surname Xue, that is to say, two pairs of three. But because Zheng Lizheng is here, it is still not an advantage.


    Patriarch Xue is confident that if there is another scholar in the clan, he will be able to completely overwhelm the Zheng family, so when he heard the rumors that had been raging in the village for the past two days, he immediately exploded.


    Mr. Xue was still in the field, so he was called to Patriarch Xue''s house.


    Seeing Patriarch Xue''s face as dark as the bottom of a pot, Old Master Xue was puzzled by Monk Zhang Er: "Brother Haizi, what''s the matter?" In terms of seniority, Patriarch Xue is considered Old Master Xue''s cousin.


    "You still ask me what''s wrong? Don''t you know what''s going on outside recently?"


    Mr. Xue really doesn''t know.


    Seeing this, Patriarch Xue gave a rough account of the matter with a dark face.


    I don''t know when, things about the Xue family have spread outside.


    The source is that someone saw Xue Gouzi, the only son of Xue''s second wife, crying in front of Xue''s second son''s grave.


    The specific content of the cry is untestable, and it is possible for a half-grown boy to express his grievances in this way, which is enough to prove that the child must have been wronged at home. Later, someone familiar with the situation revealed the truth, and everyone knew that the boss of the Xue family planned to send his son to study in the town, but left his nephew alone.


    Few people in the village did not know how the second child of the Xue family died. And when Xue Qingsong was dying, many people in the village were there, so they naturally held Xue Qingshan''s hand and made him promise to treat his son well.


    When he came back from the Xue family, many people discussed it in private, saying that the second son of the Xue family was really miserable, leaving behind a sick wife and a young son.


    Now that such rumors spread, the scene before the death of Xue Lao Er was repeated by people in various ways. Some elderly people shook their heads and sighed, saying that people''s hearts are unpredictable, and it is impossible to entrust their wives and children to anyone. Take care of yourself. You treated him like your big brother and threw your life on him, but he didn''t treat your son as his own son.


    Even Xue Tingxiang''s situation in Xue''s family in the past few years has caused some women to talk about it.


    For example, although the dog from the second room seldom shows up in front of people, he always wears old clothes every time he sees him, while the handsome man from the first room has never seen him in old clothes. Even some things in the private school were told by the ignorant children to the adults. Xue Juncai had everything in his pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and he had the most books in the school. As for Xue Gouzi, he was seen writing on the desk with water on him several times.


    Being eccentric, everyone is eccentric, and no one can say anything about his own son, but Boss Xue also took the life of his own brother on his back. This kind of eccentricity is a bit chilling.


    "You are very old, and the juniors in the family can''t teach well? You are biased towards the elders, but why did you make this matter out of people''s faces? What do you think about this matter now!"

 Chapter 46

    But Zhao''er has always been domineering, and never allowed anyone to call him a little man, and whoever said she was in a hurry. Because of this incident, she had fought with many girls and boys in the village, although some people still said behind their backs, no one dared to point fingers in front of others.


    Zhao''er always felt that the little man''s eyes were weird today, and he avoided them uncomfortably.


    She knew that the little man must be angry again, and he didn''t like her saying ''the dog is my man'' the most. Every time he heard her say such words, he would ignore her for a few days. In fact, recruiting children is also shameful, but she is the child bride-in-law of the Xue family''s second room. If she didn''t claim to be like this, she would not be qualified to challenge the fourth aunt Sun.


    "Are you hungry? Look what I brought back for you?"


    Zhao''er turned her head and put all these troubles behind her mind, and took out a paper bag from her pocket. Opening the paper bag, there were two steamed steamed buns inside. They were fat and plump, and they made people like it just by looking at them.


    "Eat it quickly, while it''s still warm." She smiled and stuffed the paper bag into the little man''s hand, while putting the pannier on her shoulder in the corner.


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her.


    The girl in front of her was in her twenties and eighth year, and her skin was the wheat color common to girls in the country, but Zhao''er''s complexion was exceptionally different from others'', smooth and radiant, as if she had been smeared with honey. He has a tall nose bridge, a pair of medium-sized eyes, and swarthy pupils. When he smiles, there is a flash of inspiration in him, and he looks lively.


    Zhao''er''s stature is taller than ordinary girls, and she is well-developed, front/convex/backward, full of youthful vigor.


    It was so vivid, as vivid as in his dream.


    He unconsciously took the steamed stuffed bun and gnawed on it. Seeing this trick, he smiled even more happily. He went to the kitchen and poured him a bowl of water, which he placed next to his hand. On the other hand, he bent down to tidy up the scattered quilts on the kang, thinking about what to cook for him at night to nourish his body.


    Finally, the little man got better, so he had to continue to drink the medicine, and he had to drink a few more to strengthen it. From this, he naturally began to calculate the little money left in his hand, and think of a way to get some money, so as to solve the urgent need.


    "Have you eaten yet?" Xue Gouzi asked.


    This kind of behavior rarely happens to him, so Zhao''er can''t help but look up at the little man sitting on the kang.


    In fact, the little man has a handsome appearance, which is different from the fair skin of the countrymen. The corners of his eyes are slightly raised, and the curvature makes his face a little more delicate and handsome. It''s just that the little man always hangs his head halfway on weekdays, with a gloomy and silent temperament, and is too thin, so he is not conspicuous in front of others.


    Zhao''er''s eyes warmed up, her smile widened, and she said cracklingly, "Eat, I ate it outside, this is for you."


    After she finished speaking, she realized that she had slipped her mouth. She waited for the little man to show a disgusted expression, or to condemn her daughter''s family for running around, but he didn''t say anything, as if he had something on his mind. Head eating buns.


    Zhao''er couldn''t help heaving a sigh of relief, but at the same time felt a pain in his heart, and couldn''t help but said: "Dog, don''t worry too much. After all, you heard the words. Since you didn''t say it face-to-face, you can''t take it seriously. Even if it is true Don''t be afraid, sister earns money for your education."


    Xue Gouzi''s head still hurts a little, and he was dizzy. Zhao''er thought he had something on his mind, but in fact he was just thinking about that dream. Hearing Zhao''er''s words at this time, he suddenly remembered why he had this serious illness.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Gouzi''s serious illness came in a hurry due to stagnation of liver qi.


    Speaking of this, I have to talk about the general situation of the Xue family.


    Yuqing Village is a village located under Huyang Town, Xia County, Pingyang Prefecture. There are only more than 200 households in the village.


    The Xue family is one of them.


    However, the Xue family is different from other ordinary farmers, and it can be regarded as having some origins.


    The ancestor of the Xue family, that is, the grandfather of Mr. Xue, was a scholar. In a poor mountain depression like Yuqing Village, it is a great event for the ancestors to have a scholar.


    Because of this talented gentleman, the generation of the Xue family produced the head of the Xue clan, and there were several village elders in the clan, and finally had some say in Yuqing Village. At the same time, it is also a blessing for the younger generation. Mr. Xue''s father is hardworking and willing to work. With the help of the elders, he also slowly built up a family business.


    By the time of Mr. Xue''s generation, the Xue family already had more than 30 acres of fertile land, and several sons also had their own livelihoods. Their lives were enviably prosperous, and they could be regarded as a well-to-do family in the village.


    Mr. Xue and his mother-in-law Zhao have four sons and two daughters. The eldest son Xue Qingshan married his wife Yang, and they have two sons and a daughter. The eldest son Xue Juncai is fifteen years old, the second son Xue Youcai is ten years old, and the eldest daughter Xue Maner is married.


    The second child, Xue Qingsong, is a carpenter. He married his wife Qiu Shi and gave birth to a son, Xue Gouzi, who is fourteen years old. The third child, Xue Qingbai, is a farmer, married his wife Zhou, and gave birth to a son and a daughter. The eldest daughter, Xue Taoer, is thirteen years old this year, and the youngest son, Xue Shuanzi, is eight years old now. The fourth son, Xue Qinghuai, is a shopkeeper. He married his wife, Sun, and gave birth to a son named Xue Maodan, who is only four years old this year.


    As for the two daughters, the eldest daughter, Xue Cuiping, is already married, and the youngest daughter, Xue Cuie, is fourteen this year and is still in her boudoir.


    It is worth mentioning that nowadays there are parents who say that they do not separate their families. In addition, families in the countryside are ruled by clans, so Xue''s family has no separation.


    The Xue family has tasted the benefits of reading, so they have more vision than ordinary farmers. Xue Qingshan is smart since he was a child, and he is the eldest son. Mr. Xue has high hopes for him, and when he reaches the age of enlightenment, he spends money to send him to a private school.


    Xue Qingshan also strives for success. At the age of twenty, he passed the Tongsheng examination. Although he is still a scholar, he can be counted as a scholar who can be counted in ten miles and eight villages.


    Don''t underestimate Tongsheng! As the saying goes, scholars, farmers, businessmen, and scholars are the highest class of people in the current society. If ordinary people want to turn ordinary people into scholars, there is only one way to take the imperial examination. As for the imperial examination, it is only a matter of going to the west to learn Buddhist scriptures, and you have to go through various checkpoints and go through hardships before you can get it.


    If you want to embark on this path, you must first have the qualifications, and Tong Sheng is a person with this qualification. It is necessary to pass the county and government examinations to be called Tongsheng. As for the next step is to be a scholar, to become a scholar is to enter school, and it is also the first step to embark on the road of imperial examinations.


    It can be seen from this that Tong Sheng is not an ordinary person, so Xue Qingshan''s status in the Xue family can be imagined.


    But as I said before, the Xue family''s family background can only be regarded as a middle-level family in the countryside. If a family like this wants to support a scholar, it will almost exhaust all the human and financial resources of the family. Because the eldest son is the eldest son, who will set up a family in the future, and is talented and intelligent, the next few sons naturally have to give in.


    As for why Xue Gouzi became seriously ill, it has to be related to another old matter of the Xue family.


    Back then when Xue Qingshan was selected as a child student, he was considered a success at a young age. He was full of ambitions and wanted to pass the college examination in one fell swoop, and he could also be a scholar, but it was a pity that God did not follow his wishes.


    It was only a close call, and no one would be reconciled to it. Xue Qingshan could only calm down, work hard, and hope to win next time.


    After so many years of rushing away, the original smugness was completely devastated by the impact of reality. Xue Qingshan failed many exams, so he couldn''t stay at home and eat free food all the time. In desperation, he set up a private school in the village, which specializes in taking children from the village and several nearby villages to read and write, and they can more or less earn a living.


    With such convenient conditions, several children of Xue''s family naturally followed suit. The next few children are still young, and among the grandchildren, Xue Juncai, the eldest son of the big house, and Xue Gouzi of the second house have studied the longest.


    However, compared to his cousin Xue Juncai, Xue Gouzi is obviously not as good as he is because he is too weak. When he was young, he was always sick every day, which delayed a lot of homework.


    The time was stretched back to five years ago, this year the academic officer held a college examination in Fucheng, Xue Qingshan naturally would not miss it, he stopped his private school classes early and went to Fucheng to take the exam.


    It''s not easy to go out at this time, and besides, Mr. Xue was worried about his eldest son going out alone, so he asked his second son Xue Qingsong to accompany him. He always took care of him when he was usually on a business trip.


    That is to say, something happened on this trip, Xue Qingshan offended someone in Fucheng, Xue Qingsong was beaten all over his body in order to protect his eldest brother. In the end, the man was pulled back, but he died within a few days after he came back. Before he died, Xue Qingsong asked Xue Qingshan to promise himself that he would do everything in his power to confess Xue Gouzi.


    In fact, after giving way for others all his life, how could Xue Qingsong have no complaints in his heart, but he has a simple and honest nature, and he knows that his talent is not as good as that of his elder brother, so he has been making contributions in obscurity.


    But when it came to his own son, especially Xue Gouzi, who was weak since he was a child, he was not a farmer in any way, and he was dying, so Xue Qingsong took the opportunity to force his elder brother to make a promise.


    Xue Qingsong would do this, but he wanted to break the status quo that the Xue family''s resources had been leaning towards Dafang. The Xue family only had two scholars in the first room, and now there is a Xue Gouzi. The children in the third room were still young at that time, and the fourth child was not married yet. As long as Xue Qingshan agrees, others will naturally have nothing to say, and Xue Qingsong will do his best for his son Brown.


    Xue Qingshan agreed to the matter on the spot, crying blood, saying that he would treat Xue Gouzi as his own son, Xue Qingsong closed his eyes.


    Not long after that, Qiu Shi, who was already in poor health, became depressed and fell ill, and then passed away. Since then, Xue Gouzi has become a poor child without father and mother. Fortunately, there are grandparents and uncles, and Zhaoer, a child bride-in-law, so he doesn''t have to worry about food and clothing.


    In the following years, Xue Qingshan really treated Xue Gouzi like his own son. No one in the village would say that the boss of the Xue family raised his nephew as his own son. But as the saying goes, the human heart is the most fickle, and selfishness is the nature of human beings. As time passed, Da Fang gradually changed his attitude. Although he was in front of others, he was still the same as before, but only the person concerned would know what happened to him afterwards.


    This year, seeing that he had nothing to teach his son, Xue Qingshan decided to send Xue Juncai to the town school to study for two years.


    But it costs a lot of money to go to the school to study, not to mention the one-year study that costs two silver, the three festivals and six rituals of the husband, and the pen, ink, paper and inkstone used in daily life, all of which cost money. The Xue family has already been seriously injured because they confessed to Xue Qingshan, and how can they have money for the two children to go together.


    You can only take out one piece of money, that is to say, Xue Juncai and Xue Gouzi can only go to one.


    Xue Qingshan told the matter in front of the whole family, but Xue Gouzi didn''t say what he couldn''t say tactfully, but chose to remain silent.


    During that time, the atmosphere in the Xue family was weird, the old man Xue was frowning, and the grandmother Zhao was eccentric all day long, but the eldest couple were still the same as before, and they didn''t think it was a problem.


    I will not mention this, it is also a coincidence that Xue Gouzi accidentally overheard his eldest aunt Yang and fourth aunt Sun talking in secret, saying that he would let his parents-in-law come forward and let Xue Gouzi take the initiative to give up his place to study in the town , Xue Gouzi became seriously ill in a fit of rage.


    Thinking of this, Xue Gouzi felt uneasy for a while, and at the same time, many pictures appeared in his mind, which were just some of his previous dreams.


    The Xue Tingxiang in the dream also faced the same situation in the fourteenth year, and the other party''s temperament changed drastically after this incident, changing his previous disposition.


    Could it be that he is Xue Tingxiang, and that Xue Tingxiang is him? But why would he dream of these things!


    Xue Gouzi felt a throbbing pain in his head, the bun in his hand fell on the kang, and the water bowl next to him was also knocked over. Zhao''er heard the movement, rushed up and hugged him in his arms.


    "Dog, dog, don''t scare me!"


    He laughed, but he appreciated Zhao''er''s frankness of not wanting to take advantage of others: "These were sold to a clothing store or an embroidery workshop, and the price was the same. Regardless of the quantity, there are not many good ones that can be sold at a reasonable price." The ones have already been picked away."


    Zhao''er thinks about it too, the eyes of the county people are naturally different from those of the country people, let alone this kind of big pawn shop, what is bad in their eyes is actually good for the country people to see.


    She breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "I want the bag of clothes from Shopkeeper Shen, and I''ll give you the money right now."


    "Are you rich now?"


    Of course she is rich, Zhao''er now has more than two taels of silver in total, and just now Su Lan gave her another five taels, which is naturally enough.


    At the same time, Shen Ping laughed a little, "Well, I forgot that you had visited her before, so I came here, and she won''t take advantage of me." The voice was very small, almost like a murmur, and Zhao''er only cared about it. I had to look at the clothes, but I didn''t hear clearly.


    "I''ll find a guy to call a car for you, and you, a little girl, can''t transport these things."


    "Thank you, Shopkeeper Shen."


    After seeing Zhao''er off, Shen Ping turned around and went into the pawn shop.


    Although he is called the third shopkeeper, he is not the third shopkeeper of this store, but the third shopkeeper of the entire ''Herongsheng'', and he will only stay in Xia County permanently under his deliberate request.


    Shen Ping is the son of the Shen family, his father is the chief manager of the Shen residence, and he has been a servant with the third young master Shen Fu since he was a child. It was not until he became an adult that he was released to become a shopkeeper.


    "If she comes again next time, just do as I told you before."

 Chapter 47

    She sat up, raised her hand to touch the little man''s forehead, and made sure that her hands were not hot, then put on her clothes lightly and got off the kang.


    The first thing to do was to open the door, and Heizi, who had been restless for a long time, got out with a swish. Zhao''er also walked out of the room, seeing Heizi hurriedly running out of the courtyard to pee, she shook her head with a broken smile.


    At this time, someone has already got up in the courtyard, it is the Zhou family of the third bedroom and his eldest daughter Xue Tao''er.


    Today it''s the third room''s turn to cook. The Xue family''s rule is that apart from the housework of each room, the work in the office is shared equally. One day per room, in rotation.


    The room responsible for cooking is not only responsible for eating and drinking for the whole family, but also takes care of the livestock in the family. The Xue family raised two big fat pigs, and it was not an easy job to serve these two ancestors every day. Not to mention feeding chickens, carrying water, and chopping firewood, so the female family members who do housework on this day do not have to work in the fields.


    It seems to be fair and just, but in fact everyone inside knows how.


    The eldest aunt Yang claimed that the man was a child student, and she was exceptionally superior at home. Since Xue Qingshan passed the child student examination, she never touched housework again. The key is that Mrs. Zhao is also looking towards her, so it''s not easy for others to question her.


    At first, it was Xue Gouzi''s mother, Mrs. Qiu, who finally came in, the third-bedroom Mrs. Zhou, and the two sisters-in-law finally shared the burden. Afterwards, Mrs. Qiu followed her deceased husband, and Mrs. Zhou was left alone. It was not until Mrs. Sun of the fourth room entered the door that she would be able to catch her breath again.


    It''s a pity that Mrs. Sun is lazy and playful. In fact, Mrs. Zhou still does most of the work.


    In the past, when Mrs. Qiu was still alive, Zhao''er also helped Mrs. Qiu to do it. After Mrs. Qiu passed away, Zhao''er was busy with the housework of the second room and had to do the work in the office. In addition, Zhao''er was still young at that time, Mr. Xue told her to take good care of Xue Gouzi and not to take care of the work at work.


    Zhao''er now has free time to go around and get some money, but she is a person who looks at her conscience and will help out as much as she can in her spare time. As for those who used words to squeeze her like Sun, her sharp tongue was not forgiving.


    Seeing Xue Taoer struggling to fetch water from the well, Zhao''er rubbed his face and went up to help her.


    Thirteen-year-old Xue Taoer is like a small flower in bud. Although she is not very beautiful, she is very delicate. Seeing Zhao''er coming to help her, she couldn''t help showing a smile and talking to her: "Sister Zhao''er, is the second brother better?" Xue Gouzi is the second grandson of the Xue family, so Xue Taoer called him the second brother .


    "I had a fever again last night, and it got better in the second half of the night." Zhao''er looked around curiously, and asked, "Why isn''t Third Uncle here?"


    Although Xue Qingbai is a bit honest and reticent, he always loves his wife and daughter. Whenever he meets the third room to cook, he will get up early to fill the water tank.


    The Xue family has its own well, but the well is too deep, and there is no pulley on the well, so it is really exhausting to draw water with the strength of the daughter''s family alone. That is to say, Zhao''er was naturally as strong as an ox, and his strength was no worse than that of ordinary middle-aged men, so he could pull the bucket out of the deep well very easily.


    "My father went to the field and said he would work for a while and return after breakfast."


    Xue Qingbai is an honest farmer. Unlike other brothers in the family who have other skills, he only knows how to farm, so he puts all his heart on the ground. The Xue family has a total of more than 30 mu of land, and now he, Mr. Xue and the fourth son Xue Qinghuai are all planted.


    Although the women of the Xue family also went to the fields, it was only during the busy farming season, and besides, the women only had so little strength, so how could they help. Fortunately, the three men from Xue''s family are all good hands in the field, and they are really too busy, so they hired part-time workers to help out for a few days, so they don''t have to worry about not being able to finish the work in the field.


    Just as he was talking, the door of the fourth room opened, and Xue Qinghuai walked out from inside.


    The men in the Xue family are all big, so Xue Qinghuai also inherited a tall body.


    He was born with thick eyebrows, tiger eyes and a high nose bridge. He was dressed in dark blue coarse cloth and short brown, and looked very heroic. In fact, the men of the Xue family are not bad looking, but the women of the Xue family are a little mediocre, but all the grandchildren are born well, and they are all top-notch in the village.


    "Zhaoer Taoer, you wake up so early." Xue Qinghuai walked over in a few strides, took the wooden bucket in Zhaoer''s hand, walked to the water tank, and poured water into the tank.


    "How can you two little girls do this kind of rough work? You go to do other things, and the fourth uncle is here to fetch water."


    Zhao''er and Tao''er didn''t refuse either, one went to the kitchen to help her mother cook, and the other took a basin to scoop up water for washing.


    As time passed, the rest of the Xue family got up one after another, and there were more and more voices in the yard. On the other side of the kitchen, Mrs. Zhou yelled to eat. Generally, country people don''t pay much attention to breakfast, and they have to set a table or something. They always serve a bowl with a bowl, and eat it at any place.


    Breakfast is two rice porridge, the so-called two rice porridge is porridge cooked from two kinds of rice. Yuqing Village does not grow rice, but only wheat, sorghum, millet, corn and other crops. Although farmers grow wheat, they seldom use it for their own food. They sell it for other grains.


    Even a well-to-do family like Xue''s family with surplus food did not eat fine grains all at once, but a mixture of coarse grains and fine grains. For example, today''s breakfast is two-rice porridge, which is a porridge cooked with millet, that is, yellow rice, and sorghum rice.


    Because it was a busy time of farming, it was cooked quite thickly. Although it didn''t hold up with chopsticks inserted, it was much better than the usual thin soup with little water.


    There is no way, the Xue family seems to have a decent family background in the village, but there are three scholars in the family. Not to mention Xue Gouzi, Guangda Fang and his son spend a lot of money every month, and it''s no wonder that Mrs. Zhao usually can pick up fleas to get a little blood.


    Zhao''er filled two bowls of porridge, put a few cornbreads on a thick porcelain plate, and put some pickles on the side, and took them back to the second room''s room.


    As soon as he entered the door, he saw Xue Gouzi sitting up from the kang.


    She hurriedly put the wooden tray on the square table, and came up to see him: "But he''s better? Are you hungry? Sister will bring you some porridge."


    Xue Gouzi looked at her with complicated eyes.


    After experiencing such a dream, he now doesn''t know how to face Zhao''er. As long as he saw her, he couldn''t help but think of him in his dream, those words scolded by others before he died. He also tried to find the cause of Zhao''er''s death in his memory, but it seemed that that memory was Xue Tingxiang''s most unbearable past, and he had no memory at all.


    In fact, Xue Gouzi was burned in a daze last night, and Xue Gouzi thought for a long time. He couldn''t figure out whether he was Xue Gouzi or Xue Tingxiang, whether that dream was true or not, whether he was thinking about it every day and dreaming at night , to have such an absurd dream.


    However, he also had an idea in his heart. If everything in that dream was true, several things should happen in succession. If these things happen, it means that his dreams are real.


    Thinking about something in his heart, he reached out to catch the bowl, only to realize that he didn''t even have the strength to hold the bowl. Luckily, Zhao''er caught the bowl quickly, so he didn''t spill it all over him.


    Xue Gouzi was a little embarrassed and anxious. It was very strange, obviously he would not have this kind of reaction in front of Zhao''er before, but I don''t know if it was a dream, and his state of mind had a strange change.


    Zhao''er laughed at him: "Why are you being polite with my sister? I forgot that when you were a child, you peed on the kang, and it was my sister who washed it for you."


    Zhao''er came to Xue''s house when he was seven years old, and Gouzi was only five years old at that time. It is very inexplicable for a child to pee on the kang. It is obvious that he has not urinated for a long time. I don''t know if he drank too much water before going to bed or what, but he actually peed on the kang.


    Since Qiu gave birth to the dog, her bones were not good, and it was winter again. In order to repay the kindness of the second wife, Zhao''er volunteered to wash the dirty clothes and pants for the dog. Since then, she started her career as a child bride.


    What Xue Gouzi hates the most is Zhao''er. He always likes to say inconspicuous things in front of him. You must know that as you get older, boys will lose face, how can you still be willing to listen to people mentioning such things, especially dogs are naturally sensitive. But today for some reason, he didn''t feel annoyed, only a little embarrassed.


    He was surprised by his own reaction, but Zhao''er had already fed him porridge with a wooden spoon. He subconsciously opened his mouth, and waited until the warm porridge blown by her was fed into his mouth, and he saw the smiling eyes of the other party.


    Those eyes were big and bright, as if there were stars hidden in them, and he couldn''t help but blush.


    Zhao''er smiled even more happily, and stuffed him with a tortilla: "Eat quickly, sister will cook eggs for you at noon."


    She was coaxing him like a child, Gouzi suddenly had this understanding.


    He was eating porridge from Zhao''er, thinking wildly in his mind, it was very chaotic.


    Just then, someone came to the door.


    It was Xue Qingshan.


    Exactly the same as in the dream.


    Xue Qingshan''s fair face was full of sighs and worries, he sighed and said a lot of words, the main idea was to let the dog recover well, don''t worry too much, there are grandparents and uncles at home, he can''t lose him.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Qingshan also followed the appearance and height of the man from the Xue family. He was also a weed in Yuqing Village in his early years, but unfortunately he got a little fatter as he got older.


    "Uncle still has to go to the private school, dog, take care of your illness, you are a child with a lot of thoughts." Sighing and patting his nephew on the shoulder, Xue Qingshan lifted the curtain and left.


    What is he doing?


    Zhao''er thought suspiciously. After thinking about it for a while, she couldn''t figure out why, so she stopped thinking about it and concentrated on feeding the dog porridge, but Xue Gouzi looked thoughtful.


    *


    In the main room, Mrs. Zhao is chatting with Mr. Xue about what happened yesterday.


    Mrs. Zhao was sewing an old dress in her hand, and said, "Let me tell you, you just like to spoil that little thing. You love him, but he doesn''t love you. Our family''s money doesn''t come from the river, just Because he didn''t want to show his illness to the whole family, he made a fuss after another, which is to make the family upside down."


    Mr. Xue was in his fifties, tall and tall, and his skin was black and red like that of a countryman who had been exposed to the sun for a long time. He was wearing dark blue coarse cloth pants, sitting cross-legged on the Kang, smoking a dry cigarette.


    Every time after dinner or before work, Mr. Xue always smoked for a while, otherwise he would feel exhausted.


    "Okay, Gouwazi is sick, who doesn''t have three illnesses and four pains." After a while, he said hoarsely.


    The patter, patter sounded again, and the lingering blue smoke swirled in the air, and then scattered in all directions. Behind it, the old face of Mr. Xue was hidden, looming.


    "But look how long he has been in trouble? Yesterday, more than one hundred coins were lost. How long will it take you to work hard in the field to earn more than one hundred coins! Boss has to leave another two hundred coins. It is said that someone in a classmate¡¯s family had a birthday, and there was a disaster just last year, and the tax was not exempted, but increased. Seeing that the boss said that he wanted to send Juncai to the town to study, it was another expense. How much money do you have? Withstood such a toss!"


    Seeing that his wife was so distressed, Mr. Xue sat up straight, tapped the cigarette pot on the kang table, and gave her a sideways look: "Your heart will be distressed if you spend a hundred yuan for a dog, and you will give it if the boss asks you for it? Not me Speaking of you, you are a parent and grandmother, so don''t be too biased, you don''t have to make the following little ones have conflicts."


    Upon hearing this, Mrs. Zhao didn''t want to. She slapped him across the kang table and said, "I''m biased? Don''t you?"


    He is also biased, but the boss is the most promising in the family, and the handsome is also the most outstanding among the grandchildren. It''s different to have a scholar in the family. No one will say that Xue Lianxing''s family is a decent person when they go out. If Dafang can produce a scholar, his Xue family will be honored.


    Just thinking of Xue Gouzi, Mr. Xue couldn''t help frowning.


    Of course he knew that the mother-in-law was very annoyed, Gou''er was too ignorant, the eldest owed the life to the second, but Xue''s family was in such a family situation, naturally they had to pay attention to their future.


    It''s not that Mr. Xue looks down on his grandson, but that Gou''er is really not comparable to a handsome boy, nor can he. It''s good to be strong, but you always have to look at the situation.


    "The boss''s daughter-in-law has already said several times that the school in the town cannot be delayed. The delay is half a year. The boss still wants to let Juncai try next year." Zhao added.


    "Back then, I promised my second child!" Old Master Xue sighed deeply, took two puffs of dry cigarettes, and coughed twice when he was choked.


    "Anyway, you can figure it out!" Zhao Shi was so angry that she threw the clothes aside, turned her head and leaned back on the kang, giving the man a backbone.


    Old man Xue slapped his mouth several times, and the gully on his face deepened: "You too, old woman, don''t you think that if outsiders know about this, we can still have face in the village?"


    "Then what do you think we should do? Let''s not do it?" Mrs. Zhao rolled over and sat up again, staring at Mr. Xue.


    "Of course it has to be done, it depends on how to do it. How about this, you ask Cuiping to come back tomorrow, and she has to do this matter."


    In fact, Xue Gouzi''s eyes are the only ones that look good. He has been weak since he was born, and the second wife and his wife managed to support him, and they are usually spoiled. The boys of his age in the village were all dark-skinned and as strong as a calf, but he was pale, emaciated, silent and taciturn.


    But Zhao''er has always been domineering, and never allowed anyone to talk about a little man, and whoever said she was in a hurry. Because of this incident, she had fought with many girls and boys in the village, although some people still said it behind their backs, no one dared to point fingers in front of others.


    Zhao''er always felt that the little man''s eyes were weird today, and he avoided them uncomfortably.


    She knew that the little man must be angry again, and he didn''t like her saying things like ''the dog is my man'' the most. Every time he heard her say such things, he would ignore her for a few days. In fact, Zhao''er has to face, but she is the child bride-in-law of the Xue family''s second room. If she didn''t claim to be like this, how could she have the right to challenge the fourth aunt, Sun''s.


    "Are you hungry? Look what I brought back for you?"


    Zhao''er turned her head and put all these troubles behind her, and took out a paper bag from her pocket. Opening the paper bag, there are two steamed buns inside. They are white and plump, and people like it when they look at them.


    "Eat quickly, while it''s still warm." She smiled and stuffed the paper bag into the little man''s hand, while putting the pannier on her shoulders in the corner.


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her.

 Chapter 48

    That''s right, it''s a big deal to lose, she just needs to find money for him to study. Wasn''t that the plan? !


    Thinking of this, Zhao''er suddenly thought about it, and said: "Then prepare well, win if you can, don''t be afraid if you can''t win, at worst, sister will find money for you to study."


    Zhao''er has never been a person who likes to ask for trouble. She turned her head and saw that the cow dung in the house hadn''t been cleaned up, so she went to find a brush to clean the kang, and then went out to get a broom and a dustpan to sweep the floor.


    Chickens clucked and clucked outside, but it was Mrs. Sun who slaughtered the chicken and made it run away.


    Xue Tingxiang looked out the window, and saw that the chicken''s neck was still bleeding, but it was running around in the yard, and Mrs. Sun followed behind in a panic.


    Seeing that she was really in a bad shape, Mrs. Zhao came out of the room and said a few words. Mrs. Sun was even more anxious, and knew that she was really ashamed in front of the patriarch, but the chicken had wings, but she didn''t. It was only when the chicken lost its strength that Mrs. Sun grabbed it and cursed, "Run, run, run, it''s destined to be a dish in the pot, where are you going?"


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t look any further, and turned his gaze away.


    He knew why his uncle was so generous, and proposed to let him compete with Xue Juncai, because if there were no accidents, Xue Juncai would definitely win this match.


    In that dream, he had suffered such a loss, but it was not compared with Xue Juncai, but Zhao''er worked so hard to get money and sent him to Qinghe Academy. At that time, he was so stupid that he always blamed his own failure on the harshness of fate, thinking that it was not that he could not do it, but that everyone did not give him a chance.


    When he first entered the Qinghe Academy, he was full of ambition. He thought that he would definitely surpass Xue Juncai and prove that he was the most outstanding person in the Xue family, but the reality slapped him hard in the face. It was also at that time that he, who had never seen the world, understood the sinister intentions of his uncle. He did teach him to read, and he did ''read'' a lot of books, but he just read and didn''t understand the meaning of the scriptures.


    It was later learned that after schoolchildren learn to read, they use reading scriptures as the basis.


    First learn "Three Character Classic", "Hundred Surnames", "Thousand Characters", and then "Thousand Family Poems", "Children''s Learning Qionglin", "Longwenbianying", etc. After reading these, you can enter university and start Study and read the Four Books and Five Classics, etc.


    But at this stage, the teacher does not explain the meaning of the scriptures, that is to say, he just memorizes them by rote, clarifying the meaning of the words but not the meaning of the scriptures. Because people nowadays are used to thinking that children are just learning, it doesn¡¯t matter whether they understand it or not, as long as they remember it, and when they read a lot or for a long time, they will understand what it means.


    This is the so-called reading a thousand times, and its meaning is self-evident.


    When you can recite all these books fluently, and when you can learn to interpret the scriptures, you will get twice the result with half the effort.


    This time-saving, labor-saving and effective teaching mode is popular throughout Dachang, ranging from famous families to low-level sociology and village studies, and many of them are like this. This is especially popular in rural private schools, because there is only one teacher in the school, but it is not realistic to teach several or even dozens of people to explain the scriptures.


    But in fact, aristocratic families with some background would never teach their children this way. Because this teaching mode blindly emphasizes rote memorization, but ignores the truth that the classics are natural and logical.


    This is the pros and cons that ''he'' analyzed from the perspective of the overall situation after standing in the position of chief assistant.


    But at that time, he had just entered the library, because his uncle delayed explaining the meaning of the scriptures for him, and he didn''t understand that there was still a theory of explaining the scriptures. So when he first entered school, the teacher asked him if he had read it, and he replied that he had read it, but he couldn''t understand the scriptures.


    But now, it seems that the uncle is also aware of his own shortcomings, so he deliberately proposes this match, but in fact, he has already planned it, and he is destined to lose.


    Unfortunately, there was an accident.


    *


    Because there were guests at home, except for Mr. Xue and Xue Qingshan and his son, everyone was busy.


    After eating in the main room, the kitchen will start cooking other people''s lunch.


    During the period, Xue Taoer was also ordered to drink. There was wine and meat at the banquet in the main room, and the men exchanged glasses, and there was no way to see that there was any cleverness in the usual times. Especially Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng, the two drank very affectionately, and in the end they both got a little drunk.


    "Okay, don''t send it off, you''ll be there soon." Patriarch Xue waved his hand.


    After sending everyone out of the courtyard, this side started to clear the table and prepare meals. Mrs. Zhao originally wanted to take away the leftover meat and vegetables, but was stopped by Mr. Xue, saying that he was adding vegetables to everyone. People in the country are not rich, and it is commonplace for distinguished guests to leave and eat leftovers.


    The adults are all fine, Shuanzi and Maodan are eating deliciously.


    Zhao''er wanted to take the meal back to the house to eat, but was stopped by Xue Tingxiang, the two just kept their heads down and ate as before, without saying anything.


    Xue Juncai gave Xue Tingxiang a disdainful look.


    He had just accompanied Xue Qingshan to the table, and naturally he ate a lot of good food on the table, seeing that Xue Tingxiang could only eat leftovers, he was naturally full of sarcasm.


    He remembered what his father said to him before, Xue Gouzi would never win him.


    Thinking in his heart, he looked away, and said to Mr. Xue who was on the kang, "Grandpa, I''m going back to the house to read."


    Mr. Xue nodded. He also drank a little too much before, and now he is leaning on the kang smoking a cigarette to hangover.


    "Dog, eat more, brother is still waiting for you to beat me in five days." Xue Juncai suddenly said this when passing by Xue Tingxiang.


    Zhao''er immediately stood up and stared at him: "Can you talk? You''ve read the dog''s stomach after so many years of reading."


    Xue Juncai didn''t expect Zhao''er to show him such shame, his gentle face flushed red, but for some reason, he glanced at Zhao''er and held back.


    Mr. Xue shouted: "Juncai go back to the house!"


    Mrs. Zhou also hurriedly stood up to persuade Zhao''er, that''s all.


    After dinner, the two went back to the second room, and Zhao''er was still angry: "Don''t be angry, dog. When sister earns money, I will take you to the house and won''t be with them anymore."


    Xue Tingxiang was a little moved, but at the same time a little helpless: "You called me a dog again."


    Zhao''er groaned, then smiled and said: "I forgot, it won''t be like this in the future."


    Naturally, he couldn''t be angry with her, and then Zhao''er took the two clothes she changed yesterday and went out to wash, while Xue Tingxiang turned over the "Children''s Learning Qionglin" again.


    Looking at the book in his hand, which was transcribed on the worst bamboo paper and the footers were worn away, Xue Tingxiang felt a little worried. He actually didn''t want to read books, but Zhao''er couldn''t help but think that he should read more books now, and only by reading more books can he win against Xue Juncai more confidently.


    Little did he know that this book was different from the book, and it was useless to just read this book, but he would not tell her about it.


    He dug out the bamboo paper that Zhao''er bought for him from the kang cabinet. The cheapest bamboo paper cost 40 cents a knife. Such ''expensive'' paper was barely enough for practicing calligraphy. Even so, he is very precious at ordinary times, and he is reluctant to use it at all. If he can write on the sand, he will write on the sand, and if he can''t use the sand, he will write on the desk with water.


    Xue Tingxiang touched the stack of yellowed bamboo paper and sighed in his heart.


    ''Xue Tingxiang'' usually uses the highest quality Chengxin paper, so at this time he feels a little disgusted with the things that are usually precious.


    He spread out the papers on the kang table, stacked several sheets, and then cut them into the size of a book with a bamboo knife. In order to make room for the edge seam, he left some leeway and cut a thick stack before he found the inkstone with a corner missing and the ink ingot that had been used up and only a small piece remained.


    These are treasures that he is reluctant to use at ordinary times, but Xue Tingxiang doesn''t feel this way at all today. He added water to the inkstone, and then took the ink ingot to grind the ink, while grinding, he was thinking about something.


    After grinding the ink, he put the bald hair brush in the water bowl and wet it to clean it. After dipping in enough ink, he picked up the pen and wrote something on the paper.


    After writing a few words, he suddenly put down the pen, lifted the paper to look at it, and suddenly crumpled it.


    Mingming''s handwriting is fairly neat. Although he usually saves paper and ink, but because of years of hard work, his handwriting is not bad, but for some reason he just doesn''t like it.


    He closed his eyes slowly, calmed down for a while, and opened them again after a while. At this time, there was no one in the room, and anyone who was there could see a gleam of light flashing in Xue Tingxiang''s eyes. At the same time, his movement of grasping the pen was fast and steady, and with the help of a god, he wrote a series of small characters on the paper in a short time.


    These small characters suddenly became Yan style, then turned into pavilion style, and then turned into thin gold style again. At first, they were both tangible and boneless, but as they were written, their taste changed.


    The face and body are square and dense, the brushwork is thick, straight, open and full of vigor. That pavilion is physically strong and graceful, as if it was carved out of a block. And the thin gold body, the gold hook and iron painting, is full of arrogance, and the strokes are as sharp as cutting gold and jade.


    These three characters represent the whole life of ''Xue Tingxiang'', from the Yan style learned at the beginning of school, to the Guange style studied painstakingly for the imperial examination, to the thin gold style of the official residence.


    And so he wrote, oblivious to himself. Zhao''er came in during the period, but he didn''t dare to disturb him, so he quietly sat down on the edge of the kang.


    After writing for an unknown amount of time, he suddenly let out a long breath and put down his pen.


    He wrote two full sheets of paper.


    At this time, Xue Tingxiang had to admit that the magic of heaven was just a dream, and he actually possessed some of the things that he had in the dream.


    From the moment this dream appeared, Xue Tingxiang had been thinking about why he had such a dream. Now he understands, maybe he just wants him to make up for all the unsatisfactory dreams.


    And possessing everything of the "him" in the dream, he suddenly had great ambitions, and a surge of arrogance lingered in his heart.


    "I''m tired of writing, drink some water."


    Zhao''er brought water, Xue Tingxiang took it, and drank it in one gulp, it was very sweet.


    Only then did he lower his head to look at what he had written, and he actually spent two sheets of bamboo paper. Probably because Zhao''er was by his side, he suddenly remembered that she used to save money to buy paper for him, and felt a little distressed and guilty. He glanced at her and said in a low voice, "I actually wrote so much."


    How could Zhao''er not understand what he was thinking, so he chuckled and said, "Not much, not much, only two sheets. Paper is for use. I told you not to save paper a long time ago. It is used up. Let''s just buy it again."


    "I want to transcribe this book, so I try to write first, so as not to waste paper."


    "What book do you want to copy? Can you copy books too? Don''t you buy them?" Zhao''er was puzzled.


    Xue Tingxiang sighed in his heart. He really felt that he was really stupid before. He would rather borrow books from his uncle every time, or memorize them by rote, and never thought of copying books.


    Nowadays, the books sold in bookstores are rarely printed and expensive, so an industry of copying books has emerged. In this way, not only some poor scholars can get some money in exchange, but also those who want to buy books but suffer from poor pockets can get cheap.


    Of course, this copying is not something that can be done casually, it needs to be written very well.


    Xue Tingxiang boasted that his handwriting was not bad. Back then, many people begged for his calligraphy. Now that he needs a book, why can''t he copy it himself.


    the most important is--


    He glanced at Zhao''er.


    Zhao''er always felt that the little man''s eyes were weird today, and he avoided them uncomfortably.


    She knew that the little man must be angry again, and he didn''t like her saying things like ''the dog is my man'' the most. Every time he heard her say such things, he would ignore her for a few days. In fact, Zhao''er has to face, but she is the child bride-in-law of the Xue family''s second room. If she didn''t claim to be like this, how could she have the right to challenge the fourth aunt, Sun''s.


    "Are you hungry? Look what I brought back for you?"


    Zhao''er turned her head and put all these troubles behind her, and took out a paper bag from her pocket. Opening the paper bag, there are two steamed buns inside. They are white and plump, and people like it when they look at them.


    "Eat quickly, while it''s still warm." She smiled and stuffed the paper bag into the little man''s hand, while putting the pannier on her shoulders in the corner.


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her.


    The girl in front of her was in her twenties and eighth year, and her skin was the wheat color that is common among girls in the country, but Zhao''er''s complexion was very different from others, it was smooth and radiant, as if she had been smeared with honey. He has a tall nose bridge, a pair of medium-sized eyes, and swarthy pupils. When he smiles, there is a flash of inspiration in him, and he looks lively.


    Zhao''er''s stature is taller than ordinary girls, and she is well-developed, front/convex/backward, full of youthful vigor.


    It was so vivid, as vivid as in his dream.

 Chapter 49

    In the second room, Zhao''er went to pour some hot water, and after washing their feet, they went to the kang to rest.


    A big Kang, two quilts, one for each person.


    But Zhao''er couldn''t sleep today, and when she came back from the main room, she was a little excited.


    She rolled over and over again.


    "You do not sleep?"


    It is reasonable to say that they would not rest so early, but today both of them have been busy all day, so they turned off the lights after recruiting children to go to the kang. But with the moon outside, you can still see clearly in the room.


    Zhao''er sat up halfway, and moved to Xue Tingxiang''s side.


    "Dog, tell me what you meant when you scolded that old killer just now?"


    Zhao''er knows how to swear, and has sweared before, but he has never seen such a method of swearing. Yang Zhong was furious by swearing, and Xue''s family didn''t even know how to persuade him. From Zhao''er''s point of view, isn''t this the culmination of swearing, can you swear without uttering dirty words?


    She wanted to learn this method, and it would come in handy.


    Xue Tingxiang turned over and gave her a backbone.


    Zhao''er poked his shoulder with her finger: "What''s wrong? Why are you angry again?"


    He didn''t move, and she moved closer.


    The two of them were only separated by one person, and they wore thin clothes when they slept. Zhao''er leaned over, and even though Xue Tingshan had his back on his back, he could still feel a wave of heat rushing towards him, mixed with a faint fragrance.


    There was a strange softness slightly attached to his shoulders, Xue Tingshan''s back was stiff, and she heard her say on top of her head: "Don''t take that old killer''s words to heart, it''s not that I said uncle and aunt are too narrow-minded." It¡¯s too much, and even made such a fuss, do you really think that grandpa will regret it? Even if the family doesn¡¯t say anything, there are still so many people watching outside, so don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll go to the school to make a decision.¡±


    She was very close to him, and the heat of her words sprayed on the tips of his ears, making him shiver again and again. At the same time, a hot numbness rushed from the tips of his ears to his neck, causing waves of unconscious trembling.


    His breathing was a little tight, and he couldn''t help turning over.


    Zhao''er was still talking, and she didn''t expect that he would turn over suddenly, and his face just crashed into her arms.


    Xue Tingxiang''s brain went blank for a moment, and he subconsciously fell backwards. It is obvious that it is about to leave at the touch of a touch, but it clearly feels a suffocating softness, and there is something faintly raised.


    He recalled some situations in the dream, and he only felt his nose was hot, as if something flowed out.


    "Are you alright?" Zhao''er heard a thud, saw him motionless, thought that something was wrong with him being bumped, hurriedly leaned over to look at his face.


    "Why are you panicking! Really. Come on, let me rub it for you."


    He covered his nose with one hand and pushed her with the other: "I''m fine, it doesn''t hurt." He quickly turned over and said falteringly: "It''s getting late, go to sleep."


    "You haven''t told me what you mean by that!"


    "It doesn''t mean anything, just let him take a pee and take a picture of himself!"


    "Ah?!" Zhao''er was stunned, and said after a while, "So that''s what he meant, then you just let him take a pee and take a picture of yourself, and you said so much."


    Seeing that he didn''t answer himself, Zhao''er sat for a while and then lay down.


    "Okay, go to bed now, I won''t disturb you anymore."


    *


    Yang Zhong stayed at Xue''s house for one night and left the next day.


    Because it was rushing to the busy farming season, the Xue family resumed their usual work, and no one mentioned the previous incident, as if nothing happened that night.


    Everything is so busy yet full of peace.


    On this day, Xue Tingxiang and Zhao''er went to town early in the morning.


    Different from the past, today Xue Tingxiang wore new clothes.


    The clothes were brought out overnight by Zhao''er, because Boss Chen said that he would take Xue Tingxiang to Qingyuan Academy. This trip is very meaningful, so naturally it can''t be as casual as before.


    The gray-blue cotton gown was made by Zhao''er after imitating those school shirts in the town. Although the style is simple, it looks extraordinarily straight and docile after being washed with starch. Although Xue Tingxiang is thin and thin, his shoulders are flat and his back is straight. Wearing this student shirt, he has a particularly graceful temperament.


    When they arrived at the place, Boss Chen took Xue Tingxiang out, while Zhao''er stayed at Dongliju.


    The two of them went all the way to the east of the town, the more secluded they became as they went outside, and after walking for almost a cup of tea, they saw a building with white walls and black tiles standing at the end of their line of sight.


    Seeing Xue Tingxiang''s gaze resting on the building, Boss Chen said: "That is the Qinghe Academy." After a pause, he raised his hand and pointed to a building not far behind the Qinghe Academy: "That is the Qinghe Academy. Academy."


    The two walked forward and passed Qinghe Academy, and saw that this academy was really extraordinary. The whole building exudes a magnificent temperament, the gate tower stands majestically, with a few golden characters "Qinghe Academy" written on the door plaque, and the two black-painted gates are closed tightly, with a look of repelling people thousands of miles away. momentum.


    "It''s too late for you to regret it now." Boss Chen said.


    Following the sound of talking, the two of them crossed the Qinghe Academy, only to see the obviously much dilapidated small courtyard not far away.


    The small courtyard is rigorous and simple, with clear water and white walls, and gray and black tiles. Even the door plaque is much smaller than that of the Qinghe Academy, with a few simple big-character books on it¡ª¡ª


    Qingyuan Academy.


    Obviously, no matter where you look at it, it is not as good as the Qinghe Academy, but standing under the square door plaque and looking at the words on it, Xue Tingxiang felt a peaceful and peaceful atmosphere.


    "Since the kid is here, I don''t intend to regret it."


    Boss Chen glanced at him appreciatively, and went to call the door.


    Not long after, an elderly Zhaifu opened the door from the inside.


    He seemed to know Boss Chen, and he led the two of them in without asking too much.


    This school may not seem big, but it is actually small but well-equipped. It is the same as a general school. After passing the screen wall, there is a lecture hall on the central axis. There are two houses on the left and right sides. The temple on the left is built to worship the saint Confucius, and the house on the right is the place where the gentleman sits and rests and collects books.


    After the lecture hall, there must be a shooting garden, a hall, a kitchen, etc. Xue Tingxiang knew the layout without looking. Because in his dream, he studied in Qinghe Academy for several years, but Qinghe Academy is much more spacious and grand than Qingyuan Academy.


    Boss Chen led Xue Tingxiang to the right side of the house with ease, and when he reached a wing room, he straightened his clothes and sleeves, and then brought Xue Tingxiang in.


    This wing room is furnished in a simple and elegant way, and there is a large painting on the central hall facing it, on which are written the words ''peace and distance''. Standing in front of the words was a thin middle-aged man, wearing a dark blue scribe shirt and a square scarf.


    When he heard the movement, he turned around, and saw that he had long eyebrows, a thin face, and a few strands of beard. Judging from his appearance, he is a very serious and rigid person, but his eyes are calm and deep, obviously a person of great wisdom.


    This person is Lin Miao, the owner of Qingyuan Academy.


    "Brother Anqi, I''m here to bother you again." Boss Chen cupped his hands with a smile.


    "The good brother of Mo."


    Lin Miao smiled, obviously he had a good relationship with Boss Chen. After the two exchanged pleasantries, Boss Chen pointed to Xue Tingxiang and said, "This is the young man I told you about."


    Lin Miao looked over.


    Obviously Xue Tingxiang has extensive knowledge, and he has never seen any kind of person in that dream, even the Ninth Five-Year Master, he has seen several, but there is an inexplicable sense of awe.


    "Boy Xue Tingxiang, I have met you." He clasped his hands together and bowed in salute.


    Lin Miao nodded: "Since you''re here, stay here. The school will open in ten days, so you can just come here when it''s time."


    "Mr. Xie."


    Boss Chen glanced at Lin Miao, as if he wanted to say something, seeing this, Xue Tingxiang tactfully said that he was going out for a walk, so he avoided going out.


    After Xue Tingxiang went out, Boss Chen said: "Brother An Qi, don''t you believe in the eyes of a younger brother? I have observed these days, and this son has a calm mind, is diligent and hardworking, and is quite talented in reading. He only needs one A good teacher, if there is a good teacher to guide, I think the future will be limitless in the future."


    The reason why Boss Chen said that was because Lin Miao''s performance was too plain. He originally thought that Lin Miao loves calligraphy, and after reading Xue Tingxiang''s calligraphy, and his lobbying, he should accept him as a student no matter what.


    This student is different from the students in the academy, and can be regarded as a student entering the room. As the saying goes, a teacher for a day is a father for life. A young child has more than one teacher from the beginning of school until he passes the exam/fame.


    When you start learning, you are called a teacher, that is, a teacher of enlightenment. The karma teacher is the teacher who teaches the karma, also known as the scripture teacher. Those who teach their work must pass on their scriptures, and those who pass on their scriptures must educate their people, so a teacher is extremely important to a student. There are also human teachers and seat teachers, which will not be mentioned here.


    As for what Boss Chen said about "accepting students", the teacher is more like a combination of a professional teacher and a human teacher to students. He not only needs to teach them, but also teaches them the principles of life, which is different from treating ordinary students. The teacher has to cultivate it carefully, and it can be regarded as inheriting his mantle.


    Of course, students have to pay relatively, and they must truly be teachers for one day and fathers for life. This kind of relationship is not father and son, but victory is father and son, which is very popular among scholars today. The intertwined relationship among scholars in Shilin was laid on this basis, and gradually developed into a towering tree.


    Lin Miao laughed: "You really value him very much."


    Boss Chen sneered: "If I didn''t miss you, you would think that I have the time to meddle in your business. Don''t forget the October competition, if Qingyuan Academy loses again this year..."


    Boss Chen didn''t say what he said next, but Lin Miao understood what it meant.


    He sighed softly: "Everything is determined by God, if it is the case in reality, you can''t force it."


    Boss Chen repeatedly shook his head and stomped his feet and said, "Oh, I''m not talking about you. Your temperament is the most troublesome. You talk about the way of a gentleman with others, but others never follow you. Year after year They were all defeated by that villain, and now there are no good seedlings who are willing to come here to study, what should we do in the long run."


    "Brother Mo Zhi, you don''t understand."


    "Yes, yes, I don''t understand, I just know that if this continues, the reputation of the Qingyuan Academy will be lost in your hands."

 Chapter 50

    "Don''t go, I''ll push it." Zhao''er knew that it would be no good for Yang Zhong to find a young man because of his elder status. Xue Jun is his grandson. What about the previous incident?


    "No problem."


    When these words came out, Zhao''er was stunned for a moment, and Xue Tingxiang remembered that he would never speak like this in normal times.


    He smiled and said, "It''s okay, you''re still afraid that I won''t succeed if he eats it."


    "Can¡­¡­"


    At this time, Xue Tingxiang had already passed her to the main room, so she could only follow in a hurry.


    *


    Here in the main room, as expected, the wine is in full swing.


    Yang Zhong''s white and chubby face was flushed from drinking, and he looked like he was slightly drunk. Mr. Xue''s dark red face glowed red under the light. Xue Qingshan also sat on the side, along with Xue Juncai, Xue Qingbai and Xue Qinghuai.


    Women are not at the table.


    Seeing Xue Tingxiang walking in, Yang Zhong said: "Our little talent is here, come and let me see."


    He waved his hands, not treating himself as an outsider at all, and when Xue Tingxiang approached, he looked up and down with his drunken eyes: "I don''t see anything changed, how did you become so promising?"


    As soon as these words were heard, they were sarcasm, and the field immediately fell silent.


    Xue Qingshan focused on eating vegetables between his sandwiches, and didn''t seem to hear. Xue Juncai seemed to be sitting upright, but in fact he was looking at this place intentionally or unintentionally.


    The rest of the Xue family were a little embarrassed, especially Mr. Xue, his face was a little stiff, but he hesitated to speak.


    Zhao''er was about to attack, when Xue Qinghuai suddenly stood up, smiled and picked up the wine bowl: "My father-in-law, I respect you for a bowl, this wine is brewed by my father himself, and most people can''t drink it when they come here. Don''t look at your old man When I came, I quickly dug a jar and said to drink a few more bowls with you."


    Yang Zhong looked at Xue Qinghuai with a smile, and without hesitation, he picked up the wine bowl and drank it down in one gulp, and ate a few mouthfuls of food. Taking advantage of the situation, Xue Qinghuai hurriedly winked at Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang, telling them to leave quickly.


    Xue Tingxiang smirked slightly, and planned to take Zhao''er away, and listened to Yang Zhong before he even took a step.


    "What''s the matter? Why is the elder leaving before he finished talking? Although I am not your own grandfather, I am also your own grandfather. Is this old man not paying attention to me, or what?"


    The hat was buttoned too big, Zhao''er was about to say something, Xue Tingxiang gave her a hand.


    He took two steps forward, pretending to be listening respectfully: "Since my in-laws and grandpas have taught me, I will just listen to you." After a pause, he continued: "It''s just that my in-laws and grandpas are also scholars, so I think they know how to be rude. reason"


    "According to what you little brat thinks, as an elder, I can''t say that you are a junior?"


    The smell of alcohol came straight to Xue Tingxiang''s face, and there was also a strange smell of various vegetables mixed in it.


    Xue Tingxiang did not evade, and nodded calmly: "Naturally."


    "Hey! Look! It''s really different."


    Yang Zhong tapped Xue Tingxiang a few times with his finger, and looked at the rest of Xue''s family with a smirk, and the villain first complained: "In-law, is this your family''s tutor?"


    It was obvious that Yang Zhong was here to make trouble, and of course it was for Xue Juncai. When he came back from Lizheng''s house before, Mr. Xue guessed that the big room would definitely make a fuss, but he didn''t expect that the fuss should be here.


    In fact, as the son and daughter-in-law, how could the married couple blatantly quarrel with Mr. Xue? After all, they swore before that whoever wins will go, and whoever loses should not complain. And Yang Zhong, as Xue Juncai''s grandfather, couldn''t be more appropriate to stand in for him. If it works, it''s good, if it doesn''t, it won''t hurt the relationship between father and son.


    "relatives by marriage¡­¡­"


    Mr. Xue was about to speak, but was interrupted by Xue Tingxiang''s voice.


    "Although my parents are both deceased, there are my grandfather, uncles, and other elders of the Xue family. Even if there is something wrong, it is not up to people of other surnames to point fingers here. Although my grandfather and my family are connected I want to kiss you, but I definitely didn''t go to the Xue family''s table, eat the Xue family''s food, and scold the Xue family for their reasons."


    Because there are guests, candles are rarely lit in the house, which illuminates the room brightly.


    Standing in the middle, the boy is thin and thin, but he is tall and straight. He was wearing a shabby clothes, the cuffs and the front of the clothes were a little white, but it made people feel an inviolable aura.


    "Could this be the way of in-laws and grandpas being guests? One day when I, the Xue family, went to your house as guests, I would point and point at the Yang family, and be eccentric. Presumably, my in-laws and grandpas would not be angry. After all, coming here is not indecent. Thanks ah Master is always the junior in the family and talks about his in-laws and grandpas, but the boy is only his in-laws and grandpas, he is a literati, he is respected by the younger generation as a person who understands etiquette, now it seems that it is nothing more than that!"


    "you--"


    There was silence in the room, and no one thought that Xue Tingxiang would explode on the spot regardless of his seniority.


    Xue Qingshan stopped eating, and suddenly felt restless.


    But he didn''t stand up to speak for his father-in-law. Xue Tingxiang''s hat was too big, which brought the face of the whole Xue family and even the Xue clan. If he speaks for it, he is echoing the fact that the face of the Xue family can be trampled on the ground by the Yang family.


    In particular, this is not in line with what he planned.


    Yang Zhong''s face was flushed red, and his lips trembled with anger: "You kid, you dare to teach your elders a lesson at such a young age."


    "Don''t dare! A gentleman is harmonious but different, and a villain is the same but not harmonious. The boy is just telling the truth. I also hope that the in-laws and grandparents should be cautious in their words and deeds, so that they can be the appearance of a gentleman."


    This is teaching myself through the words of the sage!


    Yang Zhong laughed back angrily, and pointed at him with his finger: "Okay, okay, it''s really amazing. After studying for a few days, people are different. You really think that it''s a big deal if you win the handsome talent today, even if you furious."


    "A gentleman has nothing to fight for, and he will definitely shoot! When he bows and rises, he goes down to drink, and his fight is also a gentleman."


    This sentence comes from the eight chapters of "The Analects of Confucius". It roughly means that a gentleman will not argue about anything. If there is a dispute, it must be upholding the way of a gentleman. Neither humble nor overbearing, neither angry nor complaining, and having fun with wine after the competition is the battle between gentlemen. It''s not that you must be flushed in the face, like a black-eyed chicken, that would be out of style.


    It is about being a person and dealing with affairs, and at the same time, it is using the words of the saints to ridicule Yang Zhong for not having the manners and tolerance of his elders, and to make things difficult for his juniors in order to protect his grandson.


    There were only four scholars present, and the others were all at a loss. They could only see that Xue Tingxiang was not at a disadvantage, but Yang Zhong was so angry that his seven orifices seemed to be smoking.


    Forget about Yang Zhong, Xue Qingshan and his son couldn''t help being a little bit surprised when he was angry.


    You must know that although Xue Tingxiang has studied the Four Books, he only understands the superficiality and does not understand the meaning of the scriptures. But just now he uttered two sentences in a row, both of which are from the Four Books, and if he didn''t understand the meaning of the scriptures, how could he use them to harm others.


    Could it be that someone taught him behind his back? No wonder his performance was so unexpected today.


    And right at this moment, other changes took place in the field.


    It was Yang Zhong who stood up in anger and wanted to teach Xue Tingxiang a lesson, but was stopped by Mr. Xue, Xue Qinghuai and Xue Qingbai.


    "Well, you little bastard, you have learned to swear before your hair grows."


    "A gentleman does not mirror water, but mirrors people. Mirroring water, the appearance of meeting, mirroring people, you can know good and bad, but if you want to come to your relatives and grandpas, you don''t understand this sentence."


    Xue Tingxiang had a smile on his face, obviously there was nothing wrong with that smile, even a bit shy, and his words were gentle and polite, but it made people taste a bit ironic.


    "I know if I understand you or not, I know you are swearing, I must teach you a lesson today!" Yang Zhong struggled to raise his hand, and at this moment, a violent shout sounded in vain.


    "Father-in-law!"


    It was Mr. Xue who spoke.


    "My father-in-law, I respect your in-laws, but this is my Xue family!"


    Mr. Xue''s complexion was very ugly. He had been tolerant just now because of the other party''s identity, but Xue Tingxiang was right. There was a whole family sitting in the room, all of whom were surnamed Xue. There was absolutely no reason for someone surnamed Yang to teach others a lesson. .


    No matter how much the family makes trouble, it is wrong for outsiders to intervene.


    There was silence in the room, only the sound of Yang Zhong panting heavily.


    The sound of a stool falling to the ground sounded, and it was Xue Qingshan who stood up.


    At this time, Yang Shi, who had been hiding in the house, also ran out, and said angrily and anxiously: "Father, what are you doing! Why did you drink some wine and start to make trouble."


    She explained to the dark-faced old man Xue: "Father, don''t blame me, my father is like this, when he starts to drink. Oh, father, what do you think you are making a fuss about?" Then she complained to Xue Qingshan: " Juncai''s father, and you too, why don''t you stop him from making trouble like this."


    Yang Zhongdao: "I''m making trouble, what''s wrong with me?! Xue Lianxing, don''t forget what you promised me back then. Juncai is your eldest grandson, so you plan to let it go?"


    "Father, stop talking, I''ll help you down to rest."


    The Dafang couple, one on the left and the other on the right, helped Yang Zhong out, and Yang Zhong seemed to be really drunk, shouting that you should really let go, and stumbled and was helped out by the couple.


    *


    Because of this commotion, the Xue family was extremely quiet afterwards.


    Mrs. Zhou originally asked Zhao''er and the two of them to eat, but they said they had eaten, so they went back to the house.


    A table of food and wine, only half eaten, old man Xue sat there alone, eating food and drinking wine, no one dared to disturb.


    Mrs. Zhao hid in the back room, don''t look at her usually yelling at Mr. Xue, but when Mr. Xue really got angry, she didn''t dare to make trouble.


    Xue Qinghuai walked to the table and sat down, saying: "Father, it''s getting late, let''s rest early."


    Mr. Xue nodded, but when he put down his chopsticks, he sighed again.


    Xue Qinghuai couldn''t help but persuaded: "Father, don''t think too much."


    "Look at the eldest couple. Why don''t you remember your kindness? The second has only been dead for a few years. Even if the child is not sensible, there is no need to do so."


    Xue Qinghuai understood what the old man meant, but he couldn''t answer these words well, so he could only say awkwardly: "Maybe the eldest brother and sister-in-law don''t know that the in-laws guild will make such a fuss."


    Mr. Xue snorted, but did not speak.


    "But Gouzi didn''t suffer, you see he was mad at sister-in-law."


    Hearing this, Mr. Xue couldn''t help but twitch his eyebrows and eyes: "I followed the second child."


    Xue Qingsong has this kind of temperament, usually taciturn, but don''t push him into a hurry, he can surprise everyone.


    "This big family has been living in harmony and beauty, but it''s getting more and more difficult." Mr. Xue sighed, probably because he drank some wine, and his emotions were particularly leaking.


    Xue Qinghuai didn''t respond.


    After a long time, Mr. Xue sighed: "Let your wife clean up this table, and you should go and rest earlier."


    "Hey, I''ll let her clean it up."


    Hearing this, Zhao''er immediately stopped in his tracks, and said with a smile, "Master, there''s something we can''t let us know. Since the dog is here, I''ll stay and listen too."


    Mr. Xue glanced at her, changed his usual temperament, and said in a bad tone: "What are you doing here, a woman? You have a role to listen to when a man talks?!"


    Zhao''er was not annoyed, but said aggrievedly: "Then how can the eldest aunt stay, she is not a woman? Besides, the dog can''t talk, I don''t look at it, I am afraid that what he said will anger me Lord."


    In fact, her subtext was just to say that she was afraid that others would bully Xue Tingxiang, and no one present could hear it.


    Mr. Xue stared at her. Now he really doubts that all this was made by this girl. He knew that Gou''er child was a bored gourd, why didn''t he go to the grave early and complained that he would not go later, but why did he go at this time.


    Thinking of all the disobedient things this girl did in the past, Mr. Xue felt disgusted in his heart. But he also knew that now was not the time to vent his anger, but to settle the matter.

 Chapter 51

    In other words, there was a gray-haired scholar who took the exam, and the examiner knew from his appearance that he was an old boy who had repeatedly failed the exam, so he deliberately made things difficult for him: "I have a couplet, if you can match, I will take it." you."


    The old boy felt bitter in his heart, but he didn''t dare to give up.


    The chief examiner asked the question: "If you take the bait, you are old; if you take the bait, you are a tester. If you are old, you will be a child, and if you are a child, you will be old."


    The old boy bowed to Rao, and replied: "One person is great, and two are heaven. Heaven is greater than human affection, and human affection is greater than heaven."


    This flattery was so exquisite that the examiner was too embarrassed to go back on his word, so he could only choose him as a scholar.


    In fact, upon hearing this story, one knew it was made up. Anyone who has participated in the hospital examination should know what the situation will be. How can the chief examiner take the initiative to test an old boy? The examiner and the examinee will not talk to each other, and it is also for avoidance.


    Obviously it was made up by a failed scholar, and it was used as a comforting chat. Because it made people laugh, it spread among scholars. It even extended to the fact that any official in the DPRK was released as an academic officer, or presided over a new department examination, and the official who had a good relationship with him could not help telling the last sentence, but don''t be ''human beings are too big''.


    It is not only a joke, but also an exhortation. There have always been many frauds involved in imperial examinations.


    Xue Tingxiang did not expect to hear this pair here.


    He didn''t feel uneasy because this second line was borrowed, because winning Xue Juncai has always been the biggest obsession in his heart.


    It is now, and it was also in the dream.


    In the dream, he was troubled by this matter for a long time, and after all kinds of hard work, he finally felt proud. It was because of the experience that he knew that this kind of obsession affects a person''s xinxing too much. He has a more ambitious goal, and there are still many things to do, but Xue Juncai is just an obstacle to him now, overcoming him is what he needs to do now.


    As for why he discarded the second couplet he came up with and chose to borrow this. Xue Tingxiang took a look at Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong, and thought it was because of his insignificance that he made fun of them with resentment.


    Obviously, only Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong are Tongsheng, and although this pair is perfect, it is obviously ironic. Old students test children, children students test to old age. This is undoubtedly the greatest ridicule and curse for a person who has failed to pass the entrance examination for many years.


    The faces of the two of them immediately turned purple, but they had to hold back. At this time, He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai had already clapped their hands and praised it.


    "Okay, that''s right!"


    It seemed that everyone had forgotten about Xue Juncai. He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai whispered a few times, and then He Xiucai announced: "After the unanimous decision of the two of us, the winner is Xue Tingxiang and Xue Xiaoyou."


    "Xue Xiaoyou, I hope you can work hard and achieve fame as soon as possible." He said to Xue Tingxiang with a pleasant face.


    "Thank you two seniors for your encouragement, I will definitely work harder." Xue Tingxiang bowed to him.


    While He Qiao and Xue Tingxiang were talking, the villagers standing in the hall and outside the house had already started discussing. Most of them are admiration, but of course there are also those who can''t believe it and question it.


    Among them, the Xue family is the most unbelievable, especially Xue Qingshan. He had suppressed it before, but now he couldn''t help it anymore, stood up and said: "Just relying on these to judge victory or defeat, are the two seniors Too hasty?"


    Seeing that both He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai looked over, he flinched a bit, and then became confident again: "The kid''s pair hasn''t been made yet, so the winner is decided like this..."


    He Xiucai showed displeasure on his face, and ignored him, but asked patriarch Xue with a cold old face: "Could it be that patriarch Xue also disagrees with the conclusions of the two of us?"


    Patriarch Xue dared to offend Mr. Xiucai, he was still two Mr. Xiucai. Besides, from his point of view, Xue Tingxiang''s performance this time was indeed somewhat unexpected, and it was much more talented than Xue Jun. He was an outsider, so he could see it clearly, so he quickly scolded Xue Qingshan and asked him to apologize publicly to the two scholars.


    Xue Juncai was also full of dissatisfaction: "The boy is not convinced either, he has never been as good as me, I just didn''t prepare properly, the two seniors can ask another question, this time the boy will definitely beat him."


    At this time, a woman squeezed in from the crowd outside the door.


    Her clothes are disheveled and her hair is messy. It is Mrs. Yang.


    Yang stumbled in and cried, "My son can''t lose, you two must have been bribed to hurt my son on purpose."


    This remark made a big fuss, especially on such an occasion, when a woman rushed in and made a loud noise, not only He Qiao and the two scholars showed anger, but even several village elders present repeatedly reprimanded them as inappropriate.


    "Ridiculous, really ridiculous! Could it be that Li Zheng and the patriarch thought we were bribed?"


    "You two scholars, don''t be angry. This woman has long hair but short knowledge. She is talking nonsense."


    "Lian Xing, don''t get your shrew back!"


    The old man Xue beside him was so anxious that he didn''t know what to do, but as a father-in-law, he couldn''t help his daughter-in-law, so he had to ask his eldest son Xue Qingshan to take his wife away quickly.


    It''s just that Xue Qingshan still wants an explanation at this time, so how could he care about this.


    There was a lot of trouble on the field, He Xiucai wanted to leave, and Qiao Xiucai didn''t want to stay longer. Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng repeatedly tried to persuade them to stay, and at the same time angrily reprimanded them to get rid of these people quickly.


    Qiao Xiucai sneered, and did not reprimand Xue Juncai, but sneered at Xue Qingshan: "You are a boy, and you have passed the exam several times, but you can''t see the meaning of these exams, brother He, no wonder you took the exam. After so many years, he is still a child!"


    This Qiao Xiucai''s words were too touching, Xue Qingshan''s face turned green and pale. In fact, Qiao Xiucai was not usually so bitter, but he uttered bad words because he saw that the father and son refused to admit their losses and wanted to pester them.


    "In terms of adapting to the situation and calmness of mind, he is not as good as him." He pointed to Xue Tingxiang, and then pointed to Xue Juncai: "You have time in the examination room to dawdle for you, another chance? Let''s talk about the roll , full of stains, I am afraid that if you don¡¯t need to read what you wrote, you will end up not taking it!¡±


    At this time, Xue Juncai was already pale with fright, how could he react, but Xue Qingshan was as if struck by lightning, so he didn''t speak anymore.


    *


    He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai stayed in the end.


    Taking advantage of the chaos in the hall, Xue Qingshan sneaked into the crowd with Xue Juncai and Yang surreptitiously.


    Seeing that there is no excitement, the villagers also dispersed, and while walking home, they discussed today''s affairs with the people around them.


    In fact, they don''t know anything, as long as they know that the person who wins in the end is the dog of the second wife of Xue Lianxing''s family. It can be predicted that after this incident, many people in the village will change their views on Xue Tingxiang, and they will even talk about it endlessly.


    And Xue Juncai''s name in the village is destined to be replaced by Xue Tingxiang.


    Taking advantage of the crowd, Xue Tingxiang walked out from Zheng Lizheng''s house.


    Zhao''er had been waiting outside for a long time, and as soon as he saw him, he said happily: "Gou''er, you really won, you beat Xue Juncai! My sister is so happy."


    She was so happy that she didn''t know how to be happy. Seeing this, Xue Tingxiang couldn''t say anything to condemn her, but just looked at her with a smile.


    After being happy for a while, Zhao''er showed a little hesitation: "By the way, after you beat him, do you really want to go to Qinghe Academy to study?"


    Xue Tingxiang pondered for a while: "I don''t plan to go to Qinghe Academy. Uncle Chen said that he can introduce me to Qingyuan Academy."


    "Qingyuan Academy? The name seems to be quite similar to Qinghe Academy. Is this academy good?" Immediately, Zhao''er laughed and said, "That''s right, Uncle Chen is well-informed, so what he can say is definitely not bad. .¡±


    Xue Tingxiang nodded: "I plan to go to town in these two days and talk to Uncle Chen about it."


    "What are you waiting for these two days, let''s go now."


    Xue Tingxiang did not expect Zhao''er to be so eager, so he hesitated.


    Zhao''er said again: "There must be chaos at home right now, let''s avoid the limelight first."


    He immediately understood the meaning of her words, with the dispositions of the eldest couple, and the always eccentric Zhao family, he didn''t know what kind of chaos would happen in the family.


    The two left the village avoiding the crowd, and because they didn''t meet the mule cart, they took the bullock cart to the town.


    When we arrived at Dongliju, Uncle Chen happened to be there. Xue Tingxiang explained the matter, and Uncle Chen agreed that he would go to his classmate tomorrow. After that, the two of them didn''t go back, Xue Tingxiang continued to copy his unfinished book, while Zhao''er continued to tidy up the pile of clothes that she hadn''t finished.


    It was not until the evening that the two returned to Yuqing Village.


    The courtyard of Xue''s house was quiet, with cooking smoke wafting from the chimney, and it seemed that cooking was going on in the stove.


    Standing in the yard, Mrs. Zhao saw two people walking in from the outside. She had a cold old face and scolded without naming names: "People say that we enjoy the blessings of our children and grandchildren, but we have become old slaves. We don''t see anyone for a day." , Open your mouth to eat when you get home, I owe you in my previous life!"

 Chapter 52

    That''s right, the big deal is to lose, she just needs to find money for him to study. Wasn''t that the plan? !


    Thinking of this, Zhao''er suddenly thought about it, and said: "Then prepare well, win if you can, don''t be afraid if you can''t win, at worst, sister will find money for you to study."


    Zhao''er has never been a person who likes to ask for troubles. She turned her head and saw that the cow dung in the house hadn''t been cleaned up, so she went to find a brush to clean the kang, and then went out to get a broom and a dustpan to sweep the floor.


    Chickens clucked and clucked outside, but it was Mrs. Sun who slaughtered the chicken and made it run away.


    Xue Tingxiang looked out the window, and saw that the chicken was still bleeding from its neck, but it was running around in the yard, and Mrs. Sun followed behind chasing after him in a panic.


    Seeing that she was really in a bad shape, Mrs. Zhao came out of the room and said a few words. Mrs. Sun was even more anxious, and knew that she was really ashamed in front of the patriarch, but the chicken had wings, but she didn''t. It was only when the chicken lost its strength that Mrs. Sun grabbed it and cursed, "Run, run, run, it''s destined to be a dish in the pot, where are you going?"


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t look any further, and turned his gaze away.


    He knew why his uncle was so generous, and proposed to let him compete with Xue Juncai, because if there were no accidents, Xue Juncai would definitely win this match.


    In that dream, he had suffered such a loss, but it was not compared with Xue Juncai, but Zhao''er worked so hard to get money and sent him to Qinghe Academy. At that time, he was so stupid that he always blamed his own failure on the harshness of fate, thinking that it was not that he could not do it, but that everyone did not give him a chance.


    When he first entered the Qinghe Academy, he was full of ambition. He thought that he would definitely surpass Xue Juncai and prove that he was the most outstanding person in the Xue family, but the reality slapped him hard in the face. It was also at that time that he, who had never seen the world, understood the sinister intentions of his uncle. He did teach him to read, and he did ''read'' a lot of books, but he just read and didn''t understand the meaning of the scriptures.


    It was later learned that after schoolchildren learn to read, they use reading scriptures as the basis.


    First learn "Three Character Classic", "Hundred Surnames", "Thousand Characters", and then "Thousand Family Poems", "Children''s Learning Qionglin", "Longwenbianying", etc. After reading these, you can enter university and start Study and read the Four Books and Five Classics, etc.


    But at this stage, the teacher does not explain the meaning of the scriptures, that is to say, he just memorizes them by rote, clarifying the meaning of the words but not the meaning of the scriptures. Because people nowadays are used to thinking that children are just learning, it doesn¡¯t matter whether they understand it or not, as long as they remember it, and when they read a lot or for a long time, they will understand what it means.


    This is the so-called reading a thousand times, and its meaning is self-evident.


    When you can recite all these books fluently, and when you can learn to interpret the scriptures, you will get twice the result with half the effort.


    This time-saving, labor-saving and effective teaching mode is popular throughout Dachang, ranging from famous families to low-level sociology and village studies, and many of them are like this. This is especially popular in rural private schools, because there is only one teacher in the school, but it is not realistic to teach several or even dozens of people to explain the scriptures.


    But in fact, aristocratic families with some background would never teach their children this way. Because this teaching mode blindly emphasizes rote memorization, but ignores the truth that the classics are natural and logical.


    This is the pros and cons that ''he'' analyzed from the perspective of the overall situation after standing in the position of chief assistant.


    But at that time, he had just entered the library, because his uncle delayed explaining the meaning of the scriptures for him, and he didn''t understand that there was still a theory of explaining the scriptures. So when he first entered school, the teacher asked him if he had read it, and he replied that he had read it, but he couldn''t understand the scriptures.


    But now, it seems that the uncle is also aware of his own shortcomings, so he deliberately proposes this match, but in fact, he has already planned it, and he is destined to lose.


    Unfortunately, there was an accident.


    *


    Because there were guests at home, except for Mr. Xue and Xue Qingshan and his son, everyone was busy.


    After eating in the main room, the kitchen will start cooking other people''s lunch.


    During the period, Xue Taoer was also ordered to drink. There was wine and meat at the banquet in the main room, and the men exchanged glasses, and there was no way to see that there was any cleverness in the usual times. Especially Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng, the two drank very affectionately, and in the end they both got a little drunk.


    "Okay, don''t send it off, you''ll be there soon." Patriarch Xue waved his hand.


    After sending everyone out of the courtyard, this side started to clear the table and prepare meals. Mrs. Zhao originally wanted to take away the leftover meat and vegetables, but was stopped by Mr. Xue, saying that he was adding vegetables to everyone. People in the country are not rich, and it is commonplace for distinguished guests to leave and eat leftovers.


    The adults are all fine, Shuanzi and Maodan are eating deliciously.


    Zhao''er wanted to take the meal back to the house to eat, but was stopped by Xue Tingxiang, the two just kept their heads down and ate as before, without saying anything.


    Xue Juncai gave Xue Tingxiang a disdainful look.


    He had just accompanied Xue Qingshan to the table, and naturally he ate a lot of good food on the table, seeing that Xue Tingxiang could only eat leftovers, he was naturally full of sarcasm.


    He remembered what his father said to him before, Xue Gouzi would never win him.


    Thinking in his heart, he looked away, and said to Mr. Xue who was on the kang, "Grandpa, I''m going back to the house to read."


    Mr. Xue nodded. He also drank a little too much before, and now he is leaning on the kang smoking a cigarette to hangover.


    "Dog, eat more, brother is still waiting for you to beat me in five days." Xue Juncai suddenly said this when passing by Xue Tingxiang.


    Zhao''er immediately stood up and stared at him: "Can you talk? You''ve read the dog''s stomach after so many years of reading."


    Xue Juncai didn''t expect Zhao''er to show him such shame, his gentle face flushed red, but for some reason, he glanced at Zhao''er and held back.


    Mr. Xue shouted: "Juncai go back to the house!"


    Mrs. Zhou also hurriedly stood up to persuade Zhao''er, that''s all.


    After dinner, the two went back to the second room, and Zhao''er was still angry: "Don''t be angry, dog. When sister earns money, I will take you to the house and won''t be with them anymore."


    Xue Tingxiang was a little moved, but at the same time a little helpless: "You called me a dog again."


    Zhao''er groaned, then smiled and said: "I forgot, it won''t be like this in the future."


    Naturally, he couldn''t be angry with her, and then Zhao''er took the two clothes she changed yesterday and went out to wash, while Xue Tingxiang turned over the "Children''s Learning Qionglin" again.


    Looking at the book in his hand, which was transcribed on the worst bamboo paper and the footers were worn away, Xue Tingxiang felt a little worried. He actually didn''t want to read books, but Zhao''er couldn''t help but think that he should read more books now, and only by reading more books can he win against Xue Juncai more confidently.


    Little did he know that this book was different from the book, and it was useless to just read this book, but he would not tell her about it.


    He dug out the bamboo paper that Zhao''er bought for him from the kang cabinet. The cheapest bamboo paper cost 40 cents a knife. Such ''expensive'' paper was barely enough for practicing calligraphy. Even so, he is very precious at ordinary times, and he is reluctant to use it at all. If he can write on the sand, he will write on the sand, and if he can''t use the sand, he will write on the desk with water.


    Xue Tingxiang touched the stack of yellowed bamboo paper and sighed in his heart.


    ''Xue Tingxiang'' usually uses the highest quality Chengxin paper, so at this time he feels a little disgusted with the things that are usually precious.


    He spread out the papers on the kang table, stacked several sheets, and then cut them into the size of a book with a bamboo knife. In order to make room for the edge seam, he left some leeway and cut a thick stack before he found the inkstone with a corner missing and the ink ingot that had been used up and only a small piece remained.


    These are treasures that he is reluctant to use at ordinary times, but Xue Tingxiang doesn''t feel this way at all today. He added water to the inkstone, and then took the ink ingot to grind the ink, while grinding, he was thinking about something.


    After grinding the ink, he put the bald hair brush in the water bowl and wet it to clean it. After dipping in enough ink, he picked up the pen and wrote something on the paper.


    After writing a few words, he suddenly put down the pen, lifted the paper to look at it, and suddenly crumpled it.


    Mingming''s handwriting is fairly neat. Although he usually saves paper and ink, but because of years of hard work, his handwriting is not bad, but for some reason he just doesn''t like it.


    He closed his eyes slowly, calmed down for a while, and opened them again after a while. At this time, there was no one in the room, and anyone who was there could see a gleam of light flashing in Xue Tingxiang''s eyes. At the same time, his movement of grasping the pen was fast and steady, and with the help of a god, he wrote a series of small characters on the paper in a short time.


    These small characters suddenly became Yan style, then turned into pavilion style, and then turned into thin gold style again. At first, they were both tangible and boneless, but as they were written, their taste changed.


    The face and body are square and dense, the brushwork is thick, straight, open and full of vigor. That pavilion is physically strong and graceful, as if it was carved out of a block. And the thin gold body, the gold hook and iron painting, is full of arrogance, and the strokes are as sharp as cutting gold and jade.


    These three characters represent the whole life of ''Xue Tingxiang'', from the Yan style learned at the beginning of school, to the Guange style studied painstakingly for the imperial examination, to the thin gold style of the official residence.


    And so he wrote, oblivious to himself. Zhao''er came in during the period, but he didn''t dare to disturb him, so he quietly sat down on the edge of the kang.


    After writing for an unknown amount of time, he suddenly let out a long breath and put down his pen.


    He wrote two full sheets of paper.


    At this time, Xue Tingxiang had to admit that the magic of heaven was just a dream, and he actually possessed some of the things that he had in the dream.


    From the moment this dream appeared, Xue Tingxiang had been thinking about why he had such a dream. Now he understands, maybe he just wants him to make up for all the unsatisfactory dreams.


    And possessing everything of the "him" in the dream, he suddenly had great ambitions, and a surge of arrogance lingered in his heart.


    "I''m tired of writing, drink some water."


    Zhao''er brought water, Xue Tingxiang took it, and drank it in one gulp, it was very sweet.


    Only then did he lower his head to look at what he had written, and he actually spent two sheets of bamboo paper. Probably because Zhao''er was by his side, he suddenly remembered that she used to save money to buy paper for him, and felt a little distressed and guilty. He glanced at her and said in a low voice, "I actually wrote so much."


    How could Zhao''er not understand what he was thinking, so he chuckled and said, "Not much, not much, only two sheets. Paper is for use. I told you not to save paper a long time ago. It is used up. Let''s just buy it again."


    "I want to transcribe this book, so I try to write first, so as not to waste paper."


    "What book do you want to copy? Can you copy books too? Don''t you buy them?" Zhao''er was puzzled.


    Xue Tingxiang sighed in his heart. He really felt that he was really stupid before. He would rather borrow books from his uncle every time, or memorize them by rote, and never thought of copying books.


    Nowadays, the books sold in bookstores are rarely printed and expensive, so an industry of copying books has emerged. In this way, not only some poor scholars can get some money in exchange, but also those who want to buy books but suffer from poor pockets can get cheap.


    Of course, this copying is not something that can be done casually, it needs to be written very well.


    Xue Tingxiang boasted that his handwriting was not bad. Back then, many people begged for his calligraphy. Now that he needs a book, why can''t he copy it himself.


    the most important is--


    He glanced at Zhao''er.


    Naturally, they didn''t understand the clues of this, and they only thought that Zheng Lizheng suddenly mentioned whether there was something hidden in it. After all, they all knew before coming that this was a competition between two descendants of the same family.


    What is compared is knowledge, and what is compared is also future.


    They were all from humble backgrounds, and of course they knew how difficult it was to study in a farming family, so before Xue Tingshan said that the Xue family never forgot to cultivate their children and grandchildren while they settled down, Qiao Xiucai praised them greatly.

 Chapter 53

    Mr. Xue stared at her, he really suspected that all this was made by this girl. He knew that Gou''er was a bored gourd, why didn''t he go to the grave early and complained that he would not go later, but he went at this time.


    Thinking of all the disobedient things this girl did in the past, Mr. Xue felt disgusted in his heart. But he also knew that now was not the time to vent his anger, but to settle the matter.


    "Since you want to listen, then listen." The tone was the same as before, but anyone could hear the dissatisfaction in his voice.


    Zhao''er couldn''t hear it, so he stood aside.


    Seeing this, Mrs. Sun hurriedly dragged Xue Qinghuai to stay.


    "Since Zhao''er has stayed, let''s stay and listen too." She laughed along with her.


    Mr. Xue was immediately furious: "Since you want to listen, stay and listen."


    So everyone stayed, including the four-year-old Mao Dan, and even Mrs. Zhou, who was busy in the kitchen, stayed behind under the guise of cleaning the table.


    In the huge main room, only an oil lamp was lit on the square table. The wick was jumping, and the shadows were faint, and everyone''s eyes were on Mr. Xue. But he suddenly didn''t know where to start. He looked around everyone''s faces with heavy eyes, and finally fell on Xue Tingxiang''s face.


    "Actually, it''s nothing. I just want to talk about what the boss said a while ago that he wants to send the child to the school in the town."


    Zhao''er was inexplicably nervous, and couldn''t help but glance at Xue Tingxiang, and then went to see Mr. Xue.


    Dafang and his wife were overjoyed, they knew this would happen, and it was not in vain for them to swallow their anger for many days.


    Xue Qingshan couldn''t hide the joy on his face, he looked at Xue Tingxiang with pity and compassion, then looked at other people, and finally fell on Xue Tingxiang.


    "Dog, don''t be discouraged. You are still much worse than your talented brother. You will study with uncle for another two years, and then the family will send you to the town to study."


    This kind of tone was too stinging at this time, Zhao''er had a sneer on the corner of his mouth, and wanted to say something, but was pulled by Xue Tingxiang.


    Xue Qingshan took all of this into his eyes, and satirized in his heart, no matter how difficult this girl''s film is, she can only embarrass others on these trivial things, and it still doesn''t work when it comes to big things. He smiled, and said to Zhao''er: "Zhao''er, don''t be angry, uncle knows that you are high-minded, but high-mindedness can''t be eaten, don''t you?"


    No one in the room said anything.


    At this moment, Mr. Xue suddenly said angrily: "Boss, what are you talking about!"


    Xue Qingshan didn''t take it seriously: "Father, I''m not trying to persuade the dog not to be discouraged..."


    Old man Xue''s beard was shaking with anger, and he pointed at him with a cigarette pot: "You need to persuade, the one who is going to study in the town is not a handsome man, but a dog!"


    As soon as these words came out, one stone really stirred up a thousand waves.


    The room was silent for a moment, and soon Zhao''s slightly shrill voice broke the silence.


    "Old man, what are you talking about? What do you mean a person who is going to study in the town is not a talented person?"


    Xue Qingshan also said: "Father, did you say the wrong person in a muddle?"


    "Your father is not ignorant, and he didn''t say anything wrong. The one who goes to study in the town is a dog, not a genius!"


    After saying this, Mr. Xue seemed to have lost all his energy, and stopped talking. The eyes of the whole room kept looking back and forth at Xue Tingxiang and Xue Juncai, full of surprise.


    Xue Qingshan''s smile cracked, and Yang''s face was full of surprise.


    Xue Juncai''s handsome face flushed red, "Grandfather..."


    Mr. Xue waved his hand wearily: "Okay, let''s all go back to the house."


    With everything said like this, everyone had no choice but to leave, but Dafang''s family still stayed behind.


    As soon as everyone walked out of the main room, they heard a commotion inside.


    "Old man, please speak clearly, what do you mean it is a dog who is going to study in the town, not my handsome talent!"


    It was Zhao''s voice.


    There is also Xue Qingshan, mixed with Yang''s aggrieved and sharp cries, and Mr. Xue''s exhausted explanation.


    No secrets can be hidden under one roof, so everyone knows what''s going on.


    *


    Early the next morning, everyone got up.


    But the spirit is not very good, it can be seen that he didn''t sleep much at night. Especially Yang''s eyes were a little red and swollen, and she looked like she was crying.


    Xue Qingshan''s eyes were also full of bloodshot eyes, he looked at Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang with sinister eyes from time to time, but for some reason he didn''t say anything.


    The atmosphere was very depressing, no one spoke, everyone was there and doing what they were doing in an orderly manner, but the yard was surprisingly quiet.


    After breakfast, Mr. Xue took his hoe and planned to go to the field. Xue Qingbai and Xue Qinghuai didn''t dare to delay, one went to lead the cow out, the other picked up the iron plow, and followed him out the door.


    Xue Qingshan didn''t stay at home anymore, and then went out, but he didn''t know where he went.


    Unlike the rest of the Xue family, Zhao''er was very happy.


    Since she learned the ins and outs of the matter from Xue Tingxiang last night, she has fallen into uncontrollable excitement. Don''t say that she gloats, in her heart she should be a little man, and she is worrying about having no money in her hands. This news is tantamount to great joy for her.


    Knowing that the schoolchildren who go to the academy are very particular, she purposely found a piece of blue cloth that had been kept at the bottom of the box for a long time. This is Qiu''s dowry back then, and Qiu gave Zhao''er to make clothes, but unfortunately she has been reluctant to part with it, and now it is just right to use it as a school bag for Xue Tingxiang.


    After cutting the cloth, she began to sew with needles and threads, talking to Xue Tingxiang without saying a word. At this moment, the door curtain was suddenly lifted.


    It was Xue Youcai, the second boy of Dafang.


    Xue Youcai was only seven years old this year, but he was born fat and thick, and he was obviously spoiled. After he came in, he scolded Xue Tingxiang: "Just like you, you are still grabbing things from my elder brother, and you have the same name as a dog. You are no smarter than a dog."


    This kid''s tongue is really poisonous, and he is also used to by the elder couple, and he has always been a bully at home, making everyone angry. I saw signs of it a few years ago, but it''s a pity that Mrs. Yang has been protecting him, saying that he is still young and ignorant, but he has grown up in the past two years, but it is a pity that he is still ignorant.


    Zhao''er doesn''t like him, if anyone in this family beat Xue Youcai, it must be her. Xue Youcai was afraid of her, yet hated her, she stood up abruptly, before she could speak, Xue Youcai suddenly threw a bag of things in his hand. It hit the head and face, and it hurt people, and there was a strange smell in it.


    Zhao''er was hit twice, she subconsciously tried to hide, thinking of Xue Tingxiang on the kang, she turned her back to protect him. Xue Tingxiang was unprepared, she hugged her upright, obviously it was not appropriate, but he felt blushing and heart beating.


    After finally waiting for this wave to pass, Zhao''er let go of his hand, Xue Youcai had already run away, and the thing he used to hit them turned out to be dried cow dung.


    Zhao''er was so disgusted that she ran after her.


    She stopped Xue Youcai at the gate of the courtyard, grabbed him by the collar without saying a word, picked up a branch from a nearby wall, and lashed at him.


    "If I don''t beat you for three days, you dare to go to the house to expose the tiles..."


    Xue Youcai struggled to run away, but Zhao''er was so painful that he was whipped. Crying and shouting, he sat down on the ground and lay down on the ground.


    This looks like the posture that young children are accustomed to playing tricks on.


    There was such a big commotion outside that everyone in the room was startled out.


    Seeing Xue Youcai being beaten by Zhao''er, Mrs. Zhao exploded: "Who told you to beat my grandson, stop!"


    Zhao''er ignored her and scolded: "Do you still dare to do it in the future? Why don''t you learn how to throw bullshit like others! The words are quite vicious. Who taught you to speak like this? If you don''t speak clearly today, I will not only Hit you, I will take you to the river to wash your mouth later..."


    Mrs. Yang also came out, and she screamed: "Wang Zhaoer, you are crazy, you dare to hit Juncai!"


    "Auntie, why don''t you see what he has done? You didn''t learn well at a young age, like some women who uttered obscene language and threw cow dung on people. I''ll tell you now, your second brother has a name , called Xue Tingxiang, if you dare to tell me whether you are a dog or not in the future, I will beat you every time I see you!"


    Xue Youcai cried until tears and snot came out, but unfortunately no one came up to rescue him. Zhao was so angry that she jumped up and down, Yang wanted to stop Zhao''er, but was stopped by Heizi.


    You usually see this sunspot with a slumped head and no energy at all. He stopped in front of people, growled a warning in his voice, and showed his sharp teeth. Yang didn''t doubt that if she dared to go forward, she would The dog would pounce on her and give her a bite.


    At this moment, a surprised voice suddenly sounded outside the courtyard: "What are you doing?"


    It was Xue Qingshan who came back from the outside, not only patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng, but also five or six villagers over half a hundred years old.


    Seeing the situation at home like this, Xue Qingshan was surprised at first, then smiled wryly, and said to the people beside him: "I won''t mention what outsiders say is right and wrong, just say that they are mean dogs, but there is absolutely no one Dare to do this. This girl has always been a pungent person, making troubles at home every now and then, if someone was really mean, she would have already caused a lot of trouble."


    What you said made people feel inexplicable, but Zhao''er is not the master who allows people to slander, so he immediately retorted: "Uncle, what you said is a bit slanderous. I usually respect the elders at home. What nonsense is it? There is a reason for beating this kid today, and he actually scolded..."


    Having said that, she was interrupted by Yang.


    She came over anxiously and distressed, snatched Xue Youcai from Zhao''er''s hand and cried, "How old is he, how old are you? He is just not sensible at this age, and you still care about him... "


    Yang was crying, with a look of grievance and helplessness, Xue Qingshan was also sighing beside him, Zhao''er didn''t know what the two couples were playing, it was over.


    Her little face was flushed with anxiety, and she was about to explain again, when Xue Tingxiang who came out of the room grabbed her.


    He took two steps forward, stood in front of Zhao''er, and first respectfully called Patriarch Xue, Zheng Lizheng and the few villagers. They are all from the same village, and you can''t see them when you look up. As a junior, these are his elders.


    After the proper etiquette passed, he explained to Yang: "I hope that my aunt will not be angry. Zhao''er was also impulsive. She saw that the talented boy called me the same name as a dog, and threw a lot of cow dung on me. That''s why I hit the boy in a fit of anger."


    Xue Tingxiang''s behavior first gave people a good impression. As a scholar, you should be gentle and polite. Next, I will take advantage of the gap of the apology and explain the ins and outs of the matter in two sentences.


    Zhao''er was not stupid, her mistake was that she was eager to explain everything clearly, so she couldn''t help but talk too much, but Xue Tingxiang only talked about the main points and didn''t mention anything else.


    And he speaks very well, it is normal for children to be naughty, but it is worth considering when they are naughty enough to insult people as dogs, not to mention throwing cow dung on Xue Tingxiang, his elder brother. At the same time, it also explained for Zhao''er why she beat the talented boy so impulsively.


    Sure enough, after hearing this, Patriarch Xue and the others inevitably turned to his side when they saw the forbearing expression on Xue Tingxiang''s thin face.


    "It won''t be bad luck all the time." Xue Tingxiang said.


    If he remembers correctly, the whole town was a sensation when Director Lin of the Qingyuan Academy finally passed the exam three years later, and Gao Youzhi, the owner of the Qinghe Academy, was so angry that he almost vomited blood. At that time, he was planning to leave the Qinghe Academy to study at the Shen family''s ethnology, and happened to hear something about it.


    Boss Chen thought the young man was just comforting him, and smiled, "Thank you for your good words."


    Xue Tingxiang was not ambiguous either, and cupped his hands and said: "Thank you, Uncle Chen, for your suggestion, but there are still trivial matters at home that have not been dealt with. When everything is settled, I will go to the Qingyuan Academy to study."


    "You are straightforward, so you are not afraid of being implicated and hindering your fame?" Boss Chen asked curiously.


    "The kid hasn''t entered school yet, so why talk about fame? Besides, the imperial court has always attached great importance to the selection of talents. If they are really talented, presumably the magistrate Hu will not dare to stop them too much."


    "I can''t see that you have high ambitions. Well, since you dare to go, I will recommend you one or two. Although my classmate is rigid and dull, he is not good at words, but his knowledge is first-rate. Don''t dare It is no problem to teach a person to become a Jinshi, but a scholar is fine."


    "Then thank Uncle Chen first."


    *


    For several days, Xue Tingxiang and Zhao''er left early and returned late.


    Someone from Xue''s family asked twice, and Zhao''er said to take Xue Tingxiang out to get some fresh air, so as not to be overwhelmed. The people in the big room showed contempt, and Mr. Xue couldn''t help shaking his head. After that, no one asked any more questions, and most of them knew in their hearts that Xue Tingxiang was doomed. Maybe the two children in Erfang also have a lot of mentality, so they broke the cans and didn''t read books, but ran around playing.


    You must know that even if you are as qualified as Xue Juncai, you have to read books at home for many days to prepare.


    In the blink of an eye, it was five days.


    This day is no different from ordinary days.


    The farmhouse is always busy in the morning, and after a night, the family''s livestock have to be waited on, and the whole family has to be tossed about to eat. After breakfast, the men will go to the fields, and the women will do housework at home.


    If there is some difference, Xue Juncai had two more poached eggs in his bowl than others for breakfast.


    Because of Mr. Xue''s beating some time ago, Mrs. Zhao didn''t dare to openly fight against the big family members these days. Today, seeing that life is not normal, she couldn''t hold back.


    Originally, Xue Tingxiang didn''t have any, but Yang Shi saw that her father-in-law looked bad, so she took the initiative to ask Zhao Shi to ask for two eggs, and put them in the bowl for him.


    Xue Tingxiang wants to recruit one of them separately, but he doesn''t want to be recruited, but it''s a pity that he can''t be persuaded.


    For the sake of one egg, the two of you whispered one sentence at a time, while Mr. Xue''s expression on the top was particularly serious.


    But life in the country is like this, no matter how heavy your heart is, you can''t lose your livelihood. Especially when rushing for spring plowing, Mr. Xue still took his two sons to work in the fields for a while, and didn''t come back until the sun was high.


    The news about the competition between the two children of Xue''s family has spread throughout Yuqing Village.


    It''s not that there are people who say strange things, but most people can still understand what old man Xue did. It''s not easy for rural people to earn a little money, and no one''s money comes from the big river. If there is a way, no one will do this.


    Knowing that today is the day, let the children of the family watch in the village. Seeing a stranger go to Zheng Lizheng''s house, these hairy kids ran into the field, shouting from a long distance, "Someone is coming from Lizheng''s house". The adults stopped planting the land, so they picked up the hoes and rushed back.


    Not long after, the big courtyard of Zheng Lizheng''s house was full of people, and more villagers kept coming here.


    There was a lot of commotion in the yard, everyone was gossiping and discussing today''s matter at the same time.


    In the room, Zheng Li was talking with a middle-aged man in a scholar''s shirt and a flat scarf on his head.


    This man had a thin and long face, his complexion was a little pale, and his eyes were slightly swollen. She doesn''t look good, but her identity seems to be extraordinary, and she actually sits in the main seat.


    And Zheng Lizheng could only sit on the sidelines.


    His Gu Pan has a different temperament from ordinary people. This person is Qiao Xiucai, who has a reputation in the surrounding ten miles and eight villages.


    Long before, Zheng Lizheng had thought about it. Xue Qingshan came forward to invite someone from the Xue family, if he didn''t expect, it should be his father-in-law Yang Zhong, Yang Zhong is just a boy, so he will invite a scholar.


    On the one hand, it seemed that he was impartial, and on the other hand, it was a good time to show his prestige.


    "Qiao Xianggong, you drink tea, I will order someone to remind you."


    Qiao Xiucai waved his hand indifferently: "Don''t worry."


    Just as he was talking, there was a commotion outside, but it was patriarch Xue who came with someone.


    However, it was not Patriarch Xue who took the lead, but an old man over fifty years old. This old man is of medium stature, dressed the same as Qiao Xiucai, also wearing a scholar''s shirt and a flat scarf, obviously even if he is not a scholar, he is still a child.


    Sure enough, when Qiao Xiucai saw the old man, he quickly stood up from his chair and bowed to him.


    "I never thought it would be Senior He, late born is so polite."


    "Don''t be too polite, just sit down."


    This He Xiucai was the person invited by patriarch Xue to preside over this competition.


    Zheng Lizheng was right, at first Xue Qingshan really planned to invite his father-in-law, but it was a pity that this matter was rejected by Patriarch Xue.


    Patriarch Xue also only knew that Xue Qingshan was so stupid. They all said that he should not avoid relatives when he was a virtuous person, but this is not the way. Since he felt that the chances of winning were more than guaranteed, there was no need for people to make mistakes, so he took care of this matter.


    He knew in his heart that the surname Zheng would not let go of the opportunity to show off, and if he came forward to invite someone, he must be a scholar. He originally planned to invite Qiao Xiucai, but he was a step late, so he had to delay the relationship and invite He Xiucai.

 Chapter 54

    In the second room, Zhao''er went to pour some hot water, and after washing their feet, they went to rest on the kang.


    A big Kang, two quilts, one for each person.


    But Zhao''er couldn''t sleep today, and when she came back from the main room, she was a little excited.


    She rolled over and over again.


    "You do not sleep?"


    It is reasonable to say that they would not rest so early, but today both of them have been busy all day, so they turned off the lights after recruiting children to go to the kang. But with the moon outside, you can still see clearly in the room.


    Zhao''er sat up halfway, and moved to Xue Tingxiang''s side.


    "Dog, tell me what you meant when you scolded that old killer just now?"


    Zhao''er knows how to swear, and has sweared before, but he has never seen such a method of swearing. Yang Zhong is so angry that he just swears, and Xue''s family doesn''t even know how to persuade him. From Zhao''er''s point of view, isn''t this the culmination of swearing, can you swear without uttering dirty words?


    She wants to learn this method, it will come in handy sometime.


    Xue Tingxiang turned over and gave her a backbone.


    Zhao''er poked his shoulder with her finger: "What''s wrong? Why are you angry again?"


    He didn''t move, and she moved closer.


    The two of them were only separated by one person, and they wore thin clothes when they slept. Zhao''er leaned over, and even though Xue Tingshan had his back on his back, he could still feel a wave of heat rushing towards him, mixed with a faint fragrance.


    There was a strange softness slightly attached to his shoulders, Xue Tingshan''s back was stiff, and she heard her say on top of her head: "Don''t take that old killer''s words to heart, it''s not that I said uncle and aunt are too narrow-minded." It¡¯s too much, and even made such a fuss, do you really think that grandpa will regret it? Even if the family doesn¡¯t say anything, there are still so many people watching outside, so don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll go to the school to make a decision.¡±


    She was very close to him, and the heat of her words sprayed on the tips of his ears, making him shiver again and again. At the same time, a hot numbness rushed from the tips of his ears to his neck, causing waves of unconscious trembling.


    His breathing was a little tight, and he couldn''t help turning over.


    Zhao''er was still talking, and she didn''t expect that he would turn over suddenly, and his face just crashed into her arms.


    Xue Tingxiang''s brain went blank for a moment, and he subconsciously fell backwards. It is obvious that it is about to leave at the touch of a touch, but it clearly feels a suffocating softness, and there is something faintly raised.


    He recalled some situations in the dream, and he only felt his nose was hot, as if something flowed out.


    "Are you alright?" Zhao''er heard a thud, saw him motionless, thought that something was wrong with him being bumped, hurriedly leaned over to look at his face.


    "Why are you panicking! Really. Come on, let me rub it for you."


    He covered his nose with one hand and pushed her with the other: "I''m fine, it doesn''t hurt." He quickly turned over and said falteringly: "It''s getting late, go to sleep."


    "You haven''t told me what you mean by that!"


    "It doesn''t mean anything, just let him take a pee and take a picture of himself!"


    "Ah?!" Zhao''er was stunned, and said after a while, "So that''s what he meant, then you just let him take a pee and take a picture of yourself, and you said so much."


    Seeing that he didn''t answer himself, Zhao''er sat for a while and then lay down.


    "Okay, go to bed now, I won''t disturb you anymore."


    *


    Yang Zhong stayed at Xue''s house for one night and left the next day.


    Because it was rushing to the busy farming season, the Xue family resumed their usual work, and no one mentioned the previous incident, as if nothing happened that night.


    Everything is so busy yet full of peace.


    On this day, Xue Tingxiang and Zhao''er went to town early in the morning.


    Different from the past, today Xue Tingxiang wore new clothes.


    The clothes were brought out overnight by Zhao''er, because Boss Chen said that he would take Xue Tingxiang to Qingyuan Academy. This trip is very meaningful, so naturally it can''t be as casual as before.


    The gray-blue cotton gown was made by Zhao''er after imitating those school shirts in the town. Although the style is simple, it looks extraordinarily straight and docile after being washed with starch. Although Xue Tingxiang is thin and thin, his shoulders are flat and his back is straight. Wearing this student shirt, he has a particularly graceful temperament.


    When they arrived at the place, Boss Chen took Xue Tingxiang out, while Zhao''er stayed at Dongliju.


    The two of them went all the way to the east of the town, the more secluded they became as they went outside, and after walking for almost a cup of tea, they saw a building with white walls and black tiles standing at the end of their line of sight.


    Seeing Xue Tingxiang''s gaze resting on the building, Boss Chen said: "That is the Qinghe Academy." After a pause, he raised his hand and pointed to a building not far behind the Qinghe Academy: "That is the Qinghe Academy. Academy."


    The two walked forward and passed Qinghe Academy, and saw that this academy was really extraordinary. The whole building exudes a magnificent temperament, the gate tower stands majestically, with a few golden characters "Qinghe Academy" written on the door plaque, and the two black-painted gates are closed tightly, with a look of repelling people thousands of miles away. momentum.


    "It''s too late for you to regret it now." Boss Chen said.


    Following the sound of talking, the two of them crossed the Qinghe Academy, only to see the obviously much dilapidated small courtyard not far away.


    The small courtyard is rigorous and simple, with clear water and white walls, and gray and black tiles. Even the door plaque is much smaller than that of the Qinghe Academy, with a few simple big-character books on it¡ª¡ª


    Qingyuan Academy.


    Obviously, no matter where you look at it, it is not as good as the Qinghe Academy, but standing under the square door plaque and looking at the words on it, Xue Tingxiang felt a peaceful and peaceful atmosphere.


    "Since the kid is here, I don''t intend to regret it."


    Boss Chen glanced at him appreciatively, and went to call the door.


    Not long after, an elderly Zhaifu opened the door from the inside.


    He seemed to know Boss Chen, and he led the two of them in without asking too much.


    This school may not seem big, but it is actually small but well-equipped. It is the same as a general school. After passing the screen wall, there is a lecture hall on the central axis. There are two houses on the left and right sides. The temple on the left is built to worship the saint Confucius, and the house on the right is the place where the gentleman sits and rests and collects books.


    After the lecture hall, there must be a shooting garden, a hall, a kitchen, etc. Xue Tingxiang knew the layout without looking. Because in his dream, he studied in Qinghe Academy for several years, but Qinghe Academy is much more spacious and grand than Qingyuan Academy.


    Boss Chen led Xue Tingxiang to the right side of the house with ease, and when he reached a wing room, he straightened his clothes and sleeves, and then brought Xue Tingxiang in.


    This wing room is furnished in a simple and elegant way, and there is a large painting on the central hall facing it, on which are written the words ''peace and distance''. Standing in front of the words was a thin middle-aged man, wearing a dark blue scribe shirt and a square scarf.


    When he heard the movement, he turned around, and saw that he had long eyebrows, a thin face, and a few strands of beard. Judging from his appearance, he is a very serious and rigid person, but his eyes are calm and deep, obviously a person of great wisdom.


    This person is Lin Miao, the owner of Qingyuan Academy.


    "Brother Anqi, I''m here to bother you again." Boss Chen cupped his hands with a smile.


    "The good brother of Mo."


    Lin Miao smiled, obviously he had a good relationship with Boss Chen. After the two exchanged pleasantries, Boss Chen pointed to Xue Tingxiang and said, "This is the young man I told you about."


    Lin Miao looked over.


    Obviously Xue Tingxiang has extensive knowledge, and he has never seen any kind of person in that dream, even the Ninth Five-Year Master, he has seen several, but there is an inexplicable sense of awe.


    "Boy Xue Tingxiang, I have met you." He clasped his hands together and bowed in salute.


    Lin Miao nodded: "Since you''re here, stay here. The school will open in ten days, so you can just come here when it''s time."


    "Mr. Xie."


    Boss Chen glanced at Lin Miao, as if he wanted to say something, seeing this, Xue Tingxiang tactfully said that he was going out for a walk, so he avoided going out.


    After Xue Tingxiang went out, Boss Chen said: "Brother An Qi, don''t you believe in the eyes of a younger brother? I have observed these days, and this son has a calm mind, is diligent and hardworking, and is quite talented in reading. He only needs one A good teacher, if there is a good teacher to guide, I think the future will be limitless in the future."


    The reason why Boss Chen said that was because Lin Miao''s performance was too plain. He originally thought that Lin Miao loves calligraphy, and after reading Xue Tingxiang''s calligraphy, and his lobbying, he should accept him as a student no matter what.


    This student is different from the students in the academy, and can be regarded as a student entering the room. As the saying goes, a teacher for a day is a father for life. A young child has more than one teacher from the beginning of school until he passes the exam/fame.


    When you start learning, you are called a teacher, that is, a teacher of enlightenment. The karma teacher is the teacher who teaches the karma, also known as the scripture teacher. Those who teach their work must pass on their scriptures, and those who pass on their scriptures must educate their people, so a teacher is extremely important to a student. There are also human teachers and seat teachers, which will not be mentioned here.


    As for what Boss Chen said about "accepting students", the teacher is more like a combination of a professional teacher and a human teacher to students. He not only needs to teach them, but also teaches them the principles of life, which is different from treating ordinary students. The teacher has to cultivate it carefully, and it can be regarded as inheriting his mantle.


    Of course, students have to pay relatively, and they must truly be teachers for one day and fathers for life. This kind of relationship is not father and son, but victory is father and son, which is very popular among scholars today. The intertwined relationship among scholars in Shilin was laid on this basis, and gradually developed into a towering tree.


    Lin Miao laughed: "You really value him very much."


    Boss Chen sneered: "If I didn''t miss you, you would think that I have the time to meddle in your business. Don''t forget the October competition, if Qingyuan Academy loses again this year..."


    Boss Chen didn''t say what he said next, but Lin Miao understood what it meant.


    He sighed softly: "Everything is determined by God, if it is the case in reality, you can''t force it."


    Boss Chen repeatedly shook his head and stomped his feet and said, "Oh, I''m not talking about you. Your temperament is the most troublesome. You talk about the way of a gentleman with others, but others never follow you. Year after year They were all defeated by that villain, and now there are no good seedlings who are willing to come here to study, what should we do in the long run."


    "Brother Mo Zhi, you don''t understand."


    "Yes, yes, I don''t understand, I just know that if this continues, the reputation of the Qingyuan Academy will be lost in your hands."


    After finishing speaking, both of them were silent.


    Lin Miao looked tired, and Boss Chen seemed to know that he had made a slip of the tongue. He slowed down his tone, and said, "I can''t do anything about you. Anyway, I brought him for you. I''m really optimistic about this child. As for the rest, you can figure it out yourself."


    Lin Miao nodded: "Brother Mo Zhi, thank you in advance for my brother, but the matter of accepting apprentices will be discussed later. Don''t worry, he has entered the Qingyuan Academy, and I will teach him carefully."


    Boss Chen also understood where his heart knot was, and he didn''t force it. The two chatted for a while, and Boss Chen said goodbye.


    When Boss Chen came out of the wing, Xue Tingxiang had just returned.


    He was taken by Zhaifu to wander around the school, and he could see that the school was a bit old, and the paint on many buildings was peeling off, but every flower, plant and tree could be seen to be elegant.


    It''s like a place to study, unlike the Qinghe Academy, where there is a smell of copper everywhere.


    The two left hand in hand, Xue Tingxiang asked Boss Chen about Shu Xiu on the way.


    After asking about it, I found out that the repairs at Qingyuan Academy are very cheap, apart from the usual six rites of apprenticeship, only one tael of silver is needed a year.


    As for the usual etiquette of filial piety, it only depends on family background and intentions, and it doesn''t matter whether you give it or not. In addition, regarding the dormitory study, you can choose to do the dormitory study or not, but you must come to the morning study every day. As for meals, you can choose to bring your own rice, or you can choose to pay a certain amount of money every month and have it supplied by the school, both of which are debatable.


    It''s not like the Qinghe Academy that requires students to live in dormitories, just to charge the expensive accommodation and meals.


    According to Boss Chen, in the past, when the Qingyuan Academy had court subsidies, the annual tael of silver was not collected. It was only later that the subsidies were lost, and the gentlemen and handymen in the academy had to support their families before they were charged. Silver taels.


    Boss Chen sighed in his tone, and Xue Tingxiang also sighed in his heart.


    In his dream, ''Xue Tingxiang'' had been studying in the Qinghe Academy for three years. If he had known about the existence of this Qingyuan Academy, Zhao''er would not have been so busy for his training. It would not be so desperate to give up, and he would not waste three years in Qinghe Academy.


    Fortunately, the reality and the dream finally deviated, and the inexplicable Xue Tingxiang felt relieved.


    Since Xue Tingxiang made up his mind to copy the books, Zhao''er had no reason to object.


    However, she even made a big wish that she would earn a lot of money in the future and not let him worry about a book, not to mention here.


    After Zhao''er helped him lay out the paper, he went to find a suitable needle and thread, planning to bind it for him after he finished writing.


    Xue Tingxiang laughed a little, but didn''t say anything, and started to write seriously on the paper.


    He planned to copy all the books he had memorized, because he found a problem. Since he had that dream, ''Xue Tingxiang'' had more and more influence on him, including the impact on his own memory.


    Especially all the books he has learned since he was a child. He had flipped through the memory of that dream before, and he had memories of some bibliographies in elementary school and even college, but his memory was extremely vague, and many of the more detailed things had been forgotten.


    He thought about the reason, and felt that "he" seemed to be very disgusted with the memory of studying hard in the cold window, so he always adopted an evasive attitude. In addition, the Xue Tingxiang in the dream has lived for more than seventy years. Since he passed the Jinshi examination, he has been obsessed with officialdom battles, but he doesn''t care about his own knowledge.


    After so many years, his memory is more about the ups and downs of the officialdom, the various forces in the party struggle, and the speculation of the people, rather than the original essence of a scholar.


    Seriously speaking, ''Xue Tingxiang'' is not a real scholar, he is just a politician.


    But obviously he doesn''t need these things now, as if a young child has a sword, he knows the significance of these things to his future. But today a young child needs nothing more than a piece of clothing, or just food and clothing.


    But these memories have already begun to affect his own memory. He doesn''t want to forget what he has learned. What he needs to do now is to consolidate his memory and combine with ''Xue Tingxiang''''s advanced understanding of many things. This is the right way.


    And the best way to master it is nothing more than copying books.


    Obviously this yellow bamboo paper is of very low quality, the brush strokes should not be light or heavy, the ink will be uneven if it is light, and it will smudge if it is heavy, but Xue Tingxiang writes on it like flowing clouds and flowing water as if there is nothing. The handwriting on it is full and round, and it is extraordinarily majestic.


    Zhao''er held his breath and didn''t even dare to make a sound. His eyes fell on Xue Tingxiang, who was writing vigorously. Suddenly, he had the illusion that a little man had grown up.


    Xue Tingxiang quickly wrote a sheet, and he was about to take it away to dry, Zhao''er quickly took it, and spread it carefully on the kang. Her eyes were attracted by those words. She couldn''t tell how beautiful they were, but felt like a painting.


    And during this period, Xue Tingxiang wrote another one.


    In this way, Xue Tingxiang wrote and asked children to dry it. After a while, the kang was covered with paper.


    A book of the Three Character Classic does not contain more than a thousand characters, and Xue Tingxiang finished it very quickly.


    He put down the pen, took a deep breath, and moved his wrist a few times. He hadn''t written at such a high density for a long time, and it was a challenge to his wrist strength.


    "Actually, I can copy books to subsidize my family." He said suddenly.


    He had been thinking about this for a long time. In his dream, he only read books blindly. He really managed to "keep his ears off the outside world and read only the books of sages and sages".


    The former "he" was helpless and emotional about this situation, but he had more than enough energy, and Zhao''er was really capable, and he had a talent that no one else had in business, and he answered everything in every detail, and never let him go. He worries about money, so he doesn''t think about it anymore.

 Chapter 55

    The morning light was twilight and the sky was breaking. Most of the villagers in Yuqing Village got up very early.


    Smoke rose from the chimneys of many houses, and villagers walking in twos and threes on the village trails, either carrying hoes or pulling cattle, seemed to be going to the fields.


    It is the time of spring plowing, and the plan of the year lies in spring. If you are lazy at this time, you will cry when the harvest comes in autumn.


    Zhao''er woke up at this hour on time, and opened his eyes to find that the little man was still asleep.


    Not long after she fell asleep yesterday, the little man developed a fever again. After working for most of the night, luckily the fever subsided in the middle of the night.


    She sat up, raised her hand to touch the little man''s forehead, and made sure that her hands were not hot, then put on her clothes lightly and got off the kang.


    The first thing he did was to open the door, and Heizi, who had been restless for a long time, got out with a swish. Zhao''er also walked out of the room, and seeing Heizi rushing out of the courtyard to pee, she shook her head with a grin.


    At this time, someone had already woken up in the courtyard, it was the Zhou family of the third bedroom and his eldest daughter Xue Tao''er.


    Today it''s the third room''s turn to cook. The Xue family''s rule is that apart from the housework of each room, the work in the office is shared equally. One day per room, in rotation.


    The room responsible for cooking is not only responsible for the food and drink of the whole family, but also takes care of the livestock in the family. The Xue family raised two big fat pigs, and it was not an easy job to just serve these two ancestors every day. Not to mention feeding chickens, carrying water, and chopping firewood, so the female family members who do housework on this day do not have to go to the fields to work.


    It seems to be fair and just, but in fact everyone inside knows how.


    The eldest aunt Yang claimed that the man was a child student, and she was exceptionally superior at home. Since Xue Qingshan passed the child student examination, she never touched housework again. The key is that Mrs. Zhao is also looking towards her, so it''s not easy for others to question her.


    At first, it was Xue Gouzi''s mother, Mrs. Qiu, who finally came in, the third-bedroom Mrs. Zhou, and the two sisters-in-law finally shared the burden. Afterwards, Mrs. Qiu followed her deceased husband, and Mrs. Zhou was left alone. It was not until Mrs. Sun of the fourth room entered the door that she would be able to catch her breath again.


    It''s a pity that Mrs. Sun is lazy and playful. In fact, Mrs. Zhou still does most of the work.


    In the past, when Mrs. Qiu was still alive, Zhao''er also helped Mrs. Qiu to do it. After Mrs. Qiu passed away, Zhao''er was busy with the housework of the second room and had to do the work in the office. In addition, Zhao''er was still young at that time, Mr. Xue told her to take good care of Xue Gouzi and not to take care of the work at work.


    Zhao''er now has free time to go around and get some money, but she is a person who looks at her conscience and will help out as much as she can in her spare time. As for those who used words to squeeze her like Sun, her sharp tongue was not forgiving.


    Seeing Xue Taoer struggling to fetch water from the well, Zhao''er rubbed his face and went up to help her.


    Thirteen-year-old Xue Taoer is like a small flower in bud. Although she is not very beautiful, she is very delicate. Seeing Zhao''er coming to help her, she couldn''t help showing a smile and talking to her: "Sister Zhao''er, is the second brother better?" Xue Gouzi is the second grandson of the Xue family, so Xue Taoer called him the second brother .


    "I had a fever again last night, and it got better in the second half of the night." Zhao''er looked around curiously, and asked, "Why isn''t Third Uncle here?"


    Although Xue Qingbai is a bit honest and reticent, he always loves his wife and daughter. Whenever he meets the third room to cook, he will get up early to fill the water tank.


    The Xue family has its own well, but the well is too deep, and there is no pulley on the well, so it is really exhausting to draw water with the strength of the daughter''s family alone. That is to say, Zhao''er was naturally as strong as an ox, and his strength was no worse than that of ordinary middle-aged men, so he could pull the bucket out of the deep well very easily.


    "My father went to the field and said he would work for a while and return after breakfast."


    Xue Qingbai is an honest farmer. Unlike other brothers in the family who have other skills, he only knows how to farm, so he puts all his heart on the ground. The Xue family has a total of more than 30 mu of land, and now he, Mr. Xue and the fourth son Xue Qinghuai are all planted.


    Although the women of the Xue family also went to the fields, it was only during the busy farming season, and besides, the women only had so little strength, so how could they help. Fortunately, the three men from Xue''s family are all good hands in the field, and they are really too busy, so they hired part-time workers to help out for a few days, so they don''t have to worry about not being able to finish the work in the field.


    Just as he was talking, the door of the fourth room opened, and Xue Qinghuai walked out from inside.


    The men in the Xue family are all big, so Xue Qinghuai also inherited a tall body.


    He was born with thick eyebrows, tiger eyes and a high nose bridge. He was dressed in dark blue coarse cloth and short brown, and looked very heroic. In fact, the men of the Xue family are not bad looking, but the women of the Xue family are a little mediocre, but all the grandchildren are born well, and they are all top-notch in the village.


    "Zhaoer Taoer, you wake up so early." Xue Qinghuai walked over in a few strides, took the wooden bucket in Zhaoer''s hand, walked to the water tank, and poured water into the tank.


    "How can you two little girls do this kind of rough work? You go to do other things, and the fourth uncle is here to fetch water."


    Zhao''er and Tao''er didn''t refuse either, one went to the kitchen to help her mother cook, and the other took a basin to scoop up water for washing.


    As time passed, the rest of the Xue family got up one after another, and there were more and more voices in the yard. On the other side of the kitchen, Mrs. Zhou yelled to eat. Generally, country people don''t pay much attention to breakfast, and they have to set a table or something. They always serve a bowl with a bowl, and eat it at any place.


    Breakfast is two rice porridge, the so-called two rice porridge is porridge cooked from two kinds of rice. Yuqing Village does not grow rice, but only wheat, sorghum, millet, corn and other crops. Although farmers grow wheat, they seldom use it for their own food. They sell it for other grains.


    Even a well-to-do family like Xue''s family with surplus food did not eat fine grains all at once, but a mixture of coarse grains and fine grains. For example, today''s breakfast is two-rice porridge, which is a porridge cooked with millet, that is, yellow rice, and sorghum rice.


    Because it was a busy time of farming, it was cooked quite thickly. Although it didn''t hold up with chopsticks inserted, it was much better than the usual thin soup with little water.


    There is no way, the Xue family seems to have a decent family background in the village, but there are three scholars in the family. Not to mention Xue Gouzi, Guangda Fang and his son spend a lot of money every month, and it''s no wonder that Mrs. Zhao usually can pick up fleas to get a little blood.


    Zhao''er filled two bowls of porridge, put a few cornbreads on a thick porcelain plate, and put some pickles on the side, and took them back to the second room''s room.


    As soon as he entered the door, he saw Xue Gouzi sitting up from the kang.


    She hurriedly put the wooden tray on the square table, and came up to see him: "But he''s better? Are you hungry? Sister will bring you some porridge."


    Xue Gouzi looked at her with complicated eyes.


    After experiencing such a dream, he now doesn''t know how to face Zhao''er. As long as he saw her, he couldn''t help but think of him in his dream, those words scolded by others before he died. He also tried to find the cause of Zhao''er''s death in his memory, but it seemed that that memory was Xue Tingxiang''s most unbearable past, and he had no memory at all.


    In fact, Xue Gouzi was burned in a daze last night, and Xue Gouzi thought for a long time. He couldn''t figure out whether he was Xue Gouzi or Xue Tingxiang, whether that dream was true or not, whether he was thinking about it every day and dreaming at night , to have such an absurd dream.


    However, he also had an idea in his heart. If everything in that dream was true, several things should happen in succession. If these things happen, it means that his dreams are real.


    Thinking about something in his heart, he reached out to catch the bowl, only to realize that he didn''t even have the strength to hold the bowl. Luckily, Zhao''er caught the bowl quickly, so he didn''t spill it all over him.


    Xue Gouzi was a little embarrassed and anxious. It was very strange, obviously he would not have this kind of reaction in front of Zhao''er before, but I don''t know if it was a dream, and his state of mind had a strange change.


    Zhao''er laughed at him: "Why are you being polite with my sister? I forgot that when you were a child, you peed on the kang, and it was my sister who washed it for you."


    Zhao''er came to Xue''s house when he was seven years old, and Gouzi was only five years old at that time. It is very inexplicable for a child to pee on the kang. It is obvious that he has not urinated for a long time. I don''t know if he drank too much water before going to bed or what, but he actually peed on the kang.


    Since Qiu gave birth to the dog, her bones were not good, and it was winter again. In order to repay the kindness of the second wife, Zhao''er volunteered to wash the dirty clothes and pants for the dog. Since then, she started her career as a child bride.


    What Xue Gouzi hates the most is Zhao''er. He always likes to say inconspicuous things in front of him. You must know that as you get older, boys will lose face, how can you still be willing to listen to people mentioning such things, especially dogs are naturally sensitive. But today for some reason, he didn''t feel annoyed, only a little embarrassed.


    He was surprised by his own reaction, but Zhao''er had already fed him porridge with a wooden spoon. He subconsciously opened his mouth, and waited until the warm porridge blown by her was fed into his mouth, and he saw the smiling eyes of the other party.


    Those eyes were big and bright, as if there were stars hidden in them, and he couldn''t help but blush.


    Zhao''er smiled even more happily, and stuffed him with a tortilla: "Eat quickly, sister will cook eggs for you at noon."


    She was coaxing him like a child, Gouzi suddenly had this understanding.


    He was eating porridge from Zhao''er, thinking wildly in his mind, it was very chaotic.


    Just then, someone came to the door.


    It was Xue Qingshan.


    Exactly the same as in the dream.


    Xue Qingshan''s fair face was full of sighs and worries, he sighed and said a lot of words, the main idea was to let the dog recover well, don''t worry too much, there are grandparents and uncles at home, he can''t lose him.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Qingshan also followed the appearance and height of the man from the Xue family. He was also a weed in Yuqing Village in his early years, but unfortunately he got a little fatter as he got older.


    "Uncle still has to go to the private school, dog, take care of your illness, you are a child with a lot of thoughts." Sighing and patting his nephew on the shoulder, Xue Qingshan lifted the curtain and left.


    What is he doing?


    Zhao''er thought suspiciously. After thinking about it for a while, she couldn''t figure out why, so she stopped thinking about it and concentrated on feeding the dog porridge, but Xue Gouzi looked thoughtful.


    *


    In the main room, Mrs. Zhao is chatting with Mr. Xue about what happened yesterday.


    Mrs. Zhao was sewing an old dress in her hand, and said, "Let me tell you, you just like to spoil that little thing. You love him, but he doesn''t love you. Our family''s money doesn''t come from the river, just Because he didn''t want to show his illness to the whole family, he made a fuss after another, which is to make the family upside down."


    Mr. Xue was in his fifties, tall and tall, and his skin was black and red like that of a countryman who had been exposed to the sun for a long time. He was wearing dark blue coarse cloth pants, sitting cross-legged on the Kang, smoking a dry cigarette.


    Every time after dinner or before work, Mr. Xue always smoked for a while, otherwise he would feel exhausted.


    "Okay, Gouwazi is sick, who doesn''t have three illnesses and four pains." After a while, he said hoarsely.


    The patter, patter sounded again, and the lingering blue smoke swirled in the air, and then scattered in all directions. Behind it, the old face of Mr. Xue was hidden, looming.


    "But look how long he has been in trouble? Yesterday, more than one hundred coins were lost. How long will it take you to work hard in the field to earn more than one hundred coins! Boss has to leave another two hundred coins. It is said that someone in a classmate¡¯s family had a birthday, and there was a disaster just last year, and the tax was not exempted, but increased. Seeing that the boss said that he wanted to send Juncai to the town to study, it was another expense. How much money do you have? Withstood such a toss!"


    Seeing that his wife was so distressed, Mr. Xue sat up straight, tapped the cigarette pot on the kang table, and gave her a sideways look: "Your heart will be distressed if you spend a hundred yuan for a dog, and you will give it if the boss asks you for it? Not me Speaking of you, you are a parent and grandmother, so don''t be too biased, you don''t have to make the following little ones have conflicts."


    Upon hearing this, Mrs. Zhao didn''t want to. She slapped him across the kang table and said, "I''m biased? Don''t you?"


    He is also biased, but the boss is the most promising in the family, and the handsome is also the most outstanding among the grandchildren. It''s different to have a scholar in the family. No one will say that Xue Lianxing''s family is a decent person when they go out. If Dafang can produce a scholar, his Xue family will be honored.


    Just thinking of Xue Gouzi, Mr. Xue couldn''t help frowning.


    Of course he knew that the mother-in-law was very annoyed, Gou''er was too ignorant, the eldest owed the life to the second, but Xue''s family was in such a family situation, naturally they had to pay attention to their future.


    It''s not that Mr. Xue looks down on his grandson, but that Gou''er is really not comparable to a handsome boy, nor can he. It''s good to be strong, but you always have to look at the situation.


    "The boss''s daughter-in-law has already said several times that the school in the town cannot be delayed. The delay is half a year. The boss still wants to let Juncai try next year." Zhao added.


    "Back then, I promised my second child!" Old Master Xue sighed deeply, took two puffs of dry cigarettes, and coughed twice when he was choked.


    "Anyway, you can figure it out!" Zhao Shi was so angry that she threw the clothes aside, turned her head and leaned back on the kang, giving the man a backbone.


    Old man Xue slapped his mouth several times, and the gully on his face deepened: "You too, old woman, don''t you think that if outsiders know about this, we can still have face in the village?"


    "Then what do you think we should do? Let''s not do it?" Mrs. Zhao rolled over and sat up again, staring at Mr. Xue.


    "Of course it has to be done, it depends on how to do it. How about this, you ask Cuiping to come back tomorrow, and she has to do this matter."


    She looked like she was in her fifties, with her gray hair neatly pulled back behind her head. With a long face, the eyelids are a little sunken, and when the face is pulled, it becomes a triangular eye, which looks particularly unfriendly.


    Without Mrs. Zhao''s words, Mrs. Sun said: "Zhao''er, it''s not the fourth aunt talking about you, you girl likes to make a fuss. Could it be that you deliberately torment us all, even if you don''t like it..."


    Before she finished speaking, she was pulled by the man Xue Qinghuai.


    "Okay, let''s say a few words less, Zhao''er is not ignorant, and besides, the dog is already sick, so it''s better to find a doctor to take a look, so the family can rest assured."


    "I said less and said less, and I didn''t say anything..."


    "You also said..."


    The couple went out while chatting and tugging. The eldest aunt Yang smiled at Zhao''er, and then said to the mother-in-law: "Mother, let''s go too, let the dog have a good rest."


    Mrs. Zhao glanced at the dog on the kang, snorted coldly, turned her head and left. It can be seen from her posture that she is very angry.


    In fact, it is true. The Xue family can''t be called a rich family. It costs at least one or two hundred dollars to invite a doctor from the town. ! In particular, the doctor''s pulse just now confirmed Zhao''s guess that Xue Gouzi was deliberately pretending to be ill, and it was only strange that she was happy.


    Let Mrs. Zhao see that the two little boys in the second room are deliberately torturing the family, but since the eldest daughter-in-law has come forward to persuade her, Mrs. Zhao will naturally not say more.


    Generally speaking, among the three daughters-in-law of the Xue family, Yang is the one who wins Zhao''s heart the most. The eldest has an unusual status, and Zhao is willing to show the eldest daughter-in-law some face.


    After Mrs. Zhao and Mrs. Yang left, only the third uncle Xue Qingbai and the third aunt Zhou were left in the house. The two were not used to talking much, and they didn''t stay long, Zhao''er thought that the third uncle had worked hard just now, so he sent the two of them out with a smile.


    When he turned his head and came back, he saw Xue Gouzi lying on the kang with his eyes open, his eyes staring blankly, as if he had lost his mind.


    She didn''t think much about it, she came to the side of the kang and patted his head: "Dog, don''t think too much, they don''t believe that you are sick and have a headache, sister believes you. Take care of your illness and don''t think about it anymore. "


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her, his mouth was dry and his throat was tight: "Zhaoer..."


    "What''s wrong? Is there something uncomfortable?"


    Feeling these undelicate but very warm hands touching his head and face, Xue Gouzi had a sense of reality and gratitude that he had never had before.


    She wasn''t dead, and neither was he.


    Although he didn''t like some of her daily actions, and even hated her as his child bride-in-law, but he never thought of letting her die, so how could he be the one who killed his wife and son.


    But Xue Gouzi was still very flustered, because that dream was too real. After going through that dream for more than seventy years, it seemed that he had also experienced that life. But after waking up from the dream, the vicissitudes of life have changed, and he dare not look back.


    "Zhaoer..."


    "Why!"


    "Zhaoer..."


    "Um."


    "Zhaoer..."


    A hot stream suddenly flowed out unconsciously from the dry eye sockets.


    This scared Zhao''er quite a bit, and he didn''t care to think that the little man would never call her that, let alone let himself get close to him. He hugged his head into his arms and asked him anxiously up.


    Seeing that he didn''t speak, but just buried himself in his arms and cried, Zhao''er couldn''t help but wonder if those people made him think too much just now. According to Zhao''er, the little man has a lot of things on his mind, and he never speaks out, otherwise he wouldn''t have this serious illness.


    She patted him on the back, hugged him like she did when she was a child, and comforted him: "Don''t be afraid, dog, even if they don''t send you to study, sister will send you there, and sister will send you even if she sells everything." go."


    *


    After all, Xue Gouzi had just recovered from a serious illness, and after experiencing such an incident, he fell asleep after drinking some porridge for dinner.


    Zhao''er covered him with a quilt before tidying up the basket she had just brought back.


    The back basket is full of needlework and cloth, which are rags that Zhao''er bought in the embroidery workshop in the town. The reason why I started this business was because I used to recruit children to carry the finished purses for the women in the village to sell in the embroidery workshop.


    There is no adult in the second room. Although the family is in charge of eating, after all, the pen, ink, paper and inkstone used by Xue Gouzi to study, as well as the clothes, bedding and some odds and ends of the two people on weekdays, etc., all need money.


    Wanting to ask for money from Mrs. Zhao is more expensive than ascending to the sky, and although the uncle Xue Qingshan is determined to treat his nephew as if he were his own, but Zhao''er usually only sees the big family''s child with greasy lips, and Xue Juncai never Lack of pens, ink, paper and inkstones. In contrast, the little man was as thin as a bamboo pole, and he picked up a bald pen that Xue Qingshan didn''t use back then.


    Zhao''er has always been a strong one, she couldn''t bear to wrong the little man, so she could only find money everywhere by herself. There was no opportunity to make money in the countryside, so she went to the town to look around, as long as it was within her power and did not require capital, she would try to do it.


    In the past few years, she has collected vegetables from the village and sold them in the town, picked up work from the embroidery workshop and assigned them to women with good craftsmanship in the village, and usually went to the mountains to find mountain products to sell.


    And now this business has been done several times, Zhao''er has a sweet mouth and a thick face, the boss of the embroidery workshop can''t hold her back, so he sells the unwanted rags to her in bags. She took it back, sorted and cut it, and then asked the women in the village to help make purses and other things, and she could earn a lot of money by reselling them in the embroidery workshop. It is much better than before just receiving the purses made by others, and earning a penny for a few purses.


    If he hadn''t made some money by doing this business, he didn''t know when Xue Gouzi would recover from his serious illness. Mrs. Zhao would have given up the money to get the medicine for a long time ago, and Zhao''er used his own money to catch the medicines later. I still have to hide it, for fear that other members of the Xue family will find out.


    Thinking of this, the corners of Zhao''er''s mouth tightened.


    She has always been agile in her hands and feet, and seeing that she picked out some usable cloth heads, she stopped tossing about. I chose clean ones and spread them out on a square table, and cut these strangely shaped cloth heads into a uniform shape with scissors.


    This is Zhao''er''s own calculation based on how much fabric is needed to make a purse, no more and no less, she will not take out these rags for people to see.


    It is not easy for country people to earn a penny. If someone finds out, the designated way to earn money will be robbed within a few days.


    Zhao''er also wants to use this to make money for the little man to go to the town to study, so that she can only go to see Xue Jun, and her little man can also go. Zhao''er has always been prepared with both hands when doing things, and she knows in her heart that the big house will never let such a good thing happen to the little man.


    It is better to ask for others than to ask for yourself, and it is better to rely on yourself than to rely on mountains and rivers.


    Zhao''er has understood this truth since she was seven years old when she was going to be exchanged for money by her grandmother and father.


    After Zhao''er finished what she was doing, seeing the little man was fast asleep, and seeing that it was already dark outside, she wrapped the tidy cloth in something, and hurried out with it.

 Chapter 56

    Since Xue Tingxiang made up his mind to copy the book, Zhao''er had no reason to object.


    However, she made even more ambitious plans to earn a lot of money in the future and not let him worry about a book, not to mention here.


    After Zhao''er helped him lay out the paper, he went to find a suitable needle and thread, planning to bind it for him after he finished writing.


    Xue Tingxiang laughed a little, but didn''t say anything. He picked up a pen and began to write seriously on the paper.


    He planned to copy all the books he had memorized, because he found a problem. Since he had that dream, ''Xue Tingxiang'' had more and more influence on him, including the impact on his own memory.


    Especially all the books he has learned since he was a child. He had looked through the memory of that dream before, and he had memorized some of the books in elementary school and even university, but his memory was extremely vague, and he had forgotten many of the more detailed things.


    He thought about the reason, and felt that "he" seemed to be very disgusted with the memory of studying hard in the cold window, so he always adopted an evasive attitude. In addition, the Xue Tingxiang in the dream has lived for more than seventy years. Since he passed the Jinshi examination, he has been obsessed with officialdom battles, but he doesn''t care about his own knowledge.


    After many years, his memory is more about the ups and downs of the officialdom, the various forces in the party struggle, and the speculation of the people, rather than the original essence of a scholar.


    Seriously speaking, ''Xue Tingxiang'' is not a real scholar, he is just a politician.


    But obviously he doesn''t need these things now, as if a young child has a sword, he knows the significance of these things to his future. But today a young child needs nothing more than a piece of clothing, or just food and clothing.


    But these memories have already begun to affect his own memory. He doesn''t want to forget what he has learned. What he needs to do now is to consolidate his memory and combine with ''Xue Tingxiang''''s advanced understanding of many things. This is the right way.


    And the best way to master it is nothing more than copying books.


    Obviously this yellow bamboo paper is of very low quality, the brush strokes should not be light or heavy, the ink will be uneven if it is light, and it will smudge if it is heavy, but Xue Tingxiang writes on it like flowing clouds and flowing water as if there is nothing. The handwriting on it is full and round, and it is extraordinarily majestic.


    Zhao''er held his breath and didn''t even dare to make a sound. His eyes fell on Xue Tingxiang, who was writing vigorously. Suddenly, he had the illusion that a little man had grown up.


    Xue Tingxiang quickly wrote a sheet, and he was about to take it away to dry, Zhao''er quickly took it, and spread it carefully on the kang. Her eyes were attracted by those words. She couldn''t tell how beautiful they were, but felt like a painting.


    And during this period, Xue Tingxiang wrote another one.


    In this way, Xue Tingxiang wrote and asked children to dry it. After a while, the kang was covered with paper.


    A book of the Three Character Classic does not contain more than a thousand characters, and Xue Tingxiang finished it very quickly.


    He put down the pen, took a deep breath, and moved his wrist a few times. He hadn''t written at such a high density for a long time, and it was a challenge to his wrist strength.


    "Actually, I can copy books to subsidize my family." He said suddenly.


    He had been thinking about this for a long time. In his dream, he only read books blindly. He really managed to "keep his ears off the outside world and read only the books of sages and sages".


    The former "he" was helpless and emotional about this situation, but he had more than enough energy, and Zhao''er was really capable, and he had a talent that no one else had in business, and he answered everything in every detail, and never let him go. He worries about money, so he doesn''t think about it anymore.


    Looking back, he realized that ''he'' cared more about this matter than he imagined. Now that he can earn one or two silver coins to support his family, why not give it a try.


    How can a man be raised by a woman, he should be the one who shelters her from the wind and rain. He didn''t understand at this time in the dream, but fortunately he understands now.


    "Copy books to make money?" Zhao''er shook her head again and again: "How can I do that? It''s hard work and hurts my eyes."


    "How can you say so exaggeratedly? Look, I just copied a book in a short while." He organized all the pages of the book into a pile, and gave it to Zhao''er for her to bind.


    "Copying books can not only earn money, but also read books. Why not do it. I remember that there are bookstores in the town that will find some poor scholars to help copy books and sell them. You go to the town tomorrow and bring this book to the bookstore. Look at the shop owner, if it¡¯s feasible, you can help me pick up a book and try it when you come back.¡±


    Having said that, he paused for a moment: "Well, I''ll go with you, and we''ll go to town together tomorrow."


    "Is this really possible?" Zhao''er always hesitates when it comes to matters involving little men.


    "There''s nothing wrong with it."


    *


    Now that the matter was settled, the two of them woke up early the next day and went out without even having breakfast at home.


    Yuqing Village is a small village located under Huyang Town. In fact, Huyang Town is also Huyang Township, just named after the town. There are dozens of villages like this in Huyang Township, and Yuqing Village is one of the larger villages.


    From Yuqing Village to the town, if walking, it takes nearly an hour. If you take an ox cart or a mule cart, it will be faster, and there are carts from the village below to the town every day. Bullock carts are slow and cheap, and you can take one ride for two pennies. Mule carts are expensive, and one person gets four renminbi, but the speed is not comparable to that of ox carts.


    Going out of Yuqing Village, walked to a fork in the road, and walked west for a while, Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang stopped and stood under the big tree by the roadside to wait for the bus.


    Although their clothes were simple, they were both neat and tidy, especially Zhao''er, who was wearing a man''s clothes.


    "It turns out that every time you go out, you have to walk through the vegetable field behind, just to change into this clothes?"


    Zhao''er nodded, feeling a little guilty. But now that she has made a decision, she has prepared for the worst. Fortunately, Xue Tingxiang only showed a trace of surprise when he saw it, but he didn''t show much disgust.


    "It''s more convenient to go out in this way. You can''t recognize me as a girl."


    Xue Tingxiang pursed his lips and glanced at her.


    The young man in front of him looks handsome. From a man''s point of view, he looks a little thinner, but there is really no sign of a daughter''s family. He observed carefully, only to find that Zhao''er had thickened his eyebrows, and he did not know how to do it on his chest, but it became flat.


    She also seemed to find that the little man''s eyes stayed on her chest for too long, Zhao''er explained: "This is too inconvenient, so I wrapped it with a cloth."


    She spoke very disapprovingly, as if she was talking about what we have for lunch, but Xue Tingxiang felt like he was reckless.


    He recalled the dream in which Zhao''er''s breasts were very plump, and he suddenly felt afraid that she would be crushed, so he couldn''t help but ask, "Won''t she be crushed?"


    Zhao''er was a little surprised when she heard that, but she didn''t think too much about it, so she said, "It''s useless anyway."


    Just as she was talking, she saw a mule cart approaching not far away, so she waved there. Naturally, she didn''t notice that Xue Tingxiang''s expression was very strange.


    Seeing that he was riding in a mule cart instead of an ox cart, Xue Tingxiang couldn''t help being a little surprised. He only knew that the mule cart was much more valuable than the ox cart. Zhao''er gave the money for the car, and pulled him into the car: "This car is faster, and it will be here in a while." In fact, Zhao''er was afraid that he would not be able to stand the bumps of the bullock cart after recovering from a serious illness, so he took the mule cart if he had one.


    The middle-aged man driving the car smiled and said, "My little brother is insightful. This car is not only fast, but also stable. It is not comparable to a bullock cart. By the way, this is your brother?"


    Xue Tingxiang, who was called his younger brother, turned dark.


    It''s not surprising that people say that he is Zhao''er''s younger brother, and he is also dressed as a man. He is obviously thinner than Zhao''er, and he is half a head shorter.


    Zhao''er was stunned for a moment, then nodded with a smile: "Yes, it''s my younger brother."


    While speaking, the middle-aged man had already driven the mule cart forward.


    This car is indeed much faster than the bullock cart, and it runs without bumps. The car will stop at intervals to pick up one or two people. This special extended car can seat twelve people. The roof of the car is specially customized, and some not-too-heavy things can be placed on it.


    By the way, the biggest advantage of taking this mule cart is that there is a carriage to keep out the dust, so you don''t have to find a place to pack yourself when you arrive in the town.


    "When I have money in the future, I will also buy this car." Zhao''er couldn''t help but said to Xue Tingxiang, finally showing a little childishness.


    "Will you rush?"


    She froze for a moment, then said: "I can''t rush, I can learn."


    The problem is that you have done everything, even drive the car by yourself, so why do you need a man? Xue Tingxiang thought silently in his heart, and then realized that in his dream, it seemed that he was really useless as a man.


    It seems that he will learn to drive in the future. Xue Tingxiang made a secret decision.


    *


    After the mule cart was full of people, it finally stopped halfway to pick up people.


    After about a quarter of an hour, the city wall of Huyang Town could be seen in the distance.


    The mule cart stopped not far from the city gate, and everyone in the cart got off, Zhao''er took Xue Tingxiang to the town.


    This Huyang Town is neither big nor small. Zhao''er used to go to Dongshi mostly, and Dongshi sells the most groceries, but this time he mainly went to the bookstore, so he was going to Nanshi.


    The former dynasty emphasized civility over military affairs. This kind of folk custom did not die out after the war at the end of the previous dynasty. On the contrary, it was because the Tai/Zu Emperor of Dachang came to power at the beginning because he was a supporter of the civil servants in the previous dynasty. It is popular.


    Even illiterate ordinary people can say that everything is inferior, only reading is high, which is evident.


    Even in a small place like Huyang Town, any family with some spare money would send their children to a private school for two years. It is best to be able to test for fame and fame. If you can''t test for merit and fame, you can get a few words, and the workmanship is cheaper.


    This kind of folk custom has led to quite a few bookstores and book shops in the town. For example, there is a street in Nanshi that sells pens, ink, paper and inkstones, as well as other supporting facilities, all of which are business for scholars.


    Although Zhao''er is not a scholar, she has bought bamboo paper for Xue Tingxiang a few times, so she is familiar with the place. However, she did not lead Xue Tingxiang to go immediately, but went around to a place with a lot of food stalls, found a noodle stall, and planned to go there after breakfast.


    "The meal in the morning is the most important. We missed breakfast because we were in a hurry. Sharpening knives is not a mistake for woodcutters. Let''s go when we are full."


    The owner of the Zhaoerguan noodle stall ordered two bowls of sliced ??noodles.


    This noodle is a unique food in Pingyang Prefecture. It is made of buckwheat noodles and sorghum noodles. It is black and red in color.


    "The sliced ??slices here are very delicious, try it."


    Xue Tingxiang tasted it, and it was really delicious.


    Not to mention the craftsmanship, at least the portion is large, and the ingredients are sufficient, unlike Xue''s food, which is reluctant to put oil and salt, and tastes bland.


    But the price is also expensive, Xue Tingxiang finished a large bowl of jerky slices, and gave eight Wen when he asked his son to settle the bill, which means that this bowl of jerky slices is almost enough to buy half a catty of meat. .


    "Is it delicious?" Zhao''er was still asking him when he was walking towards Nanshi.


    "It''s just a bit expensive."


    It is indeed a little expensive for Xue Tingxiang. He has no pocket money since he was a child, and the only chance to have some money in his hands is the few pennies given by Mr. Xue every year.


    In his dream, these few pennies were really nothing, but it was these two weird thoughts mixed together that made Xue Tingxiang feel weird.


    "Why is it expensive? It''s not expensive. You don''t come to the town often, but you come here once after all. Naturally, I will take you to have a good meal."


    It''s really a good meal, don''t look at Zhao''er''s face without changing her face, but in fact, when she came to the town alone before, she would buy a steamed bun at most when she was hungry.


    She has never been reluctant to bear with herself, and always wants to save more, but she is very willing to bear with Xue Tingxiang, and she is at her wit''s end. So every time Xue Tingxiang thought of everything in his dream, he couldn''t believe that he would be the one who killed his wife and children.


    "When I earn money by copying books, I will bring you to eat every day." He couldn''t help but said.


    The sun had already come out, and the pale golden sunlight shone on the boy''s still immature face. His fair face was like the finest white jade, with fine fluff on it. The slightly pale lips were pursed lightly at this moment, and it could be seen that the young man was a little uncomfortable. He didn''t dare to look directly at her, but looked aside.


    Zhao''er''s smile got bigger and bigger, and he couldn''t help stretching out his hand to rub his head: "Silly dog, you can only make a few money by copying books, how can you come to eat that every day." There was a pampering expression in his expression.


    But the voice was silenced in his dark pupils, and Zhao''er finally realized what he said and did.


    She was a little guilty, and it was strange, she had never been afraid of a little man before, but since he recovered from his illness this time, she has become a little afraid of him occasionally.


    It must be her illusion!


    She withdrew her hand, looked left and right, suddenly her eyes lit up, and said: "Look, we''re here." As she spoke, she walked into the bookstore first.


    The clear voice of the young man caught the eyes of everyone in the hall, including Qiao Xiucai and He Xiucai who were praising each other for humility.


    Xue Juncai raised his head in disbelief, he couldn''t believe that he didn''t even think about it, how could Xue Tingxiang have it.


    I saw that gentle and thin young man with his hands behind his back, walking back and forth in the hall for a few steps, Fang said: "If you take the bait, you are an old man, and if you take the bait, you are a test. The old man takes the test for the children, and the children get the test for the old."


    In fact, Xue Tingxiang is not good at reciting poems and fighting against each other, but he can''t hold back that the person in his dream has lived a long life and has a wide market. There used to be a long-standing joke among scholars¡ª¡ª


    It is said that there was a gray-haired scholar who took the exam, and the examiner knew from his appearance that he was an old boy who had repeatedly failed the exam, so he intentionally made things difficult for him: "I have a couplet, if you can match it, I will take it." you."


    The old boy felt bitter in his heart, but he didn''t dare to give up.


    The chief examiner asked the question: "If you take the bait, you are old; if you take the bait, you are a tester. If you are old, you will be a child, and if you are a child, you will be old."


    The old boy bowed to Rao, and replied: "One person is great, and two are heaven. Heaven is greater than human affection, and human affection is greater than heaven."


    This flattery was so exquisite that the examiner was too embarrassed to go back on his word, so he had no choice but to choose him as a scholar.


    In fact, upon hearing this story, one knew it was made up. Anyone who has participated in the hospital examination should know what the situation will be. How can the examiner take the initiative to test an old student? The examiner and the examinee will not talk to each other, and it is also for avoidance.


    It was obviously made up by a failed scholar, and it was used as a comforting chat, and because it made people laugh, it spread among scholars. It even extended to the fact that any official in the DPRK was released as an academic officer, or presided over a new department examination, and the official who had a good relationship with him could not help telling the last sentence, but don''t be ''human beings are too big''.


    It is not only a joke, but also an exhortation. There have always been many frauds involved in imperial examinations.


    Xue Tingxiang did not expect to hear this pair here.


    He didn''t feel uneasy because this second line was borrowed, because winning Xue Juncai has always been the biggest obsession in his heart.


    It is now, and it was also in the dream.


    In the dream, he was troubled by this matter for a long time, and after all kinds of hard work, he finally felt proud. It was because of the experience that he knew that this kind of obsession affects a person''s xinxing too much. He has a more ambitious goal, and there are still many things to do, but Xue Juncai is just an obstacle to him now, overcoming him is what he needs to do now.


    As for why he discarded the second couplet he came up with and chose to borrow this. Xue Tingxiang took a look at Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong, and thought it was because of his insignificance that he made fun of them with resentment.


    Obviously, only Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong are Tongsheng, and although this pair is perfect, it is obviously ironic. Old students test children, children students test to old age. This is undoubtedly the greatest ridicule and curse for a person who has failed to pass the entrance examination for many years.


    The faces of the two of them immediately turned purple, but they had to hold back. At this time, He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai had already clapped their hands and praised it.


    "Okay, that''s right!"


    It seemed that everyone had forgotten about Xue Juncai. He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai whispered a few times, and then He Xiucai announced: "After the unanimous decision of the two of us, the winner is Xue Tingxiang and Xue Xiaoyou."


    "Xue Xiaoyou, I hope you can work hard and achieve fame as soon as possible." He said to Xue Tingxiang with a pleasant face.


    "Thank you two seniors for your encouragement, I will definitely work harder." Xue Tingxiang bowed to him.


    While He Qiao and Xue Tingxiang were talking, the villagers standing in the hall and outside the house had already started discussing. Most of them are admiration, but of course there are also those who can''t believe it and question it.


    Among them, the Xue family is the most unbelievable, especially Xue Qingshan. He had suppressed it before, but now he couldn''t help it anymore, stood up and said: "Just relying on these to judge victory or defeat, are the two seniors Too hasty?"


    Seeing that both He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai looked over, he flinched a bit, and then became confident again: "The kid''s pair hasn''t been made yet, so the winner is decided like this..."


    He Xiucai showed displeasure on his face, and ignored him, but asked patriarch Xue with a cold old face: "Could it be that patriarch Xue also disagrees with the conclusions of the two of us?"

 Chapter 57

    "Look at Honger, does he look like you?"


    ...


    Xue Tingxiang suddenly felt that someone was shaking him, opened his tired eyes, and saw the dark inner room, Hu San''s face that was no longer young, even the lines on the curtains were so familiar, he knew He was just dreaming.


    It''s just that the dream was too clear, the sorghum fragrance in the air, and the curve of her stubbornly pursed mouth made him feel like he was actually there. There were also her tears from being angry, which were crystal clear and shone with colorful light. He wanted to reach out to touch it, but was woken up by someone.


    "My lord, it''s time to drink the medicine."


    Xue Tingxiang was propped up and given medicine. He was so ill that he had to be taken care of even to drink medicine. How could he look like that extremely human minister Xue Shoufu who had ruled the court for decades.


    Oh no, he is not the chief assistant now.


    He has already written a letter to beg for bones, intending to return to his hometown for the elderly, and the Holy Majesty has already agreed, but he has no home to return to, and no relatives to rely on.


    In fact, he didn''t intend to go back.


    "Master Zhang, Mr. Wang, and Mr. Li and Mr. Cao all came to visit you, but they obeyed your orders and blocked the door. They come every day, and they are here again today. Would you like to see me?"


    What can they do? Didn''t they think that his illness was an expedient measure, waiting for him to stand up and continue to lead them to fight against the emperor, but he was really ill, terminally ill, and the medicine was useless.


    "not see."


    "My lord, please sleep a little longer."


    The room became quiet again, Xue Tingxiang''s eyelids began to get heavy again, he blinked again and again, and fell into sleep again.


    ...


    "How come Mr. Wang is free to visit this old man?"


    Wang Mingcheng''s eyes were a bit complicated, but he smiled on his face: "After all, I am a minister of the same court, and I should come to visit Mr. Shoufu because of emotion and reason."


    "I didn''t expect you, Wang Mingcheng, to say such hypocritical things, but to see if the old man is dying on behalf of the emperor?" Xue Tingxiang sarcastically said.


    He is obviously a haggard old man who is obviously dying, but just because of his calm, indifferent eyes that seem somewhat unpredictable, people dare not ignore him in the slightest.


    After all, this is Xue Shoufu, and the name alone is enough to intimidate everyone. That was Xue Tingxiang''s deep-rooted roots left by him after going through three dynasties and dozens of years, just like a towering ancient tree with intertwined roots, without him doing anything, just standing there is enough to make everyone daunting.


    If not, why would the new emperor have to exhaust all means, but still dare not act rashly, only dare to take that roundabout strategy.


    "It seems that my lord has misunderstood His Majesty a lot."


    Xue Tingxiang snorted and laughed, half closed his eyes, did not speak, and looked obviously too lazy to talk to him.


    "Actually, I''m here for myself. I just came to see how lonely and miserable the villain who abandoned his wife and son was now. I''m afraid Mr. Xue is dead now, and even a descendant in mourning None, in fact, Mr. Xue is too hard to see, it is just a show, just listen to it and watch it, how can you take the fake show as real and make yourself like this? Is it because of a disturbed conscience or fear? His true face is known by the world, he is reviled by others, and he will be stigmatized for thousands of years?"


    "you¡­¡­"


    "To say that you abandoned your wife and son is too much to save your face. It should be killing your wife and son, isn''t it, Mr. Xue?"


    No one knows about all this. The world only knows that Xue Shoufu had a first wife before Mrs. Xue, but they don''t know what happened to that first wife. After all, the time is too long, Xue Tingxiang has stood in the court hall for dozens of years, and his former, former and current opponents have all been trampled under his feet.


    People in the world only know that Mr. Shoufu is friendly and respectful to the corporals, but they don''t know that Mr. Shoufu also has a vicious side. In recent years, anyone who wanted to make a fuss about his past events all became lonely ghosts. No one knows how many ghosts have been added to it, and the only one who can know is Wang Mingsheng, the "bitter master".


    "You, you are..."


    Wang Mingcheng leaned closer to his face: "It''s a pity that my mother''s life is so bad, and so is my life. The sinking ship didn''t kill us, but was saved by others. Do you know that for so many years, day and night, I I want to see this scene every night. It''s a pity that your life is too long, and the power is in the hands of the people. I can only climb up step by step, to the position where I can step on you..."


    "You are... Hong''er..." Xue Tingxiang struggled to say this.


    Wang Mingsheng stood up straight and smiled heartily: "My name is not Hong''er, nor is my surname Xue, but my surname is Wang. My mother remarried, to the person who saved us...don''t get excited, even if You are dead now, and I am not your son..."


    Wang Mingsheng has always been known for being calm and introverted, hiding his secrets, and it was probably the first time he laughed so freely in front of people.


    "By the way, you don''t have to think that even if my official surname is Wang, I can still pass on the family lineage to your Xue family. Let me think about it. Yao Ji released the rumor that my official is as good as Long Yang back then, as if you ordered someone to do it. You really hit the mark, I don¡¯t like women, that¡¯s why I haven¡¯t married for many years..."


    He smiled and looked at the old man on the bed, seeing how shocked, disappointed and remorseful he was.


    But so what?


    He suddenly found that he was not as happy as he had imagined, and even this smile seemed too fake. He suddenly lost interest, flattened the corners of his mouth, brushed off his sleeves, and said, "Since Mr. Xue is fine, I will take my leave."


    ...


    "I didn''t, I didn''t..."


    "My lord, what are you talking about?"


    Hearing this voice, the fog in front of Xue Tingxiang suddenly dissipated, and he woke up suddenly from his dream. In front of the eyes is this dark inner room again, Hu San''s unattractive or even ugly face, the air is filled with a bitter smell of medicine, and there seems to be a decadent smell floating gently.


    Xue Tingxiang moved his lips, but no sound came out.


    "My lord, what did you say?"


    Hu San was very anxious, and kept asking, but Xue Tingxiang couldn''t speak at all. Hu San could only ask based on his own guess: "Are you thinking about the past? Don''t worry, your words have been passed on to Mr. Zhang , he already knows that Lord Wang is your only son, and will follow your instructions."


    Xue Tingxiang blinked his eyelids. Hu San thought he still had something to say, so he put his ear next to his mouth, but only heard one sentence: "I didn''t..."


    After that there is no text.


    When Hu San anxiously looked up, he saw Xue Tingxiang''s wide-open eyes and gray-blue face.


    He moved forward to touch the other person''s breath with shaking hands, but was so startled that he sat down on the ground.


    *


    The cold wind came in through the holed window paper, blowing Xue Gouzi''s face coldly.


    Shocked, he opened his eyes.


    What imprinted in my eyes was a small room with blue brick walls and black tile roof. The walls were plastered with white ash, but it looked gray. The beams of the house are log-colored, and because there is no dust, they are bare/exposed. There are several bamboo baskets hanging on them. There seems to be something in the baskets, and they are covered with blue cloth.


    He was lying on a kang with a half-new quilt covering his body. The quilt looked clean and tidy, but in fact the cotton wadding inside had hardened.


    Facing his kang feet, there is a row of dark brown kang cabinets, with brass bare nails inlaid with hinged leaves and copper tassel handles, and simple patterns of auspicious clouds and flowing water carved on them, which look thick and generous. . Although it is nothing in a rich family, it is already a piece of furniture that can be sold in a peasant family.


    There is no problem passing it down for generations!


    This is what his father said back then, and his father was the best carpenter in the village.


    Xue Gouzi felt his head hurt, as if he had been hit hard with a hoe. He wanted to support himself to sit up, but he was exhausted and fell back onto the kang again.


    It was only then that he realized that he was Xue Gouzi, the eldest son of the second room of the Xue family. Because of something that happened, he couldn''t think about it for a while, and he was so angry that he became ill for a while, and he had been sick for many days.


    He is not Xue Tingxiang, that Xue Tingxiang is the person in his dream.


    How could he be like that?


    In order to prove that all that was just a dream, he raised his hand to look at it.


    really! The hand in front of him was slender and fair, and he hadn''t developed the muscles and bones that a man should have. He was only fourteen this year, how could he live to be over seventy years old, and die in the end.


    Xue Gouzi let out a heavy breath, looked around again, and finally felt more at ease.


    Someone was talking outside, and the voice came in through the cracks in the window.


    "I''m talking about recruiting, it''s not my aunt talking about you, look at what you are now, a girl who stays at home all day, and learns from those small traders to do business. That business is what you can do. Did it? Look at your fourth uncle, you can¡¯t save a lot of money by running around outside every day, so don¡¯t worry about it, and if you have that little time, you can help fourth aunt with some work!¡±


    The voice sounded like a young woman, but the sarcasm in the words was too strong. It is said that appearance is born from the heart, and it is no wonder that Mrs. Sun has a mean face.


    This thought flashed subconsciously in Xue Gouzi''s mind, and then he was stunned. It''s true that he hated Fourth Aunt, but why would he miss her so much?


    Before he could figure out why, he heard the voice in his dream.


    "Fourth aunt, I would like to help you with some work, but you also know that the dog has been ill for a few days, and the family gave a few pennies for the medicine at first, but after taking it for half a month, grandma said that the family The money is not in hand, so I stopped the medicine. Gouzi is my man, I can''t just watch him be so sick, it''s not impossible for the fourth aunt to want me to help with the work, or you can lend me some money to buy medicine, I Can I pay you back slowly in the future?"


    The owner of the voice was a young girl, and the tone revealed a capable and crisp taste, mixed with a bit of teasing.


    That''s right, Zhao''er deliberately ran on the Sun family.


    Mrs. Sun has always had a temperament of only getting in and out, and it is more difficult to ask her to give out a penny, let alone lending it to the two half-children of the second room.


    Now there are only these two people left in the second room, the top door is only fourteen, but there is an older one, only sixteen, and it is still a girl''s family. Every time Mrs. Sun heard the rumors from the villagers that Zhao''er, a dead girl, had made some money by doing some business, she would be full of disbelief.


    What kind of business can this dead girl do to make money, but she digs three melons and two dates from the wild, and takes them out to trick the people in the city into exchanging a few pennies.


    "Your fourth aunt has no money to lend you. Our family''s money is all in mother''s place. You don''t care about mother''s going!" Sun patted her buttocks, stood up and went into the house, too lazy to talk nonsense with Zhao''er.


    "Since the fourth aunt has no money to lend me, and I don''t dare to take care of grandma, I can only figure out where to get some money to get some medicine for the dog!"


    Zhao''er''s voice was very loud, so naturally she was speaking not only to Mrs. Sun, but also to Mrs. Zhao who was sitting in the main room.


    Sure enough, Zhao''er entered the house with his front foot, and Mrs. Zhao stood at the door behind him and scolded Mrs. Sun: "You haven''t cleaned the pigsty, so you''re going back to the house to hold a corpse?"


    Zhao''er curled her lips, lifted the door curtain and walked in, bumping head-on into Xue Gouzi''s eyes looking at her.


    Not long after she fell asleep yesterday, the little man developed a fever again. After being busy for most of the night, luckily the fever subsided in the middle of the night.


    She sat up, raised her hand to touch the little man''s forehead, and made sure that her hands were not hot, then put on her clothes lightly and got off the kang.


    The first thing to do was to open the door, and Heizi, who had been restless for a long time, got out with a swish. Zhao''er also walked out of the room, seeing Heizi hurriedly running out of the courtyard to pee, she shook her head with a broken smile.


    At this time, someone has already got up in the courtyard, it is the Zhou family of the third bedroom and his eldest daughter Xue Tao''er.


    Today it''s the third room''s turn to cook. The Xue family''s rule is that apart from the housework of each room, the work in the office is shared equally. One day per room, in rotation.


    The room responsible for cooking is not only responsible for the food and drink of the whole family, but also takes care of the livestock in the family. The Xue family raised two big fat pigs, and it was not an easy job to just serve these two ancestors every day. Not to mention feeding chickens, carrying water, and chopping firewood, so the female family members who do housework on this day do not have to go to the fields to work.


    It seems to be fair and just, but in fact everyone inside knows how.


    The eldest aunt Yang claimed that the man was a child student, and she was exceptionally superior at home. Since Xue Qingshan passed the child student examination, she never touched housework again. The key is that Mrs. Zhao is also looking towards her, so it''s not easy for others to question her.


    At first, it was Xue Gouzi''s mother, Mrs. Qiu, who finally came in, the third-bedroom Mrs. Zhou, and the two sisters-in-law finally shared the burden. Afterwards, Mrs. Qiu followed her deceased husband, and Mrs. Zhou was left alone. It was not until Mrs. Sun of the fourth room entered the door that she would be able to catch her breath again.


    It''s a pity that Mrs. Sun is lazy and playful. In fact, Mrs. Zhou still does most of the work.


    In the past, when Mrs. Qiu was still alive, Zhao''er also helped Mrs. Qiu to do it. After Mrs. Qiu passed away, Zhao''er was busy with the housework of the second room and had to do the work in the office. In addition, Zhao''er was still young at that time, Mr. Xue told her to take good care of Xue Gouzi and not to take care of the work at work.


    Zhao''er now has free time to go around and get some money, but she is a person who looks at her conscience and will help out as much as she can in her spare time. As for those who used words to squeeze her like Sun, her sharp tongue was not forgiving.


    Seeing Xue Taoer struggling to fetch water from the well, Zhao''er rubbed his face and went up to help her.


    Thirteen-year-old Xue Taoer is like a small flower in bud. Although she is not very beautiful, she is very delicate. Seeing Zhao''er coming to help her, she couldn''t help showing a smile and talking to her: "Sister Zhao''er, is the second brother better?" Xue Gouzi is the second grandson of the Xue family, so Xue Taoer called him the second brother .


    "I had a fever again last night, and it got better in the second half of the night." Zhao''er looked around curiously, and asked, "Why isn''t Third Uncle here?"


    Although Xue Qingbai is a bit honest and reticent, he always loves his wife and daughter. Whenever he meets the third room to cook, he will get up early to fill the water tank.


    The Xue family has its own well, but the well is too deep, and there is no pulley on the well, so it is really exhausting to draw water with the strength of the daughter''s family alone. That is to say, Zhao''er was naturally as strong as an ox, and his strength was no worse than that of ordinary middle-aged men, so he could pull the bucket out of the deep well very easily.


    "My father went to the field and said he would work for a while and return after breakfast."


    Xue Qingbai is an honest farmer. Unlike other brothers in the family who have other skills, he only knows how to farm, so he puts all his heart on the ground. The Xue family has a total of more than 30 mu of land, and now he, Mr. Xue and the fourth son Xue Qinghuai are all planted.


    Although the women of the Xue family also went to the fields, it was only during the busy farming season, and besides, the women only had so little strength, so how could they help. Fortunately, the three men from Xue''s family are all good hands in the field, and they are really too busy, so they hired part-time workers to help out for a few days, so they don''t have to worry about not being able to finish the work in the field.


    Just as he was talking, the door of the fourth room opened, and Xue Qinghuai walked out from inside.


    The men in the Xue family are all big, so Xue Qinghuai also inherited a tall body.


    He was born with thick eyebrows, tiger eyes and a high nose bridge. He was dressed in dark blue coarse cloth and short brown, and looked very heroic. In fact, the men of the Xue family are not bad looking, but the women of the Xue family are a little mediocre, but all the grandchildren are born well, and they are all top-notch in the village.


    "Zhaoer Taoer, you wake up so early." Xue Qinghuai walked over in a few strides, took the wooden bucket in Zhaoer''s hand, walked to the water tank, and poured water into the tank.


    "How can you two little girls do this kind of rough work? You go to do other things, and the fourth uncle is here to fetch water."


    Zhao''er and Tao''er didn''t refuse either, one went to the kitchen to help her mother cook, and the other took a basin to scoop up water for washing.

 Chapter 58

    But he had never had such a clear dream, so clear as if it was real.


    "Dog, why do you think you are so stubborn? Isn''t my money your money? What do you think I earn money for? Isn''t it just to support your studies and make you feel proud?"


    "Why do you say you are so stubborn! You say you are so stubborn, who are you showing your stubbornness to?!"


    "I know you don''t like me, but I''ve been like this for many years, and I can''t change it! I don''t plan to change it either!"


    "Look at Hong''er, does he look like you?"


    ...


    Xue Tingxiang suddenly felt that someone was shaking him, opened his tired eyes, and saw the dark inner room, Hu San''s face that was no longer young, even the lines on the curtains were so familiar, so he knew He was just dreaming.


    It''s just that the dream was too clear, the sorghum fragrance in the air, and the curve of her stubbornly pursed mouth made him feel like he was actually there. There were also her tears from being angry, crystal clear and shining with colorful light, he wanted to reach out to touch it, but someone woke him up.


    "My lord, it''s time to drink the medicine."


    Xue Tingxiang was propped up and given medicine. He was dying of illness, and he had to be served by someone even to drink medicine. How could he look like Xue Shoufu, an extremely human minister who had ruled the court for decades.


    Oh no, he is not the chief assistant now.


    He has already written a letter to beg for the bones, intending to return to his hometown for the elderly, and the Holy Majesty has already agreed, but he has no home to return to, no relatives to rely on.


    In fact, he didn''t intend to go back.


    "Master Zhang, Mr. Wang, and Mr. Li and Mr. Cao all came to visit you, but they obeyed your orders and blocked the door. They come every day, and they are here again today. Would you like to see me?"


    What can they do? Didn''t they think that his illness was an expedient measure, waiting for him to stand up and continue to lead them to fight against the emperor, but he was really ill, terminally ill, and the medicine was useless.


    "not see."


    "My lord, please sleep a little longer."


    The room became quiet again, Xue Tingxiang''s eyelids began to get heavy again, he blinked again and again, and fell into sleep again.


    ...


    "How come Mr. Wang is free to visit this old man?"


    Wang Mingcheng''s eyes were a bit complicated, but he smiled on his face: "After all, I am a minister of the same court, and I should come to visit Mr. Shoufu because of emotion and reason."


    "I didn''t expect you, Wang Mingcheng, to say such hypocritical things, but to see if the old man is dying on behalf of the emperor?" Xue Tingxiang sarcastically said.


    He is obviously a haggard old man who is obviously dying, but just because of his calm, indifferent eyes that seem somewhat unpredictable, people dare not ignore him in the slightest.


    After all, this is Xue Shoufu, and the name alone is enough to intimidate everyone. That was Xue Tingxiang''s deep-rooted roots left by him after going through three dynasties and dozens of years, just like a towering ancient tree with intertwined roots, without him doing anything, just standing there is enough to make everyone daunting.


    If not, why would the new emperor have to exhaust all means, but still dare not act rashly, only dare to take that roundabout strategy.


    "It seems that my lord has misunderstood His Majesty a lot."


    Xue Tingxiang snorted and laughed, half closed his eyes, did not speak, and looked obviously too lazy to talk to him.


    "Actually, I''m here for myself. I just came to see how lonely and miserable the villain who abandoned his wife and son was now. I''m afraid Mr. Xue is dead now, and even a descendant in mourning None, in fact, Mr. Xue is too hard to see, it is just a show, just listen to it and watch it, how can you take the fake show as real and make yourself like this? Is it because of a disturbed conscience or fear? His true face is known by the world, he is reviled by others, and he will be stigmatized for thousands of years?"


    "you¡­¡­"


    "To say that you abandoned your wife and son is too much to save your face. It should be killing your wife and son, isn''t it, Mr. Xue?"


    No one knows about all this. The world only knows that Xue Shoufu had a first wife before Mrs. Xue, but they don''t know what happened to that first wife. After all, the time is too long, Xue Tingxiang has stood in the court hall for dozens of years, and his former, former and current opponents have all been trampled under his feet.


    People in the world only know that Mr. Shoufu is friendly and respectful to the corporals, but they don''t know that Mr. Shoufu also has a vicious side. In recent years, anyone who wanted to make a fuss about his past events all became lonely ghosts. No one knows how many ghosts have been added to it, and the only one who can know is Wang Mingsheng, the "bitter master".


    "You, you are..."


    Wang Mingcheng leaned closer to his face: "It''s a pity that my mother''s life is so bad, and so is my life. The sinking ship didn''t kill us, but was saved by others. Do you know that for so many years, day and night, I I want to see this scene every night. It''s a pity that your life is too long, and the power is in the hands of the people. I can only climb up step by step, to the position where I can step on you..."


    "You are... Hong''er..." Xue Tingxiang struggled to say this.


    Wang Mingsheng stood up straight and smiled heartily: "My name is not Hong''er, nor is my surname Xue, but my surname is Wang. My mother remarried, to the person who saved us...don''t get excited, even if You are dead now, and I am not your son..."


    Wang Mingsheng has always been known for being calm and introverted, hiding his secrets, and it was probably the first time he laughed so freely in front of people.


    "By the way, you don''t have to think that even if my official surname is Wang, I can still pass on the family lineage to your Xue family. Let me think about it. Yao Ji released the rumor that my official is as good as Long Yang back then, as if you ordered someone to do it. You really hit the mark, I don¡¯t like women, that¡¯s why I haven¡¯t married for many years..."


    He smiled and looked at the old man on the bed, seeing how shocked, disappointed and remorseful he was.


    But so what?


    He suddenly found that he was not as happy as he had imagined, and even this smile seemed too fake. He suddenly lost interest, flattened the corners of his mouth, brushed off his sleeves, and said, "Since Mr. Xue is fine, I will take my leave."


    ...


    "I didn''t, I didn''t..."


    "My lord, what are you talking about?"


    Hearing this voice, the fog in front of Xue Tingxiang suddenly dissipated, and he woke up suddenly from his dream. In front of the eyes is this dark inner room again, Hu San''s unattractive or even ugly face, the air is filled with a bitter smell of medicine, and there seems to be a decadent smell floating gently.


    Xue Tingxiang moved his lips, but no sound came out.


    "My lord, what did you say?"


    Hu San was very anxious, and kept asking, but Xue Tingxiang couldn''t speak at all. Hu San could only ask based on his own guess: "Are you thinking about the past? Don''t worry, your words have been passed on to Mr. Zhang , he already knows that Lord Wang is your only son, and will follow your instructions."


    Xue Tingxiang blinked his eyelids. Hu San thought he still had something to say, so he put his ear next to his mouth, but only heard one sentence: "I didn''t..."


    After that there is no text.


    When Hu San anxiously looked up, he saw Xue Tingxiang''s wide-open eyes and gray-blue face.


    He moved forward to touch the other person''s breath with shaking hands, but was so startled that he sat down on the ground.


    *


    The cold wind came in through the holed window paper, blowing Xue Gouzi''s face coldly.


    Shocked, he opened his eyes.


    What imprinted in my eyes was a small room with blue brick walls and black tile roof. The walls were plastered with white ash, but it looked gray. The beams of the house are log-colored, and because there is no dust, they are bare/exposed. There are several bamboo baskets hanging on them. There seems to be something in the baskets, and they are covered with blue cloth.


    He was lying on a kang with a half-new quilt covering his body. The quilt looked clean and tidy, but in fact the cotton wadding inside had hardened.


    Facing his kang feet, there is a row of dark brown kang cabinets, with brass bare nails inlaid with hinged leaves and copper tassel handles, and simple patterns of auspicious clouds and flowing water carved on them, which look thick and generous. . Although it is nothing in a rich family, it is already a piece of furniture that can be sold in a peasant family.


    There is no problem passing it down for generations!


    This is what his father said back then, and his father was the best carpenter in the village.


    Xue Gouzi felt his head hurt, as if he had been hit hard with a hoe. He wanted to support himself to sit up, but he was exhausted and fell back onto the kang again.


    It was only then that he realized that he was Xue Gouzi, the eldest son of the second room of the Xue family. Because of something that happened, he couldn''t think about it for a while, and he was so angry that he became ill for a while, and he had been sick for many days.


    He is not Xue Tingxiang, that Xue Tingxiang is the person in his dream.


    How could he be like that?


    In order to prove that all that was just a dream, he raised his hand to look at it.


    really! The hand in front of him was slender and fair, and he hadn''t developed the muscles and bones that a man should have. He was only fourteen this year, how could he live to be over seventy years old, and die in the end.


    Xue Gouzi let out a heavy breath, looked around again, and finally felt more at ease.


    Someone was talking outside, and the voice came in through the cracks in the window.


    "I''m talking about recruiting, it''s not my aunt talking about you, look at what you are now, a girl who stays at home all day, and learns from those small traders to do business. That business is what you can do. Did it? Look at your fourth uncle, you can¡¯t save a lot of money by running around outside every day, so don¡¯t worry about it, and if you have that little time, you can help fourth aunt with some work!¡±


    The voice sounded like a young woman, but the sarcasm in the words was too strong. It is said that appearance is born from the heart, and it is no wonder that Mrs. Sun has a mean face.


    This thought flashed subconsciously in Xue Gouzi''s mind, and then he was stunned. It''s true that he hated Fourth Aunt, but why would he miss her so much?


    Before he could figure out why, he heard the voice in his dream.


    "Fourth aunt, I would like to help you with some work, but you also know that the dog has been ill for a few days, and the family gave a few pennies for the medicine at first, but after taking it for half a month, grandma said that the family The money is not in hand, so I stopped the medicine. Gouzi is my man, I can''t just watch him be so sick, it''s not impossible for the fourth aunt to want me to help with the work, or you can lend me some money to buy medicine, I Can I pay you back slowly in the future?"


    The owner of the voice was a young girl, and the tone revealed a capable and crisp taste, mixed with a bit of teasing.


    That''s right, Zhao''er deliberately ran on the Sun family.


    Mrs. Sun has always had a temperament of only getting in and out, and it is more difficult to ask her to give out a penny, let alone lending it to the two half-children of the second room.


    Now there are only these two people left in the second room, the top door is only fourteen, but there is an older one, only sixteen, and it is still a girl''s family. Every time Mrs. Sun heard the rumors from the villagers that Zhao''er, a dead girl, had made some money by doing some business, she would be full of disbelief.


    What kind of business can this dead girl do to make money, but she digs three melons and two dates from the wild, and takes them out to trick the people in the city into exchanging a few pennies.


    "Your fourth aunt has no money to lend you. Our family''s money is all in mother''s place. You don''t care about mother''s going!" Sun patted her buttocks, stood up and went into the house, too lazy to talk nonsense with Zhao''er.


    "Since the fourth aunt has no money to lend me, and I don''t dare to take care of grandma, I can only figure out where to get some money to get some medicine for the dog!"


    Zhao''er''s voice was very loud, so naturally she was speaking not only to Mrs. Sun, but also to Mrs. Zhao who was sitting in the main room.


    Sure enough, Zhao''er entered the house with his front foot, and Mrs. Zhao stood at the door behind him and scolded Mrs. Sun: "You haven''t cleaned the pigsty, so you''re going back to the house to hold a corpse?"


    Zhao''er curled her lips, lifted the door curtain and walked in, bumping head-on into Xue Gouzi''s eyes looking at her.


    But after all, he lived older than Xue Tingxiang, so naturally he would not forget to do superficial work.


    He sighed: "The boy was spoiled by his mother, and it''s also my uncle who can''t discipline well. Uncle is here to accompany you."


    Xue Tingxiang hurriedly backed away and said: "Uncle, don''t say that, Ting''er is a junior, he can''t bear it."


    "Ting''er? I didn''t expect you to give yourself a name." Xue Qingshan laughed, and also wanted to point out that Xue Tingxiang''s name was not correct, and he was not as sensible and polite as he appeared on the surface.

 Chapter 59

    By the time Zhao''er arrived at the county seat, it was three o''clock. This is the right time to meet someone. If it''s too early or too late, her second sister may not have time to see her, and she will have to wait for a long time.


    Zhao''er came all the way to the south of the city, before entering the archway where Shen''s house was located, he saw the two large flags more than five feet high erected in front of Shen''s residence.


    This is the banner of Jinshi Jidi, and only someone in the family who has won the Jinshi can set up this banner.


    This fame flagpole is divided into two structures, the flagpole sandwich stone and the flagpole.


    The flagpoles on the flagpoles are also exquisite. If you have a serious background in the imperial examination, and you have passed the Jinshi in the palace examination, you can set up two flagpoles for the flagpoles. If it is the number one scholar, it will be a three-dou flagpole, and if there are high-ranking members of the third rank or higher in the clan, four dou can be set up.


    The two big flags in front of Shen''s house, one is three buckets, the other is four buckets. In other words, the Shen family once had a number one scholar, and had an important minister in the court.


    Zhao''er, a country girl, knows this because her second sister told her when she came to visit her.


    The main entrance, the side entrance, and even the corner entrance were not accessible to Zhao''er with her status. She made a long detour before arriving at the back entrance of Shen''s residence.


    The back door was ajar, and Zhao''er didn''t dare to rush in, so he knocked on the door respectfully.


    The door opened with a creak, and a round woman came out from inside, and asked her, "Who are you looking for?"


    This old lady is just a doorkeeper, but she is also wearing satin gowns and jewelry on her ears and hands, which is enough to show the wealth of the Shen family.


    The Shen family is indeed rich, and in this Xia County, it can be said that they are stomping their feet, and the county is about to tremble three times. The Shen Mansion here is the ancestral home of the Shen family, except for the Shen family''s uncle and second master who are officials outside, the rest of the Shen family live here.


    "Mother-in-law, I''m looking for Sulan. I''m her younger brother. I''m here to see her."


    This woman''s attitude is not warm, but she is not as inferior as a dog''s eye. At least from this trick, it can be seen that the rules of the Shen family must be very strict. She asked Zhao''er to wait, then closed the door and went inside.


    Zhao''er waited for a long time before the back door opened again, and a very beautiful woman came out from inside. I saw her radiant skin, phoenix eyes and vermilion lips, wearing a water-red jacket and a moon-white pleated skirt. A head of black and thick long hair was simply tied up in a bun, with a golden hairpin inserted into it.


    Obviously the clothes are ordinary, and the hair accessories are also ordinary, but wearing all these on her body gives her a sense of beauty that no one else has. Her chest is bulging, but her waist is very thin, she has a good figure.


    This person is Zhao''er''s second sister Wang Zhaodi, but she changed her name to Su Lan in Shen''s residence.


    Zhao''er couldn''t help frowning, since the last time she saw her second sister, her second sister has changed a lot. Not only the material of the clothes, but also the jewelry on his body, his complexion and even his figure have changed a lot.


    She was a little panicked, grabbed Su Lan, and went to the corner where no one was around.


    "Sister, did you really do it?"


    Seeing her younger sister frivolously wrinkling her sleeves, Su Lan asked impatiently, "What can I do or not?"


    "It''s that, that..." Zhao''er hesitated for a while, and then said with a blushing face: "You can''t really be the housekeeper for the sixth young master, right?"


    The corners of Su Lan''s eyes twitched, and the corners of her mouth twitched: "Why do you care about these things?"


    "Sister!" Zhao''er couldn''t help stamping her feet.


    Su Lan looked at her younger sister, and remembered that she was sold by her family back then. Only the third younger sister, Zhao''er, found out her whereabouts from the matchmaker, and walked all day and night to see her by herself. At that time, she was full of panic, Zhao''er''s appearance made her know that she was not alone, and that no one would know that she would not die in this mansion, and she immediately softened her heart.


    She sighed lightly: "Didn''t I tell you before, I won''t go out of the house to go through that kind of hard life. Although I am a housekeeper now, but the sixth young master promised me that when grandma came in, I would give it to me." An aunt will do it."


    Zhao''er was so surprised that she couldn''t believe it. She knew it already, but she was still shocked when she learned from the second sister that she really did such a thing.


    For the first time in her life, she didn''t know what to say, so she hesitated for a while and said, "That''s it? If you treat someone like a child, you will be bullied by the big wife."


    Zhao''er''s only cognition told her that when she was young, she had few days to live comfortably.


    What the younger sister said made Su Lan feel extremely uncomfortable, and she waved her hand nonchalantly. On the snow-white and slender jade fingers, there is a golden opal ring on it, which exudes a faint light and is dazzling in the sun.


    "You don''t understand, and you don''t have to be afraid of me being bullied. As long as the sixth young master is on my side, even if the sixth grandma comes in later, she won''t dare to bully me."


    "Can¡­¡­"


    "Okay, don''t talk about me, your little husband has recovered from his illness? It''s not that I said you, it''s better for you to come into the mansion to be a girl to be my company than to stay in that house and exhaust yourself .Which woman is looking for a man who is not looking for someone who can protect herself. You are fine, but you are working outside to earn money to support your family.¡±


    "Isn''t he still young? Besides, sister, it''s not like you don''t know. If it wasn''t for my mother and father, I''m afraid I would have been sold somewhere long ago. You were lucky enough to be sold into Shen''s residence. But there are also those who are unlucky and sold into that dirty place."


    Su Lan pressed her bright red lips tightly and did not speak.


    She was sold into Shen''s residence back then, it was not explained by good luck.


    In the sparkling eyes of the phoenix, all kinds of light returned to silence. She let out a breath and scolded: "That''s why I don''t want to see you the most. Every time you come, you make me angry and make me troubled."


    Zhao''er kicked the pebbles under his feet: "I just thought I haven''t seen you for a long time, so I came here to have a look at you."


    "How are you doing? The Xue family didn''t make things difficult for you, right? Just wait, when my sister becomes the sixth young master''s aunt, whoever bullies you in the future, I will help you deal with him."


    Zhao''er heard it warmly in her heart, and couldn''t help leaning over, hugging Su Lan''s slender waist coquettishly: "Sister, don''t worry, I''m so aggressive, who dares to bully me. You don''t know that the Xue family is such a moth." too much¡­¡­"


    She recounted what happened to Xue''s family recently.


    The corners of Su Lan''s mouth curled up when she heard this, and she said sarcastically: "So this is the human heart. Don''t try to test the human heart, it will usually disappoint you. Don''t rely on others, what you hold in your hands is the truth."


    Su Lan is a bit extreme, but Zhao''er knows why the second sister is like this. In fact, occasionally she will be extreme, but she rarely speaks out.


    "Then what do you do now? If your little man really loses, then he won''t be able to go to school? Have you ever thought about this matter, if you win, if you lose, it will be hard for the two of you The Xue family has a foothold."


    Of course Zhao''er understood this truth. She stood up straight and smiled: "Sister, I know. Don''t worry, I plan to find another way to do business. At worst, the two of us will be alone. Dog likes to learn, so let him learn." , until I can''t afford it anymore."


    Su Lan poked her forehead with her jade finger, hating iron and steel: "You still can''t confess, how old are you? After a day of good life, I think I can''t confess. Come on, don''t tell me The second sister doesn''t feel sorry for you, I have someone I know who is the third shopkeeper in ''He Rongsheng'', if you go to him, he can at least find a way for you to make some money."


    ''Herongsheng'' is the name of the pawn shop, there are many branches in Binh Duong Province, and there is one in Huyang Township. Zhao''er usually comes and goes in the town, so he has naturally heard of this name.


    "This is the Shen family''s business with Rongsheng? Sister, how do you know the three shopkeepers?"


    Su Lan''s eyes flashed a hint of complexity, and she said impatiently: "Don''t worry about it, you can go directly to a man named Shen Ping. Well, I won''t tell you anymore, the sixth young master will have lunch later Now, I have to go and wait, lest those little hoofs rush to the front to show courteousness again."


    After a pause, she took out something from her sleeve and stuffed it into Zhao''er''s hand: "Take it, it doesn''t matter if you really lose, let''s do it by ourselves first. The Shen family''s genealogy is famous in the whole Pingyang Mansion. Sister will become an aunt in the future, and see if I can ask the Sixth Young Master to let your little man come in as a companion or something. I really owe you in my previous life, and I have to worry about everything."


    Su Lan''s figure quickly disappeared through the door.


    Zhao''er stood where he was, looking down at the silver ingot in his hand. After a long time, Fang grabbed it tightly and left.


    *


    Zhao''er didn''t know where He Rongsheng in the county was, she had inquired along the way.


    When we got there, it was a coincidence that the third shopkeeper named Shen Ping was there.


    Shen Ping is a very young boy with a good appearance, very mature and stable. He was wearing a dark blue straight gown, and looked about twenty years old, but he did not expect to be the shopkeeper of a pawnshop.


    When he heard about Zhao''er''s purpose, his eyes flashed: "You are Zhao''er, I heard your sister said about you."


    Zhao''er didn''t expect that the second sister would tell Shen Ping her name, and she smelled something unusual. While speaking, Shen Ping had already led her in.


    "When your sister told me about you before, I was thinking about what kind of business would allow you to do it for a long time. After thinking about it, I think selling old clothes is quite suitable for a girl like you."


    The second sister even told her gender to the other party''s surprise, it didn''t last long, Zhao''er''s attention was attracted by Shen Ping''s words.


    "What is selling used clothes?"


    "You should know what a pawnshop is for. This pawnshop accepts everything, and you can pawn anything. The current period is divided into dead pawns and live pawns. If it is a live pawn, it means that the other party will come to redeem it. If it is a dead pawn, it means that the things are not needed. Of course, there are also those who do not redeem their living debts within the time limit, and naturally they become death debts.


    "These things are accepted by the pawn shop and exchanged for money to the owner. Naturally, they will be resold. For example, some old clothes that come from pawns are directly sold to embroidery workshops or garment shops. If you are willing to do this business, you can buy them from Take some old clothes here and sell them back."


    Following Shen Ping''s narration, Zhao''er''s eyes flickered again and again, and he asked, "Then I don''t know what the price is? Is it calculated on a piece-by-piece basis, or what? Since it''s an old clothes, surely it won''t be as expensive as a new one, right?"


    Shen Ping glanced at her: "You are very smart." He turned around and went to layman: "Come with me, I will take you to have a look."


    Zhao''er followed him all the way back, the yard behind the pawn shop was huge, it looked like it was a warehouse.


    On the way, he met a lot of people in pawnshops, and they were all respectful when they saw Shen Ping. Zhao''er followed him to a warehouse, but neither of them went in. A man who looked like a buddy dragged a large bag of things out, and opened the door in front of it.


    This big bag is full of clothes, some are worn out, some are 80% or 90% new, and some are even brand new. It seems that they have not been worn twice. The texture of the clothes is also various, some are made of cotton, some are made of silk, some are made of silk, but they are all of good quality, anyway, they are better than the coarse cloth clothes Zhao''er is wearing.

 Chapter 60

    Zhao''er has never been a person who likes to ask for troubles. She turned her head and saw that the cow dung in the house hadn''t been cleaned up, so she went to find a brush to clean the kang, and then went out to get a broom and a dustpan to sweep the floor.


    Chickens clucked and clucked outside, but it was Mrs. Sun who slaughtered the chicken and made it run away.


    Xue Tingxiang looked out the window, and saw that the chicken''s neck was still bleeding, but it was running around in the yard, and Mrs. Sun followed behind in a panic.


    Seeing that she was really in a bad shape, Mrs. Zhao came out of the room and said a few words. Mrs. Sun was even more anxious, and knew that she was really ashamed in front of the patriarch, but the chicken had wings, but she didn''t. It was only when the chicken lost its strength that Mrs. Sun grabbed it and cursed, "Run, run, it''s destined to be a dish in the pot. Where are you going?"


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t look any further, and looked back.


    He knew why his uncle was so generous and asked him to compete with Xue Juncai, because if there were no accidents, Xue Juncai would definitely win this match.


    In that dream, he had suffered such a loss, but it was not compared with Xue Juncai, but Zhao''er worked so hard to get money and sent him to Qinghe Academy. At that time, he was so stupid that he always blamed his own failure on the harshness of fate, thinking that it was not that he could not do it, but that everyone did not give him a chance.


    When he first entered the Qinghe Academy, he was full of ambition. He thought that he would definitely surpass Xue Juncai and prove that he was the most outstanding person in the Xue family, but the reality slapped him hard in the face. It was also at that time that he, who had never seen the world, understood the sinister intentions of his uncle. He did teach him to read, and he did ''read'' a lot of books, but he just read and didn''t understand the meaning of the scriptures.


    It was later learned that after schoolchildren learn to read, they use reading scriptures as the basis.


    First learn "Three Character Classic", "Hundred Surnames", "Thousand Characters", and then "Thousand Family Poems", "Children''s Learning Qionglin", "Longwenbianying", etc. After reading these, you can enter university and start Study and read the Four Books and Five Classics, etc.


    But at this stage, the teacher does not explain the meaning of the scriptures, that is to say, he just memorizes them by rote, clarifying the meaning of the words but not the meaning of the scriptures. Because people nowadays are used to thinking that children are just learning, it doesn¡¯t matter whether they understand it or not, as long as they remember it, and when they read a lot or for a long time, they will understand what it means.


    This is the so-called reading a thousand times, and its meaning is self-evident.


    When you can recite all these books fluently, and when you can learn to interpret the scriptures, you will get twice the result with half the effort.


    This time-saving, labor-saving and effective teaching mode is popular throughout Dachang, ranging from famous families to low-level sociology and village studies, and many of them are like this. This is especially popular in rural private schools, because there is only one teacher in the school, but it is not realistic to teach several or even dozens of people to explain the scriptures.


    But in fact, aristocratic families with some background would never teach their children this way. Because this teaching mode blindly emphasizes rote memorization, but ignores the truth that the classics are natural and logical.


    This is the pros and cons that ''he'' analyzed from the perspective of the overall situation after standing in the position of chief assistant.


    But at that time, he had just entered the library, because his uncle delayed explaining the meaning of the scriptures for him, and he didn''t understand that there was still a theory of explaining the scriptures. So when he first entered school, the teacher asked him if he had read it, and he replied that he had read it, but he couldn''t understand the scriptures.


    But now, it seems that the uncle is also aware of his own shortcomings, so he deliberately proposes this match, but in fact, he has already planned it, and he is destined to lose.


    Unfortunately, there was an accident.


    *


    Because there were guests at home, except for Mr. Xue and Xue Qingshan and his son, everyone was busy.


    After eating in the main room, the kitchen will start cooking other people''s lunch.


    During the period, Xue Taoer was also ordered to drink. There was wine and meat at the banquet in the main room, and the men exchanged glasses, and there was no way to see that there was any cleverness in the usual times. Especially Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng, the two drank very affectionately, and in the end they both got a little drunk.


    "Okay, don''t send it off, you''ll be there soon." Patriarch Xue waved his hand.


    After sending everyone out of the courtyard, this side started to clear the table and prepare meals. Mrs. Zhao originally wanted to take away the leftover meat and vegetables, but was stopped by Mr. Xue, saying that he was adding vegetables to everyone. People in the country are not rich, and it is commonplace for distinguished guests to leave and eat leftovers.


    The adults are all fine, Shuanzi and Maodan are eating deliciously.


    Zhao''er wanted to take the meal back to the house to eat, but was stopped by Xue Tingxiang, the two just kept their heads down and ate as before, without saying anything.


    Xue Juncai gave Xue Tingxiang a disdainful look.


    He had just accompanied Xue Qingshan to the table, and naturally he ate a lot of good food on the table, seeing that Xue Tingxiang could only eat leftovers, he was naturally full of sarcasm.


    He remembered what his father said to him before, Xue Gouzi would never win him.


    Thinking in his heart, he looked away, and said to Mr. Xue who was on the kang, "Grandpa, I''m going back to the house to read."


    Mr. Xue nodded. He also drank a little too much before, and now he is leaning on the kang smoking a cigarette to hangover.


    "Dog, eat more, brother is still waiting for you to beat me in five days." Xue Juncai suddenly said this when passing by Xue Tingxiang.


    Zhao''er immediately stood up and stared at him: "Can you talk? You''ve read the dog''s stomach after so many years of reading."


    Xue Juncai didn''t expect Zhao''er to show him such shame, his gentle face flushed red, but for some reason, he glanced at Zhao''er and held back.


    Mr. Xue shouted: "Juncai go back to the house!"


    Mrs. Zhou also hurriedly stood up to persuade Zhao''er, that''s all.


    After dinner, the two went back to the second room, and Zhao''er was still angry: "Don''t be angry, dog. When sister earns money, I will take you to the house and won''t be with them anymore."


    Xue Tingxiang was a little moved, but at the same time a little helpless: "You called me a dog again."


    Zhao''er groaned, then smiled and said: "I forgot, it won''t be like this in the future."


    Naturally, he couldn''t be angry with her, and then Zhao''er took the two clothes she changed yesterday and went out to wash, while Xue Tingxiang turned over the "Children''s Learning Qionglin" again.


    Looking at the book in his hand, which was transcribed on the worst bamboo paper and the footers were worn away, Xue Tingxiang felt a little worried. He actually didn''t want to read books, but Zhao''er couldn''t help but think that he should read more books now, and only by reading more books can he win against Xue Juncai more confidently.


    Little did he know that this book was different from the book, and it was useless to just read this book, but he would not tell her about it.


    He dug out the bamboo paper that Zhao''er bought for him from the kang cabinet. The cheapest bamboo paper cost 40 cents a knife. Such ''expensive'' paper was barely enough for practicing calligraphy. Even so, he is very precious at ordinary times, and he is reluctant to use it at all. If he can write on the sand, he will write on the sand, and if he can''t use the sand, he will write on the desk with water.


    Xue Tingxiang touched the stack of yellowed bamboo paper and sighed in his heart.


    ''Xue Tingxiang'' usually uses the highest quality Chengxin paper, so at this time he feels a little disgusted with the things that are usually precious.


    He spread out the papers on the kang table, stacked several sheets, and then cut them into the size of a book with a bamboo knife. In order to make room for the edge seam, he left some leeway and cut a thick stack before he found the inkstone with a corner missing and the ink ingot that had been used up and only a small piece remained.


    These are treasures that he is reluctant to use at ordinary times, but Xue Tingxiang doesn''t feel this way at all today. He added water to the inkstone, and then took the ink ingot to grind the ink, while grinding, he was thinking about something.


    After grinding the ink, he put the bald hair brush in the water bowl and wet it to clean it. After dipping in enough ink, he picked up the pen and wrote something on the paper.


    After writing a few words, he suddenly put down the pen, lifted the paper to look at it, and suddenly crumpled it.


    Mingming''s handwriting is fairly neat. Although he usually saves paper and ink, but because of years of hard work, his handwriting is not bad, but for some reason he just doesn''t like it.


    He closed his eyes slowly, calmed down for a while, and opened them again after a while. At this time, there was no one in the room, and anyone who was there could see a gleam of light flashing in Xue Tingxiang''s eyes. At the same time, his movement of grasping the pen was fast and steady, and with the help of a god, he wrote a series of small characters on the paper in a short time.


    These small characters suddenly became Yan style, then turned into pavilion style, and then turned into thin gold style again. At first, they were both tangible and boneless, but as they were written, their taste changed.


    The face and body are square and dense, the brushwork is thick, straight, open and full of vigor. That pavilion is physically strong and graceful, as if it was carved out of a block. And the thin gold body, the gold hook and iron painting, is full of arrogance, and the strokes are as sharp as cutting gold and jade.


    These three characters represent the whole life of ''Xue Tingxiang'', from the Yan style learned at the beginning of school, to the Guange style studied painstakingly for the imperial examination, to the thin gold style of the official residence.


    And so he wrote, oblivious to himself. Zhao''er came in during the period, but he didn''t dare to disturb him, so he quietly sat down on the edge of the kang.


    After writing for an unknown amount of time, he suddenly let out a long breath and put down his pen.


    He wrote two full sheets of paper.


    At this time, Xue Tingxiang had to admit that the magic of heaven was just a dream, and he actually possessed some of the things that he had in the dream.


    From the moment this dream appeared, Xue Tingxiang had been thinking about why he had such a dream. Now he understands, maybe he just wants him to make up for all the unsatisfactory dreams.


    And possessing everything of the "him" in the dream, he suddenly had great ambitions, and a surge of arrogance lingered in his heart.


    "I''m tired of writing, drink some water."


    Zhao''er brought water, Xue Tingxiang took it, and drank it in one gulp, it was very sweet.


    Only then did he lower his head to look at what he had written, and he actually spent two sheets of bamboo paper. Probably because Zhao''er was by his side, he suddenly remembered that she used to save money to buy paper for him, and felt a little distressed and guilty. He glanced at her and said in a low voice, "I actually wrote so much."


    How could Zhao''er not understand what he was thinking, so he chuckled and said, "Not much, not much, only two sheets. Paper is for use. I told you not to save paper a long time ago. It is used up. Let''s just buy it again."


    "I want to transcribe this book, so I try to write first, so as not to waste paper."


    "What book do you want to copy? Can you copy books too? Don''t you buy them?" Zhao''er was puzzled.


    Xue Tingxiang sighed in his heart. He really felt that he was really stupid before. He would rather borrow books from his uncle every time, or memorize them by rote, and never thought of copying books.


    Nowadays, the books sold in bookstores are rarely printed and expensive, so an industry of copying books has emerged. In this way, not only some poor scholars can get some money in exchange, but also those who want to buy books but suffer from poor pockets can get cheap.


    Of course, this copying is not something that can be done casually, it needs to be written very well.


    Xue Tingxiang boasted that his handwriting was not bad. Back then, many people begged for his calligraphy. Now that he needs a book, why can''t he copy it himself.


    the most important is--


    He glanced at Zhao''er.


    A young man was walking on the path in the village.


    He was dressed in a blue jacket, as if he hadn''t seen the sun for a long time, and his skin was weak and pale. The body is also slender and thin, but his expression is calm and calm. He is obviously wearing shabby clothes, and the path in the village is uneven, and there are even cow dung and chicken dung, but it just makes him feel like walking in the garden.


    It was the time of spring plowing, and everyone was busy plowing the fields at the moment, and there were hardly any people on the road in the village. Occasionally, a woman who is doing work in the yard sees the person walking on the road from a distance, and only after a few fixed eyes does she recognize who it is.


    "Dog, where is this going?"


    Xue Tingxiang looked at the woman who was talking to him, and said with a smile: "Auntie, I''ll just walk around."


    It was just a casual sentence, the woman didn''t say anything more to him, she turned to get something in the room, the mother-in-law in the room asked her: "Third daughter-in-law, who were you talking to just now?"


    "The dog from the second bedroom of Xue Lianxing''s family. Hey, mother, it''s strange to say that I didn''t recognize him when he knocked on the door just now. I always feel like a different person."


    Her mother-in-law didn''t take it seriously: "What can you become, but you can''t change your body, I remember that kid has been ill recently."


    The daughter-in-law said: "I see, maybe I plan to go to the back mountain." There is a mountain behind Yuqing Village, where all the dead villagers in the village are buried, and the Xue family''s ancestral grave is also there.


    Hearing this, her mother-in-law sighed: "Don''t even mention it, it''s a pity for the second child of the Xing family. Both of them are gone. It''s a pity to leave a baby."


    This is just gossip between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and while they were talking, Xue Tingxiang had already brought Heizi into the back mountain.


    *


    Houshan is called Houshan, the mountain behind Yuqing Village.


    This mountain has no name, and the mountain is not high, but it is extremely deep. Anyway, so far, no villager has been able to walk back and forth from this deep mountain and old forest, most of them are activities outside the mountain.

 Chapter 61

    Since Xue Tingxiang made up his mind to copy the book, Zhao''er had no reason to object.


    But she even made a big wish, to earn a lot of money in the future, and not to let him worry about a book, not to mention here.


    After Zhao''er laid out the paper for him, she went to find a suitable needle and thread, planning to bind it for him after he finished writing.


    Xue Tingxiang laughed a little, but didn''t say anything. He picked up a pen and began to write seriously on the paper.


    He planned to copy all the books he had memorized, because he found a problem. Since he had that dream, ''Xue Tingxiang'' had a deeper and deeper influence on him, including the influence on his own memory.


    Especially all the books he has learned since he was a child. He had flipped through the memory of that dream before, and he had memories of some bibliographies in elementary school and even college, but his memory was extremely vague, and many of the more detailed things had been forgotten.


    He thought about the reason, and felt that "he" seemed to be very disgusted with the memory of studying hard in the cold window, so he always adopted an evasive attitude. In addition, the Xue Tingxiang in the dream has lived for more than seventy years. Since he passed the Jinshi examination, he has been obsessed with officialdom battles, but he doesn''t care about his own knowledge.


    After many years, his memory is more about the ups and downs of the officialdom, the various forces in the party struggle, and the speculation of the people, rather than the original essence of a scholar.


    Seriously speaking, ''Xue Tingxiang'' is not a real scholar, he is just a politician.


    But obviously he doesn''t need these things now, as if a young child has a sword, he knows the significance of these things to his future. But today a young child needs nothing more than a piece of clothing, or just food and clothing.


    But these memories have already begun to affect his own memory. He doesn''t want to forget what he has learned. What he needs to do now is to consolidate his memory and combine with ''Xue Tingxiang''''s advanced understanding of many things. This is the right way.


    And the best way to master it is nothing more than copying books.


    Obviously this yellow bamboo paper is of very low quality, the brush strokes should not be light or heavy, the ink will be uneven if it is light, and it will smudge if it is heavy, but Xue Tingxiang writes on it like flowing clouds and flowing water as if there is nothing. The handwriting on it is full and round, and it is extraordinarily majestic.


    Zhao''er held his breath and didn''t even dare to make a sound. His eyes fell on Xue Tingxiang, who was writing vigorously. Suddenly, he had the illusion that a little man had grown up.


    Xue Tingxiang quickly wrote a sheet, and he was about to take it away to dry, Zhao''er quickly took it, and spread it carefully on the kang. Her eyes were attracted by those words. She couldn''t tell how beautiful they were, but felt like a painting.


    And during this period, Xue Tingxiang wrote another one.


    In this way, Xue Tingxiang wrote and asked children to dry it. After a while, the kang was covered with paper.


    A book of the Three Character Classic does not contain more than a thousand characters, and Xue Tingxiang finished it very quickly.


    He put down the pen, took a deep breath, and moved his wrist a few times. He hadn''t written at such a high density for a long time, and it was a challenge to his wrist strength.


    "Actually, I can copy books to subsidize my family." He said suddenly.


    He had been thinking about this for a long time. In his dream, he only read books blindly. He really managed to "keep his ears off the outside world and read only the books of sages and sages".


    The former "he" was helpless and emotional about this situation, but he had more than enough energy, and Zhao''er was really capable, and he had a talent that no one else had in business, and he answered everything in every detail, and never let him go. He worries about money, so he doesn''t think about it anymore.


    Looking back, he realized that ''he'' cared more about this matter than he imagined. Now that he can earn one or two silver coins to support his family, why not give it a try.


    How can a man be raised by a woman, he should be the one who shelters her from the wind and rain. He didn''t understand at this time in the dream, but fortunately he understands now.


    "Copy books to make money?" Zhao''er shook her head again and again: "How can I do that? It''s hard work and hurts my eyes."


    "How can you say so exaggeratedly? Look, I just copied a book in a short while." He organized all the pages of the book into a pile, and gave it to Zhao''er for her to bind.


    "Copying books can not only earn money, but also read books. Why not do it. I remember that there are bookstores in the town that will find some poor scholars to help copy books and sell them. You go to the town tomorrow and bring this book to the bookstore. Look at the shop owner, if it¡¯s feasible, you can help me pick up a book and try it when you come back.¡±


    Having said that, he paused for a moment: "Well, I''ll go with you, and we''ll go to town together tomorrow."


    "Is this really possible?" Zhao''er always hesitates when it comes to matters involving little men.


    "There''s nothing wrong with it."


    *


    Now that the matter was settled, the two of them woke up early the next day and went out without even having breakfast at home.


    Yuqing Village is a small village located under Huyang Town. In fact, Huyang Town is also Huyang Township, just named after the town. There are dozens of villages like this in Huyang Township, and Yuqing Village is one of the larger villages.


    From Yuqing Village to the town, if walking, it takes nearly an hour. If you take an ox cart or a mule cart, it will be faster, and there are carts from the village below to the town every day. Bullock carts are slow and cheap, and you can take one ride for two pennies. Mule carts are expensive, and one person gets four renminbi, but the speed is not comparable to that of ox carts.


    Going out of Yuqing Village, walked to a fork in the road, and walked west for a while, Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang stopped and stood under the big tree by the roadside to wait for the bus.


    Although their clothes were simple, they were both neat and tidy, especially Zhao''er, who was wearing a man''s clothes.


    "It turns out that every time you go out, you have to walk through the vegetable field behind, just to change into this clothes?"


    Zhao''er nodded, feeling a little guilty. But now that she has made a decision, she has prepared for the worst. Fortunately, Xue Tingxiang only showed a trace of surprise when he saw it, but he didn''t show much disgust.


    "It''s more convenient to go out in this way. You can''t recognize me as a girl."


    Xue Tingxiang pursed his lips and glanced at her.


    The young man in front of him looks handsome. From a man''s point of view, he looks a little thinner, but there is really no sign of a daughter''s family. He observed carefully, only to find that Zhao''er had thickened his eyebrows, and he did not know how to do it on his chest, but it became flat.


    She also seemed to find that the little man''s eyes stayed on her chest for too long, Zhao''er explained: "This is too inconvenient, so I wrapped it with a cloth."


    She spoke very disapprovingly, as if she was talking about what we have for lunch, but Xue Tingxiang felt like he was reckless.


    He recalled the dream in which Zhao''er''s breasts were very plump, and he suddenly felt afraid that she would be crushed, so he couldn''t help but ask, "Won''t she be crushed?"


    Zhao''er was a little surprised when she heard that, but she didn''t think too much about it, so she said, "It''s useless anyway."


    Just as she was talking, she saw a mule cart approaching not far away, so she waved there. Naturally, she didn''t notice that Xue Tingxiang''s expression was very strange.


    Seeing that he was riding in a mule cart instead of an ox cart, Xue Tingxiang couldn''t help being a little surprised. He only knew that the mule cart was much more valuable than the ox cart. Zhao''er gave the money for the car, and pulled him into the car: "This car is faster, and it will be here in a while." In fact, Zhao''er was afraid that he would not be able to stand the bumps of the bullock cart after recovering from a serious illness, so he took the mule cart if he had one.


    The middle-aged man driving the car smiled and said, "My little brother is insightful. This car is not only fast, but also stable. It is not comparable to a bullock cart. By the way, this is your brother?"


    Xue Tingxiang, who was called his younger brother, turned dark.


    It''s not surprising that people say that he is Zhao''er''s younger brother, and he is also dressed as a man. He is obviously thinner than Zhao''er, and he is half a head shorter.


    Zhao''er was stunned for a moment, then nodded with a smile: "Yes, it''s my younger brother."


    While speaking, the middle-aged man had already driven the mule cart forward.


    This car is indeed much faster than the bullock cart, and it runs without bumps. The car will stop at intervals to pick up one or two people. This special extended car can seat twelve people. The roof of the car is specially customized, and some not-too-heavy things can be placed on it.


    By the way, the biggest advantage of taking this mule cart is that there is a carriage to keep out the dust, so you don''t have to find a place to pack yourself when you arrive in the town.


    "When I have money in the future, I will also buy this car." Zhao''er couldn''t help but said to Xue Tingxiang, finally showing a little childishness.


    "Will you rush?"


    She froze for a moment, then said: "I can''t rush, I can learn."


    The problem is that you have done everything, even drive the car by yourself, so why do you need a man? Xue Tingxiang thought silently in his heart, and then realized that in his dream, it seemed that he was really useless as a man.


    It seems that he will learn to drive in the future. Xue Tingxiang made a secret decision.


    *


    After the mule cart was full of people, it finally stopped halfway to pick up people.


    After about a quarter of an hour, the city wall of Huyang Town could be seen in the distance.


    The mule cart stopped not far from the city gate, and everyone in the cart got off, Zhao''er took Xue Tingxiang to the town.


    This Huyang Town is neither big nor small. Zhao''er used to go to Dongshi mostly, and Dongshi sells the most groceries, but this time he mainly went to the bookstore, so he was going to Nanshi.


    The former dynasty emphasized civility over military affairs. This kind of folk custom did not die out after the war at the end of the previous dynasty. On the contrary, it was because the Tai/Zu Emperor of Dachang came to power at the beginning because he was a supporter of the civil servants in the previous dynasty. It is popular.


    Even illiterate ordinary people can say that everything is inferior, only reading is high, which is evident.


    Even in a small place like Huyang Town, any family with some spare money would send their children to a private school for two years. It is best to be able to test for fame and fame. If you can''t test for merit and fame, you can get a few words, and the workmanship is cheaper.


    This kind of folk custom has led to quite a few bookstores and book shops in the town. For example, there is a street in Nanshi that sells pens, ink, paper and inkstones, as well as other supporting facilities, all of which are business for scholars.


    Although Zhao''er is not a scholar, she has bought bamboo paper for Xue Tingxiang a few times, so she is familiar with the place. However, she did not lead Xue Tingxiang to go immediately, but went around to a place with a lot of food stalls, found a noodle stall, and planned to go there after breakfast.


    "The meal in the morning is the most important. We missed breakfast because we were in a hurry. Sharpening knives is not a mistake for woodcutters. Let''s go when we are full."


    The owner of the Zhaoerguan noodle stall ordered two bowls of sliced ??noodles.


    This noodle is a unique food in Pingyang Prefecture. It is made of buckwheat noodles and sorghum noodles. It is black and red in color.


    "The sliced ??slices here are very delicious, try it."


    Xue Tingxiang tasted it, and it was really delicious.


    Not to mention the craftsmanship, at least the portion is large, and the ingredients are sufficient, unlike Xue''s food, which is reluctant to put oil and salt, and tastes bland.


    But the price is also expensive, Xue Tingxiang finished a large bowl of jerky slices, and gave eight Wen when he asked his son to settle the bill, which means that this bowl of jerky slices is almost enough to buy half a catty of meat. .


    "Is it delicious?" Zhao''er was still asking him when he was walking towards Nanshi.


    "It''s just a bit expensive."


    It is indeed a little expensive for Xue Tingxiang. He has no pocket money since he was a child, and the only chance to have some money in his hands is the few pennies given by Mr. Xue every year.


    In his dream, these few pennies were really nothing, but it was these two weird thoughts mixed together that made Xue Tingxiang feel weird.


    "Why is it expensive? It''s not expensive. You don''t come to the town often, but you come here once after all. Naturally, I will take you to have a good meal."


    It''s really a good meal, don''t look at Zhao''er''s face without changing her face, but in fact, when she came to the town alone before, she would buy a steamed bun at most when she was hungry.


    She has never been reluctant to bear with herself, and always wants to save more, but she is very willing to bear with Xue Tingxiang, and she is at her wit''s end. So every time Xue Tingxiang thought of everything in his dream, he couldn''t believe that he would be the one who killed his wife and children.

 Chapter 62

    Zhao''er was familiar with the boss, and greeted her with a smile as soon as she entered the door. The strange thing was that the boss recognized her, and when he saw her, he smiled and asked her if she came to buy paper for her brother.


    Bringing this up is old stuff.


    At the beginning, Zhao''er felt sorry for Xue Tingxiang, so she saved some money to buy paper for him to practice calligraphy. Who would have thought that this paper was much more expensive than she imagined. Even the worst yellow bamboo paper costs 40 Wen a knife, but that day Zhaoer collected all the money on his body, but only 30 Wen.


    In order to get the boss to sell the paper to her at a lower price, Zhao''er worked with the boss for a long time. He even made up the pretense that he has a hard-working younger brother, but unfortunately both parents died and his family was poor, so the boss agreed to sell it to her cheaply. Later, she came to buy it several times, all at the previous price, but she became acquainted with Boss Chen.


    Boss Chen praised her as a noble character, earning hard money, but still supporting her younger brother''s education, and she usually buys paper half-buy and half-free when she comes to buy paper.


    Normally, Zhao''er would accept it with a cheeky face, but today, with Xue Tingxiang around, she was inevitably a little embarrassed, for fear that Boss Chen would slip up and make the little man look down on her for lying.


    Zhao''er has suffered, so she knows the skills of survival, but the little man doesn''t, especially the scholar is very pedantic, so every time she encounters such a situation where the two people''s ideas conflict, she will always subconsciously go away. Avoid these.


    Within a day, two people said that they were his younger brothers, which made Xue Tingxiang very unhappy. Naturally, he didn''t notice Zhao''er''s hidden thoughts. When he came back to his senses, Zhao''er had already talked with the boss, and even showed him the copy of "Hundred Surnames" that he had copied overnight.


    "This is your brother? He looks handsome, but a little thinner." Boss Chen is a middle-aged man in his forties, with a goatee and elegant body. Wearing a scholar''s shirt, he doesn''t look like a business boss, but a scholar.


    "He was sick for a while a while ago, and he got better recently."


    "No wonder I haven''t seen you here for a long time." While talking, Boss Chen took the manuscript that Zhao''er handed over, whether it was bound or paper quality, it was very poor.


    He knew in his heart that this kind of peasant boy could not write very good characters, but he admired this young man named Zhao''er, so he planned not to criticize too much even if he really did not do well, just say some mild words and refuse it. up.


    If the level is not bad and the words can still be read, it is not impossible to give him some casual work, just as a help.


    But when Boss Chen saw the writing on the yellow bamboo paper, he was still taken aback.


    "He wrote this word?" Boss Chen looked at Xue Tingxiang in surprise, and went to flip through the manuscript in his hand.


    His expression was so weird that Zhao''er had a bad feeling in his heart. She couldn''t help wondering if the little man''s handwriting was not good, after all, no one had ever praised the little man''s handwriting, even Xue Qingshan said that his handwriting was like a spring worm and autumn snake.


    Although Zhao''er doesn''t know what spring worms and autumn snakes are, she understands the sad look on the little man''s face, and she knows it means poor writing.


    But she didn''t think it was the little man''s fault. He even had to pick and use the paper that could practice calligraphy. Can he write well? It was that time that she lost her temper, collected vegetables and sold them in the town, and saved a sum of money to buy Xue Tingxiang''s first piece of paper in her life.


    It was a whole knife, not a few pieces given as a charity from Xue Qingshan or Xue Juncai.


    Zhao''er''s head felt cold for a while, and she couldn''t help wondering if she was too blind to the little man at ordinary times, or if she flattered her too much. She was not afraid of anything else, but she was afraid that if Boss Chen said something unpleasant later, the little man would not be able to stand the blow.


    Thinking of this, she hurriedly turned her back and made a gesture to Boss Chen, leading him aside, then said to him in a low voice: "Uncle Chen, if my younger brother''s handwriting is really bad, can you..."


    "Can you do something?" Immediately, Boss Chen understood and said with a smile: "You kid too, even if you have a heart of love and affection, you should not deceive him, but point out his shortcomings, so that he will to make progress.¡±


    His voice was a bit loud, Xue Tingxiang over there must have heard it, Zhao''er blushed, but Na Na didn''t know what to say.


    Boss Chen said again: "But your brother''s handwriting is really good, he must be a famous teacher."


    He walked up to Xue Tingxiang in a few steps, and saluted with cupped fists: "I don''t know who my little friend is your teacher?" He said hesitantly in his eyes, because the poor boy in front of him, who was dressed in coarse cloth and short brown, really didn''t seem to be able to learn from anyone. Famous teachers.


    Just his words...


    Since Boss Chen runs a book shop, he is either a hobby or a ancestral business. In fact, Boss Chen has both, which can be regarded as the origin of family education. He also passed the exam several times when he was young, but he stopped at being a scholar. However, he was not interested in being an official, so he turned around and took care of his ancestral business. It is also a great thing in life to meet a few literary friends, play chess, drink tea, taste calligraphy and painting together.


    From his point of view, although this son''s handwriting is immature, he already has a strong character.


    We must know that the shape is easy to get, but the spirit is hard to find. Master Yan and Master Liu have always been collectively called "Yan Jin Liu Gu", which is enough to show the characteristics of Yan body. However, Xue Tingxiang''s calligraphy has already possessed its fundamentals. As long as it does not go astray, in time, he will definitely be a great calligrapher of a generation.


    How did he know that Xue Tingxiang deliberately hid the edge of his pen in order to hide himself, and it took most of the night to finish copying the book that could have been copied in half an hour at most. Otherwise, if the word is taken out, Boss Chen will definitely think it is someone''s calligraphy.


    Just when Boss Chen was thinking about it, Xue Tingxiang had already answered: "I don''t have a teacher."


    "Just copying?"


    "I''ve been to "Yan Qinli Monument" before."


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t lie, he did only copy "Yan Qinli Monument", this set of copybooks is Xue Qingshan''s favorite treasure, and he never let people touch it. And the reason why he was lucky enough to see and touch it once was that Xue Jun, who was still young at that time, was shown off in front of him.


    Because of this incident, he was extremely impressed with "Yan Qinli Monument", and even became obsessed with it. Later, after some money at home, Zhao''er bought a set with him, and the first font he learned was Yanti.


    "Just came across "Yan Qin Li Monument"?"


    Xue Tingxiang nodded.


    Boss Chen''s eyes became brighter, and he sighed after a long time: "Perhaps you have a talent in this field that is difficult for others to surpass. I hope you practice hard and don''t slack off. That''s all, let''s talk about business. Your handwriting is very good. In my opinion It''s passed here."


    He walked inside the counter, took a book and handed it to Xue Tingxiang.


    "I have a copy of "University Chapters and Sentences" here. You can take it back and try it out. I will provide the pen and ink. After copying, if the finished product is not inferior to the standard of this book, I will pay you a tael of silver."


    "One tael of silver? Uncle Chen, isn''t that too much?" Zhao''er asked in surprise.


    Uncle Chen laughed: "Do you know how many characters are in this book? And do you know how much money I will resell this book for?"


    After finishing speaking, he continued to say to Xue Tingxiang: "It is reasonable to say that it is to be copied in my book shop. If you take the book back and copy it, you need to pay some pledged money or things. I know your brother well, so forget it." Well, how long do you think it will take to finish copying?"


    Xue Tingxiang hesitated for a moment, and said: "Since Boss Chen has rules here, how about the boy copying here? I just hope that Boss Chen will be more flexible. Can you let the boy read a few books here in his spare time?"


    Boss Chen was taken aback for a moment, and then he understood. He took a deep look at this thin but neither humble nor overbearing boy.


    "Can!"


    "Then thank you Boss Chen first, don''t worry, the boy will definitely not damage the books here."


    Zhao''er kept silent until the end of the conversation, and then pulled Xue Tingxiang aside to speak.


    "Do you really want to copy books here? It would be nice to take it home. If you are afraid that Boss Chen won''t allow it, I still have some money to pledge."


    "You don''t think this is a good place."


    Xue Tingxiang looked back at the room full of books, he himself had only read a limited number of books, and in the memory of ''Xue Tingxiang'', many memories about this aspect were blurred.


    But life is his, and he wants to move forward step by step. It doesn''t mean that he has a dream, and he will definitely be the chief assistant in the future, and he will definitely be able to pass the Jinshi examination. After all, even Xue Tingxiang in the dream had to put in a lot of hard work and go through many detours before he could reach the first rank of official residence step by step.


    Of course Zhao''er understood what he meant, but she was very worried about suddenly leaving the little man outside alone. She was thinking about finding an excuse to stay here with him, but Boss Chen said from the side: "Okay, you don''t have to worry about your brother, can you lose it with me? You don''t have to sell vegetables to work today? Hurry up. "


    In the eyes of Boss Chen, Zhao''er is a hard-working brother who supports his younger brother by selling vegetables in the town.


    "Uncle Chen, I''m leaving now."


    She hurriedly took out a dozen or so copper coins from her pocket and handed them to Xue Tingxiang: "I should come to find you for lunch at noon, if not, you can buy it yourself, right here..."


    "Copy books here, and you can have a light meal at noon." Boss Chen interrupted again.


    Zhao''er was still rambling: "You still have the money, you can buy whatever you want, and I will pick you up in the afternoon."


    "You''d better pick up your work and finish it first, don''t worry your brother won''t lose it."


    This Uncle Chen!


    Zhao''er couldn''t go on talking anymore, and ran out of the bookstore almost in despair.


    After the person had left, Boss Chen teased with a smile: "Your brother treats you very well."


    Xue Tingxiang smirked, "It''s pretty good, like a little hen who doesn''t care about her chicks. For some reason, he actually thought of this sentence.


    After that, under the guidance of the shop assistant, he went to a room behind the shop.


    The layout of this room is simple, but it is elegant. It can be seen that Boss Chen is an elegant person. The best thing about this house is that there is a large window facing the outside yard, and there is a set of tables and chairs, which is completely different from Xue Tingxiang''s imagination of being hidden in a dark room without light.


    The clerk even brought a basin of water for him to wash his hands, prepared pens, ink, paper and inkstone, etc., and said he could call him if he had anything to do, so he went down.


    Xue Tingxiang came to the water basin, dipped his hands in the water, rubbed them gently a few times, and wiped them dry with a cloth towel beside him, before going to the desk and sitting down.


    He grinds the ink first. Grinding ink can well adjust people''s emotions and achieve a ''quiet'' state.


    After the ink was polished, his mind was empty at this moment. He rolled up his sleeves to write, and his hands were empty, only to realize that he was wearing a short brown at this time, where there were no sleeves, so naturally he was not afraid of staining the sleeves.


    All this was just for a moment, he didn''t care about it, and wrote quietly.


    But Boss Chen, who was standing outside the door, was a little skeptical, and couldn''t help but wonder if this son was from a famous family, but it''s a pity that his family has fallen, rather than a poor kid. His words and deeds, and even his demeanor, don''t look like those from a poor family at all.


    After thinking for a while, but unable to figure out why, Boss Chen shook his head and went back to the front.


    Without him, it is because of this posture that the girl''s figure is vividly displayed. High/chest/upturned/hip, slender waist, Xue Tingxiang has never seen such a scene before, a very strange feeling of dryness and heat climbed up in his body.


    But at the same time, he was familiar with it, and a picture appeared in his mind, which was the time of the two people''s bridal chamber.


    In the dream, he didn''t like her at that time, but he felt that marrying her was a matter of course.


    It was a deep-rooted thought that she should be his wife.


    It''s just that this hidden deepest emotion was covered up by his awkwardness and ignorance, especially when he went to the school to study and let his classmates know that he had a child bride in the country, which caused a lot of ridicule.


    But in fact, he liked her deep down in his heart, so she was tortured badly by him that night in the bridal chamber.


    Originally, he was just ignorant, and she was a newcomer, so he hurt her and also hurt her. But he still thought about the pain, and she cried with tears and snot running down her nose. That was the first time she showed weakness in front of him, and he liked this way of bullying her ever since.


    At that time, he was studying in the academy, and he would only come back once every ten days. Every time he came back, she was so afraid that she would hide. But he had to rely on him and let him do whatever he wanted. He obviously liked it, but pretended not to like it.


    Now that I think about it, he was really an asshole at that time.


    Thinking about these messes in his heart, he suddenly said, "I''ll wipe it for you."


    Zhao''er looked at him sideways in surprise, and subconsciously refused: "I still can''t, I''ll do it myself." After these days of corrections, she has gradually learned not to call herself sister.


    Before her words fell, Xue Tingxiang had already snatched the cloth towel, and pulled her to turn her back, Zhao''er could only freeze there, letting him wipe it.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Tingxiang is still half-headed now, so he can only half-kneel and sit up to wipe her hair. The two were very close, Zhao''er didn''t notice it, but Xue Tingxiang felt his blood was surging.


    Zhao''er''s hair is very black, dense and smooth, like a piece of fine satin. He was clumsy, and Fang began to pull and hurt her several times, until he heard her involuntarily inhaling, he slowed down his movements.


    Feeling that it was a bit difficult for him to reach, Zhao''er was a little distressed, he kept stretching his arms: "If I don''t lie here?"


    As she said that, she went to try it, and it was more convenient for him to lie on the kang, and both of them would not be tired. What she didn''t know was that her posture looked even more seductive from behind, especially for a young man with a fresh blood.


    Xue Tingxiang immediately regretted accepting this matter. It felt like a kind of torture. He needed to work hard to stabilize himself so as not to look randomly.


    "If not, why don''t you sit up?" he asked.


    But got no answer from her.


    When I went to see it, I found that she had fallen asleep.


    The girl seemed very tired and slept soundly. She lay prone on the long-folded quilt, her thick long hair was scattered behind her back and down to her waist. Because the quilt was covering her face, her face was squeezed out of shape, but her pink lips were pouty.


    Zhao''er, who had just taken a bath, still had water vapor on her face. Her plump and delicate cheeks looked young and tender at first glance. Her pink lips had a watery glow, which was attractive to pick.


    Something in his heart was clamoring, and he leaned on him unconsciously. The cheeks of the two were getting closer and closer, so close that he could see and smell the sweet smell.


    Suddenly, she moved, and he quickly backed away, pretending to be nonchalant, muttering in his mouth why he fell asleep, but actually watching her reaction nervously.


    Fortunately, she just moved, and there was no sign of waking up, so he was relieved.


    But the impulse in his heart was gone, he glanced at her several times, reached out and took the thin quilt to cover her, and continued to wipe her wet hair with a cloth towel.


    *


    Yuqing Village was originally a village established by a group of victims who fled during the war in the previous dynasty.


    At first it was not called Yuqing Village, but Zhengjiazhuang. The village is full of people with the surname Zheng, but the number of people is not large, only a dozen or so families. Many years later, there was a famine one year, and the government arranged for a group of people who fled the disaster to settle here. These people are the ancestors of the Xue family.


    There are not many people surnamed Zheng, and there are also many people surnamed Xue. At first, people surnamed Zheng took the lead.


    The Dachang Dynasty implemented the Lilao system, where one hundred households constituted one li, and Jiachang was set up, which is commonly known as Lizheng. There are also several old people, who are commonly known as village elders.


    Within the jurisdiction of Yuqing Village, everything in the village, such as adjudicating civil lawsuits, arbitrating right and wrong, guiding folk customs, persuading farming and mulberry, issuing sentiments, etc., and even urging taxes, military service, etc., are all handled by the local people. Li Zheng and the villagers co-hosted the completion.


    Li Lao''s power can be said to be quite large, and anyone who can be Li Lao is a person of high moral and respect in the local area.


    In fact, this kind of system is equivalent to a local people governing a local people.


    Nowadays there is such a saying that the so-called imperial power does not come down to the county, but only the clan under the county, and the clan is self-governing, self-government depends on ethics, and ethics creates squires, that''s how it is.


    Over the years, the two surnames of Xue and Zheng seem to be harmonious on the surface, but they have been at odds with each other, and what they are fighting for is the right to speak in the village. Although it was because there was a scholar among the people surnamed Xue before, the Xue family changed its previous decline and several village elders appeared in the clan, but the position of Lizheng has always been in the hands of the people surnamed Zheng.


    Now Yuqing Village has one Lizheng and four village elders. Three of these four elders have the surname Xue, that is to say, two pairs of three. But because Zheng Lizheng is here, it is still not an advantage.


    Patriarch Xue is confident that if there is another scholar in the clan, he will be able to completely overwhelm the Zheng family, so when he heard the rumors that had been raging in the village for the past two days, he immediately exploded.


    Mr. Xue was still in the field, so he was called to Patriarch Xue''s house.


    Seeing Patriarch Xue''s face as dark as the bottom of a pot, Old Master Xue was puzzled by Monk Zhang Er: "Brother Haizi, what''s the matter?" In terms of seniority, Patriarch Xue is considered Old Master Xue''s cousin.


    "You still ask me what''s wrong? Don''t you know what''s going on outside recently?"

 Chapter 63

    "Are you rich now?"


    Of course she is rich, Zhao''er now has more than two taels of silver in total, and just now Su Lan gave her another five taels, which is naturally enough.


    At the same time, Shen Ping laughed a little, "Well, I forgot that you have visited her before, so I came here, and she won''t take advantage of me." The voice was very small, almost like a murmur, and Zhao''er only paid attention to it. I had to look at the clothes, but I didn''t hear clearly.


    "I''ll find a guy to call a car for you, and you, a little girl, can''t transport these things."


    "Thank you, Shopkeeper Shen."


    After seeing off Zhao''er, Shen Ping turned around and went into the pawn shop.


    Although he is called the third shopkeeper, he is not the third shopkeeper of this store, but the third shopkeeper of the entire ''Herongsheng'', and he will only stay in Xia County permanently under his deliberate request.


    Shen Ping is the son of the Shen family, his father is the chief manager of the Shen family, and he has been a servant with the third young master Shen Fu since he was a child. It was not until he became an adult that he was released to become a shopkeeper.


    "If she comes again next time, just do as I told you before."


    "Yes, shopkeeper."


    *


    Just after noon, the clerk Ah Cai came to deliver meals to Xue Tingxiang.


    Boss Chen said it was simple food, but in fact the food was not bad, with one meat and one vegetable, and one soup. Xue Tingxiang knew very well that Boss Chen was taking care of him deliberately. How could anyone hire someone to copy books, take care of tea and food, and the wages they paid were not low.


    It was because he knew it in his heart that he didn''t say no. In this case, the refusal retained his character, but it seemed too petty and hypocritical.


    It can only be repaid in the future, Xue Tingxiang thought lightly in his heart.


    After eating, when the man came to clean up the dishes, he said that he could rest for an hour. There is a chaise longue available in this room, and of course you can go to the front to read a book to pass the time.


    In fact, the latter sentence is the key point, Xue Tingxiang was not pretentious, after cleaning his hands, he went forward.


    This store may not seem big, but it has a lot of books of all kinds, ranging from rural tales to books about the imperial examination, and there are many books about the imperial examination.


    Since the former dynasty, the imperial examination has used eight-legged essays as the standard style, with strict regulations, and even restrictions on the length of sentences, the number of words, the level of rhymes, and even the scope of questions.


    Stereotype essays take questions from the Four Books and Five Classics, and are composed of eight parts: breaking the title, inheriting the title, starting the lecture, starting, starting the essay, middle section, back section, and binding the section. It seems rigid and rigid, but in fact it is not easy to do a good stereotyped essay. If you really think that only reading the Four Books and Five Classics is enough, you are wrong. Not to mention astronomy and geography, at least you have to be involved in all aspects, so that you can write a good article full of flowers and content.


    In that dream, Xue Tingxiang won the Jinshi with the 21st place in the second class, and was admitted to the Hanlin Academy after passing through the hall. He should have been on a steady rise since then, but because he offended someone, a majestic Hanlin was sent down. The kind of place where the birds don''t shit is an official.


    Xue Tingxiang pursed his lips slightly, feeling that he was thinking too much, after all, he is not even a child now, let''s think about the present.


    So, without thinking too much, he took out a book from the bookcase and read it quietly.


    During this period, customers from the bookstore came to sell some pens, ink, paper and inkstones, or came to buy books, always interrupting Xue Tingxiang''s reading.


    Seeing this, Boss Chen said: "Brother Xue, you can take the book to the back and read."


    Xue Tingxiang looked at him in surprise: "This..."


    "It''s okay, it''s not bad for your book."


    Xue Tingxiang was silent, bowed deeply in salute, and then went back.


    When Xue Tingxiang woke up, he heard Boss Chen talking outside and Zhao''er''s voice at the same time.


    "Where did you get this big bag?" Boss Chen looked at Zhao''er in surprise, and asked for the bag at her feet that was much bigger than her.


    Zhao''er was sweating profusely and said: "Uncle Chen, I got it from the county, and so did the man from the car dealership. They only helped me to the intersection and left me behind. I wanted to be dragged to the car dealership. But thinking that my brother is still here..."


    Boss Chen laughed, and called his assistant: "Ah Cai, come and help little brother Zhao''er carry the things in." Then he said to Zhao''er: "Come in and have a drink and rest before leaving."


    "Uncle Chen, what a shame."


    "When you were bargaining with me, you were never polite, but now you are more polite." Boss Chen pretended to stare.


    Generally speaking, Boss Chen is an elegant and humorous person.


    Xue Tingxiang also came out to help, and asked, "What''s in it? Why is it so heavy? Where did you get it?"


    Not to mention it was really heavy, Ah Cai tried a few times but couldn''t lift it, only three people could lift it.


    "I got it from a pawn shop. If I can sell this package, my sister will have enough money to send you to the Qinghe Academy."


    Zhao''er hadn''t realized that he had slipped up, but Xue Tingxiang had. He glanced at Boss Chen, and Zhao''er understood what he said at this moment, and looked at Boss Chen with some guilt: "Uncle Chen, I will explain to you later."


    She was a little anxious, and without asking the two of them to help, she lifted the big bag and carried it on her shoulders. The big bag pushed her to one side, but she still stopped, and she quickly carried the things inside.


    Ah Cai praised: "It doesn''t look like she is strong, she is so strong."


    Here, Xue Tingxiang looked at the back and pursed the corners of his mouth, while Boss Chen''s eyes darkened.


    Xue Tingxiang looked up at Boss Chen, and walked towards him.


    ...


    Zhao''er found a place to put down the big bag, then went to wash his hands and face to clean up his body, and then A Cai led him to see Boss Chen.


    Seeing Boss Chen, Zhao''er felt a little guilty. But she didn''t intend to continue to lie to Boss Chen, because Boss Chen is a good person. Not to mention the benefits he gave her before, just because he asked the little man to copy books for such a high price, let him read books here, and take care of the lunch at noon, Zhao''er can no longer continue to deceive.


    In fact, Zhao''er is not a liar, it''s just that she concealed her gender, and then the so-called workmanship is just collecting some vegetables and selling them to make some purses or something.


    "Uncle Chen..."


    Boss Chen sighed and waved his hands: "Okay, you don''t need to say anymore, you are a girl, and you are really embarrassing."


    Zhao''er looked surprised, her round eyes widened.


    Boss Chen laughed a little and said, "Your little husband has already told me everything."


    "He, what did he say..." Zhao''er stammered, still in disbelief. Because she knows that the little man always pays attention to face and has a lot of thoughts, and she doesn''t like to mention her as his child bride-in-law in front of outsiders, and the Xue family''s bad things.


    "I''ve said everything that needs to be said." After a pause, Boss Chen asked, "Look at how surprised you are, isn''t it still a secret?"


    Zhao''er laughed awkwardly, and faltered: "That''s not true, it''s just that he''s young, and people in our village hate him. People always think that I''m older than him, and my daughter-in-law teases men and laughs at him."


    The same sentence sounds different to different people.


    Boss Chen couldn''t help but want to laugh, but Xue Tingxiang outside had mixed feelings in his heart.


    That''s why she always called herself sister, so in the dream he was old, but she didn''t want to marry him. Or he ignored her wishes and insisted on marrying him with his parents'' orders.


    She actually understood her awkward state of mind. He told himself not to be surprised by what other people said, but he cared about it in his heart, so even if the two got married, they couldn''t do it together.


    She actually knew everything, yet she relied on him for everything! Follow him!


    While the mood was churning, the topic was changed inside.


    "I just heard from you that you plan to save money to send him to Qinghe Academy?"


    Zhao''er nodded, seeing the strange expression on Boss Chen''s face, she couldn''t help but ask, "Is that school bad?"


    "Take the road of opportunism, and it won''t last long."


    Zhao''er didn''t quite understand what he heard, but he also knew that it was not a good word.


    "If you want to help him find a good book academy, I have something to recommend. It''s just..." Boss Chen sighed suddenly: "Well, let me tell you that you don''t understand either. Let''s talk about it later."


    Zhao''er nodded in a daze.


    It was not too early to meet later, and the two planned to return to Yuqing Village.


    Because the big bag of clothes was too much, and it would be eye-catching to bring back, Boss Chen asked Zhao''er to put the things in his shop temporarily. Anyway, there are still a few vacant rooms behind the shop, so just find a place to put them.


    The two went back to the village by car, because after time, only the ox cart could be used, so the two sat on the ox cart and walked back bumping back and forth.


    Halfway along the road, a mule cart came head-on.


    The driver was a man, dark and tall. When he got closer, he could see his appearance clearly. He had thick eyebrows and tiger eyes, a high nose bridge, and he was very heroic. His sleeves were half rolled up above his elbows, and his arms seemed to be full of muscles. He looked like a powerful man.


    Xue Tingxiang saw the person coming at a glance, and his pupils shrank immediately.


    He glanced at Zhao''er next to him, saw her with her head half down, and he was relieved.


    But the visitor still saw them, his eyes lit up, and he raised his voice and shouted: "Zhaoer."


    Zhao''er looked over and immediately smiled: "Brother Jiang Wu, where are you going?"


    Jiang Wu tightened the reins and stopped the mule cart.


    "I''m going to town, are you going back? Get out of the car, and I''ll see you off."


    Zhao''er hesitated and said, "Don''t you still want to go to town? Anyway, we''ve already got in the car, so you should do your own work."


    "I don''t have anything to do. I just went to Lao Li''s place to have a look. Originally, my father said that I would go tomorrow and buy some things on the way back. It doesn''t matter whether I go or not. Come on, this car is slow and bumpy. My car is still faster." Jiang Wu said to Zhao''er with a smile, completely unaware that the face of the owner of the bullock cart turned black.


    Seeing this, Zhao''er didn''t let the owner of the ox cart stop, and jumped off from above. After taking two steps over there, I realized that I had forgotten the person.


    While letting the owner of the bullock cart stop, she said to Xue Tingxiang: "Come on down, let''s go back in Brother Jiang Wu''s car." With her beaming face, she was in a good mood.


    Xue Tingxiang''s face was a bit ugly, he glanced at Zhao''er, and then slowly got out of the car.


    The two got into the mule cart, and Jiang Wu drove the cart to Yuqing Village.


    "If I knew you were coming to the county today, I would have asked you to help me get my things back. Brother Jiang Wu, let me tell you, I found a business to do, and this business can make a lot of money. I definitely can''t do it alone. Why don''t we partner up and pay half a penny?"


    It wasn''t Jiang Wu''s first time doing business with Zhao''er. To be honest, before Zhao''er came to collect vegetables and sell them in the town, Jiang Wu helped her a lot.


    How much food can Zhao''er collect in other villages by herself, and besides, she doesn''t have a car, so it''s not convenient to go back and forth. But the Jiang family has a car, and the ancestors of the Jiang family were hunters. With this unique skill, the life of the Jiang family is very comfortable.


    The men of Jiang''s family don''t usually farm land, and the family''s more than 20 acres of land are rented out, and they only earn money by collecting rent and hunting with the men in the family. But hunting is not every day, so Jiang Wu is very free when he is not in the mountains, so he helps recruits to collect vegetables and so on, saying that the two share half and half, but Jiang Wu does not want the money every time .


    "But let me tell you first, if you don''t want to split the money, I won''t do this business with you."


    Zhao''er has always thought that the little man''s eyes are the most beautiful eyes in the world, although these eyes are always disgusted and resistant when facing her.


    In fact, Xue Gouzi''s eyes are the only ones that look good. He has been weak since he was born, and the second wife and his wife managed to support him, and they are usually spoiled. The boys of his age in the village were all dark-skinned and as strong as a calf, but he was pale, emaciated, silent and taciturn.


    But Zhao''er has always been domineering, and never allowed anyone to talk about a little man, and whoever said she was in a hurry. Because of this incident, she had fought with many girls and boys in the village, although some people still said it behind their backs, no one dared to point fingers in front of others.


    Zhao''er always felt that the little man''s eyes were weird today, and he avoided them uncomfortably.


    She knew that the little man must be angry again, and he didn''t like her saying things like ''the dog is my man'' the most. Every time he heard her say such things, he would ignore her for a few days. In fact, Zhao''er has to face, but she is the child bride-in-law of the Xue family''s second room. If she didn''t claim to be so, how could she have the right to challenge the fourth aunt, Sun''s.


    "Are you hungry? Look what I brought back for you?"


    Zhao''er turned her head and put all these troubles behind her, and took out a paper bag from her pocket. Opening the paper bag, there are two steamed buns inside. They are white and plump, and people like it when they look at them.


    "Eat quickly, while it''s still warm." She smiled and stuffed the paper bag into the little man''s hand, while putting the pannier on her shoulders in the corner.


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her.


    The girl in front of her was in her twenties and eighth year, and her skin was the wheat color that is common among girls in the country, but Zhao''er''s complexion was very different from others, it was smooth and radiant, as if she had been smeared with honey. He has a tall nose bridge, a pair of medium-sized eyes, and swarthy pupils. When he smiles, there is a flash of inspiration in him, and he looks lively.


    Zhao''er''s stature is taller than ordinary girls, and she is well-developed, front/convex/backward, full of youthful vigor.


    It was so vivid, as vivid as in his dream.


    He unconsciously took the steamed stuffed bun and gnawed on it. Seeing this trick, he smiled even more happily. He went to the kitchen and poured him a bowl of water, which he placed next to his hand. On the other hand, he bent down to tidy up the scattered quilts on the kang, thinking about what to cook for him at night to nourish his body.


    Finally, the little man got better, so he had to continue to drink the medicine, and he had to drink a few more to strengthen it. From this, he naturally began to calculate the little money left in his hand, and think of a way to get some money, so as to solve the urgent need.


    "Have you eaten yet?" Xue Gouzi asked.


    This kind of behavior rarely happens to him, so Zhao''er can''t help but look up at the little man sitting on the kang.


    In fact, the little man has a handsome appearance, which is different from the fair skin of the countrymen. The corners of his eyes are slightly raised, and the curvature makes his face a little more delicate and handsome. It''s just that the little man always hangs his head halfway on weekdays, with a gloomy and silent temperament, and is too thin, so he is not conspicuous in front of others.


    Zhao''er''s eyes warmed up, her smile widened, and she said cracklingly, "Eat, I ate it outside, this is for you."


    After she finished speaking, she realized that she had slipped her mouth. She waited for the little man to show a disgusted expression, or to condemn her daughter''s family for running around, but he didn''t say anything, as if he had something on his mind. Head eating buns.


    Zhao''er couldn''t help heaving a sigh of relief, but at the same time felt a pain in his heart, and couldn''t help but said: "Dog, don''t worry too much. After all, you heard the words. Since you didn''t say it face-to-face, you can''t take it seriously. Even if it is true Don''t be afraid, sister earns money for your education."


    Xue Gouzi''s head still hurts a little, and he was dizzy. Zhao''er thought he had something on his mind, but in fact he was just thinking about that dream. Hearing Zhao''er''s words at this time, he suddenly remembered why he had this serious illness.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Gouzi''s serious illness came in a hurry due to stagnation of liver qi.


    Speaking of this, I have to talk about the general situation of the Xue family.


    Yuqing Village is a village located under Huyang Town, Xia County, Pingyang Prefecture. There are only more than 200 households in the village.


    The Xue family is one of them.


    However, the Xue family is different from other ordinary farmers, and it can be regarded as having some origins.


    The ancestor of the Xue family, that is, the grandfather of Mr. Xue, was a scholar. In a poor mountain depression like Yuqing Village, it is a great event for the ancestors to have a scholar.


    Because of this talented gentleman, the generation of the Xue family produced the head of the Xue clan, and there were several village elders in the clan, and finally had some say in Yuqing Village. At the same time, it is also a blessing for the younger generation. Mr. Xue''s father is hardworking and willing to work. With the help of the elders, he also slowly built up a family business.


    By the time of Mr. Xue''s generation, the Xue family already had more than 30 acres of fertile land, and several sons also had their own livelihoods. Their lives were enviably prosperous, and they could be regarded as a well-to-do family in the village.


    Mr. Xue and his mother-in-law Zhao have four sons and two daughters. The eldest son Xue Qingshan married his wife Yang, and they have two sons and a daughter. The eldest son Xue Juncai is fifteen years old, the second son Xue Youcai is ten years old, and the eldest daughter Xue Maner is married.


    The second child, Xue Qingsong, is a carpenter. He married his wife Qiu Shi and gave birth to a son, Xue Gouzi, who is fourteen years old. The third child, Xue Qingbai, is a farmer, married his wife Zhou, and gave birth to a son and a daughter. The eldest daughter, Xue Taoer, is thirteen years old this year, and the youngest son, Xue Shuanzi, is eight years old now. The fourth son, Xue Qinghuai, is a shopkeeper. He married his wife, Sun, and gave birth to a son named Xue Maodan, who is only four years old this year.


    As for the two daughters, the eldest daughter, Xue Cuiping, is already married, and the youngest daughter, Xue Cuie, is fourteen this year and is still in her boudoir.


    It is worth mentioning that nowadays there are parents who say that they do not separate their families. In addition, families in the countryside are ruled by clans, so Xue''s family has no separation.

 Chapter 64

    But Zhao''er has always been domineering, and never allowed anyone to call him a little man, and whoever said she was in a hurry. Because of this incident, she had fought with many girls and boys in the village, although some people still said behind their backs, after all no one dared to point fingers in front of others.


    Zhao''er always felt that the little man''s eyes were weird today, and he avoided them uncomfortably.


    She knew that the little man must be angry again, and he didn''t like her saying "the dog is my man" the most. Every time he heard her say such words, he would ignore her for a few days. In fact, Zhao''er has to face, but she is the child bride-in-law of the Xue family''s second room. If she didn''t claim to be like this, how could she have the right to challenge the fourth aunt, Sun''s.


    "Are you hungry? Look what I brought back for you?"


    Zhao''er turned her head and put all these troubles behind her mind, and took out a paper bag from her pocket. Opening the paper bag, there were two steamed steamed buns inside. They were white and plump, and people liked it just looking at them.


    "Eat quickly, while it''s still warm." She smiled and stuffed the paper bag into the little man''s hand, while putting the pannier on her shoulders in the corner.


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her.


    The girl in front of her was in her twenties and eighth year, and her skin was the wheat color common to girls in the country, but Zhao''er''s complexion was exceptionally different from others'', smooth and radiant, as if she had been smeared with honey. He has a tall nose bridge, a pair of medium-sized eyes, and swarthy pupils. When he smiles, there is a flash of inspiration in him, and he looks lively.


    Zhao''er''s stature is taller than ordinary girls, and she is well-developed, front/convex/backward, full of youthful vigor.


    It was so vivid, as vivid as in his dream.


    He unconsciously took the steamed stuffed bun and gnawed on it. Seeing this trick, he smiled even more happily. He went to the kitchen and poured him a bowl of water, which he placed next to his hand. On the other hand, he bent down to tidy up the scattered quilts on the kang, thinking about what to cook for him at night to nourish his body.


    Finally, the little man got better, so he had to continue to drink the medicine, and he had to drink a few more to strengthen it. From this, he naturally began to calculate the little money left in his hand, and think of a way to get some money, so as to solve the urgent need.


    "Have you eaten yet?" Xue Gouzi asked.


    This kind of behavior rarely happens to him, so Zhao''er can''t help but look up at the little man sitting on the kang.


    In fact, the little man has a handsome appearance, which is different from the fair skin of the countrymen. The corners of his eyes are slightly raised, and the curvature makes his face a little more delicate and handsome. It''s just that the little man always hangs his head halfway on weekdays, with a gloomy and silent temperament, and is too thin, so he is not conspicuous in front of others.


    Zhao''er''s eyes warmed up, her smile widened, and she said cracklingly, "Eat, I ate it outside, this is for you."


    After she finished speaking, she realized that she had slipped her mouth. She waited for the little man to show a disgusted expression, or to condemn her daughter''s family for running around, but he didn''t say anything, as if he had something on his mind. Head eating buns.


    Zhao''er couldn''t help heaving a sigh of relief, but at the same time felt a pain in his heart, and couldn''t help but said: "Dog, don''t worry too much. After all, you heard the words. Since you didn''t say it face-to-face, you can''t take it seriously. Even if it is true Don''t be afraid, sister earns money for your education."


    Xue Gouzi''s head still hurts a little, and he was dizzy. Zhao''er thought he had something on his mind, but in fact he was just thinking about that dream. Hearing Zhao''er''s words at this time, he suddenly remembered why he had this serious illness.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Gouzi''s serious illness came in a hurry due to stagnation of liver qi.


    Speaking of this, I have to talk about the general situation of the Xue family.


    Yuqing Village is a village located under Huyang Town, Xia County, Pingyang Prefecture. There are only more than 200 households in the village.


    The Xue family is one of them.


    However, the Xue family is different from other ordinary farmers, and it can be regarded as having some origins.


    The ancestor of the Xue family, that is, the grandfather of Mr. Xue, was a scholar. In a poor mountain depression like Yuqing Village, it is a great event for the ancestors to have a scholar.


    Because of this talented gentleman, the generation of the Xue family produced the head of the Xue clan, and there were several village elders in the clan, and finally had some say in Yuqing Village. At the same time, it is also a blessing for the younger generation. Mr. Xue''s father is hardworking and willing to work. With the help of the elders, he also slowly built up a family business.


    By the time of Mr. Xue''s generation, the Xue family already had more than 30 acres of fertile land, and several sons also had their own livelihoods. Their lives were enviably prosperous, and they could be regarded as a well-to-do family in the village.


    Mr. Xue and his mother-in-law Zhao have four sons and two daughters. The eldest son Xue Qingshan married his wife Yang, and they have two sons and a daughter. The eldest son Xue Juncai is fifteen years old, the second son Xue Youcai is ten years old, and the eldest daughter Xue Maner is married.


    The second child, Xue Qingsong, is a carpenter. He married his wife Qiu Shi and gave birth to a son, Xue Gouzi, who is fourteen years old. The third child, Xue Qingbai, is a farmer, married his wife Zhou, and gave birth to a son and a daughter. The eldest daughter, Xue Taoer, is thirteen years old this year, and the youngest son, Xue Shuanzi, is eight years old now. The fourth son, Xue Qinghuai, is a shopkeeper. He married his wife, Sun, and gave birth to a son named Xue Maodan, who is only four years old this year.


    As for the two daughters, the eldest daughter, Xue Cuiping, is already married, and the youngest daughter, Xue Cuie, is fourteen this year and is still in her boudoir.


    It is worth mentioning that nowadays there are parents who say that they do not separate their families. In addition, families in the countryside are ruled by clans, so Xue''s family has no separation.


    The Xue family has tasted the benefits of reading, so they have more vision than ordinary farmers. Xue Qingshan is smart since he was a child, and he is the eldest son. Mr. Xue has high hopes for him, and when he reaches the age of enlightenment, he spends money to send him to a private school.


    Xue Qingshan also strives for success. At the age of twenty, he passed the Tongsheng examination. Although he is still a scholar, he can be counted as a scholar who can be counted in ten miles and eight villages.


    Don''t underestimate Tongsheng! As the saying goes, scholars, farmers, businessmen, and scholars are the highest class of people in the current society. If ordinary people want to turn ordinary people into scholars, there is only one way to take the imperial examination. As for the imperial examination, it is only a matter of going to the west to learn Buddhist scriptures, and you have to go through various checkpoints and go through hardships before you can get it.


    If you want to embark on this path, you must first have the qualifications, and Tong Sheng is a person with this qualification. It is necessary to pass the county and government examinations to be called Tongsheng. As for the next step is to be a scholar, to become a scholar is to enter school, and it is also the first step to embark on the road of imperial examinations.


    It can be seen from this that Tong Sheng is not an ordinary person, so Xue Qingshan''s status in the Xue family can be imagined.


    But as I said before, the Xue family''s family background can only be regarded as a middle-level family in the countryside. If a family like this wants to support a scholar, it will almost exhaust all the human and financial resources of the family. Because the eldest son is the eldest son, who will set up a family in the future, and is talented and intelligent, the next few sons naturally have to give in.


    As for why Xue Gouzi became seriously ill, it has to be related to another old matter of the Xue family.


    Back then when Xue Qingshan was selected as a child student, he was considered a success at a young age. He was full of ambitions and wanted to pass the college examination in one fell swoop, and he could also be a scholar, but it was a pity that God did not follow his wishes.


    It was only a close call, and no one would be reconciled to it. Xue Qingshan could only calm down, work hard, and hope to win next time.


    After so many years of rushing away, the original smugness was completely devastated by the impact of reality. Xue Qingshan failed many exams, so he couldn''t stay at home and eat free food all the time. In desperation, he set up a private school in the village, which specializes in taking children from the village and several nearby villages to read and write, and they can more or less earn a living.


    With such convenient conditions, several children of Xue''s family naturally followed suit. The next few children are still young, and among the grandchildren, Xue Juncai, the eldest son of the big house, and Xue Gouzi of the second house have studied the longest.


    However, compared to his cousin Xue Juncai, Xue Gouzi is obviously not as good as he is because he is too weak. When he was young, he was always sick every day, which delayed a lot of homework.


    The time was stretched back to five years ago, this year the academic officer held a college examination in Fucheng, Xue Qingshan naturally would not miss it, he stopped his private school classes early and went to Fucheng to take the exam.


    It''s not easy to go out at this time, and besides, Mr. Xue was worried about his eldest son going out alone, so he asked his second son Xue Qingsong to accompany him. He always took care of him when he was usually on a business trip.


    That is to say, something happened on this trip, Xue Qingshan offended someone in Fucheng, Xue Qingsong was beaten all over his body in order to protect his eldest brother. In the end, the man was pulled back, but he died within a few days after he came back. Before he died, Xue Qingsong asked Xue Qingshan to promise himself that he would do everything in his power to confess Xue Gouzi.


    In fact, after giving way for others all his life, how could Xue Qingsong have no complaints in his heart, but he has a simple and honest nature, and he knows that his talent is not as good as that of his elder brother, so he has been making contributions in obscurity.


    But when it came to his own son, especially Xue Gouzi, who was weak since he was a child, he was not a farmer in any way, and he was dying, so Xue Qingsong took the opportunity to force his elder brother to make a promise.


    Xue Qingsong would do this, but he wanted to break the status quo that the Xue family''s resources had been leaning towards Dafang. The Xue family only had two scholars in the first room, and now there is a Xue Gouzi. The children in the third room were still young at that time, and the fourth child was not married yet. As long as Xue Qingshan agrees, others will naturally have nothing to say, and Xue Qingsong will do his best for his son Brown.


    Xue Qingshan agreed to the matter on the spot, crying blood, saying that he would treat Xue Gouzi as his own son, Xue Qingsong closed his eyes.


    Not long after that, Qiu Shi, who was already in poor health, became depressed and fell ill, and then passed away. Since then, Xue Gouzi has become a poor child without father and mother. Fortunately, there are grandparents and uncles, and Zhaoer, a child bride-in-law, so he doesn''t have to worry about food and clothing.


    In the following years, Xue Qingshan really treated Xue Gouzi like his own son. No one in the village would say that the boss of the Xue family raised his nephew as his own son. But as the saying goes, the human heart is the most fickle, and selfishness is the nature of human beings. As time passed, Da Fang gradually changed his attitude. Although he was in front of others, he was still the same as before, but only the person concerned would know what happened to him afterwards.


    This year, seeing that he had nothing to teach his son, Xue Qingshan decided to send Xue Juncai to the town school to study for two years.


    But it costs a lot of money to go to the school to study, not to mention the one-year study that costs two silver, the three festivals and six rituals of the husband, and the pen, ink, paper and inkstone used in daily life, all of which cost money. The Xue family has already been seriously injured because they confessed to Xue Qingshan, and how can they have money for the two children to go together.


    You can only take out one piece of money, that is to say, Xue Juncai and Xue Gouzi can only go to one.


    Xue Qingshan told the matter in front of the whole family, but Xue Gouzi didn''t say what he couldn''t say tactfully, but chose to remain silent.


    During that time, the atmosphere in the Xue family was weird, the old man Xue was frowning, and the grandmother Zhao was eccentric all day long, but the eldest couple were still the same as before, and they didn''t think it was a problem.


    I will not mention this, it is also a coincidence that Xue Gouzi accidentally overheard his eldest aunt Yang and fourth aunt Sun talking in secret, saying that he would let his parents-in-law come forward and let Xue Gouzi take the initiative to give up his place to study in the town , Xue Gouzi became seriously ill in a fit of rage.


    Thinking of this, Xue Gouzi felt uneasy for a while, and at the same time, many pictures appeared in his mind, which were just some of his previous dreams.


    The Xue Tingxiang in the dream also faced the same situation in the fourteenth year, and the other party''s temperament changed drastically after this incident, changing his previous disposition.


    Could it be that he is Xue Tingxiang, and that Xue Tingxiang is him? But why would he dream of these things!


    Xue Gouzi felt a throbbing pain in his head, the bun in his hand fell on the kang, and the water bowl next to him was also knocked over. Zhao''er heard the movement, rushed up and hugged him in his arms.


    "Dog, dog, don''t scare me!"


    Because of Zheng Lizheng''s words, the eyes of He Qiao and the two scholars were all on Xue Tingxiang''s face.


    Naturally, they didn''t understand the clues of this, and they only thought that Zheng Lizheng suddenly mentioned whether there was something hidden in it. After all, they all knew before coming that this was a competition between two descendants of the same family.


    What is compared is knowledge, and what is compared is also future.


    They were all from humble backgrounds, and of course they knew how difficult it was to study in a farming family, so before Xue Tingshan said that the Xue family never forgot to cultivate their children and grandchildren while they settled down, Qiao Xiucai praised them greatly.


    Because he knew that this matter seemed insignificant, but it was actually too difficult for farmers. How many families had the idea of ??changing their own destiny by reading books.


    It can be said that those who are born in a poor family in the countryside and can achieve great fame have all experienced great hardships. The starting point is much lower than others. It takes countless efforts to catch up with others, and at the same time they have to face all kinds of cruel competition.


    This kind of competition is not only between classmates, but also between the same clan, and even one''s own brothers.


    If you succeed, the sea and the sky will be bright, and you will not be an ordinary person since then. If you fail, you will put down the book and pick up the hoe, and face the loess and the sky for the rest of your life.


    It is because they understand this kind of cruelty that the two of them can''t help but wonder whether this son deliberately said that his knowledge is weak, or he just wants to pull his brother to reduce the difficulty of the question. But this is a double-edged sword. After all, it is a disadvantage to oneself to lose one''s studies to others.


    These thoughts only happened in an instant, and because of the sudden attention of He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai, Xue Qingshan''s eyebrows jumped wildly, for fear that Xue Tingxiang would say something amazing again. At this moment, he couldn''t care less about why Xue Tingxiang knew the explanation of the scriptures, and he completely forgot that his previous idea was that Xue Tingshan didn''t understand the scriptures, and it would be easy for his son to beat him.

 Chapter 65

    It was the time of spring plowing, and everyone was busy plowing the fields at the moment, and there were hardly any people on the road in the village. Occasionally, a woman who is doing work in the yard sees the person walking on the road from a distance, and only after a few fixed eyes does she recognize who it is.


    "Dog, where is this going?"


    Xue Tingxiang looked at the woman who was talking to him, and said with a smile, "Auntie, I''ll just walk around."


    It was just a casual sentence, but the woman didn''t say anything more to him, she turned to get something in the house, and the mother-in-law in the house asked her, "Third daughter-in-law, who were you talking to just now?"


    "The dog of the second room of Xue Lianxing''s family. Hey, mother, it''s strange to say that I didn''t recognize him when he knocked on the door just now. I always feel like a different person."


    Her mother-in-law didn''t take it seriously: "What can I become, but I can''t change my body, I remember that kid has been ill recently."


    The daughter-in-law said: "I see, maybe I plan to go to the back mountain." There is a mountain behind Yuqing Village, where all the dead villagers in the village are buried, and the Xue family''s ancestral grave is also there.


    Hearing this, her mother-in-law sighed: "Don''t even mention it, it''s a pity for the second child of the Xing family. Both of them have left. It''s a pity to leave a baby."


    This is just gossip between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and while they were talking, Xue Tingxiang had already brought Heizi into the back mountain.


    *


    Houshan is called Houshan, the mountain behind Yuqing Village.


    This mountain has no name, and the mountain is not high, but it is extremely deep. Anyway, so far, no villager has been able to walk back and forth from this deep mountain and old forest, most of them are activities outside the mountain.


    The Xue family''s ancestral grave was built on a small hill not far from the village. This Xue family is not only Xue Tingxiang''s family, but the ancestors of the entire Xue clan are buried here.


    On such a big hill, the lineage of the patriarch is in the middle, and the branches of the various families spread out. The lineage of Mr. Xue is at a place near the foot of the southwest mountain.


    Because the couple in the second room died young, and Xue Qingsong died in an accident, they were buried at the edge.


    When Xue Tingxiang arrived at the place, he began to pull the grass around the grave mound casually.


    There were not many weeds, they had just been cleared during the Chinese New Year, so he gathered the grass at random and placed it on the ground, taking advantage of the opportunity and sat down in front of the grave.


    A piece of mountainous land, two small graves, in front of each of the graves stood a small bluestone stele, on which the names of the second family and the couple were crudely written.


    This monument was originally recruited to find someone to make it and set it up.


    Nowadays, there are three kinds of people who cannot erect monuments after they die, those who die suddenly, die young, and have no heirs. Xue Qingsong belongs to violent death.


    Although everyone doesn''t say it, people who feel that they died suddenly have resentment after death, which is not conducive to the feng shui of the ancestor''s grave, so no monument is erected. I also want him to forget who he is, so as not to cause trouble if he is ignorant.


    But at the same time, there is another saying that after death without a monument, you will be a lonely ghost, who cannot stand the incense of future generations.


    At the beginning, the funeral of the second wife was arranged by the Xue family, and they acquiesced to follow the old customs. At that time, Xue Tingxiang was still young and didn''t understand these things at all, but Zhao''er understood.


    She talked to Xue''s family about erecting a monument, but was blocked, and Xue''s family took turns to persuade her. Later, Zhao''er didn''t tell anyone about it, and took the money to ask someone to make these two simple monuments and put them in front of the grave.


    It was too late when Xue''s family found out, and they couldn''t tear down the stele in front of the villagers.


    The villagers were also surprised when they saw the stele, but after thinking about how the Xue family''s second child died, they could understand it.


    Therefore, Xue Qingshan also gained a good reputation. He would rather risk his family''s feng shui to erect a monument for his brother.


    With various thoughts spinning in his mind, Xue Tingxiang took out a piece of cloth from his arms and slowly wiped the tombstone.


    The words on it were still written by him, and the strokes are immature, but after all, people can still tell what is written on it.


    ...


    Today is the anniversary of Mr. Zheng''s death. Zheng Hu brought his two sons to the grave to worship.


    The country people are not so particular, they just prepared some steamed buns, wine and meat, and the father and son burned the paper money in front of the grave, so let''s forget about it.


    Zheng Hu had always had a deep relationship with his father, so he was inevitably depressed, so he let his two sons go back first, while he sat in front of the grave, smoking a pipe and talking to his father.


    After talking for a while, he stood up and planned to go back.


    There was still work waiting to be done in the field, and Zheng Hu didn''t want to waste time, so he decided to take a shortcut. When he passed near Xue Lianxing''s ancestral grave, he suddenly heard someone crying.


    There are graves on the two nearby hills, one is of the surname Xue, and the other is of the surname Zheng. This kind of festive day is not like Zheng Hu''s on the anniversary of the death of an elder in the family, but no one would come to this kind of place.


    In particular, there may be a lot of dead people buried here, the trees are dense, and sometimes the sky and day are gloomy. Hearing this strange sound under such circumstances, Zheng Hu was so frightened that his hair stood on end and his legs went limp.


    After all, he had lived for decades. He listened intently and calmly, and it took him a while to understand that it was a boy''s voice.


    Thinking about who''s grave was here, he bravely walked closer, bypassed a big tree, and saw a young man in blue clothes sitting in front of the grave from a distance.


    Next to it was a big black dog wagging its tail.


    It''s the dog of the second room of Xue Lianxing''s family.


    Only then did Zheng Hu heave a sigh of relief, and the voice came into his ears again: "...Father, what do you think I should do? Uncle wants to send brother Juncai to the school in town, I thought I could do the same." Go... But my aunt came to the house a few days ago, but she told me to let Brother Juncai, before..."


    The young man''s voice was full of hesitation and bewilderment, Zheng Hu did not expect to hear the secret affairs of the Xue family in such a place. He was so surprised that the pipe in his hand dropped without realizing it. He didn''t realize it until his foot was hit by the pipe, picked up the pipe in a hurry and left.


    He didn''t know that after he left, the lonely and helpless boy in his eyes stopped crying.


    In the past few days, Xue Tingxiang has been thinking hard, trying to find a suitable opportunity, and somehow he thought of Zheng Hu.


    Zheng Hu''s father, Mr. Zheng, died during the spring plowing. It was not a happy funeral, but an accident. He was accidentally squeezed to the foot of the field by his own cattle and fell to his death.


    The ridge was not very tall, and countless villagers fell off the ridge every year, and Mr. Zheng died unluckily. At the beginning, this incident was widely circulated in the village, so Xue Tingxiang remembered it very clearly.


    Since it was the anniversary of the father''s death, the son Zheng Hu would definitely come to visit the grave, and Zheng Hu used to like to take shortcuts, so he would definitely pass by this area, so who else is more suitable than him.


    The most important thing is that Yuqing Village doesn''t seem big, but Xue and Zheng''s surnames have always been different from each other. Zheng Hu''s uncle is Li Zheng, and if he knows it, Zheng Lizheng will know it too.


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t stay any longer, and quickly returned home with Heizi the same way.


    The yard was still silent, he found a twig and put it in front of the door, and sat there quietly basking in the sun, thinking about Zhao''er who went to the town.


    *


    Zheng Hu hurried all the way, without even returning home, he went to Zheng Lizheng''s house.


    Zheng Li is the Lizheng of Yuqing Village and the head of the Zheng clan. Naturally, the family''s house is the only one in Yuqing Village. If it can be compared with it, it is the house of Patriarch Xue''s family.


    Yishui''s green brick and tile-roofed house, and the courtyard walls are also made of green bricks. The most conspicuous thing is the ancestral hall of the Zheng family on the front, but this ancestral hall will not be opened until a certain time. The two black doors The paulownia gate is closed all year round.


    Going around to the side is the courtyard of Zheng Lizheng''s family.


    The yard is huge, unlike other houses where the barn, barn, kitchen, etc. are all in the front yard, the front yard of Zheng Lizheng''s house is just a big empty yard, only two sycamore trees are planted in the yard. Whenever there is any major event in the village, the courtyard will always be densely packed with people.


    There are three main rooms facing the face, and east and west wing rooms on the left and right, all of which are blue bricks and black tiles, which are extraordinarily magnificent.


    When Zheng Hu arrived, only Zheng Lizheng and his wife Tian Shi were at home.


    As soon as Tian saw his nephew coming, he greeted him: "Huzi, why are you here at this time? Do you have something to do with your uncle?"


    "Hey, there''s something wrong."


    With that said, Zheng Hu hurried into the house. Tian shook her head, thinking that there must be something wrong, since Zheng Hu is usually very steady.


    After Zheng Hu entered, he turned to the east room.


    Sure enough, his uncle Zheng Li was sitting cross-legged on the big kang in the east room, smoking dry cigarettes.


    "Why, in a hurry."


    Zheng Hu sat down on a pier under the kang, panting heavily, unable to speak for a while.


    Zheng Lizheng looked to be in his sixties, with a long face and a pair of medium-sized eyes. From the appearance, he is just an ordinary farmer''s old man, even the clothes he wears are ordinary. There is only that unmoving calmness, which can be seen as a person who has been around the world for a long time.


    With the cigarette holder in his mouth, he pushed the teapot on the kang table forward, Zheng Hu was not polite, stood up and poured a bowl of tea, and drank it down.


    "Uncle, let me tell you, something happened to me today."


    "What''s the matter?"


    "Today is not the anniversary of my father''s death. I took it with me early in the morning..."


    Halfway through Zheng Hu''s speech, Zheng Lizheng sat up from the kang, as if listening seriously.


    Seeing his uncle like this, Zheng Hu knew he had come to the right place. After hearing what the only son of Xue Lianxing''s family cried, he realized that this was an opportunity, an opportunity to suppress the prestige of Xue in Yuqing Village.


    He spoke in more detail, almost repeating every word, while Zheng Li was smoking a pipe, his eyes narrowed.


    *


    Zhao''er didn''t come back until the second half of the afternoon, and when he came back, he looked a little unhappy.


    Xue Tingxiang looked at the basket behind her, every time Zhao''er came back before, the basket was always full, but today he knew that there was nothing in it.


    "What''s wrong?"


    Zhao''er was thinking about it, when the little man asked him, he was taken aback for a moment, and then said: "It''s nothing, I brought you meat buns from the town, and I''ll heat them up for you to eat later."


    How could there be nothing, obviously there is something.


    Xue Tingxiang glanced at her face, but since she didn''t want to say more, he didn''t want to press her.


    Zhao''er went back and forth to the town, covered in dust, she went to the kitchen to boil water, and took a bath in the bathroom. The Xue family has a special room for bathing, in the vegetable field in the backyard. The house is not big, three meters square, the floor is paved with bluestone slabs, and there is a drain in the corner, through which the bath water can flow directly into the vegetable field.

 Chapter 66

    In fact, Xue Gouzi''s eyes are the only ones that look good. He has been weak since he was a child, and the second wife and his wife managed to support him, and they are always spoiled. The boys of his age in the village are all dark-skinned and strong like a calf, but he is pale, emaciated, silent and taciturn.


    But Zhao''er has always been domineering, and never allowed anyone to call him a little man, and she would be anxious with anyone who said that. Because of this incident, she had fought with many girls and boys in the village, although some people still said behind their backs, no one dared to point fingers in front of others.


    Zhao''er always felt that the little man''s eyes were weird today, and he avoided them uncomfortably.


    She knew that the little man must be angry again, and he didn''t like her saying "the dog is my man" the most. Every time he heard her say such words, he would ignore her for a few days. In fact, Zhao''er has to face, but she is the child bride-in-law of the Xue family''s second room. If she didn''t claim to be like this, she would not be qualified to challenge the fourth aunt, Sun''s.


    "Are you hungry? Look what I brought back for you?"


    Zhao''er turned her head and put all these troubles behind her, and took out a paper bag from her pocket. Open the paper bag, there are two steamed buns inside, they are white and plump, and people like it when they look at them.


    "Eat quickly, while it''s still warm." She smiled, stuffed the paper bag into the little man''s hand, and put the pannier on her shoulders in the corner.


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her.


    The girl in front of her was in her twenties and eighth year, and her skin was the wheat color that is common among girls in the country, but Zhao''er''s complexion was very different from others, it was smooth and radiant, as if she had been smeared with honey. He has a tall nose bridge, a pair of medium-sized eyes, and swarthy pupils. When he smiles, there is a flash of inspiration in him, and he looks lively.


    Zhao''er''s stature is taller than ordinary girls, and she is well-developed, front/convex/backward, full of youthful vigor.


    It was so vivid, as vivid as in his dream.


    He unconsciously took the steamed stuffed bun and gnawed on it. Seeing this trick, he smiled even more happily. He went to the kitchen and poured him a bowl of water, which he placed next to his hand. On the other hand, he bent down to tidy up the scattered quilts on the kang, thinking about what to cook for him at night to nourish his body.


    Finally, the little man got better, so he had to continue to drink the medicine, and he had to drink a few more to strengthen it. From this, he naturally began to calculate the little money left in his hand, and think of a way to get some money, so as to solve the urgent need.


    "Have you eaten yet?" Xue Gouzi asked.


    This kind of behavior rarely happens to him, so Zhao''er can''t help but look up at the little man sitting on the kang.


    In fact, the little man has a handsome appearance, which is different from the fair skin of the countrymen. The corners of his eyes are slightly raised, and the curvature makes his face a little more delicate and handsome. It''s just that the little man always hangs his head halfway on weekdays, with a gloomy and silent temperament, and is too thin, so he is not conspicuous in front of others.


    Zhao''er''s eyes warmed up, her smile widened, and she said cracklingly, "Eat, I ate it outside, this is for you."


    After she finished speaking, she realized that she had slipped her mouth. She waited for the little man to show a disgusted expression, or to condemn her daughter''s family for running around, but he didn''t say anything, as if he had something on his mind. Head eating buns.


    Zhao''er couldn''t help heaving a sigh of relief, but at the same time felt a pain in his heart, and couldn''t help but said: "Dog, don''t worry too much. After all, you heard the words. Since you didn''t say it face-to-face, you can''t take it seriously. Even if it is true Don''t be afraid, sister earns money for your education."


    Xue Gouzi''s head still hurts a little, and he was dizzy. Zhao''er thought he had something on his mind, but in fact he was just thinking about that dream. Hearing Zhao''er''s words at this time, he suddenly remembered why he had this serious illness.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Gouzi''s serious illness came in a hurry due to stagnation of liver qi.


    Speaking of this, I have to talk about the general situation of the Xue family.


    Yuqing Village is a village located under Huyang Town, Xia County, Pingyang Prefecture. There are only more than 200 households in the village.


    The Xue family is one of them.


    However, the Xue family is different from other ordinary farmers, and it can be regarded as having some origins.


    The ancestor of the Xue family, that is, the grandfather of Mr. Xue, was a scholar. In a poor mountain depression like Yuqing Village, it is a great event for the ancestors to have a scholar.


    Because of this talented gentleman, the generation of the Xue family produced the head of the Xue clan, and there were several village elders in the clan, and finally had some say in Yuqing Village. At the same time, it is also a blessing for the younger generation. Mr. Xue''s father is hardworking and willing to work. With the help of the elders, he also slowly built up a family business.


    By the time of Mr. Xue''s generation, the Xue family already had more than 30 acres of fertile land, and several sons also had their own livelihoods. Their lives were enviably prosperous, and they could be regarded as a well-to-do family in the village.


    Mr. Xue and his mother-in-law Zhao have four sons and two daughters. The eldest son Xue Qingshan married his wife Yang, and they have two sons and a daughter. The eldest son Xue Juncai is fifteen years old, the second son Xue Youcai is ten years old, and the eldest daughter Xue Maner is married.


    The second child, Xue Qingsong, is a carpenter. He married his wife Qiu Shi and gave birth to a son, Xue Gouzi, who is fourteen years old. The third child, Xue Qingbai, is a farmer, married his wife Zhou, and gave birth to a son and a daughter. The eldest daughter, Xue Taoer, is thirteen years old this year, and the youngest son, Xue Shuanzi, is eight years old now. The fourth son, Xue Qinghuai, is a shopkeeper. He married his wife, Sun, and gave birth to a son named Xue Maodan, who is only four years old this year.


    As for the two daughters, the eldest daughter, Xue Cuiping, is already married, and the youngest daughter, Xue Cuie, is fourteen this year and is still in her boudoir.


    It is worth mentioning that nowadays there are parents who say that they do not separate their families. In addition, families in the countryside are ruled by clans, so Xue''s family has no separation.


    The Xue family has tasted the benefits of reading, so they have more vision than ordinary farmers. Xue Qingshan is smart since he was a child, and he is the eldest son. Mr. Xue has high hopes for him, and when he reaches the age of enlightenment, he spends money to send him to a private school.


    Xue Qingshan also strives for success. At the age of twenty, he passed the Tongsheng examination. Although he is still a scholar, he can be counted as a scholar who can be counted in ten miles and eight villages.


    Don''t underestimate Tongsheng! As the saying goes, scholars, farmers, businessmen, and scholars are the highest class of people in the current society. If ordinary people want to turn ordinary people into scholars, there is only one way to take the imperial examination. As for the imperial examination, it is only a matter of going to the west to learn Buddhist scriptures, and you have to go through various checkpoints and go through hardships before you can get it.


    If you want to embark on this path, you must first have the qualifications, and Tong Sheng is a person with this qualification. It is necessary to pass the county and government examinations to be called Tongsheng. As for the next step is to be a scholar, to become a scholar is to enter school, and it is also the first step to embark on the road of imperial examinations.


    It can be seen from this that Tong Sheng is not an ordinary person, so Xue Qingshan''s status in the Xue family can be imagined.


    But as I said before, the Xue family''s family background can only be regarded as a middle-level family in the countryside. If a family like this wants to support a scholar, it will almost exhaust all the human and financial resources of the family. Because the eldest son is the eldest son, who will set up a family in the future, and is talented and intelligent, the next few sons naturally have to give in.


    As for why Xue Gouzi became seriously ill, it has to be related to another old matter of the Xue family.


    Back then when Xue Qingshan was selected as a child student, he was considered a success at a young age. He was full of ambitions and wanted to pass the college examination in one fell swoop, and he could also be a scholar, but it was a pity that God did not follow his wishes.


    It was only a close call, and no one would be reconciled to it. Xue Qingshan could only calm down, work hard, and hope to win next time.


    After so many years of rushing away, the original smugness was completely devastated by the impact of reality. Xue Qingshan failed many exams, so he couldn''t stay at home and eat free food all the time. In desperation, he set up a private school in the village, which specializes in taking children from the village and several nearby villages to read and write, and they can more or less earn a living.


    With such convenient conditions, several children of Xue''s family naturally followed suit. The next few children are still young, and among the grandchildren, Xue Juncai, the eldest son of the big house, and Xue Gouzi of the second house have studied the longest.


    However, compared to his cousin Xue Juncai, Xue Gouzi is obviously not as good as he is because he is too weak. When he was young, he was always sick every day, which delayed a lot of homework.


    The time was stretched back to five years ago, this year the academic officer held a college examination in Fucheng, Xue Qingshan naturally would not miss it, he stopped his private school classes early and went to Fucheng to take the exam.


    It''s not easy to go out at this time, and besides, Mr. Xue was worried about his eldest son going out alone, so he asked his second son Xue Qingsong to accompany him. He always took care of him when he was usually on a business trip.


    That is to say, something happened on this trip, Xue Qingshan offended someone in Fucheng, Xue Qingsong was beaten all over his body in order to protect his eldest brother. In the end, the man was pulled back, but he died within a few days after he came back. Before he died, Xue Qingsong asked Xue Qingshan to promise himself that he would do everything in his power to confess Xue Gouzi.


    In fact, after giving way for others all his life, how could Xue Qingsong have no complaints in his heart, but he has a simple and honest nature, and he knows that his talent is not as good as that of his elder brother, so he has been making contributions in obscurity.


    But when it came to his own son, especially Xue Gouzi, who was weak since he was a child, he was not a farmer in any way, and he was dying, so Xue Qingsong took the opportunity to force his elder brother to make a promise.


    Xue Qingsong would do this, but he wanted to break the status quo that the Xue family''s resources had been leaning towards Dafang. The Xue family only had two scholars in the first room, and now there is a Xue Gouzi. The children in the third room were still young at that time, and the fourth child was not married yet. As long as Xue Qingshan agrees, others will naturally have nothing to say, and Xue Qingsong will do his best for his son Brown.


    Xue Qingshan agreed to the matter on the spot, crying blood, saying that he would treat Xue Gouzi as his own son, Xue Qingsong closed his eyes.


    Not long after that, Qiu Shi, who was already in poor health, became depressed and fell ill, and then passed away. Since then, Xue Gouzi has become a poor child without father and mother. Fortunately, there are grandparents and uncles, and Zhaoer, a child bride-in-law, so he doesn''t have to worry about food and clothing.


    In the following years, Xue Qingshan really treated Xue Gouzi like his own son. No one in the village would say that the boss of the Xue family raised his nephew as his own son. But as the saying goes, the human heart is the most fickle, and selfishness is the nature of human beings. As time passed, Da Fang gradually changed his attitude. Although he was in front of others, he was still the same as before, but only the person concerned would know what happened to him afterwards.


    This year, seeing that he had nothing to teach his son, Xue Qingshan decided to send Xue Juncai to the town school to study for two years.


    But it costs a lot of money to go to the school to study, not to mention the one-year study that costs two silver, the three festivals and six rituals of the husband, and the pen, ink, paper and inkstone used in daily life, all of which cost money. The Xue family has already been seriously injured because they confessed to Xue Qingshan, and how can they have money for the two children to go together.


    You can only take out one piece of money, that is to say, Xue Juncai and Xue Gouzi can only go to one.


    Xue Qingshan told the matter in front of the whole family, but Xue Gouzi didn''t say what he couldn''t say tactfully, but chose to remain silent.


    During that time, the atmosphere in the Xue family was weird, the old man Xue was frowning, and the grandmother Zhao was eccentric all day long, but the eldest couple were still the same as before, and they didn''t think it was a problem.


    I will not mention this, it is also a coincidence that Xue Gouzi accidentally overheard his eldest aunt Yang and fourth aunt Sun talking in secret, saying that he would let his parents-in-law come forward and let Xue Gouzi take the initiative to give up his place to study in the town , Xue Gouzi became seriously ill in a fit of rage.


    Thinking of this, Xue Gouzi felt uneasy for a while, and at the same time, many pictures appeared in his mind, which were just some of his previous dreams.


    The Xue Tingxiang in the dream also faced the same situation in the fourteenth year, and the other party''s temperament changed drastically after this incident, changing his previous disposition.


    Could it be that he is Xue Tingxiang, and that Xue Tingxiang is him? But why would he dream of these things!


    Xue Gouzi felt a throbbing pain in his head, the bun in his hand fell on the kang, and the water bowl next to him was also knocked over. Zhao''er heard the movement, rushed up and hugged him in his arms.


    "Dog, dog, don''t scare me!"


    "Dog, dog..."


    Xue Gouzi came back to his senses and looked at the face in front of him that had been entwined in his dreams for many years.


    "You''re right, I won''t think about it anymore." He paused, and then said, "I just want to say one thing, can you stop calling me a dog?"


    Zhao''er was puzzled and said, "But I didn''t call you that all the time. If you don''t call me a dog, what would you call it?"


    Xue Gouzi pondered for a moment, "Call me Ting Xiang."


    "Tingxiang? This is your own name? Gou''er, why did you give yourself such a name?" Soon she understood, remembering that the talented boy in Dafang always carried his own name because of his young age. People laugh at the same name as Gou''er and Heizi.


    A look of distress flashed in her eyes, and she nodded repeatedly: "Gou''er, no, Ting''er is a different scholar, and the name is so nice. From now on, my sister won''t call you Gou''er, and I won''t let outsiders call you that. It''s called Tingxiang." Anyway, in her heart, whatever the dog says is good,


    Xue Gouzi, no, he should be called Xue Tingxiang now, and he feels a little depressed. He is only less than two years younger than Zhao''er, but he is a deep ravine that he will not be able to cross in his entire life. Having said that, he said again: "Also, can you stop calling yourself sister to me in the future?"


    This time, Zhao''er was even more surprised, and even reached out to touch his forehead: "Ting''er, what''s wrong with you? Did you have some evil? You didn''t call me sister since you were a child."


    Xue Tingxiang took a deep breath and smiled: "But you are not my sister, you will be my wife in the future, how can a man call his wife a sister."


    He was originally pale, half leaning on the quilt at the top of the kang, suddenly smiled like this, his brows and eyes were clear and handsome, which gave people a feeling that they dare not look directly at him.


    Zhao''er''s face turned red all of a sudden, and he couldn''t make sense of what he said: "Dog, you, what are you talking about, I, I..."


    "Don''t you want to be my daughter-in-law and have a baby for me?" He moved closer.


    She stood up abruptly, and reprimanded: "You little kid, why are you talking about this? Your hair hasn''t grown fully yet!" She said a foul language that Xue Tingxiang didn''t like to hear the most, and she didn''t realize it: "You want to The thing to do is to take care of your body, as for these things, we will talk about them later!"


    Her eyes were fierce, and her tone was also fierce. After she finished speaking, she lowered her head and scooped rice from the bowl to Xue Tingshan''s mouth. He glanced at her, ate honestly, and suddenly became in a good mood.


    Maybe the two of them can change the way they get along in the future, and change it if they don''t like it, there is no need to wait for her to understand.

 Chapter 67

    Xue Gouzi pondered for a moment, "Call me Ting Xiang."


    "Tingxiang? This is your own name? Gou''er, why did you give yourself such a name?" Immediately she understood, remembering that the talented boy in Dafang always carried his own name because of his young age. People laugh at Gou''er and Heizi for having the same name.


    A look of distress flashed in her eyes, and she nodded repeatedly: "Gou''er, no, Ting''er scholars are different, and the name is so nice. From now on, my sister won''t call you Gou''er, and I won''t let outsiders call you that. It''s called Tingxiang." Anyway, in her heart, whatever the dog says is good,


    Xue Gouzi, no, he should be called Xue Tingxiang now, and he feels a little depressed. He is only less than two years younger than Zhao''er, but he is a deep ravine that he will not be able to cross in his entire life. Having said that, he said again: "Also, can you stop calling yourself sister to me in the future?"


    This time, Zhao''er was even more surprised, and even reached out to touch his forehead: "Ting''er, what''s wrong with you? Did you have some evil? You didn''t call me sister since you were a child."


    Xue Tingxiang took a deep breath and smiled: "But you are not my sister, you will be my daughter-in-law in the future, no man calls his wife a sister."


    He was originally pale, half leaning on the quilt at the top of the kang, and suddenly smiled, with clear eyes and brows, which made people dare not look directly at him.


    Zhao''er''s face turned red all of a sudden, and he couldn''t make sense of what he said: "Dog, you, what are you talking about, I, I..."


    "Don''t you want to be my daughter-in-law and have a baby for me?" He moved closer.


    She stood up abruptly, and reprimanded: "You little kid, why are you talking about this? Your hair hasn''t grown fully yet!" She said a foul language that Xue Tingxiang didn''t like to hear the most, and she didn''t realize it: "You want to The thing to do is to take care of your body, as for these things, we will talk about them later!"


    Her eyes were fierce, and her tone was also fierce. After she finished speaking, she lowered her head and scooped rice from the bowl to Xue Tingshan''s mouth. He glanced at her, ate honestly, and suddenly became in a good mood.


    Maybe the two of them can change the way they get along in the future, and change it if they don''t like it, there is no need to wait for her to understand.


    *


    Zhao''er threw away the mess, turned around and went back to the house, leaving the whole family to finish their lunch in a depressing atmosphere.


    During this period, Sun had nothing to say to her, but no one paid any attention to her.


    Yang couldn''t eat, if it wasn''t for her parents-in-law, if she didn''t want to embarrass herself in front of the two younger siblings, she would have thrown her chopsticks and left. But now he can only suppress the aggrieved stomach, and eat the food in front of him like chewing wax.


    After dinner, Mrs. Sun took Mao Dan away, knowing that her son got into trouble today, and she was afraid that she would be angered later. Mrs. Zhou took Xue Taoer to clean up the table, and took the dishes and chopsticks to the kitchen to wash. Xue Qingbai helped her, Zhou could not carry such a pot of dishes by himself, usually when Xue Qingbai was not at home, she and her daughter could only carry them.


    Only Dafang, mother and son were left in the room, along with Mr. Xue and Mrs. Zhao.


    Yang stood up and wanted to go back to the East Chamber, but was stopped by Mr. Xue.


    Mr. Xue took out his dry pipe, took out some shredded tobacco grown by himself from the dark blue tobacco pouch, rolled it into a ball, pressed it into the tobacco pot, and then lit it with a torch.


    His movements are very slow, neither fast nor slow. Anyone who is familiar with Mr. Xue''s character knows that he has something on his mind.


    It''s true that there is something wrong, and if it''s not something, he won''t call his daughter-in-law to stop.


    "The handsome boy and the talented boy go back to the house first. Grandpa has something to say to your mother."


    Xue Youcai glanced at his mother and wanted to say something, but was dragged away by his elder brother Xue Juncai.


    "Father, just tell me if you have anything to say."


    Mrs. Yang is thirty-four this year. In the countryside, a woman in her thirties is no longer considered young. Here, the wind blows and the sun shines and eats, so the women look old.


    But Yang''s maintenance is very good, her face is like a disc, her skin is fair, and there are a few fine lines at the corners of her eyes. She was wearing a worn-out stone blue satin gown with make-up, her shiny black hair was pulled into a bun behind her head, a gilt hairpin was inserted into it, and a pair of old silver earrings were on her ears. It can''t be called onion tip, but it is also white and soft, wearing a gold ring.


    It is not an exaggeration to say that she is the grandma of the landlord''s family in this dress and bearing, even the Zhao family is not as good as her.


    With his old eyes, Mr. Xue moved Yang back and forth a few times, making her stand uneasy.


    Just as I was about to say something, my father-in-law said suddenly: "Boss daughter-in-law, how long have you been married to our family?"


    Yang was startled, and replied: "Seventeen years, my daughter-in-law married into the Xue family in the seventeenth year."


    "Then how will your mother and I treat you?"


    Yang''s heart skipped a beat: "Father and mother treat their daughter-in-law like their own daughters."


    Mr. Xue nodded, took a puff of the dry cigarette, and the light blue smoke began to linger on his old face again, making it difficult to see the expression on his face clearly.


    "You are the eldest daughter-in-law of our family, and your mother has always loved you. You and the boss have the same heart as your mother and I. I only wish that you can become a talent."


    Yang''s heart relaxed, and she couldn''t help laughing: "Juncai is serious about his studies, even my father said that he is a rare and good seedling, and it is no problem to be a scholar."


    Speaking of Xue Juncai who is the most proud, even Mr. Xue couldn''t help showing a smile.


    Seeing that the father-in-law''s face softened, Yang took advantage of the situation and said: "It''s just that you know, father, that when it''s time to end, you don''t have to just sit at home and study. Thinking back then, Juncai''s father also listened to my father''s words, I went to Qinghe Academy to study for two years, met some classmates, and registered in front of my husband. I took the opportunity to impress the county magistrate, and I passed the county exam. The ranking of the county exam As long as it is not bad, the government examination is not to say that it is sure, but it is half sure. It''s just that you have to rely on luck when you get to the hospital examination, and Juncai''s father is unlucky, so he will fail repeatedly."


    This is the real reason why Yang Shi is valued by the old couple in the Xue family, not only because her father is a child, but also because her father was kind to Xue Qingshan in the past.


    And Yang''s statement seems absurd, but it is true. The two county examinations are not as strictly controlled as the hospital examination, especially the county examination, which is presided over by the magistrate of the county.


    There are five county exams in total, and the results of the first exam are mainly to be judged. And this time, there are two stereotyped essays and one poem. As long as there are no typos and fluent essays, you can pass them all.


    Compared with people he doesn''t know well at all, the magistrate is still willing to pick people who are somewhat familiar.


    And going to a good school to study is to provide an opportunity to stand out in front of the county magistrate. Dachang has always attached great importance to the selection of talents. How many scholars can be produced in this county, and even a son can be a Jinshi, which is considered a political achievement. No matter how fatuous and incompetent the county magistrate, this kind of cutscene must go.


    And being able to enter a good school will not only increase your contacts, but also your vision.


    For example, the county examinations are nothing more than the Four Books and Five Classics and the sacred edicts. How to write and what taboos should not be violated all need guidance. No matter how wonderful your article is, if you violate taboos such as temple taboos, royal names, and holy taboos, you will not take it.


    And in places like the countryside, many private schools are opened by old children for the sake of making a living, and I still want to be a scholar to change my fortune, so how can I teach middle school children in every detail.


    Xue Qingshan himself was like this, that''s why he put all his energy into sending Xue Juncai to Qinghe Academy.


    Yang thought that her father-in-law wanted to tell her about sending Xue Juncai to the school, so she said this. Little did they know that her words really touched Mr. Xue''s mind, but Mr. Xue didn''t intend to tell her these things.


    Mr. Xue took a deep breath of dry cigarettes, and said: "The boss you said has been told to me, and we will talk about this matter later. You are Juncai''s mother, and there is nothing wrong with planning for your son, but you have to know that our family It¡¯s not just Dafang¡¯s family.¡±


    The father-in-law''s tone was a bit meaningful, Yang was startled for a moment, and forced a smile: "Father, of course my daughter-in-law knows that the Xue family is not just ours, but don''t worry, if Juncai''s father and Juncai are promising, they will never forget to be filial to you My mother." Seeing her father-in-law''s complexion was gloomy, she hurriedly added: "There are other people in the family, Juncai always remembers that he can study, thanks to a few uncles and aunts."


    Mr. Xue nodded: "If you understand, you should know that the other three families have been sacrificing for the eldest house. I won''t mention the far ones, just talk about the third and fourth children. The land in the house refers to the third and fourth children Kindly, your father is getting old, and his hands and feet are not as sharp as before. The fourth child has to pick up goods and sell them when he is busy with the house. I don¡¯t know how many pairs of shoes he has to wear out in a year, but all the money he earns is handed over to the public. , I haven¡¯t paid a penny. What is everyone working so hard for? It¡¯s not for our family, but for Dafang.¡±


    Yang''s complexion became forced: "Father, why is this all for our eldest family? Juncai''s father is promising, isn''t it because the Xue family has a good face? Because Juncai''s father was born in Tongsheng, no one in the village would look at us highly, even that The Zheng family, don¡¯t you also give us three points of courtesy to the Xue family. This is for the overall situation, for the future generations of our Xue family..."


    Old Master Xue sighed and interrupted: "Father understands what you said, and so does your mother. But as the saying goes, if the board is not on your body, of course you don''t feel pain. You put yourself in the position of the third and fourth child , What do you think? I have done the most work, and I can¡¯t even put my good words into my mouth, and it¡¯s all in other people¡¯s mouths.¡±


    These words were in line with what Zhao''er said just now, Yang''s face turned red immediately, her round face flushed red.


    "Father, why did you call this into my mouth, I..."


    Mr. Xue ignored her, and went to scold Mrs. Zhao again: "There is also you, who is biased in front of people. You just continue to do it, so that the third and fourth are chilled, and they make a fuss about separating from the family. You go there Planted for the boss and talented people to take the imperial examination!"


    At the end, his tone was full of sighs of hatred for iron.


    Mrs. Zhao didn''t want to listen to this anymore, and muttered: "What do you mean I am biased? Why am I biased? Didn''t I think that the boss and Juncai want to study, and studying is a waste of brain, so I should give them more supplements. Don''t those who are good? It fell into my mouth."


    The more she spoke, the angrier she became, and she couldn''t help cursing: "Separate the family, don''t they want to turn the world upside down, if the parents don''t separate, even if I can spare them, the ancestors'' family law can''t forgive them."


    Old Master Xue smiled wryly. If it wasn''t for these two old things and the family law of the ancestors, the family would not be like this a long time ago.


    He shifted his gaze to Mrs. Yang: "You also understand the situation at home. Can your mother and I manage it for a while, or for a lifetime? Since you want to send Juncai to study in the school in the town, you should win over the third and fourth bedroom. "


    "Father, I..."


    "In the past, your mother doted on you. I never said it. You can tell which is right and which is wrong. But from tomorrow onwards, you and the third and fourth families will share the work at home. "


    After Mr. Xue finished speaking, he stopped talking and just smoked his own cigarette with a sullen head. Yang couldn''t stand here either, and hurried out of the main room with her head down.


    *


    As soon as Mrs. Zhou cleaned up the kitchen and came out, she saw her sister-in-law returning to the east chamber with her head down, her expression was not very good.


    Her eyes flickered, and she glanced towards the south end of the west wing, which was a four-bedroom house.


    There was a faint person behind the window facing the courtyard in the fourth room, and Mrs. Zhou knew that Mrs. Sun had been watching the movement. She pretended not to notice, wiped her hands on the apron, and went back to the house.


    When it was time to cook in the evening, Mrs. Yang was wearing coarse clothes, which was rare, and came to the kitchen to compete with Mrs. Zhou for work.


    Mrs. Zhou couldn''t even refuse, so Mrs. Yang smiled and said that Mrs. Zhou had worked hard, so she just let her rest.


    Mrs. Zhou was pushed out of the kitchen by her, and she happened to meet Mrs. Sun who was standing at the door of the west chamber. There was also surprise in their eyes.


    But what surprised them was yet to come, because from this day on, Mrs. Yang changed her previous attitude and started doing all kinds of work. Although it was many years of not touching her hands, she was clumsy in doing things now, but she did it.


    Not only cooking, but also being very generous, often actively persuade Mrs. Zhao to take some money, or buy some meat or bring out some eggs, and cook dishes for the family to eat.


    The sparks that had been stirred up by Zhao''er''s words in the Xue family were suppressed just like that. During this period, Xue Tingxiang''s body finally recovered, and he had the strength to walk around.


    This day, after getting up early in the morning and having breakfast, Zhao''er planned to go to town.


    The rags she brought back from the embroidery workshop have all been made into things like purses and embroidered shoes. After saving for many days, it should be sold in the embroidery workshop.


    She put everything into the back basket, and before leaving, she told Xue Tingxiang that the weather was fine today and asked him to go out to bask in the sun more often.

 Chapter 68

    The morning light was twilight and the sky was breaking. Most of the villagers in Yuqing Village got up very early.


    Smoke rose from the chimneys of many houses, and villagers walking in twos and threes on the village trails, either carrying hoes or pulling cattle, looked like they were going to the fields.


    It is the time of spring plowing, and the plan of the year lies in spring. If you are lazy at this time, you will cry when the grain is harvested in autumn.


    Zhao''er woke up at this hour on time, and opened his eyes to find that the little man was still asleep.


    Not long after she fell asleep yesterday, the little man developed a fever again. After working for most of the night, luckily the fever subsided by midnight.


    She sat up, raised her hand to touch the little man''s forehead, and made sure that her hands were not hot, then put on her clothes lightly and got off the kang.


    The first thing to do was to open the door, and Heizi, who had been restless for a long time, got out with a swish. Zhao''er also walked out of the room, and seeing Heizi rushing out of the courtyard to pee, she shook her head with a grin.


    At this time, someone had already woken up in the courtyard, it was the Zhou family of the third bedroom and his eldest daughter Xue Tao''er.


    Today it''s the third room''s turn to cook. The Xue family''s rule is that apart from the housework of each room, the work in the office is shared equally. One day per room, in rotation.


    The room responsible for cooking is not only responsible for the food and drink of the whole family, but also takes care of the livestock in the family. The Xue family raised two big fat pigs, and it was not an easy job to just serve these two ancestors every day. Not to mention feeding chickens, carrying water, and chopping firewood, so the female family members who do housework on this day do not have to go to the fields to work.


    It seems to be fair and just, but in fact everyone inside knows how.


    The eldest aunt Yang claimed that the man was a child student, and she was exceptionally superior at home. Since Xue Qingshan passed the child student examination, she never touched housework again. The key is that Mrs. Zhao is also looking towards her, so it''s not easy for others to question her.


    At first, it was Xue Gouzi''s mother, Mrs. Qiu, who finally came in, the third-bedroom Mrs. Zhou, and the two sisters-in-law finally shared the burden. Afterwards, Mrs. Qiu followed her deceased husband, and Mrs. Zhou was left alone. It was not until Mrs. Sun of the fourth room entered the door that she would be able to catch her breath again.


    It''s a pity that Mrs. Sun is lazy and playful. In fact, Mrs. Zhou still does most of the work.


    In the past, when Mrs. Qiu was still alive, Zhao''er also helped Mrs. Qiu to do it. After Mrs. Qiu passed away, Zhao''er was busy with the housework of the second room and had to do the work in the office. In addition, Zhao''er was still young at that time, Mr. Xue told her to take good care of Xue Gouzi and not to take care of the work at work.


    Zhao''er now has free time to go around and get some money, but she is a person who looks at her conscience and will help out as much as she can in her spare time. As for those who used words to squeeze her like Sun, her sharp tongue was not forgiving.


    Seeing Xue Taoer struggling to fetch water from the well, Zhao''er rubbed his face and went up to help her.


    Thirteen-year-old Xue Taoer is like a small flower in bud. Although she is not very beautiful, she is very delicate. Seeing Zhao''er coming to help her, she couldn''t help showing a smile and talking to her: "Sister Zhao''er, is the second brother better?" Xue Gouzi is the second grandson of the Xue family, so Xue Taoer called him the second brother .


    "I had a fever again last night, and it got better in the second half of the night." Zhao''er looked around curiously, and asked, "Why isn''t Third Uncle here?"


    Although Xue Qingbai is a bit honest and reticent, he always loves his wife and daughter. Whenever he meets the third room to cook, he will get up early to fill the water tank.


    The Xue family has its own well, but the well is too deep, and there is no pulley on the well, so it is really exhausting to draw water with the strength of the daughter''s family alone. That is to say, Zhao''er was naturally as strong as an ox, and his strength was no worse than that of ordinary middle-aged men, so he could pull the bucket out of the deep well very easily.


    "My father went to the field and said he would work for a while and return after breakfast."


    Xue Qingbai is an honest farmer. Unlike other brothers in the family who have other skills, he only knows how to farm, so he puts all his heart on the ground. The Xue family has a total of more than 30 mu of land, and now he, Mr. Xue and the fourth son Xue Qinghuai are all planted.


    Although the women of the Xue family also went to the fields, it was only during the busy farming season, and besides, the women only had so little strength, so how could they help. Fortunately, the three men from Xue''s family are all good hands in the field, and they are really too busy, so they hired part-time workers to help out for a few days, so they don''t have to worry about not being able to finish the work in the field.


    Just as he was talking, the door of the fourth room opened, and Xue Qinghuai walked out from inside.


    The men in the Xue family are all big, so Xue Qinghuai also inherited a tall body.


    He was born with thick eyebrows, tiger eyes and a high nose bridge. He was dressed in dark blue coarse cloth and short brown, and looked very heroic. In fact, the men of the Xue family are not bad looking, but the women of the Xue family are a little mediocre, but all the grandchildren are born well, and they are all top-notch in the village.


    "Zhaoer Taoer, you wake up so early." Xue Qinghuai walked over in a few strides, took the wooden bucket in Zhaoer''s hand, walked to the water tank, and poured water into the tank.


    "How can you two little girls do this kind of rough work? You go to do other things, and the fourth uncle is here to fetch water."


    Zhao''er and Tao''er didn''t refuse either, one went to the kitchen to help her mother cook, and the other took a basin to scoop up water for washing.


    As time passed, the rest of the Xue family got up one after another, and there were more and more voices in the yard. On the other side of the kitchen, Mrs. Zhou yelled to eat. Generally, country people don''t pay much attention to breakfast, and they have to set a table or something. They always serve a bowl with a bowl, and eat it at any place.


    Breakfast is two rice porridge, the so-called two rice porridge is porridge cooked from two kinds of rice. Yuqing Village does not grow rice, but only wheat, sorghum, millet, corn and other crops. Although farmers grow wheat, they seldom use it for their own food. They sell it for other grains.


    Even a well-to-do family like Xue''s family with surplus food did not eat fine grains all at once, but a mixture of coarse grains and fine grains. For example, today''s breakfast is two-rice porridge, which is a porridge cooked with millet, that is, yellow rice, and sorghum rice.


    Because it was a busy time of farming, it was cooked quite thickly. Although it didn''t hold up with chopsticks inserted, it was much better than the usual thin soup with little water.


    There is no way, the Xue family seems to have a decent family background in the village, but there are three scholars in the family. Not to mention Xue Gouzi, Guangda Fang and his son spend a lot of money every month, and it''s no wonder that Mrs. Zhao usually can pick up fleas to get a little blood.


    Zhao''er filled two bowls of porridge, put a few cornbreads on a thick porcelain plate, and put some pickles on the side, and took them back to the second room''s room.


    As soon as he entered the door, he saw Xue Gouzi sitting up from the kang.


    She hurriedly put the wooden tray on the square table, and came up to see him: "But he''s better? Are you hungry? Sister will bring you some porridge."


    Xue Gouzi looked at her with complicated eyes.


    After experiencing such a dream, he now doesn''t know how to face Zhao''er. As long as he saw her, he couldn''t help but think of him in his dream, those words scolded by others before he died. He also tried to find the cause of Zhao''er''s death in his memory, but it seemed that that memory was Xue Tingxiang''s most unbearable past, and he had no memory at all.


    In fact, Xue Gouzi was burned in a daze last night, and Xue Gouzi thought for a long time. He couldn''t figure out whether he was Xue Gouzi or Xue Tingxiang, whether that dream was true or not, whether he was thinking about it every day and dreaming at night , to have such an absurd dream.


    However, he also had an idea in his heart. If everything in that dream was true, several things should happen in succession. If these things happen, it means that his dreams are real.


    Thinking about something in his heart, he reached out to catch the bowl, only to realize that he didn''t even have the strength to hold the bowl. Luckily, Zhao''er caught the bowl quickly, so he didn''t spill it all over him.


    Xue Gouzi was a little embarrassed and anxious. It was very strange, obviously he would not have this kind of reaction in front of Zhao''er before, but I don''t know if it was a dream, and his state of mind had a strange change.


    Zhao''er laughed at him: "Why are you being polite with my sister? I forgot that when you were a child, you peed on the kang, and it was my sister who washed it for you."


    Zhao''er came to Xue''s house when he was seven years old, and Gouzi was only five years old at that time. It is very inexplicable for a child to pee on the kang. It is obvious that he has not urinated for a long time. I don''t know if he drank too much water before going to bed or what, but he actually peed on the kang.


    Since Qiu gave birth to the dog, her bones were not good, and it was winter again. In order to repay the kindness of the second wife, Zhao''er volunteered to wash the dirty clothes and pants for the dog. Since then, she started her career as a child bride.


    What Xue Gouzi hates the most is Zhao''er. He always likes to say inconspicuous things in front of him. You must know that as you get older, boys will lose face, how can you still be willing to listen to people mentioning such things, especially dogs are naturally sensitive. But today for some reason, he didn''t feel annoyed, only a little embarrassed.


    He was surprised by his own reaction, but Zhao''er had already fed him porridge with a wooden spoon. He subconsciously opened his mouth, and waited until the warm porridge blown by her was fed into his mouth, and he saw the smiling eyes of the other party.


    Those eyes were big and bright, as if there were stars hidden in them, and he couldn''t help but blush.


    Zhao''er smiled even more happily, and stuffed him with a tortilla: "Eat quickly, sister will cook eggs for you at noon."


    She was coaxing him like a child, Gouzi suddenly had this understanding.


    He was eating porridge from Zhao''er, thinking wildly in his mind, it was very chaotic.


    Just then, someone came to the door.


    It was Xue Qingshan.


    Exactly the same as in the dream.


    Xue Qingshan''s fair face was full of sighs and worries, he sighed and said a lot of words, the main idea was to let the dog recover well, don''t worry too much, there are grandparents and uncles at home, he can''t lose him.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Qingshan also followed the appearance and height of the man from the Xue family. He was also a weed in Yuqing Village in his early years, but unfortunately he got a little fatter as he got older.


    "Uncle still has to go to the private school, dog, take care of your illness, you are a child with a lot of thoughts." Sighing and patting his nephew on the shoulder, Xue Qingshan lifted the curtain and left.


    What is he doing?


    Zhao''er thought suspiciously. After thinking about it for a while, she couldn''t figure out why, so she stopped thinking about it and concentrated on feeding the dog porridge, but Xue Gouzi looked thoughtful.


    *


    In the main room, Mrs. Zhao is chatting with Mr. Xue about what happened yesterday.


    Mrs. Zhao was sewing an old dress in her hand, and said, "Let me tell you, you just like to spoil that little thing. You love him, but he doesn''t love you. Our family''s money doesn''t come from the river, just Because he didn''t want to show his illness to the whole family, he made a fuss after another, which is to make the family upside down."


    Mr. Xue was in his fifties, tall and tall, and his skin was black and red like that of a countryman who had been exposed to the sun for a long time. He was wearing dark blue coarse cloth pants, sitting cross-legged on the Kang, smoking a dry cigarette.


    Every time after dinner or before work, Mr. Xue always smoked for a while, otherwise he would feel exhausted.


    "Okay, Gouwazi is sick, who doesn''t have three illnesses and four pains." After a while, he said hoarsely.


    The patter, patter sounded again, and the lingering blue smoke swirled in the air, and then scattered in all directions. Behind it, the old face of Mr. Xue was hidden, looming.


    "But look how long he has been in trouble? Yesterday, more than one hundred coins were lost. How long will it take you to work hard in the field to earn more than one hundred coins! Boss has to leave another two hundred coins. It is said that someone in a classmate¡¯s family had a birthday, and there was a disaster just last year, and the tax was not exempted, but increased. Seeing that the boss said that he wanted to send Juncai to the town to study, it was another expense. How much money do you have? Withstood such a toss!"


    Seeing that his wife was so distressed, Mr. Xue sat up straight, tapped the cigarette pot on the kang table, and gave her a sideways look: "Your heart will be distressed if you spend a hundred yuan for a dog, and you will give it if the boss asks you for it? Not me Speaking of you, you are a parent and grandmother, so don''t be too biased, you don''t have to make the following little ones have conflicts."


    Upon hearing this, Mrs. Zhao didn''t want to. She slapped him across the kang table and said, "I''m biased? Don''t you?"


    He is also biased, but the boss is the most promising in the family, and the handsome is also the most outstanding among the grandchildren. It''s different to have a scholar in the family. No one will say that Xue Lianxing''s family is a decent person when they go out. If Dafang can produce a scholar, his Xue family will be honored.


    Just thinking of Xue Gouzi, Mr. Xue couldn''t help frowning.


    Of course he knew that the mother-in-law was very annoyed, Gou''er was too ignorant, the eldest owed the life to the second, but Xue''s family was in such a family situation, naturally they had to pay attention to their future.


    It''s not that Mr. Xue looks down on his grandson, but that Gou''er is really not comparable to a handsome boy, nor can he. It''s good to be strong, but you always have to look at the situation.


    "The boss''s daughter-in-law has already said several times that the school in the town cannot be delayed. The delay is half a year. The boss still wants to let Juncai try next year." Zhao added.


    "Back then, I promised my second child!" Old Master Xue sighed deeply, took two puffs of dry cigarettes, and coughed twice when he was choked.


    "Anyway, you can figure it out!" Zhao Shi was so angry that she threw the clothes aside, turned her head and leaned back on the kang, giving the man a backbone.


    Old man Xue slapped his mouth several times, and the gully on his face deepened: "You too, old woman, don''t you think that if outsiders know about this, we can still have face in the village?"

 Chapter 69

    Zhao''er woke up at this hour on time, and opened his eyes to find that the little man was still asleep.


    Not long after she fell asleep yesterday, the little man developed a fever again. After working for most of the night, luckily the fever subsided in the middle of the night.


    She sat up, raised her hand to touch the little man''s forehead, and made sure that her hands were not hot, then put on her clothes lightly and got off the kang.


    The first thing he did was to open the door, and Heizi, who had been restless for a long time, got out with a swish. Zhao''er also walked out of the room, and seeing Heizi rushing out of the courtyard to pee, she shook her head with a grin.


    At this time, someone has already got up in the courtyard, it is the Zhou family of the third bedroom and his eldest daughter Xue Tao''er.


    Today it''s the third room''s turn to cook. The Xue family''s rule is that apart from the housework of each room, the work in the office is shared equally. One day per room, in rotation.


    The room responsible for cooking is not only responsible for eating and drinking for the whole family, but also takes care of the livestock in the family. The Xue family raised two big fat pigs, and it was not an easy job to serve these two ancestors every day. Not to mention feeding chickens, carrying water, and chopping firewood, so the female family members who do housework on this day do not have to work in the fields.


    It seems to be fair and just, but in fact everyone inside knows how.


    The eldest aunt Yang claimed that the man was a child student, and she was exceptionally superior at home. Since Xue Qingshan passed the child student examination, she never touched housework again. The key is that Mrs. Zhao is also looking towards her, so it''s not easy for others to question her.


    At first, it was Xue Gouzi''s mother, Mrs. Qiu, who finally came in, the third-bedroom Mrs. Zhou, and the two sisters-in-law finally shared the burden. Afterwards, Mrs. Qiu followed her deceased husband, and Mrs. Zhou was left alone. It was not until Mrs. Sun of the fourth room entered the door that she would be able to catch her breath again.


    It''s a pity that Mrs. Sun is lazy and playful. In fact, Mrs. Zhou still does most of the work.


    In the past, when Mrs. Qiu was still alive, Zhao''er also helped Mrs. Qiu to do it. After Mrs. Qiu passed away, Zhao''er was busy with the housework of the second room and had to do the work in the office. In addition, Zhao''er was still young at that time, Mr. Xue told her to take good care of Xue Gouzi and not to take care of the work at work.


    Zhao''er now has free time to go around and get some money, but she is a person who looks at her conscience and will help out as much as she can in her spare time. As for those who used words to squeeze her like Sun, her sharp tongue was not forgiving.


    Seeing Xue Taoer struggling to fetch water from the well, Zhao''er rubbed his face and went up to help her.


    Thirteen-year-old Xue Taoer is like a small flower in bud. Although she is not very beautiful, she is very delicate. Seeing Zhao''er coming to help her, she couldn''t help showing a smile and talking to her: "Sister Zhao''er, is the second brother better?" Xue Gouzi is the second grandson of the Xue family, so Xue Taoer called him the second brother .


    "I had a fever again last night, and it got better in the second half of the night." Zhao''er looked around curiously, and asked, "Why isn''t Third Uncle here?"


    Although Xue Qingbai is a bit honest and reticent, he always loves his wife and daughter. Whenever he meets the third room to cook, he will get up early to fill the water tank.


    The Xue family has its own well, but the well is too deep, and there is no pulley on the well, so it is really exhausting to draw water with the strength of the daughter''s family alone. That is to say, Zhao''er was naturally as strong as an ox, and his strength was no worse than that of ordinary middle-aged men, so he could pull the bucket out of the deep well very easily.


    "My father went to the field and said he would work for a while and return after breakfast."


    Xue Qingbai is an honest farmer. Unlike other brothers in the family who have other skills, he only knows how to farm, so he puts all his heart on the ground. The Xue family has a total of more than 30 mu of land, and now he, Mr. Xue and the fourth son Xue Qinghuai are all planted.


    Although the women of the Xue family also went to the fields, it was only during the busy farming season, and besides, the women only had so little strength, so how could they help. Fortunately, the three men from Xue''s family are all good hands in the field, and they are really too busy, so they hired part-time workers to help out for a few days, so they don''t have to worry about not being able to finish the work in the field.


    Just as he was talking, the door of the fourth room opened, and Xue Qinghuai walked out from inside.


    The men in the Xue family are all big, so Xue Qinghuai also inherited a tall body.


    He was born with thick eyebrows, tiger eyes and a high nose bridge. He was dressed in dark blue coarse cloth and short brown, and looked very heroic. In fact, the men of the Xue family are not bad looking, but the women of the Xue family are a little mediocre, but all the grandchildren are born well, and they are all top-notch in the village.


    "Zhaoer Taoer, you wake up so early." Xue Qinghuai walked over in a few strides, took the wooden bucket in Zhaoer''s hand, walked to the water tank, and poured water into the tank.


    "How can you two little girls do this kind of rough work? You go to do other things, and the fourth uncle is here to fetch water."


    Zhao''er and Tao''er didn''t refuse either, one went to the kitchen to help her mother cook, and the other took a basin to scoop up water for washing.


    As time passed, the rest of the Xue family got up one after another, and there were more and more voices in the yard. On the other side of the kitchen, Mrs. Zhou yelled to eat. Generally, country people don''t pay much attention to breakfast, and they have to set a table or something. They always serve a bowl with a bowl, and eat it at any place.


    Breakfast is two rice porridge, the so-called two rice porridge is porridge cooked from two kinds of rice. Yuqing Village does not grow rice, but only wheat, sorghum, millet, corn and other crops. Although farmers grow wheat, they seldom use it for their own food. They sell it for other grains.


    Even a well-to-do family like Xue''s family with surplus food did not eat fine grains all at once, but a mixture of coarse grains and fine grains. For example, today''s breakfast is two-rice porridge, which is a porridge cooked with millet, that is, yellow rice, and sorghum rice.


    Because it was a busy time of farming, it was cooked quite thickly. Although it didn''t hold up with chopsticks inserted, it was much better than the usual thin soup with little water.


    There is no way, the Xue family seems to have a decent family background in the village, but there are three scholars in the family. Not to mention Xue Gouzi, Guangda Fang and his son spend a lot of money every month, and it''s no wonder that Mrs. Zhao usually can pick up fleas to get a little blood.


    Zhao''er filled two bowls of porridge, put a few cornbreads on a thick porcelain plate, and put some pickles on the side, and took them back to the second room''s room.


    As soon as he entered the door, he saw Xue Gouzi sitting up from the kang.


    She hurriedly put the wooden tray on the square table, and came up to see him: "But he''s better? Are you hungry? Sister will bring you some porridge."


    Xue Gouzi looked at her with complicated eyes.


    After experiencing such a dream, he now doesn''t know how to face Zhao''er. As long as he saw her, he couldn''t help but think of him in his dream, those words scolded by others before he died. He also tried to find the cause of Zhao''er''s death in his memory, but it seemed that that memory was Xue Tingxiang''s most unbearable past, and he had no memory at all.


    In fact, Xue Gouzi was burned in a daze last night, and Xue Gouzi thought for a long time. He couldn''t figure out whether he was Xue Gouzi or Xue Tingxiang, whether that dream was true or not, whether he was thinking about it every day and dreaming at night , to have such an absurd dream.


    However, he also had an idea in his heart. If everything in that dream was true, several things should happen in succession. If these things happen, it means that his dreams are real.


    Thinking about something in his heart, he reached out to catch the bowl, only to realize that he didn''t even have the strength to hold the bowl. Luckily, Zhao''er caught the bowl quickly, so he didn''t spill it all over him.


    Xue Gouzi was a little embarrassed and anxious. It was very strange, obviously he would not have this kind of reaction in front of Zhao''er before, but I don''t know if it was a dream, and his state of mind had a strange change.


    Zhao''er laughed at him: "Why are you being polite with my sister? I forgot that when you were a child, you peed on the kang, and it was my sister who washed it for you."


    Zhao''er came to Xue''s house when he was seven years old, and Gouzi was only five years old at that time. It is very inexplicable for a child to pee on the kang. It is obvious that he has not urinated for a long time. I don''t know if he drank too much water before going to bed or what, but he actually peed on the kang.


    Since Qiu gave birth to the dog, her bones were not good, and it was winter again. In order to repay the kindness of the second wife, Zhao''er volunteered to wash the dirty clothes and pants for the dog. Since then, she started her career as a child bride.


    What Xue Gouzi hates the most is Zhao''er. He always likes to say inconspicuous things in front of him. You must know that as you get older, boys will lose face, how can you still be willing to listen to people mentioning such things, especially dogs are naturally sensitive. But today for some reason, he didn''t feel annoyed, only a little embarrassed.


    He was surprised by his own reaction, but Zhao''er had already fed him porridge with a wooden spoon. He subconsciously opened his mouth, and waited until the warm porridge blown by her was fed into his mouth, and he saw the smiling eyes of the other party.


    Those eyes were big and bright, as if there were stars hidden in them, and he couldn''t help but blush.


    Zhao''er smiled even more happily, and stuffed him with a tortilla: "Eat quickly, sister will cook eggs for you at noon."


    She was coaxing him like a child, Gouzi suddenly had this understanding.


    He was eating porridge from Zhao''er, thinking wildly in his mind, it was very chaotic.


    Just then, someone came to the door.


    It was Xue Qingshan.


    Exactly the same as in the dream.


    Xue Qingshan''s fair face was full of sighs and worries, he sighed and said a lot of words, the main idea was to let the dog recover well, don''t worry too much, there are grandparents and uncles at home, he can''t lose him.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Qingshan also followed the appearance and height of the man from the Xue family. He was also a weed in Yuqing Village in his early years, but unfortunately he got a little fatter as he got older.


    "Uncle still has to go to the private school, dog, take care of your illness, you are a child with a lot of thoughts." Sighing and patting his nephew on the shoulder, Xue Qingshan lifted the curtain and left.


    What is he doing?


    Zhao''er thought suspiciously. After thinking about it for a while, she couldn''t figure out why, so she stopped thinking about it and concentrated on feeding the dog porridge, but Xue Gouzi looked thoughtful.


    *


    In the main room, Mrs. Zhao is chatting with Mr. Xue about what happened yesterday.


    Mrs. Zhao was sewing an old dress in her hand, and said, "Let me tell you, you just like to spoil that little thing. You love him, but he doesn''t love you. Our family''s money doesn''t come from the river, just Because he didn''t want to show his illness to the whole family, he made a fuss after another, which is to make the family upside down."


    Mr. Xue was in his fifties, tall and tall, and his skin was black and red like that of a countryman who had been exposed to the sun for a long time. He was wearing dark blue coarse cloth pants, sitting cross-legged on the Kang, smoking a dry cigarette.


    Every time after dinner or before work, Mr. Xue always smoked for a while, otherwise he would feel exhausted.


    "Okay, Gouwazi is sick, who doesn''t have three illnesses and four pains." After a while, he said hoarsely.


    The patter, patter sounded again, and the lingering blue smoke swirled in the air, and then scattered in all directions. Behind it, the old face of Mr. Xue was hidden, looming.


    "But look how long he has been in trouble? Yesterday, more than one hundred coins were lost. How long will it take you to work hard in the field to earn more than one hundred coins! Boss has to leave another two hundred coins. It is said that someone in a classmate¡¯s family had a birthday, and there was a disaster just last year, and the tax was not exempted, but increased. Seeing that the boss said that he wanted to send Juncai to the town to study, it was another expense. How much money do you have? Withstood such a toss!"


    Seeing that his wife was so distressed, Mr. Xue sat up straight, tapped the cigarette pot on the kang table, and gave her a sideways look: "Your heart will be distressed if you spend a hundred yuan for a dog, and you will give it if the boss asks you for it? Not me Speaking of you, you are a parent and grandmother, so don''t be too biased, you don''t have to make the following little ones have conflicts."


    Upon hearing this, Mrs. Zhao didn''t want to. She slapped him across the kang table and said, "I''m biased? Don''t you?"


    He is also biased, but the boss is the most promising in the family, and the handsome is also the most outstanding among the grandchildren. It''s different to have a scholar in the family. No one will say that Xue Lianxing''s family is a decent person when they go out. If Dafang can produce a scholar, his Xue family will be honored.


    Just thinking of Xue Gouzi, Mr. Xue couldn''t help frowning.


    Of course he knew that the mother-in-law was very annoyed, Gou''er was too ignorant, the eldest owed the life to the second, but Xue''s family was in such a family situation, naturally they had to pay attention to their future.


    It''s not that Mr. Xue looks down on his grandson, but that Gou''er is really not comparable to a handsome boy, nor can he. It''s good to be strong, but you always have to look at the situation.


    "The boss''s daughter-in-law has already said several times that the school in the town cannot be delayed. The delay is half a year. The boss still wants to let Juncai try next year." Zhao added.


    "Back then, I promised my second child!" Old Master Xue sighed deeply, took two puffs of dry cigarettes, and coughed twice when he was choked.


    "Anyway, you can figure it out!" Zhao Shi was so angry that she threw the clothes aside, turned her head and leaned back on the kang, giving the man a backbone.


    Old man Xue slapped his mouth several times, and the gully on his face deepened: "You too, old woman, don''t you think that if outsiders know about this, we can still have face in the village?"


    "Then what do you think we should do? Let''s not do it?" Mrs. Zhao rolled over and sat up again, staring at Mr. Xue.


    "Of course it has to be done, it depends on how to do it. How about this, you ask Cuiping to come back tomorrow, and she has to do this matter."


    After Zhao''er helped him lay out the paper, he went to find a suitable needle and thread, planning to bind it for him after he finished writing.


    Xue Tingxiang laughed a little, but didn''t say anything, and started to write seriously on the paper.


    He planned to copy all the books he had memorized, because he found a problem. Since he had that dream, ''Xue Tingxiang'' had more and more influence on him, including the impact on his own memory.


    Especially all the books he has learned since he was a child. He had flipped through the memory of that dream before, and he had memories of some bibliographies in elementary school and even college, but his memory was extremely vague, and many of the more detailed things had been forgotten.


    He thought about the reason, and felt that "he" seemed to be very disgusted with the memory of studying hard in the cold window, so he always adopted an evasive attitude. In addition, the Xue Tingxiang in the dream has lived for more than seventy years. Since he passed the Jinshi examination, he has been obsessed with officialdom battles, but he doesn''t care about his own knowledge.


    After so many years, his memory is more about the ups and downs of the officialdom, the various forces in the party struggle, and the speculation of the people, rather than the original essence of a scholar.


    Seriously speaking, ''Xue Tingxiang'' is not a real scholar, he is just a politician.


    But obviously he doesn''t need these things now, as if a young child has a sword, he knows the significance of these things to his future. But today a young child needs nothing more than a piece of clothing, or just food and clothing.


    But these memories have already begun to affect his own memory. He doesn''t want to forget what he has learned. What he needs to do now is to consolidate his memory and combine with ''Xue Tingxiang''''s advanced understanding of many things. This is the right way.


    And the best way to master it is nothing more than copying books.


    Obviously this yellow bamboo paper is of very low quality, the brush strokes should not be light or heavy, the ink will be uneven if it is light, and it will smudge if it is heavy, but Xue Tingxiang writes on it like flowing clouds and flowing water as if there is nothing. The handwriting on it is full and round, and it is extraordinarily majestic.


    Zhao''er held his breath and didn''t even dare to make a sound. His eyes fell on Xue Tingxiang, who was writing vigorously. Suddenly, he had the illusion that a little man had grown up.


    Xue Tingxiang quickly wrote a sheet, and he was about to take it away to dry, Zhao''er quickly took it, and spread it carefully on the kang. Her eyes were attracted by those words. She couldn''t tell how beautiful they were, but felt like a painting.


    And during this period, Xue Tingxiang wrote another one.


    In this way, Xue Tingxiang wrote and asked children to dry it. After a while, the kang was covered with paper.


    A book of the Three Character Classic does not contain more than a thousand characters, and Xue Tingxiang finished it very quickly.


    He put down the pen, took a deep breath, and moved his wrist a few times. He hadn''t written at such a high density for a long time, and it was a challenge to his wrist strength.

 Chapter 70

    Xue Qingshan also went out, but instead of going to the field, he went to the town. It is said that some classmate in the town had an elder in his family celebrating a birthday.


    Now is the busy season, and there are not many schoolchildren in the school. The private schools in the countryside are like this. Every two seasons when the farming season is busy, the students will be given holidays, so Xue Qingshan has been quite free recently. But no one cares about where he goes or not. When the school is on vacation, he is often not seen for several days.


    Zhao''er washed the dishes and chopsticks used by himself and the little man, and took them back to the kitchen. Mrs. Zhou was cooking pig food, while Tao''er was sweeping the yard. Seeing that she had nothing to do, Zhao''er found Heizi''s food bowl, and scooped up a bowl from the leftover rice that was going to be mixed with pig grass to feed pigs later. , carrying it and walking out the door.


    Mrs. Zhou glanced at her back, but said nothing.


    The leftovers are for Heizi. Dogs in the country are like this. The owner eats dry food, and the dog drinks water. When the owner eats water, the dog usually starves. The country dogs are used to starvation, but Zhao''er usually pays little attention to sunspots, no matter good or bad, he always feeds him.


    Occasionally there are additional meals, of course, these are invisible to the human face.


    Anyway, Mrs. Zhao saw Zhao''er picking food out of her pig''s mouth and feeding it to the dog!


    She stepped out of the main room and saw this scene, her old face immediately pulled down, and she didn''t see her scolding Zhao''er, so she stood in front of the door and shouted at the direction of the kitchen: "Let you feed the pigs!" It¡¯s good for you, feed the food into the dog¡¯s mouth, such a big person is useless, and eating for nothing is not enough.¡±


    This clearly refers to Sang scolding Huai.


    In the kitchen, Mrs. Zhou didn''t speak. Tao''er, who was sweeping the yard, looked up at Grandma, endured it and continued to sweep the yard. Mrs. Zhao didn''t mention her name, who knows who she was scolding, if she stepped forward to intervene, she would only change the target and be scolded bloody.


    These are lessons learned.


    As soon as Zhao''er walked to the gate of the courtyard, she heard such scolding. She didn''t show any weakness, and turned her head to look at Zhao with a smile: "Grandma, are you scolding Third Aunt? If you scold Third Aunt, Third Aunt But it¡¯s too unfair. If you want to scold you, you should scold me. I scooped up the leftovers and planned to give Heizi to eat. Didn¡¯t I just think that Heizi would not be easy, so I would bring a rabbit to the house every now and then. You said we You can¡¯t do something that wants the cows to work without giving them grass, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Mrs. Zhao glared at Zhao''er angrily. She knew that this girl was not a cheap girl, so she scolded Mrs. Zhou, but she found her by herself. Just as he was about to say something, some of the women who passed by the gate of the courtyard smiled and said, "I saw Lian Xing''s family so energetic early in the morning."


    Someone next to him interjected: "Don''t talk about it, Ren Zhao''er is right. How can there be a cow that works without giving it grass?"


    "That''s right, Lian Xing''s family, it''s almost enough. Everyone in the village doesn''t like your big black dog. At this time when there is a rabbit shortage in the wild, it can fetch rabbits. What a smart beast. Usually In summer and autumn, voles, wild rabbits, and pheasants were often picked up at home, and they would be brought back if they didn¡¯t eat them. If you don¡¯t like Heizi, give it to our family, and your Uncle Shouxin has already taken a fancy to Heizi.¡±


    This is a Lianxing family, Mr. Xue and his aunt, known as Aunt Shouxin. Although he is ten years younger than Mrs. Zhao, but he is of a higher seniority.


    There are more than 200 households in Yuqing Village, with Xue and Zheng as the main surnames, and there are more than a dozen other households with mixed surnames. Since they all have the same surname, it is inevitable that every family is related, and some relationships can be pulled out of Wufu. But relatives are relatives, and when one is younger than others, one has to respect one another, so when this aunt Shouxin spoke, she sounded like an elder giving advice to younger generations.


    Mrs. Zhao was terribly blocked by these words, even though she was scolding, she was really reluctant to let her give Heizi to others. Just like what these people said, Heizi did bring some wild animals to his house at ordinary times, regardless of size, fat or thin, he always eats meat, and it is not easy for country people to eat meat.


    She kept a straight face and said nothing, but the trick in front of the door was on point: "Grandma Seven, this is not acceptable, Heizi is my lifeblood, you have made my lifeblood run away, I can''t live anymore."


    She smiled as soon as she said it, and said witty words in her mouth, and immediately made Aunt Shouxin laugh, pointing at her bit by bit, and said to others: "Look at this naughty girl, but she is not at all. You''re welcome. Please, please, Seventh Grandma doesn''t want you dog, so she won''t take away my son''s life."


    After talking and joking, Zhao''er sent the women away with a smile, and then turned around to feed Heizi.


    Mrs. Zhao glared at her, turned around and was about to enter the room, but just as she lifted her foot, she heard someone calling her from behind.


    "Mom, why are you standing here?"


    But Xue Cuiping, the eldest daughter of the Zhao family, came back.


    Xue Cuiping''s appearance is 60% similar to Zhao''s, but she has a pair of big almond eyes. She looked like she was in her twenties, and she was wearing a washed-out blue floral jacket with a pair of red-coloured wide-leg trousers underneath. She was holding a bamboo basket in her hand, which was covered with a layer of cloth, and she couldn''t see what was in it, and she was looking at Mrs. Zhao suspiciously.


    This really means that Cao Cao and Cao Cao will be here soon. The old man said before that the Zhao family is planning to get someone to report to Shangshui Village. This will save trouble.


    The mother and daughter walked into the house while talking, and soon disappeared behind the curtain of the main room door.


    Zhao''er squatted there watching Heizi eat, stroking its big head with her hand, but she was a little curious about how her aunt came back in time for the busy farming season.


    *


    "This can''t be done, mother, you are letting someone poke my spine!" In the main room, Xue Cuiping stood up after listening to Mrs. Zhao''s words.


    Mrs. Zhao hurriedly reached out to pull her, and at the same time gestured for her to keep her voice down so that no one could hear her.


    "Why not? You are Gouzi''s aunt, and you beat the younger brother and the second child. If this family says who the child wants to listen to, they will probably listen to you."


    Mrs. Zhao''s words are true. Xue Cuiping has been friends with her second child, Xue Qingsong since she was a child, and she and Mrs. Qiu also got along well when she was not married. When Xue Gouzi was born, she often hugged him.


    Xue Gouzi has been shy and introverted since he was a child, and since his second wife left, he has become more silent and gloomy. He often doesn''t see him say a word for ten days and a half months, and the members of the Xue family are only close to aunt Xue Cuiping.


    "But..." Xue Cuiping was full of embarrassment, and secretly said in her heart that she shouldn''t be coming back this trip. She never thought that she hadn''t finished her business before going back to her mother''s house, but this kind of thing would happen.


    "Don''t forget, your family Xingzi came to our private school, and your elder brother didn''t care about you. Now your elder brother needs your help, why don''t you want to ignore it, you are good, your elder brother is fine, The big house is promising, can it still make you suffer?"


    "Why don''t you tell the dog yourself, mother!"


    Mrs. Zhao has never been a patient person. She can speak so softly because Xue Cuiping is her daughter. Seeing her daughter pushing back and forth like this, and poking her heart with words, she immediately exploded: "If your mother can go and tell him, is it still necessary for you? Your mother can say this, can you say it? If you let outsiders You know, what has become of this?"


    Xue Cuiping was already irritated by her in-laws'' affairs, and when she saw her mother scolding herself, she immediately became annoyed: "Hey, the whole family will not go, and I am an outsider who asked me to be this villain? Even if an outsider finds out, it''s okay It¡¯s no use for me to be an aunt, and the second elder brother¡¯s family and adults are all dead, so why not force a child?!¡±


    Seeing her daughter''s voice getting louder, Mrs. Zhao was afraid that people would hear her, so she gave her a firm hand and scolded: "You are afraid that people will not hear you, right?"


    Naturally, Xue Cuiping didn''t want to have a falling out with her mother, so she muttered reluctantly: "Let me say, it''s not your mother''s business to be in charge of this matter, let the elder brother or sister-in-law handle the affairs of the elder brother''s house by himself. Let others do all the bad things." , their family is innocent, there is such a thing!"


    "Why are you talking about your elder brother? Your elder brother is a scholar, he wants to face and respect. Besides, he is ashamed of his second son, and he can''t do such a thing."


    Xue Cuiping''s lips parted, and she pressed down her full stomach.


    If he really felt ashamed of his second brother, would he still make such a fuss? In fact, over the years, Xue Cuiping has also seen through the behavior of this elder brother. If the elder sister-in-law is a smiley face, the elder brother is not a good person. Bad things have been done by others. It is obvious that their family has benefited, but they still pretend to be innocent.


    But so what if she knew, she was a married woman after all, she couldn''t shake the deep-rooted respect her parents had for her elder brother. As long as this kind of value is not broken for a day, the big house will always be the first in the family. In particular, she also has her own selfishness and her own reasons, so even if she knows what happened at home in the past two years, she can only ignore it against her conscience.


    She brushed back the hair that fell on her cheeks, and said: "Mother, let''s not talk about it, I came back this trip to borrow some wheat seeds, you also know my mother-in-law''s disease, because I was in a hurry to raise money last year The money for the medicine, and no seeds left..."


    Before she finished speaking, she was interrupted by Mrs. Zhao.


    Mrs. Zhao patted her hard twice: "Borrowing wheat seeds again, do you think your mother''s family has gold and silver, don''t you? With so many sons in the Liu family, let you, a daughter-in-law, come back to dig out her mother''s family!?"


    "mother¡­¡­"


    "Those head-cutting things in the Liu family, a house full of losers, a bunch of incompetent bastards, who can''t even support their mothers..." Mrs. Zhao scolded, and seeing Xue Cuiping crying, she beat her again. She said twice: "Go and deal with Gouzi, and mother will give you wheat seeds."


    "mother¡­¡­"


    "Go, don''t ink."


    *


    When he heard that his aunt had returned, Xue Gouzi felt a sense of fate in his heart.


    Afterwards, when Xue Cuiping opened the door curtain and walked in with a smile, he surprisingly didn''t feel sad at all.


    When Xue Cuiping was talking, Xue Gouzi was not actually listening, he was just thinking about all the strange things in and out of the dream.


    Xue Tingxiang also experienced such a thing back then, since his parents passed away one after another, he felt resentful towards Xue''s family in his heart. And these grievances accumulated little by little under Dafang''s hypocrisy and the acquiescence of his family members. Until this time, he still had the last bit of hope in his heart, but when even his closest aunt was standing on the opposite side, he completely collapsed in despair. Instead of being silent earlier, he chose to explode.


    In fact, what Dafang and even the Xue family were waiting for was his outburst. As long as he raises this matter himself, countless big hats will be put on his head. He had no ability to resist at all, and these people were all his elders, so his anger and unwillingness were all strangled to death in his infancy.


    This time, what happened in the dream happened again, what should he do?


    Xue Cuiping''s mouth was still opening and closing, it could be seen that she was a little guilty in front of this pale and frail nephew. But these guilty consciences were hidden behind her constantly opening and closing mouth. Xue Gouzi''s eyes were indifferent, but someone beside him couldn''t help it.


    Zhao''er''s face was ugly, but he still forced a smile: "Auntie, you see that the dog has been sick for a few days, and he just got better. He is not in good spirits. If there is anything to say, let''s talk about it later."


    In fact, Zhao''er knew that this day would come sooner or later, otherwise she wouldn''t be desperately trying to make money recently. But when the malice between relatives approached a little bit, and it was her little man who forced it, Zhao''er couldn''t ignore it.


    She knew that it was the relatives who hurt people the most, and she had suffered this kind of pain. When mother left, she promised her that she would take good care of the little man, she made an oath.


    At this moment, Zhao''er''s eyes were stern, which was a sign that the female beast was going crazy.


    Xue Cuiping was frightened by what Zhaoer saw in her eyes, she shook her head subconsciously, and smiled uncomfortably, she couldn''t believe that a girl''s eyes could be so scary.


    "Zhao''er, Auntie is here to enlighten the dog. Auntie is also doing it for the good of the dog, and for the good of the family..."


    "Auntie." Suddenly, Xue Gouzi spoke.


    Interrupting Xue Cuiping''s words also interrupted Zhao''er''s explosion at a critical point.


    Xue Cuiping hurriedly turned her head to look at him: "Dog, Auntie told you..."


    "Auntie, I didn''t understand what you said for a long time. What should the meaning of the family come first? Why does Kong Rong give up pears? What does elder brother need from me? Auntie, you don''t know that elder brother has everything, grandma Uncles and aunts love him too, and they bought good pens, inks, papers and inkstones. Every time he uses paper for calligraphy practice, I can only practice calligraphy with branches and write on the sand. The paper I occasionally use is the worst quality Zhaoer bought. The rice paper, the ink drops on it and it is printed.


    "Brother has a lot of books, but I only have a copy of "Children Learning Qionglin", which I bought when my father worked as a carpenter for a few months. I know that my reading is not as good as that of my elder brother, and my handwriting is not as good as that of my elder brother. So I dare not ask to be like him. I don¡¯t have anything, I really don¡¯t know what I can give up to my elder brother.¡±


    Xue Gouzi''s eyes were bright and moist, with a kind of bewilderment and doubt that was ignorant of the world. The envy in his expression implied inferiority, and there was also some sadness in the inferiority complex.


    In particular, he had just recovered from a serious illness, his face was pale, and he was so thin that only a bone remained. He said such words that really made the sad witnesses cry.


    These words left Xue Cuiping speechless, feeling distressed and ashamed of herself, feeling that she would have no face to see her second brother and sister-in-law if she died. But the situation at home is imminent. There are no seeds during the spring plowing, and the wheat seedlings are not cultivated in time. If this season is missed, the whole family will suffer from famine this year.


    She suddenly hardened her heart, licked her lips and said, "Auntie is talking about going to the school in the town. You see, your handsome elder brother is better at studying than you. He is at the critical moment. You should give up as a younger brother. Anyway, you are one year younger than him, so it won''t be too late to go again next year."


    Zhao''er turned around abruptly, and picked up the stick behind the door.


    At this moment, Xue Gouzi said again: "Why did you let me go? Didn''t I have to go? Uncle asked you to come? Did he forget what he promised my father before he died? It turns out that uncle said Treating me like my own son is all fake..."


    Xue Cuiping shook her head suddenly, "It wasn''t your uncle who asked me to come, I came here by myself, I just thought..."


    The next words were interrupted by Xue Gouzi again.


    He showed a shy smile, as if he breathed a sigh of relief: "It''s not that uncle asked you to come. Auntie, you almost scared me to death. I thought that uncle only loves brother Juncai and not me. Obviously uncle said the best It hurts me."


    From then on, Xue Cuiping couldn''t continue her words, she could only say a few words in a hurry without knowing why, then lifted the curtain and went out.


    The room was very quiet, the eyes of the young man on the kang darkened, and there was a trace of vicissitudes that did not match his age.


    Looking at such a little man, Zhao''er was afraid to go forward. It took a while to come over, sitting on the edge of the kang, hesitantly said: "Dog, are you okay?"


    Looking at the worried face of the other party, Xue Gouzi smiled: "I''m fine."


    Zhao''er pursed her lips tightly and patted his head: "Believe me, sister, one day we won''t have to ask for anyone."


    *


    Xue Cuiping left without even eating lunch, and when she left, she took a bag of wheat seeds Mrs. Zhao gave her.


    No one knew what she had said to Mrs. Zhao, and what Mrs. Zhao had said to her. All in all, when eating lunch at noon, Mrs. Zhao''s and Mrs. Yang''s faces were so ugly that Mrs. Sun and Mrs. Zhou were cautious.


    Zhao''er never looked at these things. After the rice was put on the table, she took two bowls to put the rice first, and then add the vegetables. Lunch can''t be called rich, it''s just millet rice, and the dishes are stuffed white rice and radish, as well as some homemade pickles. There is also meat, all big fat meat, a small plate, placed in front of the men.


    Men have to work in the fields and eat meat to gain strength.


    Zhao''er didn''t want to eat meat either, the meat cooked by Zhou''s was greasy and greasy, which made people feel unappetizing. She put some hot dishes and pickles into the bowl as usual, but she didn''t put much, but Mrs. Zhao suddenly dropped her chopsticks.


    "Just such a little food, the two of you can eat this? Hungry ghost reincarnation or something?"


    This is very hurtful and slaps face, but anyone with some self-esteem can''t stand it, but Zhao''er is used to it. Zhao Shi is like this, whoever makes her dissatisfied, she can use various methods to get back sick.


    She was not annoyed, and continued to pick up vegetables. She originally planned to pick up only those, but because of Mrs. Zhao''s words, she deliberately picked up two more chopsticks.


    "I can''t help Grandma, the dog needs to take care of himself, if there''s nothing good to feed him, he has to be full to eat." As she spoke, she suddenly turned her head and said to Mrs. Zhou: "Third Aunt, wash the vegetables next time." You call me Caicai, our family is not a family that is too poor to eat, but there are scholars in the family, and there is a master who is a child. Although grandma lives carefully on weekdays, she is not a person who does not let people eat food. "


    When it comes to pointing at Sang and scolding Huai, Zhao''er thinks she can''t lose to anyone, especially since she is holding her breath in her heart.


    Sure enough, Mrs. Zhao was immediately annoyed: "No matter how rich a family is, they can''t afford you to eat so much. You can eat more than anyone else if you don''t work every day. A stupid girl like you, if it wasn''t for our family, He was kicked out a long time ago."


    Zhao''er immediately put away her smile: "Grandma, you are wrong to say that. I came to the house when I was seven years old, and I didn''t do any work inside and out? When my father died, I wore a filial piety and kept my spirit. When my mother died, I waited on her bed day and night for more than half a year. I was the daughter-in-law of the second room, and I paid the end of my life for the second wife.


    "But grandma, don''t dislike me as a granddaughter-in-law who is talkative. People are divided into three or six grades according to how much they eat. Some people don''t know how to wipe the oil on their mouths when they eat delicious food. They can be replaced by others. If you eat some rotten white song, it will become a waste of food. There are more than a dozen chickens in this house, and there are no fewer eggs. Taoer and I feed them every day, and I don¡¯t know where the eggs have gone. Gouzi¡¯s disease I ate one egg so far, don¡¯t let me raise the chicken next time, anyway, I can¡¯t eat it, whoever eats it will raise it.¡±

 Chapter 71

    They were all from humble backgrounds, and of course they knew how difficult it was to study in a farming family, so before Xue Tingxiang said that the Xue family never forgot to cultivate their children and grandchildren while they settled down, Qiao Xiucai praised them greatly.


    Because he knew that this matter seemed insignificant, but it was actually too difficult for farmers. How many families had the idea of ??changing their own destiny by reading books.


    It can be said that those who are born in a poor family in the countryside and can achieve great fame have all experienced great hardships. The starting point is much lower than others. It takes countless efforts to catch up with others, and at the same time they have to face all kinds of cruel competition.


    This kind of competition is not only between classmates, but also between the same clan, and even one''s own brothers.


    If you succeed, the sea and the sky will be bright, and you will not be an ordinary person since then. If you fail, you will put down the book and pick up the hoe, and face the loess and the sky for the rest of your life.


    It is because they understand this kind of cruelty that the two of them can''t help but wonder whether this son deliberately said that his knowledge is weak, or he just wants to pull his brother to reduce the difficulty of the question. But this is a double-edged sword. After all, it is a disadvantage to oneself to lose one''s studies to others.


    These thoughts only happened in an instant, and because of the sudden attention of He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai, Xue Qingshan''s eyebrows jumped wildly, for fear that Xue Tingxiang would say something amazing again. At this moment, he couldn''t care less about why Xue Tingxiang knew the explanation of the scriptures, and he completely forgot that his previous idea was that Xue Tingshan didn''t understand the scriptures, and it would be easy for his son to beat him.


    This is also true for Patriarch Xue. If something happens in the clan that cannot be seen by others, it is limited to the clan. If it happens in public, it will be a bit ugly.


    The eyes of the two seemed to have needles, and they were anxiously focused on Xue Tingxiang''s face. Unexpectedly, he smiled shyly and said: "The boy was weak and sick when he was young, so he inevitably fell behind."


    Xue Qingshan hurriedly laughed and said: "That''s exactly the case. Don''t be afraid that the two seniors will laugh at me. My nephew is talented and intelligent, but his weak body hinders his studies."


    Patriarch Xue also nodded in agreement.


    Others didn''t know what was going on, they just opened their eyes and watched. Only Zheng Lizheng seemed to realize that there was something wrong, but he couldn''t tell the details, so he could only keep silent.


    After He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai gave in to each other again, He Xiucai was the main one in the end. Sitting at the top, he said to Xue Tingxiang: "Since you don''t understand the scriptures, it''s a bit unfair to go beyond the scope of what you have learned. You two are still young, and it''s time to lay down the foundation, so I will test your two. Human base."


    Hearing this, although Xue Juncai was a little disappointed that he was overqualified and missed his opportunity to perform, he also felt disdainful.


    If you don''t test the scriptures, then Xue Tingxiang is not his opponent!


    He Xiucai squeezed his beard with his hands, and after pondering for a while, said: "Zhu Zi said: the size of learning is inherently different, but it is the way, it is only one. It is also suitable for young people. If you don''t learn it in elementary school, you will have nothing to learn. Its heart, to cultivate its virtue, is the foundation of the university. The two of you will each silently write a "Disciple Regulations."


    Neither of them expected that the first question would be Mo''s "Disciple Regulations". You must know that "Disciples Regulations" was learned at the beginning of elementary school, and the whole article is only about a thousand words. In addition to the general narrative, it is divided into seven chapters: filial piety when you enter, brotherhood when you go out, sincerity, faith, universal love for all, kindness and benevolence, and Yu Liwen.


    Each chapter is not long, with three words and one sentence, rhyming in the same pattern, and catchy. It lists the various norms that disciples should abide by at home, when going out, and when dealing with people. It also just proves what He Xiucai said before, the size of learning is inherently different, but it is the truth that it is only one.


    Someone has already prepared a square table and pens and inks, and each person has a table and table in front of the hall, and even the ink has been sharpened.


    When the two came to the table, they picked up a pen and wrote without any hesitation.


    As the two rushed to write and write, the noise gradually faded away. Even if the country people don''t understand the basic principles, they also know that scholars should not be disturbed when they are doing their studies.


    This is not a problem for Xue Tingxiang, because he only has one book, so he has spent too much effort to memorize the things he has learned.


    Not only memorizing, but also keeping in mind, so that when asked in school, he can answer fluently, because he has no reference at all.


    It is better to have no books than to have books, because these are all engraved in the mind. Especially since having that dream, in order not to affect his memory, he has silently recited the book he had memorized countless times in his mind.


    While Xue Tingxiang was writing vigorously, he also had a slight change in his opinion of He Xiucai.


    He could see that the other party asked such an unexpected question, not because the other party deliberately released the water, but because the other party wanted to make a surprise. Because this discipline is too simple for scholars, they have learned it when they were just learning, but they just throw it away after learning it.


    Except for the beginning of learning, my husband will not take these things in the future. It may be to test the Three Character Classic, or even a hundred surnames, and a thousand character prose, but it will not be the rules of this disciple.


    Xue Tingxiang even couldn''t wait to see Xue Juncai''s reaction. Maybe the other party can roughly write down this article, but can you write down all the thousands of words, and the words are correct and the order is good? And He Xiucai''s request to silence this disciple''s rule is probably not just silent, but also one of the "books" in elementary school.


    Just relying on your own words is enough to beat the opponent.


    As Xue Tingxiang thought, at first Xue Juncai really felt contemptuous. He even wondered if this He Xiucai was out of his mind to take the "Disciple Regulations" test.


    Who wouldn''t know this disciple? It is something to learn at the beginning of school. But after he fell silent, he realized that he really wasn''t as good as he thought.


    After you leave, do you love me, or are you hurt? You must know that this Disciple Rules is not like other articles, it can connect the past and the future, confirming each other, if the first sentence is wrong, the latter paragraph will be wrong.


    The more Xue Juncai became silent, the more annoyed he felt, and he always felt that he was wrong in being silent. If someone asks a question, he can naturally answer it fluently. Ke Mo, Mo is still a good word!


    At first, he wrote like flying, but then it became slower and slower, and even reached the point where he couldn''t write, obviously he was not sure if his memory was wrong.


    On the contrary, Xue Tingxiang has been calm from the beginning, and he is still writing at a leisurely pace at this time, but it can be seen that his writing is very coherent, with almost no pause.


    At the first place, Qiao Xiucai glanced at He Xiucai with exclamation, and did not hide her surprise at all. He naturally had a panoramic view of the following situation, and he had to admire He Xiucai''s ingenuity.


    He Xiucai smiled slightly. In fact, he would ask this kind of question, but he just wanted people to make mistakes. I was very proud of my inspiration.


    He stroked his beard and said with a faint smile, "You two little friends, don''t worry, there is a stick of incense time, enough to write it down."


    Yizhuxiang wrote more than a thousand characters, which seemed a bit hasty, but it is not impossible to write something as simple as the disciple''s rules silently, as long as you pay close attention to it.


    But that was before, Xue Juncai couldn''t help but feel even more anxious when he heard someone mention the time.


    In the following time, he kept looking at the stick of incense, because he looked at it too frequently, which made his speed even slower.


    "Okay, time is up."


    As the words fell, Xue Tingxiang made a big stroke and put down the brush in his hand.


    Xue Juncai didn''t move, until someone went in front of him, only to find that his whole body was as stiff as a stone, and he was dripping with sweat, and the paper in front of him was only half full.


    Because the two were behind the gate, and Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong were sitting at the end, they didn''t notice anything strange about it. In their minds, a "Regulations for Disciples" couldn''t be simpler, and Xue Juncai''s strange appearance also attracted the attention of the two of them, but they still didn''t expect that Xue Juncai could not finish writing it.


    It wasn''t until He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai looked at each other''s papers that they looked at each other, and He Xiucai announced that Xue Tingxiang won this match.


    Xue Qingshan stood up from the chair in surprise: "How is it possible?"


    At the same time, there was a lot of discussion below and outside the door, and it seemed that Xue Juncai couldn''t believe that Xue Juncai had lost. Insiders look at the doorway, while laymen watch the excitement. The villagers who didn''t know a single word didn''t know what the test was about, they only knew that Master Xiucai said that Xue Juncai lost to the Xue family dog.


    Xue Juncai lost to Xue Gouzi?


    This, this is really surprising. You must know that Xue Juncai has always been the most outstanding young man among the younger generation in Yuqing Village. Whoever mentions him does not give a thumbs up.


    "Senior He, Senior Qiao, did you make a mistake, a disciple''s regulation..."


    He Xiucai gestured with his gaze, and two people stepped forward to unfold Xue Juncai''s and Xue Tingxiang''s papers, held them up, and showed them to everyone.


    I saw that on one of the rice papers, the handwriting was full of strength, correct and beautiful. On the other piece of rice paper, the handwriting was not bad, but it was anticlimactic, and it became more and more scribbled as it went to the back, and there were even spots of ink on it.

 Chapter 72

    The next words were interrupted by Xue Gouzi again.


    He showed a shy smile, as if he breathed a sigh of relief: "It''s not that Uncle asked you to come, Auntie, you almost scared me to death, I thought that Uncle only loves Brother Juncai and not me, obviously Uncle said the most It hurts me."


    From then on, Xue Cuiping couldn''t continue her words, and could only say a few words in a hurry without knowing why, then lifted the curtain and went out.


    The room was very quiet, the eyes of the young man on the kang darkened, and there was a trace of vicissitudes that did not match his age.


    Looking at such a little man, Zhao''er was afraid to go forward. It took a while to come over, sitting on the edge of the kang, hesitantly said: "Dog, are you okay?"


    Looking at the worried face of the other party, Xue Gouzi smiled: "I''m fine."


    Zhao''er pursed her lips tightly, and patted his head: "Believe me, sister, one day we won''t have to ask for anyone."


    *


    Xue Cuiping left without even eating lunch, and when she left, she took a bag of wheat seeds Mrs. Zhao gave her.


    No one knew what she had said to Mrs. Zhao, and what Mrs. Zhao had said to her. All in all, when eating lunch at noon, Zhao''s and Yang''s faces were so ugly that Sun and Zhou were all cautious.


    Zhao''er never looked at these things. After the rice was put on the table, she took two bowls to serve the rice first and then add the vegetables. Lunch can''t be called rich, it''s just millet rice, and the dishes are stuffed white rice and radish, as well as some homemade pickles. There is also meat, all big fat meat, a small plate, placed in front of the men.


    Men have to work in the fields and eat meat to gain strength.


    Zhao''er didn''t want to eat meat either, the meat cooked by Zhou''s was greasy and greasy, which made people feel unappetizing. She put some hot dishes and pickles into the bowl as usual, but she didn''t put much, but Mrs. Zhao suddenly dropped her chopsticks.


    "Just such a little food, the two of you can eat this? Hungry ghost reincarnation or something?"


    This is very hurtful and slaps face, but anyone with some self-esteem can''t stand it, but Zhao''er is used to it. Zhao Shi is like this, whoever makes her dissatisfied, she can use various methods to get back sick.


    She was not annoyed, and continued to pick up vegetables. She originally planned to pick up only those, but because of Mrs. Zhao''s words, she deliberately picked up two more chopsticks.


    "I can''t help Grandma, the dog needs to take care of himself, if there''s nothing good to feed him, he has to be full to eat." As she spoke, she suddenly turned her head and said to Mrs. Zhou: "Third Aunt, wash the vegetables next time." You call me Caicai, our family is not a family that is too poor to eat, but there are scholars in the family, and there is a master who is a child. Although grandma lives carefully on weekdays, she is not a person who does not let people eat food. "


    When it comes to pointing at Sang and scolding Huai, Zhao''er thinks she can''t lose to anyone, especially since she is holding her breath in her heart.


    Sure enough, Mrs. Zhao was immediately annoyed: "No matter how rich a family is, they can''t afford you to eat so much. You can eat more than anyone else if you don''t work every day. A stupid girl like you, if it wasn''t for our family, He was kicked out a long time ago."


    Zhao''er immediately put away her smile: "Grandma, you are wrong to say that. I came to the house when I was seven years old, and I didn''t do any work inside and out? When my father died, I wore a filial piety and kept my spirit. When my mother died, I waited on her bed day and night for more than half a year. I was the daughter-in-law of the second room, and I paid the end of my life for the second wife.


    "But grandma, don''t dislike me as a granddaughter-in-law who is talkative. People are divided into three or six grades according to how much they eat. Some people don''t know how to wipe the oil on their mouths when they eat delicious food. They can be replaced by others. If you eat some rotten white song, it will become a waste of food. There are more than a dozen chickens in this house, and there are no fewer eggs. Taoer and I feed them every day, and I don¡¯t know where the eggs have gone. Gouzi¡¯s disease I ate one egg so far, don¡¯t let me raise the chicken next time, anyway, I can¡¯t eat it, whoever eats it will raise it.¡±


    These words made everyone''s faces look ugly, among them Dafang''s mother and son had the most wonderful complexions, red and white, just like a dyeing workshop.


    This person who steals food without rubbing oil on his mouth is exactly what Dafang said. Mrs. Zhao is picky, but she doesn''t pick on her elder son and grandson. Mrs. Yang and her youngest son naturally follow suit. The seven-year-old boy looked annoyed, and seemed to want to say something, but was pulled by Yang severely.


    Sifang''s hairy egg is still young, and his mouth is also greedy, and he has long been tired of eating Baisong. As soon as I heard the egg, I couldn''t help it, and shouted to Mrs. Sun: "Mom, I want to eat eggs, I want to eat eggs..."


    In the silent main room, I heard the sharp cry of a child, which made my forehead throb.


    Mrs. Sun was so annoyed by crying, she couldn''t help but slap her on the face: "What''s the trouble, what kind of eggs are you eating, how can there be any eggs for you!" His tone was also a little offended.


    To put it bluntly, who doesn''t complain in his heart, but just endures it all the time.


    Maodan was slapped and cried even louder. Mrs. Zhao was already annoyed, but immediately changed her target when she saw this: "Mr. Sun, you are doing well and beat my grandson."


    Mrs. Sun was always afraid of Mrs. Zhao, so she smiled awkwardly and said, "Mother, Mao Dan is making a fuss about eating eggs. How can there be eggs for him?" The mother and son went to look at it three times.


    Mr. Xue has always ignored the affairs of his daughters-in-law, so he couldn''t help it now.


    With a dark face, he patted the table: "What a fuss, what a fuss!" The legs of the square table were swayed, and the bowls and plates bounced up and down, making crisp noises.


    Zhao''er didn''t pretend to be dead, and complained to him: "Grandfather, it''s not that grandma dislikes me and Gouzi for eating hazelnuts."


    As soon as she put the bowl on the table, she covered her face and began to cry: "I just ate such a mouth-watering meal, and I didn''t even see any traces of oil, so I called it Hu Chi Hai Sai, and I served it to others." Look, people will die laughing when they see it. If grandma really dislikes Gouzi and me, why don''t we separate our second room, and we will never eat and drink at home again."


    Hearing the word ''separation'', Mr. Xue twitched his brows subconsciously, and scolded: "What kind of family is divided, no one is allowed to mention the separation!" He seemed to feel that his tone was too harsh, and he slowed down his tone: "Your grandmother is angry with you because of your aunt''s family troubles, but you are a junior, how can you talk back to your elders."


    He turned his head and scolded Zhao again: "I said every day that you don''t have a long memory, and you have lived your whole life in the belly of a dog. Why are those eggs stored there? They are so stinky that you can''t bear to eat them! Third daughter-in-law, go get some Let¡¯s fry this one up, let¡¯s add a dish for everyone.¡±


    Just like that, Mr. Xue''s words successfully silenced everyone.


    Zhao''er''s eyes flickered, she was not lying when she said that she wanted to separate, but it was a pity that she was stillborn the first time she said it. But it''s true, how could Mr. Xue allow the second bedroom to separate the family? If the news spread, it would become a whole family bullying the two children. Besides, Mr. Xue still wants to twist the whole family into one rope so that the Xue family can provide another scholar.


    Putting these things aside, even though there was a commotion, the entire Xue family had a meal.


    Zhou scrambled a large bowl of eggs and reserved a bowl for Zhao''er.


    This behavior is a bit intriguing, you must know that the third wife and his wife are usually taciturn, they are old scalpers in Xue''s family, and they rarely help the two children of the second room to talk.


    But Zhao''er didn''t think much about it, everyone in this big family has their own thoughts, and she can''t control anyone''s thoughts, just don''t make her anxious.


    She returned to the house with the food, and smiled at Xue Gouzi when she entered the door: "Look, dog, there are eggs for lunch."


    *


    Looking at the bright smile on the girl''s face, Xue Gouzi''s eyes flashed with complexity.


    Although he was in the house, the movements in the main room were not missed.


    Zhao''er is like this, aggressive and hot, and he never cares what others think of him when he does things. In the past, he cared very much, and always felt that she was embarrassing him and doing him a disservice. He failed to dissuade him many times, and because of some other things, he hid his hatred for her in his heart.


    Little did he know that he was the one who was hypocritical and stupid, but it was a pity that by the time he understood it, it was already too late.


    "In order to eat an egg, you quarrel with Grandma."


    It wasn''t until he said it that he realized that he hadn''t changed his awkward speech pattern before, so she must have misunderstood him. Sure enough, a dark color flashed across Zhao''er''s face, and he smiled again: "He Xue Jun can eat it, and my dog ??can eat it too. Come and eat, make up your body, and you will recover soon."


    Look, that''s how she is, she always treats him like a child, saying "my dog", but in fact he is no longer a child. But the teenager''s mentality is sensitive and worrying, ''he'' doesn''t like all this, but he doesn''t know how to express it, so his discomfort slowly ferments into disgust and subconscious avoidance.


    Xue Gouzi didn''t know why he thought of this, he just felt that he had become very strange now, as if he had become two people, one was Xue Gouzi and the other was Xue Tingxiang. And every time something about Zhao''er came up, a voice murmured in his mind, as if telling him his true thoughts deep in his heart.


    While thinking, something was fed to his mouth, and he looked down to see that it was a fried yellow, crispy and soft egg.


    "Third aunt also scrambled the eggs well. The dog took a big bite and grew taller and stronger after eating it."


    As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Zhao''er regretted it.


    It''s also the fact that the little man is very good today, and she couldn''t help but imagine the scene where she coaxed him to eat when the little man was still young. When she was a child, she always coaxed the dog like this, but suddenly, at some point, the dog began to resist her, and she hated her like this the most.


    When she was worried, seeing him looking down, she smiled dryly, and was about to take back the spoon she handed over.


    Suddenly, he leaned over, took a big bite, and swallowed a spoonful of rice.


    "Delicious."


    Seeing him munching on his meal with drooping eyelids, Zhao''er suddenly smiled: "Eat more if it tastes good. In the future, my sister will work hard to make money and feed the dog scrambled eggs every day."


    After finishing speaking, she secretly glanced at Xue Gouzi from under her eyelids. Seeing that he didn''t show any displeasure, he couldn''t help but breathe a sigh of relief.


    In fact, Zhao''er said this on purpose, the little man has always hated her for running around and learning to do business with others. Because of this matter, the two had a lot of unhappiness, but she couldn''t stop going out to make money just because he didn''t like it.


    She wants to be rich, she wants to be rich for the little man to study, and not to fight with this group of people like black-eyed chickens. She thought a lot, and all of this required his support. After all, they were a family, and there were only the two of them left in the second room.


    But Zhao''er also thought about it, even if he objected, she would still do it.


    Of course it is best not to object.


    Under such circumstances, she couldn''t help but say something more: "I just talked to my grandma about the separation, but I was blocked by my grandpa." Seeing what the little man wanted to say, she interrupted: "Listen, sister!" After finishing speaking, I didn''t want to tell you too much about some things. I always felt that you were still young and didn''t want to disturb your studies. But what happened today, my sister can also see that you have your own ideas.


    "At home, let''s fight if we can. It''s supposed to be ours. We can''t just give it up to others. Even if we want to let it go, we have to give it a clear explanation. We don''t have to bully people like this! If we can''t fight Don¡¯t be afraid to go to school. My sister has recently found a business to do, and I can also collect the money that will send you to study. Having said so much, it is actually to let you relax and don¡¯t be afraid. The sky is falling, and there is still sister to support you There is not only one way for people, there are many ways for us to walk, and it is a fool''s thing to compete with ourselves."


    In fact, Zhao''er wanted to say this to Xue Gouzi a long time ago, but she also knew that the little man was very thoughtful, and she was afraid that he would think too much. But who ever thought that he still thought too much, and even worried became a disease. Today is such a good opportunity, she simply said it clearly.


    Xue Gouzi looked at her.


    This scene in his dream was not like this, because of his sudden outburst, the Xue family was in turmoil, and the family scolded him, saying that he was ignorant, not thinking about the family, and that he was not filial, which made Grandma dizzy. In order to protect him, Zhao''er quarreled with Xue''s family, and finally even alarmed the patriarch.


    Zhao''er was beaten five times in public in Xue''s ancestral hall for disrespecting her elders and offending her tongue, as a warning to everyone else. And this matter was also suppressed by the patriarch. He didn''t even have the ability to resist, so he was robbed of what belonged to him.


    Later, Xue Juncai went to the school in the town, enjoying himself. And because of this incident, Erfang completely aroused the disgust of the family members, especially with the big house as a hindrance, so life in Xue''s house was not easy.


    No one at home spoke for them, and no one in the village turned to them. He couldn''t even go to the private school, because his uncle said that he was a wolf-hearted dog and couldn''t teach him, and that Zhao''er beat up his aunt.


    He was only fourteen at that time, even though he knew that some people were not good people, he couldn''t understand the malice in them. Maybe he can understand it, but the inferiority of human nature made him subconsciously push the responsibility out. He blamed Zhao''er for all his dissatisfaction, unsatisfaction and even the harshness of fate.


    Even though he knew in his heart that he was blaming her wrong, that he was very wrong, but the misunderstanding was too deep, the two of them were drifting away, and he had no face to explain all this to her.


    A young man was walking on the path in the village.


    He was dressed in a blue jacket, as if he hadn''t seen the sun for a long time, and his skin was weak and pale. The body is also slender and thin, but his expression is calm and calm. He is obviously wearing shabby clothes, and the path in the village is uneven, and there are even cow dung and chicken dung, but it just makes him feel like walking in the garden.


    It was the time of spring plowing, and everyone was busy plowing the fields at the moment, and there were hardly any people on the road in the village. Occasionally, a woman who is doing work in the yard sees the person walking on the road from a distance, and only after a few fixed eyes does she recognize who it is.


    "Dog, where is this going?"


    Xue Tingxiang looked at the woman who was talking to him, and said with a smile: "Auntie, I''ll just walk around."


    It was just a casual sentence, the woman didn''t say anything more to him, she turned to get something in the room, the mother-in-law in the room asked her: "Third daughter-in-law, who were you talking to just now?"


    "The dog from the second bedroom of Xue Lianxing''s family. Hey, mother, it''s strange to say that I didn''t recognize him when he knocked on the door just now. I always feel like a different person."


    Her mother-in-law didn''t take it seriously: "What can you become, but you can''t change your body, I remember that kid has been ill recently."


    The daughter-in-law said: "I see, maybe I plan to go to the back mountain." There is a mountain behind Yuqing Village, where all the dead villagers in the village are buried, and the Xue family''s ancestral grave is also there.


    Hearing this, her mother-in-law sighed: "Don''t even mention it, it''s a pity for the second child of the Xing family. Both of them are gone. It''s a pity to leave a baby."


    This is just gossip between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and while they were talking, Xue Tingxiang had already brought Heizi into the back mountain.


    *


    Houshan is called Houshan, the mountain behind Yuqing Village.


    This mountain has no name, and the mountain is not high, but it is extremely deep. Anyway, so far, no villager has been able to walk back and forth from this deep mountain and old forest, most of them are activities outside the mountain.


    The Xue family''s ancestral grave was built on a small hill not far from the village. This Xue family is not only Xue Tingxiang''s family, but the ancestors of the entire Xue clan are buried here.


    On such a big hill, the lineage of the patriarch is in the middle, and the branches of the various families spread out. The lineage of Mr. Xue is at a place near the foot of the southwest mountain.


    Because the couple in the second room died young, and Xue Qingsong died in an accident, they were buried at the edge.


    When Xue Tingxiang arrived at the place, he began to pull the grass around the grave mound casually.


    There were not many weeds, they had just been cleared during the Chinese New Year, so he gathered the grass at random and placed it on the ground, taking advantage of the opportunity and sat down in front of the grave.

 Chapter 73

    A young man was walking on the path in the village.


    He was dressed in a blue jacket, as if he hadn''t seen the sun for a long time, and his skin was weak and pale. The body is also slender and thin, but his expression is calm and calm. He is clearly dressed in shabby clothes, and the path in the village is uneven, and there are even cow dung and chicken dung, but it just makes him feel like walking in the courtyard.


    It was the time of spring plowing, and everyone was busy plowing the fields at the moment, and there were hardly any people on the road in the village. Occasionally, a woman who is doing work in the yard sees that person walking on the road from a distance, and only after a few fixed eyes does she recognize who it is.


    "Dog, where is this going?"


    Xue Tingxiang looked at the woman who was talking to him, and said with a smile: "Auntie, I''ll just walk around."


    It was just a casual remark, but the woman didn''t say anything more to him, she turned to get something in the room, and the mother-in-law in the room asked her, "Third daughter-in-law, who were you talking to just now?"


    "The dog of the second room of Xue Lianxing''s family. Hey, mother, you are surprised. He just knocked on the door, but I didn''t recognize him for a while. I always feel like a different person."


    Her mother-in-law didn''t take it seriously: "What can you become, but you can''t change your body, I remember that kid has been ill recently."


    The daughter-in-law said: "I see, maybe I plan to go to the back mountain." There is a mountain behind Yuqing Village, where all the dead villagers in the village are buried, and the Xue family''s ancestral grave is also there.


    Hearing this, her mother-in-law sighed: "Don''t even mention it, it''s a pity for the second child of the Xing family. Both of them are gone. It''s a pity to leave a baby."


    This is just gossip between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and while they were talking, Xue Tingxiang had already brought Heizi into the back mountain.


    *


    Houshan is called Houshan, the mountain behind Yuqing Village.


    This mountain has no name, and the mountain is not high, but it is extremely deep. Anyway, so far, no villager has been able to walk back and forth from this deep mountain and old forest, most of them are activities outside the mountain.


    The Xue family''s ancestral grave was built on a small hill not far from the village. This Xue family is not only Xue Tingxiang''s family, but the ancestors of the entire Xue clan are buried here.


    On such a big hill, the lineage of the patriarch is in the middle, and the branches of the various families spread out. The lineage of Mr. Xue is at a place near the foot of the southwest mountain.


    Because the couple in the second room died young, and Xue Qingsong died in an accident, they were buried at the edge.


    When Xue Tingxiang arrived at the place, he began to pull the grass around the grave mound casually.


    There were not many weeds, they had just been cleared during the Chinese New Year, so he gathered the grass at random and placed it on the ground, taking advantage of the opportunity and sat down in front of the grave.


    A piece of mountainous land, two small graves, in front of each of the graves stood a small bluestone stele, on which the names of the second family and the couple were crudely written.


    This monument was originally recruited to find someone to make it and set it up.


    Nowadays, there are three kinds of people who cannot erect monuments after they die, those who die suddenly, die young, and have no heirs. Xue Qingsong belongs to violent death.


    Although everyone doesn''t say it, people who feel that they died suddenly have resentment after death, which is not conducive to the feng shui of the ancestor''s grave, so no monument is erected. I also want him to forget who he is, so as not to cause trouble if he is ignorant.


    But at the same time, there is another saying that after death without a monument, you will be a lonely ghost, who cannot stand the incense of future generations.


    At the beginning, the funeral of the second wife was arranged by the Xue family, and they acquiesced to follow the old customs. At that time, Xue Tingxiang was still young and didn''t understand these things at all, but Zhao''er understood.


    She talked to Xue''s family about erecting a monument, but was blocked, and Xue''s family took turns to persuade her. Later, Zhao''er didn''t tell anyone about it, and took the money to ask someone to make these two simple monuments and put them in front of the grave.


    It was too late when Xue''s family found out, and they couldn''t tear down the stele in front of the villagers.


    The villagers were also surprised when they saw the stele, but after thinking about how the Xue family''s second child died, they could understand it.


    Therefore, Xue Qingshan also gained a good reputation. He would rather risk his family''s feng shui to erect a monument for his brother.


    With various thoughts spinning in his mind, Xue Tingxiang took out a piece of cloth from his arms and slowly wiped the tombstone.


    The words on it were still written by him, and the strokes are immature, but after all, people can still tell what is written on it.


    ...


    Today is the anniversary of Mr. Zheng''s death. Zheng Hu brought his two sons to the grave to worship.


    The country people are not so particular, they just prepared some steamed buns, wine and meat, and the father and son burned the paper money in front of the grave, so let''s forget about it.


    Zheng Hu had always had a deep relationship with his father, so he was inevitably depressed, so he let his two sons go back first, while he sat in front of the grave, smoking a pipe and talking to his father.


    After talking for a while, he stood up and planned to go back.


    There was still work waiting to be done in the field, and Zheng Hu didn''t want to waste time, so he decided to take a shortcut. When he passed near Xue Lianxing''s ancestral grave, he suddenly heard someone crying.


    There are graves on the two nearby hills, one is of the surname Xue, and the other is of the surname Zheng. This kind of festive day is not like Zheng Hu''s on the anniversary of the death of an elder in the family, but no one would come to this kind of place.


    In particular, there may be a lot of dead people buried here, the trees are dense, and sometimes the sky and day are gloomy. Hearing this strange sound under such circumstances, Zheng Hu was so frightened that his hair stood on end and his legs went limp.


    After all, he had lived for decades. He listened intently and calmly, and it took him a while to understand that it was a boy''s voice.


    Thinking about who''s grave was here, he bravely walked closer, bypassed a big tree, and saw a young man in blue clothes sitting in front of the grave from a distance.


    Next to it was a big black dog wagging its tail.


    It''s the dog of the second room of Xue Lianxing''s family.


    Only then did Zheng Hu heave a sigh of relief, and the voice came into his ears again: "...Father, what do you think I should do? Uncle wants to send brother Juncai to the school in town, I thought I could do the same." Go... But my aunt came to the house a few days ago, but she told me to let Brother Juncai, before..."


    The young man''s voice was full of hesitation and bewilderment, Zheng Hu did not expect to hear the secret affairs of the Xue family in such a place. He was so surprised that the pipe in his hand dropped without realizing it. He didn''t realize it until his foot was hit by the pipe, picked up the pipe in a hurry and left.


    He didn''t know that after he left, the lonely and helpless boy in his eyes stopped crying.


    In the past few days, Xue Tingxiang has been thinking hard, trying to find a suitable opportunity, and somehow he thought of Zheng Hu.


    Zheng Hu''s father, Mr. Zheng, died during the spring plowing. It was not a happy funeral, but an accident. He was accidentally squeezed to the foot of the field by his own cattle and fell to his death.


    The ridge was not very tall, and countless villagers fell off the ridge every year, and Mr. Zheng died unluckily. At the beginning, this incident was widely circulated in the village, so Xue Tingxiang remembered it very clearly.


    Since it was the anniversary of the father''s death, the son Zheng Hu would definitely come to visit the grave, and Zheng Hu used to like to take shortcuts, so he would definitely pass by this area, so who else is more suitable than him.


    The most important thing is that Yuqing Village doesn''t seem big, but Xue and Zheng''s surnames have always been different from each other. Zheng Hu''s uncle is Li Zheng, and if he knows it, Zheng Lizheng will know it too.


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t stay any longer, and quickly returned home with Heizi the same way.


    The yard was still silent, he found a twig and put it in front of the door, and sat there quietly basking in the sun, thinking about Zhao''er who went to the town.


    *


    Zheng Hu hurried all the way, without even returning home, he went to Zheng Lizheng''s house.


    Zheng Li is the Lizheng of Yuqing Village and the head of the Zheng clan. Naturally, the family''s house is the only one in Yuqing Village. If it can be compared with it, it is the house of Patriarch Xue''s family.


    Yishui''s green brick and tile-roofed house, and the courtyard walls are also made of green bricks. The most conspicuous thing is the ancestral hall of the Zheng family on the front, but this ancestral hall will not be opened until a certain time. The two black doors The paulownia gate is closed all year round.

 Chapter 74

    You can watch this dream appear in his life for decades, day and night, entangled, it seems to be deep into the bone marrow, and it seems to be flesh . I can''t throw it away, I can''t dig it away, and if I don''t come for a day, it seems that something is missing.


    But he had never had such a clear dream, so clear as if it was real.


    "Dog, why do you think you are so stubborn? Isn''t my money your money? What do you think I earn money for? Isn''t it just for you to study and make you feel proud?"


    "Why do you say you are so stubborn! You say you are so stubborn, who are you showing your stubbornness to?!"


    "I know you don''t like me, but I''ve been like this for many years, and I can''t change it! I don''t plan to change it either!"


    "Look at Hong''er, does he look like you?"


    ...


    Xue Tingxiang suddenly felt that someone was shaking him, opened his tired eyes, and saw the dark inner room, Hu San''s face that was no longer young, even the lines on the curtains were so familiar, he knew He was just dreaming.


    It''s just that the dream was too clear, the sorghum fragrance in the air, and the curve of her stubbornly pursed lips made him feel like he was actually there. There are also her tears from being angry, crystal clear and shining with colorful light, he wanted to reach out to touch it, but someone woke him up.


    "My lord, it''s time to drink the medicine."


    Xue Tingxiang was propped up and given medicine. He was dying of illness, and he had to be served by someone even to drink medicine. How could he look like that extremely human minister Xue Shoufu who had ruled the court for decades.


    Oh no, he is not the chief assistant now.


    He has already written a letter to beg for the bones, intending to return to his hometown for the elderly, and the Holy Majesty has already agreed, but he has no home to return to, no relatives to rely on.


    In fact, he didn''t intend to go back.


    "Master Zhang, Mr. Wang, and Mr. Li and Mr. Cao all came to visit you, but they obeyed your orders and blocked the door. They come every day, and they are here again today. Would you like to see me?"


    What can they do? Didn''t they think that his illness was an expedient measure, waiting for him to stand up and continue to lead them to fight against the emperor, but he was really ill, terminally ill, and the medicine was useless.


    "not see."


    "My lord, please sleep a little longer."


    The room became quiet again, Xue Tingxiang''s eyelids began to get heavy again, he blinked again and again, and fell into sleep again.


    ...


    "How come Mr. Wang is free to visit this old man?"


    Wang Mingcheng''s eyes were a bit complicated, but he smiled on his face: "After all, I am a minister of the same court, and I should come to visit Mr. Shoufu because of emotion and reason."


    "I didn''t expect you, Wang Mingcheng, to say such hypocritical things, but to see if the old man is dying on behalf of the emperor?" Xue Tingxiang sarcastically said.


    He is obviously a haggard old man who is obviously dying, but just because of his calm, indifferent eyes that seem somewhat unpredictable, people dare not ignore him in the slightest.


    After all, this is Xue Shoufu, and the name alone is enough to intimidate everyone. That was Xue Tingxiang''s deep-rooted roots left by him after going through three dynasties and dozens of years, just like a towering ancient tree with intertwined roots, without him doing anything, just standing there is enough to make everyone daunting.


    If not, why would the new emperor have to exhaust all means, but still dare not act rashly, only dare to take that roundabout strategy.


    "It seems that my lord has misunderstood His Majesty a lot."


    Xue Tingxiang snorted and laughed, half closed his eyes, did not speak, and looked obviously too lazy to talk to him.


    "Actually, I''m here for myself. I just came to see how lonely and miserable the villain who abandoned his wife and son was now. I''m afraid Mr. Xue is dead now, and even a descendant in mourning None, in fact, Mr. Xue is too hard to see, it is just a show, just listen to it and watch it, how can you take the fake show as real and make yourself like this? Is it because of a disturbed conscience or fear? His true face is known by the world, he is reviled by others, and he will be stigmatized for thousands of years?"


    "you¡­¡­"


    "To say that you abandoned your wife and son is too much to save your face. It should be killing your wife and son, isn''t it, Mr. Xue?"


    No one knows about all this. The world only knows that Xue Shoufu had a first wife before Mrs. Xue, but they don''t know what happened to that first wife. After all, the time is too long, Xue Tingxiang has stood in the court hall for dozens of years, and his former, former and current opponents have all been trampled under his feet.


    People in the world only know that Mr. Shoufu is friendly and respectful to the corporals, but they don''t know that Mr. Shoufu also has a vicious side. In recent years, anyone who wanted to make a fuss about his past events all became lonely ghosts. No one knows how many ghosts have been added to it, and the only one who can know is Wang Mingsheng, the "bitter master".


    "You, you are..."


    Wang Mingcheng leaned closer to his face: "It''s a pity that my mother''s life is so bad, and so is my life. The sinking ship didn''t kill us, but was saved by others. Do you know that for so many years, day and night, I I want to see this scene every night. It''s a pity that your life is too long, and the power is in the hands of the people. I can only climb up step by step, to the position where I can step on you..."


    "You are... Hong''er..." Xue Tingxiang struggled to say this.


    Wang Mingsheng stood up straight and smiled heartily: "My name is not Hong''er, nor is my surname Xue, but my surname is Wang. My mother remarried, to the person who saved us...don''t get excited, even if You are dead now, and I am not your son..."


    Wang Mingsheng has always been known for being calm and introverted, hiding his secrets, and it was probably the first time he laughed so freely in front of people.


    "By the way, you don''t have to think that even if my official surname is Wang, I can still pass on the family lineage to your Xue family. Let me think about it. Yao Ji released the rumor that my official is as good as Long Yang back then, as if you ordered someone to do it. You really hit the mark, I don¡¯t like women, that¡¯s why I haven¡¯t married for many years..."


    He smiled and looked at the old man on the bed, seeing how shocked, disappointed and remorseful he was.


    But so what?


    He suddenly found that he was not as happy as he had imagined, and even this smile seemed too fake. He suddenly lost interest, flattened the corners of his mouth, brushed off his sleeves, and said, "Since Mr. Xue is fine, I will take my leave."


    ...


    "I didn''t, I didn''t..."


    "My lord, what are you talking about?"


    Hearing this voice, the fog in front of Xue Tingxiang suddenly dissipated, and he woke up suddenly from his dream. In front of the eyes is this dark inner room again, Hu San''s unattractive or even ugly face, the air is filled with a bitter smell of medicine, and there seems to be a decadent smell floating gently.


    Xue Tingxiang moved his lips, but no sound came out.


    "My lord, what did you say?"


    Hu San was very anxious, and kept asking, but Xue Tingxiang couldn''t speak at all. Hu San could only ask based on his own guess: "Are you thinking about the past? Don''t worry, your words have been passed on to Mr. Zhang , he already knows that Lord Wang is your only son, and will follow your instructions."


    Xue Tingxiang blinked his eyelids. Hu San thought he still had something to say, so he put his ear next to his mouth, but only heard one sentence: "I didn''t..."


    After that there is no text.


    When Hu San anxiously looked up, he saw Xue Tingxiang''s wide-open eyes and gray-blue face.


    He moved forward to touch the other person''s breath with shaking hands, but was so startled that he sat down on the ground.


    *


    The cold wind came in through the holed window paper, blowing Xue Gouzi''s face coldly.


    Shocked, he opened his eyes.


    What imprinted in my eyes was a small room with blue brick walls and black tile roof. The walls were plastered with white ash, but it looked gray. The beams of the house are log-colored, and because there is no dust, they are bare/exposed. There are several bamboo baskets hanging on them. There seems to be something in the baskets, and they are covered with blue cloth.


    He was lying on a kang with a half-new quilt covering his body. The quilt looked clean and tidy, but in fact the cotton wadding inside had hardened.


    Facing his kang feet, there is a row of dark brown kang cabinets, with brass bare nails inlaid with hinged leaves and copper tassel handles, and simple patterns of auspicious clouds and flowing water carved on them, which look thick and generous. . Although it is nothing in a rich family, it is already a piece of furniture that can be sold in a peasant family.


    There is no problem passing it down for generations!


    This is what his father said back then, and his father was the best carpenter in the village.


    Xue Gouzi felt his head hurt, as if he had been hit hard with a hoe. He wanted to support himself to sit up, but he was exhausted and fell back onto the kang again.


    It was only then that he realized that he was Xue Gouzi, the eldest son of the second room of the Xue family. Because of something that happened, he couldn''t think about it for a while, and he was so angry that he became ill for a while, and he had been sick for many days.


    He is not Xue Tingxiang, that Xue Tingxiang is the person in his dream.


    How could he be like that?


    In order to prove that all that was just a dream, he raised his hand to look at it.


    really! The hand in front of him was slender and fair, and he hadn''t developed the muscles and bones that a man should have. He was only fourteen this year, how could he live to be over seventy years old, and die in the end.


    Xue Gouzi let out a heavy breath, looked around again, and finally felt more at ease.


    Someone was talking outside, and the voice came in through the cracks in the window.


    "I''m talking about recruiting, it''s not my aunt talking about you, look at what you are now, a girl who stays at home all day, and learns from those small traders to do business. That business is what you can do. Did it? Look at your fourth uncle, you can¡¯t save a lot of money by running around outside every day, so don¡¯t worry about it, and if you have that little time, you can help fourth aunt with some work!¡±


    The voice sounded like a young woman, but the sarcasm in the words was too strong. It is said that appearance is born from the heart, and it is no wonder that Mrs. Sun has a mean face.


    This thought flashed subconsciously in Xue Gouzi''s mind, and then he was stunned. It''s true that he hated Fourth Aunt, but why would he miss her so much?


    Before he could figure out why, he heard the voice in his dream.


    "Fourth aunt, I would like to help you with some work, but you also know that the dog has been ill for a few days, and the family gave a few pennies for the medicine at first, but after taking it for half a month, grandma said that the family The money is not in hand, so I stopped the medicine. Gouzi is my man, I can''t just watch him be so sick, it''s not impossible for the fourth aunt to want me to help with the work, or you can lend me some money to buy medicine, I Can I pay you back slowly in the future?"


    The owner of the voice was a young girl, and the tone revealed a capable and crisp taste, mixed with a bit of teasing.


    That''s right, Zhao''er deliberately ran on the Sun family.


    Mrs. Sun has always had a temperament of only getting in and out, and it is more difficult to ask her to give out a penny, let alone lending it to the two half-children of the second room.


    Now there are only these two people left in the second room, the top door is only fourteen, but there is an older one, only sixteen, and it is still a girl''s family. Every time Mrs. Sun heard the rumors from the villagers that Zhao''er, a dead girl, had made some money by doing some business, she would be full of disbelief.


    What kind of business can this dead girl do to make money, but she digs three melons and two dates from the wild, and takes them out to trick the people in the city into exchanging a few pennies.


    "Your fourth aunt has no money to lend you. Our family''s money is all in mother''s place. You don''t care about mother''s going!" Sun patted her buttocks, stood up and went into the house, too lazy to talk nonsense with Zhao''er.


    "Since the fourth aunt has no money to lend me, and I don''t dare to take care of grandma, I can only figure out where to get some money to get some medicine for the dog!"


    Zhao''er''s voice was very loud, so naturally she was speaking not only to Mrs. Sun, but also to Mrs. Zhao who was sitting in the main room.


    Sure enough, Zhao''er entered the house with his front foot, and Mrs. Zhao stood at the door behind him and scolded Mrs. Sun: "You haven''t cleaned the pigsty, so you''re going back to the house to hold a corpse?"


    Zhao''er curled her lips, lifted the door curtain and walked in, bumping head-on into Xue Gouzi''s eyes looking at her.


    Zhao''er had vigilance in his eyes.


    Xue Tao''er ran over, leaned closer and whispered, "Isn''t my aunt''s father, he said he wants to talk to the dog."


    Xue Tingxiang also heard the movement outside the room and came out.


    "Don''t go, I''ll push." ??Zhao''er knew that it would be no good for Yang Zhong to find a young man because of his elder status. What about the previous incident?


    "No problem."


    Having said this, Zhao''er was taken aback for a moment, and Xue Tingxiang remembered that he would never speak like this in normal times.


    He smiled and said, "It''s okay, you''re still afraid that I won''t succeed if he eats it."


    "Can¡­¡­"


    At this time, Xue Tingxiang had already passed her to the main room, so she could only follow in a hurry.


    *


    Here in the main room, as expected, the wine is in full swing.


    Yang Zhong''s white and chubby face was flushed from drinking, and he looked like he was slightly drunk. Mr. Xue''s dark red face glowed red under the light. Xue Qingshan also sat on the side, along with Xue Juncai, Xue Qingbai and Xue Qinghuai.


    Women are not at the table.


    Seeing Xue Tingxiang walking in, Yang Zhong said: "Our little talent is here, come and let me see."


    He waved his hands, not treating himself as an outsider at all, and when Xue Tingxiang approached, he opened a pair of drunken eyes and looked up and down: "I don''t see anything changed, how did you become so promising?"


    As soon as these words were sarcasm, the court immediately fell silent.


    Xue Qingshan focused on eating vegetables between his sandwiches, as if he didn''t hear him. Xue Juncai seemed to be sitting upright, but in fact he was looking at this place intentionally or unintentionally.


    The rest of the Xue family were a little embarrassed, especially Mr. Xue, his face was a little stiff, but he hesitated to speak.

 Chapter 75

    But Zhao''er has always been domineering, and never allowed anyone to call him a little man, and she would be anxious with anyone who said that. Because of this incident, she had fought with many girls and boys in the village, although some people still said behind their backs, after all no one dared to point fingers in front of others.


    Zhao''er always felt that the little man''s eyes were weird today, and he avoided them uncomfortably.


    She knew that the little man must be angry again, and he didn''t like her saying "the dog is my man" the most. Every time he heard her say such words, he would ignore her for a few days. In fact, recruiting children is also shameful, but she is the child bride-in-law of the second room of Xue''s family. If she didn''t claim to be like this, how could she have the right to challenge the fourth aunt, Sun''s.


    "Are you hungry? Look what I brought back for you?"


    Zhao''er turned her head and put all these troubles behind her, and took out a paper bag from her pocket. Opening the paper bag, there were two steamed steamed buns inside. They were white and plump, and people liked it just looking at them.


    "Eat quickly, while it''s still warm." She smiled and stuffed the paper bag into the little man''s hand, while putting the pannier on her shoulders in the corner.


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her.


    The girl in front of her was in her twenties and eighth year, and her skin was the wheat color common to girls in the country, but Zhao''er''s complexion was exceptionally different from others'', smooth and radiant, as if she had been smeared with honey. He has a tall nose bridge, a pair of medium-sized eyes, and swarthy pupils. When he smiles, there is a flash of inspiration in him, and he looks lively.


    Zhao''er''s stature is taller than ordinary girls, and she is well-developed, front/convex/backward, full of youthful vigor.


    It was so vivid, as vivid as in his dream.


    He unconsciously took the steamed stuffed bun and gnawed on it. Seeing this trick, he smiled even more happily. He went to the kitchen and poured him a bowl of water, which he placed next to his hand. On the other hand, he bent down to tidy up the scattered quilts on the kang, thinking about what to cook for him at night to nourish his body.


    Finally, the little man got better, so he had to continue to drink the medicine, and he had to drink a few more to strengthen it. From this, he naturally began to calculate the little money left in his hand, and think of a way to get some money, so as to solve the urgent need.


    "Have you eaten yet?" Xue Gouzi asked.


    This kind of behavior rarely happens to him, so Zhao''er can''t help but look up at the little man sitting on the kang.


    In fact, the little man has a handsome appearance, which is different from the fair skin of the countrymen. The corners of his eyes are slightly raised, and the curvature makes his face a little more delicate and handsome. It''s just that the little man always hangs his head halfway on weekdays, with a gloomy and silent temperament, and is too thin, so he is not conspicuous in front of others.


    Zhao''er''s eyes warmed up, her smile widened, and she said cracklingly, "Eat, I ate it outside, this is for you."


    After she finished speaking, she realized that she had slipped her mouth. She waited for the little man to show a disgusted expression, or to condemn her daughter''s family for running around, but he didn''t say anything, as if he had something on his mind. Head eating buns.


    Zhao''er couldn''t help heaving a sigh of relief, but at the same time felt a pain in his heart, and couldn''t help but said: "Dog, don''t worry too much. After all, you heard the words. Since you didn''t say it face-to-face, you can''t take it seriously. Even if it is true Don''t be afraid, sister earns money for your education."


    Xue Gouzi''s head still hurts a little, and he was dizzy. Zhao''er thought he had something on his mind, but in fact he was just thinking about that dream. Hearing Zhao''er''s words at this time, he suddenly remembered why he had this serious illness.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Gouzi''s serious illness came in a hurry due to stagnation of liver qi.


    Speaking of this, I have to talk about the general situation of the Xue family.


    Yuqing Village is a village located under Huyang Town, Xia County, Pingyang Prefecture. There are only more than 200 households in the village.


    The Xue family is one of them.


    However, the Xue family is different from other ordinary farmers, and it can be regarded as having some origins.


    The ancestor of the Xue family, that is, the grandfather of Mr. Xue, was a scholar. In a poor mountain depression like Yuqing Village, it is a great event for the ancestors to have a scholar.


    Because of this talented gentleman, the generation of the Xue family produced the head of the Xue clan, and there were several village elders in the clan, and finally had some say in Yuqing Village. At the same time, it is also a blessing for the younger generation. Mr. Xue''s father is hardworking and willing to work. With the help of the elders, he also slowly built up a family business.


    By the time of Mr. Xue''s generation, the Xue family already had more than 30 acres of fertile land, and several sons also had their own livelihoods. Their lives were enviably prosperous, and they could be regarded as a well-to-do family in the village.


    Mr. Xue and his mother-in-law Zhao have four sons and two daughters. The eldest son Xue Qingshan married his wife Yang, and they have two sons and a daughter. The eldest son Xue Juncai is fifteen years old, the second son Xue Youcai is ten years old, and the eldest daughter Xue Maner is married.


    The second child, Xue Qingsong, is a carpenter. He married his wife Qiu Shi and gave birth to a son, Xue Gouzi, who is fourteen years old. The third child, Xue Qingbai, is a farmer, married his wife Zhou, and gave birth to a son and a daughter. The eldest daughter, Xue Taoer, is thirteen years old this year, and the youngest son, Xue Shuanzi, is eight years old now. The fourth son, Xue Qinghuai, is a shopkeeper. He married his wife, Sun, and gave birth to a son named Xue Maodan, who is only four years old this year.


    As for the two daughters, the eldest daughter, Xue Cuiping, is already married, and the youngest daughter, Xue Cuie, is fourteen this year and is still in her boudoir.


    It is worth mentioning that nowadays there are parents who say that they do not separate their families. In addition, families in the countryside are ruled by clans, so Xue''s family has no separation.


    The Xue family has tasted the benefits of reading, so they have more vision than ordinary farmers. Xue Qingshan is smart since he was a child, and he is the eldest son. Mr. Xue has high hopes for him, and when he reaches the age of enlightenment, he spends money to send him to a private school.


    Xue Qingshan also strives for success. At the age of twenty, he passed the Tongsheng examination. Although he is still a scholar, he can be counted as a scholar who can be counted in ten miles and eight villages.


    Don''t underestimate Tongsheng! As the saying goes, scholars, farmers, businessmen, and scholars are the highest class of people in the current society. If ordinary people want to turn ordinary people into scholars, there is only one way to take the imperial examination. As for the imperial examination, it is only a matter of going to the west to learn Buddhist scriptures, and you have to go through various checkpoints and go through hardships before you can get it.


    If you want to embark on this path, you must first have the qualifications, and Tong Sheng is a person with this qualification. It is necessary to pass the county and government examinations to be called Tongsheng. As for the next step is to be a scholar, to become a scholar is to enter school, and it is also the first step to embark on the road of imperial examinations.


    It can be seen from this that Tong Sheng is not an ordinary person, so Xue Qingshan''s status in the Xue family can be imagined.


    But as I said before, the Xue family''s family background can only be regarded as a middle-level family in the countryside. If a family like this wants to support a scholar, it will almost exhaust all the human and financial resources of the family. Because the eldest son is the eldest son, who will set up a family in the future, and is talented and intelligent, the next few sons naturally have to give in.


    As for why Xue Gouzi became seriously ill, it has to be related to another old matter of the Xue family.


    Back then when Xue Qingshan was selected as a child student, he was considered a success at a young age. He was full of ambitions and wanted to pass the college examination in one fell swoop, and he could also be a scholar, but it was a pity that God did not follow his wishes.


    It was only a close call, and no one would be reconciled to it. Xue Qingshan could only calm down, work hard, and hope to win next time.


    After so many years of rushing away, the original smugness was completely devastated by the impact of reality. Xue Qingshan failed many exams, so he couldn''t stay at home and eat free food all the time. In desperation, he set up a private school in the village, which specializes in taking children from the village and several nearby villages to read and write, and they can more or less earn a living.


    With such convenient conditions, several children of Xue''s family naturally followed suit. The next few children are still young, and among the grandchildren, Xue Juncai, the eldest son of the big house, and Xue Gouzi of the second house have studied the longest.


    However, compared to his cousin Xue Juncai, Xue Gouzi is obviously not as good as he is because he is too weak. When he was young, he was always sick every day, which delayed a lot of homework.


    The time was stretched back to five years ago, this year the academic officer held a college examination in Fucheng, Xue Qingshan naturally would not miss it, he stopped his private school classes early and went to Fucheng to take the exam.


    It''s not easy to go out at this time, and besides, Mr. Xue was worried about his eldest son going out alone, so he asked his second son Xue Qingsong to accompany him. He always took care of him when he was usually on a business trip.


    That is to say, something happened on this trip, Xue Qingshan offended someone in Fucheng, Xue Qingsong was beaten all over his body in order to protect his eldest brother. In the end, the man was pulled back, but he died within a few days after he came back. Before he died, Xue Qingsong asked Xue Qingshan to promise himself that he would do everything in his power to confess Xue Gouzi.


    In fact, after giving way for others all his life, how could Xue Qingsong have no complaints in his heart, but he has a simple and honest nature, and he knows that his talent is not as good as that of his elder brother, so he has been making contributions in obscurity.


    But when it came to his own son, especially Xue Gouzi, who was weak since he was a child, he was not a farmer in any way, and he was dying, so Xue Qingsong took the opportunity to force his elder brother to make a promise.


    Xue Qingsong would do this, but he wanted to break the status quo that the Xue family''s resources had been leaning towards Dafang. The Xue family only had two scholars in the first room, and now there is a Xue Gouzi. The children in the third room were still young at that time, and the fourth child was not married yet. As long as Xue Qingshan agrees, others will naturally have nothing to say, and Xue Qingsong will do his best for his son Brown.


    Xue Qingshan agreed to the matter on the spot, crying blood, saying that he would treat Xue Gouzi as his own son, Xue Qingsong closed his eyes.


    Not long after that, Qiu Shi, who was already in poor health, became depressed and fell ill, and then passed away. Since then, Xue Gouzi has become a poor child without father and mother. Fortunately, there are grandparents and uncles, and Zhaoer, a child bride-in-law, so he doesn''t have to worry about food and clothing.


    In the following years, Xue Qingshan really treated Xue Gouzi like his own son. No one in the village would say that the boss of the Xue family raised his nephew as his own son. But as the saying goes, the human heart is the most fickle, and selfishness is the nature of human beings. As time passed, Da Fang gradually changed his attitude. Although he was in front of others, he was still the same as before, but only the person concerned would know what happened to him afterwards.


    This year, seeing that he had nothing to teach his son, Xue Qingshan decided to send Xue Juncai to the town school to study for two years.


    But it costs a lot of money to go to the school to study, not to mention the one-year study that costs two silver, the three festivals and six rituals of the husband, and the pen, ink, paper and inkstone used in daily life, all of which cost money. The Xue family has already been seriously injured because they confessed to Xue Qingshan, and how can they have money for the two children to go together.


    You can only take out one piece of money, that is to say, Xue Juncai and Xue Gouzi can only go to one.


    Xue Qingshan told the matter in front of the whole family, but Xue Gouzi didn''t say what he couldn''t say tactfully, but chose to remain silent.


    During that time, the atmosphere in the Xue family was weird, the old man Xue was frowning, and the grandmother Zhao was eccentric all day long, but the eldest couple were still the same as before, and they didn''t think it was a problem.


    I will not mention this, it is also a coincidence that Xue Gouzi accidentally overheard his eldest aunt Yang and fourth aunt Sun talking in secret, saying that he would let his parents-in-law come forward and let Xue Gouzi take the initiative to give up his place to study in the town , Xue Gouzi became seriously ill in a fit of rage.


    Thinking of this, Xue Gouzi felt uneasy for a while, and at the same time, many pictures appeared in his mind, which were just some of his previous dreams.


    The Xue Tingxiang in the dream also faced the same situation in the fourteenth year, and the other party''s temperament changed drastically after this incident, changing his previous disposition.


    Could it be that he is Xue Tingxiang, and that Xue Tingxiang is him? But why would he dream of these things!


    Xue Gouzi felt a throbbing pain in his head, the bun in his hand fell on the kang, and the water bowl next to him was also knocked over. Zhao''er heard the movement, rushed up and hugged him in his arms.


    "Dog, dog, don''t scare me!"


    They were all from humble backgrounds, and of course they knew how difficult it was to study in a farming family, so before Xue Tingshan said that the Xue family never forgot to cultivate their children and grandchildren while they settled down, Qiao Xiucai praised them greatly.


    Because he knew that this matter seemed insignificant, but it was actually too difficult for farmers. How many families had the idea of ??changing their own destiny by reading books.


    It can be said that those who are born in a poor family in the countryside and can achieve great fame have all experienced great hardships. The starting point is much lower than others. It takes countless efforts to catch up with others, and at the same time they have to face all kinds of cruel competition.

 Chapter 76

    Since Xue Tingxiang made up his mind to copy the book, Zhao''er had no reason to object.


    But she even made a big wish, to earn a lot of money in the future, and not to let him worry about a book, not to mention here.


    After Zhao''er laid out the paper for him, she went to find a suitable needle and thread, planning to bind it for him after he finished writing.


    Xue Tingxiang laughed a little, but didn''t say anything, picked up a pen and began to write seriously on the paper.


    He planned to copy all the books he had memorized, because he found a problem. Since he had that dream, ''Xue Tingxiang'' had more and more influence on him, including the impact on his own memory.


    Especially all the books he has learned since he was a child. He had flipped through the memory of that dream before, and he had memories of some bibliographies in elementary school and even college, but his memory was extremely vague, and many of the more detailed things had been forgotten.


    He thought about the reason, and felt that "he" seemed to be very disgusted with the memory of studying hard in the cold window, so he always adopted an evasive attitude. In addition, the Xue Tingxiang in the dream has lived for more than seventy years. Since he passed the Jinshi examination, he has been obsessed with officialdom battles, but he doesn''t care about his own knowledge.


    After many years, his memory is more about the ups and downs of the officialdom, the various forces in the party struggle, and the speculation of the people, rather than the original essence of a scholar.


    Seriously speaking, ''Xue Tingxiang'' is not a real scholar, he is just a politician.


    But obviously he doesn''t need these things now, as if a young child has a sword, he knows the significance of these things to his future. But today a young child needs nothing more than a piece of clothing, or just food and clothing.


    But these memories have already begun to affect his own memory. He doesn''t want to forget what he has learned. What he needs to do now is to consolidate his memory and combine with ''Xue Tingxiang''''s advanced understanding of many things. This is the right way.


    And the best way to master it is nothing more than copying books.


    Obviously this yellow bamboo paper is of very low quality, the brush strokes should not be light or heavy, the ink will be uneven if it is light, and it will smudge if it is heavy, but Xue Tingxiang writes on it like flowing clouds and flowing water as if there is nothing. The handwriting on it is full and round, and it is extraordinarily majestic.


    Zhao''er held his breath and didn''t even dare to make a sound. His eyes fell on Xue Tingxiang, who was writing vigorously. Suddenly, he had the illusion that a little man had grown up.


    Xue Tingxiang quickly wrote a sheet, and he was about to take it away to dry, Zhao''er quickly took it, and spread it carefully on the kang. Her eyes were attracted by those words. She couldn''t tell how beautiful they were, but felt like a painting.


    And during this period, Xue Tingxiang wrote another one.


    In this way, Xue Tingxiang wrote and asked children to dry it. After a while, the kang was covered with paper.


    A book of the Three Character Classic does not contain more than a thousand characters, and Xue Tingxiang finished it very quickly.


    He put down the pen, took a deep breath, and moved his wrist a few times. He hadn''t written at such a high density for a long time, and it was a challenge to his wrist strength.


    "Actually, I can copy books to subsidize my family." He said suddenly.


    He had been thinking about this for a long time. In his dream, he only read books blindly. He really managed to "keep his ears off the outside world and read only the books of sages and sages".


    The former "he" was helpless and emotional about this situation, but he had more than enough energy, and Zhao''er was really capable, and he had a talent that no one else had in business, and he answered everything in every detail, and never let him go. He worries about money, so he doesn''t think about it anymore.


    Looking back, he realized that ''he'' cared more about this matter than he imagined. Now that he can earn one or two silver coins to support his family, why not give it a try.


    How can a man be raised by a woman, he should be the one who shelters her from the wind and rain. He didn''t understand at this time in the dream, but fortunately he understands now.


    "Copy books to make money?" Zhao''er shook her head again and again: "How can I do that? It''s hard work and hurts my eyes."


    "How can you say so exaggeratedly? Look, I just copied a book in a short while." He organized all the pages of the book into a pile, and gave it to Zhao''er for her to bind.


    "Copying books can not only earn money, but also read books. Why not do it. I remember that there are bookstores in the town that will find some poor scholars to help copy books and sell them. You go to the town tomorrow and bring this book to the bookstore. Look at the shop owner, if it¡¯s feasible, you can help me pick up a book and try it when you come back.¡±


    Having said that, he paused for a moment: "Well, I''ll go with you, and we''ll go to town together tomorrow."


    "Is this really possible?" Zhao''er always hesitates when it comes to matters involving little men.


    "There''s nothing wrong with it."


    *


    Now that the matter was settled, the two of them woke up early the next day and went out without even having breakfast at home.


    Yuqing Village is a small village located under Huyang Town. In fact, Huyang Town is also Huyang Township, just named after the town. There are dozens of villages like this in Huyang Township, and Yuqing Village is one of the larger villages.


    From Yuqing Village to the town, if walking, it takes nearly an hour. If you take an ox cart or a mule cart, it will be faster, and there are carts from the village below to the town every day. Bullock carts are slow and cheap, and you can take one ride for two pennies. Mule carts are expensive, and one person gets four renminbi, but the speed is not comparable to that of ox carts.


    Going out of Yuqing Village, walked to a fork in the road, and walked west for a while, Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang stopped and stood under the big tree by the roadside to wait for the bus.


    Although their clothes were simple, they were both neat and tidy, especially Zhao''er, who was wearing a man''s clothes.


    "It turns out that every time you go out, you have to walk through the vegetable field behind, just to change into this clothes?"


    Zhao''er nodded, feeling a little guilty. But now that she has made a decision, she has prepared for the worst. Fortunately, Xue Tingxiang only showed a trace of surprise when he saw it, but he didn''t show much disgust.


    "It''s more convenient to go out in this way. You can''t recognize me as a girl."


    Xue Tingxiang pursed his lips and glanced at her.


    The young man in front of him looks handsome. From a man''s point of view, he looks a little thinner, but there is really no sign of a daughter''s family. He observed carefully, only to find that Zhao''er had thickened his eyebrows, and he did not know how to do it on his chest, but it became flat.


    She also seemed to find that the little man''s eyes stayed on her chest for too long, Zhao''er explained: "This is too inconvenient, so I wrapped it with a cloth."


    She spoke very disapprovingly, as if she was talking about what we have for lunch, but Xue Tingxiang felt like he was reckless.


    He recalled the dream in which Zhao''er''s breasts were very plump, and he suddenly felt afraid that she would be crushed, so he couldn''t help but ask, "Won''t she be crushed?"


    Zhao''er was a little surprised when she heard that, but she didn''t think too much about it, so she said, "It''s useless anyway."


    Just as she was talking, she saw a mule cart approaching not far away, so she waved there. Naturally, she didn''t notice that Xue Tingxiang''s expression was very strange.


    Seeing that he was riding in a mule cart instead of an ox cart, Xue Tingxiang couldn''t help being a little surprised. He only knew that the mule cart was much more valuable than the ox cart. Zhao''er gave the money for the car, and pulled him into the car: "This car is faster, and it will be here in a while." In fact, Zhao''er was afraid that he would not be able to stand the bumps of the bullock cart after recovering from a serious illness, so he took the mule cart if he had one.


    The middle-aged man driving the car smiled and said, "My little brother is insightful. This car is not only fast, but also stable. It is not comparable to a bullock cart. By the way, this is your brother?"


    Xue Tingxiang, who was called his younger brother, turned dark.


    It''s not surprising that people say that he is Zhao''er''s younger brother, and he is also dressed as a man. He is obviously thinner than Zhao''er, and he is half a head shorter.


    Zhao''er was stunned for a moment, then nodded with a smile: "Yes, it''s my younger brother."


    While speaking, the middle-aged man had already driven the mule cart forward.


    This car is indeed much faster than the bullock cart, and it runs without bumps. The car will stop at intervals to pick up one or two people. This special extended car can seat twelve people. The roof of the car is specially customized, and some not-too-heavy things can be placed on it.


    By the way, the biggest advantage of taking this mule cart is that there is a carriage to keep out the dust, so you don''t have to find a place to pack yourself when you arrive in the town.


    "When I have money in the future, I will also buy this car." Zhao''er couldn''t help but said to Xue Tingxiang, finally showing a little childishness.


    "Will you rush?"


    She froze for a moment, then said: "I can''t rush, I can learn."


    The problem is that you have done everything, even drive the car by yourself, so why do you need a man? Xue Tingxiang thought silently in his heart, and then realized that in his dream, it seemed that he was really useless as a man.


    It seems that he will learn to drive in the future. Xue Tingxiang made a secret decision.


    *


    After the mule cart was full of people, it finally stopped halfway to pick up people.


    After about a quarter of an hour, the city wall of Huyang Town could be seen in the distance.


    The mule cart stopped not far from the city gate, and everyone in the cart got off, Zhao''er took Xue Tingxiang to the town.


    This Huyang Town is neither big nor small. Zhao''er used to go to Dongshi mostly, and Dongshi sells the most groceries, but this time he mainly went to the bookstore, so he was going to Nanshi.


    The former dynasty emphasized civility over military affairs. This kind of folk custom did not die out after the war at the end of the previous dynasty. On the contrary, it was because the Tai/Zu Emperor of Dachang came to power at the beginning because he was a supporter of the civil servants in the previous dynasty. It is popular.


    Even illiterate ordinary people can say that everything is inferior, only reading is high, which is evident.


    Even in a small place like Huyang Town, any family with some spare money would send their children to a private school for two years. It is best to be able to test for fame and fame. If you can''t test for merit and fame, you can get a few words, and the workmanship is cheaper.


    This kind of folk custom has led to quite a few bookstores and book shops in the town. For example, there is a street in Nanshi that sells pens, ink, paper and inkstones, as well as other supporting facilities, all of which are business for scholars.


    Although Zhao''er is not a scholar, she has bought bamboo paper for Xue Tingxiang a few times, so she is familiar with the place. However, she did not lead Xue Tingxiang to go immediately, but went around to a place with a lot of food stalls, found a noodle stall, and planned to go there after breakfast.


    "The meal in the morning is the most important. We missed breakfast because we were in a hurry. Sharpening knives is not a mistake for woodcutters. Let''s go when we are full."


    The owner of the Zhaoerguan noodle stall ordered two bowls of sliced ??noodles.


    This noodle is a unique food in Pingyang Prefecture. It is made of buckwheat noodles and sorghum noodles. It is black and red in color.


    "The sliced ??slices here are very delicious, try it."


    Xue Tingxiang tasted it, and it was really delicious.


    Not to mention the craftsmanship, at least the portion is large, and the ingredients are sufficient, unlike Xue''s food, which is reluctant to put oil and salt, and tastes bland.


    But the price is also expensive, Xue Tingxiang finished a large bowl of jerky slices, and gave eight Wen when he asked his son to settle the bill, which means that this bowl of jerky slices is almost enough to buy half a catty of meat. .


    "Is it delicious?" Zhao''er was still asking him when he was walking towards Nanshi.


    "It''s just a bit expensive."


    It is indeed a little expensive for Xue Tingxiang. He has no pocket money since he was a child, and the only chance to have some money in his hands is the few pennies given by Mr. Xue every year.


    In his dream, these few pennies were really nothing, but it was these two weird thoughts mixed together that made Xue Tingxiang feel weird.


    "Why is it expensive? It''s not expensive. You don''t come to the town often, but you come here once after all. Naturally, I will take you to have a good meal."


    It''s really a good meal, don''t look at Zhao''er''s face without changing her face, but in fact, when she came to the town alone before, she would buy a steamed bun at most when she was hungry.


    She has never been reluctant to bear with herself, and always wants to save more, but she is very willing to bear with Xue Tingxiang, and she is at her wit''s end. So every time Xue Tingxiang thought of everything in his dream, he couldn''t believe that he would be the one who killed his wife and children.


    "When I earn money by copying books, I will bring you to eat every day." He couldn''t help but said.


    The sun had already come out, and the pale golden sunlight shone on the boy''s still immature face. His fair face was like the finest white jade, with fine fluff on it. The slightly pale lips were pursed lightly at this moment, and it could be seen that the young man was a little uncomfortable. He didn''t dare to look directly at her, but looked aside.


    Zhao''er''s smile got bigger and bigger, and he couldn''t help stretching out his hand to rub his head: "Silly dog, you can only make a few money by copying books, how can you come to eat that every day." There was a pampering expression in his expression.


    But the voice was silenced in his dark pupils, and Zhao''er finally realized what he said and did.


    She was a little guilty, and it was strange, she had never been afraid of a little man before, but since he recovered from his illness this time, she has become a little afraid of him occasionally.


    It must be her illusion!


    She withdrew her hand, looked left and right, suddenly her eyes lit up, and said: "Look, we''re here." As she spoke, she walked into the bookstore first.


    The clear voice of the young man caught the eyes of everyone in the hall, including Qiao Xiucai and He Xiucai who were praising each other for humility.


    Xue Juncai raised his head in disbelief, he couldn''t believe that he didn''t even think about it, how could Xue Tingxiang have it.


    I saw that gentle and thin young man with his hands behind his back, walking back and forth in the hall for a few steps, Fang said: "If you take the bait, you are an old man, and if you take the bait, you are a test. The old man takes the test for the children, and the children get the test for the old."


    In fact, Xue Tingxiang is not good at reciting poems and fighting against each other, but he can''t hold back that the person in his dream has lived a long life and has a wide market. There used to be a long-standing joke among scholars¡ª¡ª


    It is said that there was a gray-haired scholar who took the exam, and the examiner knew from his appearance that he was an old boy who had repeatedly failed the exam, so he intentionally made things difficult for him: "I have a couplet, if you can match it, I will take it." you."

 Chapter 77

    The morning light was twilight, and the sky was just breaking. Most of the villagers in Yuqing Village got up very early.


    Smoke rose from the chimneys of many houses, and villagers walking in twos and threes on the village trails, either carrying hoes or pulling cattle, looked like they were going to the fields.


    It is the time of spring plowing, and the plan of the year lies in spring. If you are lazy at this time, you will cry when the grain is harvested in autumn.


    Zhao''er woke up at this hour on time, and opened his eyes to find that the little man was still asleep.


    Not long after she fell asleep yesterday, the little man developed a fever again. After being busy for most of the night, luckily the fever subsided in the middle of the night.


    She sat up, raised her hand to touch the little man''s forehead, and made sure that her hands were not hot, then put on her clothes lightly and got off the kang.


    The first thing to do was to open the door first, and Heizi, who had been restless for a long time, got out with a swish. Zhao''er also walked out of the room, and seeing Heizi rushing out of the courtyard to pee, she shook her head with a grin.


    At this time, someone had already woken up in the courtyard, it was the Zhou family of the third bedroom and his eldest daughter Xue Tao''er.


    Today it''s the third room''s turn to cook. The Xue family''s rule is that apart from the housework of each room, the work in the office is shared equally. One day per room, in rotation.


    The room responsible for cooking is not only responsible for the food and drink of the whole family, but also takes care of the livestock in the family. The Xue family raised two big fat pigs, and it was not an easy job to just serve these two ancestors every day. Not to mention feeding chickens, carrying water, and chopping firewood, so the female family members who do housework on this day do not have to go to the fields to work.


    It seems to be fair and just, but in fact everyone inside knows how.


    The eldest aunt Yang claimed that the man was a child student, and she was exceptionally superior at home. Since Xue Qingshan passed the child student examination, she never touched housework again. The key is that Mrs. Zhao is also looking towards her, so it''s not easy for others to question her.


    At first, it was Xue Gouzi''s mother, Mrs. Qiu, who finally came in, the third-bedroom Mrs. Zhou, and the two sisters-in-law finally shared the burden. Afterwards, Mrs. Qiu followed her deceased husband, and Mrs. Zhou was left alone. It was not until Mrs. Sun of the fourth room entered the door that she would be able to catch her breath again.


    It''s a pity that Mrs. Sun is lazy and playful. In fact, Mrs. Zhou still does most of the work.


    In the past, when Mrs. Qiu was still alive, Zhao''er also helped Mrs. Qiu to do it. After Mrs. Qiu passed away, Zhao''er was busy with the housework of the second room and had to do the work in the office. In addition, Zhao''er was still young at that time, Mr. Xue told her to take good care of Xue Gouzi and not to take care of the work at work.


    Zhao''er now has free time to go around and get some money, but she is a person who looks at her conscience and will help out as much as she can in her spare time. As for those who used words to squeeze her like Sun, her sharp tongue was not forgiving.


    Seeing Xue Taoer struggling to fetch water from the well, Zhao''er rubbed his face and went up to help her.


    Thirteen-year-old Xue Taoer is like a small flower in bud. Although she is not very beautiful, she is very delicate. Seeing Zhao''er coming to help her, she couldn''t help showing a smile and talking to her: "Sister Zhao''er, is the second brother better?" Xue Gouzi is the second grandson of the Xue family, so Xue Taoer called him the second brother .


    "I had a fever again last night, and it got better in the second half of the night." Zhao''er looked around curiously, and asked, "Why isn''t Third Uncle here?"


    Although Xue Qingbai is a bit honest and reticent, he always loves his wife and daughter. Whenever he meets the third room to cook, he will get up early to fill the water tank.


    The Xue family has its own well, but the well is too deep, and there is no pulley on the well, so it is really exhausting to draw water with the strength of the daughter''s family alone. That is to say, Zhao''er was naturally as strong as an ox, and his strength was no worse than that of ordinary middle-aged men, so he could pull the bucket out of the deep well very easily.


    "My father went to the field and said he would work for a while and return after breakfast."


    Xue Qingbai is an honest farmer. Unlike other brothers in the family who have other skills, he only knows how to farm, so he puts all his heart on the ground. The Xue family has a total of more than 30 mu of land, and now he, Mr. Xue and the fourth son Xue Qinghuai are all planted.


    Although the women of the Xue family also went to the fields, it was only during the busy farming season, and besides, the women only had so little strength, so how could they help. Fortunately, the three men from Xue''s family are all good hands in the field, and they are really too busy, so they hired part-time workers to help out for a few days, so they don''t have to worry about not being able to finish the work in the field.


    Just as he was talking, the door of the fourth room opened, and Xue Qinghuai walked out from inside.


    The men in the Xue family are all big, so Xue Qinghuai also inherited a tall body.


    He was born with thick eyebrows, tiger eyes and a high nose bridge. He was dressed in dark blue coarse cloth and short brown, and looked very heroic. In fact, the men of the Xue family are not bad looking, but the women of the Xue family are a little mediocre, but all the grandchildren are born well, and they are all top-notch in the village.


    "Zhaoer Taoer, you wake up so early." Xue Qinghuai walked over in a few strides, took the wooden bucket in Zhaoer''s hand, walked to the water tank, and poured water into the tank.


    "How can you two little girls do this kind of rough work? You go to do other things, and the fourth uncle is here to fetch water."


    Zhao''er and Tao''er didn''t refuse either, one went to the kitchen to help her mother cook, and the other took a basin to scoop up water for washing.


    As time passed, the rest of the Xue family got up one after another, and there were more and more voices in the yard. On the other side of the kitchen, Mrs. Zhou yelled to eat. Generally, country people don''t pay much attention to breakfast, and they have to set a table or something. They always serve a bowl with a bowl, and eat it at any place.


    Breakfast is two rice porridge, the so-called two rice porridge is porridge cooked from two kinds of rice. Yuqing Village does not grow rice, but only wheat, sorghum, millet, corn and other crops. Although farmers grow wheat, they seldom use it for their own food. They sell it for other grains.


    Even a well-to-do family like Xue''s family with surplus food did not eat fine grains all at once, but a mixture of coarse grains and fine grains. For example, today''s breakfast is two-rice porridge, which is a porridge cooked with millet, that is, yellow rice, and sorghum rice.


    Because it was a busy time of farming, it was cooked quite thickly. Although it didn''t hold up with chopsticks inserted, it was much better than the usual thin soup with little water.


    There is no way, the Xue family seems to have a decent family background in the village, but there are three scholars in the family. Not to mention Xue Gouzi, Guangda Fang and his son spend a lot of money every month, and it''s no wonder that Mrs. Zhao usually can pick up fleas to get a little blood.


    Zhao''er filled two bowls of porridge, put a few cornbreads on a thick porcelain plate, and put some pickles on the side, and took them back to the second room''s room.


    As soon as he entered the door, he saw Xue Gouzi sitting up from the kang.


    She hurriedly put the wooden tray on the square table, and came up to see him: "But he''s better? Are you hungry? Sister will bring you some porridge."


    Xue Gouzi looked at her with complicated eyes.


    After experiencing such a dream, he now doesn''t know how to face Zhao''er. As long as he saw her, he couldn''t help but think of him in his dream, those words scolded by others before he died. He also tried to find the cause of Zhao''er''s death in his memory, but it seemed that that memory was Xue Tingxiang''s most unbearable past, and he had no memory at all.


    In fact, Xue Gouzi was burned in a daze last night, and Xue Gouzi thought for a long time. He couldn''t figure out whether he was Xue Gouzi or Xue Tingxiang, whether that dream was true or not, whether he was thinking about it every day and dreaming at night , to have such an absurd dream.


    However, he also had an idea in his heart. If everything in that dream was true, several things should happen in succession. If these things happen, it means that his dreams are real.


    Thinking about something in his heart, he reached out to catch the bowl, only to realize that he didn''t even have the strength to hold the bowl. Luckily, Zhao''er caught the bowl quickly, so he didn''t spill it all over him.


    Xue Gouzi was a little embarrassed and anxious. It was very strange, obviously he would not have this kind of reaction in front of Zhao''er before, but I don''t know if it was a dream, and his state of mind had a strange change.


    Zhao''er laughed at him: "Why are you being polite with my sister? I forgot that when you were a child, you peed on the kang, and it was my sister who washed it for you."


    Zhao''er came to Xue''s house when he was seven years old, and Gouzi was only five years old at that time. It is very inexplicable for a child to pee on the kang. It is obvious that he has not urinated for a long time. I don''t know if he drank too much water before going to bed or what, but he actually peed on the kang.


    Since Qiu gave birth to the dog, her bones were not good, and it was winter again. In order to repay the kindness of the second wife, Zhao''er volunteered to wash the dirty clothes and pants for the dog. Since then, she started her career as a child bride.


    What Xue Gouzi hates the most is Zhao''er. He always likes to say inconspicuous things in front of him. You must know that as you get older, boys will lose face, how can you still be willing to listen to people mentioning such things, especially dogs are naturally sensitive. But today for some reason, he didn''t feel annoyed, only a little embarrassed.


    He was surprised by his own reaction, but Zhao''er had already fed him porridge with a wooden spoon. He subconsciously opened his mouth, and waited until the warm porridge blown by her was fed into his mouth, and he saw the smiling eyes of the other party.


    Those eyes were big and bright, as if there were stars hidden in them, and he couldn''t help but blush.


    Zhao''er smiled even more happily, and stuffed him with a tortilla: "Eat quickly, sister will cook eggs for you at noon."


    She was coaxing him like a child, Gouzi suddenly had this understanding.


    He was eating porridge from Zhao''er, thinking wildly in his mind, it was very chaotic.


    Just then, someone came to the door.


    It was Xue Qingshan.


    Exactly the same as in the dream.


    Xue Qingshan''s fair face was full of sighs and worries, he sighed and said a lot of words, the main idea was to let the dog recover well, don''t worry too much, there are grandparents and uncles at home, he can''t lose him.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Qingshan also followed the appearance and height of the man from the Xue family. He was also a weed in Yuqing Village in his early years, but unfortunately he got a little fatter as he got older.


    "Uncle still has to go to the private school, dog, take care of your illness, you are a child with a lot of thoughts." Sighing and patting his nephew on the shoulder, Xue Qingshan lifted the curtain and left.


    What is he doing?


    Zhao''er thought suspiciously. After thinking about it for a while, she couldn''t figure out why, so she stopped thinking about it and concentrated on feeding the dog porridge, but Xue Gouzi looked thoughtful.


    *


    In the main room, Mrs. Zhao is chatting with Mr. Xue about what happened yesterday.


    Mrs. Zhao was sewing an old dress in her hand, and said, "Let me tell you, you just like to spoil that little thing. You love him, but he doesn''t love you. Our family''s money doesn''t come from the river, just Because he didn''t want to show his illness to the whole family, he made a fuss after another, which is to make the family upside down."


    Mr. Xue was in his fifties, tall and tall, and his skin was black and red like that of a countryman who had been exposed to the sun for a long time. He was wearing dark blue coarse cloth pants, sitting cross-legged on the Kang, smoking a dry cigarette.


    Every time after dinner or before work, Mr. Xue always smoked for a while, otherwise he would feel exhausted.


    "Okay, Gouwazi is sick, who doesn''t have three illnesses and four pains." After a while, he said hoarsely.


    The patter, patter sounded again, and the lingering blue smoke swirled in the air, and then scattered in all directions. Behind it, the old face of Mr. Xue was hidden, looming.


    "But look how long he has been in trouble? Yesterday, more than one hundred coins were lost. How long will it take you to work hard in the field to earn more than one hundred coins! Boss has to leave another two hundred coins. It is said that someone in a classmate¡¯s family had a birthday, and there was a disaster just last year, and the tax was not exempted, but increased. Seeing that the boss said that he wanted to send Juncai to the town to study, it was another expense. How much money do you have? Withstood such a toss!"


    Seeing that his wife was so distressed, Mr. Xue sat up straight, tapped the cigarette pot on the kang table, and gave her a sideways look: "Your heart will be distressed if you spend a hundred yuan for a dog, and you will give it if the boss asks you for it? Not me Speaking of you, you are a parent and grandmother, so don''t be too biased, you don''t have to make the following little ones have conflicts."


    Upon hearing this, Mrs. Zhao didn''t want to. She slapped him across the kang table and said, "I''m biased? Don''t you?"


    He is also biased, but the boss is the most promising in the family, and the handsome is also the most outstanding among the grandchildren. It''s different to have a scholar in the family. No one will say that Xue Lianxing''s family is a decent person when they go out. If Dafang can produce a scholar, his Xue family will be honored.


    Just thinking of Xue Gouzi, Mr. Xue couldn''t help frowning.


    Of course he knew that the mother-in-law was very annoyed, Gou''er was too ignorant, the eldest owed the life to the second, but Xue''s family was in such a family situation, naturally they had to pay attention to their future.


    It''s not that Mr. Xue looks down on his grandson, but that Gou''er is really not comparable to a handsome boy, nor can he. It''s good to be strong, but you always have to look at the situation.


    "The boss''s daughter-in-law has already said several times that the school in the town cannot be delayed. The delay is half a year. The boss still wants to let Juncai try next year." Zhao added.


    "Back then, I promised my second child!" Old Master Xue sighed deeply, took two puffs of dry cigarettes, and coughed twice when he was choked.


    "Anyway, you can figure it out!" Zhao Shi was so angry that she threw the clothes aside, turned her head and leaned back on the kang, giving the man a backbone.


    Old man Xue slapped his mouth several times, and the gully on his face deepened: "You too, old woman, don''t you think that if outsiders know about this, we can still have face in the village?"


    "Then what do you think we should do? Let''s not do it?" Mrs. Zhao rolled over and sat up again, staring at Mr. Xue.

 Chapter 78

    It was a good time to meet someone. It was too early or too late, and her second sister might not have time to see her, and she would have to wait for a long time.


    Zhao''er came all the way to the south of the city, before entering the archway where Shen''s house was located, he saw the two large flags more than five feet high erected in front of Shen''s residence.


    This is the Jinshi Jidi Banner, which can be set up only if someone in the family has won the Jinshi.


    This fame flagpole is divided into two structures, the flagpole sandwich stone and the flagpole.


    The flag buckets on the flagpoles are also exquisite. If you come from a serious imperial examination, you can set up two flagpoles for the flag buckets if you are a Jinshi in the imperial examination. If it is the number one scholar, it will be a three-dou flagpole, and if there are high-ranking members of the third rank or higher in the clan, four dou can be set up.


    There are two large flags in front of the Shen family''s gate, one is three buckets and the other is four buckets. In other words, the Shen family once had a number one scholar, and had an important minister in the court.


    Zhao''er, a country girl, knew this because her second sister told her when she came to visit her.


    The main entrance, the side entrance, and even the corner entrance are not accessible to Zhao''er with her status. She made a long detour before arriving at the back entrance of Shen''s residence.


    The back door was ajar, and Zhao''er didn''t dare to rush in, so he knocked on the door respectfully.


    The door opened with a creak, and a round woman came out from inside, and asked her, "Who are you looking for?"


    This old lady is just a doorkeeper, but she is also wearing satin gowns and jewelry on her ears and hands, which is enough to show the wealth of the Shen family.


    The Shen family is indeed rich, and in this Xia County, it can be said that they are stomping their feet, and the county is about to tremble three times. The Shen Mansion here is the ancestral home of the Shen family, except for the Shen family''s uncle and second master who are officials outside, the rest of the Shen family live here.


    "Mother-in-law, I''m looking for Sulan. I''m her younger brother. I''m here to see her."


    This woman''s attitude is not warm, but she is not as inferior as a dog''s eye. At least from this trick, it can be seen that the rules of the Shen family must be very strict. She asked Zhao''er to wait, then closed the door and went inside.


    Zhao''er waited for a long time before the back door opened again, and a very beautiful woman came out from inside. I saw her radiant skin, phoenix eyes and vermilion lips, wearing a water-red jacket and a moon-white pleated skirt. A head of black and thick long hair was simply tied up in a bun, with a golden hairpin inserted into it.


    Obviously the clothes are ordinary, and the hair accessories are also ordinary, but wearing all these on her body gives her a sense of beauty that no one else has. Her chest is bulging, but her waist is very thin, she has a good figure.


    This person is Zhao''er''s second sister Wang Zhaodi, but she changed her name to Su Lan in Shen''s residence.


    Zhao''er couldn''t help frowning, since the last time she saw her second sister, her second sister has changed a lot. Not only the material of the clothes, but also the jewelry on his body, his complexion and even his figure have changed a lot.


    She was a little panicked, grabbed Su Lan, and went to the corner where no one was around.


    "Sister, did you really do it?"


    Seeing her younger sister frivolously wrinkling her sleeves, Su Lan asked impatiently, "What can I do or not?"


    "It''s that, that..." Zhao''er hesitated for a while, and then said with a blushing face: "You can''t really be the housekeeper for the sixth young master, right?"


    The corners of Su Lan''s eyes twitched, and the corners of her mouth twitched: "Why do you care about these things?"


    "Sister!" Zhao''er couldn''t help stamping her feet.


    Su Lan looked at her younger sister, and remembered that she was sold by her family back then. Only the third younger sister, Zhao''er, found out her whereabouts from the matchmaker, and walked all day and night to see her by herself. At that time, she was full of panic, Zhao''er''s appearance made her know that she was not alone, and that no one would know that she would not die in this mansion, and she immediately softened her heart.


    She sighed lightly: "Didn''t I tell you before, I won''t go out of the house to go through that kind of hard life. Although I am a housekeeper now, but the sixth young master promised me that when grandma came in, I would give it to me." An aunt will do it."


    Zhao''er was so surprised that she couldn''t believe it. She knew it already, but she was still shocked when she learned from the second sister that she really did such a thing.


    For the first time in her life, she didn''t know what to say, so she hesitated for a while and said, "That''s it? If you treat someone like a child, you will be bullied by the big wife."


    Zhao''er''s only cognition told her that when she was young, she had few days to live comfortably.


    What the younger sister said made Su Lan feel extremely uncomfortable, and she waved her hand nonchalantly. On the snow-white and slender jade fingers, there is a golden opal ring on it, which exudes a faint light and is dazzling in the sun.


    "You don''t understand, and you don''t have to be afraid of me being bullied. As long as the sixth young master is on my side, even if the sixth grandma comes in later, she won''t dare to bully me."


    "Can¡­¡­"


    "Okay, don''t talk about me, your little husband has recovered from his illness? It''s not that I said you, it''s better for you to come into the mansion to be a girl to be my company than to stay in that house and exhaust yourself .Which woman is looking for a man who is not looking for someone who can protect herself. You are fine, but you are working outside to earn money to support your family.¡±


    "Isn''t he still young? Besides, sister, it''s not like you don''t know. If it wasn''t for my mother and father, I''m afraid I would have been sold somewhere long ago. You were lucky enough to be sold into Shen''s residence. But there are also those who are unlucky and sold into that dirty place."


    Su Lan pressed her bright red lips tightly and did not speak.


    She was sold into Shen''s residence back then, it was not explained by good luck.


    In the sparkling eyes of the phoenix, all kinds of light returned to silence. She let out a breath and scolded: "That''s why I don''t want to see you the most. Every time you come, you make me angry and make me troubled."


    Zhao''er kicked the pebbles under his feet: "I just thought I haven''t seen you for a long time, so I came here to have a look at you."


    "How are you doing? The Xue family didn''t make things difficult for you, right? Just wait, when my sister becomes the sixth young master''s aunt, whoever bullies you in the future, I will help you deal with him."


    Zhao''er heard it warmly in her heart, and couldn''t help leaning over, hugging Su Lan''s slender waist coquettishly: "Sister, don''t worry, I''m so aggressive, who dares to bully me. You don''t know that the Xue family is such a moth." too much¡­¡­"


    She recounted what happened to Xue''s family recently.


    The corners of Su Lan''s mouth curled up when she heard this, and she said sarcastically: "So this is the human heart. Don''t try to test the human heart, it will usually disappoint you. Don''t rely on others, what you hold in your hands is the truth."


    Su Lan is a bit extreme, but Zhao''er knows why the second sister is like this. In fact, occasionally she will be extreme, but she rarely speaks out.


    "Then what do you do now? If your little man really loses, then he won''t be able to go to school? Have you ever thought about this matter, if you win, if you lose, it will be hard for the two of you The Xue family has a foothold."


    Of course Zhao''er understood this truth. She stood up straight and smiled: "Sister, I know. Don''t worry, I plan to find another way to do business. At worst, the two of us will be alone. Dog likes to learn, so let him learn." , until I can''t afford it anymore."


    Su Lan poked her forehead with her jade finger, hating iron and steel: "You still can''t confess, how old are you? After a day of good life, I think I can''t confess. Come on, don''t tell me The second sister doesn''t feel sorry for you, I have someone I know who is the third shopkeeper in ''He Rongsheng'', if you go to him, he can at least find a way for you to make some money."


    ''Herongsheng'' is the name of the pawn shop, there are many branches in Binh Duong Province, and there is one in Huyang Township. Zhao''er usually comes and goes in the town, so he has naturally heard of this name.


    "This is the Shen family''s business with Rongsheng? Sister, how do you know the three shopkeepers?"


    Su Lan''s eyes flashed a hint of complexity, and she said impatiently: "Don''t worry about it, you can go directly to a man named Shen Ping. Well, I won''t tell you anymore, the sixth young master will have lunch later Now, I have to go and wait, lest those little hoofs rush to the front to show courteousness again."


    After a pause, she took out something from her sleeve and stuffed it into Zhao''er''s hand: "Take it, it doesn''t matter if you really lose, let''s do it by ourselves first. The Shen family''s genealogy is famous in the whole Pingyang Mansion. Sister will become an aunt in the future, and see if I can ask the Sixth Young Master to let your little man come in as a companion or something. I really owe you in my previous life, and I have to worry about everything."


    Su Lan''s figure quickly disappeared through the door.


    Zhao''er stood where he was, looking down at the silver ingot in his hand. After a long time, Fang grabbed it tightly and left.


    *


    Zhao''er didn''t know where He Rongsheng in the county was, she had inquired along the way.


    When we got there, it was a coincidence that the third shopkeeper named Shen Ping was there.


    Shen Ping is a very young boy with a good appearance, very mature and stable. He was wearing a dark blue straight gown, and looked about twenty years old, but he did not expect to be the shopkeeper of a pawnshop.


    When he heard about Zhao''er''s purpose, his eyes flashed: "You are Zhao''er, I heard your sister said about you."


    Zhao''er didn''t expect that the second sister would tell Shen Ping her name, and she smelled something unusual. While speaking, Shen Ping had already led her in.


    "When your sister told me about you before, I was thinking about what kind of business would allow you to do it for a long time. After thinking about it, I think selling old clothes is quite suitable for a girl like you."


    The second sister even told her gender to the other party''s surprise, it didn''t last long, Zhao''er''s attention was attracted by Shen Ping''s words.


    "What is selling used clothes?"


    "You should know what a pawnshop is for. This pawnshop accepts everything, and you can pawn anything. The current period is divided into dead pawns and live pawns. If it is a live pawn, it means that the other party will come to redeem it. If it is a dead pawn, it means that the things are not needed. Of course, there are also those who do not redeem their living debts within the time limit, and naturally they become death debts.


    "These things are accepted by the pawn shop and exchanged for money to the owner. Naturally, they will be resold. For example, some old clothes that come from pawns are directly sold to embroidery workshops or garment shops. If you are willing to do this business, you can buy them from Take some old clothes here and sell them back."


    Following Shen Ping''s narration, Zhao''er''s eyes flickered again and again, and he asked, "Then I don''t know what the price is? Is it calculated on a piece-by-piece basis, or what? Since it''s an old clothes, surely it won''t be as expensive as a new one, right?"


    Shen Ping glanced at her: "You are very smart." He turned around and went to layman: "Come with me, I will take you to have a look."


    Zhao''er followed him all the way back, the yard behind the pawn shop was huge, it looked like it was a warehouse.


    On the way, he met a lot of people in pawnshops, and they were all respectful when they saw Shen Ping. Zhao''er followed him to a warehouse, but neither of them went in. A man who looked like a buddy dragged a large bag of things out, and opened the door in front of it.


    This big bag is full of clothes, some are worn out, some are 80% or 90% new, and some are even brand new. It seems that they have not been worn twice. The texture of the clothes is also various, some are made of cotton, some are made of silk, some are made of silk, but they are all of good quality, anyway, they are better than the coarse cloth clothes Zhao''er is wearing.


    "These are usually mixed together, because they are collected at a low price, so the asking price is not high. If you give me two taels of such a bag of clothes, it will be yours."


    Zhao''er couldn''t see through her eyes. In order to make sure that the business could be done, she went up to check it out.


    Such a package of clothes, at least a hundred pieces.


    Even if a piece of clothing sells for 20 Wen, it is enough for her to pay back. And some clothes are sold for more than twenty yuan just based on her visual inspection. What can be done with twenty renminbi, at least six or seven feet of cloth is needed to make a suit of clothes, and the worst cotton cloth is seven or eight renminbi.


    Not to mention that there are some good fabrics in it, and even some cotton clothes, even if you don''t sell them, you won''t lose money if you wear them yourself.


    "You are straightforward, so you are not afraid of being implicated and hindering your fame?" Boss Chen asked curiously.


    "The kid hasn''t entered school yet, so why talk about fame? Besides, the imperial court has always attached great importance to the selection of talents. If they are really talented, presumably the magistrate Hu will not dare to stop them too much."


    "I can''t see that you have high ambitions. Well, since you dare to go, I will recommend you one or two. Although my classmate is rigid and dull, he is not good at words, but his knowledge is first-rate. Don''t dare It is no problem to teach a person to become a Jinshi, but a scholar is fine."


    "Then thank Uncle Chen first."


    *


    For several days, Xue Tingxiang and Zhao''er left early and returned late.


    Someone from Xue''s family asked twice, and Zhao''er said to take Xue Tingxiang out to get some fresh air, so as not to be overwhelmed. The people in the big room showed contempt, and Mr. Xue couldn''t help shaking his head. After that, no one asked any more questions, and most of them knew in their hearts that Xue Tingxiang was doomed. Maybe the two children in Erfang also have a lot of mentality, so they broke the cans and didn''t read books, but ran around playing.


    You must know that even if you are as qualified as Xue Juncai, you have to read books at home for many days to prepare.


    In the blink of an eye, it was five days.


    This day is no different from ordinary days.


    The farmhouse is always busy in the morning, and after a night, the family''s livestock have to be waited on, and the whole family has to be tossed about to eat. After breakfast, the men will go to the fields, and the women will do housework at home.


    If there is some difference, Xue Juncai had two more poached eggs in his bowl than others for breakfast.


    Because of Mr. Xue''s beating some time ago, Mrs. Zhao didn''t dare to openly fight against the big family members these days. Today, seeing that life is not normal, she couldn''t hold back.


    Originally, Xue Tingxiang didn''t have any, but Yang Shi saw that her father-in-law looked bad, so she took the initiative to ask Zhao Shi to ask for two eggs, and put them in the bowl for him.


    Xue Tingxiang wants to recruit one of them separately, but he doesn''t want to be recruited, but it''s a pity that he can''t be persuaded.


    For the sake of one egg, the two of you whispered one sentence at a time, while Mr. Xue''s expression on the top was particularly serious.


    But life in the country is like this, no matter how heavy your heart is, you can''t lose your livelihood. Especially when rushing for spring plowing, Mr. Xue still took his two sons to work in the fields for a while, and didn''t come back until the sun was high.


    The news about the competition between the two children of Xue''s family has spread throughout Yuqing Village.


    It''s not that there are people who say strange things, but most people can still understand what old man Xue did. It''s not easy for rural people to earn a little money, and no one''s money comes from the big river. If there is a way, no one will do this.


    Knowing that today is the day, let the children of the family watch in the village. Seeing a stranger go to Zheng Lizheng''s house, these hairy kids ran into the field, shouting from a long distance, "Someone is coming from Lizheng''s house". The adults stopped planting the land, so they picked up the hoes and rushed back.


    Not long after, the big courtyard of Zheng Lizheng''s house was full of people, and more villagers kept coming here.


    There was a lot of commotion in the yard, everyone was gossiping and discussing today''s matter at the same time.


    In the room, Zheng Li was talking with a middle-aged man in a scholar''s shirt and a flat scarf on his head.

 Chapter 79

    His nephew has always been reticent, and he can''t make a fart with three sticks. He only acted like this because he counted on the two small tempers of the second room.


    But after all, he lived older than Xue Tingxiang, so naturally he would not forget to do superficial work.


    He sighed: "The boy was spoiled by his mother, and it''s also my uncle who can''t discipline well. Uncle is here to accompany you."


    Xue Tingxiang hurriedly backed away and said: "Uncle, don''t say that, Ting''er is a junior, I can''t bear it."


    "Ting''er? I didn''t expect you to give yourself a name." Xue Qingshan laughed, and also wanted to point out that Xue Tingxiang''s name was not correct, and he was not as sensible and polite as he appeared on the surface.


    Generally, names are bestowed by the elders, not just chosen by the younger generation. It¡¯s okay for ordinary villagers, but Xue Tingxiang is a scholar, and a scholar should understand etiquette. Read.


    Xue Tingxiang was very clear in his heart and understood what uncle meant. He smiled and said: "When my father was still alive, I asked my grandfather and uncle to help me choose one. Uncle refused because of his humble name so that he could support me. Now the court My son is also fourteen, so I can¡¯t keep using her baby name, so I randomly picked one.¡±


    As soon as this remark came out, Xue Qingshan''s face turned ugly again. Xue Tingxiang was obviously saying that he, as an uncle, did not want to name him, and deliberately belittled him. After all, since I have been educated, I should definitely not have a name,


    He forced a smile, and explained: "It''s not that Uncle sees that you are not in good health, and wants to name you after you are an adult. You can''t understand this painstaking effort, if Uncle doesn''t choose one for you now?"


    As he said that, without waiting for Xue Tingxiang to agree, he sighed and made a melancholy look, and said: "You have been weak since you were born, and your father wished you a long life when he was alive, so my uncle named you Fushou, what do you think? ?¡±


    This name is really random, and I am not at all sorry for the name of Xue Qingshan, the only child born in Yuqing Village.


    Xue Tingxiang hesitated for a moment before refusing: "It''s still not uncle, Ting''er''s name has been decided, and I went to the grave to inform my parents before, there is absolutely no chance to change it."


    These words also made it clear why he went to the cemetery every year. Since Xue Tingxiang saw that Xue Qingshan had invited so many people and made such a fuss, he knew that the other party must have plans.


    Regardless of what he plans, he just blocks the way that the other party may use to make a fuss, and the rest is to wait and see what happens.


    Sure enough, Patriarch Xue''s face softened a little.


    Before that, he always thought that this matter was done on purpose by Erfang, just to compete with Juncai for the opportunity to study in Qinghe Academy. This time I came to see this young man is gentle and polite, neither humble nor overbearing, patriarch Xue has no fame, but he can know a few words, and he has been the patriarch for many years, so he has a good eye for people.


    He was very surprised, because he had seen Gouzi before, but he didn''t have a deep impression of him. The only impression he had was that he was an inconspicuous boy. Looking at it now, this son has grown up somewhat unexpectedly.


    But no matter how unexpected he was, patriarch Xue did not forget what he was doing here.


    Just a good impression on one side is not enough to make him shake the decision he has made. He had asked someone to test Juncai''s child, and he was much more knowledgeable than his two grandchildren. If it was said who the next child in Yuqing Village would be, Patriarch Xue felt that Xue Juncai was the most likely.


    Maybe not just a child, but a scholar.


    With two future talent seedlings and a young man who doesn''t know his depth, Patriarch Xue naturally knows how to do this multiple-choice question.


    However, the idea of ??helping Xue Qingshan before was dispelled. If Xue Qingshan couldn''t even handle a child, he didn''t deserve his attention.


    How could Xue Qingshan fail to see Patriarch Xue''s thoughts. In his eyes, this old man is a master who does not see rabbits and does not scatter eagles. He accepts the benefits he brings to the clan, but never knows how to give him something.


    If any clan has ethnology, the clan will not subsidize one or two. On the contrary, he worked for nothing all day long, and every time a certain family in the clan brought some random food, the patriarch called him over and asked him to accept it.


    To be generous with the generosity of others, to spend other people''s wealth, is merciless to others, and it is meaningless to oneself!


    Xue Qingshan sneered in his heart, but pretended to be a respectful petition, and invited Xue patriarch Zheng Lizheng and others into the house.


    Patriarch Xue and Zheng Li were sitting cross-legged on the kang, one on the left and one on the right, while the others were sitting on the stools below. Mrs. Yang and Mrs. Zhou were busy pouring tea, and even Xue Tao''er was sent to ask Mr. Xue to come home quickly.


    Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng both had the habit of smoking dry pipes, and they took out the pipes as soon as they sat down.


    Xue Qingshan hurriedly took a bag of tobacco leaves from his mother Zhao, and while serving them, he said: "This is grown by my father himself. It is usually a treasure. Uncle and Uncle Li should try it."


    "Your father''s shredded tobacco is good, but it''s too little." After lighting it, Zheng Lizheng took a deep breath and said with a smile.


    Xue Qingshan replied: "If Uncle Lizheng likes it, I''ll pretend to be with you when I leave later, so don''t dislike it."


    These are all polite words, everyone knows each other well, Zheng Lizheng nodded with a smile, and went straight to the point: "What is Shan Zi planning to invite some of us old guys over here this time?"


    Looking at Zheng Lizheng''s smiling face, Xue Qingshan scolded the old fox in his heart.


    Things would turn out like this, and he absolutely wouldn''t believe that this guy surnamed Zheng didn''t do anything inside. But that''s exactly how he invited Zheng Lizheng here today. After all, he is the Lizheng of Yuqing Village and his surname is Zheng, so he won''t be said to be covering up.


    Including the few villagers present today, Xue Qingshan was thinking about inviting them. There was one with the surname Zheng, one with the surname Xue, and two families with mixed surnames in the village, but they were all well-known in the village.


    "Is there a matter that requires a few elders to decide, or wait for my father, he is in the field and will be back soon."


    Just as he was talking about Mr. Xue, he came back. After coming in, he exchanged greetings for a while before sitting down and getting to the point.


    "It''s ashamed to say this. Some things in my family have made everyone laugh."


    Hearing this was the beginning of the words, except for Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng, everyone present felt a little embarrassed. After all, this is someone else''s family matter. It''s two different things.


    "Actually, to put it bluntly, it''s all caused by poverty. In the previous situation of our family, it wouldn''t be like this. One baby was given away, but the other was not."


    One was also surnamed Xue, and was of the same generation as Mr. Xue. An old man named Xue Lianhe sighed: "Lian Xing, don''t say that, your family is also in trouble."


    Old Master Xue sighed with a wry smile: "It''s difficult, it''s not difficult for anyone, this light is all on the surface. But no matter how difficult it is, if you want your baby to have a future, you have to pay for it. If you don''t give it to someone, you will be successful." There''s a problem."


    With trembling hands, he took out the dry pipe from his waist, lit it and took a puff, before he said, "The palms and backs of the hands are full of meat, and it hurts me to give up any one. In fact, this matter was discussed last year, and I have been procrastinating on it." I did it because I was afraid that the baby would feel uncomfortable. It is not easy for a peasant family like us to provide for a scholar. The family finally gave up Shanzi. Although he failed to pass the exam several times, he still did it for the village and for us. Guys did something.


    "For so many years, our family has been doing things in the village. Everyone has seen it. If it is far away, it will not be mentioned. Let''s talk about the private school in Shanzi. As long as you are from the village and your family is not rich, Shu Xiu will be later or even less. , our family never mentioned it. Why? It¡¯s because it¡¯s not easy for us country people to make a living, with our faces turned to the loess and our backs turned to the sky. If God doesn¡¯t show mercy, the whole family suffers from famine.


    "Actually, I''m not afraid of the laughter of my brothers and sisters. Back then, I worked hard to support Shanzi''s education, just thinking that if I really passed the exam, I would give my family some tax exemption."


    These words were to the point, and it seemed that they were just a few words lightly, but they didn''t go deeper, but they said that everyone had mixed feelings in their hearts.


    What Mr. Xue said is the truth, or the truth that is in line with people''s reality, that''s what makes it so complicated.


    Finally someone stood up and spoke out for the previous incident, "Brother Lianxing, stop talking about it, we can''t trust you? When people spread rumors in the village, we told the children at home, Brother Lianxing Not that kind of person. There are those who are grandpas, and those who don¡¯t love their grandchildren.¡±


    "Yes, yes, everyone can understand, who is not difficult."


    Seeing that everyone was echoing Mr. Xue''s words, only the one surnamed Zheng remained silent. Zheng Lizheng''s eyes flashed, and he said with a smile: "Everyone in the village has watched Shanzi''s contribution to our village. Everyone knows that Shanzi is benevolent and righteous. This is for everyone''s sake. There is just one sentence, I don''t know if I, an elder, should say it."


    "Uncle Lizheng, you are the Lizheng of our village, there is nothing inappropriate to say."


    Zheng Lizheng nodded: "It stands to reason that this is your family''s business, and I, an outsider, shouldn''t interfere. But Lian Xing said it before, the palms and backs of his hands are all flesh." He suddenly sighed, and said earnestly: " Shanzi, don''t forget why your second child didn''t exist, everyone here can understand, because we have lived for decades, and we have never seen anything in our lives, so we are afraid that outsiders will not understand."


    These words made Xue Qingshan''s complexion look ugly on the spot, but since he can arrange this scene, it''s not that he has no countermeasures.

 Chapter 80

    Zhao''er walked out of the street where the bookstore was located, only to realize that she had nowhere to go.


    She was accompanying the little man to the book shop today, and the work in the embroidery workshop was already out of reach, and she hadn''t picked up the vegetables for many days, so it would be too much trouble to go back to the village and wait for the afternoon.


    She calculated in her mind what day it was today, and decided to visit her second sister.


    Zhao''er''s second sister, Wang Zhaodi, is not in Huyang Town, but works as a girl in Shen''s Mansion in Xia County. From Huyang Town to Xia County, it takes only half an hour to take a mule cart, but it''s a bit expensive, 15 cents.


    By the time Zhao''er arrived at the county seat, it was three o''clock. It was a good time to meet someone. It was too early or too late, and her second sister might not have time to see her, and she would have to wait for a long time.


    Zhao''er came all the way to the south of the city, before he entered the archway where Shen''s house was located, he saw the two large flags more than five feet high erected in front of Shen''s residence.


    This is the Jinshi Jidi Banner, which can be set up only if someone in the family has won the Jinshi.


    This fame flagpole is divided into two structures, the flagpole sandwich stone and the flagpole.


    The flagpoles on the flagpoles are also exquisite. If you have a serious background in the imperial examination, and you have passed the Jinshi in the imperial examination, you can set up two flagpoles for the flagpoles. If it is the number one scholar, it will be a three-dou flagpole, and if there are high-ranking members of the third rank or higher in the clan, four dou can be set up.


    The two big flags in front of Shen''s house, one is three buckets, the other is four buckets. In other words, the Shen family once had a number one scholar, and had an important minister in the court.


    Zhao''er, a country girl, knows this because her second sister told her when she came to visit her.


    The main entrance, side entrance, and even the corner entrance were not accessible to Zhao''er with her status. She made a long detour before arriving at the back entrance of Shen''s residence.


    The back door was ajar, and Zhao''er didn''t dare to rush in, so he knocked on the door respectfully.


    The door opened with a creak, and a round woman came out from inside, and asked her, "Who are you looking for?"


    This old lady is just a doorkeeper, but she is also wearing satin gowns and jewelry on her ears and hands, which is enough to show the wealth of the Shen family.


    The Shen family is indeed rich, and in this Xia County, it can be said that they are stomping their feet, and the county is about to tremble three times. The Shen Mansion here is the ancestral home of the Shen family, except for the Shen family''s uncle and second master who are officials outside, the rest of the Shen family live here.


    "Mother-in-law, I''m looking for Sulan. I''m her younger brother. I''m here to see her."


    This woman''s attitude is not warm, but she is not as inferior as a dog''s eye. At least from this trick, it can be seen that the rules of the Shen family must be very strict. She asked Zhao''er to wait, then closed the door and went inside.


    Zhao''er waited for a long time before the back door opened again, and a very beautiful woman came out from inside. I saw her radiant skin, phoenix eyes and vermilion lips, wearing a water-red jacket and a moon-white pleated skirt. A head of black and thick long hair was simply tied up in a bun, with a golden hairpin inserted into it.


    Obviously the clothes are ordinary, and the hair accessories are also ordinary, but wearing all these on her body gives her a sense of beauty that no one else has. Her chest is bulging, but her waist is very thin, she has a good figure.


    This person is Zhao''er''s second sister Wang Zhaodi, but she changed her name to Su Lan in Shen''s residence.


    Zhao''er couldn''t help frowning, since the last time she saw her second sister, her second sister has changed a lot. Not only the material of the clothes, but also the jewelry on his body, his complexion and even his figure have changed a lot.


    She was a little panicked, grabbed Su Lan, and went to the corner where there was no one nearby.


    "Sister, did you really do it?"


    Seeing her younger sister frivolously wrinkling her sleeves, Su Lan asked impatiently, "What can I do or not?"


    "It''s that, that..." Zhao''er hesitated for a while, and then said with a blushing face: "You can''t really be the housekeeper for the sixth young master, right?"


    The corners of Su Lan''s eyes twitched, and the corners of her mouth twitched: "Why do you care about these things?"


    "Sister!" Zhao''er couldn''t help stamping her feet.


    Su Lan looked at her younger sister, and remembered that she was sold by her family back then. Only the third younger sister, Zhao''er, found out her whereabouts from the matchmaker, and walked all day and night to see her by herself. At that time, she was full of panic, Zhao''er''s appearance made her know that she was not alone, and that no one would know that she would not die in this mansion, and she immediately softened her heart.


    She sighed lightly: "Didn''t I tell you before, I won''t go out of the house to go through that kind of hard life. Although I am a housekeeper now, but the sixth young master promised me that when grandma came in, I would give it to me." An aunt will do it."


    Zhao''er was so surprised that she couldn''t believe it. She knew it already, but she was still shocked when she learned from the second sister that she really did such a thing.


    For the first time in her life, she didn''t know what to say, so she hesitated for a while and said, "That''s it? If you treat someone like a child, you will be bullied by the big wife."


    Zhao''er''s only cognition told her that when she was young, she had few days to live comfortably.


    What the younger sister said made Su Lan feel extremely uncomfortable, and she waved her hand nonchalantly. On the snow-white and slender jade fingers, there is a golden opal ring on it, which exudes a faint light and is dazzling in the sun.


    "You don''t understand, and you don''t have to be afraid of me being bullied. As long as the sixth young master is on my side, even if the sixth grandma comes in later, she won''t dare to bully me."


    "Can¡­¡­"


    "Okay, don''t talk about me, your little husband is healed? I''m not talking about you. It''s better for you to come into the mansion to be a girl to be my company than to stay in that house and work hard." .Which woman is looking for a man who is not looking for someone who can protect herself. You are fine, but you are working outside to earn money to support your family.¡±


    "Isn''t he still young? Besides, sister, it''s not like you don''t know. If it weren''t for my mother and father, I''m afraid I would have been sold to nowhere. You were lucky enough to be sold into Shen''s residence. But there are also those who are unlucky and sold into that dirty place."


    Su Lan pressed her bright red lips tightly and did not speak.


    She was sold into Shen''s residence back then, it was not explained by good luck.


    In the sparkling eyes of the phoenix, all kinds of light returned to silence. She let out a breath and scolded: "That''s why I don''t want to see you the most. Every time you come, you make me angry and make me troubled."


    Zhao''er kicked the pebbles under his feet: "I just thought I haven''t seen you for a long time, so I came here to have a look at you."


    "How are you doing? The Xue family didn''t make things difficult for you, right? Just wait, when my sister becomes the sixth young master''s aunt, whoever bullies you in the future, I will help you deal with him."


    Zhao''er heard it warmly in her heart, and couldn''t help leaning over, hugging Su Lan''s slender waist coquettishly: "Sister, don''t worry, I''m so aggressive, who dares to bully me. You don''t know that the Xue family is such a moth." too much¡­¡­"


    She recounted what happened to Xue''s family recently.


    The corners of Su Lan''s mouth curled up when she heard this, and she said sarcastically: "So this is the human heart. Don''t try to test the human heart, it will usually disappoint you. Don''t rely on others, what you hold in your hands is the truth."


    Su Lan is a bit extreme, but Zhao''er knows why the second sister is like this. In fact, occasionally she will be extreme, but she rarely speaks out.


    "Then what do you do now? If your little man really loses, then he won''t be able to go to school? Have you ever thought about this matter, if you win, if you lose, it will be hard for the two of you The Xue family has a foothold."


    Of course Zhao''er understood this truth. She stood up straight and smiled: "Sister, I know. Don''t worry, I plan to find another way to do business. At worst, the two of us will be alone. Dog likes to learn, so let him learn." , until I can''t afford it anymore."


    Su Lan poked her forehead with her jade finger, hating iron and steel: "You still can''t confess, how old are you? After a day of good life, I think I can''t confess. Come on, don''t tell me The second sister doesn''t feel sorry for you, I have someone I know who is the third shopkeeper in ''He Rongsheng'', if you go to him, he can at least find a way for you to make some money."


    ''Herongsheng'' is the name of the pawn shop, there are many branches in Binh Duong Province, and there is one in Huyang Township. Zhao''er usually comes and goes in the town, so he has naturally heard of this name.


    "This is the Shen family''s business with Rongsheng? Sister, how do you know the three shopkeepers?"


    Su Lan''s eyes flashed a hint of complexity, and she said impatiently: "Don''t worry about it, you can go directly to a man named Shen Ping. Well, I won''t tell you anymore, the sixth young master will have lunch later Now, I have to go and wait, lest those little hoofs rush to the front to show courteousness again."


    After a pause, she took out something from her sleeve and stuffed it into Zhao''er''s hand: "Take it, it doesn''t matter if you really lose, let''s do it by ourselves first. The Shen family''s genealogy is famous in the whole Pingyang Mansion. Sister will become an aunt in the future, and see if I can ask the Sixth Young Master to let your little man come in as a companion or something. I really owe you in my previous life, and I have to worry about everything."


    Su Lan''s figure quickly disappeared through the door.


    Zhao''er stood where he was, looking down at the silver ingot in his hand. After a long time, Fang grabbed it tightly and left.


    *


    Zhao''er didn''t know where He Rongsheng in the county was, she had inquired along the way.


    When we got there, it was a coincidence that the third shopkeeper named Shen Ping was there.


    Shen Ping is a very young boy with a good appearance, very mature and stable. He was wearing a dark blue straight gown, and looked about twenty years old, but he did not expect to be the shopkeeper of a pawnshop.


    When he heard about Zhao''er''s purpose, his eyes flashed: "You are Zhao''er, I heard your sister said about you."


    Zhao''er didn''t expect that the second sister would tell Shen Ping her name, and she smelled something unusual. While speaking, Shen Ping had already led her in.


    "When your sister told me about you before, I was thinking about what kind of business would allow you to do it for a long time. After thinking about it, I think selling old clothes is quite suitable for a girl like you."


    The second sister even told her gender to the other party''s surprise, it didn''t last long, Zhao''er''s attention was attracted by Shen Ping''s words.


    "What is selling used clothes?"


    "You should know what a pawnshop is for. This pawnshop accepts everything, and you can pawn anything. The current period is divided into dead pawns and live pawns. If it is a live pawn, it means that the other party will come to redeem it. If it is a dead pawn, it means that the things are not needed. Of course, there are also those who do not redeem their living debts within the time limit, and naturally they become death debts.


    "These things are accepted by the pawn shop and exchanged for money to the owner. Naturally, they will be resold. For example, some old clothes that come from pawns are directly sold to embroidery workshops or clothing shops. If you are willing to do this business, you can buy them from Take some old clothes here and sell them back."


    Following Shen Ping''s narration, Zhao''er''s eyes flickered again and again, and he asked, "Then I don''t know what the price is? Is it calculated on a piece-by-piece basis, or what? Since it''s an old clothes, surely it won''t be as expensive as a new one, right?"


    Shen Ping glanced at her: "You are very smart." He turned around and went to the layman: "Come with me, I will take you to have a look."


    Zhao''er followed him all the way back, the yard behind the pawn shop was huge, it looked like it was a warehouse.


    On the way, he met a lot of people in pawnshops, and they were all respectful when they saw Shen Ping. Zhao''er followed him to a warehouse, but neither of them went in. A man who looked like a buddy dragged a large bag of things out, and opened the door in front of it.


    This big bag is full of clothes, some are worn out, some are 80% or 90% new, and some are even brand new. It seems that they have not been worn twice. The texture of the clothes is also various, some are made of cotton, some are made of silk, some are made of silk, but they are all of good quality, anyway, they are better than the coarse cloth clothes Zhao''er is wearing.


    "These are usually mixed together, because they are collected at a low price, so the asking price is not high. If you give me two taels of such a bag of clothes, it will be yours."


    Zhao''er couldn''t see through her eyes. In order to make sure that the business could be done, she went up to check it out.


    Such a package of clothes, at least a hundred pieces.


    Even if a piece of clothing sells for 20 Wen, it is enough for her to pay back. And some clothes are sold for more than twenty yuan just based on her visual inspection. What can be done with twenty renminbi, at least six or seven feet of cloth is needed to make a suit of clothes, and the worst cotton cloth is seven or eight renminbi.


    Not to mention that there are some good fabrics in it, and even some cotton clothes, even if you don''t sell them, you won''t lose money if you wear them yourself.


    In fact, Xue Gouzi''s eyes are the only ones that look good. He has been weak since he was born, and the second wife and his wife managed to support him, and they are usually spoiled. The boys of his age in the village were all dark-skinned and as strong as a calf, but he was pale, emaciated, silent and taciturn.


    But Zhao''er has always been domineering, and never allowed anyone to talk about a little man, and whoever said she was in a hurry. Because of this incident, she had fought with many girls and boys in the village, although some people still said it behind their backs, no one dared to point fingers in front of others.


    Zhao''er always felt that the little man''s eyes were weird today, and he avoided them uncomfortably.


    She knew that the little man must be angry again, and he didn''t like her saying things like ''the dog is my man'' the most. Every time he heard her say such things, he would ignore her for a few days. In fact, Zhao''er has to face, but she is the child bride-in-law of the Xue family''s second room. If she didn''t claim to be so, how could she have the right to challenge the fourth aunt, Sun''s.


    "Are you hungry? Look what I brought back for you?"


    Zhao''er turned her head and put all these troubles behind her, and took out a paper bag from her pocket. Opening the paper bag, there are two steamed buns inside. They are white and plump, and people like it when they look at them.


    "Eat quickly, while it''s still warm." She smiled and stuffed the paper bag into the little man''s hand, while putting the pannier on her shoulders in the corner.


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her.


    The girl in front of her was in her twenties and eighth year, and her skin was the wheat color that is common among girls in the country, but Zhao''er''s complexion was very different from others, it was smooth and radiant, as if she had been smeared with honey. He has a tall nose bridge, a pair of medium-sized eyes, and swarthy pupils. When he smiles, there is a flash of inspiration in him, and he looks lively.


    Zhao''er''s stature is taller than ordinary girls, and she is well-developed, front/convex/backward, full of youthful vigor.


    It was so vivid, as vivid as in his dream.


    He unconsciously took the steamed stuffed bun and gnawed on it. Seeing this trick, he smiled even more happily. He went to the kitchen and poured him a bowl of water, which he placed next to his hand. On the other hand, he bent down to tidy up the scattered quilts on the kang, thinking about what to cook for him at night to nourish his body.


    Finally, the little man got better, so he had to continue to drink the medicine, and he had to drink a few more to strengthen it. From this, he naturally began to calculate the little money left in his hand, and think of a way to get some money, so as to solve the urgent need.


    "Have you eaten yet?" Xue Gouzi asked.


    This kind of behavior rarely happens to him, so Zhao''er can''t help but look up at the little man sitting on the kang.


    In fact, the little man has a handsome appearance, which is different from the fair skin of the countrymen. The corners of his eyes are slightly raised, and the curvature makes his face a little more delicate and handsome. It''s just that the little man always hangs his head halfway on weekdays, with a gloomy and silent temperament, and is too thin, so he is not conspicuous in front of others.


    Zhao''er''s eyes warmed up, her smile widened, and she said cracklingly, "Eat, I ate it outside, this is for you."


    After she finished speaking, she realized that she had slipped her mouth. She waited for the little man to show a disgusted expression, or to condemn her daughter''s family for running around, but he didn''t say anything, as if he had something on his mind. Head eating buns.


    Zhao''er couldn''t help heaving a sigh of relief, but at the same time felt a pain in his heart, and couldn''t help but said: "Dog, don''t worry too much. After all, you heard the words. Since you didn''t say it face-to-face, you can''t take it seriously. Even if it is true Don''t be afraid, sister earns money for your education."


    Xue Gouzi''s head still hurts a little, and he was dizzy. Zhao''er thought he had something on his mind, but in fact he was just thinking about that dream. Hearing Zhao''er''s words at this time, he suddenly remembered why he had this serious illness.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Gouzi''s serious illness came in a hurry due to stagnation of liver qi.


    Speaking of this, I have to talk about the general situation of the Xue family.


    Yuqing Village is a village located under Huyang Town, Xia County, Pingyang Prefecture. There are only more than 200 households in the village.


    The Xue family is one of them.


    However, the Xue family is different from other ordinary farmers, and it can be regarded as having some origins.


    The ancestor of the Xue family, that is, the grandfather of Mr. Xue, was a scholar. In a poor mountain depression like Yuqing Village, it is a great event for the ancestors to have a scholar.


    Because of this talented gentleman, the generation of the Xue family produced the head of the Xue clan, and there were several village elders in the clan, and finally had some say in Yuqing Village. At the same time, it is also a blessing for the younger generation. Mr. Xue''s father is hardworking and willing to work. With the help of the elders, he also slowly built up a family business.

 Chapter 81

    But Zhao''er has always been domineering, and never allowed anyone to call him a little man, and she would be anxious with anyone who said that. Because of this incident, she had fought with many girls and boys in the village, although some people still said behind their backs, after all no one dared to point fingers in front of others.


    Zhao''er always felt that the little man''s eyes were weird today, and he avoided them uncomfortably.


    She knew that the little man must be angry again, and he didn''t like her saying "the dog is my man" the most. Every time he heard her say such words, he would ignore her for a few days. In fact, Zhao''er has to face, but she is the child bride-in-law of the Xue family''s second room. If she didn''t claim to be like this, how could she have the right to challenge the fourth aunt, Sun''s.


    "Are you hungry? Look what I brought back for you?"


    Zhao''er turned her head and put all these troubles behind her mind, and took out a paper bag from her pocket. Opening the paper bag, there are two steamed buns inside. They are white and plump, and it makes people like it when they look at them.


    "Eat quickly, while it''s still warm." She smiled and stuffed the paper bag into the little man''s hand, while putting the pannier on her shoulders in the corner.


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her.


    The girl in front of her was in her twenties and eighth year, and her skin was the wheat color common to girls in the country, but Zhao''er''s complexion was exceptionally different from others'', smooth and radiant, as if she had been smeared with honey. He has a tall nose bridge, a pair of medium-sized eyes, and swarthy pupils. When he smiles, there is a flash of inspiration in him, and he looks lively.


    Zhao''er''s stature is taller than ordinary girls, and she is well-developed, front/convex/backward, full of youthful vigor.


    It was so vivid, as vivid as in his dream.


    He unconsciously took the steamed stuffed bun and gnawed on it. Seeing this trick, he smiled even more happily. He went to the kitchen and poured him a bowl of water, which he placed next to his hand. On the other hand, he bent down to tidy up the scattered quilts on the kang, thinking about what to cook for him at night to nourish his body.


    Finally, the little man got better, so he had to continue to drink the medicine, and he had to drink a few more to strengthen it. From this, he naturally began to calculate the little money left in his hand, and think of a way to get some money, so as to solve the urgent need.


    "Have you eaten yet?" Xue Gouzi asked.


    This kind of behavior rarely happens to him, so Zhao''er can''t help but look up at the little man sitting on the kang.


    In fact, the little man has a handsome appearance, which is different from the fair skin of the countrymen. The corners of his eyes are slightly raised, and the curvature makes his face a little more delicate and handsome. It''s just that the little man always hangs his head halfway on weekdays, with a gloomy and silent temperament, and is too thin, so he is not conspicuous in front of others.


    Zhao''er''s eyes warmed up, her smile widened, and she said cracklingly, "Eat, I ate it outside, this is for you."


    After she finished speaking, she realized that she had slipped her mouth. She waited for the little man to show a disgusted expression, or to condemn her daughter''s family for running around, but he didn''t say anything, as if he had something on his mind. Head eating buns.


    Zhao''er couldn''t help heaving a sigh of relief, but at the same time felt a pain in his heart, and couldn''t help but said: "Dog, don''t worry too much. After all, you heard the words. Since you didn''t say it face-to-face, you can''t take it seriously. Even if it is true Don''t be afraid, sister earns money for your education."


    Xue Gouzi''s head still hurts a little, and he was dizzy. Zhao''er thought he had something on his mind, but in fact he was just thinking about that dream. Hearing Zhao''er''s words at this time, he suddenly remembered why he had this serious illness.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Gouzi''s serious illness came in a hurry due to stagnation of liver qi.


    Speaking of this, I have to talk about the general situation of the Xue family.


    Yuqing Village is a village located under Huyang Town, Xia County, Pingyang Prefecture. There are only more than 200 households in the village.


    The Xue family is one of them.


    However, the Xue family is different from other ordinary farmers, and it can be regarded as having some origins.


    The ancestor of the Xue family, that is, the grandfather of Mr. Xue, was a scholar. In a poor mountain depression like Yuqing Village, it is a great event for the ancestors to have a scholar.


    Because of this talented gentleman, the generation of the Xue family produced the head of the Xue clan, and there were several village elders in the clan, and finally had some say in Yuqing Village. At the same time, it is also a blessing for the younger generation. Mr. Xue''s father is hardworking and willing to work. With the help of the elders, he also slowly built up a family business.


    By the time of Mr. Xue''s generation, the Xue family already had more than 30 acres of fertile land, and several sons also had their own livelihoods. Their lives were enviably prosperous, and they could be regarded as a well-to-do family in the village.


    Mr. Xue and his mother-in-law Zhao have four sons and two daughters. The eldest son Xue Qingshan married his wife Yang, and they have two sons and a daughter. The eldest son Xue Juncai is fifteen years old, the second son Xue Youcai is ten years old, and the eldest daughter Xue Maner is married.


    The second child, Xue Qingsong, is a carpenter. He married his wife Qiu Shi and gave birth to a son, Xue Gouzi, who is fourteen years old. The third child, Xue Qingbai, is a farmer, married his wife Zhou, and gave birth to a son and a daughter. The eldest daughter, Xue Taoer, is thirteen years old this year, and the youngest son, Xue Shuanzi, is eight years old now. The fourth son, Xue Qinghuai, is a shopkeeper. He married his wife, Sun, and gave birth to a son named Xue Maodan, who is only four years old this year.


    As for the two daughters, the eldest daughter, Xue Cuiping, is already married, and the youngest daughter, Xue Cuie, is fourteen this year and is still in her boudoir.


    It is worth mentioning that nowadays there are parents who say that they do not separate their families. In addition, families in the countryside are ruled by clans, so Xue''s family has no separation.


    The Xue family has tasted the benefits of reading, so they have more vision than ordinary farmers. Xue Qingshan is smart since he was a child, and he is the eldest son. Mr. Xue has high hopes for him, and when he reaches the age of enlightenment, he spends money to send him to a private school.


    Xue Qingshan also strives for success. At the age of twenty, he passed the Tongsheng examination. Although he is still a scholar, he can be counted as a scholar who can be counted in ten miles and eight villages.


    Don''t underestimate Tongsheng! As the saying goes, scholars, farmers, businessmen, and scholars are the highest class of people in the current society. If ordinary people want to turn ordinary people into scholars, there is only one way to take the imperial examination. As for the imperial examination, it is only a matter of going to the west to learn Buddhist scriptures, and you have to go through various checkpoints and go through hardships before you can get it.


    If you want to embark on this path, you must first have the qualifications, and Tong Sheng is a person with this qualification. It is necessary to pass the county and government examinations to be called Tongsheng. As for the next step is to be a scholar, to become a scholar is to enter school, and it is also the first step to embark on the road of imperial examinations.


    It can be seen from this that Tong Sheng is not an ordinary person, so Xue Qingshan''s status in the Xue family can be imagined.


    But as I said before, the Xue family''s family background can only be regarded as a middle-level family in the countryside. If a family like this wants to support a scholar, it will almost exhaust all the human and financial resources of the family. Because the eldest son is the eldest son, who will set up a family in the future, and is talented and intelligent, the next few sons naturally have to give in.


    As for why Xue Gouzi became seriously ill, it has to be related to another old matter of the Xue family.


    Back then when Xue Qingshan was selected as a child student, he was considered a success at a young age. He was full of ambitions and wanted to pass the college examination in one fell swoop, and he could also be a scholar, but it was a pity that God did not follow his wishes.


    It was only a close call, and no one would be reconciled to it. Xue Qingshan could only calm down, work hard, and hope to win next time.


    After so many years of rushing away, the original smugness was completely devastated by the impact of reality. Xue Qingshan failed many exams, so he couldn''t stay at home and eat free food all the time. In desperation, he set up a private school in the village, which specializes in taking children from the village and several nearby villages to read and write, and they can more or less earn a living.


    With such convenient conditions, several children of Xue''s family naturally followed suit. The next few children are still young, and among the grandchildren, Xue Juncai, the eldest son of the big house, and Xue Gouzi of the second house have studied the longest.


    However, compared to his cousin Xue Juncai, Xue Gouzi is obviously not as good as he is because he is too weak. When he was young, he was always sick every day, which delayed a lot of homework.


    The time was stretched back to five years ago, this year the academic officer held a college examination in Fucheng, Xue Qingshan naturally would not miss it, he stopped his private school classes early and went to Fucheng to take the exam.


    It''s not easy to go out at this time, and besides, Mr. Xue was worried about his eldest son going out alone, so he asked his second son Xue Qingsong to accompany him. He always took care of him when he was usually on a business trip.


    That is to say, something happened on this trip, Xue Qingshan offended someone in Fucheng, Xue Qingsong was beaten all over his body in order to protect his eldest brother. In the end, the man was pulled back, but he died within a few days after he came back. Before he died, Xue Qingsong asked Xue Qingshan to promise himself that he would do everything in his power to confess Xue Gouzi.


    In fact, after giving way for others all his life, how could Xue Qingsong have no complaints in his heart, but he has a simple and honest nature, and he knows that his talent is not as good as that of his elder brother, so he has been making contributions in obscurity.


    But when it came to his own son, especially Xue Gouzi, who was weak since he was a child, he was not a farmer in any way, and he was dying, so Xue Qingsong took the opportunity to force his elder brother to make a promise.


    Xue Qingsong would do this, but he wanted to break the status quo that the Xue family''s resources had been leaning towards Dafang. The Xue family only had two scholars in the first room, and now there is a Xue Gouzi. The children in the third room were still young at that time, and the fourth child was not married yet. As long as Xue Qingshan agrees, others will naturally have nothing to say, and Xue Qingsong will do his best for his son Brown.


    Xue Qingshan agreed to the matter on the spot, crying blood, saying that he would treat Xue Gouzi as his own son, Xue Qingsong closed his eyes.


    Not long after that, Qiu Shi, who was already in poor health, became depressed and fell ill, and then passed away. Since then, Xue Gouzi has become a poor child without father and mother. Fortunately, there are grandparents and uncles, and Zhaoer, a child bride-in-law, so he doesn''t have to worry about food and clothing.


    In the following years, Xue Qingshan really treated Xue Gouzi like his own son. No one in the village would say that the boss of the Xue family raised his nephew as his own son. But as the saying goes, the human heart is the most fickle, and selfishness is the nature of human beings. As time passed, Da Fang gradually changed his attitude. Although he was in front of others, he was still the same as before, but only the person concerned would know what happened to him afterwards.


    This year, seeing that he had nothing to teach his son, Xue Qingshan decided to send Xue Juncai to the town school to study for two years.


    But it costs a lot of money to go to the school to study, not to mention the one-year study that costs two silver, the three festivals and six rituals of the husband, and the pen, ink, paper and inkstone used in daily life, all of which cost money. The Xue family has already been seriously injured because they confessed to Xue Qingshan, and how can they have money for the two children to go together.


    You can only take out one piece of money, that is to say, Xue Juncai and Xue Gouzi can only go to one.


    Xue Qingshan told the matter in front of the whole family, but Xue Gouzi didn''t say what he couldn''t say tactfully, but chose to remain silent.


    During that time, the atmosphere in the Xue family was weird, the old man Xue was frowning, and the grandmother Zhao was eccentric all day long, but the eldest couple were still the same as before, and they didn''t think it was a problem.


    I will not mention this, it is also a coincidence that Xue Gouzi accidentally overheard his eldest aunt Yang and fourth aunt Sun talking in secret, saying that he would let his parents-in-law come forward and let Xue Gouzi take the initiative to give up his place to study in the town , Xue Gouzi became seriously ill in a fit of rage.


    Thinking of this, Xue Gouzi felt uneasy for a while, and at the same time, many pictures appeared in his mind, which were just some of his previous dreams.


    The Xue Tingxiang in the dream also faced the same situation in the fourteenth year, and the other party''s temperament changed drastically after this incident, changing his previous disposition.


    Could it be that he is Xue Tingxiang, and that Xue Tingxiang is him? But why would he dream of these things!


    Xue Gouzi felt a throbbing pain in his head, the bun in his hand fell on the kang, and the water bowl next to him was also knocked over. Zhao''er heard the movement, rushed up and hugged him in his arms.


    "Dog, dog, don''t scare me!"


    Seeing that she was really in a bad shape, Mrs. Zhao came out of the room and said a few words. Mrs. Sun was even more anxious, and knew that she was really ashamed in front of the patriarch, but the chicken had wings, but she didn''t. It was only when the chicken lost its strength that Mrs. Sun grabbed it and cursed, "Run, run, it''s destined to be a dish in the pot. Where are you going?"


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t look any further, and looked back.


    He knew why his uncle was so generous, and proposed to let him compete with Xue Juncai, because if there were no accidents, Xue Juncai would definitely win this match.


    In that dream, he had suffered such a loss, but it was not compared with Xue Juncai, but Zhao''er worked so hard to get money and sent him to Qinghe Academy. At that time, he was so stupid that he always blamed his own failure on the harshness of fate, thinking that it was not that he could not do it, but that everyone did not give him a chance.


    When he first entered the Qinghe Academy, he was full of ambition. He thought that he would definitely surpass Xue Juncai and prove that he was the most outstanding person in the Xue family, but the reality slapped him hard in the face. It was also at that time that he, who had never seen the world, understood the sinister intentions of his uncle. He did teach him to read, and he did ''read'' a lot of books, but he just read and didn''t understand the meaning of the scriptures.


    It was later learned that after schoolchildren learn to read, they use reading scriptures as the basis.


    First learn "Three Character Classic", "Hundred Surnames", "Thousand Characters", and then "Thousand Family Poems", "Children''s Learning Qionglin", "Longwenbianying", etc. After reading these, you can enter university and start Study and read the Four Books and Five Classics, etc.


    But at this stage, the teacher does not explain the meaning of the scriptures, that is to say, he just memorizes them by rote, clarifying the meaning of the words but not the meaning of the scriptures. Because people nowadays are used to thinking that children are just learning, it doesn¡¯t matter whether they understand it or not, as long as they remember it, and when they read a lot or for a long time, they will understand what it means.

 Chapter 82

    What is compared is knowledge, and what is compared is also future.


    They were all from humble backgrounds, of course they knew how difficult it was to study in a farming family, so before Xue Tingxiang said that the Xue family never forgot to cultivate their children and grandchildren while they settled down, Qiao Xiucai praised them greatly.


    Because he knew that this matter seemed insignificant, but it was actually too difficult for farmers. How many families had the idea of ??changing their own destiny by reading books.


    It can be said that those who are born in a poor family in the countryside and can achieve great fame have all experienced great hardships. The starting point is much lower than others. It takes countless efforts to catch up with others, and at the same time they have to face all kinds of cruel competition.


    This kind of competition is not only between classmates, between the same exams, but also between the same clan, and even one''s own brothers.


    If you succeed, the sea and the sky will be bright, and you will not be an ordinary person since then. If you fail, you will put down the book and pick up the hoe, and face the loess and the sky for the rest of your life.


    It is because they understand this kind of cruelty that the two of them can''t help but wonder whether this son deliberately said that his knowledge is weak, or he just wants to pull his brother to reduce the difficulty of the question. But this is a double-edged sword. After all, it is a disadvantage to oneself to lose one''s studies to others.


    These thoughts only happened in an instant, and because of the sudden attention of He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai, Xue Qingshan''s eyebrows jumped wildly, for fear that Xue Tingxiang would say something amazing again. At this moment, he couldn''t care less about why Xue Tingxiang knew the explanation of the scriptures, and he completely forgot that his previous idea was that Xue Tingshan didn''t understand the scriptures, and it would be easy for his son to beat him.


    This is also true for Patriarch Xue. If something happens in the clan that cannot be seen by others, it is limited to the clan. If it happens in public, it will be a bit ugly.


    The eyes of the two seemed to have needles, and they were anxiously focused on Xue Tingxiang''s face. Unexpectedly, he smiled shyly and said: "The boy was weak and sick when he was young, so he inevitably fell behind."


    Xue Qingshan hurriedly laughed and said: "That''s exactly the case. Don''t be afraid that the two seniors will laugh at me. My nephew is talented and intelligent, but his weak body hinders his studies."


    Patriarch Xue also nodded in agreement.


    Others didn''t know what was going on, they just opened their eyes and watched. Only Zheng Lizheng seemed to realize that there was something wrong, but he couldn''t tell the details, so he could only keep silent.


    After He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai gave in to each other again, He Xiucai was the main one in the end. Sitting at the top, he said to Xue Tingxiang: "Since you don''t understand the scriptures, it''s a bit unfair to go beyond the scope of what you have learned. You two are still young, and it''s time to lay down the foundation, so I will test your two. Human base."


    Hearing this, although Xue Juncai was a little disappointed that he was overqualified and missed his opportunity to perform, he also felt disdainful.


    If you don''t test the scriptures, then Xue Tingxiang is not his opponent!


    He Xiucai squeezed his beard with his hands, and after pondering for a while, said: "Zhu Zi said: the size of learning is inherently different, but it is the way, it is only one. It is also suitable for young people. If you don''t learn it in elementary school, you will have nothing to learn. Its heart, to cultivate its virtue, is the foundation of the university. The two of you will each silently write a "Disciple Regulations."


    Neither of them expected that the first question would be Mo''s "Disciple Regulations". You must know that "Disciples Regulations" was learned at the beginning of elementary school, and the whole article is only about a thousand words. In addition to the general narrative, it is divided into seven chapters: filial piety when you enter, brotherhood when you go out, sincerity, faith, universal love for all, kindness and benevolence, and Yu Liwen.


    Each chapter is not long, with three words and one sentence, rhyming in the same pattern, and catchy. It lists the various norms that disciples should abide by at home, when going out, and when dealing with people. It also just proves what He Xiucai said before, the size of learning is inherently different, but it is the truth that it is only one.


    Someone has already prepared a square table and pens and inks, and each person has a table and table in front of the hall, and even the ink has been sharpened.


    When the two came to the table, they picked up a pen and wrote without any hesitation.


    As the two rushed to write and write, the noise gradually faded away. Even if the country people don''t understand the basic principles, they also know that scholars should not be disturbed when they are doing their studies.


    This is not a problem for Xue Tingxiang, because he only has one book, so he has spent too much effort to memorize the things he has learned.


    Not only memorizing, but also keeping in mind, so that when asked in school, he can answer fluently, because he has no reference at all.


    It is better to have no books than to have books, because these are all engraved in the mind. Especially since having that dream, in order not to affect his memory, he has silently recited the book he had memorized countless times in his mind.


    While Xue Tingxiang was writing vigorously, he also had a slight change in his opinion of He Xiucai.


    He could see that the other party asked such an unexpected question, not because the other party deliberately released the water, but because the other party wanted to make a surprise. Because this discipline is too simple for scholars, they have learned it when they were just learning, but they just throw it away after learning it.


    Except for the beginning of learning, my husband will not take these things in the future. It may be to test the Three Character Classic, or even a hundred surnames, and a thousand character prose, but it will not be the rules of this disciple.


    Xue Tingxiang even couldn''t wait to see Xue Juncai''s reaction. Maybe the other party can roughly write down this article, but can you write down all the thousands of words, and the words are correct and the order is good? And He Xiucai''s request to silence this disciple''s rule is probably not just silent, but also one of the "books" in elementary school.


    Just relying on your own words is enough to beat the opponent.


    As Xue Tingxiang thought, at first Xue Juncai really felt contemptuous. He even wondered if this He Xiucai was out of his mind to take the "Disciple Regulations" test.


    Who wouldn''t know this disciple? It is something to learn at the beginning of school. But after he fell silent, he realized that he really wasn''t as good as he thought.


    After you leave, do you love me, or are you hurt? You must know that this Disciple Rules is not like other articles, it can connect the past and the future, confirming each other, if the first sentence is wrong, the latter paragraph will be wrong.


    The more Xue Juncai became silent, the more annoyed he felt, and he always felt that he was wrong in being silent. If someone asks a question, he can naturally answer it fluently. Ke Mo, Mo is still a good word!


    At first, he wrote like flying, but then it became slower and slower, and even reached the point where he couldn''t write, obviously he was not sure if his memory was wrong.


    On the contrary, Xue Tingxiang has been calm from the beginning, and he is still writing at a leisurely pace at this time, but it can be seen that his writing is very coherent, with almost no pause.


    At the first place, Qiao Xiucai glanced at He Xiucai with exclamation, and did not hide her surprise at all. He naturally had a panoramic view of the following situation, and he had to admire He Xiucai''s ingenuity.


    He Xiucai smiled slightly. In fact, he would ask this kind of question, but he just wanted people to make mistakes. I was very proud of my inspiration.


    He stroked his beard and said with a faint smile, "You two little friends, don''t worry, there is a stick of incense time, enough to write it down."


    Yizhuxiang wrote more than a thousand characters, which seemed a bit hasty, but it is not impossible to write something as simple as the disciple''s rules silently, as long as you pay close attention to it.


    But that was before, Xue Juncai couldn''t help but feel even more anxious when he heard someone mention the time.


    In the following time, he kept looking at the stick of incense, because he looked at it too frequently, which made his speed even slower.


    "Okay, time is up."


    As the words fell, Xue Tingxiang made a big stroke and put down the brush in his hand.


    Xue Juncai didn''t move, until someone went in front of him, only to find that his whole body was as stiff as a stone, and he was dripping with sweat, and the paper in front of him was only half full.


    Because the two were behind the gate, and Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong were sitting at the end, they didn''t notice anything strange about it. In their minds, a "Regulations for Disciples" couldn''t be simpler, and Xue Juncai''s strange appearance also attracted the attention of the two of them, but they still didn''t expect that Xue Juncai could not finish writing it.


    It wasn''t until He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai looked at each other''s papers that they looked at each other, and He Xiucai announced that Xue Tingxiang won this match.


    Xue Qingshan stood up from the chair in surprise: "How is it possible?"


    At the same time, there was a lot of discussion below and outside the door, and it seemed that Xue Juncai couldn''t believe that Xue Juncai had lost. Insiders look at the doorway, while laymen watch the excitement. The villagers who didn''t know a single word didn''t know what the test was about, they only knew that Master Xiucai said that Xue Juncai lost to the Xue family dog.


    Xue Juncai lost to Xue Gouzi?


    This, this is really surprising. You must know that Xue Juncai has always been the most outstanding young man among the younger generation in Yuqing Village. Whoever mentions him does not give a thumbs up.


    "Senior He, Senior Qiao, did you make a mistake, a disciple''s regulation..."


    He Xiucai gestured with his gaze, and two people stepped forward to unfold Xue Juncai''s and Xue Tingxiang''s papers, held them up, and showed them to everyone.


    I saw that on one of the rice papers, the handwriting was full of strength, correct and beautiful. On the other piece of rice paper, the handwriting was not bad, but it was anticlimactic, and it became more and more scribbled as it went to the back, and there were even spots of ink on it.


    "Xue Tingxiang''s words are not bad, and there is no ink on the scroll, which is a good appearance. And Xue Juncai didn''t finish his silence, and there were mistakes and omissions, so Xue Tingxiang won this round."


    "Brilliant!" Xue Qingshan said in surprise, his eyes were full of disbelief, he wanted to say something, but was pulled by Yang Zhong.


    Xue Juncai didn''t raise his head until now, he raised his head stiffly and looked at Xue Tingxiang with red eyes.


    ...


    Next is the second round, and this round will return to the normal school exam homework.

 Chapter 83

    Look at Jiang Wu sideways and look at this girl who is smiling wantonly, with a strange light in his eyes. Fortunately, Daqing knew the way and was docile, otherwise the three people in the car would have been taken into the ditch beside the road.


    Seeing this scene, Xue Tingxiang''s face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.


    He was both annoyed and angry, and he actually forgot about Jiang Wu.


    In that dream, Jiang Wu has been coveting Zhao''er.


    Jiang Wu is two years older than Zhao''er, but he has never married. If Zhao''er hadn''t been his child bride-in-law, the Jiang family would have come to propose marriage a long time ago.


    Even so, Jiang Wu never gave up, and once even approached him and told him that he wanted to marry Zhao''er, telling him not to be so selfish, and letting Zhao''er go free. She also said that she and Zhao''er would support him to study together and treat him like a younger brother, that''s how he knew about it.


    He was shocked and annoyed. At the same time, he also thought of Zhao''er''s reluctance to marry him. He mistakenly thought that Zhao''er was having an affair with Jiang Wu, so he borrowed his parents'' orders to forcefully marry her. Later, by chance, Only then did he realize that he had wronged her.


    This incident has always been a scar between the two, even though it was never mentioned again, it was a gap. Afterwards, he was busy starting his career, while Zhao''er was busy with business. The two met only once in a long time, and even if they met, they seldom talked again until he went to Beijing to catch the exam after winning the exam.


    The he in the dream once thought after Zhao''er died, if he hadn''t been so despicable back then and forced Zhao''er by his parents'' orders, Zhao''er wouldn''t have died.


    But this kind of thought is like a superficial thought, it just passed by in a flash. At this time, thinking about it, he is probably despicable in his bones. Even if he is not the Xue Tingxiang in his dream, he never thought of letting him go.


    She was supposed to be his, and when he still half understood, someone would always point to her and say, this is his future wife, isn''t it?


    "Brother Jiang Wu, you''d better look at some roads, this road is uneven, don''t lead us all into a ditch."


    Xue Tingxiang''s voice successfully interrupted the chatting and laughing of Jiang Wu and Zhao''er, as if a very ignorant person suddenly appeared, making the already warm atmosphere suddenly cool down.


    Zhao''er laughed dryly: "Look at me, I was so focused on talking to you about the business that I forgot that you were still driving the car. Fortunately, Daqing is smart, otherwise I would have fallen."


    Da Qing called out, looking very complacent.


    Jiang Wu looked back subconsciously, just in time to meet the young man''s dark eyes. Those eyes made him inexplicably guilty, but soon he regained his confidence.


    He knew that the dogs of the Xue family didn''t like to recruit children, and he also knew that the second bedroom couple of the Xue family originally recruited children as daughters, not child brides. The child bride-in-law was only passed on from the villagers to the villagers, and it became true because of the entrustment of the second wife of the Xue family at the end of their lives.


    Not only that, but he also knew that Zhao''er only regarded the other party as a younger brother, and had no intention of marrying the other party.


    The young man was undoubtedly thin and thin, although he was handsome, there was still a bit of childishness on his face. Such a young man made the strong and powerful Jiang Wu inexplicably feel condescending. He smiled heartily and said indifferently: "Don''t be afraid, you dog, Brother Jiang Wu drives the car every day, and you can walk back with your eyes closed."


    Xue Tingxiang did not speak, but lowered his head with the corners of his lips pursed.


    Seeing this, Zhao''er immediately understood whether the title Gouzi made the little man feel uncomfortable again. But facing Jiang Wu, she couldn''t show a cold face, she could only smile and say: "Brother Jiang Wu, let me tell you that the dog has a name, it''s called Tingxiang, Xue Tingxiang."


    "It''s an elegant name."


    "Yeah, so don''t call me Gouzi Gouzi in the future, it''s weird."


    While speaking, the car had arrived at Yuqing Village.


    Jiang Wu inertially circled to the end of the village before stopping, Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang got out of the car.


    "When will the business be done? Tell me a time, and I will pick you up when the time comes."


    "Aren''t you going to be busy in the town tomorrow, and those clothes have to be tidied up. When I''m ready, I''ll go to your house and give you a letter."


    Zhao''er also thought that two days later would be the day when Xue Tingxiang and Xue Juncai competed, and she would not be in the mood to do business until this matter was over.


    "OK."


    *


    Now that the matter was settled, they said goodbye to each other.


    Jiang Wu drove the car home, while Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang went home together.


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t say anything along the way, but just walked silently.


    Zhao''er glanced at him: "What''s the matter? You seem a little unhappy. Did Brother Jiang Wu call you angry just now? He didn''t know you were famous. I told him that he would never That''s what it''s called."


    He suppressed the jealousy in his heart, and said in a muffled voice, "Why do you know him so well?"


    "Brother Jiang Wu, we''ve known each other since we were young. You forgot that Heizi was brought back by his dog after he gave birth to a cub. Brother Jiang Wu is a very nice person and has helped me a lot."


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t speak, but stopped.


    Zhao''er walked forward for a while, only to realize that he hadn''t followed.


    She came back in a few steps, and asked suspiciously: "What''s wrong with you, why are you so weird?"


    He held his breath: "Don''t forget, you are a man."


    Zhao''er was taken aback for a moment, then looked at him and laughed. But he just smiled and didn''t speak, which made Xue Tingxiang angry and annoyed.


    Don''t think about it, she must have thought of something good.


    Seeing his fair face flushed with anger, Zhao''er hurriedly said: "Okay, don''t be angry, I know I have a man."


    There was a teasing taste in her voice, knowing that she was coaxing him, his heart still jumped several times.


    With the experience in the dream, Xue Tingxiang knew that this was not the time to be awkward, besides, there was Jiang Wu watching over him, so he didn''t want to repeat the experience in the dream again.


    He couldn''t help but reiterated: "I''m also doing it for your own good, lest people in the village see and make irresponsible remarks." He didn''t dare to look at her, but stared at the ground beside him, with some confidence in his heart. Distracted.


    Seeing him confessing himself like an adult, with a fair face and a slightly childish face, I don''t know how to trick him and want to rub his head.


    She did the same, and said at the same time: "Well, well, you are right, I will listen to you."


    He suddenly became more angry, and a sense of powerlessness and discouragement came to his heart.


    Why does she always treat herself like a child!


    *


    Early the next morning, Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang went out.


    When I arrived, Dongliju had just opened, Xue Tingxiang went to the clean room yesterday to continue copying books, but Zhao''er went to the yard behind the shop.


    She discussed with Boss Chen and borrowed this place to pack her clothes. Zhao''er had seen those clothes before, they were all old clothes, since she wanted to make money, she couldn''t afford to sell them poorly, so she came here today mainly to do this job.


    She borrowed the bamboo mat used for drying books from the shop, poured out the big bag of clothes, first sorted them into men''s and women''s styles, and then divided them into several piles according to texture and thickness, and then began to check the clothes one by one for damage. The place.


    If there was a hole somewhere, she would sew it up with the needle and thread she brought. Zhao''er''s needlework is pretty good, but she can''t do embroidery or something, and she''s fine with sewing and making clothes.


    She managed to clean up a pile, and seeing that the sun was shining outside, she went to fetch water from the well in the courtyard. There is a pulley in the well, so it is very convenient to fetch water. Zhao''er fetched a basin of water, soaked the clothes in the big wooden basin, wiped the soap locust water and scrubbed it.


    After washing and rinsing, the rice soup in the kitchen is also ready.


    Although Boss Chen and the others don''t cook in the shop, they always need a place to boil water for tea and so on, so the shop also turned on the fire, and Zhao''er borrowed the stove to cook a big pot of rice soup.


    She brought out the boiled rice soup, poured it into the wooden basin, and added some water into it, it is most suitable if it is slightly hot. Fang poured all the washed clothes into it and kept stirring with a stick.


    Stir well, put half a cup of tea, pick up the clothes from the wooden basin, fetch water and rinse again.


    This is the so-called starched clothes. The clothes that have been washed are sticky and sticky. As long as they don''t fade, they look like new ones. Some people who are fastidious will iron it with an iron, but since there is no such condition, Zhao''er does not intend to do so.


    During this period, Boss Chen came in. Seeing that Zhao''er was in full swing, he pointed to the various clothes hanging out in the yard and said with a smile, "It''s good for you, you take my place as your own. You make it look like a laundry room."


    Nowadays, there are places like starch washing rooms. Some people don''t want to wash their clothes at home, so they will send their clothes to the starch washing room for washing. Inexpensive and saves time and effort.


    Knowing that Boss Chen was joking with himself, Zhao''er also joked: "After what Uncle Chen said, it opened my eyes again. When I don''t have any business to do, I will buy a laundry room. When the time comes Uncle Chen will bring you the clothes, and I will wash them for you without charge."


    "You girl, you are really a good businessman." Boss Chen shook his head and laughed, and went back to the front.


    The room where Xue Tingxiang copied the books was in this yard, and the big window happened to be facing the yard, so Zhao''er''s every word and deed could be seen by him.


    Usually he can concentrate on nothing else, but today he is always going to see her intentionally or unintentionally.


    Seeing her tossing around in the yard, seeing her very lively face under the sun, seeing the beads of sweat on her forehead, she had no intention of copying the book at all, and only copied less than two pages in one morning.


    Boss Chen walked in to take a look, and followed his gaze to Zhao''er: "You are lucky to have such a woman at the booth."


    Xue Tingxiang did not speak.


    Boss Chen said again: "By the way, how far have you reached in your studies?"


    "I have finished studying the four books, but I can only read them, but I can''t understand them."


    "It''s okay to be able to read but not understand. Now that you have entered the university, you should start to learn Mingjing. However, in that kind of country school, many teachers themselves have only a half-knowledge, and they can''t teach anything. You can read more when you have nothing to do. Reading books like "Four Books Chapters" and "Zhu Zi Ji Zhu" can''t help you fully understand the scriptures, but they are somewhat helpful. The most important thing is to find a good school with good teachers to guide you. "Boss Chen pointed out.


    After a pause, he said again: "I heard from Zhao''er that he wanted to send you to the Qinghe Academy. Instead of spending a lot of money to go to that kind of place, I suggest that you go to the Qingyuan Academy."


    "Qingyuan Academy?" Xue Tingxiang asked in a daze.


    Boss Chen thought he didn''t know, or was deceived by rumors like those ordinary people, and said: "This Qingyuan Academy is one of the oldest schools in Huyang Township, and it used to be famous throughout Xia County. In our township, half of the people who pass the county examination every year come from the Qingyuan Academy, and there are not a few of them who pass the exam. It¡¯s just that the Qinghe Academy has risen suddenly in the past few years, and it seems to have declined.¡±


    Boss Chen''s voice was low, as if he was sighing infinitely, and suddenly turned high, quite angry: "Everyone in the world values ??fame and fortune, and is easily deceived by false appearances. They don''t know that the Qinghe Academy is using opportunism. The owner Gao Relying on his relationship with County Magistrate Hu, Youzhi became attached to him, and all the money allocated by the imperial court to the county to support local social studies and village studies flowed into the Qinghe Academy, and the two of them made a lot of money and filled their own pockets.


    "And the owner of the Qingyuan Academy is an upright person, and he doesn''t want to be with him. In addition, the Qingyuan Academy has a lot of preferential treatment for the children of poor families. Without this silver subsidy, we can only encourage and support it. The county that presides over the county examination Lingdu looked at Qinghe Academy differently, and even the students who wanted to enroll flocked there. This has changed, and the reputation of Qingyuan Academy has gradually declined in recent years."


    Zhao''er left the street where the book shop was located, only to realize that she had nowhere to go.


    She was accompanying the little man to the book shop today, and the work in the embroidery workshop was already too much, and she hadn''t picked up the vegetables for many days, so it would be too much trouble to go back to the village and wait for the afternoon.


    She calculated in her mind what day it was today, and decided to visit her second sister.


    Zhao''er''s second sister, Wang Zhaodi, is not in Huyang Town, but works as a girl in Shen''s Mansion in Xia County. From Huyang Town to Xia County, it only took half an hour to take a mule cart, but it was a little expensive, 15 cents.


    By the time Zhao''er arrived at the county seat, it was three o''clock. It was just right to meet someone at this time, her second sister might not have time to see her if it was too early or too late, and she would have to wait for a long time.


    Zhao''er came all the way to the south of the city, before entering the archway where Shen''s house was located, he saw the two large flags more than five feet high erected in front of Shen''s residence.


    This is the Jinshi Jidi Banner, which can be set up only if someone in the family has won the Jinshi.


    This fame flagpole is divided into two structures, the flagpole sandwich stone and the flagpole.


    The flag buckets on the flagpoles are also exquisite. If you come from a serious imperial examination, you can stand up two flagpoles if you have passed the Jinshi in the palace examination. If it is the number one scholar, it will be the flagpole of three fights, and if there are members of the third rank or above in the clan, four fights can be set up.


    There are two large flags in front of the Shen family''s gate, one is three buckets and the other is four buckets. In other words, the Shen family once had a number one scholar, and had an important minister in the court.


    Zhao''er, a country girl, knows this because her second sister told her when she came to visit her.


    The main entrance, side entrance, and even the corner entrance were not accessible by Zhao''er''s identity, so she made a long detour before arriving at the back entrance of Shen''s residence.


    The back door was ajar, and Zhao''er didn''t dare to rush in, so he knocked on the door respectfully.


    The door opened with a creak, and a round woman came out from inside, and asked her, "Who are you looking for?"


    This old lady is just a doorkeeper, but she is also wearing satin gowns and jewelry on her ears and hands, which is enough to show the wealth of the Shen family.


    The Shen family is indeed rich, and in this Xia County, it can be said that they are stomping their feet, and the county is about to tremble three times. The Shen Mansion here is the ancestral home of the Shen family, except for the Shen family''s uncle and second master who are officials outside, the rest of the Shen family live here.


    "Mother-in-law, I''m looking for Sulan. I''m her younger brother. I''m here to see her."


    This woman''s attitude is not warm, but she is not as inferior as a dog''s eye. At least from this trick, it can be seen that the rules of the Shen family must be very strict. She asked Zhao''er to wait, then closed the door and went inside.


    Zhao''er waited for a long time before the back door opened again, and a very beautiful woman came out from inside. I saw her radiant skin, phoenix eyes and vermilion lips, wearing a water-red jacket and a moon-white pleated skirt. A head of black and thick long hair was simply tied up in a bun, with a golden hairpin inserted into it.


    Obviously the clothes are ordinary, and the hair accessories are also ordinary, but wearing all these on her body gives her a sense of beauty that no one else has. Her chest is bulging, but her waist is very thin, she has a good figure.


    This person is Zhao''er''s second sister Wang Zhaodi, but she changed her name to Su Lan in Shen''s residence.


    Zhao''er couldn''t help frowning, since the last time she saw her second sister, her second sister has changed a lot. Not only the material of the clothes, but also the jewelry on his body, his complexion and even his figure have changed a lot.


    She was a little panicked, grabbed Su Lan, and went to the corner where no one was around.


    "Sister, did you really do it?"


    Seeing her younger sister frivolously wrinkling her sleeves, Su Lan asked impatiently, "What can I do or not?"

 Chapter 84

    Xue Gouzi pondered for a moment, "Call me Ting Xiang."


    "Tingxiang? This is your own name? Dog, why did you give yourself such a name?" Immediately she understood, thinking of Dafang''s talented boy, because of his young age, he always carried People laugh at the same name as Gou''er and Heizi.


    A look of distress flashed in her eyes, and she nodded repeatedly: "Gou''er, no, Ting''er''s scholars are different, and the name is so nice. From now on, my sister won''t call you Gou''er, and I won''t let outsiders call you that. It''s called Tingxiang." Anyway, in her heart, whatever the dog says is good,


    Xue Gouzi, no, he should be called Xue Tingxiang now, and he feels a little depressed. He is only less than two years younger than Zhao''er, but he is a deep ravine that he will not be able to cross in his entire life. Having said that, he said again: "Also, can you stop calling yourself sister to me in the future?"


    This time, Zhao''er was even more surprised, and even reached out to touch his forehead: "Ting''er, what''s wrong with you? Did you have some evil? You didn''t call me sister since you were a child."


    Xue Tingxiang took a deep breath and smiled: "But you are not my sister, you will be my daughter-in-law in the future, no man calls his wife a sister."


    He was originally pale, half leaning on the quilt at the top of the kang, and suddenly smiled, with clear eyes and brows, which made people dare not look directly at him.


    Zhao''er''s face turned red all of a sudden, and he couldn''t make sense of what he said: "Dog, you, what are you talking about, I, I..."


    "Don''t you want to be my daughter-in-law and have a baby for me?" He moved closer.


    She stood up abruptly, and reprimanded: "You little kid, why are you talking about this? Your hair hasn''t grown fully yet!" She said a foul language that Xue Tingxiang didn''t like to hear the most, and she didn''t realize it: "You want to The thing to do is to take care of your body, as for these things, we will talk about them later!"


    Her eyes were fierce, and her tone was also fierce. After she finished speaking, she lowered her head and scooped rice from the bowl to Xue Tingshan''s mouth. He glanced at her, ate honestly, and suddenly became in a good mood.


    Maybe the two of them can change the way they get along in the future, and change it if they don''t like it, there is no need to wait for her to understand.


    *


    Zhao''er threw away the mess, turned around and went back to the house, leaving the whole family to finish their lunch in a depressing atmosphere.


    During this period, Sun had nothing to say to her, but no one paid any attention to her.


    Yang couldn''t eat, if it wasn''t for her parents-in-law, if she didn''t want to embarrass herself in front of the two younger siblings, she would have thrown her chopsticks and left. But now he can only suppress the aggrieved stomach, and eat the food in front of him like chewing wax.


    After dinner, Mrs. Sun took Mao Dan away, knowing that her son got into trouble today, and she was afraid that she would be angered later. Mrs. Zhou took Xue Taoer to clean up the table, and took the dishes and chopsticks to the kitchen to wash. Xue Qingbai helped her, Zhou could not carry such a pot of dishes by himself, usually when Xue Qingbai was not at home, she and her daughter could only carry them.


    Only Dafang, mother and son were left in the room, along with Mr. Xue and Mrs. Zhao.


    Yang stood up and wanted to go back to the East Chamber, but was stopped by Mr. Xue.


    Mr. Xue took out his dry pipe, took out some shredded tobacco grown by himself from the dark blue tobacco pouch, rolled it into a ball, pressed it into the tobacco pot, and then lit it with a torch.


    His movements are very slow, neither fast nor slow. Anyone who is familiar with Mr. Xue''s character knows that he has something on his mind.


    It''s true that there is something wrong, and if it''s not something, he won''t call his daughter-in-law to stop.


    "The handsome boy and the talented boy go back to the house first. Grandpa has something to say to your mother."


    Xue Youcai glanced at his mother and wanted to say something, but was dragged away by his elder brother Xue Juncai.


    "Father, just tell me if you have anything to say."


    Mrs. Yang is thirty-four this year. In the countryside, a woman in her thirties is no longer considered young. Here, the wind blows and the sun shines and eats, so the women look old.


    But Yang''s maintenance is very good, her face is like a disc, her skin is fair, and there are a few fine lines at the corners of her eyes. She was wearing a worn-out stone blue satin gown with make-up, her shiny black hair was pulled into a bun behind her head, a gilt hairpin was inserted into it, and a pair of old silver earrings were on her ears. It can''t be called onion tip, but it is also white and soft, wearing a gold ring.


    It is not an exaggeration to say that she is the grandma of the landlord''s family in this dress and bearing, even the Zhao family is not as good as her.


    With his old eyes, Mr. Xue moved Yang back and forth a few times, making her stand uneasy.


    Just as I was about to say something, my father-in-law said suddenly: "Boss daughter-in-law, how long have you been married to our family?"


    Yang was startled, and replied: "Seventeen years, my daughter-in-law married into the Xue family in the seventeenth year."


    "Then how will your mother and I treat you?"


    Yang''s heart skipped a beat: "Father and mother treat their daughter-in-law like their own daughters."


    Mr. Xue nodded, took a puff of the dry cigarette, and the light blue smoke began to linger on his old face again, making it difficult to see the expression on his face clearly.


    "You are the eldest daughter-in-law of our family, and your mother has always loved you. You and the boss have the same heart as your mother and I. I only wish that you can become a talent."


    Yang''s heart relaxed, and she couldn''t help laughing: "Juncai is serious about his studies, even my father said that he is a rare and good seedling, and it is no problem to be a scholar."


    Speaking of Xue Juncai who is the most proud, even Mr. Xue couldn''t help showing a smile.


    Seeing that the father-in-law''s face softened, Yang took advantage of the situation and said: "It''s just that you know, father, that when it''s time to end, you don''t have to just sit at home and study. Thinking back then, Juncai''s father also listened to my father''s words, I went to Qinghe Academy to study for two years, met some classmates, and registered in front of my husband. I took the opportunity to impress the county magistrate, and I passed the county exam. The ranking of the county exam As long as it is not bad, the government examination is not to say that it is sure, but it is half sure. It''s just that you have to rely on luck when you get to the hospital examination, and Juncai''s father is unlucky, so he will fail repeatedly."


    This is the real reason why Yang Shi is valued by the old couple in the Xue family, not only because her father is a child, but also because her father was kind to Xue Qingshan in the past.


    And Yang''s statement seems absurd, but it is true. The two county examinations are not as strictly controlled as the hospital examination, especially the county examination, which is presided over by the magistrate of the county.


    There are five county exams in total, and the results of the first exam are mainly to be judged. And this time, there are two stereotyped essays and one poem. As long as there are no typos and fluent essays, you can pass them all.


    Compared with people he doesn''t know well at all, the magistrate is still willing to pick people who are somewhat familiar.


    And going to a good school to study is to provide an opportunity to stand out in front of the county magistrate. Dachang has always attached great importance to the selection of talents. How many scholars can be produced in this county, and even a son can be a Jinshi, which is considered a political achievement. No matter how fatuous and incompetent the county magistrate, this kind of cutscene must go.


    And being able to enter a good school will not only increase your contacts, but also your vision.


    For example, the county examinations are nothing more than the Four Books and Five Classics and the sacred edicts. How to write and what taboos should not be violated all need guidance. No matter how wonderful your article is, if you violate taboos such as temple taboos, royal names, and holy taboos, you will not take it.


    And in places like the countryside, many private schools are opened by old children for the sake of making a living, and I still want to be a scholar to change my fortune, so how can I teach middle school children in every detail.


    Xue Qingshan himself was like this, that''s why he put all his energy into sending Xue Juncai to Qinghe Academy.


    Yang thought that her father-in-law wanted to tell her about sending Xue Juncai to the school, so she said this. Little did they know that her words really touched Mr. Xue''s mind, but Mr. Xue didn''t intend to tell her these things.


    Mr. Xue took a deep breath of dry cigarettes, and said: "The boss you said has been told to me, and we will talk about this matter later. You are Juncai''s mother, and there is nothing wrong with planning for your son, but you have to know that our family It¡¯s not just Dafang¡¯s family.¡±


    The father-in-law''s tone was a bit meaningful, Yang was startled for a moment, and forced a smile: "Father, of course my daughter-in-law knows that the Xue family is not just ours, but don''t worry, if Juncai''s father and Juncai are promising, they will never forget to be filial to you My mother." Seeing her father-in-law''s complexion was gloomy, she hurriedly added: "There are other people in the family, Juncai always remembers that he can study, thanks to a few uncles and aunts."


    Mr. Xue nodded: "If you understand, you should know that the other three families have been sacrificing for the eldest house. I won''t mention the far ones, just talk about the third and fourth children. The land in the house refers to the third and fourth children Kindly, your father is getting old, and his hands and feet are not as sharp as before. The fourth child has to pick up goods and sell them when he is busy with the house. I don¡¯t know how many pairs of shoes he has to wear out in a year, but all the money he earns is handed over to the public. , I haven¡¯t paid a penny. What is everyone working so hard for? It¡¯s not for our family, but for Dafang.¡±


    Yang''s complexion became forced: "Father, why is this all for our eldest family? Juncai''s father is promising, isn''t it because the Xue family has a good face? Because Juncai''s father was born in Tongsheng, no one in the village would look at us highly, even that The Zheng family, don¡¯t you also give us three points of courtesy to the Xue family. This is for the overall situation, for the future generations of our Xue family..."


    Old Master Xue sighed and interrupted: "Father understands what you said, and so does your mother. But as the saying goes, if the board is not on your body, of course you don''t feel pain. You put yourself in the position of the third and fourth child , What do you think? I have done the most work, and I can¡¯t even put my good words into my mouth, and it¡¯s all in other people¡¯s mouths.¡±


    These words were in line with what Zhao''er said just now, Yang''s face turned red immediately, her round face flushed red.


    "Father, why did you call this into my mouth, I..."


    Mr. Xue ignored her, and went to scold Mrs. Zhao again: "There is also you, who is biased in front of people. You just continue to do it, so that the third and fourth are chilled, and they make a fuss about separating from the family. You go there Planted for the boss and talented people to take the imperial examination!"


    At the end, his tone was full of sighs of hatred for iron.


    Mrs. Zhao didn''t want to listen to this anymore, and muttered: "What do you mean I am biased? Why am I biased? Didn''t I think that the boss and Juncai want to study, and studying is a waste of brain, so I should give them more supplements. Don''t those who are good? It fell into my mouth."


    The more she spoke, the angrier she became, and she couldn''t help cursing: "Separate the family, don''t they want to turn the world upside down, if the parents don''t separate, even if I can spare them, the ancestors'' family law can''t forgive them."


    Old Master Xue smiled wryly. If it wasn''t for these two old things and the family law of the ancestors, the family would not be like this a long time ago.


    He shifted his gaze to Mrs. Yang: "You also understand the situation at home. Can your mother and I manage it for a while, or for a lifetime? Since you want to send Juncai to study in the school in the town, you should win over the third and fourth bedroom. "


    "Father, I..."


    "In the past, your mother doted on you. I never said it. You can tell which is right and which is wrong. But from tomorrow onwards, you and the third and fourth families will share the work at home. "


    After Mr. Xue finished speaking, he stopped talking and just smoked his own cigarette with a sullen head. Yang couldn''t stand here either, and hurried out of the main room with her head down.


    *


    As soon as Mrs. Zhou cleaned up the kitchen and came out, she saw her sister-in-law returning to the east chamber with her head down, her expression was not very good.


    Her eyes flickered, and she glanced towards the south end of the west wing, which was a four-bedroom house.


    There was a faint person behind the window facing the courtyard in the fourth room, and Mrs. Zhou knew that Mrs. Sun had been watching the movement. She pretended not to notice, wiped her hands on the apron, and went back to the house.


    When it was time to cook in the evening, Mrs. Yang was wearing coarse clothes, which was rare, and came to the kitchen to compete with Mrs. Zhou for work.


    Mrs. Zhou couldn''t even refuse, so Mrs. Yang smiled and said that Mrs. Zhou had worked hard, so she just let her rest.


    Mrs. Zhou was pushed out of the kitchen by her, and she happened to meet Mrs. Sun who was standing at the door of the west chamber. There was also surprise in their eyes.


    But what surprised them was yet to come, because from this day on, Mrs. Yang changed her previous attitude and started doing all kinds of work. Although it was many years of not touching her hands, she was clumsy in doing things now, but she did it.


    Not only cooking, but also being very generous, often actively persuade Mrs. Zhao to take some money, or buy some meat or bring out some eggs, and cook dishes for the family to eat.


    The sparks that had been stirred up by Zhao''er''s words in the Xue family were suppressed just like that. During this period, Xue Tingxiang''s body finally recovered, and he had the strength to walk around.


    This day, after getting up early in the morning and having breakfast, Zhao''er planned to go to town.


    The rags she brought back from the embroidery workshop have all been made into things like purses and embroidered shoes. After saving for many days, it should be sold in the embroidery workshop.

 Chapter 85

    "Tingxiang? This is your own name? Dog, why did you give yourself such a name?" Immediately she understood, thinking of Dafang''s talented boy, because of his young age, he always carried People laugh at the same name as Gou''er and Heizi.


    A look of distress flashed in her eyes, and she nodded repeatedly: "Gou''er, no, Ting''er''s scholars are different, and the name is so nice. From now on, my sister won''t call you Gou''er, and I won''t let outsiders call you that. It''s called Tingxiang." Anyway, in her heart, whatever the dog says is good,


    Xue Gouzi, no, he should be called Xue Tingxiang now, and he feels a little depressed. He is only less than two years younger than Zhao''er, but he is a deep ravine that he will not be able to cross in his entire life. Having said that, he said again: "Also, can you stop calling yourself sister to me in the future?"


    This time, Zhao''er was even more surprised, and even reached out to touch his forehead: "Ting''er, what''s wrong with you? Did you have some evil? You didn''t call me sister since you were a child."


    Xue Tingxiang took a deep breath and smiled: "But you are not my sister, you will be my daughter-in-law in the future, no man calls his wife a sister."


    He was originally pale, half leaning on the quilt at the top of the kang, and suddenly smiled, with clear eyes and brows, which made people dare not look directly at him.


    Zhao''er''s face turned red all of a sudden, and he couldn''t make sense of what he said: "Dog, you, what are you talking about, I, I..."


    "Don''t you want to be my daughter-in-law and have a baby for me?" He moved closer.


    She stood up abruptly, and reprimanded: "You little kid, why are you talking about this? Your hair hasn''t grown fully yet!" She said a foul language that Xue Tingxiang didn''t like to hear the most, and she didn''t realize it: "You want to The thing to do is to take care of your body, as for these things, we will talk about them later!"


    Her eyes were fierce, and her tone was also fierce. After she finished speaking, she lowered her head and scooped rice from the bowl to Xue Tingshan''s mouth. He glanced at her, ate honestly, and suddenly became in a good mood.


    Maybe the two of them can change the way they get along in the future, and change it if they don''t like it, there is no need to wait for her to understand.


    *


    Zhao''er threw away the mess, turned around and went back to the house, leaving the whole family to finish their lunch in a depressing atmosphere.


    During this period, Sun had nothing to say to her, but no one paid any attention to her.


    Yang couldn''t eat, if it wasn''t for her parents-in-law, if she didn''t want to embarrass herself in front of the two younger siblings, she would have thrown her chopsticks and left. But now he can only suppress the aggrieved stomach, and eat the food in front of him like chewing wax.


    After dinner, Mrs. Sun took Mao Dan away, knowing that her son got into trouble today, and she was afraid that she would be angered later. Mrs. Zhou took Xue Taoer to clean up the table, and took the dishes and chopsticks to the kitchen to wash. Xue Qingbai helped her, Zhou could not carry such a pot of dishes by himself, usually when Xue Qingbai was not at home, she and her daughter could only carry them.


    Only Dafang, mother and son were left in the room, along with Mr. Xue and Mrs. Zhao.


    Yang stood up and wanted to go back to the East Chamber, but was stopped by Mr. Xue.


    Mr. Xue took out his dry pipe, took out some shredded tobacco grown by himself from the dark blue tobacco pouch, rolled it into a ball, pressed it into the tobacco pot, and then lit it with a torch.


    His movements are very slow, neither fast nor slow. Anyone who is familiar with Mr. Xue''s character knows that he has something on his mind.


    It''s true that there is something wrong, and if it''s not something, he won''t call his daughter-in-law to stop.


    "The handsome boy and the talented boy go back to the house first. Grandpa has something to say to your mother."


    Xue Youcai glanced at his mother and wanted to say something, but was dragged away by his elder brother Xue Juncai.


    "Father, just tell me if you have anything to say."


    Mrs. Yang is thirty-four this year. In the countryside, a woman in her thirties is no longer considered young. Here, the wind blows and the sun shines and eats, so the women look old.


    But Yang''s maintenance is very good, her face is like a disc, her skin is fair, and there are a few fine lines at the corners of her eyes. She was wearing a worn-out stone blue satin gown with make-up, her shiny black hair was pulled into a bun behind her head, a gilt hairpin was inserted into it, and a pair of old silver earrings were on her ears. It can''t be called onion tip, but it is also white and soft, wearing a gold ring.


    It is not an exaggeration to say that she is the grandma of the landlord''s family in this dress and bearing, even the Zhao family is not as good as her.


    With his old eyes, Mr. Xue moved Yang back and forth a few times, making her stand uneasy.


    Just as I was about to say something, my father-in-law said suddenly: "Boss daughter-in-law, how long have you been married to our family?"


    Yang was startled, and replied: "Seventeen years, my daughter-in-law married into the Xue family in the seventeenth year."


    "Then how will your mother and I treat you?"


    Yang''s heart skipped a beat: "Father and mother treat their daughter-in-law like their own daughters."


    Mr. Xue nodded, took a puff of the dry cigarette, and the light blue smoke began to linger on his old face again, making it difficult to see the expression on his face clearly.


    "You are the eldest daughter-in-law of our family, and your mother has always loved you. You and the boss have the same heart as your mother and I. I only wish that you can become a talent."


    Yang''s heart relaxed, and she couldn''t help laughing: "Juncai is serious about his studies, even my father said that he is a rare and good seedling, and it is no problem to be a scholar."


    Speaking of Xue Juncai who is the most proud, even Mr. Xue couldn''t help showing a smile.


    Seeing that the father-in-law''s face softened, Yang took advantage of the situation and said: "It''s just that you know, father, that when it''s time to end, you don''t have to just sit at home and study. Thinking back then, Juncai''s father also listened to my father''s words, I went to Qinghe Academy to study for two years, met some classmates, and registered in front of my husband. I took the opportunity to impress the county magistrate, and I passed the county exam. The ranking of the county exam As long as it is not bad, the government examination is not to say that it is sure, but it is half sure. It''s just that you have to rely on luck when you get to the hospital examination, and Juncai''s father is unlucky, so he will fail repeatedly."


    This is the real reason why Yang Shi is valued by the old couple in the Xue family, not only because her father is a child, but also because her father was kind to Xue Qingshan in the past.


    And Yang''s statement seems absurd, but it is true. The two county examinations are not as strictly controlled as the hospital examination, especially the county examination, which is presided over by the magistrate of the county.


    There are five county exams in total, and the results of the first exam are mainly to be judged. And this time, there are two stereotyped essays and one poem. As long as there are no typos and fluent essays, you can pass them all.


    Compared with people he doesn''t know well at all, the magistrate is still willing to pick people who are somewhat familiar.


    And going to a good school to study is to provide an opportunity to stand out in front of the county magistrate. Dachang has always attached great importance to the selection of talents. How many scholars can be produced in this county, and even a son can be a Jinshi, which is considered a political achievement. No matter how fatuous and incompetent the county magistrate, this kind of cutscene must go.


    And being able to enter a good school will not only increase your contacts, but also your vision.


    For example, the county examinations are nothing more than the Four Books and Five Classics and the sacred edicts. How to write and what taboos should not be violated all need guidance. No matter how wonderful your article is, if you violate taboos such as temple taboos, royal names, and holy taboos, you will not take it.


    And in places like the countryside, many private schools are opened by old children for the sake of making a living, and I still want to be a scholar to change my fortune, so how can I teach middle school children in every detail.


    Xue Qingshan himself was like this, that''s why he put all his energy into sending Xue Juncai to Qinghe Academy.


    Yang thought that her father-in-law wanted to tell her about sending Xue Juncai to the school, so she said this. Little did they know that her words really touched Mr. Xue''s mind, but Mr. Xue didn''t intend to tell her these things.


    Mr. Xue took a deep breath of dry cigarettes, and said: "The boss you said has been told to me, and we will talk about this matter later. You are Juncai''s mother, and there is nothing wrong with planning for your son, but you have to know that our family It¡¯s not just Dafang¡¯s family.¡±


    The father-in-law''s tone was a bit meaningful, Yang was startled for a moment, and forced a smile: "Father, of course my daughter-in-law knows that the Xue family is not just ours, but don''t worry, if Juncai''s father and Juncai are promising, they will never forget to be filial to you My mother." Seeing her father-in-law''s complexion was gloomy, she hurriedly added: "There are other people in the family, Juncai always remembers that he can study, thanks to a few uncles and aunts."


    Mr. Xue nodded: "If you understand, you should know that the other three families have been sacrificing for the eldest house. I won''t mention the far ones, just talk about the third and fourth children. The land in the house refers to the third and fourth children Kindly, your father is getting old, and his hands and feet are not as sharp as before. The fourth child has to pick up goods and sell them when he is busy with the house. I don¡¯t know how many pairs of shoes he has to wear out in a year, but all the money he earns is handed over to the public. , I haven¡¯t paid a penny. What is everyone working so hard for? It¡¯s not for our family, but for Dafang.¡±


    Yang''s complexion became forced: "Father, why is this all for our eldest family? Juncai''s father is promising, isn''t it because the Xue family has a good face? Because Juncai''s father was born in Tongsheng, no one in the village would look at us highly, even that The Zheng family, don¡¯t you also give us three points of courtesy to the Xue family. This is for the overall situation, for the future generations of our Xue family..."


    Old Master Xue sighed and interrupted: "Father understands what you said, and so does your mother. But as the saying goes, if the board is not on your body, of course you don''t feel pain. You put yourself in the position of the third and fourth child , What do you think? I have done the most work, and I can¡¯t even put my good words into my mouth, and it¡¯s all in other people¡¯s mouths.¡±


    These words were in line with what Zhao''er said just now, Yang''s face turned red immediately, her round face flushed red.


    "Father, why did you call this into my mouth, I..."


    Mr. Xue ignored her, and went to scold Mrs. Zhao again: "There is also you, who is biased in front of people. You just continue to do it, so that the third and fourth are chilled, and they make a fuss about separating from the family. You go there Planted for the boss and talented people to take the imperial examination!"


    At the end, his tone was full of sighs of hatred for iron.


    Mrs. Zhao didn''t want to listen to this anymore, and muttered: "What do you mean I am biased? Why am I biased? Didn''t I think that the boss and Juncai want to study, and studying is a waste of brain, so I should give them more supplements. Don''t those who are good? It fell into my mouth."


    The more she spoke, the angrier she became, and she couldn''t help cursing: "Separate the family, don''t they want to turn the world upside down, if the parents don''t separate, even if I can spare them, the ancestors'' family law can''t forgive them."


    Old Master Xue smiled wryly. If it wasn''t for these two old things and the family law of the ancestors, the family would not be like this a long time ago.


    He shifted his gaze to Mrs. Yang: "You also understand the situation at home. Can your mother and I manage it for a while, or for a lifetime? Since you want to send Juncai to study in the school in the town, you should win over the third and fourth bedroom. "


    "Father, I..."


    "In the past, your mother doted on you. I never said it. You can tell which is right and which is wrong. But from tomorrow onwards, you and the third and fourth families will share the work at home. "


    After Mr. Xue finished speaking, he stopped talking and just smoked his own cigarette with a sullen head. Yang couldn''t stand here either, and hurried out of the main room with her head down.


    *


    As soon as Mrs. Zhou cleaned up the kitchen and came out, she saw her sister-in-law returning to the east chamber with her head down, her expression was not very good.


    Her eyes flickered, and she glanced towards the south end of the west wing, which was a four-bedroom house.


    There was a faint person behind the window facing the courtyard in the fourth room, and Mrs. Zhou knew that Mrs. Sun had been watching the movement. She pretended not to notice, wiped her hands on the apron, and went back to the house.


    When it was time to cook in the evening, Mrs. Yang was wearing coarse clothes, which was rare, and came to the kitchen to compete with Mrs. Zhou for work.


    Mrs. Zhou couldn''t even refuse, so Mrs. Yang smiled and said that Mrs. Zhou had worked hard, so she just let her rest.


    Mrs. Zhou was pushed out of the kitchen by her, and she happened to meet Mrs. Sun who was standing at the door of the west chamber. There was also surprise in their eyes.


    But what surprised them was yet to come, because from this day on, Mrs. Yang changed her previous attitude and started doing all kinds of work. Although it was many years of not touching her hands, she was clumsy in doing things now, but she did it.


    Not only cooking, but also being very generous, often actively persuade Mrs. Zhao to take some money, or buy some meat or bring out some eggs, and cook dishes for the family to eat.


    The sparks that had been stirred up by Zhao''er''s words in the Xue family were suppressed just like that. During this period, Xue Tingxiang''s body finally recovered, and he had the strength to walk around.


    This day, after getting up early in the morning and having breakfast, Zhao''er planned to go to town.

 Chapter 86

    In scorching July, the sky is as hot as fire.


    Gao Sheng drove out from a village in his car.


    Zhao''er was sitting in the car, she was wearing men''s clothes, after most of the summer, she was much darker than before.


    It was too hot, so the doors were left open. Running all the way out, there is a breeze blowing in, but it can also add a bit of coolness.


    Gao Sheng looked angrily, holding the rein tightly with his big palms: "Sister Zhao''er, why didn''t you let me discuss the contract just now. We have the contract in hand, so we don''t believe that these people dare to break the contract."


    Zhao''er''s face was calm, and when he heard the words, he glanced at him and sighed: "You grew up in the countryside, and you don''t know the rules of this place? We can only treat this thing as a last resort, but now it''s not appropriate to make a fuss." Stiff. Besides, this village-to-village group, do you really have a dispute with others? Even if this kind of thing goes to the county government, believe it or not, the county magistrate will still focus on appeasing the people, and will not turn to us. "


    This is what the so-called law does not blame the public.


    Is it easier to deal with one person, or a group of people?


    it goes without saying. And this kind of thing is not very serious. For example, if there is a life lawsuit or something, the county government mainly focuses on appeasement, but the result is naturally that they will knock out their teeth and swallow their blood.


    Of course Gao Sheng understood this truth, but he still felt angry: "Then that''s the way it is?"


    "Let''s go back and add up."


    Things have to start from before.


    After the beginning of this year, Zhao''er has made a lot of money by taking advantage of the green and yellow. Although the price of vegetables is a bit higher than before, but because they are not available in the market, others can only pinch their noses to recognize them.


    Generally speaking, Zhao''er is still a conscientious person, and she didn''t add much, but she couldn''t stand up to the seven townships in Xia County, and she took down six of them.


    In fact, I also want to know that selling and delivering vegetables is a small amount of money, but once the climate is formed, this small business will rely entirely on its own intentions, pinching the supply of goods, and the market price will naturally be determined by others.


    Just because Zhao''er doesn''t want to, doesn''t mean others don''t want to either. Those who care will see it.


    So at some point, a business snatcher appeared.


    At the beginning, these people were very powerful, the carriages were equipped with the same standard, and the people in charge of delivering the food were also dressed in the same clothes, and they used horse-drawn carts instead of mule carts. Probably it was targeted before, and Gao Sheng was originally recruited to go to Dahe Township, which is the only township that has not yet been taken, to set up a shelf there. Unexpectedly, after going there, it was repeatedly blocked, and it was only later that I realized that someone had already made the first move.


    Since then, these people have surfaced, and after inquiring from various parties, it is known that the person who robbed the business is a wealthy family in the county.


    The owner of this rich family is surnamed Hu, known as Mr. Hu. His business is moderate, and he can be regarded as the number one person in Xia County. Although his business is not too big, he is involved in all aspects, which is commonly known as the type of people who want to get involved when they see something making money.


    Such a family, to a grass-roots team like Zhao''er, is like a huge monster, and I am a little ant at the feet of that huge monster.


    But even ants are not trampled to death just because they don''t fight back. Soldiers come to cover them with water and soil, and it''s impossible to give in.


    Zhao''er and the others only cared about their own business, with their previous contacts and the contracts they signed with people in advance, it has been going smoothly. On the other hand, Master Hu took Dahe Township as his base and gradually spread outwards, but he encountered resistance, and no one in the other townships sold them vegetables.


    In other words, in the past few months, the price of vegetables in Dahe Township has increased several times, and the merchants are complaining, and the common people are unaware, but the money they get is still so much.


    Some merchants even went out to find the source of goods, and it was impossible not to do the door-to-door business. Zhao''er took advantage of the opportunity to occupy Master Hu''s market.


    This was the first confrontation between the two, and it ended with Master Hu''s complete defeat.


    But after eating the sweetness from before, it is impossible for Mr. Hu to let go. If you can''t do it clearly, you can do it in the dark. You poach my corner, and I destroy your source. This has always been a common method used by businessmen to crush each other. Mr. Hu actually sent someone to contact those farmers privately and charged them high prices for their vegetables, just to let them break the contract with Zhao''er.


    Just like now, when there are the most kinds of vegetables, the price of vegetables will drop according to the usual practice, and Zhaoer and others will collect vegetables from farmers, and the price will also drop. These farmers also know that, but Mr. Hu has not fallen, but has risen, and the price per catty is about two cents higher than Zhao''er''s price.


    For several days in a row recently, some farmers were unwilling to sell vegetables to Zhao''er and the others, presuming that the family had eaten all of them and there was nothing left. Little did they know that since the vegetable selling business went smoothly, the farmers who often cooperated with Zhao''er and the others could not open as many vegetable fields as they could, and some even changed their own grain-growing land to vegetable-growing.


    So many dishes, how could I eat them all?


    In fact, to put it bluntly, it was an excuse to secretly give all the food to Mr. Hu. This is also the reason why Gao Sheng said that. Today, Zhao''er came out specifically for this matter. Huyang Township is fine, but the other townships have gotten a little out of control.


    The two returned to the inn, and Xue Qinghuai also came back after a while. This time, the three of them were dispatched together, and Jiang Wu led Xue Qiang and the others to take care of them at home.


    "Let''s talk about your thoughts, how to solve this matter now, is there any good way?"


    Gao Sheng and Xue Qinghuai looked at each other, then Gao Sheng hesitated and said, "Sister Zhao''er, why don''t we raise the price too?"


    Zhao''er knocked on the table, thinking and said: "How to raise it? At this time, the price of vegetables is the same. If we raise the price for farmers, it means that we will offend those merchants. They are not fools, and the price of vegetables has increased. Falling, false highs, they know better than anyone else.¡±


    "But you said that you can''t make a contract, and you can''t raise the price, and you just watched that Hu robbed our business? If he robs us now, it will be difficult for us to get it back later."


    Of course Zhao''er understands this truth, and she understands that their business is speculation. Collect money from farmers and sell it to merchants, and earn some hard money from it. Without their own output, once the source changes, they will be faced with such an embarrassing situation.


    This is the reason why she wanted that mountain in the first place. With the foundation, no one is afraid. But it is obvious that the hill is just a drop in the bucket for now, and there is no way to meet their needs.


    Zhao''er can almost predict what will happen next. If they can''t hold back and talk about the contract, Mr. Hu will naturally encourage the farmers to make trouble with them. If the trouble comes to the county government, it is very likely that the contract in her hand will become A blank sheet of paper does nothing.


    But if there is no trouble, the farmers sell their vegetables to Mr. Hu, and they have nothing to supply to the merchants, and the business will be taken away by the other party.


    This is a dilemma. Of course, the price can also be raised like Gao Sheng said.


    But at the same time as they raised the price, Mr. Hu would definitely continue to raise the price. The two companies raised each other''s prices. They would definitely not be the opponent of Mr. Hu, who is rich and powerful. And this will inevitably affect the merchants. When the price of vegetables reaches a certain level, it will definitely arouse the resentment of the merchants.


    The three of them discussed for a long time, but they couldn''t think of any good solution. Zhao''er could only sigh and said, "Then let''s raise the price first, and then we''ll talk about it later."


    After the matter was agreed upon, Xue Qinghuai and Gao Sheng made arrangements separately.


    Now they have a fixed place in each township, and only one of them is left for themselves, and the other people who are responsible for collecting and delivering vegetables are hired temporarily. The person in charge of this township is Xue Qiang.


    In fact, the biggest problem for Zhaoer and the others now is not only because of their weak foundation and lack of their own source of goods, but also because there are too few people who can rest assured. The stalls are too big and too fast, but the manpower is simply not enough.


    After pressing the button, the two sides have entered into a state of anxiety since then, Zhao''er''s side raised the price, and Master Hu''s side followed suit on the second day.


    The farmers are very happy, anyway, they can see now that the one who signed the contract has nothing to do with them. The snipe and the clam compete for the fisherman''s profit, and whoever pays the highest price will sell it to him.


    The price of vegetables had already reached Zhao''er''s estimate, and the merchant had complained several times, Zhao''er and the others had no choice but to explain.


    Even the explanation is a little weak, because Mr. Hu has already started selling vegetables at a loss. He had already raised the price, and Zhao''er and the others also raised the price, so the price of vegetables went up. Now that Mr. Hu is selling at a loss, it is tantamount to pulling Zhaoer and the others to lose money together, or they can only watch the business being robbed.


    Sure enough, the worst situation that Zhao''er had expected at the beginning happened, and now he can only grit his teeth and hold on, to see who can''t hold on first, or admit defeat.


    *


    Yuqing Village, Xue''s family.


    "Where did Zhao''er go recently? She hasn''t come back for such a long time?" Zhao asked.


    This question was naturally asked by Mrs. Zhou, and the two of them were at home at the moment.


    "Mother, Zhao''er is doing business outside, don''t worry about her, the fourth child is with her, what can happen."


    "I''m not worried about her, but she is a girl who runs around every day, and now she doesn''t even leave her home. Which woman is like her. It''s because she hasn''t married a dog, otherwise it depends on how I deal with her .¡±


    Zhou Shi didn''t speak, just pursed his lips and left.


    Who can you take care of?


    Now Mrs. Zhao can only take a few daughters-in-law to play with the prestige of being a mother-in-law.


    Especially since she was trying her best to deliver food to Xue Qingshan, now the other three houses don''t start fire with her. Zhao''er and Xue Qinghuai spend less time at home, Xue Qingbai is usually busy on the mountain, as are Zhou and Sun. After the new year, Xue Qingbai built two more rooms next to Gao Sheng''s house, and the two families could simply start a fire there, and usually the family would come back at night when they were sleeping.


    It''s just unlucky for Mrs. Yang, who can''t go anywhere, and can only face Mrs. Zhao''s old face every day.


    Mrs. Zhou locked the door of the house and planned to go up the back mountain.


    Not long after walking out of the house, she saw Mrs. Yang walking back in a hurry, her clothes were a little messy, as if something had happened.


    Generally speaking, although Mrs. Zhou has her own narrow-mindedness, she is also a kind person. Having been a sister-in-law for decades, although there are usually conflicts, but now the situation of the big house has completely changed, and the former high-ranking sister-in-law has become like this, Zhou still feels very sympathetic.


    "Sister-in-law, what''s wrong with you?"


    Yang raised her head to look at her, and forced a smile: "No, it''s nothing."


    "Don''t tire yourself too much, it''s so hot, be careful not to get heat stroke..."


    "Hey, I see."


    Yang didn''t stop, and left in a hurry, leaving Zhou looking at her thinned back, sighing and shaking her head.


    But she didn''t think too much, and walked along the path to the end of the village.


    When she was about to leave the village, she saw someone walking behind her back cursing and cursing at the side of the road, and she looked a bit like Xue Qingshan from the back. But it passed by in a flash, and she didn''t see it clearly.


    After going up the back mountain, she told Xue Qingbai what Mrs. Zhao said before.


    Xue Qingbai sighed: "The business has encountered some difficulties recently, otherwise Zhao''er wouldn''t be running outside every day."


    "What''s the problem?"


    "It seems that there is a rich man who is robbing Zhao''er and the others for business. I don''t know the details."


    Mrs. Zhou is a woman, and she panics when she hears ''rich households'' and ''robbing business''.


    "Then what should we do?"


    Xue Qingbai hesitated for a moment: "Zhaoer and the others should be able to find a way."


    Mrs. Zhou didn''t speak, neither did Xue Qingbai, and the two went to work in the vegetable field. After a while, Mrs. Zhou suddenly said: "You said, if the business really goes wrong, will our wages be paid?"


    Now relying on the second house, the life of the third house is very happy. The family''s land is rented out, and the couple can earn a lot of wages every month by helping Zhao''er to tend the hills. The past half a year has been the happiest time Zhou has lived since she got married, but there has been a sudden change, so it''s no wonder she panicked.


    "It''s such a time, why are you talking about wages?!"


    Xue Qingbai is dull, but he is not stupid, if it is not serious outside, several people may go out. Jiang Wu is too busy these days, and he also called a lot of helpers, and occasionally heard a few words from Jiang Wu''s mouth, revealing from Jiang Wu''s mouth that Zhao''er has already made preparations to stay in the rear, so This Huyang Township must be guarded.


    Hearing what the man said, Zhou panicked even more: "Is it really that serious?"


    "Then what shall we do?"


    Xue Qingbai didn''t speak.


    "We have also earned a lot of wages. It is difficult to recruit them now. Why don''t we tell her when she comes back that we only work without wages?"


    Zhou said so many words, only this sentence Xue Qingbai can listen to.


    "Okay, don''t worry too much, maybe it''s not as serious as we thought. But when she was recruited to help our family, now that she''s in trouble, we can help, and I''ll go with her later Jiang Wu said, it can be regarded as doing his best."


    *


    Yang''s pace was too hasty, and Zhao saw that there was a ghost chasing after her.


    Yang ignored her, dropped the hoe in his hand, and went into the house. She didn''t breathe a sigh of relief until she closed the door.


    Just now she was weeding in the field, when Xue Qingshan came unexpectedly.


    I haven''t seen him for so many days, Xue Qingshan''s whole person has changed a lot, he is extremely thin, his eye sockets are sunken and black and blue. If it wasn''t for the familiar clothes and he spoke again, Yang Shi would really not have recognized him.


    She was wondering if Xue Qingshan hated her and wanted to take the opportunity to take revenge on her. Who would have thought that without saying a few words, he actually begged her to forgive him, and said that he would only know her benefits after leaving her, and that Widow Xue was not a person who could live a life, and the two quarreled all day long.


    What did you do earlier? !


    It''s not that Yang hasn''t thought about the past these days, but she can''t figure out who is right and who is wrong. The only thing she knows is to stay away from Xue Qingshan, otherwise her talent will be ruined.


    It''s just like this, so how could she forgive him.


    But she didn''t expect Xue Qingshan to be so shameless, he planned to use force if he couldn''t ask for it, and it was only when Yang Shi knew that the man she married was so shameless.


    A little shocked, but not surprised.


    What else can Xue Qingshan not do!


    She was already under him, feeling the pungent sour smell from his mouth, while scolding himself for being ignorant, he stretched out his hand to untie her clothes. There were two fingernail-sized scabies on the wrist, and the scabs had already peeled off, leaving two dark purple sores.


    Yang was in despair, but when he was struggling, he touched the hoe he brought and smashed it with the hoe to hurt the opponent, so he was able to retreat completely.


    She must be more careful in the future, Yang thought with lingering fear.

 Chapter 87

    A look of distress flashed in her eyes, and she nodded repeatedly: "Gou''er, no, Ting''er is a different scholar, and the name is so nice. From now on, my sister won''t call you Gou''er, and I won''t let outsiders call you that. It''s called Tingxiang." Anyway, in her heart, whatever the dog says is good,


    Xue Gouzi, no, he should be called Xue Tingxiang now, and he feels a little depressed. He is only less than two years younger than Zhao''er, but he is a deep ravine that he will not be able to cross in his entire life. Having said that, he said again: "Also, can you stop calling yourself sister to me in the future?"


    This time, Zhao''er was even more surprised, and even reached out to touch his forehead: "Ting''er, what''s wrong with you? Did you have some evil? You didn''t call me sister since you were a child."


    Xue Tingxiang took a deep breath and smiled: "But you are not my sister, you will be my wife in the future, how can a man call his wife a sister."


    He was originally pale, half leaning on the quilt at the top of the kang, suddenly smiled like this, with clear eyebrows and eyes, which gave people a feeling that they dare not look directly at him.


    Zhao''er''s face turned red, and he couldn''t make sense of what he said: "Dog, you, what are you talking about, I, I..."


    "Don''t you want to be my daughter-in-law and have a baby for me?" He moved closer.


    She stood up abruptly, and reprimanded: "You little kid, why are you talking about this? Your hair hasn''t grown fully yet!" She said a foul language that Xue Tingxiang didn''t like to hear the most, and she didn''t realize it: "You want to The thing to do is to take care of your body, as for these things, we will talk about them later!"


    Her eyes were fierce, and her tone was also fierce. After she finished speaking, she lowered her head and scooped rice from the bowl to Xue Tingshan''s mouth. He glanced at her, ate honestly, and suddenly became in a good mood.


    Maybe the two of them can change the way they get along in the future, and change it if they don''t like it, there is no need to wait for her to understand.


    *


    Zhao''er threw away the mess, turned around and went back to the house, leaving the whole family to finish their lunch in a depressing atmosphere.


    During this period, Sun had nothing to say to her, but no one paid any attention to her.


    Yang couldn''t eat, if it wasn''t for her parents-in-law, if she didn''t want to embarrass herself in front of the two younger siblings, she would have thrown her chopsticks and left. But now he can only suppress the aggrieved stomach, and eat the food in front of him like chewing wax.


    After dinner, Mrs. Sun took Mao Dan away, knowing that her son got into trouble today, and she was afraid that she would be angered later. Mrs. Zhou took Xue Taoer to clean up the table, and took the dishes and chopsticks to the kitchen to wash. Xue Qingbai helped her, Zhou could not carry such a pot of dishes by himself, usually when Xue Qingbai was not at home, she and her daughter could only carry them.


    Only Dafang, mother and son were left in the room, along with Mr. Xue and Mrs. Zhao.


    Yang stood up and wanted to go back to the East Chamber, but was stopped by Mr. Xue.


    Mr. Xue took out his dry pipe, took out some shredded tobacco grown by himself from the dark blue tobacco pouch, rolled it into a ball, pressed it into the tobacco pot, and then lit it with a torch.


    His movements are very slow, neither fast nor slow. Anyone who is familiar with Mr. Xue''s character knows that he has something on his mind.


    It''s true that there is something wrong, and if it''s not something, he won''t call his daughter-in-law to stop.


    "The handsome boy and the talented boy go back to the house first. Grandpa has something to say to your mother."


    Xue Youcai glanced at his mother and wanted to say something, but was dragged away by his elder brother Xue Juncai.


    "Father, just tell me if you have anything to say."


    Mrs. Yang is thirty-four this year. In the countryside, a woman in her thirties is no longer considered young. Here, the wind blows and the sun shines and eats, so the women look old.


    But Yang''s maintenance is very good, her face is like a disc, her skin is fair, and there are a few fine lines at the corners of her eyes. She was wearing a worn-out stone blue satin gown with make-up, her shiny black hair was pulled into a bun behind her head, a gilt hairpin was inserted into it, and a pair of old silver earrings were on her ears. It can''t be called onion tip, but it is also white and soft, wearing a gold ring.


    It is not an exaggeration to say that she is the grandma of the landlord''s family in this dress and bearing, even the Zhao family is not as good as her.


    With his old eyes, Mr. Xue moved Yang back and forth a few times, making her stand uneasy.


    Just as I was about to say something, my father-in-law said suddenly: "Boss daughter-in-law, how long have you been married to our family?"


    Yang was startled, and replied: "Seventeen years, my daughter-in-law married into the Xue family in the seventeenth year."


    "Then how will your mother and I treat you?"


    Yang''s heart skipped a beat: "Father and mother treat their daughter-in-law like their own daughters."


    Mr. Xue nodded, took a puff of the dry cigarette, and the light blue smoke began to linger on his old face again, making it difficult to see the expression on his face clearly.


    "You are the eldest daughter-in-law of our family, and your mother has always loved you. You and the boss have the same heart as your mother and I. I only wish that you can become a talent."


    Yang''s heart relaxed, and she couldn''t help laughing: "Juncai is serious about his studies, even my father said that he is a rare and good seedling, and it is no problem to be a scholar."


    Speaking of Xue Juncai who is the most proud, even Mr. Xue couldn''t help showing a smile.


    Seeing that the father-in-law''s face softened, Yang took advantage of the situation and said: "It''s just that you know, father, that when it''s time to end, you don''t have to just sit at home and study. Thinking back then, Juncai''s father also listened to my father''s words, I went to Qinghe Academy to study for two years, met some classmates, and registered in front of my husband. I took the opportunity to impress the county magistrate, and I passed the county exam. The ranking of the county exam As long as it is not bad, the government examination is not to say that it is sure, but it is half sure. It''s just that you have to rely on luck when you get to the hospital examination, and Juncai''s father is unlucky, so he will fail repeatedly."


    This is the real reason why Yang Shi is valued by the old couple in the Xue family, not only because her father is a child, but also because her father was kind to Xue Qingshan in the past.


    And Yang''s statement seems absurd, but it is true. The two county examinations are not as strictly controlled as the hospital examination, especially the county examination, which is presided over by the magistrate of the county.


    There are five county exams in total, and the results of the first exam are mainly to be judged. And this time, there are two stereotyped essays and one poem. As long as there are no typos and fluent essays, you can pass them all.


    Compared with people he doesn''t know well at all, the magistrate is still willing to pick people who are somewhat familiar.


    And going to a good school to study is to provide an opportunity to stand out in front of the county magistrate. Dachang has always attached great importance to the selection of talents. How many scholars can be produced in this county, and even a son can be a Jinshi, which is considered a political achievement. No matter how fatuous and incompetent the county magistrate, this kind of cutscene must go.


    And being able to enter a good school will not only increase your contacts, but also your vision.


    For example, the county examinations are nothing more than the Four Books and Five Classics and the sacred edicts. How to write and what taboos should not be violated all need guidance. No matter how wonderful your article is, if you violate taboos such as temple taboos, royal names, and holy taboos, you will not take it.


    And in places like the countryside, many private schools are opened by old children for the sake of making a living, and I still want to be a scholar to change my fortune, so how can I teach middle school children in every detail.


    Xue Qingshan himself was like this, that''s why he put all his energy into sending Xue Juncai to Qinghe Academy.


    Yang thought that her father-in-law wanted to tell her about sending Xue Juncai to the school, so she said this. Little did they know that her words really touched Mr. Xue''s mind, but Mr. Xue didn''t intend to tell her these things.


    Mr. Xue took a deep breath of dry cigarettes, and said: "The boss you said has been told to me, and we will talk about this matter later. You are Juncai''s mother, and there is nothing wrong with planning for your son, but you have to know that our family It¡¯s not just Dafang¡¯s family.¡±


    The father-in-law''s tone was a bit meaningful, Yang was startled for a moment, and forced a smile: "Father, of course my daughter-in-law knows that the Xue family is not just ours, but don''t worry, if Juncai''s father and Juncai are promising, they will never forget to be filial to you My mother." Seeing her father-in-law''s complexion was gloomy, she hurriedly added: "There are other people in the family, Juncai always remembers that he can study, thanks to a few uncles and aunts."


    Mr. Xue nodded: "If you understand, you should know that the other three families have been sacrificing for the eldest house. I won''t mention the far ones, just talk about the third and fourth children. The land in the house refers to the third and fourth children Kindly, your father is getting old, and his hands and feet are not as sharp as before. The fourth child has to pick up goods and sell them when he is busy with the house. I don¡¯t know how many pairs of shoes he has to wear out in a year, but all the money he earns is handed over to the public. , I haven¡¯t paid a penny. What is everyone working so hard for? It¡¯s not for our family, but for Dafang.¡±


    Yang''s complexion became forced: "Father, why is this all for our eldest family? Juncai''s father is promising, isn''t it because the Xue family has a good face? Because Juncai''s father was born in Tongsheng, no one in the village would look at us highly, even that The Zheng family, don¡¯t you also give us three points of courtesy to the Xue family. This is for the overall situation, for the future generations of our Xue family..."


    Old Master Xue sighed and interrupted: "Father understands what you said, and so does your mother. But as the saying goes, if the board is not on your body, of course you don''t feel pain. You put yourself in the position of the third and fourth child , What do you think? I have done the most work, and I can¡¯t even put my good words into my mouth, and it¡¯s all in other people¡¯s mouths.¡±


    These words were in line with what Zhao''er said just now, Yang''s face turned red immediately, her round face flushed red.


    "Father, why did you call this into my mouth, I..."


    Mr. Xue ignored her, and went to scold Mrs. Zhao again: "There is also you, who is biased in front of people. You just continue to do it, so that the third and fourth are chilled, and they make a fuss about separating from the family. You go there Planted for the boss and talented people to take the imperial examination!"


    At the end, his tone was full of sighs of hatred for iron.


    Mrs. Zhao didn''t want to listen to this anymore, and muttered: "What do you mean I am biased? Why am I biased? Didn''t I think that the boss and Juncai want to study, and studying is a waste of brain, so I should give them more supplements. Don''t those who are good? It fell into my mouth."


    The more she spoke, the angrier she became, and she couldn''t help cursing: "Separate the family, don''t they want to turn the world upside down, if the parents don''t separate, even if I can spare them, the ancestors'' family law can''t forgive them."


    Old Master Xue smiled wryly. If it wasn''t for these two old things and the family law of the ancestors, the family would not be like this a long time ago.


    He shifted his gaze to Mrs. Yang: "You also understand the situation at home. Can your mother and I manage it for a while, or for a lifetime? Since you want to send Juncai to study in the school in the town, you should win over the third and fourth bedroom. "


    "Father, I..."


    "In the past, your mother doted on you. I never said it. You can tell which is right and which is wrong. But from tomorrow onwards, you and the third and fourth families will share the work at home. "


    After Mr. Xue finished speaking, he stopped talking and just smoked his own cigarette with a sullen head. Yang couldn''t stand here either, and hurried out of the main room with her head down.


    *


    As soon as Mrs. Zhou cleaned up the kitchen and came out, she saw her sister-in-law returning to the east chamber with her head down, her expression was not very good.


    Her eyes flickered, and she glanced towards the south end of the west wing, which was a four-bedroom house.


    There was a faint person behind the window facing the courtyard in the fourth room, and Mrs. Zhou knew that Mrs. Sun had been watching the movement. She pretended not to notice, wiped her hands on the apron, and went back to the house.


    When it was time to cook in the evening, Mrs. Yang was wearing coarse clothes, which was rare, and came to the kitchen to compete with Mrs. Zhou for work.


    Mrs. Zhou couldn''t even refuse, so Mrs. Yang smiled and said that Mrs. Zhou had worked hard, so she just let her rest.


    Mrs. Zhou was pushed out of the kitchen by her, and she happened to meet Mrs. Sun who was standing at the door of the west chamber. There was also surprise in their eyes.


    But what surprised them was yet to come, because from this day on, Mrs. Yang changed her previous attitude and started doing all kinds of work. Although it was many years of not touching her hands, she was clumsy in doing things now, but she did it.


    Not only cooking, but also being very generous, often actively persuade Mrs. Zhao to take some money, or buy some meat or bring out some eggs, and cook dishes for the family to eat.


    The sparks that had been stirred up by Zhao''er''s words in the Xue family were suppressed just like that. During this period, Xue Tingxiang''s body finally recovered, and he had the strength to walk around.


    This day, after getting up early in the morning and having breakfast, Zhao''er planned to go to town.


    The rags she brought back from the embroidery workshop have all been made into things like purses and embroidered shoes. After saving for many days, it should be sold in the embroidery workshop.


    She put everything into the back basket, and before leaving, she told Xue Tingxiang that the weather was fine today and asked him to go out to bask in the sun more often.


    Xue Tingxiang nodded and agreed honestly, and then she went out with peace of mind.


    Not long after she left, Xue Tingxiang walked out of the house.


    The yard is very quiet, the curtains of the doors of each room are all lowered, and it is hard to see if anyone is there.


    He stood in front of the door for a while, then walked out of the gate, and Hei Zi, who was lazily basking in the sun, immediately stood up and went out together at his feet.


    It was the time of spring plowing, and everyone was busy plowing the fields at the moment, and there were hardly any people on the road in the village. Occasionally, a woman who is doing work in the yard sees the person walking on the road from a distance, and only after a few fixed eyes does she recognize who it is.


    "Dog, where is this going?"


    Xue Tingxiang looked at the woman who was talking to him, and said with a smile: "Auntie, I''ll just walk around."


    It was just a casual sentence, the woman didn''t say anything more to him, she turned to get something in the room, the mother-in-law in the room asked her: "Third daughter-in-law, who were you talking to just now?"


    "The dog from the second bedroom of Xue Lianxing''s family. Hey, mother, it''s strange to say that I didn''t recognize him when he knocked on the door just now. I always feel like a different person."


    Her mother-in-law didn''t take it seriously: "What can you become, but you can''t change your body, I remember that kid has been ill recently."


    The daughter-in-law said: "I see, maybe I plan to go to the back mountain." There is a mountain behind Yuqing Village, where all the dead villagers in the village are buried, and the Xue family''s ancestral grave is also there.


    Hearing this, her mother-in-law sighed: "Don''t even mention it, it''s a pity for the second child of the Xing family. Both of them are gone. It''s a pity to leave a baby."


    This is just gossip between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and while they were talking, Xue Tingxiang had already brought Heizi into the back mountain.


    *


    Houshan is called Houshan, the mountain behind Yuqing Village.


    This mountain has no name, and the mountain is not high, but it is extremely deep. Anyway, so far, no villager has been able to walk back and forth from this deep mountain and old forest, most of them are activities outside the mountain.


    The Xue family''s ancestral grave was built on a small hill not far from the village. This Xue family is not only Xue Tingxiang''s family, but the ancestors of the entire Xue clan are buried here.


    On such a big hill, the lineage of the patriarch is in the middle, and the branches of the various families spread out. The lineage of Mr. Xue is at a place near the foot of the southwest mountain.


    Because the couple in the second room died young, and Xue Qingsong died in an accident, they were buried at the edge.


    When Xue Tingxiang arrived at the place, he began to pull the grass around the grave mound casually.


    There were not many weeds, they had just been cleared during the Chinese New Year, so he gathered the grass at random and placed it on the ground, taking advantage of the opportunity and sat down in front of the grave.


    A piece of mountainous land, two small graves, in front of each of the graves stood a small bluestone stele, on which the names of the second family and the couple were crudely written.


    This monument was originally recruited to find someone to make it and set it up.

 Chapter 88

    Zhao''er came all the way to the south of the city, before entering the archway where Shen''s house was located, he saw the two large flags more than five feet high erected in front of Shen''s residence.


    This is the Jinshi Jidi Banner, which can be set up only if someone in the family has won the Jinshi.


    This fame flagpole is divided into two structures, the flagpole sandwich stone and the flagpole.


    The flagpoles on the flagpoles are also exquisite. If you have a serious background in the imperial examination, and you have passed the Jinshi in the imperial examination, you can set up two flagpoles for the flagpoles. If it is the number one scholar, it will be a three-dou flagpole, and if there are members of the third rank or above in the clan, four dou can be set up.


    There are two large flags in front of the Shen family''s gate, one is three buckets and the other is four buckets. In other words, the Shen family once had a number one scholar, and had an important minister in the court.


    Zhao''er, a country girl, knows this because her second sister told her when she came to visit her.


    The main entrance, the side entrance, and even the corner entrance were not accessible to Zhao''er with her status. She made a long detour before arriving at the back entrance of Shen''s residence.


    The back door was ajar, and Zhao''er didn''t dare to rush in, so he knocked on the door respectfully.


    The door opened with a creak, and a round woman came out from inside, and asked her, "Who are you looking for?"


    This woman is just a gatekeeper, but she also wears satin gowns and jewelry on her ears and hands, which is enough to show the wealth of the Shen family.


    The Shen family is indeed rich, and in this Xia County, it can be said that they are stomping their feet, and the county is about to tremble three times. The Shen Mansion here is the ancestral home of the Shen family, except for the Shen family''s uncle and second master who are officials outside, the rest of the Shen family live here.


    "Mother-in-law, I''m looking for Sulan. I''m her younger brother. I''m here to see her."


    This woman''s attitude is not warm, but she is not as inferior as a dog''s eye. At least from this trick, it can be seen that the rules of the Shen family must be very strict. She asked Zhao''er to wait, then closed the door and went inside.


    Zhao''er waited for a long time before the back door opened again, and a very beautiful woman came out from inside. I saw her radiant skin, phoenix eyes and vermilion lips, wearing a water-red jacket and a moon-white pleated skirt. A head of black and thick long hair was simply tied up in a bun, with a golden hairpin inserted into it.


    Obviously the clothes are ordinary, and the hair accessories are also ordinary, but wearing all these on her body gives her a sense of beauty that no one else has. Her chest is bulging, but her waist is very thin, she has a good figure.


    This person is Zhao''er''s second sister Wang Zhaodi, but she changed her name to Su Lan in Shen''s residence.


    Zhao''er couldn''t help frowning, since the last time she saw her second sister, her second sister has changed a lot. Not only the material of the clothes, but also the jewelry on his body, his complexion and even his figure have changed a lot.


    She was a little panicked, grabbed Su Lan, and went to the corner where there was no one nearby.


    "Sister, did you really do it?"


    Seeing her younger sister frivolously wrinkling her sleeves, Su Lan asked impatiently, "What can I do or not?"


    "It''s that, that..." Zhao''er hesitated for a while, and then said with a blushing face: "You can''t really be the housekeeper for the sixth young master, right?"


    The corners of Su Lan''s eyes twitched, and the corners of her mouth twitched: "Why do you care about these things?"


    "Sister!" Zhao''er couldn''t help stamping her feet.


    Su Lan looked at her younger sister, and remembered that she was sold by her family back then. Only the third younger sister, Zhao''er, found out her whereabouts from the matchmaker, and walked all day and night to see her by herself. At that time, she was full of panic, Zhao''er''s appearance made her know that she was not alone, and that no one would know that she would not die in this mansion, and she immediately softened her heart.


    She sighed lightly: "Didn''t I tell you before, I won''t go out of the house to go through that kind of hard life. Although I am a housekeeper now, but the sixth young master promised me that when grandma came in, I would give it to me." An aunt will do it."


    Zhao''er was so surprised that she couldn''t believe it. She knew it already, but she was still shocked when she learned from the second sister that she really did such a thing.


    For the first time in her life, she didn''t know what to say, so she hesitated for a while and said, "That''s it? If you treat someone like a child, you will be bullied by the big wife."


    Zhao''er''s only cognition told her that when she was young, she had few days to live comfortably.


    What the younger sister said made Su Lan feel extremely uncomfortable, and she waved her hand nonchalantly. On the snow-white and slender jade fingers, there is a golden opal ring on it, which exudes a faint light and is dazzling in the sun.


    "You don''t understand, and you don''t have to be afraid of me being bullied. As long as the sixth young master is on my side, even if the sixth grandma comes in later, she won''t dare to bully me."


    "Can¡­¡­"


    "Okay, don''t talk about me, your little husband is healed? I''m not talking about you. It''s better for you to come into the mansion to be a girl to be my company than to stay in that house and work hard." .Which woman is looking for a man who is not looking for someone who can protect herself. You are fine, but you are working outside to earn money to support your family.¡±


    "Isn''t he still young? Besides, sister, it''s not like you don''t know. If it weren''t for my mother and father, I''m afraid I would have been sold to nowhere. You were lucky enough to be sold into Shen''s residence. But there are also those who are unlucky and sold into that dirty place."


    Su Lan pressed her bright red lips tightly and did not speak.


    She was sold into Shen''s residence back then, it was not explained by good luck.


    In the sparkling eyes of the phoenix, all kinds of light returned to silence. She let out a breath and scolded: "That''s why I don''t want to see you the most. Every time you come, you make me angry and make me troubled."


    Zhao''er kicked the pebbles under his feet: "I just thought I haven''t seen you for a long time, so I came here to have a look at you."


    "How are you doing? The Xue family didn''t make things difficult for you, right? Just wait, when my sister becomes the sixth young master''s aunt, whoever bullies you in the future, I will help you deal with him."


    Zhao''er heard it warmly in her heart, and couldn''t help leaning over, hugging Su Lan''s slender waist coquettishly: "Sister, don''t worry, I''m so aggressive, who dares to bully me. You don''t know that the Xue family is such a moth." too much¡­¡­"


    She recounted what happened to Xue''s family recently.


    The corners of Su Lan''s mouth curled up when she heard this, and she said sarcastically: "So this is the human heart. Don''t try to test the human heart, it will usually disappoint you. Don''t rely on others, what you hold in your hands is the truth."


    Su Lan is a bit extreme, but Zhao''er knows why the second sister is like this. In fact, occasionally she will be extreme, but she rarely speaks out.


    "Then what do you do now? If your little man really loses, then he won''t be able to go to school? Have you ever thought about this matter, if you win, if you lose, it will be hard for the two of you The Xue family has a foothold."


    Of course Zhao''er understood this truth. She stood up straight and smiled: "Sister, I know. Don''t worry, I plan to find another way to do business. At worst, the two of us will be alone. Dog likes to learn, so let him learn." , until I can''t afford it anymore."


    Su Lan poked her forehead with her jade finger, hating iron and steel: "You still can''t confess, how old are you? After a day of good life, I think I can''t confess. Come on, don''t tell me The second sister doesn''t feel sorry for you, I have someone I know who is the third shopkeeper in ''He Rongsheng'', if you go to him, he can at least find a way for you to make some money."


    ''Herongsheng'' is the name of the pawn shop, there are many branches in Binh Duong Province, and there is one in Huyang Township. Zhao''er usually comes and goes in the town, so he has naturally heard of this name.


    "This is the Shen family''s business with Rongsheng? Sister, how do you know the three shopkeepers?"


    Su Lan''s eyes flashed a hint of complexity, and she said impatiently: "Don''t worry about it, you can go directly to a man named Shen Ping. Well, I won''t tell you anymore, the sixth young master will have lunch later Now, I have to go and wait, lest those little hoofs rush to the front to show courteousness again."


    After a pause, she took out something from her sleeve and stuffed it into Zhao''er''s hand: "Take it, it doesn''t matter if you really lose, let''s do it by ourselves first. The Shen family''s genealogy is famous in the whole Pingyang Mansion. Sister will become an aunt in the future, and see if I can ask the Sixth Young Master to let your little man come in as a companion or something. I really owe you in my previous life, and I have to worry about everything."


    Su Lan''s figure quickly disappeared through the door.


    Zhao''er stood where he was, looking down at the silver ingot in his hand. After a long time, Fang grabbed it tightly and left.


    *


    Zhao''er didn''t know where He Rongsheng in the county was, she had inquired along the way.


    When we got there, it was a coincidence that the third shopkeeper named Shen Ping was there.


    Shen Ping is a very young boy with a good appearance, very mature and stable. He was wearing a dark blue straight gown, and looked about twenty years old, but he did not expect to be the shopkeeper of a pawnshop.


    When he heard about Zhao''er''s purpose, his eyes flashed: "You are Zhao''er, I heard your sister said about you."


    Zhao''er didn''t expect that the second sister would tell Shen Ping her name, and she smelled something unusual. While speaking, Shen Ping had already led her in.


    "When your sister told me about you before, I was thinking about what kind of business would allow you to do it for a long time. After thinking about it, I think selling old clothes is quite suitable for a girl like you."


    The second sister even told her gender to the other party''s surprise, it didn''t last long, Zhao''er''s attention was attracted by Shen Ping''s words.


    "What is selling used clothes?"


    "You should know what a pawnshop is for. This pawnshop accepts everything, and you can pawn anything. The current period is divided into dead pawns and live pawns. If it is a live pawn, it means that the other party will come to redeem it. If it is a dead pawn, it means that the things are not needed. Of course, there are also those who do not redeem their living debts within the time limit, and naturally they become death debts.


    "These things are accepted by the pawn shop and exchanged for money to the owner. Naturally, they will be resold. For example, some old clothes that come from pawns are directly sold to embroidery workshops or clothing shops. If you are willing to do this business, you can buy them from Take some old clothes here and sell them back."


    Following Shen Ping''s narration, Zhao''er''s eyes flickered again and again, and he asked, "Then I don''t know what the price is? Is it calculated on a piece-by-piece basis, or what? Since it''s an old clothes, surely it won''t be as expensive as a new one, right?"


    Shen Ping glanced at her: "You are very smart." He turned around and went to the layman: "Come with me, I will take you to have a look."


    Zhao''er followed him all the way back, the yard behind the pawn shop was huge, it looked like it was a warehouse.


    On the way, he met a lot of people in pawnshops, and they were all respectful when they saw Shen Ping. Zhao''er followed him to a warehouse, but neither of them went in. A man who looked like a buddy dragged a large bag of things out, and opened the door in front of it.


    This big bag is full of clothes, some are worn out, some are 80% or 90% new, and some are even brand new. It seems that they have not been worn twice. The texture of the clothes is also various, some are made of cotton, some are made of silk, some are made of silk, but they are all of good quality, anyway, they are better than the coarse cloth clothes Zhao''er is wearing.


    "These are usually mixed together, because they are collected at a low price, so the asking price is not high. If you give me two taels of such a bag of clothes, it will be yours."


    Zhao''er couldn''t see through her eyes. In order to make sure that the business could be done, she went up to check it out.


    Such a package of clothes, at least a hundred pieces.


    Even if a piece of clothing sells for 20 Wen, it is enough for her to pay back. And some clothes are sold for more than twenty yuan just based on her visual inspection. What can be done with twenty renminbi, at least six or seven feet of cloth is needed to make a suit of clothes, and the worst cotton cloth is seven or eight renminbi.


    Not to mention that there are some good fabrics in it, and even some cotton clothes, even if you don''t sell them, you won''t lose money if you wear them yourself.


    But Zhao''er has always been domineering, and never allowed anyone to talk about a little man, and whoever said she was in a hurry. Because of this incident, she had fought with many girls and boys in the village, although some people still said it behind their backs, no one dared to point fingers in front of others.


    Zhao''er always felt that the little man''s eyes were weird today, and he avoided them uncomfortably.


    She knew that the little man must be angry again, and he didn''t like her saying things like ''the dog is my man'' the most. Every time he heard her say such things, he would ignore her for a few days. In fact, Zhao''er has to face, but she is the child bride-in-law of the Xue family''s second room. If she didn''t claim to be so, how could she have the right to challenge the fourth aunt, Sun''s.


    "Are you hungry? Look what I brought back for you?"


    Zhao''er turned her head and put all these troubles behind her, and took out a paper bag from her pocket. Opening the paper bag, there are two steamed buns inside. They are white and plump, and people like it when they look at them.


    "Eat quickly, while it''s still warm." She smiled and stuffed the paper bag into the little man''s hand, while putting the pannier on her shoulders in the corner.


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her.


    The girl in front of her was in her twenties and eighth year, and her skin was the wheat color that is common among girls in the country, but Zhao''er''s complexion was very different from others, it was smooth and radiant, as if she had been smeared with honey. He has a tall nose bridge, a pair of medium-sized eyes, and swarthy pupils. When he smiles, there is a flash of inspiration in him, and he looks lively.

 Chapter 89

    Wasn''t that the plan? !


    Thinking of this, Zhao''er suddenly thought about it, and said: "Then prepare well, win if you can, don''t be afraid if you can''t win, at worst, sister will find money for you to study."


    Zhao''er has never been a person who likes to ask for trouble. She turned her head and saw that the cow dung in the house hadn''t been cleaned up, so she went to find a brush to clean the kang, and then went out to get a broom and a dustpan to sweep the floor.


    Chickens clucked and clucked outside, but it was Mrs. Sun who slaughtered the chicken and made it run away.


    Xue Tingxiang looked out the window, and saw that the chicken was still bleeding from its neck, but it was running around in the yard, and Mrs. Sun followed behind chasing after him in a panic.


    Seeing that she was really in a bad shape, Mrs. Zhao came out of the room and said a few words. Mrs. Sun was even more anxious, and knew that she was really ashamed in front of the patriarch, but the chicken had wings, but she didn''t. It was only when the chicken lost its strength that Mrs. Sun grabbed it and cursed: "Run, run, run, it''s destined to be a dish in the pot, where are you going?"


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t look any further, and turned his gaze away.


    He knew why his uncle was so generous, and proposed to let him compete with Xue Juncai, because if there were no accidents, Xue Juncai would definitely win this match.


    In that dream, he had suffered such a loss, but it was not compared with Xue Juncai, but Zhao''er worked so hard to get money and sent him to Qinghe Academy. At that time, he was so stupid that he always blamed his own failure on the harshness of fate, thinking that it was not that he could not do it, but that everyone did not give him a chance.


    When he first entered the Qinghe Academy, he was full of ambition. He thought that he would definitely surpass Xue Juncai and prove that he was the most outstanding person in the Xue family, but the reality slapped him hard in the face. It was also at that time that he, who had never seen the world, understood the sinister intentions of his uncle. He did teach him to read, and he did ''read'' a lot of books, but he just read and didn''t understand the meaning of the scriptures.


    It was later learned that after schoolchildren learn to read, they use reading scriptures as the basis.


    First learn "Three Character Classic", "Hundred Surnames", "Thousand Characters", and then "Thousand Family Poems", "Children''s Learning Qionglin", "Longwenbianying", etc. After reading these, you can enter university and start Study and read the Four Books and Five Classics, etc.


    But at this stage, the teacher does not explain the meaning of the scriptures, that is to say, he just memorizes them by rote, clarifying the meaning of the words but not the meaning of the scriptures. Because people nowadays are used to thinking that children are just learning, it doesn¡¯t matter whether they understand it or not, as long as they remember it, and when they read a lot or for a long time, they will understand what it means.


    This is the so-called reading a thousand times, and its meaning is self-evident.


    When you can recite all these books fluently, and when you can learn to interpret the scriptures, you will get twice the result with half the effort.


    This time-saving, labor-saving and effective teaching mode is popular throughout Dachang, ranging from famous families to low-level sociology and village studies, and many of them are like this. This is especially popular in rural private schools, because there is only one teacher in the school, but it is not realistic to teach several or even dozens of people to explain the scriptures.


    But in fact, aristocratic families with some background would never teach their children this way. Because this teaching mode blindly emphasizes rote memorization, but ignores the truth that the classics are natural and logical.


    This is the pros and cons that ''he'' analyzed from the perspective of the overall situation after standing in the position of chief assistant.


    But at that time, he had just entered the library, because his uncle delayed explaining the meaning of the scriptures for him, and he didn''t understand that there was still a theory of explaining the scriptures. So when he first entered school, the teacher asked him if he had read it, and he replied that he had read it, but he couldn''t understand the scriptures.


    But now, it seems that the uncle is also aware of his own shortcomings, so he deliberately proposes this match, but in fact, he has already planned it, and he is destined to lose.


    Unfortunately, there was an accident.


    *


    Because there were guests at home, except for Mr. Xue and Xue Qingshan and his son, everyone was busy.


    After eating in the main room, the kitchen will start cooking other people''s lunch.


    During the period, Xue Taoer was also ordered to drink. There was wine and meat at the banquet in the main room, and the men exchanged glasses, and there was no way to see that there was any cleverness in the usual times. Especially Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng, the two drank very affectionately, and in the end they both got a little drunk.


    "Okay, don''t send it off, you''ll be there soon." Patriarch Xue waved his hand.


    After sending everyone out of the courtyard, this side started to clear the table and prepare meals. Mrs. Zhao originally wanted to take away the leftover meat and vegetables, but was stopped by Mr. Xue, saying that he was adding vegetables to everyone. People in the country are not rich, and it is commonplace for distinguished guests to leave and eat leftovers.


    The adults are all fine, Shuanzi and Maodan are eating deliciously.


    Zhao''er wanted to take the meal back to the house to eat, but was stopped by Xue Tingxiang, the two just kept their heads down and ate as before, without saying anything.


    Xue Juncai gave Xue Tingxiang a disdainful look.


    He had just accompanied Xue Qingshan to the table, and naturally he ate a lot of good food on the table, seeing that Xue Tingxiang could only eat leftovers, he was naturally full of sarcasm.


    He remembered what his father said to him before, Xue Gouzi would never win him.


    Thinking in his heart, he looked away, and said to Mr. Xue who was on the kang, "Grandpa, I''m going back to the house to read."


    Mr. Xue nodded. He also drank a little too much before, and now he is leaning on the kang smoking a cigarette to hangover.


    "Dog, eat more, brother is still waiting for you to beat me in five days." Xue Juncai suddenly said this when passing by Xue Tingxiang.


    Zhao''er immediately stood up and stared at him: "Can you talk? You''ve read the dog''s stomach after so many years of reading."


    Xue Juncai didn''t expect Zhao''er to show him such shame, his gentle face flushed red, but for some reason, he glanced at Zhao''er and held back.


    Mr. Xue shouted: "Juncai go back to the house!"


    Mrs. Zhou also hurriedly stood up to persuade Zhao''er, that''s all.


    After dinner, the two went back to the second room, and Zhao''er was still angry: "Don''t be angry, dog. When sister earns money, I will take you to the house and won''t be with them anymore."


    Xue Tingxiang was a little moved, but at the same time a little helpless: "You called me a dog again."


    Zhao''er groaned, then smiled and said: "I forgot, it won''t be like this in the future."


    Naturally, he couldn''t be angry with her, and then Zhao''er took the two clothes she changed yesterday and went out to wash, while Xue Tingxiang turned over the "Children''s Learning Qionglin" again.


    Looking at the book in his hand, which was transcribed on the worst bamboo paper and the footers were worn away, Xue Tingxiang felt a little worried. He actually didn''t want to read books, but Zhao''er couldn''t help but think that he should read more books now, and only by reading more books can he win against Xue Juncai more confidently.


    Little did he know that this book was different from the book, and it was useless to just read this book, but he would not tell her about it.


    He dug out the bamboo paper that Zhao''er bought for him from the kang cabinet. The cheapest bamboo paper cost 40 cents a knife. Such ''expensive'' paper was barely enough for practicing calligraphy. Even so, he is very precious at ordinary times, and he is reluctant to use it at all. If he can write on the sand, he will write on the sand, and if he can''t use the sand, he will write on the desk with water.


    Xue Tingxiang touched the stack of yellowed bamboo paper and sighed in his heart.


    ''Xue Tingxiang'' usually uses the highest quality Chengxin paper, so at this time he feels a little disgusted with the things that are usually precious.


    He spread out the papers on the kang table, stacked several sheets, and then cut them into the size of a book with a bamboo knife. In order to make room for the edge seam, he left some leeway and cut a thick stack before he found the inkstone with a corner missing and the ink ingot that had been used up and only a small piece remained.


    These are treasures that he is reluctant to use at ordinary times, but Xue Tingxiang doesn''t feel this way at all today. He added water to the inkstone, and then took the ink ingot to grind the ink, while grinding, he was thinking about something.


    After grinding the ink, he put the bald hair brush in the water bowl and wet it to clean it. After dipping in enough ink, he picked up the pen and wrote something on the paper.


    After writing a few words, he suddenly put down the pen, lifted the paper to look at it, and suddenly crumpled it.


    Mingming''s handwriting is fairly neat. Although he usually saves paper and ink, but because of years of hard work, his handwriting is not bad, but for some reason he just doesn''t like it.


    He closed his eyes slowly, calmed down for a while, and opened them again after a while. At this time, there was no one in the room, and anyone who was there could see a gleam of light flashing in Xue Tingxiang''s eyes. At the same time, his movement of grasping the pen was fast and steady, and with the help of a god, he wrote a series of small characters on the paper in a short time.


    These small characters suddenly became Yan style, then turned into pavilion style, and then turned into thin gold style again. At first, they were both tangible and boneless, but as they were written, their taste changed.


    The face and body are square and dense, the brushwork is thick, straight, open and full of vigor. That pavilion is physically strong and graceful, as if it was carved out of a block. And the thin gold body, the gold hook and iron painting, is full of arrogance, and the strokes are as sharp as cutting gold and jade.


    These three characters represent the whole life of ''Xue Tingxiang'', from the Yan style learned at the beginning of school, to the Guange style studied painstakingly for the imperial examination, to the thin gold style of the official residence.


    And so he wrote, oblivious to himself. Zhao''er came in during the period, but he didn''t dare to disturb him, so he quietly sat down on the edge of the kang.


    After writing for an unknown amount of time, he suddenly let out a long breath and put down his pen.


    He wrote two full sheets of paper.


    At this time, Xue Tingxiang had to admit that the magic of heaven was just a dream, and he actually possessed some of the things that he had in the dream.


    From the moment this dream appeared, Xue Tingxiang had been thinking about why he had such a dream. Now he understands, maybe he just wants him to make up for all the unsatisfactory dreams.


    And possessing everything of the "him" in the dream, he suddenly had great ambitions, and a surge of arrogance lingered in his heart.


    "I''m tired of writing, drink some water."


    Zhao''er brought water, Xue Tingxiang took it, and drank it in one gulp, it was very sweet.


    Only then did he lower his head to look at what he had written, and he actually spent two sheets of bamboo paper. Probably because Zhao''er was by his side, he suddenly remembered that she used to save money to buy paper for him, and felt a little distressed and guilty. He glanced at her and said in a low voice, "I actually wrote so much."


    How could Zhao''er not understand what he was thinking, so he chuckled and said, "Not much, not much, only two sheets. Paper is for use. I told you not to save paper a long time ago. It is used up. Let''s just buy it again."


    "I want to transcribe this book, so I try to write first, so as not to waste paper."


    "What book do you want to copy? Can you copy books too? Don''t you buy them?" Zhao''er was puzzled.


    Xue Tingxiang sighed in his heart. He really felt that he was really stupid before. He would rather borrow books from his uncle every time, or memorize them by rote, and never thought of copying books.


    Nowadays, the books sold in bookstores are rarely printed and expensive, so an industry of copying books has emerged. In this way, not only some poor scholars can get some money in exchange, but also those who want to buy books but suffer from poor pockets can get cheap.


    Of course, this copying is not something that can be done casually, it needs to be written very well.


    Xue Tingxiang boasted that his handwriting was not bad. Back then, many people begged for his calligraphy. Now that he needs a book, why can''t he copy it himself.


    the most important is--


    He glanced at Zhao''er.


    Thinking of this, Zhao''er suddenly thought about it, and said: "Then prepare well, win if you can, don''t be afraid if you can''t win, at worst, sister will find money for you to study."


    Zhao''er has never been a person who likes to ask for troubles. She turned her head and saw that the cow dung in the house hadn''t been cleaned up, so she went to find a brush to clean the kang, and then went out to get a broom and a dustpan to sweep the floor.


    Chickens clucked and clucked outside, but it was Mrs. Sun who slaughtered the chicken and made it run away.


    Xue Tingxiang looked out the window, and saw that the chicken''s neck was still bleeding, but it was flying around the yard, and Mrs. Sun followed behind chasing after him in a panic.


    Seeing that she was really in a bad shape, Mrs. Zhao came out of the room and said a few words. Mrs. Sun was even more anxious, and knew that she was really ashamed in front of the patriarch, but the chicken had wings, but she didn''t. It was only when the chicken lost its strength that Mrs. Sun grabbed it and cursed, "Run, run, it''s destined to be a dish in the pot. Where are you going?"


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t look any further, and looked back.


    He knew why his uncle was so generous, and proposed to let him compete with Xue Juncai, because if there were no accidents, Xue Juncai would definitely win this match.


    In that dream, he had suffered such a loss, but it was not compared with Xue Juncai, but Zhao''er worked so hard to get money and sent him to Qinghe Academy. At that time, he was so stupid that he always blamed his own failure on the harshness of fate, thinking that it was not that he could not do it, but that everyone did not give him a chance.


    When he first entered the Qinghe Academy, he was full of ambition. He thought that he would definitely surpass Xue Juncai and prove that he was the most outstanding person in the Xue family, but the reality slapped him hard in the face. It was also at that time that he, who had never seen the world, understood the sinister intentions of his uncle. He did teach him to read, and he did ''read'' a lot of books, but he just read and didn''t understand the meaning of the scriptures.

 Chapter 90

    Zhao''er took the cloth towel, went back to the edge of the Kang, took off the cloth on his head and wiped his hair.


    Her hair was black and dense, reaching to her waist. She brushed her long hair to the side of her neck, and sat on the edge of the Kang with her head slightly tilted, letting her long hair hang down, and combed it with a comb.


    The girl was wearing a lilac-colored floral jacket and maroon wide-leg pants. She had to straighten her back and tilt her neck so that the water from her wet hair wouldn''t wet her clothes. These were all subconscious actions, but in Xue Tingxiang''s eyes, his heartbeat accelerated inexplicably, and he felt a sense of blood tension.


    Without him, it is because of this posture that the girl''s figure is vividly displayed. High/chest/upturned/hip, slender waist, Xue Tingxiang has never seen such a scene before, a very strange feeling of dryness and heat climbed up in his body.


    But at the same time, he was familiar with it, and a picture appeared in his mind, which was the time of the two people''s bridal chamber.


    In the dream, he didn''t like her at that time, but he felt that marrying her was a matter of course.


    It was a deep-rooted thought that she should be his wife.


    It''s just that this hidden deepest emotion was covered up by his awkwardness and ignorance, especially when he went to the school to study and let his classmates know that he had a child bride in the country, which caused a lot of ridicule.


    But in fact, he liked her deep down in his heart, so she was tortured badly by him that night in the bridal chamber.


    Originally, he was just ignorant, and she was a newcomer, so he hurt her and also hurt her. But he still thought about the pain, and she cried with tears and snot running down her nose. That was the first time she showed weakness in front of him, and he liked this way of bullying her ever since.


    At that time, he was studying in the academy, and he would only come back once every ten days. Every time he came back, she was so afraid that she would hide. But he had to rely on him and let him do whatever he wanted. He obviously liked it, but pretended not to like it.


    Now that I think about it, he was really an asshole at that time.


    Thinking about these messes in his heart, he suddenly said, "I''ll wipe it for you."


    Zhao''er looked at him sideways in surprise, and subconsciously refused: "I still can''t, I''ll do it myself." After these days of corrections, she has gradually learned not to call herself sister.


    Before her words fell, Xue Tingxiang had already snatched the cloth towel, and pulled her to turn her back, Zhao''er could only freeze there, letting him wipe it.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Tingxiang is still half-headed now, so he can only half-kneel and sit up to wipe her hair. The two were very close, Zhao''er didn''t notice it, but Xue Tingxiang felt his blood was surging.


    Zhao''er''s hair is very black, dense and smooth, like a piece of fine satin. He was clumsy, and Fang began to pull and hurt her several times, until he heard her involuntarily inhaling, he slowed down his movements.


    Feeling that it was a bit difficult for him to reach, Zhao''er was a little distressed, he kept stretching his arms: "If I don''t lie here?"


    As she said that, she went to try it, and it was more convenient for him to lie on the kang, and both of them would not be tired. What she didn''t know was that her posture looked even more seductive from behind, especially for a young man with a fresh blood.


    Xue Tingxiang immediately regretted accepting this matter. It felt like a kind of torture. He needed to work hard to stabilize himself so as not to look randomly.


    "If not, why don''t you sit up?" he asked.


    But got no answer from her.


    When I went to see it, I found that she had fallen asleep.


    The girl seemed very tired and slept soundly. She lay prone on the long-folded quilt, her thick long hair was scattered behind her back and down to her waist. Because the quilt was covering her face, her face was squeezed out of shape, but her pink lips were pouty.


    Zhao''er, who had just taken a bath, still had water vapor on her face. Her plump and delicate cheeks looked young and tender at first glance. Her pink lips had a watery glow, which was attractive to pick.


    Something in his heart was clamoring, and he leaned on him unconsciously. The cheeks of the two were getting closer and closer, so close that he could see and smell the sweet smell.


    Suddenly, she moved, and he quickly backed away, pretending to be nonchalant, muttering in his mouth why he fell asleep, but actually watching her reaction nervously.


    Fortunately, she just moved, and there was no sign of waking up, so he was relieved.


    But the impulse in his heart was gone, he glanced at her several times, reached out and took the thin quilt to cover her, and continued to wipe her wet hair with a cloth towel.


    *


    Yuqing Village was originally a village established by a group of victims who fled during the war in the previous dynasty.


    At first it was not called Yuqing Village, but Zhengjiazhuang. The village is full of people with the surname Zheng, but the number of people is not large, only a dozen or so families. Many years later, there was a famine one year, and the government arranged for a group of people who fled the disaster to settle here. These people are the ancestors of the Xue family.


    There are not many people surnamed Zheng, and there are also many people surnamed Xue. At first, people surnamed Zheng took the lead.


    The Dachang Dynasty implemented the Lilao system, where one hundred households constituted one li, and Jiachang was set up, which is commonly known as Lizheng. There are also several old people, who are commonly known as village elders.


    Within the jurisdiction of Yuqing Village, everything in the village, such as adjudicating civil lawsuits, arbitrating right and wrong, guiding folk customs, persuading farming and mulberry, issuing sentiments, etc., and even urging taxes, military service, etc., are all handled by the local people. Li Zheng and the villagers co-hosted the completion.


    Li Lao''s power can be said to be quite large, and anyone who can be Li Lao is a person of high moral and respect in the local area.


    In fact, this kind of system is equivalent to a local people governing a local people.


    Nowadays there is such a saying that the so-called imperial power does not come down to the county, but only the clan under the county, and the clan is self-governing, self-government depends on ethics, and ethics creates squires, that''s how it is.


    Over the years, the two surnames of Xue and Zheng seem to be harmonious on the surface, but they have been at odds with each other, and what they are fighting for is the right to speak in the village. Although it was because there was a scholar among the people surnamed Xue before, the Xue family changed its previous decline and several village elders appeared in the clan, but the position of Lizheng has always been in the hands of the people surnamed Zheng.


    Now Yuqing Village has one Lizheng and four village elders. Three of these four elders have the surname Xue, that is to say, two pairs of three. But because Zheng Lizheng is here, it is still not an advantage.


    Patriarch Xue is confident that if there is another scholar in the clan, he will be able to completely overwhelm the Zheng family, so when he heard the rumors that had been raging in the village for the past two days, he immediately exploded.


    Mr. Xue was still in the field, so he was called to Patriarch Xue''s house.


    Seeing Patriarch Xue''s face as dark as the bottom of a pot, Old Master Xue was puzzled by Monk Zhang Er: "Brother Haizi, what''s the matter?" In terms of seniority, Patriarch Xue is considered Old Master Xue''s cousin.


    "You still ask me what''s wrong? Don''t you know what''s going on outside recently?"


    Mr. Xue really doesn''t know.


    Seeing this, Patriarch Xue gave a rough account of the matter with a dark face.


    I don''t know when, things about the Xue family have spread outside.


    The source is that someone saw Xue Gouzi, the only son of Xue''s second wife, crying in front of Xue''s second son''s grave.


    The specific content of the cry is untestable, and it is possible for a half-grown boy to express his grievances in this way, which is enough to prove that the child must have been wronged at home. Later, someone familiar with the situation revealed the truth, and everyone knew that the boss of the Xue family planned to send his son to study in the town, but left his nephew alone.


    Few people in the village did not know how the second child of the Xue family died. And when Xue Qingsong was dying, many people in the village were there, so they naturally held Xue Qingshan''s hand and made him promise to treat his son well.


    When he came back from the Xue family, many people discussed it in private, saying that the second son of the Xue family was really miserable, leaving behind a sick wife and a young son.


    Now that such rumors spread, the scene before the death of Xue Lao Er was repeated by people in various ways. Some elderly people shook their heads and sighed, saying that people''s hearts are unpredictable, and it is impossible to entrust their wives and children to anyone. Take care of yourself. You treated him like your big brother and threw your life on him, but he didn''t treat your son as his own son.


    Even Xue Tingxiang''s situation in Xue''s family in the past few years has caused some women to talk about it.


    For example, although the dog from the second room seldom shows up in front of people, he always wears old clothes every time he sees him, while the handsome man from the first room has never seen him in old clothes. Even some things in the private school were told by the ignorant children to the adults. Xue Juncai had everything in his pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and he had the most books in the school. As for Xue Gouzi, he was seen writing on the desk with water on him several times.


    Being eccentric, everyone is eccentric, and no one can say anything about his own son, but Boss Xue also took the life of his own brother on his back. This kind of eccentricity is a bit chilling.


    "You are very old, and the juniors in the family can''t teach well? You are biased towards the elders, but why did you make this matter out of people''s faces? What do you think about this matter now!"


    Mr. Xue was quite old, and his face was flushed with embarrassment, but he also knew that this matter was serious, and his family''s reputation would be ruined if he was not careful.


    It doesn''t matter if you finish your own reputation, but the boss''s reputation can''t be finished. If he gets the name of the only son of the dead brother who is mean, the boss will be ruined for life. Don''t talk about the examination of any scholar, maybe the private school will not be able to open.


    "Brother Haizi..." He looked at Patriarch Xue begging for help, and he didn''t have any rules in his mind for a moment.


    "Now, only by sending both children away can people have nothing to choose."


    Mr. Xue''s old face turned even redder, and he rubbed his big rough hands: "Brother Haizi, you know that our family has been wiped out all these years in order to provide for the boss. It''s not that I don''t want to send two children, but I really can''t." rise."


    Hearing this, Patriarch Xue also frowned.


    When Xue Qingshan went to the Qinghe Academy to study, he knew the inside story very well. That place is desperate for money, and the key is not to have any objections, because most people are willing to pay to go in. One year''s expenses cost at least twenty taels, but Xue Qingshan has been there for five years.

 Chapter 91

    The mule named Daqing shook its head and snorted, which seemed to mean that if he dared to deduct my rations, I would slow down and let him carry it by himself.


    Zhao''er laughed loudly, pointed at Daqing and said, "Look, even Daqing protested."


    Jiang Wu looked sideways at the girl who was smiling wantonly, with a strange gleam in her eyes. Fortunately, Daqing knew the way and was docile, otherwise the three people in the car would have been taken into the ditch beside the road.


    Seeing this scene, Xue Tingxiang''s face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.


    He was both annoyed and angry, and he actually forgot about Jiang Wu.


    In that dream, Jiang Wu has been coveting Zhao''er.


    Jiang Wu is two years older than Zhao''er, but he has never married. If Zhao''er hadn''t been his child bride-in-law, the Jiang family would have come to propose marriage a long time ago.


    Even so, Jiang Wu never gave up, and once even approached him and told him that he wanted to marry Zhao''er, telling him not to be so selfish and letting Zhao''er go free. He also said that he would study with Zhao''er and treat him like his own brother, that''s how he knew about it.


    He was shocked and annoyed. At the same time, he also thought of Zhao''er''s reluctance to marry him. He mistakenly thought that Zhao''er was having an affair with Jiang Wu, so he borrowed his parents'' orders to forcefully marry her. Later, by chance, Only then did he realize that he had wronged her.


    This matter has always been a scar between the two, even though it was never mentioned again, there is a gap between them. Afterwards, he was busy starting his career, while Zhao''er was busy running business. The two met only once in a long time, and even when they met, they seldom talked again until he went to Beijing to rush for the exam after winning the exam.


    The he in the dream once thought after Zhao''er died, if he hadn''t been so despicable back then and forced Zhao''er by his parents'' orders, Zhao''er wouldn''t have died.


    But this kind of thought is like a superficial thought, it just passed by in a flash. At this time, thinking about it, he is probably despicable in his bones. Even if he is not the Xue Tingxiang in his dream, he never thought of letting him go.


    She was supposed to be his, and when he still half understood, someone would always point to her and say, this is his future wife, isn''t it?


    "Brother Jiang Wu, you''d better look at some roads, this road is uneven, don''t lead us all into a ditch."


    Xue Tingxiang''s voice successfully interrupted the chatting and laughing of Jiang Wu and Zhao''er, as if a very ignorant person suddenly appeared, making the already warm atmosphere suddenly cool down.


    Zhao''er laughed dryly: "Look at me, I was so focused on talking to you about the business that I forgot that you were still driving the car. Fortunately, Daqing is smart, otherwise I would have fallen."


    Da Qing called out, looking very complacent.


    Jiang Wu looked back subconsciously, just in time to meet the young man''s dark eyes. Those eyes made him inexplicably guilty, but soon he regained his confidence.


    He knew that the dogs of the Xue family didn''t like to recruit children, and he also knew that the second bedroom couple of the Xue family originally recruited children as daughters, not child brides. The child bride-in-law was only passed on from the villagers to the villagers, and it became true because of the entrustment of the second wife of the Xue family at the end of their lives.


    Not only that, but he also knew that Zhao''er only regarded the other party as a younger brother, and had no intention of marrying the other party.


    The young man was undoubtedly thin and thin, although he was handsome, there was still a bit of childishness on his face. Such a young man made the strong and powerful Jiang Wu inexplicably feel condescending. He smiled heartily and said indifferently: "Don''t be afraid, you dog, Brother Jiang Wu drives the car every day, and you can walk back with your eyes closed."


    Xue Tingxiang did not speak, but lowered his head with the corners of his lips pursed.


    Seeing this, Zhao''er immediately understood whether the title Gouzi made the little man feel uncomfortable again. But facing Jiang Wu, she couldn''t show a cold face, she could only smile and say: "Brother Jiang Wu, let me tell you that the dog has a name, it''s called Tingxiang, Xue Tingxiang."


    "It''s an elegant name."


    "Yeah, so don''t call me Gouzi Gouzi in the future, it''s weird."


    While speaking, the car had arrived at Yuqing Village.


    Jiang Wu inertially circled to the end of the village before stopping, Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang got out of the car.


    "When will the business be done? Tell me a time, and I will pick you up when the time comes."


    "Aren''t you going to be busy in the town tomorrow, and those clothes have to be tidied up. When I''m ready, I''ll go to your house and give you a letter."


    Zhao''er also thought that two days later would be the day when Xue Tingxiang and Xue Juncai competed, and she would not be in the mood to do business until this matter was over.


    "OK."


    *


    Now that the matter was settled, they said goodbye to each other.


    Jiang Wu drove the car home, while Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang went home together.


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t say anything along the way, but just walked silently.


    Zhao''er glanced at him: "What''s the matter? You seem a little unhappy. Did Brother Jiang Wu call you angry just now? He didn''t know you were famous. I told him that he would never That''s what it''s called."


    He suppressed the jealousy in his heart, and said in a muffled voice, "Why do you know him so well?"


    "Brother Jiang Wu, we''ve known each other since we were young. You forgot that Heizi was brought back by his dog after he gave birth to a cub. Brother Jiang Wu is a very nice person and has helped me a lot."


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t speak, but stopped.


    Zhao''er walked forward for a while, only to realize that he hadn''t followed.


    She came back in a few steps, and asked suspiciously: "What''s wrong with you, why are you so weird?"


    He held his breath: "Don''t forget, you are a man."


    Zhao''er was taken aback for a moment, then looked at him and laughed. But he just smiled and didn''t speak, which made Xue Tingxiang angry and annoyed.


    Don''t think about it, she must have thought of something good.


    Seeing his fair face flushed with anger, Zhao''er hurriedly said: "Okay, don''t be angry, I know I have a man."


    There was a teasing taste in her voice, knowing that she was coaxing him, his heart still jumped several times.


    With the experience in the dream, Xue Tingxiang knew that this was not the time to be awkward, besides, there was Jiang Wu watching over him, so he didn''t want to repeat the experience in the dream again.


    He couldn''t help but reiterated: "I''m also doing it for your own good, lest people in the village see and make irresponsible remarks." He didn''t dare to look at her, but stared at the ground beside him, with some confidence in his heart. Distracted.


    Seeing him confessing himself like an adult, with a fair face and a slightly childish face, I don''t know how to trick him and want to rub his head.


    She did the same, and said at the same time: "Well, well, you are right, I will listen to you."


    He suddenly became more angry, and a sense of powerlessness and discouragement came to his heart.


    Why does she always treat herself like a child!


    *


    Early the next morning, Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang went out.


    When I arrived, Dongliju had just opened, Xue Tingxiang went to the clean room yesterday to continue copying books, but Zhao''er went to the yard behind the shop.


    She discussed with Boss Chen and borrowed this place to pack her clothes. Zhao''er had seen those clothes before, they were all old clothes, since she wanted to make money, she couldn''t afford to sell them poorly, so she came here today mainly to do this job.


    She borrowed the bamboo mat used for drying books from the shop, poured out the big bag of clothes, first sorted them into men''s and women''s styles, and then divided them into several piles according to texture and thickness, and then began to check the clothes one by one for damage. The place.


    If there was a hole somewhere, she would sew it up with the needle and thread she brought. Zhao''er''s needlework is pretty good, but she can''t do embroidery or something, and she''s fine with sewing and making clothes.


    She managed to clean up a pile, and seeing that the sun was shining outside, she went to fetch water from the well in the courtyard. There is a pulley in the well, so it is very convenient to fetch water. Zhao''er fetched a basin of water, soaked the clothes in the big wooden basin, wiped the soap locust water and scrubbed it.


    After washing and rinsing, the rice soup in the kitchen is also ready.


    Although Boss Chen and the others don''t cook in the shop, they always need a place to boil water for tea and so on, so the shop also turned on the fire, and Zhao''er borrowed the stove to cook a big pot of rice soup.


    She brought out the boiled rice soup, poured it into the wooden basin, and added some water into it, it is most suitable if it is slightly hot. Fang poured all the washed clothes into it and kept stirring with a stick.


    Stir well, put half a cup of tea, pick up the clothes from the wooden basin, fetch water and rinse again.


    This is the so-called starched clothes. The clothes that have been washed are sticky and sticky. As long as they don''t fade, they look like new ones. Some people who are fastidious will iron it with an iron, but since there is no such condition, Zhao''er does not intend to do so.


    During this period, Boss Chen came in. Seeing that Zhao''er was in full swing, he pointed to the various clothes hanging out in the yard and said with a smile, "It''s good for you, you take my place as your own. You make it look like a laundry room."


    Nowadays, there are places like starch washing rooms. Some people don''t want to wash their clothes at home, so they will send their clothes to the starch washing room for washing. Inexpensive and saves time and effort.


    Knowing that Boss Chen was joking with himself, Zhao''er also joked: "After what Uncle Chen said, it opened my eyes again. When I don''t have any business to do, I will buy a laundry room. When the time comes Uncle Chen will bring you the clothes, and I will wash them for you without charge."


    "You girl, you are really a good businessman." Boss Chen shook his head and laughed, and went back to the front.


    The room where Xue Tingxiang copied the books was in this yard, and the big window happened to be facing the yard, so Zhao''er''s every word and deed could be seen by him.


    Usually he can concentrate on nothing else, but today he is always going to see her intentionally or unintentionally.


    Seeing her tossing around in the yard, seeing her very lively face under the sun, seeing the beads of sweat on her forehead, she had no intention of copying the book at all, and only copied less than two pages in one morning.


    Boss Chen walked in to take a look, and followed his gaze to Zhao''er: "You are lucky to have such a woman at the booth."


    Xue Tingxiang did not speak.


    Boss Chen said again: "By the way, how far have you reached in your studies?"


    "I have finished studying the four books, but I can only read them, but I can''t understand them."


    "It''s okay to be able to read but not understand. Now that you have entered the university, you should start to learn Mingjing. However, in that kind of country school, many teachers themselves have only a half-knowledge, and they can''t teach anything. You can read more when you have nothing to do. Reading books like "Four Books Chapters" and "Zhu Zi Ji Zhu" can''t help you fully understand the scriptures, but they are somewhat helpful. The most important thing is to find a good school with good teachers to guide you. "Boss Chen pointed out.


    After a pause, he said again: "I heard from Zhao''er that he wanted to send you to the Qinghe Academy. Instead of spending a lot of money to go to that kind of place, I suggest that you go to the Qingyuan Academy."


    "Qingyuan Academy?" Xue Tingxiang asked in a daze.


    Boss Chen thought he didn''t know, or was deceived by rumors like those ordinary people, and said: "This Qingyuan Academy is one of the oldest schools in Huyang Township, and it used to be famous throughout Xia County. In our township, half of the people who pass the county examination every year come from the Qingyuan Academy, and there are not a few of them who pass the exam. It¡¯s just that the Qinghe Academy has risen suddenly in the past few years, and it seems to have declined.¡±


    Boss Chen''s voice was low, as if he was sighing infinitely, and suddenly turned high, quite angry: "Everyone in the world values ??fame and fortune, and is easily deceived by false appearances. They don''t know that the Qinghe Academy is using opportunism. The owner Gao Relying on his relationship with County Magistrate Hu, Youzhi became attached to him, and all the money allocated by the imperial court to the county to support local social studies and village studies flowed into the Qinghe Academy, and the two of them made a lot of money and filled their own pockets.


    "And the owner of the Qingyuan Academy is an upright person, and he doesn''t want to be with him. In addition, the Qingyuan Academy has a lot of preferential treatment for the children of poor families. Without this silver subsidy, we can only encourage and support it. The county that presides over the county examination Lingdu looked at Qinghe Academy differently, and even the students who wanted to enroll flocked there. This has changed, and the reputation of Qingyuan Academy has gradually declined in recent years."


    "How can it be done on February 8th? I will definitely use your car when the time comes. Your Daqing mule is not considered labor? Daqing, look, Brother Jiang Wu said that you are not considered labor, and even your rations will be deducted."


    The mule named Daqing shook its head and snorted, which seemed to mean that if he dared to deduct my rations, I would slow down and let him carry it by himself.


    Zhao''er laughed loudly, pointed at Daqing and said, "Look, even Daqing protested."


    Jiang Wu looked sideways at the girl who was smiling wantonly, with a strange gleam in her eyes. Fortunately, Daqing knew the way and was docile, otherwise he would have ordered all three people in the car into the ditch beside the road.


    Seeing this scene, Xue Tingxiang''s face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.


    He was both annoyed and angry, he actually forgot about Jiang Wu.


    In that dream, Jiang Wu has been coveting Zhao''er.


    Jiang Wu was two years older than Zhao''er, but he never married. If Zhao''er hadn''t been his child bride-in-law, the Jiang family would have come to propose marriage a long time ago.


    Even so, Jiang Wu never gave up, and once even approached him and told him that he wanted to marry Zhao''er, telling him not to be so selfish, and letting Zhao''er go free. She also said that she and Zhao''er would support him to study together and treat him like a younger brother, that''s how he knew about it.

 Chapter 92

    Boss Chen thought the young man was just comforting him, and smiled: "Thank you for your good words."


    Xue Tingxiang was not ambiguous, and cupped his hands and said: "Thank you, Uncle Chen, for the suggestion, but there are still trivial matters at home that have not been dealt with. When everything is settled, the boy will go to the Qingyuan Academy to study."


    "You are straightforward, so you are not afraid of getting involved and hindering your fame?" Boss Chen asked curiously.


    "The kid hasn''t entered school yet, so what are you talking about? Besides, the imperial court has always attached great importance to the selection of talents. If they are really talented, the magistrate Hu must not dare to stop them too much."


    "I can''t see that you have high ambitions. Well, since you dare to go, it''s time for me to introduce you to one or two. Although my classmate is rigid and dull, he is very knowledgeable. Don''t dare It¡¯s okay to teach a person to become a Jinshi, but a scholar is fine.¡±


    "Then thank Uncle Chen first."


    *


    For several days, Xue Tingxiang and Zhao''er left early and returned late.


    Someone from Xue''s family asked twice, and Zhao''er told him to take Xue Tingxiang out to get some fresh air, so as not to be overwhelmed. The people in the big room showed contempt, and Mr. Xue couldn''t help shaking his head. After that, no one asked any more questions, and most of them knew in their hearts that Xue Tingxiang was doomed. Maybe the two children of Erfang also have a lot of mentality, so they broke the cans and didn''t read books, but ran around to play.


    You must know that even if you are as talented as Xue Juncai, you have to read books at home for many days to prepare.


    In the blink of an eye, it was five days.


    This day is no different from ordinary days.


    The farmhouse is always busy in the morning, and after a night, the family''s livestock have to be waited on, and the whole family has to be tossed about to eat. After breakfast, the men will go to the fields, and the women will do housework at home.


    If there is some difference, Xue Juncai had two more poached eggs in his bowl than others for breakfast.


    Because of Mr. Xue''s beating some time ago, Mrs. Zhao didn''t dare to openly fight against the big family members these days. Today, seeing that life is not normal, she couldn''t hold back.


    Originally, Xue Tingxiang didn''t have any, but Yang Shi saw that her father-in-law looked bad, so she took the initiative to ask Zhao Shi to ask for two eggs, and put them in the bowl for him.


    Xue Tingxiang wants to recruit one of them separately, but he doesn''t want to be recruited, but it''s a pity that he can''t be persuaded.


    For the sake of one egg, the two of you whispered one sentence at a time, while Mr. Xue''s expression on the top was particularly serious.


    But life in the country is like this, no matter how heavy your heart is, you can''t lose your livelihood. Especially when rushing for spring plowing, Mr. Xue still took his two sons to work in the fields for a while, and didn''t come back until the sun was high.


    The news about the competition between the two children of Xue''s family has spread throughout Yuqing Village.


    It''s not that there are people who say strange things, but most people can still understand what old man Xue did. It''s not easy for rural people to earn a little money, and no one''s money comes from the big river. If there is a way, no one will do this.


    Knowing that today is the day, let the children of the family watch in the village. Seeing a stranger go to Zheng Lizheng''s house, these hairy kids ran into the field, shouting from a long distance, "Someone is coming from Lizheng''s house". The adults stopped planting the land, so they picked up the hoes and rushed back.


    Not long after, the big courtyard of Zheng Lizheng''s house was full of people, and more villagers kept coming here.


    There was a lot of commotion in the yard, everyone was gossiping and discussing today''s matter at the same time.


    In the room, Zheng Li was talking with a middle-aged man in a scholar''s shirt and a flat scarf on his head.


    This man had a thin and long face, his complexion was a little pale, and his eyes were slightly swollen. She doesn''t look good, but her identity seems to be extraordinary, and she actually sits in the main seat.


    And Zheng Lizheng could only sit on the sidelines.


    His Gu Pan has a different temperament from ordinary people. This person is Qiao Xiucai, who has a reputation in the surrounding ten miles and eight villages.


    Long before, Zheng Lizheng had thought about it. Xue Qingshan came forward to invite someone from the Xue family, if he didn''t expect, it should be his father-in-law Yang Zhong, Yang Zhong is just a boy, so he will invite a scholar.


    On the one hand, it seemed that he was impartial, and on the other hand, it was a good time to show his prestige.


    "Qiao Xianggong, you drink tea, I will order someone to remind you."


    Qiao Xiucai waved his hand indifferently: "Don''t worry."


    Just as he was talking, there was a commotion outside, but it was patriarch Xue who came with someone.


    However, it was not Patriarch Xue who took the lead, but an old man over fifty years old. This old man is of medium stature, dressed the same as Qiao Xiucai, also wearing a scholar''s shirt and a flat scarf, obviously even if he is not a scholar, he is still a child.


    Sure enough, when Qiao Xiucai saw the old man, he quickly stood up from his chair and bowed to him.


    "I never thought it would be Senior He, late born is so polite."


    "Don''t be too polite, just sit down."


    This He Xiucai was the person invited by patriarch Xue to preside over this competition.


    Zheng Lizheng was right, at first Xue Qingshan really planned to invite his father-in-law, but it was a pity that this matter was rejected by Patriarch Xue.


    Patriarch Xue also only knew that Xue Qingshan was so stupid. They all said that he should not avoid relatives when he was a virtuous person, but this is not the way. Since he felt that the chances of winning were more than guaranteed, there was no need for people to make mistakes, so he took care of this matter.


    He knew in his heart that the surname Zheng would not let go of the opportunity to show off, and if he came forward to invite someone, he must be a scholar. He originally planned to invite Qiao Xiucai, but he was a step late, so he had to delay the relationship and invite He Xiucai.


    After courteously giving way to each other, the two scholars sat down on the main seat.


    Zheng Lizheng and Patriarch Xue sat beside him.


    "Let Brother Lizheng worry about it."


    "Don''t bother, don''t worry, I''m the leader here, so I can''t show up if something happens in the village."


    A lot of back and forth, seemingly amiable, but there is a hint of wit hidden in the words. During this period, a few old people walked in from the outside, but they were a few old people from Yuqing Village, Mr. Xue, Xue Qingshan and others also came.


    Another uninvited guest was Xue Qingshan''s father-in-law Yang Zhong.


    Yang Zhong was in his fifties, with a chubby body. He didn''t look like a scholar, but a landlord with a fat brain. As soon as he came in, he joined Qiao Xiucai and He Xiucai, but unfortunately, these two scholars were not willing to talk to him, they said a few words with him, and then went to sit aside awkwardly.


    Xue Qingshan sat at the end.


    The Weng and the son-in-law are considered pretty people, and those who can sit here are all respectable people in the village, but because of the identity of this boy, they can also sit in the hall. You know, even Mr. Xue doesn''t have a seat, so he can only stand aside.


    "I don''t know the real master, but he''s here?" He Xiucai asked when he saw that almost everyone had come.


    Patriarch Xue looked at Mr. Xue, and Xue Qinghuai hurriedly said, "Here we come."


    Just as he was speaking, the villagers surrounding the door made way, and two teenagers walked out from the crowd.


    These two teenagers are all dressed in short brown, and they can be seen from humble backgrounds at a glance.


    The one in the lead looks gentle and handsome, with a slender figure. Although the clothes are simple, he is quite personable. The one in the back is half a head shorter than the one in the front, his body seems a little weak, and he seems a little introverted, his eyelids are always half down, and he seems a little afraid of strangers.


    But when the two came to the hall and accepted the scrutiny of the crowd, they had some clues.


    The elder''s appearance is not bad, but he always pulls his sleeves intentionally or unintentionally, as if the clothes don''t fit well. But the young one has been standing neither humble nor overbearing, the half-drooped eyelids not only do not make people feel contemptuous, but it feels like the respect that the younger generation should have for the elders.


    Therefore, it seemed that the older one looked directly into the eyes of everyone, which was a bit too abrupt. It is good to have self-confidence, but when the younger generation faces the elders, a humble and respectful attitude is indispensable.


    All this happened in an instant, and Qiao Xiucai and He Xiucai, who were seated in the main seats, had the initial judgment on these two young people.


    "Student Xue Juncai, student Xue Tingxiang, I have met all the elders."


    He Xiucai nodded, Qiao Xiucai nodded, and asked curiously, "Tingxiang? Does this name have a meaning?"


    Xue Tingxiang was taken aback, and Fang Zuoyi said: "Hey, I mean to follow suit. The student''s great-great-grandfather was also a student, and the biggest regret in his life was that he failed to pass the exam. Although my Xue family was born in a poor family, there are many generations. Forgetting the last wish of the ancestors, while settling down to live and work, he has been working hard to let the children of the clan read and write, and be able to understand the principles of life.


    "It should be noted that if you read a lot, you will have hills and valleys in your heart, and you will have a poetic spirit in your stomach. The younger generation will follow the last wish of the ancestors. Although they are not very knowledgeable at a young age, they have great ambitions. They hope that one day they can continue the path that their ancestors walked, and continue to do so. go down."


    These words are very well-chosen, and the words are too polite, or they say something to study and become an official to serve the court, to establish a life for the people, and to bring peace to all generations. They are all suspected of deliberately showing off, which makes people laugh. After all, they are still brats, not even children.


    And Xue Tingxiang''s words just echoed his age and knowledge, and even because of the ancestor''s last wish, it added a bit of filial piety.


    After listening to Qiao Xiucai, he stroked his beard and said, "Okay! What a big ambition!"


    With this praise, everyone''s eyes were on Xue Tingxiang.


    Most people don''t understand what it means, they only think that Qiao Xiucai is exaggerating the dog of Xue''s second room, but they can understand but they have different thoughts.


    Shocked and complicated like patriarch Xue, the look in Xue Tingxiang''s eyes implied excitement and admiration. He is the head of the clan, and he always regards the glory of the clan as his great responsibility. Xue Tingxiang''s words not only praised his ancestors in front of others, but also inadvertently showed the unusualness of the Xue clan, which made his face extraordinarily honored. Unconsciously, he straightened his back.


    Some secretly scolded this son for being cunning, and even used the occasion to grandstanding.


    Still upholding the last wish of his ancestors, whoever asked him to uphold it was just bragging! Why didn''t I see that this son was so eloquent earlier.


    "The elders in your family took this name for you, and they have high hopes for you."


    When Qiao Xiucai said this, he was embarrassed again, but it was the Xue family who were embarrassed.


    Just when Patriarch Xue and the others were afraid that Xue Tingxiang would be ignorant to tell the reason, he saluted again and said: "This junior will definitely study hard and live up to the expectations of his family."


    Xue Qingshan couldn''t sit still.


    Today''s book is for the examination of Xue Juncai and Xue Tingxiang, who is eligible to enter the school. The exam hadn''t even started yet, but Qiao Xiucai''s words were intended to encourage and agree with the other party. The so-called failure before the battle was nothing more than that.


    He couldn''t help but interjected: "Seniors, can we start?"


    Only then did Qiao Xiucai realize that he had spoken too much, but once he said it, he would naturally not take it back, and Xue Qingshan''s words obviously made him feel embarrassed. There was a slight displeasure in his heart, so instead of avoiding it, he nodded appreciatively to Xue Tingxiang, and then went to take a sip of tea on the table.


    Between the actions, there was a sense of treating Xue Qingshan as nothing, which made his face darken immediately. But he didn''t dare to have any doubts at all, he just smiled and sat back.


    Qiao Xiucai put down the teacup, cupped his hands and said to He Xiucai: "Senior He, look at this¡ª"


    "Let''s begin then."


    "Are you a senior, or you are the main one."


    Qiao Xiucai is a polite word. He is only in his thirties, he is already a scholar, he may be able to raise a scholar in the future, but He Xiucai is already an old man, the possibility of being selected is very slim. That''s why it was obvious that He Xiucai was the main one, but when Qiao Xiucai spoke, He Xiucai didn''t interrupt him, and didn''t even blame him for taking the lead.


    This is the way of the imperial examination, which pays attention to qualifications and seniority, but also pays attention to potential.


    Talents like Yang Zhong who fail the exam all their lives will be old boys when they grow old. However, if one can pass the examination as a scholar, even if one is over half a hundred years old and the other is a young man with a weak crown, they can still be on equal footing and be friends with each other as peers.


    It''s like Xue Qingshan is about to call himself a junior in front of Qiao Xiucai, and he can only accept Qiao Xiucai''s embarrassment to him. Although Qiao Xiucai gave He Xiucai too much courtesy, He Xiucai put him first in words and deeds.


    Few of the people present understood these principles, but Xue Tingxiang did, which made him even more determined to be a scholar.


    "Where are you two in your studies now?"


    "I have finished studying the Four Books, and now I am diligently reading the "Book of Songs" among the Five Classics." Xue Juncai answered first.


    He Xiucai set his sights on Xue Tingxiang.


    He pondered for a while, and said: "After studying the four books, I can only read them, but I can''t understand them."


    He Xiucai didn''t say anything, but Zheng Lizheng said in confusion, "If I remember correctly, you and the talented boy Kaimeng came one after another. How could you have fallen behind so much in your studies?"


    Xue Tingxiang remained silent, but Xue Qingshan''s eyebrows twitched.


    He planned to copy all the books he had memorized, because he found a problem. Since he had that dream, ''Xue Tingxiang'' had more and more influence on him, including the impact on his own memory.


    Especially all the books he has learned since he was a child. He had flipped through the memory of that dream before, and he had memories of some bibliographies in elementary school and even college, but his memory was extremely vague, and many of the more detailed things had been forgotten.


    He thought about the reason, and felt that "he" seemed to be very disgusted with the memory of studying hard in the cold window, so he always adopted an evasive attitude. In addition, the Xue Tingxiang in the dream has lived for more than seventy years. Since he passed the Jinshi examination, he has been obsessed with officialdom battles, but he doesn''t care about his own knowledge.


    After so many years, his memory is more about the ups and downs of the officialdom, the various forces in the party struggle, and the speculation of the people, rather than the original essence of a scholar.


    Seriously speaking, ''Xue Tingxiang'' is not a real scholar, he is just a politician.


    But obviously he doesn''t need these things now, as if a young child has a sword, he knows the significance of these things to his future. But today a young child needs nothing more than a piece of clothing, or just food and clothing.

 Chapter 93

    As for the headache, even the doctor couldn''t tell what the cause was.


    After sending the doctor away, grandmother Zhao slapped her face on the spot.


    She looks like she is in her fifties, with her gray hair neatly tied behind her head. With a long face, the eyelids are a little sunken, and when the face is pulled, it becomes a triangular eye, which looks particularly unfriendly.


    Without Mrs. Zhao''s words, Mrs. Sun said: "Zhao''er, it''s not that my fourth aunt is talking about you, you girl likes to make a fuss. Could it be that you deliberately torment us all, even if you don''t like it..."


    Before she finished speaking, she was pulled by the man Xue Qinghuai.


    "Okay, let''s say a few words less, Zhao''er is not ignorant, besides, the dog is already sick, so it''s better to find a doctor to take a look, and the family can rest assured."


    "I said less and said less, and I didn''t say anything..."


    "You also said..."


    The couple went out while chatting and tugging. The eldest aunt Yang smiled at Zhao''er, and then said to the mother-in-law: "Mother, let''s go too, let the dog rest well."


    Mrs. Zhao glanced at the dog on the kang, snorted coldly, turned her head and left. It can be seen from her posture that she is very angry.


    In fact, it is true. The Xue family can''t be called a rich family. It costs at least one or two hundred dollars to invite a doctor from the town. ! In particular, the doctor''s pulse just now confirmed Zhao''s guess that Xue Gouzi was deliberately pretending to be ill, and it was only strange that she was happy.


    Let Mrs. Zhao see that the two little boys in the second room are deliberately torturing the family, but since the eldest daughter-in-law has come forward to persuade her, Mrs. Zhao will naturally not say more.


    Generally speaking, among the three daughters-in-law of the Xue family, Yang is the one who wins Zhao''s heart the most. The eldest has an unusual status, and Zhao is willing to show the eldest daughter-in-law some face.


    After Mrs. Zhao and Mrs. Yang left, only the third uncle Xue Qingbai and the third aunt Zhou were left in the house. The two were not used to talking much, and they didn''t stay long, Zhao''er thought that the third uncle had worked hard just now, so he sent the two of them out with a smile.


    When he turned his head and came back, he saw Xue Gouzi lying on the kang with his eyes open, his eyes staring blankly, as if he had lost his mind.


    She didn''t think much about it, she came to the side of the kang and patted his head: "Dog, don''t think too much, they don''t believe that you are sick and have a headache, sister believes you. Take care of your illness and don''t think about it anymore. "


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her, his mouth was dry and his throat was tight: "Zhaoer..."


    "What''s wrong? Is there something uncomfortable?"


    Feeling these undelicate but very warm hands touching his head and face, Xue Gouzi had a sense of reality and gratitude that he had never had before.


    She wasn''t dead, and neither was he.


    Although he didn''t like some of her daily actions, and even hated her as his child bride-in-law, but he never thought of letting her die, so how could he be the one who killed his wife and son.


    But Xue Gouzi was still very flustered, because that dream was too real. After going through that dream for more than seventy years, it seemed that he had also experienced that life. But after waking up from the dream, the vicissitudes of life have changed, and he dare not look back.


    "Zhaoer..."


    "Why!"


    "Zhaoer..."


    "Um."


    "Zhaoer..."


    A hot stream suddenly flowed out unconsciously from the dry eye sockets.


    This scared Zhao''er quite a bit, and he didn''t care to think that the little man would never call her that, let alone let himself get close to him. He hugged his head into his arms and asked him anxiously up.


    Seeing that he didn''t speak, but just buried himself in his arms and cried, Zhao''er couldn''t help but wonder if those people made him think too much just now. According to Zhao''er, the little man has a lot of things on his mind, and he never speaks out, otherwise he wouldn''t have this serious illness.


    She patted him on the back, hugged him like she did when she was a child, and comforted him: "Don''t be afraid, dog, even if they don''t send you to study, sister will send you there, and sister will send you even if she sells everything." go."


    *


    After all, Xue Gouzi had just recovered from a serious illness, and after experiencing such an incident, he fell asleep after drinking some porridge for dinner.


    Zhao''er covered him with a quilt before tidying up the basket she had just brought back.


    The back basket is full of needlework and cloth, which are rags that Zhao''er bought in the embroidery workshop in the town. The reason why I started this business was because I used to recruit children to carry the finished purses for the women in the village to sell in the embroidery workshop.


    There is no adult in the second room. Although the family is in charge of eating, after all, the pen, ink, paper and inkstone used by Xue Gouzi to study, as well as the clothes, bedding and some odds and ends of the two people on weekdays, etc., all need money.


    Wanting to ask for money from Mrs. Zhao is more expensive than ascending to the sky, and although the uncle Xue Qingshan is determined to treat his nephew as if he were his own, but Zhao''er usually only sees the big family''s child with greasy lips, and Xue Juncai never Lack of pens, ink, paper and inkstones. In contrast, the little man was as thin as a bamboo pole, and he picked up a bald pen that Xue Qingshan didn''t use back then.


    Zhao''er has always been a strong one, she couldn''t bear to wrong the little man, so she could only find money everywhere by herself. There was no opportunity to make money in the countryside, so she went to the town to look around, as long as it was within her power and did not require capital, she would try to do it.


    In the past few years, she has collected vegetables from the village and sold them in the town, picked up work from the embroidery workshop and assigned them to women with good craftsmanship in the village, and usually went to the mountains to find mountain products to sell.


    And now this business has been done several times, Zhao''er has a sweet mouth and a thick face, the boss of the embroidery workshop can''t hold her back, so he sells the unwanted rags to her in bags. She took it back, sorted and cut it, and then asked the women in the village to help make purses and other things, and she could earn a lot of money by reselling them in the embroidery workshop. It is much better than before just receiving the purses made by others, and earning a penny for a few purses.


    If he hadn''t made some money by doing this business, he didn''t know when Xue Gouzi would recover from his serious illness. Mrs. Zhao would have given up the money to get the medicine for a long time ago, and Zhao''er used his own money to catch the medicines later. I still have to hide it, for fear that other members of the Xue family will find out.


    Thinking of this, the corners of Zhao''er''s mouth tightened.


    She has always been agile in her hands and feet, and seeing that she picked out some usable cloth heads, she stopped tossing about. I chose clean ones and spread them out on a square table, and cut these strangely shaped cloth heads into a uniform shape with scissors.


    This is Zhao''er''s own calculation based on how much fabric is needed to make a purse, no more and no less, she will not take out these rags for people to see.


    It is not easy for country people to earn a penny. If someone finds out, the designated way to earn money will be robbed within a few days.


    Zhao''er also wants to use this to make money for the little man to go to the town to study, so that she can only go to see Xue Jun, and her little man can also go. Zhao''er has always been prepared with both hands when doing things, and she knows in her heart that the big house will never let such a good thing happen to the little man.


    It is better to ask for others than to ask for yourself, and it is better to rely on yourself than to rely on mountains and rivers.


    Zhao''er has understood this truth since she was seven years old when she was going to be exchanged for money by her grandmother and father.


    After Zhao''er finished what she was doing, seeing the little man was fast asleep, and seeing that it was already dark outside, she wrapped the tidy cloth in something, and hurried out with it.


    Under the night, Yuqing Village was exceptionally peaceful, and the light silver moonlight shone on the trails in the village. Although the road was still unclear, it was not completely dark after all.


    Zhao''er walked all the way and didn''t even startle a dog.


    This is not an ability that ordinary people can have. You must know that in places like the countryside, almost every household has a dog. Dogs are very alert at night, and whenever someone walks past the door, they bark wildly. Even if a petty thief came to the door, he would have been scared away by the dog long ago.


    Zhao''er also developed this ability after walking a lot at night.


    Of course, it was also related to the sunspot following her legs.


    Heizi is a country dog, but it is stronger and bigger than ordinary dogs. There are not many dogs in Yuqing Village that can beat Heizi, and it is because of Heizi that Zhao''er dares to walk alone at night.


    She went all the way to a family''s house with ease, and it was strange that the other party knew that she would come at this time and left the door open for her. As soon as she entered the door, the family''s dog rushed over. Before she could reach her, a black shadow rushed over and threw the other person to the ground. The dog was so frightened that it fell on the ground and stopped barking.


    Zhao''er gloated at the side: "I don''t have a long memory!"


    At this time, a person came out of the house, and he smiled as he walked up to the front: "This black man is here to bully our family Wangcai again, Zhao''er, come in and sit down."


    "Aunt Osmanthus, I won''t go in, I''m still rushing back."


    Zhao''er handed over the things in his hands to the visitor, took some things from the other person, wrapped them in cloth, and then went to the next household.


    Zhao''er went to five families.


    She is anxious to make money, but there are few women in the village who are good at needlework, and she needs to find someone who is tight-lipped and reliable. shit money.


    The reason why she said that was because when she collected vegetables from the village and sold them in the town, she was publicized by people who didn''t know the door, causing her to be pointed at all day long. She was not afraid of being pointed out, but these things finally reached the ears of the little man, and some villagers made fun of him, which caused a lot of conflicts between her and the little man. And after that, she won''t receive any vegetables in the village, even if someone sells them to her, it will be at a high price.


    In the end, she had no choice but to go to other villages to collect vegetables. It was not a waste of time. Since then, Zhaoer has developed a memory.


    When Zhao''er came home, Xue Gouzi on the kang was still sleeping soundly.


    She went to get some water to wash her face and wipe her hands before getting on the kang. The second room only had this kang, and she had slept with Xue Gouzi since she was a child, and she was used to it.


    Heizi slept under the kang, just now when he invited his son into the house, he slid in at his feet and chose a random place to lie down. It seems that the dog''s eyes have been closed, but in fact the two ears are standing up, and they move from time to time.


    Before Zhao''er lay down, she bullied herself over to look at the little man, and touched his forehead, before falling asleep in peace.


    *


    Compared with the second room because of the sparse population, there are only two rooms and one kang, the treatment of the first room is obviously much better. The entire three east rooms were occupied by the big room, and at this time in the east room, Mrs. Yang was talking to Xue Qingshan.


    Yang narrated what happened during the day, Xue Qingshan immediately frowned after listening.


    He was not at home during the day, so naturally he didn''t know what happened at home. Nowadays, some respectable families will invite scholars to preside over their weddings and funerals, but where rural families can afford to hire scholars, some will invite children to make up the number.


    No matter how they are all scholars, they are different from ordinary people.


    Today, Xue Qingshan was invited by a family in a nearby village to have a wedding. It doesn''t matter what the etiquette is.


    But the people in the countryside are poor, so the happy money will not be too much, at most a few tens of pennies.


    Xue Qingshan likes this kind of work the most. Every time at this time, he will randomly assign articles to memorize for the students in the school, and then go out for a whole day, and no one will say anything. What he likes is not only having money to take, but also when this time is his happiest time.


    He was sitting in the position of the guest of honor, and the men who came to have a wedding banquet were all proud to have a conversation with him.


    He is the master of Tongsheng!


    Of course, it would be even better if Tongsheng could be replaced by a scholar, Xue Qingshan would have dreamed of it. But for so many years, he has more or less self-knowledge, so he can''t help pinning his hopes on his son.


    It''s a pity that someone is blocking this way now.


    Xue Qingshan drank a lot of wine, his chubby face was flushed, and he was holding his breath in his heart, so he spit and scolded: "What kind of moth is this son of a bitch, I really want to open a dyeing workshop just to give him some color. !"


    Yang sighed faintly: "Who told you that you agreed to the second child so easily at the beginning, but now it''s hard to get off the tiger because of our talents."


    "In that situation back then, the second child seemed to be honest, and he wanted to accompany his elder brother when he was about to die. If I knew that he was paying attention that day, I would have found a way to shut him up, but so many people I was present, and the accident happened because of me, if I don''t even agree to this matter, how can I gain a foothold in front of others."


    Of course, Mrs. Yang knew this truth, but she couldn''t calm down. Just because of that bullshit promise, Da Fang kept her hands tied. Her son wanted to go to the library to study, but he had to hide and beg the other party to show his respect.


    She was always proud and arrogant, so naturally the more she thought about it, the more annoyed she became, her eyes sparkled, but she sneered on her face: "Because he fell ill suddenly, originally Dad planned to make decisions for us, so we can only endure it. But he has been sick for these days, and today he has such a scene, and my mother is already annoyed. I asked the fourth daughter-in-law to tell my mother that the dog is probably pretending to be sick. I think my mother has already decided that he is pretending. sick."


    Xue Qingshan''s eyes lit up: "That''s good, I''ll go talk to my parents tomorrow and let them put this matter into practice." He put his arms around Yang''s shoulders with a smile, and said: "My wife is smarter. , Prepared a backhand early."


    Yang gave him an angry look, and the two of them rested together, without speaking for a whole night.


    It is the time of spring plowing, and the plan of the year lies in spring. If you are lazy at this time, you will cry when the grain is harvested in autumn.


    Zhao''er woke up at this hour on time, and opened his eyes to find that the little man was still asleep.


    Not long after she fell asleep yesterday, the little man developed a fever again. After being busy for most of the night, luckily the fever subsided in the middle of the night.


    She sat up, raised her hand to touch the little man''s forehead, and made sure that her hands were not hot, then put on her clothes lightly and got off the kang.


    The first thing to do was to open the door, and Heizi, who had been restless for a long time, got out with a swish. Zhao''er also walked out of the room, seeing Heizi hurriedly running out of the courtyard to pee, she shook her head with a broken smile.


    At this time, someone has already got up in the courtyard, it is the Zhou family of the third bedroom and his eldest daughter Xue Tao''er.


    Today it''s the third room''s turn to cook. The Xue family''s rule is that apart from the housework of each room, the work in the office is shared equally. One day per room, in rotation.


    The room responsible for cooking is not only responsible for the food and drink of the whole family, but also takes care of the livestock in the family. The Xue family raised two big fat pigs, and it was not an easy job to just serve these two ancestors every day. Not to mention feeding chickens, carrying water, and chopping firewood, so the female family members who do housework on this day do not have to go to the fields to work.


    It seems to be fair and just, but in fact everyone inside knows how.


    The eldest aunt Yang claimed that the man was a child student, and she was exceptionally superior at home. Since Xue Qingshan passed the child student examination, she never touched housework again. The key is that Mrs. Zhao is also looking towards her, so it''s not easy for others to question her.


    At first, it was Xue Gouzi''s mother, Mrs. Qiu, who finally came in, the third-bedroom Mrs. Zhou, and the two sisters-in-law finally shared the burden. Afterwards, Mrs. Qiu followed her deceased husband, and Mrs. Zhou was left alone. It was not until Mrs. Sun of the fourth room entered the door that she would be able to catch her breath again.


    It''s a pity that Mrs. Sun is lazy and playful. In fact, Mrs. Zhou still does most of the work.


    In the past, when Mrs. Qiu was still alive, Zhao''er also helped Mrs. Qiu to do it. After Mrs. Qiu passed away, Zhao''er was busy with the housework of the second room and had to do the work in the office. In addition, Zhao''er was still young at that time, Mr. Xue told her to take good care of Xue Gouzi and not to take care of the work at work.


    Zhao''er now has free time to go around and get some money, but she is a person who looks at her conscience and will help out as much as she can in her spare time. As for those who used words to squeeze her like Sun, her sharp tongue was not forgiving.


    Seeing Xue Taoer struggling to fetch water from the well, Zhao''er rubbed his face and went up to help her.


    Thirteen-year-old Xue Taoer is like a small flower in bud. Although she is not very beautiful, she is very delicate. Seeing Zhao''er coming to help her, she couldn''t help showing a smile and talking to her: "Sister Zhao''er, is the second brother better?" Xue Gouzi is the second grandson of the Xue family, so Xue Taoer called him the second brother .


    "I had a fever again last night, and it got better in the second half of the night." Zhao''er looked around curiously, and asked, "Why isn''t Third Uncle here?"


    Although Xue Qingbai is a bit honest and reticent, he always loves his wife and daughter. Whenever he meets the third room to cook, he will get up early to fill the water tank.


    The Xue family has its own well, but the well is too deep, and there is no pulley on the well, so it is really exhausting to draw water with the strength of the daughter''s family alone. That is to say, Zhao''er was naturally as strong as an ox, and his strength was no worse than that of ordinary middle-aged men, so he could pull the bucket out of the deep well very easily.


    "My father went to the field and said he would work for a while and return after breakfast."


    Xue Qingbai is an honest farmer. Unlike other brothers in the family who have other skills, he only knows how to farm, so he puts all his heart on the ground. The Xue family has a total of more than 30 mu of land, and now he, Mr. Xue and the fourth son Xue Qinghuai are all planted.


    Although the women of the Xue family also went to the fields, it was only during the busy farming season, and besides, the women only had so little strength, so how could they help. Fortunately, the three men from Xue''s family are all good hands in the field, and they are really too busy, so they hired part-time workers to help out for a few days, so they don''t have to worry about not being able to finish the work in the field.


    Just as he was talking, the door of the fourth room opened, and Xue Qinghuai walked out from inside.


    The men in the Xue family are all big, so Xue Qinghuai also inherited a tall body.


    He was born with thick eyebrows, tiger eyes and a high nose bridge. He was dressed in dark blue coarse cloth and short brown, and looked very heroic. In fact, the men of the Xue family are not bad looking, but the women of the Xue family are a little mediocre, but all the grandchildren are born well, and they are all top-notch in the village.


    "Zhaoer Taoer, you wake up so early." Xue Qinghuai walked over in a few strides, took the wooden bucket in Zhaoer''s hand, walked to the water tank, and poured water into the tank.


    "How can you two little girls do this kind of rough work? You go to do other things, and the fourth uncle is here to fetch water."


    Zhao''er and Tao''er didn''t refuse either, one went to the kitchen to help her mother cook, and the other took a basin to scoop up water for washing.


    As time passed, the rest of the Xue family got up one after another, and there were more and more voices in the yard. On the other side of the kitchen, Mrs. Zhou yelled to eat. Generally, country people don''t pay much attention to breakfast, and they have to set a table or something. They always serve a bowl with a bowl, and eat it at any place.


    Breakfast is two rice porridge, the so-called two rice porridge is porridge cooked from two kinds of rice. Yuqing Village does not grow rice, but only wheat, sorghum, millet, corn and other crops. Although farmers grow wheat, they seldom use it for their own food. They sell it for other grains.


    Even a well-to-do family like Xue''s family with surplus food did not eat fine grains all at once, but a mixture of coarse grains and fine grains. For example, today''s breakfast is two-rice porridge, which is a porridge cooked with millet, that is, yellow rice, and sorghum rice.


    Because it was a busy time of farming, it was cooked quite thickly. Although it didn''t hold up with chopsticks inserted, it was much better than the usual thin soup with little water.


    There is no way, the Xue family seems to have a decent family background in the village, but there are three scholars in the family. Not to mention Xue Gouzi, Guangda Fang and his son spend a lot of money every month, and it''s no wonder that Mrs. Zhao usually can pick up fleas to get a little blood.


    Zhao''er filled two bowls of porridge, put a few cornbreads on a thick porcelain plate, and put some pickles on the side, and took them back to the second room''s room.


    As soon as he entered the door, he saw Xue Gouzi sitting up from the kang.


    She hurriedly put the wooden tray on the square table, and came up to see him: "But he''s better? Are you hungry? Sister will bring you some porridge."


    Xue Gouzi looked at her with complicated eyes.


    After experiencing such a dream, he now doesn''t know how to face Zhao''er. As long as he saw her, he couldn''t help but think of him in his dream, those words scolded by others before he died. He also tried to find the cause of Zhao''er''s death in his memory, but it seemed that that memory was Xue Tingxiang''s most unbearable past, and he had no memory at all.


    In fact, Xue Gouzi was burned in a daze last night, and Xue Gouzi thought for a long time. He couldn''t figure out whether he was Xue Gouzi or Xue Tingxiang, whether that dream was true or not, whether he was thinking about it every day and dreaming at night , to have such an absurd dream.


    However, he also had an idea in his heart. If everything in that dream was true, several things should happen in succession. If these things happen, it means that his dreams are real.


    Thinking about something in his heart, he reached out to catch the bowl, only to realize that he didn''t even have the strength to hold the bowl. Luckily, Zhao''er caught the bowl quickly, so he didn''t spill it all over him.


    Xue Gouzi was a little embarrassed and anxious. It was very strange, obviously he would not have this kind of reaction in front of Zhao''er before, but I don''t know if it was a dream, and his state of mind had a strange change.


    Zhao''er laughed at him: "Why are you being polite with my sister? I forgot that when you were a child, you peed on the kang, and it was my sister who washed it for you."


    Zhao''er came to Xue''s house when he was seven years old, and Gouzi was only five years old at that time. It is very inexplicable for a child to pee on the kang. It is obvious that he has not urinated for a long time. I don''t know if he drank too much water before going to bed or what, but he actually peed on the kang.


    Since Qiu gave birth to the dog, her bones were not good, and it was winter again. In order to repay the kindness of the second wife, Zhao''er volunteered to wash the dirty clothes and pants for the dog. Since then, she started her career as a child bride.


    What Xue Gouzi hates the most is Zhao''er. He always likes to say inconspicuous things in front of him. You must know that as you get older, boys will lose face, how can you still be willing to listen to people mentioning such things, especially dogs are naturally sensitive. But today for some reason, he didn''t feel annoyed, only a little embarrassed.


    He was surprised by his own reaction, but Zhao''er had already fed him porridge with a wooden spoon. He subconsciously opened his mouth, and waited until the warm porridge blown by her was fed into his mouth, and he saw the smiling eyes of the other party.


    Those eyes were big and bright, as if there were stars hidden in them, and he couldn''t help but blush.


    Zhao''er smiled even more happily, and stuffed him with a tortilla: "Eat quickly, sister will cook eggs for you at noon."


    She was coaxing him like a child, Gouzi suddenly had this understanding.


    He was eating porridge from Zhao''er, thinking wildly in his mind, it was very chaotic.


    Just then, someone came to the door.


    It was Xue Qingshan.


    Exactly the same as in the dream.


    Xue Qingshan''s fair face was full of sighs and worries, he sighed and said a lot of words, the main idea was to let the dog recover well, don''t worry too much, there are grandparents and uncles at home, he can''t lose him.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Qingshan also followed the appearance and height of the man from the Xue family. He was also a weed in Yuqing Village in his early years, but unfortunately he got a little fatter as he got older.


    "Uncle still has to go to the private school, dog, take care of your illness, you are a child with a lot of thoughts." Sighing and patting his nephew on the shoulder, Xue Qingshan lifted the curtain and left.


    What is he doing?


    Zhao''er thought suspiciously. After thinking about it for a while, she couldn''t figure out why, so she stopped thinking about it and concentrated on feeding the dog porridge, but Xue Gouzi looked thoughtful.


    *


    In the main room, Mrs. Zhao is chatting with Mr. Xue about what happened yesterday.


    Mrs. Zhao was sewing an old dress in her hand, and said, "Let me tell you, you just like to spoil that little thing. You love him, but he doesn''t love you. Our family''s money doesn''t come from the river, just Because he didn''t want to show his illness to the whole family, he made a fuss after another, which is to make the family upside down."


    Mr. Xue was in his fifties, tall and tall, and his skin was black and red like that of a countryman who had been exposed to the sun for a long time. He was wearing dark blue coarse cloth pants, sitting cross-legged on the Kang, smoking a dry cigarette.


    Every time after dinner or before work, Mr. Xue always smoked for a while, otherwise he would feel exhausted.


    "Okay, Gouwazi is sick, who doesn''t have three illnesses and four pains." After a while, he said hoarsely.


    The patter, patter sounded again, and the lingering blue smoke swirled in the air, and then scattered in all directions. Behind it, the old face of Mr. Xue was hidden, looming.


    "But look how long he has been in trouble? Yesterday, more than one hundred coins were lost. How long will it take you to work hard in the field to earn more than one hundred coins! Boss has to leave another two hundred coins. It is said that someone in a classmate¡¯s family had a birthday, and there was a disaster just last year, and the tax was not exempted, but increased. Seeing that the boss said that he wanted to send Juncai to the town to study, it was another expense. How much money do you have? Withstood such a toss!"


    Seeing that his wife was so distressed, Mr. Xue sat up straight, tapped the cigarette pot on the kang table, and gave her a sideways look: "Your heart will be distressed if you spend a hundred yuan for a dog, and you will give it if the boss asks you for it? Not me Speaking of you, you are a parent and grandmother, so don''t be too biased, you don''t have to make the following little ones have conflicts."

 Chapter 94

    A big Kang, two quilts, one for each person.


    But Zhao''er couldn''t sleep today, and when she came back from the main room, she was a little excited.


    She rolled over and over again.


    "You do not sleep?"


    It is reasonable to say that they would not rest so early, but today both of them have been busy all day, so they turned off the lights after recruiting children to go to the kang. However, there is a moon outside, and you can still see clearly in the room.


    Zhao''er sat up halfway, and moved to Xue Tingxiang''s side.


    "Dog, tell me what you meant when you scolded that old killer just now?"


    Zhao''er knows how to swear, and has sweared before, but he has never seen such a method of swearing. Yang Zhong was furious because of the swearing, and Xue''s family didn''t even know how to persuade him. From Zhao''er''s point of view, isn''t this the culmination of swearing, can you swear without uttering dirty words?


    She wants to learn this method, it will come in handy sometime.


    Xue Tingxiang turned over and gave her a backbone.


    Zhao''er poked his shoulder with her finger: "What''s wrong? Why are you angry again?"


    He didn''t move, and she moved closer.


    The two of them were only separated by one person, and they wore thin clothes when they slept. Zhao''er leaned over, even though Xue Tingshan had his back on his back, he could still feel a wave of hot air rushing towards him, mixed with a wisp of faint fragrance.


    There was a strange softness slightly attached to his shoulders, Xue Tingshan''s back was stiff, and she heard her say on top of her head: "Don''t take that old killer''s words to heart, it''s not that I said uncle and aunt are too narrow-minded." It¡¯s too much, and even made such a fuss, do you really think that grandpa will regret it? Even if the family doesn¡¯t say anything, there are still so many people watching outside, so don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll go to the school to make a decision.¡±


    She was very close to him, and the heat of her words sprayed on the tips of his ears, making him shiver again and again. At the same time, a hot numbness rushed from the tips of his ears to his neck, causing waves of unconscious trembling.


    His breathing was a little tight, and he couldn''t help turning over.


    Zhao''er was still talking, and she didn''t expect that he would turn over suddenly, and his face just crashed into her arms.


    Xue Tingxiang''s brain went blank for a moment, and he subconsciously fell backwards. It is obvious that it is about to leave at the touch of a touch, but it clearly feels a suffocating softness, and there is something faintly raised.


    He recalled some situations in the dream, and he only felt his nose was hot, as if something flowed out.


    "Are you alright?" Zhao''er heard a thud, saw him motionless, thought that something was wrong with him being bumped, hurriedly leaned over to look at his face.


    "Why are you panicking! Really. Come on, let me rub it for you."


    He covered his nose with one hand and pushed her with the other: "I''m fine, it doesn''t hurt." He quickly turned over and said falteringly: "It''s getting late, go to sleep."


    "You haven''t told me what you mean by that!"


    "It doesn''t mean anything, just let him take a pee and take a picture of himself!"


    "Ah?!" Zhao''er was stunned, and said after a while, "So that''s what he meant, then you just let him take a pee and take a picture of yourself, and you said so much."


    Seeing that he didn''t answer himself, Zhao''er sat for a while and then lay down.


    "Okay, go to bed now, I won''t disturb you anymore."


    *


    Yang Zhong stayed at Xue''s house for one night and left the next day.


    Because it was rushing to the busy farming season, the Xue family resumed their usual work, and no one mentioned the previous incident, as if nothing happened that night.


    Everything is so busy yet full of peace.


    On this day, Xue Tingxiang and Zhao''er went to town early in the morning.


    Different from the past, today Xue Tingxiang wore new clothes.


    The clothes were brought out overnight by Zhao''er, because Boss Chen said that he would take Xue Tingxiang to Qingyuan Academy. This trip is very meaningful, so naturally it can''t be as casual as before.


    The gray-blue cotton gown was made by Zhao''er after imitating those school shirts in the town. Although the style is simple, it looks extraordinarily straight and docile after being washed with starch. Although Xue Tingxiang is thin and thin, his shoulders are flat and his back is straight. Wearing this student shirt, he has a particularly graceful temperament.


    When they arrived at the place, Boss Chen took Xue Tingxiang out, while Zhao''er stayed at Dongliju.


    The two of them went all the way to the east of the town, the more secluded they became as they went outside, and after walking for almost a cup of tea, they saw a building with white walls and black tiles standing at the end of their line of sight.


    Seeing Xue Tingxiang''s gaze resting on the building, Boss Chen said: "That is the Qinghe Academy." After a pause, he raised his hand and pointed to a building not far behind the Qinghe Academy: "That is the Qinghe Academy. Academy."


    The two walked forward and passed Qinghe Academy, and saw that this academy was really extraordinary. The whole building exudes a magnificent temperament, the gate tower stands majestically, with a few golden characters "Qinghe Academy" written on the door plaque, and the two black-painted gates are closed tightly, with a look of repelling people thousands of miles away. momentum.


    "It''s too late for you to regret it now." Boss Chen said.


    Following the sound of talking, the two of them crossed the Qinghe Academy, only to see the obviously much dilapidated small courtyard not far away.


    The small courtyard is rigorous and simple, with clear water and white walls, and gray and black tiles. Even the door plaque is much smaller than that of the Qinghe Academy, with a few simple big-character books on it¡ª¡ª


    Qingyuan Academy.


    Obviously, no matter where you look at it, it is not as good as the Qinghe Academy, but standing under the square door plaque and looking at the words on it, Xue Tingxiang felt a peaceful and peaceful atmosphere.


    "Since the kid is here, I don''t intend to regret it."


    Boss Chen glanced at him appreciatively, and went to call the door.


    Not long after, an elderly Zhaifu opened the door from the inside.


    He seemed to know Boss Chen, and he led the two of them in without asking too much.


    This school may not seem big, but it is actually small but well-equipped. It is the same as a general school. After passing the screen wall, there is a lecture hall on the central axis. There are two houses on the left and right sides. The temple on the left is built to worship the saint Confucius, and the house on the right is the place where the gentleman sits and rests and collects books.


    After the lecture hall, there must be a shooting garden, a hall, a kitchen, etc. Xue Tingxiang knew the layout without looking. Because in his dream, he studied in Qinghe Academy for several years, but Qinghe Academy is much more spacious and grand than Qingyuan Academy.


    Boss Chen led Xue Tingxiang to the right side of the house with ease, and when he reached a wing room, he straightened his clothes and sleeves, and then brought Xue Tingxiang in.


    This wing room is furnished in a simple and elegant way, and there is a large painting on the central hall facing it, on which are written the words ''peace and distance''. Standing in front of the words was a thin middle-aged man, wearing a dark blue scribe shirt and a square scarf.


    When he heard the movement, he turned around, and saw that he had long eyebrows, a thin face, and a few strands of beard. Judging from his appearance, he is a very serious and rigid person, but his eyes are calm and deep, obviously a person of great wisdom.


    This person is Lin Miao, the owner of Qingyuan Academy.


    "Brother Anqi, I''m here to bother you again." Boss Chen cupped his hands with a smile.


    "The good brother of Mo."


    Lin Miao smiled, obviously he had a good relationship with Boss Chen. After the two exchanged pleasantries, Boss Chen pointed to Xue Tingxiang and said, "This is the young man I told you about."


    Lin Miao looked over.


    Obviously Xue Tingxiang has extensive knowledge, and he has never seen any kind of person in that dream, even the Ninth Five-Year Master, he has seen several, but there is an inexplicable sense of awe.


    "Boy Xue Tingxiang, I have met you." He clasped his hands together and bowed in salute.


    Lin Miao nodded: "Since you''re here, stay here. The school will open in ten days, so you can just come here when it''s time."


    "Mr. Xie."


    Boss Chen glanced at Lin Miao, as if he wanted to say something, seeing this, Xue Tingxiang tactfully said that he was going out for a walk, so he avoided going out.


    After Xue Tingxiang went out, Boss Chen said: "Brother An Qi, don''t you believe in the eyes of a younger brother? I have observed these days, and this son has a calm mind, is diligent and hardworking, and is quite talented in reading. He only needs one A good teacher, if there is a good teacher to guide, I think the future will be limitless in the future."


    The reason why Boss Chen said that was because Lin Miao''s performance was too plain. He originally thought that Lin Miao loves calligraphy, and after reading Xue Tingxiang''s calligraphy, and his lobbying, he should accept him as a student no matter what.


    This student is different from the students in the academy, and can be regarded as a student entering the room. As the saying goes, a teacher for a day is a father for life. A young child has more than one teacher from the beginning of school until he passes the exam/fame.


    When you start learning, you are called a teacher, that is, a teacher of enlightenment. The karma teacher is the teacher who teaches the karma, also known as the scripture teacher. Those who teach their work must pass on their scriptures, and those who pass on their scriptures must educate their people, so a teacher is extremely important to a student. There are also human teachers and seat teachers, which will not be mentioned here.


    As for what Boss Chen said about "accepting students", the teacher is more like a combination of a professional teacher and a human teacher to students. He not only needs to teach them, but also teaches them the principles of life, which is different from treating ordinary students. The teacher has to cultivate it carefully, and it can be regarded as inheriting his mantle.


    Of course, students have to pay relatively, and they must truly be teachers for one day and fathers for life. This kind of relationship is not father and son, but victory is father and son, which is very popular among scholars today. The intertwined relationship among scholars in Shilin was laid on this basis, and gradually developed into a towering tree.


    Lin Miao laughed: "You really value him very much."


    Boss Chen sneered: "If I didn''t miss you, you would think that I have the time to meddle in your business. Don''t forget the October competition, if Qingyuan Academy loses again this year..."


    Boss Chen didn''t say what he said next, but Lin Miao understood what it meant.


    He sighed softly: "Everything is determined by God, if it is the case in reality, you can''t force it."


    Boss Chen repeatedly shook his head and stomped his feet and said, "Oh, I''m not talking about you. Your temperament is the most troublesome. You talk about the way of a gentleman with others, but others never follow you. Year after year They were all defeated by that villain, and now there are no good seedlings who are willing to come here to study, what should we do in the long run."


    "Brother Mo Zhi, you don''t understand."


    "Yes, yes, I don''t understand, I just know that if this continues, the reputation of the Qingyuan Academy will be lost in your hands."


    After finishing speaking, both of them were silent.


    Lin Miao looked tired, and Boss Chen seemed to know that he had made a slip of the tongue. He slowed down his tone, and said, "I can''t do anything about you. Anyway, I brought him for you. I''m really optimistic about this child. As for the rest, you can figure it out yourself."


    Lin Miao nodded: "Brother Mo Zhi, thank you in advance for my brother, but the matter of accepting apprentices will be discussed later. Don''t worry, he has entered the Qingyuan Academy, and I will teach him carefully."


    Boss Chen also understood where his heart knot was, and he didn''t force it. The two chatted for a while, and Boss Chen said goodbye.


    When Boss Chen came out of the wing, Xue Tingxiang had just returned.


    He was taken by Zhaifu to wander around the school, and he could see that the school was a bit old, and the paint on many buildings was peeling off, but every flower, plant and tree could be seen to be elegant.


    It''s like a place to study, unlike the Qinghe Academy, where there is a smell of copper everywhere.


    The two left hand in hand, Xue Tingxiang asked Boss Chen about Shu Xiu on the way.


    After asking about it, I found out that the repairs at Qingyuan Academy are very cheap, apart from the usual six rites of apprenticeship, only one tael of silver is needed a year.


    As for the usual etiquette of filial piety, it only depends on family background and intentions, and it doesn''t matter whether you give it or not. In addition, regarding the dormitory study, you can choose to do the dormitory study or not, but you must come to the morning study every day. As for meals, you can choose to bring your own rice, or you can choose to pay a certain amount of money every month and have it supplied by the school, both of which are debatable.


    It''s not like the Qinghe Academy that requires students to live in dormitories, just to charge the expensive accommodation and meals.


    According to Boss Chen, in the past, when the Qingyuan Academy had court subsidies, the annual tael of silver was not collected. It was only later that the subsidies were lost, and the gentlemen and handymen in the academy had to support their families before they were charged. Silver taels.


    Boss Chen sighed in his tone, and Xue Tingxiang also sighed in his heart.


    In his dream, ''Xue Tingxiang'' had been studying in the Qinghe Academy for three years. If he had known about the existence of this Qingyuan Academy, Zhao''er would not have been so busy for his training. It would not be so desperate to give up, and he would not waste three years in Qinghe Academy.


    Fortunately, the reality and the dream finally deviated, and the inexplicable Xue Tingxiang felt relieved.


    That''s right, it''s a big deal and she loses. She just needs to find money for him to study. Wasn''t that the plan? !


    Thinking of this, Zhao''er suddenly thought about it, and said: "Then prepare well, win if you can, don''t be afraid if you can''t win, at worst, sister will find money for you to study."

 Chapter 95

    That''s right, it''s a big deal to lose, she just needs to find money for him to study. Wasn''t that the plan? !


    Thinking of this, Zhao''er suddenly thought about it, and said: "Then prepare well, win if you can, don''t be afraid if you can''t win, at worst, sister will find money for you to study."


    Zhao''er has never been a person who likes to ask for troubles. She turned her head and saw that the cow dung in the house hadn''t been cleaned up, so she went to find a brush to clean the kang, and then went out to get a broom and a dustpan to sweep the floor.


    Chickens clucked and clucked outside, but it was Mrs. Sun who slaughtered the chicken and made it run away.


    Xue Tingxiang looked out the window, and saw that the chicken''s neck was still bleeding, but it was running around in the yard, and Sun followed behind in a panic.


    Seeing that she was really in a bad shape, Mrs. Zhao came out of the room and said a few words. Mrs. Sun was even more anxious, and knew that she was really ashamed in front of the patriarch, but the chicken had wings, but she didn''t. It was only when the chicken lost its strength that Mrs. Sun grabbed it and cursed, "Run, run, run, it''s destined to be a dish in the pot, where are you going?"


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t look any further, and turned his gaze away.


    He knew why his uncle was so generous, and proposed to let him compete with Xue Juncai, because if there were no accidents, Xue Juncai would definitely win this match.


    In that dream, he had suffered such a loss, but it was not compared with Xue Juncai, but Zhao''er worked so hard to get money and sent him to Qinghe Academy. At that time, he was so stupid that he always blamed his own failure on the harshness of fate, thinking that it was not that he could not do it, but that everyone did not give him a chance.


    When he first entered the Qinghe Academy, he was full of ambition. He thought that he would definitely surpass Xue Juncai and prove that he was the most outstanding person in the Xue family, but the reality slapped him hard in the face. It was also at that time that he, who had never seen the world, understood the sinister intentions of his uncle. He did teach him to read, and he did ''read'' a lot of books, but he just read and didn''t understand the meaning of the scriptures.


    It was later learned that after schoolchildren learn to read, they use reading scriptures as the basis.


    First learn "Three Character Classic", "Hundred Surnames", "Thousand Characters", and then "Thousand Family Poems", "Children''s Learning Qionglin", "Longwenbianying", etc. After reading these, you can enter university and start Study and read the Four Books and Five Classics, etc.


    But at this stage, the teacher does not explain the meaning of the scriptures, that is to say, he just memorizes them by rote, clarifying the meaning of the words but not the meaning of the scriptures. Because people nowadays are used to thinking that children are just learning, it doesn¡¯t matter whether they understand it or not, as long as they remember it, and when they read a lot or for a long time, they will understand what it means.


    This is the so-called reading a thousand times, and its meaning is self-evident.


    When you can recite all these books fluently, and when you can learn to interpret the scriptures, you will get twice the result with half the effort.


    This time-saving, labor-saving and effective teaching mode is popular throughout Dachang, ranging from famous families to low-level sociology and village studies, and many of them are like this. This is especially popular in rural private schools, because there is only one teacher in the school, but it is not realistic to teach several or even dozens of people to explain the scriptures.


    But in fact, aristocratic families with some background would never teach their children this way. Because this teaching mode blindly emphasizes rote memorization, but ignores the truth that the classics are natural and logical.


    This is the pros and cons that ''he'' analyzed from the perspective of the overall situation after standing in the position of chief assistant.


    But at that time, he had just entered the library, because his uncle delayed explaining the meaning of the scriptures for him, and he didn''t understand that there was still a theory of explaining the scriptures. So when he first entered school, the teacher asked him if he had read it, and he replied that he had read it, but he couldn''t understand the scriptures.


    But now, it seems that the uncle is also aware of his own shortcomings, so he deliberately proposes this match, but in fact, he has already planned it, and he is destined to lose.


    Unfortunately, there was an accident.


    *


    Because there were guests at home, except for Mr. Xue and Xue Qingshan and his son, everyone was busy.


    After eating in the main room, the kitchen will start cooking other people''s lunch.


    During the period, Xue Taoer was also ordered to drink. There was wine and meat at the banquet in the main room, and the men exchanged glasses, and there was no way to see that there was any cleverness in the usual times. Especially Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng, the two drank very affectionately, and in the end they both got a little drunk.


    "Okay, don''t send it off, you''ll be there soon." Patriarch Xue waved his hand.


    After sending everyone out of the courtyard, this side started to clear the table and prepare meals. Mrs. Zhao originally wanted to take away the leftover meat and vegetables, but was stopped by Mr. Xue, saying that he was adding vegetables to everyone. People in the country are not rich, and it is commonplace for distinguished guests to leave and eat leftovers.


    The adults are all fine, Shuanzi and Maodan are eating deliciously.


    Zhao''er wanted to take the meal back to the house to eat, but was stopped by Xue Tingxiang, the two just kept their heads down and ate as before, without saying anything.


    Xue Juncai gave Xue Tingxiang a disdainful look.


    He had just accompanied Xue Qingshan to the table, and naturally he ate a lot of good food on the table, seeing that Xue Tingxiang could only eat leftovers, he was naturally full of sarcasm.


    He remembered what his father said to him before, Xue Gouzi would never win him.


    Thinking in his heart, he looked away, and said to Mr. Xue who was on the kang, "Grandpa, I''m going back to the house to read."


    Mr. Xue nodded. He also drank a little too much before, and now he is leaning on the kang smoking a cigarette to hangover.


    "Dog, eat more, brother is still waiting for you to beat me in five days." Xue Juncai suddenly said this when passing by Xue Tingxiang.


    Zhao''er immediately stood up and stared at him: "Can you talk? You''ve read the dog''s stomach after so many years of reading."


    Xue Juncai didn''t expect Zhao''er to show him such shame, his gentle face flushed red, but for some reason, he glanced at Zhao''er and held back.


    Mr. Xue shouted: "Juncai go back to the house!"


    Mrs. Zhou also hurriedly stood up to persuade Zhao''er, that''s all.


    After dinner, the two went back to the second room, and Zhao''er was still angry: "Don''t be angry, dog. When sister earns money, I will take you to the house and won''t be with them anymore."


    Xue Tingxiang was a little moved, but at the same time a little helpless: "You called me a dog again."


    Zhao''er groaned, then smiled and said: "I forgot, it won''t be like this in the future."


    Naturally, he couldn''t be angry with her, and then Zhao''er took the two clothes she changed yesterday and went out to wash, while Xue Tingxiang turned over the "Children''s Learning Qionglin" again.


    Looking at the book in his hand, which was transcribed on the worst bamboo paper and the footers were worn away, Xue Tingxiang felt a little worried. He actually didn''t want to read books, but Zhao''er couldn''t help but think that he should read more books now, and only by reading more books can he win against Xue Juncai more confidently.


    Little did he know that this book was different from the book, and it was useless to just read this book, but he would not tell her about it.


    He dug out the bamboo paper that Zhao''er bought for him from the kang cabinet. The cheapest bamboo paper cost 40 cents a knife. Such ''expensive'' paper was barely enough for practicing calligraphy. Even so, he is very precious at ordinary times, and he is reluctant to use it at all. If he can write on the sand, he will write on the sand, and if he can''t use the sand, he will write on the desk with water.


    Xue Tingxiang touched the stack of yellowed bamboo paper and sighed in his heart.


    ''Xue Tingxiang'' usually uses the highest quality Chengxin paper, so at this time he feels a little disgusted with the things that are usually precious.


    He spread out the papers on the kang table, stacked several sheets, and then cut them into the size of a book with a bamboo knife. In order to make room for the edge seam, he left some leeway and cut a thick stack before he found the inkstone with a corner missing and the ink ingot that had been used up and only a small piece remained.


    These are treasures that he is reluctant to use at ordinary times, but Xue Tingxiang doesn''t feel this way at all today. He added water to the inkstone, and then took the ink ingot to grind the ink, while grinding, he was thinking about something.


    After grinding the ink, he put the bald hair brush in the water bowl and wet it to clean it. After dipping in enough ink, he picked up the pen and wrote something on the paper.


    After writing a few words, he suddenly put down the pen, lifted the paper to look at it, and suddenly crumpled it.


    Mingming''s handwriting is fairly neat. Although he usually saves paper and ink, but because of years of hard work, his handwriting is not bad, but for some reason he just doesn''t like it.


    He closed his eyes slowly, calmed down for a while, and opened them again after a while. At this time, there was no one in the room, and anyone who was there could see a gleam of light flashing in Xue Tingxiang''s eyes. At the same time, his movement of grasping the pen was fast and steady, and with the help of a god, he wrote a series of small characters on the paper in a short time.


    These small characters suddenly became Yan style, then turned into pavilion style, and then turned into thin gold style again. At first, they were both tangible and boneless, but as they were written, their taste changed.


    The face and body are square and dense, the brushwork is thick, straight, open and full of vigor. That pavilion is physically strong and graceful, as if it was carved out of a block. And the thin gold body, the gold hook and iron painting, is full of arrogance, and the strokes are as sharp as cutting gold and jade.


    These three characters represent the whole life of ''Xue Tingxiang'', from the Yan style learned at the beginning of school, to the Guange style studied painstakingly for the imperial examination, to the thin gold style of the official residence.


    And so he wrote, oblivious to himself. Zhao''er came in during the period, but he didn''t dare to disturb him, so he quietly sat down on the edge of the kang.


    After writing for an unknown amount of time, he suddenly let out a long breath and put down his pen.


    He wrote two full sheets of paper.


    At this time, Xue Tingxiang had to admit that the magic of heaven was just a dream, and he actually possessed some of the things that he had in the dream.


    From the moment this dream appeared, Xue Tingxiang had been thinking about why he had such a dream. Now he understands, maybe he just wants him to make up for all the unsatisfactory dreams.


    And possessing everything of the "him" in the dream, he suddenly had great ambitions, and a surge of arrogance lingered in his heart.


    "I''m tired of writing, drink some water."


    Zhao''er brought water, Xue Tingxiang took it, and drank it in one gulp, it was very sweet.


    Only then did he lower his head to look at what he had written, and he actually spent two sheets of bamboo paper. Probably because Zhao''er was by his side, he suddenly remembered that she used to save money to buy paper for him, and felt a little distressed and guilty. He glanced at her and said in a low voice, "I actually wrote so much."


    How could Zhao''er not understand what he was thinking, so he chuckled and said, "Not much, not much, only two sheets. Paper is for use. I told you not to save paper a long time ago. It is used up. Let''s just buy it again."


    "I want to transcribe this book, so I try to write first, so as not to waste paper."


    "What book do you want to copy? Can you copy books too? Don''t you buy them?" Zhao''er was puzzled.


    Xue Tingxiang sighed in his heart. He really felt that he was really stupid before. He would rather borrow books from his uncle every time, or memorize them by rote, and never thought of copying books.


    Nowadays, the books sold in bookstores are rarely printed and expensive, so an industry of copying books has emerged. In this way, not only some poor scholars can get some money in exchange, but also those who want to buy books but suffer from poor pockets can get cheap.


    Of course, this copying is not something that can be done casually, it needs to be written very well.


    Xue Tingxiang boasted that his handwriting was not bad. Back then, many people begged for his calligraphy. Now that he needs a book, why can''t he copy it himself.


    the most important is--


    He glanced at Zhao''er.

 Chapter 96

    It was just right to meet someone at this time, her second sister might not have time to see her if it was too early or too late, and she would have to wait for a long time.


    Zhao''er came all the way to the south of the city, before entering the archway where Shen''s house was located, he saw the two large flags more than five feet high erected in front of Shen''s residence.


    This is the Jinshi Jidi Banner, which can be set up only if someone in the family has won the Jinshi.


    This fame flagpole is divided into two structures, the flagpole sandwich stone and the flagpole.


    The flag buckets on the flagpoles are also exquisite. If you have a serious background in the imperial examination, you can set up two flagpoles for the flag buckets if you are a Jinshi in the imperial examination. If it is the number one scholar, it will be a three-dou flagpole, and if there are high-ranking members of the third rank or higher in the clan, four dou can be set up.


    There are two big flags in front of Shen''s house, one is three buckets, the other is four buckets. In other words, the Shen family once had a number one scholar, and had an important minister in the court.


    Zhao''er, a country girl, knows this because her second sister told her when she came to visit her.


    The main entrance, the side entrance, and even the corner entrance are not accessible to Zhao''er with her status. She made a long detour before arriving at the back entrance of Shen''s residence.


    The back door was ajar, and Zhao''er didn''t dare to rush in, so he knocked on the door respectfully.


    The door opened with a creak, and a round woman came out from inside, and asked her, "Who are you looking for?"


    This old lady is just a doorkeeper, but she is also wearing satin gowns and jewelry on her ears and hands, which is enough to show the wealth of the Shen family.


    The Shen family is indeed rich, and in this Xia County, it can be said that they are stomping their feet, and the county is about to tremble three times. The Shen Mansion here is the ancestral home of the Shen family, except for the Shen family''s uncle and second master who are officials outside, the rest of the Shen family live here.


    "Mother-in-law, I''m looking for Sulan. I''m her younger brother. I''m here to see her."


    This woman''s attitude is not warm, but she is not as inferior as a dog''s eye. At least from this trick, it can be seen that the rules of the Shen family must be very strict. She asked Zhao''er to wait, then closed the door and went inside.


    Zhao''er waited for a long time before the back door opened again, and a very beautiful woman came out from inside. I saw her radiant skin, phoenix eyes and vermilion lips, wearing a water-red jacket and a moon-white pleated skirt. A head of black and thick long hair was simply tied up in a bun, with a golden hairpin inserted into it.


    Obviously the clothes are ordinary, and the hair accessories are also ordinary, but wearing all these on her body gives her a sense of beauty that no one else has. Her chest is bulging, but her waist is very thin, she has a good figure.


    This person is Zhao''er''s second sister Wang Zhaodi, but she changed her name to Su Lan in Shen''s residence.


    Zhao''er couldn''t help frowning, since the last time she saw her second sister, her second sister has changed a lot. Not only the material of the clothes, but also the jewelry on his body, his complexion and even his figure have changed a lot.


    She was a little panicked, grabbed Su Lan, and went to the corner where no one was around.


    "Sister, did you really do it?"


    Seeing her younger sister frivolously wrinkling her sleeves, Su Lan asked impatiently, "What can I do or not?"


    "It''s that, that..." Zhao''er hesitated for a while, and then said with a blushing face: "You can''t really be the housekeeper for the sixth young master, right?"


    The corners of Su Lan''s eyes twitched, and the corners of her mouth twitched: "Why do you care about these things?"


    "Sister!" Zhao''er couldn''t help stamping her feet.


    Su Lan looked at her younger sister, and remembered that she was sold by her family back then. Only the third younger sister, Zhao''er, found out her whereabouts from the matchmaker, and walked all day and night to see her by herself. At that time, she was full of panic, Zhao''er''s appearance made her know that she was not alone, and that no one would know that she would not die in this mansion, and she immediately softened her heart.


    She sighed lightly: "Didn''t I tell you before, I won''t go out of the house to go through that kind of hard life. Although I am a housekeeper now, but the sixth young master promised me that when grandma came in, I would give it to me." An aunt will do it."


    Zhao''er was so surprised that she couldn''t believe it. She knew it already, but she was still shocked when she learned from the second sister that she really did such a thing.


    For the first time in her life, she didn''t know what to say, so she hesitated for a while and said, "That''s it? If you treat someone like a child, you will be bullied by the big wife."


    Zhao''er''s only cognition told her that when she was young, she had few days to live comfortably.


    What the younger sister said made Su Lan feel extremely uncomfortable, and she waved her hand nonchalantly. On the snow-white and slender jade fingers, there is a golden opal ring on it, which exudes a faint light and is dazzling in the sun.


    "You don''t understand, and you don''t have to be afraid of me being bullied. As long as the sixth young master is on my side, even if the sixth grandma comes in later, she won''t dare to bully me."


    "Can¡­¡­"


    "Okay, don''t talk about me, your little husband has recovered from his illness? It''s not that I said you, it''s better for you to come into the mansion to be a girl to be my company than to stay in that house and exhaust yourself .Which woman is looking for a man who is not looking for someone who can protect herself. You are fine, but you are working outside to earn money to support your family.¡±


    "Isn''t he still young? Besides, sister, it''s not like you don''t know. If it wasn''t for my mother and father, I''m afraid I would have been sold somewhere long ago. You were lucky enough to be sold into Shen''s residence. But there are also those who are unlucky and sold into that dirty place."


    Su Lan pressed her bright red lips tightly and did not speak.


    She was sold into Shen''s residence back then, it was not explained by good luck.


    In the sparkling eyes of the phoenix, all kinds of light returned to silence. She let out a breath and scolded: "That''s why I don''t want to see you the most. Every time you come, you make me angry and make me troubled."


    Zhao''er kicked the pebbles under his feet: "I just thought I haven''t seen you for a long time, so I came here to have a look at you."


    "How are you doing? The Xue family didn''t make things difficult for you, right? Just wait, when my sister becomes the sixth young master''s aunt, whoever bullies you in the future, I will help you deal with him."


    Zhao''er heard it warmly in her heart, and couldn''t help leaning over, hugging Su Lan''s slender waist coquettishly: "Sister, don''t worry, I''m so aggressive, who dares to bully me. You don''t know that the Xue family is such a moth." too much¡­¡­"


    She recounted what happened to Xue''s family recently.


    The corners of Su Lan''s mouth curled up when she heard this, and she said sarcastically: "So this is the human heart. Don''t try to test the human heart, it will usually disappoint you. Don''t rely on others, what you hold in your hands is the truth."


    Su Lan is a bit extreme, but Zhao''er knows why the second sister is like this. In fact, occasionally she will be extreme, but she rarely speaks out.


    "Then what do you do now? If your little man really loses, then he won''t be able to go to school? Have you ever thought about this matter, if you win, if you lose, it will be hard for the two of you The Xue family has a foothold."


    Of course Zhao''er understood this truth. She stood up straight and smiled: "Sister, I know. Don''t worry, I plan to find another way to do business. At worst, the two of us will be alone. Dog likes to learn, so let him learn." , until I can''t afford it anymore."


    Su Lan poked her forehead with her jade finger, hating iron and steel: "You still can''t confess, how old are you? After a day of good life, I think I can''t confess. Come on, don''t tell me The second sister doesn''t feel sorry for you, I have someone I know who is the third shopkeeper in ''He Rongsheng'', if you go to him, he can at least find a way for you to make some money."


    ''Herongsheng'' is the name of the pawn shop, there are many branches in Binh Duong Province, and there is one in Huyang Township. Zhao''er usually comes and goes in the town, so he has naturally heard of this name.


    "This is the Shen family''s business with Rongsheng? Sister, how do you know the three shopkeepers?"


    Su Lan''s eyes flashed a hint of complexity, and she said impatiently: "Don''t worry about it, you can go directly to a man named Shen Ping. Well, I won''t tell you anymore, the sixth young master will have lunch later Now, I have to go and wait, lest those little hoofs rush to the front to show courteousness again."


    After a pause, she took out something from her sleeve and stuffed it into Zhao''er''s hand: "Take it, it doesn''t matter if you really lose, let''s do it by ourselves first. The Shen family''s genealogy is famous in the whole Pingyang Mansion. Sister will become an aunt in the future, and see if I can ask the Sixth Young Master to let your little man come in as a companion or something. I really owe you in my previous life, and I have to worry about everything."


    Su Lan''s figure quickly disappeared through the door.


    Zhao''er stood where he was, looking down at the silver ingot in his hand. After a long time, Fang grabbed it tightly and left.


    *


    Zhao''er didn''t know where He Rongsheng in the county was, she had inquired along the way.


    When we got there, it was a coincidence that the third shopkeeper named Shen Ping was there.


    Shen Ping is a very young boy with a good appearance, very mature and stable. He was wearing a dark blue straight gown, and looked about twenty years old, but he did not expect to be the shopkeeper of a pawnshop.


    When he heard about Zhao''er''s purpose, his eyes flashed: "You are Zhao''er, I heard your sister said about you."


    Zhao''er didn''t expect that the second sister would tell Shen Ping her name, and she smelled something unusual. While speaking, Shen Ping had already led her in.


    "When your sister told me about you before, I was thinking about what kind of business would allow you to do it for a long time. After thinking about it, I think selling old clothes is quite suitable for a girl like you."


    The second sister even told her gender to the other party''s surprise, it didn''t last long, Zhao''er''s attention was attracted by Shen Ping''s words.


    "What is selling used clothes?"


    "You should know what a pawnshop is for. This pawnshop accepts everything, and you can pawn anything. The current period is divided into dead pawns and live pawns. If it is a live pawn, it means that the other party will come to redeem it. If it is a dead pawn, it means that the things are not needed. Of course, there are also those who do not redeem their living debts within the time limit, and naturally they become death debts.


    "These things are accepted by the pawn shop and exchanged for money to the owner. Naturally, they will be resold. For example, some old clothes that come from pawns are directly sold to embroidery workshops or garment shops. If you are willing to do this business, you can buy them from Take some old clothes here and sell them back."


    Following Shen Ping''s narration, Zhao''er''s eyes flickered again and again, and he asked, "Then I don''t know what the price is? Is it calculated on a piece-by-piece basis, or what? Since it''s an old clothes, surely it won''t be as expensive as a new one, right?"


    Shen Ping glanced at her: "You are very smart." He turned around and went to layman: "Come with me, I will take you to have a look."


    Zhao''er followed him all the way back, the yard behind the pawn shop was huge, it looked like it was a warehouse.


    On the way, he met a lot of people in pawnshops, and they were all respectful when they saw Shen Ping. Zhao''er followed him to a warehouse, but neither of them went in. A man who looked like a buddy dragged a large bag of things out, and opened the door in front of it.


    This big bag is full of clothes, some are worn out, some are 80% or 90% new, and some are even brand new. It seems that they have not been worn twice. The texture of the clothes is also various, some are made of cotton, some are made of silk, some are made of silk, but they are all of good quality, anyway, they are better than the coarse cloth clothes Zhao''er is wearing.


    "These are usually mixed together, because they are collected at a low price, so the asking price is not high. If you give me two taels of such a bag of clothes, it will be yours."


    Zhao''er couldn''t see through her eyes. In order to make sure that the business could be done, she went up to check it out.


    Such a package of clothes, at least a hundred pieces.


    Even if a piece of clothing sells for 20 Wen, it is enough for her to pay back. And some clothes are sold for more than twenty yuan just based on her visual inspection. What can be done with twenty renminbi, at least six or seven feet of cloth is needed to make a suit of clothes, and the worst cotton cloth is seven or eight renminbi.


    Not to mention that there are some good fabrics in it, and even some cotton clothes, even if you don''t sell them, you won''t lose money if you wear them yourself.


    In fact, her subtext was just to say that she was afraid that others would bully Xue Tingxiang, and no one present could hear it.


    Mr. Xue stared at her. Now he really doubts that all this was made by this girl. He knew that Gou''er child was a bored gourd, why didn''t he go to the grave early and complained that he would not go later, but why did he go at this time.


    Thinking of all the disobedient things this girl did in the past, Mr. Xue felt disgusted in his heart. But he also knew that now was not the time to vent his anger, but to settle the matter.


    "Since you want to listen, then listen." The tone was the same as before, but anyone could hear the dissatisfaction in his voice.


    Zhao''er couldn''t hear it, so he stood aside.


    Seeing this, Mrs. Sun hurriedly dragged Xue Qinghuai to stay.


    "Since Zhao''er has stayed, let''s stay and listen too." She laughed along with her.


    Mr. Xue was immediately furious: "Since you want to listen, stay and listen."


    So everyone stayed, including the four-year-old Mao Dan, and even Mrs. Zhou, who was busy in the kitchen, stayed behind under the guise of cleaning the table.


    In the huge main room, only an oil lamp was lit on the square table. The wick was jumping and shadowy, and everyone''s eyes were on Mr. Xue. But he suddenly didn''t know where to start. He looked around everyone''s faces with heavy eyes, and finally fell on Xue Tingxiang''s face.


    "Actually, it''s nothing. I just want to talk about what the boss said a while ago that he wants to send the child to the school in the town."


    Zhao''er was inexplicably nervous, and couldn''t help but glance at Xue Tingxiang, and then went to see Mr. Xue.


    Dafang and his wife were overjoyed, they knew this would happen, and it was not in vain for them to swallow their anger for many days.


    Xue Qingshan couldn''t hide the joy on his face, he looked at Xue Tingxiang with pity and compassion, then looked at other people, and finally fell on Xue Tingxiang.


    "Dog, don''t be discouraged. You are still much worse than your talented brother. You will study with uncle for another two years, and then the family will send you to the town to study."


    This kind of tone was too stinging at this time, Zhao''er had a sneer on the corner of his mouth, and wanted to say something, but was pulled by Xue Tingxiang.


    Xue Qingshan took all of this into his eyes, and satirized in his heart, no matter how difficult this girl''s film is, she can only embarrass others on these trivial things, and it still doesn''t work when it comes to big things. He smiled, and said to Zhao''er: "Zhao''er, don''t be angry, uncle knows that you are high-minded, but high-mindedness can''t be eaten, don''t you?"


    No one in the room said anything.


    At this moment, Mr. Xue suddenly said angrily: "Boss, what are you talking about!"


    Xue Qingshan didn''t take it seriously: "Father, I''m not trying to persuade the dog not to be discouraged..."


    Old man Xue''s beard was shaking with anger, and he pointed at him with a cigarette pot: "You need to persuade, the one who is going to study in the town is not a handsome man, but a dog!"

 Chapter 97

    "Su Lan?" Shen Fu was at a loss for a moment, but it didn''t stop him from thinking more: "I didn''t expect that Chief Xue actually took a fancy to the maid in my house, but I met him by chance before, and I can''t forget it when I saw it. Only after inquiring did you find out that they are from my Shen family?"


    Xue Tingxiang smiled wryly, and said: "Third Young Master misunderstood, this person is Zhuo Jing''s own sister, and also the liaison of the Sixth Young Master of your mansion."


    There was a smile on Shen Fu''s face, but the smile gradually disappeared.


    "Is it such a coincidence?"


    "I also hope that the third son can be accommodating, but he is just a little maid, and he can be dealt with on both sides. It is better to let people live, which is worse than the seventh-level Buddha."


    Shen Fu looked at him: "The chief of the case Xue knows quite a lot."


    Xue Tingxiang arched his hands, still smiling wryly: "This time I came here with Zhuo Jing because I wanted to redeem my sister and go back. Zhuo Jing''s life was bitter, and she was separated from her sister in the early years, and now they are on their own. Naturally, I want the family to be reunited. Who would have thought that such a thing would happen, and only after many inquiries did I know some of the inside story."


    Shen Fu pondered for a while: "If it''s an ordinary maid, Xue Anshou has opened her mouth, so it''s nothing. But this maid''s status is extraordinary, but I can''t make decisions at will."


    Xue Tingxiang could actually see that Shen Fu''s attitude had faded, but the reservedness of the children of the aristocratic family kept him somewhat decent.


    This pondering is just for show, not because of his small status as the head of the case, but because of the previous appreciation, and also because he wants to let him retreat in spite of difficulties, don''t make more entanglements, so as not to hurt each other''s face .


    If Xue Tingxiang is sensible and borrows the donkey from the slope, both sides will be safe. Please the third son''s favor, leave a piece of incense, and it will be cheaper in the future. It should be known that Shanxi is the territory of the Shen family, and the benefits are extraordinary, but Xue Tingxiang has a reason to insist.


    He secretly sighed inwardly, cupped his hands and said: "Third Young Master, is it embarrassing because of Uncle Shen''s entry into the cabinet? Entry into the cabinet is a major national event, so we shouldn''t waste too much trouble on a little maid."


    "You, what do you know!" Despite the calmness on Shen Fu''s face, a little tea in his hand spilled out, enough to show how shocked he was inside.


    He put the teacup aside and stared at Xue Tingxiang closely, the hand that was soaked in tea was clenched behind his back.


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t seem to see these tricks, and looked down at the tea ceremony in his hand: "Chaozhong now has Wu, Chen, Shen, and Mo as four pillars. It seems that Wu is powerful, but it is not. The Wu family has created the Wu Pavilion. Lao, who is in the limelight at the moment, no one dares to take advantage of him, but you must know that he also has a fatal weakness."


    "What weakness?"


    Xue Tingxiang smiled: "Third Young Master, the one I want."


    "you--"


    After a long while, Shen Fu said: "I want to change someone in just one sentence, Xue Anshou''s business is too shrewd."


    "I guarantee that this sentence will make your Shen family members have no worries about joining the cabinet, and you don''t have to bow to the Wu family."


    Shen Fu changed his previous leisurely attitude and stared at Xue Tingxiang closely.


    Xue Tingxiang smiled lightly, as if telling him that what he heard was not an auditory hallucination. Obviously he is just a country boy, but at this moment his sharpness is not weaker than Shen Fu''s, and Shen Fu is even at a disadvantage.


    After all, it was the Shen family who wanted something from others. If you don''t want to be strong, the ancients are sincere and do not deceive others.


    In fact, this incident was nothing more than a member of the Shen family, and he didn''t want to show weakness to the Wu family from the bottom of his heart. A wealthy family like the Shen family looks down on a businessman like the Wu family. It''s also because the Wu family''s background is not enough, no matter how powerful Wu Ge is now, the real family will look down on him.


    But the reality was somewhat cruel, causing the Shen family to bow their heads. If it wasn''t for being aggrieved, disdainful, and sincerely trying to curry favor with the other party, it would be impossible for Shen Liu to have a roommate, and it would be impossible for Shen Liu to make such a big fuss. It''s just a dispute between each other through a family affair between children and family.


    Wu Ge''s old man was narrow-minded and deliberately made things difficult, but the Shen family was stubbornly resisting.


    From a small point of view, it is to deal with a Tongfang and the unformed fetus in that Tongfang''s belly. From a large point of view, the two sides may have fought each other countless times, but it ended in the defeat of the Shen family.


    "How do I know if what you said is true or false?"


    "As a student, deliberately playing tricks on the third son, didn''t the old birthday star hang himself?"


    Shen Fu stared at him and said, "I''m a little curious, how did you, a country boy, know about these important affairs in court?"


    From then on, Shen Fu ordered people to investigate Xue Tingxiang''s affairs, and finally revealed it in front of people without any concealment.


    In fact, Xue Tingxiang was not surprised, maybe the lawsuit made Shen Fu say that out of sympathy. But he won three cases in a row, which is enough for him, a ''country boy'', to gain a place in the eyes of the Shen family.


    Perhaps all of these are complementary, the people behind Zhou Zuoxin are the Shen family, and the same is true for Su Youjian. Xue Tingxiang took advantage of Zhou Zuoxin''s emergence to arouse the ideas of the Shen family, and even winning the first place in the college examination is enough to prove the attitude of the Shen family.


    This was Xue Tingxiang''s own plan, but he played tricks and took advantage of the situation to make a profit, but he didn''t intend to make any substantive returns. And this incident with Wang Zhaodi was an accident. Originally, according to his plan, he wanted to hide for a few more years, but now he showed his edge ahead of time.


    It is conceivable that there will be many unnecessary troubles in the future.


    "Students naturally have a channel for students to know, so it''s inconvenient to tell the third son here."


    Sure enough, as soon as these words came out, Shen Fu naturally thought of Beilu Academy, Lu Huanqing, and Lin Miao took Xue Tingxiang to Beilu Academy before the college examination.


    Could it be that this was awarded by Lu Huanqing? You must know that Beilu Academy has never been involved in anything in the court, and this is the real reason why Beilu Academy and the Shen family can coexist in one place in Shanxi.


    Shen Fu had various calculations in his mind for a moment, and now his interest in getting that sentence from Xue Tingxiang''s mouth diminished, and he paid more attention to the relationship between Xue Tingxiang and Beilu Academy. Knowing this, Lu Huanqing must have appreciated him very much, and he might be the key cultivation target of Beilu''s generation.


    Also in Shanxi, the Shen family still has a better understanding of Beilu Academy''s consistent style of doing things. Although the Beilu lineage never meddled with the affairs of the court, they never gave up on the people who placed themselves.


    A servant girl is exchanged for an opportunity, and then for a love affair with Beilu. Shen Fu is not stupid, this account can still be understood.


    Even if what this kid said was false, they still had to reach an agreement with Mr. Wu Ge, and they could just find someone to replace them. What the other party wanted was not this person at all, but the Shen family''s attitude.


    Let the Shen family bow down to him.


    All of a sudden, various thoughts flashed through Shen Fu''s mind, and he laughed loudly: "Okay, I promise you."


    "Thank you, Third Young Master."


    Shen Fu is quite decisive and knows how to behave. Xue Tingxiang didn''t let Xue Tingxiang tell him that at all, so he ordered someone to bring Su Lan here.


    Not long after, the servant came back, but he hesitated and looked embarrassed.


    "What''s the matter? It''s okay to say it." At this moment, Shen Fu and Xue Tingxiang, after bargaining before, were talking happily. The servant showed such an appearance, with Shen Fu''s identity as a person, naturally he wouldn''t make any secrets.


    "Third son, Na Sulan has been drugged."


    There was a thud, but he had been standing outside to see that something was wrong, so he couldn''t help but get closer to hear some words, but he never thought of the trick of hearing this kind of news.


    Zhao''er fell hard, country folks are used to falling when they were young, but this time he fell to the ground and couldn''t get up. Xue Tingxiang hurriedly went over to pull her, but couldn''t pull her up, so she went to hug her again, and then picked Zhao''er from the ground.


    Zhao''er''s eyes were straightened, and she couldn''t speak. Xue Tingxiang felt distressed and patted her: "Don''t panic, even if you drink the medicine, you may not die. Let''s take the second sister to her right now." go back."


    "That''s true!" Shen Fu sighed, and hurriedly stood up: "You all come with me."


    *


    As early as she was locked up, Su Lan knew she had lost the bet this time.


    It is self-evident what will happen to a broken Tongfang being sent away. Dirty, broken shoes, she can''t get married. Even if anyone would want her, they would be widowers or disabled.


    With Su Lan''s heart, how could she allow herself to fall into such a situation, so she took a risky move.


    She thought she could succeed, not to mention the sixth young master, even if the old lady hated her, she would definitely not be willing to bear this child.


    If she can stay, she still has room to stand up, but unfortunately there is no if.


    Sure enough, you are born with a humble life, so you shouldn''t think about the glory and wealth that doesn''t belong to you.


    Su Lan sat silently in this small room, eating when she was asked to eat, and sleeping when she was asked to sleep. She heard the whispers of those girls, but she was indifferent.


    If she cared about people''s words, she would not be here now. What is a face? As early as she took that step, she lost her face.


    The sixth young master came once and again, but Su Lan didn''t listen to what he said. From her point of view, the sixth young master is good-looking, noble, and good in everything, but this temper is a bit weird.


    Ever since she was imprisoned here, Su Lan seemed to have foreseen her own ending, so she lost the heart to please and flatter her in the past.


    Just do what you want, Su Lan doesn''t think the Sixth Young Master cares much about her, he only cares about opposing her family. After being the sixth young master''s maidservant for so many years, Su Lan is quite aware of this master''s temperament. The more the elders above want to suppress him, the more he wants to resist, but usually the final result ends in failure.


    And it won''t be long before he will find another thing to continue fighting against the Shen family.


    "You are an evil born to fight against your family!" The old lady would sigh like this every time, but she was the one who loved the sixth young master the most.


    It was the old lady, not the sixth young master, who Su Lan had hoped for from the beginning to the end, so when the old lady said to lock her up, it meant that there was no room for change.


    Just when Su Lan thought she was going to be locked up forever, the door was suddenly opened.


    A lot of sunlight invaded this dark inner room, there was a rustle of clothes corners rubbing and footsteps, Su Lan looked up, the old lady was the leader, and there were many, many people.


    These people have different gazes, but they all cast compassionate gazes.


    Pitiful!


    so poor!


    When she was dragged away by Ren Yazi, the surrounding villagers also looked at her like this. From that moment on, Su Lan decided that she would never let herself be pitiful.


    She thought of Zhao''er, that idiot younger sister, who seemed shrewd, but was actually the stupidest.


    In fact, Su Lan wanted to tell Zhao''er many times that people can live better without conscience, but every time she sees her little sister, she can''t say such words.


    She also wanted to say that men only love when they are older, and when will such a small man know that he loves you? By the time you know that you are loved, maybe you are already old, and people will change to love others.


    Su Lan can''t say all this, it''s fate, at least the younger sister is better than herself, even if it''s a little bit hard, she can be safe and sound.


    I hope that kid isn''t ungrateful, otherwise she won''t be able to let him go even if she''s a ghost!


    A woman has already brought up a bowl of medicine, the bowl is thick and black, exuding a bitter taste. Su Lan smacked her mouth and said, "You don''t have to be so cruel, do you?" She looked at her mother-in-law with some distaste: "Can you bring me some caramel?"


    The mother-in-law was stunned, she had never seen such a person again, she was going to die, and she still had to eat candy.


    "Such a bitter medicine, come and try it! I want sweet-scented osmanthus marzipan." Su Lan said confidently.


    The mother-in-law is still hesitating, but the old lady sitting on the arhat bed over there has already said: "Get it for her."


    The sugar was quickly brought and handed to Su Lan.


    A small Ru kiln porcelain plate, with a few pieces stacked on top of it, is honey-yellow in color, with milky white lines of sugar on it, and occasionally dotted with almonds.


    It''s not like candy, but it looks like some kind of jade ornament.


    This is the case with aristocratic families, everything is extremely exquisite and gorgeous, so it is normal to be fascinated.


    The room was silent, and it seemed that everyone''s eyes were on the bowl of medicine and the sugar next to the medicine.


    Su Lan picked up one with her slender fingers and put it in her mouth, she seemed to taste the sweetness twice, then she picked up the bowl of medicine and drank it without any hesitation.


    Needle drop can be heard.


    Su Lan threw the medicine bowl onto the tray carried by the mother-in-law in disdain, she was even more imposing than Miss Qianjin, she waved her hand in disgust to let her go away quickly, and she was smoked.


    The other hand went for the sugar again.


    "Why don''t you leave?" With sweet candy in her mouth, Su Lan looked at the group of people surrounding the Arhat bed. She smiled and said: "I''ve never seen you like this, and you like to watch people die. Old madam, you are quite old, why bother to be serious with yourself."


    The sharpness in her bones was undoubtedly revealed at this moment. You must know that Su Lan is not like this at ordinary times, but now she probably knows that she is going to die, and her true nature is revealed.


    Someone reprimanded Su Lan for being bold, but the old lady stopped her with a wave of her hand.


    The old lady didn''t want to see some death, but she knew that the sixth young master would definitely come. Others can''t stop him, only her old bones can stop him.


    With the sound of kicking the door, a man in gorgeous clothes swept in like a tornado.


    After entering, he first looked at the medicine bowl, and then looked around at everyone in the room.


    "You are so kind, so kind!"


    There was another bang, the sound of him flipping the table over. He overturned the table and went to smash the antiques on the shelf. Almost in the blink of an eye, the room became a mess, with constant crackling noises.


    Apart from Su Lan in the whole room, probably only the old lady remained indifferent, the other servants seemed to be standing obediently, but the brows and the corners of their eyes were twitching wildly.


    There was another oppressive silence, only the sound of Sixth Young Master panting heavily.


    "Have you smashed it?" The old lady said: "If you smash it, go with grandma." She stood up with the help of the dragon''s crutches, trembling, she was getting old after all.


    "grandmother¡­¡­"


    The old lady didn''t speak, and made a gesture to walk outside.


    "Grandmother!" There was another roar, and the sixth young master said with pain on his face: "I''ve had enough, I''ve had enough, I''m not a thing, can you listen to what I have to say? Why do they say what they say? What do they want? So that''s it, why don''t they ask me!"


    "Ah, blood!"

 Chapter 98

    "How can it be done on February 8th? Your car will definitely be used by then. Your Daqing mule is not considered labor? Daqing, look, Brother Jiang Wu said that you are not considered labor, and even your rations will be deducted."


    The mule named Daqing shook his head and snorted, which seemed to mean that if he dared to deduct my rations, I would slow down and let him carry it by himself.


    Zhao''er laughed loudly, pointed at Daqing and said, "Look, even Daqing protested."


    Jiang Wu looked sideways at the girl who was smiling wantonly, with a strange gleam in her eyes. Fortunately, Daqing knew the way and was docile, otherwise he would have ordered all three people in the car into the ditch beside the road.


    Seeing this scene, Xue Tingxiang''s face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.


    He was both annoyed and angry, he actually forgot about Jiang Wu.


    In that dream, Jiang Wu has been coveting Zhao''er.


    Jiang Wu was two years older than Zhao''er, but he never married. If Zhao''er hadn''t been his child bride-in-law, the Jiang family would have come to propose marriage a long time ago.


    Even so, Jiang Wu never gave up, and once even approached him and told him that he wanted to marry Zhao''er, telling him not to be so selfish and letting Zhao''er go free. She also said that she and Zhao''er would support him to study together and treat him like a younger brother, that''s how he knew about it.


    Shocked and annoyed, he also remembered Zhao''er''s reluctance to marry him. He mistakenly thought that Zhao''er had an affair with Jiang Wu, so he borrowed his parents'' orders to forcefully marry her. Later, by chance, Only then did he realize that he had wronged her.


    This matter has always been a scar between the two, even though it was never mentioned again, there is a gap between them. Afterwards, he was busy starting his career, while Zhao''er was busy running business. The two met only once in a long time, and even when they met, they seldom talked again until he went to Beijing to rush for the exam after winning the exam.


    The he in the dream once thought after Zhao''er died, if he hadn''t been so despicable back then and forced Zhao''er by his parents'' orders, Zhao''er wouldn''t have died.


    But this kind of thought is like a superficial thought, it just passed by in a flash. At this time, thinking about it, he is probably despicable in his bones. Even if he is not the Xue Tingxiang in his dream, he never thought of letting him go.


    She was supposed to be his, and when he still half understood, someone would always point to her and say, this is his future wife, isn''t it?


    "Brother Jiang Wu, you''d better look at some roads, this road is uneven, don''t lead us all into a ditch."


    Xue Tingxiang''s voice successfully interrupted the chatting and laughing of Jiang Wu and Zhao''er, as if a very ignorant person suddenly appeared, making the already warm atmosphere suddenly cool down.


    Zhao''er laughed dryly: "Look at me, I was so focused on talking to you about the business that I forgot that you were still driving the car. Fortunately, Daqing is smart, otherwise I would have fallen."


    Da Qing called out, looking very complacent.


    Jiang Wu looked back subconsciously, just in time to meet the young man''s dark eyes. Those eyes made him inexplicably guilty, but soon he regained his confidence.


    He knew that the dogs of the Xue family didn''t like to recruit children, and he also knew that the second bedroom couple of the Xue family originally recruited children as daughters, not child brides. The child bride-in-law was only passed on from the villagers to the villagers, and it became true because of the entrustment of the second wife of the Xue family at the end of their lives.


    Not only that, but he also knew that Zhao''er only regarded the other party as a younger brother, and had no intention of marrying the other party.


    The young man was undoubtedly thin and thin, although he was handsome, there was still a bit of childishness on his face. Such a young man made the strong and powerful Jiang Wu inexplicably feel condescending. He smiled heartily and said indifferently: "Don''t be afraid, you dog, Brother Jiang Wu drives the car every day, and you can walk back with your eyes closed."


    Xue Tingxiang did not speak, but lowered his head with the corners of his lips pursed.


    Seeing this, Zhao''er immediately understood whether the title Gouzi made the little man feel uncomfortable again. But facing Jiang Wu, she couldn''t show a cold face, she could only smile and say: "Brother Jiang Wu, let me tell you that the dog has a name, it''s called Tingxiang, Xue Tingxiang."


    "It''s an elegant name."


    "Yeah, so don''t call me Gouzi Gouzi in the future, it''s weird."


    While speaking, the car had arrived at Yuqing Village.


    Jiang Wu inertially circled to the end of the village before stopping, Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang got out of the car.


    "When will the business be done? Tell me a time, and I will pick you up when the time comes."


    "Aren''t you going to be busy in the town tomorrow, and those clothes have to be tidied up. When I''m ready, I''ll go to your house and give you a letter."


    Zhao''er also thought that two days later would be the day when Xue Tingxiang and Xue Juncai competed, and she would not be in the mood to do business until this matter was over.


    "OK."


    *


    Now that the matter was settled, they said goodbye to each other.


    Jiang Wu drove the car home, while Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang went home together.


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t say anything along the way, but just walked silently.


    Zhao''er glanced at him: "What''s the matter? You seem a little unhappy. Did Brother Jiang Wu call you angry just now? He didn''t know you were famous. I told him that he would never That''s what it''s called."


    He suppressed the jealousy in his heart, and said in a muffled voice, "Why do you know him so well?"


    "Brother Jiang Wu, we''ve known each other since we were young. You forgot that Heizi was brought back by his dog after he gave birth to a cub. Brother Jiang Wu is a very nice person and has helped me a lot."


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t speak, but stopped.


    Zhao''er walked forward for a while, only to realize that he hadn''t followed.


    She came back in a few steps, and asked suspiciously: "What''s wrong with you, why are you so weird?"


    He held his breath: "Don''t forget, you are a man."


    Zhao''er was taken aback for a moment, then looked at him and laughed. But he just smiled and didn''t speak, which made Xue Tingxiang angry and annoyed.


    Don''t think about it, she must have thought of something good.


    Seeing his fair face flushed with anger, Zhao''er hurriedly said: "Okay, don''t be angry, I know I have a man."


    There was a teasing taste in her voice, knowing that she was coaxing him, his heart still jumped several times.


    With the experience in the dream, Xue Tingxiang knew that this was not the time to be awkward, besides, there was Jiang Wu watching over him, so he didn''t want to repeat the experience in the dream again.


    He couldn''t help but reiterated: "I''m also doing it for your own good, lest people in the village see and make irresponsible remarks." He didn''t dare to look at her, but stared at the ground beside him, with some confidence in his heart. Distracted.


    Seeing him confessing himself like an adult, with a fair face and a slightly childish face, I don''t know how to trick him and want to rub his head.


    She did the same, and said at the same time: "Well, well, you are right, I will listen to you."


    He suddenly became more angry, and a sense of powerlessness and discouragement came to his heart.


    Why does she always treat herself like a child!


    *


    Early the next morning, Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang went out.


    When I arrived, Dongliju had just opened, Xue Tingxiang went to the clean room yesterday to continue copying books, but Zhao''er went to the yard behind the shop.


    She discussed with Boss Chen and borrowed this place to pack her clothes. Zhao''er had seen those clothes before, they were all old clothes, since she wanted to make money, she couldn''t afford to sell them poorly, so she came here today mainly to do this job.


    She borrowed the bamboo mat used for drying books from the shop, poured out the big bag of clothes, first sorted them into men''s and women''s styles, and then divided them into several piles according to texture and thickness, and then began to check the clothes one by one for damage. The place.


    If there was a hole somewhere, she would sew it up with the needle and thread she brought. Zhao''er''s needlework is pretty good, but she can''t do embroidery or something, and she''s fine with sewing and making clothes.


    She managed to clean up a pile, and seeing that the sun was shining outside, she went to fetch water from the well in the courtyard. There is a pulley in the well, so it is very convenient to fetch water. Zhao''er fetched a basin of water, soaked the clothes in the big wooden basin, wiped the soap locust water and scrubbed it.


    After washing and rinsing, the rice soup in the kitchen is also ready.


    Although Boss Chen and the others don''t cook in the shop, they always need a place to boil water for tea and so on, so the shop also turned on the fire, and Zhao''er borrowed the stove to cook a big pot of rice soup.


    She brought out the boiled rice soup, poured it into the wooden basin, and added some water into it, it is most suitable if it is slightly hot. Fang poured all the washed clothes into it and kept stirring with a stick.


    Stir well, put half a cup of tea, pick up the clothes from the wooden basin, fetch water and rinse again.


    This is the so-called starched clothes. The clothes that have been washed are sticky and sticky. As long as they don''t fade, they look like new ones. Some people who are fastidious will iron it with an iron, but since there is no such condition, Zhao''er does not intend to do so.


    During this period, Boss Chen came in. Seeing that Zhao''er was in full swing, he pointed to the various clothes hanging out in the yard and said with a smile, "It''s good for you, you take my place as your own. You make it look like a laundry room."


    Nowadays, there are places like starch washing rooms. Some people don''t want to wash their clothes at home, so they will send their clothes to the starch washing room for washing. Inexpensive and saves time and effort.


    Knowing that Boss Chen was joking with himself, Zhao''er also joked: "After what Uncle Chen said, it opened my eyes again. When I don''t have any business to do, I will buy a laundry room. When the time comes Uncle Chen will bring you the clothes, and I will wash them for you without charge."


    "You girl, you are really a good businessman." Boss Chen shook his head and laughed, and went back to the front.


    The room where Xue Tingxiang copied the books was in this yard, and the big window happened to be facing the yard, so Zhao''er''s every word and deed could be seen by him.


    Usually he can concentrate on nothing else, but today he is always going to see her intentionally or unintentionally.


    Seeing her tossing around in the yard, seeing her very lively face under the sun, seeing the beads of sweat on her forehead, she had no intention of copying the book at all, and only copied less than two pages in one morning.


    Boss Chen walked in to take a look, and followed his gaze to Zhao''er: "You are lucky to have such a woman at the booth."


    Xue Tingxiang did not speak.


    Boss Chen said again: "By the way, how far have you reached in your studies?"


    "I have finished studying the four books, but I can only read them, but I can''t understand them."


    "It''s okay to be able to read but not understand. Now that you have entered the university, you should start to learn Mingjing. However, in that kind of country school, many teachers themselves have only a half-knowledge, and they can''t teach anything. You can read more when you have nothing to do. Reading books like "Four Books Chapters" and "Zhu Zi Ji Zhu" can''t help you fully understand the scriptures, but they are somewhat helpful. The most important thing is to find a good school with good teachers to guide you. "Boss Chen pointed out.


    After a pause, he said again: "I heard from Zhao''er that he wanted to send you to the Qinghe Academy. Instead of spending a lot of money to go to that kind of place, I suggest that you go to the Qingyuan Academy."


    "Qingyuan Academy?" Xue Tingxiang asked in a daze.


    Boss Chen thought he didn''t know, or was deceived by rumors like those ordinary people, and said: "This Qingyuan Academy is one of the oldest schools in Huyang Township, and it used to be famous throughout Xia County. In our township, half of the people who pass the county examination every year come from the Qingyuan Academy, and there are not a few of them who pass the exam. It¡¯s just that the Qinghe Academy has risen suddenly in the past few years, and it seems to have declined.¡±


    Boss Chen''s voice was low, as if he was sighing infinitely, and suddenly turned high, quite angry: "Everyone in the world values ??fame and fortune, and is easily deceived by false appearances. They don''t know that the Qinghe Academy is using opportunism. The owner Gao Relying on his relationship with County Magistrate Hu, Youzhi became attached to him, and all the money allocated by the imperial court to the county to support local social studies and village studies flowed into the Qinghe Academy, and the two of them made a lot of money and filled their own pockets.


    "And the owner of the Qingyuan Academy is an upright person, and he doesn''t want to be with him. In addition, the Qingyuan Academy has a lot of preferential treatment for the children of poor families. Without this silver subsidy, we can only encourage and support it. The county that presides over the county examination Lingdu looked at Qinghe Academy differently, and even the students who wanted to enroll flocked there. This has changed, and the reputation of Qingyuan Academy has gradually declined in recent years."


    The books in the bookcase are new and old, some are hardcover, which are worth a lot of money at first glance, and some are thread bound, which look a little rough. Most of them are transcripts of various kinds. Generally, it is not sure that the book will be a good seller. The boss of the bookstore always asks someone to copy it, because if it is opened, thousands of copies will be printed.


    Zhao''er was familiar with the boss, and greeted her with a smile as soon as she entered the door. The strange thing was that the boss recognized her, and when he saw her, he smiled and asked her if she came to buy paper for her brother.


    Bringing this up is a bit old.


    Back then, Zhao''er felt sorry for Xue Tingxiang, so she saved some money to buy paper for him to practice calligraphy. Who would have thought that this paper was much more expensive than she imagined. Even the worst yellow bamboo paper costs 40 Wen a knife, but that day Zhaoer collected all the money on his body, but only 30 Wen.


    In order to get the boss to sell the paper to her at a lower price, Zhao''er worked with the boss for a long time. He even made up the pretense of having a hard-working younger brother, but unfortunately both parents died and his family was poor, so the boss agreed to sell it to her cheaply. Later, she came to buy it several times, all at the previous price, but she became acquainted with Boss Chen.


    Boss Chen praised her for her noble character, earning hard money, but still supporting her younger brother''s education. Usually, when she comes to buy paper, she almost always buys half and gives half away.


    Normally, Zhao''er would accept this kind of talk with a cheeky face, but today with Xue Tingxiang around, she was inevitably a little embarrassed, for fear that Boss Chen would slip up and make the little man look down on her for lying.


    Zhao''er has suffered, so she knows the skills of survival, but the little man doesn''t, especially the scholar is very pedantic, so every time she encounters such a situation where the two people''s ideas conflict, she will always subconsciously go away. Avoid these.


    Within a day, two people said that they were his younger brothers, which made Xue Tingxiang very unhappy. Naturally, he didn''t notice Zhao''er''s hidden thoughts. When he came back to his senses, Zhao''er had already talked with the boss, and even showed him the copy of "Hundred Surnames" that he had copied overnight.


    "This is your brother? He looks handsome, but a little thinner." Boss Chen is a middle-aged man in his forties, with a goatee and elegant body. Wearing a scholar''s shirt, he doesn''t look like a business boss, but a scholar.


    "He was sick for a while a while ago, and he got better recently."


    "No wonder I haven''t seen you here for a long time." While talking, Boss Chen took the manuscript that Zhao''er handed over, whether it was bound or paper quality, it was very poor.


    He knew in his heart that this kind of peasant boy could not write very good characters, but he admired this young man named Zhao''er, so he planned not to criticize too much even if he really did not do well, just say some mild words and refuse it. up.


    If the level is not bad and the words can still be read, it is not impossible to give him some casual work, just as a help.


    But when Boss Chen saw the writing on the yellow bamboo paper, he was still taken aback.


    "He wrote this word?" Boss Chen looked at Xue Tingxiang in surprise, and went to flip through the manuscript in his hand.


    His expression was so weird that Zhao''er had a bad feeling in his heart. She couldn''t help wondering if the little man''s handwriting was not good, after all, no one had ever praised the little man''s handwriting, even Xue Qingshan said that his handwriting was like a spring worm and autumn snake.


    Although Zhao''er doesn''t know what spring worms and autumn snakes are, she understands the sad look on the little man''s face, and she knows it means poor writing.


    But she didn''t think it was the little man''s fault. He even had to pick and use the paper that could practice calligraphy. Can he write well? It was that time that she lost her temper, collected vegetables and sold them in the town, and saved a sum of money to buy Xue Tingxiang''s first piece of paper in her life.


    It was a whole knife, not a few pieces given as a charity from Xue Qingshan or Xue Juncai.


    Zhao''er''s head felt cold for a while, and she couldn''t help wondering if she was too blind to the little man at ordinary times, or if she flattered her too much. She was not afraid of anything else, but she was afraid that if Boss Chen said something unpleasant later, the little man would not be able to stand the blow.


    Thinking of this, she hurriedly turned her back and made a gesture to Boss Chen, leading him aside, then said to him in a low voice: "Uncle Chen, if my younger brother''s handwriting is really bad, can you..."


    "Can you do something?" Immediately, Boss Chen understood and said with a smile: "You kid too, even if you have a heart of love and affection, you should not deceive him, but point out his shortcomings, so that he will to make progress.¡±

 Chapter 99

    He sighed: "The boy was spoiled by his mother, and it''s also my uncle who can''t discipline well. Uncle is here to accompany you."


    Xue Tingxiang hurriedly backed away and said: "Uncle, don''t say that, Ting''er is a junior, I can''t bear it."


    "Ting''er? I didn''t expect you to give yourself a name." Xue Qingshan laughed, and also wanted to point out that Xue Tingxiang''s name was not correct, and he was not as sensible and polite as he appeared on the surface.


    Generally, names are bestowed by the elders, not just chosen by the younger generation. It¡¯s fine for ordinary villagers, but Xue Tingxiang is a scholar, and a scholar should understand etiquette. Read.


    Xue Tingxiang was very clear in his heart and understood what uncle meant. He smiled and said: "When my father was still alive, I asked my grandfather and uncle to help me choose one. Uncle refused because of his humble name so that he could support me. Now the court My son is also fourteen, so I can¡¯t keep using her baby name, so I randomly picked one.¡±


    As soon as these words came out, Xue Qingshan''s face turned ugly again. Xue Tingxiang was obviously saying that he, an uncle, did not want to name him, because he deliberately belittled him. After all, since I have been educated, I should definitely not have a name,


    He forced a smile, and explained: "It''s not that Uncle sees that you are not in good health, and wants to name you after you are an adult. You can''t understand this painstaking effort, if Uncle doesn''t choose one for you now?"


    As he said that, without waiting for Xue Tingxiang to agree, he sighed and made a melancholy look, and said: "You have been weak since you were born, and your father wished you a long life when he was alive, so my uncle named you Fushou, what do you think? ?¡±


    This name is really random, and I am not at all sorry for the name of Xue Qingshan, the only child born in Yuqing Village.


    Xue Tingxiang hesitated for a moment before refusing: "It''s still not uncle, Ting''er''s name has been decided, and I went to the grave to inform my parents before, there is absolutely no chance to change it."


    These words also made it clear why he went to the cemetery every year. Since Xue Tingxiang saw that Xue Qingshan had invited so many people and made such a fuss, he knew that the other party must have plans.


    Regardless of what he plans, he just blocks the way that the other party may use to make a fuss, and the rest is to wait and see what happens.


    Sure enough, Patriarch Xue''s face softened a little.


    Before that, he always thought that this matter was done on purpose by Erfang, just to compete with Juncai for the opportunity to study in Qinghe Academy. This time I came to see this young man is gentle and polite, neither humble nor overbearing, patriarch Xue has no fame, but he can know a few words, and he has been the patriarch for many years, so he has a good eye for people.


    He was very surprised, because he had seen Gouzi before, but he didn''t have a deep impression of him. The only impression he had was that he was an inconspicuous boy. Looking at it now, this son has grown up somewhat unexpectedly.


    But no matter how unexpected he was, patriarch Xue did not forget what he was doing here.


    Just a good impression on one side is not enough to make him shake the decision he has made. He had asked someone to test Juncai''s child, and he was much more knowledgeable than his two grandchildren. If it was said who the next child in Yuqing Village would be, Patriarch Xue felt that Xue Juncai was the most likely.


    Maybe not just a child, but a scholar.


    With two future talent seedlings and a young man who doesn''t know his depth, Patriarch Xue naturally knows how to do this multiple-choice question.


    However, the idea of ??helping Xue Qingshan before was dispelled. If Xue Qingshan couldn''t even handle a child, he didn''t deserve his attention.


    How could Xue Qingshan fail to see Patriarch Xue''s thoughts. In his eyes, this old man is a master who does not see rabbits and does not scatter eagles. He accepts the benefits he brings to the clan, but never knows how to give him something.


    If any clan has ethnology, the clan will not subsidize one or two. On the contrary, he worked for nothing all day long, and every time a certain family in the clan brought some random food, the patriarch called him over and asked him to accept it.


    To be generous with the generosity of others, to spend other people''s wealth, is merciless to others, and it is meaningless to oneself!


    Xue Qingshan sneered in his heart, but pretended to be a respectful petition, and invited Xue patriarch Zheng Lizheng and others into the house.


    Patriarch Xue and Zheng Li were sitting cross-legged on the kang, one on the left and one on the right, while the others were sitting on the stools below. Mrs. Yang and Mrs. Zhou were busy pouring tea, and even Xue Tao''er was sent to ask Mr. Xue to come home quickly.


    Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng both had the habit of smoking dry pipes, and they took out the pipes as soon as they sat down.


    Xue Qingshan hurriedly took a bag of tobacco leaves from his mother Zhao, and while serving them, he said: "This is grown by my father himself. It is usually a treasure. Uncle and Uncle Li should try it."


    "Your father''s shredded tobacco is good, but it''s too little." After lighting it, Zheng Lizheng took a deep breath and said with a smile.


    Xue Qingshan replied: "If Uncle Lizheng likes it, I''ll pretend to be with you when I leave later, so don''t dislike it."


    These are all polite words, everyone knows each other well, Zheng Lizheng nodded with a smile, and went straight to the point: "What is Shan Zi planning to invite some of us old guys over here this time?"


    Looking at Zheng Lizheng''s smiling face, Xue Qingshan scolded the old fox in his heart.


    Things would turn out like this, and he absolutely wouldn''t believe that this guy surnamed Zheng didn''t do anything inside. But that''s exactly how he invited Zheng Lizheng here today. After all, he is the Lizheng of Yuqing Village and his surname is Zheng, so he won''t be said to be covering up.


    Including the few villagers present today, Xue Qingshan was thinking about inviting them. There was one with the surname Zheng, one with the surname Xue, and two families with mixed surnames in the village, but they were all well-known in the village.


    "Is there a matter that requires a few elders to decide, or wait for my father, he is in the field and will be back soon."


    Just as he was talking about Mr. Xue, he came back. After coming in, he exchanged greetings for a while before sitting down and getting to the point.


    "It''s ashamed to say this. Some things in my family have made everyone laugh."


    Hearing this was the beginning of the words, except for Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng, everyone present felt a little embarrassed. After all, this is someone else''s family matter. It''s two different things.


    "Actually, to put it bluntly, it''s all caused by poverty. In the previous situation of our family, it wouldn''t be like this. One baby was given away, but the other was not."


    One was also surnamed Xue, and was of the same generation as Mr. Xue. An old man named Xue Lianhe sighed: "Lian Xing, don''t say that, your family is also in trouble."


    Old Master Xue sighed with a wry smile: "It''s difficult, it''s not difficult for anyone, this light is all on the surface. But no matter how difficult it is, if you want your baby to have a future, you have to pay for it. If you don''t give it to someone, you will be successful." There''s a problem."


    With trembling hands, he took out the dry pipe from his waist, lit it and took a puff, before he said, "The palms and backs of the hands are full of meat, and it hurts me to give up any one. In fact, this matter was discussed last year, and I have been procrastinating on it." I did it because I was afraid that the baby would feel uncomfortable. It is not easy for a peasant family like us to provide for a scholar. The family finally gave up Shanzi. Although he failed to pass the exam several times, he still did it for the village and for us. Guys did something.


    "For so many years, our family has been doing things in the village. Everyone has seen it. If it is far away, it will not be mentioned. Let''s talk about the private school in Shanzi. As long as you are from the village and your family is not rich, Shu Xiu will be later or even less. , our family never mentioned it. Why? It¡¯s because it¡¯s not easy for us country people to make a living, with our faces turned to the loess and our backs turned to the sky. If God doesn¡¯t show mercy, the whole family suffers from famine.


    "Actually, I''m not afraid of the laughter of my brothers and sisters. Back then, I worked hard to support Shanzi''s education, just thinking that if I really passed the exam, I would give my family some tax exemption."


    These words were to the point, and it seemed that they were just a few words lightly, but they didn''t go deeper, but they said that everyone had mixed feelings in their hearts.


    What Mr. Xue said is the truth, or the truth that is in line with people''s reality, that''s what makes it so complicated.


    Finally someone stood up and spoke out for the previous incident, "Brother Lianxing, stop talking about it, we can''t trust you? When people spread rumors in the village, we told the children at home, Brother Lianxing Not that kind of person. There are those who are grandpas, and those who don¡¯t love their grandchildren.¡±


    "Yes, yes, everyone can understand, who is not difficult."


    Seeing that everyone was echoing Mr. Xue''s words, only the one surnamed Zheng remained silent. Zheng Lizheng''s eyes flashed, and he said with a smile: "Everyone in the village has watched Shanzi''s contribution to our village. Everyone knows that Shanzi is benevolent and righteous. This is for everyone''s sake. There is just one sentence, I don''t know if I, an elder, should say it."


    "Uncle Lizheng, you are the Lizheng of our village, there is nothing inappropriate to say."


    Zheng Lizheng nodded: "It stands to reason that this is your family''s business, and I, an outsider, shouldn''t interfere. But Lian Xing said it before, the palms and backs of his hands are all flesh." He suddenly sighed, and said earnestly: " Shanzi, don''t forget why your second child didn''t exist, everyone here can understand, because we have lived for decades, and we have never seen anything in our lives, so we are afraid that outsiders will not understand."


    These words made Xue Qingshan''s complexion look ugly on the spot, but since he can arrange this scene, it''s not that he has no countermeasures.


    He immediately said: "Uncle Lizheng is right, so I discussed it with my father and planned to give the two children a chance. Let the two have a competition, the winner will enter the school, and the one who fails will learn two lessons at home." Years, let¡¯s talk about it later when we have a chance.¡±


    Upon hearing this, the people present looked at each other without much opinion. Especially with the previous foreshadowing, Xue Qingshan''s words seem to be reasonable, which makes people have nothing to choose.


    After all, no family is rich, and money does not come from the river.


    Everyone went to see Zheng Lizheng, Zheng Lizheng looked at everyone with a smile, and said: "Why are you all looking at me? Since Lian Xingjia has an idea, let''s look at his family. But how does this compare? We old guys don''t Literacy, let Shanzi be the judge?"


    After a pause, he shook his head: "No, no, Shanzi is Juncai''s father, so he should avoid suspicion, or choose someone else to convince everyone."


    He looked up at Xue Qingshan and smiled: "Shanzi, you won''t blame me, Uncle Li Zheng, for being too talkative, right? In fact, I''m doing it for your own good. We should be upright in our conduct and conduct."


    Xue Qingshan can''t wait to throw out this person who always ruins his good things, how can he not complain, but on the surface he can''t say that, he can only seem to ponder for a while, and said: "What Uncle Li Zheng said is that although I''m an uncle, so I still have to avoid suspicion. If not, let me invite one, and Uncle Lizheng invite one, and the two of them will come up with the questions on the spot, and the two younger ones will be tested."


    Zheng Lizheng looked at Xue Qingshan with squinted eyes, seeing his confident appearance, he had some bad premonitions in his heart. But he has intervened too much, and it would be too obvious to be picky, so he could only nod and smile in agreement, and praised Xue Qingshan that he is indeed a scholar, but his mind is different.


    The matter has been settled, and what follows is gossip.


    Since people were invited to the door, it would be unreasonable not to ignore the meal at noon, so Mr. Xue ordered a few daughters-in-law to go down to pack the lunch.


    Just now when the elders were talking inside, Xue Tingxiang and Xue Juncai were standing outside, so they naturally knew what happened.


    Zhao''er''s face was a bit ugly, but Xue Jun gave Xue Tingxiang a proud look, and then went in to talk with his father beside several elders, and naturally won another round of praise without mentioning it.


    Zhao''er couldn''t help pulling Xue Tingxiang back into the house, and said anxiously: "What should I do? If I had known this earlier, I would have refrained from beating you. Gou''er, it''s all my sister''s fault. My sister caused trouble for you. "


    She was anxious, and brought up the words of Sister Gou''er again.


    "Don''t be afraid, it''s okay."


    "Is it really okay?" Zhao''er turned back and forth on the spot and said, "But, what if we lose?"


    Xue Tingxiang squinted his eyes: "Don''t you believe me? Think I''m not as good as him?"


    Zhao''er immediately said: "How is it possible! My dog ??is the smartest, and I will be a scholar in the future to become a high official, and my sister is still waiting to enjoy the blessing of the dog!"


    Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang have said this sentence countless times.


    When he was a child, she would encourage him every time he showed signs of discouragement. She even thought so in her heart, so when everyone looked down on him and everyone thought he was not good enough, only she was the only one who kept talking to him like this, and even kept doing it with actions.


    It''s a pity that she didn''t enjoy his blessing, not even a single day.


    Obviously, all that was not what he experienced, it was just a dream of his, but every time Xue Tingxiang thought about it, he felt a great sense of sadness.


    He closed his eyes for a moment, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "Since you have said so, are you still afraid that I will lose?"


    Hearing this, Zhao''er immediately stopped in his tracks, and said with a smile, "Master, there''s something we can''t let us know. Since the dog is here, I''ll stay and listen too."


    Mr. Xue glanced at her, changed his usual temperament, and said in a bad tone: "What are you doing here, a woman? You have a role to listen to when a man talks?!"


    Zhao''er was not annoyed, but said aggrievedly: "Then how can the eldest aunt stay, she is not a woman? Besides, the dog can''t talk, I don''t look at it, I am afraid that what he said will anger me Lord."


    In fact, her subtext was just to say that she was afraid that others would bully Xue Tingxiang, and no one present could hear it.


    Mr. Xue stared at her. Now he really doubts that all this was made by this girl. He knew that Gou''er child was a bored gourd, why didn''t he go to the grave early and complained that he would not go later, but why did he go at this time.


    Thinking of all the disobedient things this girl did in the past, Mr. Xue felt disgusted in his heart. But he also knew that now was not the time to vent his anger, but to settle the matter.


    "Since you want to listen, then listen." The tone was the same as before, but anyone could hear the dissatisfaction in his voice.


    Zhao''er couldn''t hear it, so he stood aside.


    Seeing this, Mrs. Sun hurriedly dragged Xue Qinghuai to stay.


    "Since Zhao''er has stayed, let''s stay and listen too." She laughed along with her.

 Chapter 100

    After she calmed down, she asked Shen Ping: "Shopkeeper Shen, these clothes only cost two taels in total. Will the pawnshop lose money? Are you doing it just to take care of me..."


    Zhao''er didn''t finish the rest of the sentence, Shen Ping also understood.


    He laughed a little, but he appreciated Zhao''er''s frankness of not wanting to take advantage of others: "These were sold to a clothing store or an embroidery workshop, and the price was the same. Regardless of the quantity, there are not many good ones that can be sold at a price The ones have already been picked away."


    Zhao''er thinks about it too, the eyes of the county people are naturally different from those of the country people, let alone this kind of big pawn shop, what is bad in their eyes is actually good for the country people to see.


    She breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "I want the bag of clothes from Shopkeeper Shen, and I''ll give you the money right now."


    "Are you rich now?"


    Of course she is rich, Zhao''er now has more than two taels of silver in total, and just now Su Lan gave her another five taels, which is naturally enough.


    At the same time, Shen Ping laughed a bit, "Well, I forgot that you had visited her before, so I came here, so she wouldn''t take advantage of me." The voice was very small, almost like a murmur. I had to look at the clothes, but I didn''t hear clearly.


    "I''ll find a guy to call a car for you, and you, a little girl, can''t transport these things."


    "Thank you, Shopkeeper Shen."


    After seeing Zhao''er off, Shen Ping turned around and went into the pawn shop.


    Although he is called the third shopkeeper, he is not the third shopkeeper of this store, but the third shopkeeper of the entire ''Herongsheng'', and he will only stay in Xia County permanently under his deliberate request.


    Shen Ping is the son of the Shen family, his father is the chief manager of the Shen residence, and he has been a servant with the third young master Shen Fu since he was a child. It was not until he became an adult that he was released to become a shopkeeper.


    "If she comes again next time, just do as I told you before."


    "Yes, shopkeeper."


    *


    Just after noon, the clerk Ah Cai came to deliver meals to Xue Tingxiang.


    Boss Chen said it was simple food, but in fact the food was not bad, with one meat and one vegetable, and one soup. Xue Tingxiang knew very well that Boss Chen was taking care of him deliberately. How could anyone hire someone to copy books, take care of tea and food, and the wages they paid were not low.


    It was because he knew it in his heart that he didn''t say no. In this case, the refusal retained his character, but it seemed too petty and hypocritical.


    It can only be repaid in the future, Xue Tingxiang thought lightly in his heart.


    After eating, when the man came to clean up the dishes, he said that he could rest for an hour. There is a chaise longue available in this room, and of course you can go to the front to read a book to pass the time.


    In fact, the latter sentence is the key point, Xue Tingxiang was not pretentious, after cleaning his hands, he went forward.


    This store may not seem big, but it has a lot of books of all kinds, ranging from rural tales to books about the imperial examination, and there are many books about the imperial examination.


    Since the former dynasty, the imperial examination has used eight-legged essays as the standard style, with strict regulations, and even restrictions on the length of sentences, the number of words, the level of rhymes, and even the scope of questions.


    Stereotype essays take questions from the Four Books and Five Classics, and are composed of eight parts: breaking the title, inheriting the title, starting the lecture, starting, starting the essay, middle section, back section, and binding the section. It seems rigid and rigid, but in fact it is not easy to do a good stereotyped essay. If you really think that only reading the Four Books and Five Classics is enough, you are wrong. Not to mention astronomy and geography, at least you have to be involved in all aspects, so that you can write a good article full of flowers and content.


    In that dream, Xue Tingxiang won the Jinshi with the 21st place in the second class, and was admitted to the Hanlin Academy after passing through the hall. He should have been on a steady rise since then, but because he offended someone, a majestic Hanlin was sent down. The kind of place where the birds don''t shit is an official.


    Xue Tingxiang pursed his lips slightly, feeling that he was thinking too much, after all, he is not even a child now, let''s think about the present.


    So, without thinking too much, he took out a book from the bookcase and read it quietly.


    During this period, customers from the bookstore came to sell some pens, ink, paper and inkstones, or came to buy books, always interrupting Xue Tingxiang''s reading.


    Seeing this, Boss Chen said: "Brother Xue, you can take the book to the back and read."


    Xue Tingxiang looked at him in surprise: "This..."


    "It''s okay, it''s not bad for your book."


    Xue Tingxiang was silent, bowed deeply in salute, and then went back.


    When Xue Tingxiang woke up, he heard Boss Chen talking outside and Zhao''er''s voice at the same time.


    "Where did you get this big bag?" Boss Chen looked at Zhao''er in surprise, and asked for the bag at her feet that was much bigger than her.


    Zhao''er was sweating profusely and said: "Uncle Chen, I got it from the county, and so did the man from the car dealership. They only helped me to the intersection and left me behind. I wanted to be dragged to the car dealership. But thinking that my brother is still here..."


    Boss Chen laughed, and called his assistant: "Ah Cai, come and help little brother Zhao''er carry the things in." Then he said to Zhao''er: "Come in and have a drink and rest before leaving."


    "Uncle Chen, what a shame."


    "When you were bargaining with me, you were never polite, but now you are more polite." Boss Chen pretended to stare.


    Generally speaking, Boss Chen is an elegant and humorous person.


    Xue Tingxiang also came out to help, and asked, "What''s in it? Why is it so heavy? Where did you get it?"


    Not to mention it was really heavy, Ah Cai tried a few times but couldn''t lift it, only three people could lift it.


    "I got it from a pawn shop. If I can sell this package, my sister will have enough money to send you to the Qinghe Academy."


    Zhao''er hadn''t realized that he had slipped up, but Xue Tingxiang had. He glanced at Boss Chen, and Zhao''er understood what he said at this moment, and looked at Boss Chen with some guilt: "Uncle Chen, I will explain to you later."


    She was a little anxious, and without asking the two of them to help, she lifted the big bag and carried it on her shoulders. The big bag pushed her to one side, but she still stopped, and she quickly carried the things inside.


    Ah Cai praised: "It doesn''t look like she is strong, she is so strong."


    Here, Xue Tingxiang looked at the back and pursed the corners of his mouth, while Boss Chen''s eyes darkened.


    Xue Tingxiang looked up at Boss Chen, and walked towards him.


    ...


    Zhao''er found a place to put down the big bag, then went to wash his hands and face to clean up his body, and then A Cai led him to see Boss Chen.


    Seeing Boss Chen, Zhao''er felt a little guilty. But she didn''t intend to continue to lie to Boss Chen, because Boss Chen is a good person. Not to mention the benefits he gave her before, just because he asked the little man to copy books for such a high price, let him read books here, and take care of the lunch at noon, Zhao''er can no longer continue to deceive.


    In fact, Zhao''er is not a liar, it''s just that she concealed her gender, and then the so-called workmanship is just collecting some vegetables and selling them to make some purses or something.


    "Uncle Chen..."


    Boss Chen sighed and waved his hands: "Okay, you don''t need to say anymore, you are a girl, and you are really embarrassing."


    Zhao''er looked surprised, her round eyes widened.


    Boss Chen laughed a little and said, "Your little husband has already told me everything."


    "He, what did he say..." Zhao''er stammered, still in disbelief. Because she knows that the little man always pays attention to face and has a lot of thoughts, and she doesn''t like to mention her as his child bride-in-law in front of outsiders, and the Xue family''s bad things.


    "I''ve said everything that needs to be said." After a pause, Boss Chen asked, "Look at how surprised you are, isn''t it still a secret?"


    Zhao''er laughed awkwardly, and faltered: "That''s not true, it''s just that he''s young, and people in our village hate him. People always think that I''m older than him, and my daughter-in-law teases men and laughs at him."


    The same sentence sounds different to different people.


    Boss Chen couldn''t help but want to laugh, but Xue Tingxiang outside had mixed feelings in his heart.


    That''s why she always called herself sister, so in the dream he was old, but she didn''t want to marry him. Or he ignored her wishes and insisted on marrying him with his parents'' orders.


    She actually understood her awkward state of mind. He told himself not to be surprised by what other people said, but he cared about it in his heart, so even if the two got married, they couldn''t do it together.


    She actually knew everything, yet she relied on him for everything! Follow him!


    While the mood was churning, the topic was changed inside.


    "I just heard from you that you plan to save money to send him to Qinghe Academy?"


    Zhao''er nodded, seeing the strange expression on Boss Chen''s face, she couldn''t help but ask, "Is that school bad?"


    "Take the road of opportunism, and it won''t last long."


    Zhao''er didn''t quite understand what he heard, but he also knew that it was not a good word.


    "If you want to help him find a good book academy, I have something to recommend. It''s just..." Boss Chen sighed suddenly: "Well, let me tell you that you don''t understand either. Let''s talk about it later."


    Zhao''er nodded in a daze.


    It was not too early to meet later, and the two planned to return to Yuqing Village.


    Because the big bag of clothes was too much, and it would be eye-catching to bring back, Boss Chen asked Zhao''er to put the things in his shop temporarily. Anyway, there are still a few vacant rooms behind the shop, so just find a place to put them.


    The two went back to the village by car, because after time, only the ox cart could be used, so the two sat on the ox cart and walked back bumping back and forth.


    Halfway along the road, a mule cart came head-on.


    The driver was a man, dark and tall. When he got closer, he could see his appearance clearly. He had thick eyebrows and tiger eyes, a high nose bridge, and he was very heroic. His sleeves were half rolled up above his elbows, and his arms seemed to be full of muscles. He looked like a powerful man.


    Xue Tingxiang saw the person coming at a glance, and his pupils shrank immediately.


    He glanced at Zhao''er next to him, saw her with her head half down, and he was relieved.


    But the visitor still saw them, his eyes lit up, and he raised his voice and shouted: "Zhaoer."


    Zhao''er looked over and immediately smiled: "Brother Jiang Wu, where are you going?"


    Jiang Wu tightened the reins and stopped the mule cart.


    "I''m going to town, are you going back? Get out of the car, and I''ll see you off."


    Zhao''er hesitated and said, "Don''t you still want to go to town? Anyway, we''ve already got in the car, so you should do your own work."


    "I don''t have anything to do. I just went to Lao Li''s place to have a look. Originally, my father said that I would go tomorrow and buy some things on the way back. It doesn''t matter whether I go or not. Come on, this car is slow and bumpy. My car is still faster." Jiang Wu said to Zhao''er with a smile, completely unaware that the face of the owner of the bullock cart turned black.


    Seeing this, Zhao''er didn''t let the owner of the ox cart stop, and jumped off from above. After taking two steps over there, I realized that I had forgotten the person.


    While letting the owner of the bullock cart stop, she said to Xue Tingxiang: "Come on down, let''s go back in Brother Jiang Wu''s car." With her beaming face, she was in a good mood.


    Xue Tingxiang''s face was a bit ugly, he glanced at Zhao''er, and then slowly got out of the car.


    The two got into the mule cart, and Jiang Wu drove the cart to Yuqing Village.


    "If I knew you were coming to the county today, I would have asked you to help me get my things back. Brother Jiang Wu, let me tell you, I found a business to do, and this business can make a lot of money. I definitely can''t do it alone. Why don''t we partner up and pay half a penny?"


    It wasn''t Jiang Wu''s first time doing business with Zhao''er. To be honest, before Zhao''er came to collect vegetables and sell them in the town, Jiang Wu helped her a lot.


    How much food can Zhao''er collect in other villages by herself, and besides, she doesn''t have a car, so it''s not convenient to go back and forth. But the Jiang family has a car, and the ancestors of the Jiang family were hunters. With this unique skill, the life of the Jiang family is very comfortable.


    The men of Jiang''s family don''t usually farm land, and the family''s more than 20 acres of land are rented out, and they only earn money by collecting rent and hunting with the men in the family. But hunting is not every day, so Jiang Wu is very free when he is not in the mountains, so he helps recruits to collect vegetables and so on, saying that the two share half and half, but Jiang Wu does not want the money every time .


    "But let me tell you first, if you don''t want to split the money, I won''t do this business with you."


    Zhao''er was not annoyed, but said aggrievedly: "Then how can the eldest aunt stay, she is not a woman? Besides, the dog can''t talk, I don''t look at it, I am afraid that what he said will anger me Lord."


    In fact, her subtext was just to say that she was afraid that others would bully Xue Tingxiang, and no one present could hear it.


    Mr. Xue stared at her. Now he really doubts that all this was made by this girl. He knew that Gou''er child was a bored gourd, why didn''t he go to the grave early and complained that he would not go later, but why did he go at this time.


    Thinking of all the disobedient things this girl did in the past, Mr. Xue felt disgusted in his heart. But he also knew that now was not the time to vent his anger, but to settle the matter.


    "Since you want to listen, then listen." The tone was the same as before, but anyone could hear the dissatisfaction in his voice.


    Zhao''er couldn''t hear it, so he stood aside.


    Seeing this, Mrs. Sun hurriedly dragged Xue Qinghuai to stay.


    "Since Zhao''er has stayed, let''s stay and listen too." She laughed along with her.


    Mr. Xue was immediately furious: "Since you want to listen, stay and listen."


    So everyone stayed, including the four-year-old Mao Dan, and even Mrs. Zhou, who was busy in the kitchen, stayed behind under the guise of cleaning the table.


    In the huge main room, only an oil lamp was lit on the square table. The wick was jumping and shadowy, and everyone''s eyes were on Mr. Xue. But he suddenly didn''t know where to start. He looked around everyone''s faces with heavy eyes, and finally fell on Xue Tingxiang''s face.


    "Actually, it''s nothing. I just want to talk about what the boss said a while ago that he wants to send the child to the school in the town."


    Zhao''er was inexplicably nervous, and couldn''t help but glance at Xue Tingxiang, and then went to see Mr. Xue.


    Dafang and his wife were overjoyed, they knew this would happen, and it was not in vain for them to swallow their anger for many days.


    Xue Qingshan couldn''t hide the joy on his face, he looked at Xue Tingxiang with pity and compassion, then looked at other people, and finally fell on Xue Tingxiang.


    "Dog, don''t be discouraged. You are still much worse than your talented brother. You will study with uncle for another two years, and then the family will send you to the town to study."


    This kind of tone was too stinging at this time, Zhao''er had a sneer on the corner of his mouth, and wanted to say something, but was pulled by Xue Tingxiang.


    Xue Qingshan took all of this into his eyes, and satirized in his heart, no matter how difficult this girl''s film is, she can only embarrass others on these trivial things, and it still doesn''t work when it comes to big things. He smiled, and said to Zhao''er: "Zhao''er, don''t be angry, uncle knows that you are high-minded, but high-mindedness can''t be eaten, don''t you?"


    No one in the room said anything.


    At this moment, Mr. Xue suddenly said angrily: "Boss, what are you talking about!"


    Xue Qingshan didn''t take it seriously: "Father, I''m not trying to persuade the dog not to be discouraged..."


    Old man Xue''s beard was shaking with anger, and he pointed at him with a cigarette pot: "You need to persuade, the one who is going to study in the town is not a handsome man, but a dog!"


    As soon as these words came out, one stone really stirred up a thousand waves.


    The room was silent for a moment, and soon Zhao''s slightly shrill voice broke the silence.


    "Old man, what are you talking about? What do you mean a person who is going to study in the town is not a talented person?"


    Xue Qingshan also said: "Father, did you say the wrong person in a muddle?"


    "Your father is not ignorant, and he didn''t say anything wrong. The one who goes to study in the town is a dog, not a talent!"

 Chapter 101

    Since Xue Tingxiang made up his mind to copy the book, Zhao''er had no reason to object.


    However, she even made a big wish that she would earn a lot of money in the future and not let him worry about a book, not to mention here.


    After Zhao''er helped him lay out the paper, he went to find a suitable needle and thread, planning to bind it for him after he finished writing.


    Xue Tingxiang laughed a little, but didn''t say anything. He picked up a pen and began to write seriously on the paper.


    He planned to copy all the books he had memorized, because he found a problem. Since he had that dream, ''Xue Tingxiang'' had more and more influence on him, including the impact on his own memory.


    Especially all the books he has learned since he was a child. He had flipped through the memory of that dream before, and he had memorized some of these elementary school and even university bibliographies, but his memory was extremely vague, and he had forgotten many of the more detailed things.


    He thought about the reason, and felt that "he" seemed to be very disgusted with the memory of studying hard in the cold window, so he always adopted an evasive attitude. In addition, the Xue Tingxiang in the dream has lived for more than seventy years. Since he passed the Jinshi examination, he has been obsessed with officialdom battles, but he doesn''t care about his own knowledge.


    After many years, his memory is more about the ups and downs of the officialdom, the various forces in the party struggle, and the speculation of the people, rather than the original essence of a scholar.


    Seriously speaking, ''Xue Tingxiang'' is not a real scholar, he is just a politician.


    But obviously he doesn''t need these things now, as if a young child has a sword, he knows the significance of these things to his future. But today a young child needs nothing more than a piece of clothing, or just food and clothing.


    But these memories have already begun to affect his own memory. He doesn''t want to forget what he has learned. What he needs to do now is to consolidate his memory and combine with ''Xue Tingxiang''''s advanced understanding of many things. This is the right way.


    And the best way to master it is nothing more than copying books.


    Obviously this yellow bamboo paper is of very low quality, the brush strokes should not be light or heavy, the ink will be uneven if it is light, and it will smudge if it is heavy, but Xue Tingxiang writes on it like flowing clouds and flowing water as if there is nothing. The handwriting on it is full and round, and it is extraordinarily majestic.


    Zhao''er held his breath and didn''t even dare to make a sound. His eyes fell on Xue Tingxiang, who was writing vigorously. Suddenly, he had the illusion that a little man had grown up.


    Xue Tingxiang quickly wrote a sheet, and he was about to take it away to dry, Zhao''er quickly took it, and spread it carefully on the kang. Her eyes were attracted by those words. She couldn''t tell how beautiful they were, but felt like a painting.


    And during this period, Xue Tingxiang wrote another one.


    In this way, Xue Tingxiang wrote and asked children to dry it. After a while, the kang was covered with paper.


    A book of the Three Character Classic does not contain more than a thousand characters, and Xue Tingxiang finished it very quickly.


    He put down the pen, took a deep breath, and moved his wrist a few times. He hadn''t written at such a high density for a long time, and it was a challenge to his wrist strength.


    "Actually, I can copy books to subsidize my family." He said suddenly.


    He had been thinking about this for a long time. In his dream, he only read books blindly. He really managed to "keep his ears off the outside world and read only the books of sages and sages".


    The former "he" was helpless and emotional about this situation, but he had more than enough energy, and Zhao''er was really capable, and he had a talent that no one else had in business, and he answered everything in every detail, and never let him go. He worries about money, so he doesn''t think about it anymore.


    Looking back, he realized that ''he'' cared more about this matter than he imagined. Now that he can earn one or two silver coins to support his family, why not give it a try.


    How can a man be raised by a woman, he should be the one who shelters her from the wind and rain. He didn''t understand at this time in the dream, but fortunately he understands now.


    "Copy books to make money?" Zhao''er shook her head again and again: "How can I do that? It''s hard work and hurts my eyes."


    "How can you say so exaggeratedly? Look, I just copied a book in a short while." He organized all the pages of the book into a pile, and gave it to Zhao''er for her to bind.


    "Copying books can not only earn money, but also read books. Why not do it. I remember that there are bookstores in the town that will find some poor scholars to help copy books and sell them. You go to the town tomorrow and bring this book to the bookstore. Look at the shop owner, if it¡¯s feasible, you can help me pick up a book and try it when you come back.¡±


    Having said that, he paused for a moment: "Well, I''ll go with you, and we''ll go to town together tomorrow."


    "Is this really possible?" Zhao''er always hesitates when it comes to matters involving little men.


    "There''s nothing wrong with it."


    *


    Now that the matter was settled, the two of them woke up early the next day and went out without even having breakfast at home.


    Yuqing Village is a small village located under Huyang Town. In fact, Huyang Town is also Huyang Township, just named after the town. There are dozens of villages like this in Huyang Township, and Yuqing Village is one of the larger villages.


    From Yuqing Village to the town, if walking, it takes nearly an hour. If you take an ox cart or a mule cart, it will be faster, and there are carts from the village below to the town every day. Bullock carts are slow and cheap, and you can take one ride for two pennies. Mule carts are expensive, and one person gets four renminbi, but the speed is not comparable to that of ox carts.


    Going out of Yuqing Village, walked to a fork in the road, and walked west for a while, Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang stopped and stood under the big tree by the roadside to wait for the bus.


    Although their clothes were simple, they were both neat and tidy, especially Zhao''er, who was wearing a man''s clothes.


    "It turns out that every time you go out, you have to walk through the vegetable field behind, just to change into this clothes?"


    Zhao''er nodded, feeling a little guilty. But now that she has made a decision, she has prepared for the worst. Fortunately, Xue Tingxiang only showed a trace of surprise when he saw it, but he didn''t show much disgust.


    "It''s more convenient to go out in this way. You can''t recognize me as a girl."


    Xue Tingxiang pursed his lips and glanced at her.


    The young man in front of him looks handsome. From a man''s point of view, he looks a little thinner, but there is really no sign of a daughter''s family. He observed carefully, only to find that Zhao''er had thickened his eyebrows, and he did not know how to do it on his chest, but it became flat.


    She also seemed to find that the little man''s eyes stayed on her chest for too long, Zhao''er explained: "This is too inconvenient, so I wrapped it with a cloth."


    She spoke very disapprovingly, as if she was talking about what we have for lunch, but Xue Tingxiang felt like he was reckless.


    He recalled the dream in which Zhao''er''s breasts were very plump, and he suddenly felt afraid that she would be crushed, so he couldn''t help but ask, "Won''t she be crushed?"


    Zhao''er was a little surprised when she heard that, but she didn''t think too much about it, so she said, "It''s useless anyway."


    Just as she was talking, she saw a mule cart approaching not far away, so she waved there. Naturally, she didn''t notice that Xue Tingxiang''s expression was very strange.


    Seeing that he was riding in a mule cart instead of an ox cart, Xue Tingxiang couldn''t help being a little surprised. He only knew that the mule cart was much more valuable than the ox cart. Zhao''er gave the money for the car, and pulled him into the car: "This car is faster, and it will be here in a while." In fact, Zhao''er was afraid that he would not be able to stand the bumps of the bullock cart after recovering from a serious illness, so he took the mule cart if he had one.


    The middle-aged man driving the car smiled and said, "My little brother is insightful. This car is not only fast, but also stable. It is not comparable to a bullock cart. By the way, this is your brother?"


    Xue Tingxiang, who was called his younger brother, turned dark.


    It''s not surprising that people say that he is Zhao''er''s younger brother, and he is also dressed as a man. He is obviously thinner than Zhao''er, and he is half a head shorter.


    Zhao''er was stunned for a moment, then nodded with a smile: "Yes, it''s my younger brother."


    While speaking, the middle-aged man had already driven the mule cart forward.


    This car is indeed much faster than the bullock cart, and it runs without bumps. The car will stop at intervals to pick up one or two people. This special extended car can seat twelve people. The roof of the car is specially customized, and some not-too-heavy things can be placed on it.


    By the way, the biggest advantage of taking this mule cart is that there is a carriage to keep out the dust, so you don''t have to find a place to pack yourself when you arrive in the town.


    "When I have money in the future, I will also buy this car." Zhao''er couldn''t help but said to Xue Tingxiang, finally showing a little childishness.


    "Will you rush?"


    She froze for a moment, then said: "I can''t rush, I can learn."


    The problem is that you have done everything, even drive the car by yourself, so why do you need a man? Xue Tingxiang thought silently in his heart, and then realized that in his dream, it seemed that he was really useless as a man.


    It seems that he will learn to drive in the future. Xue Tingxiang made a secret decision.


    *


    After the mule cart was full of people, it finally stopped halfway to pick up people.


    After about a quarter of an hour, the city wall of Huyang Town could be seen in the distance.


    The mule cart stopped not far from the city gate, and everyone in the cart got off, Zhao''er took Xue Tingxiang to the town.


    This Huyang Town is neither big nor small. Zhao''er used to go to Dongshi mostly, and Dongshi sells the most groceries, but this time he mainly went to the bookstore, so he was going to Nanshi.


    The former dynasty emphasized civility over military affairs. This kind of folk custom did not die out after the war at the end of the previous dynasty. On the contrary, it was because the Tai/Zu Emperor of Dachang came to power at the beginning because he was a supporter of the civil servants in the previous dynasty. It is popular.


    Even illiterate ordinary people can say that everything is inferior, only reading is high, which is evident.


    Even in a small place like Huyang Town, any family with some spare money would send their children to a private school for two years. It is best to be able to test for fame and fame. If you can''t test for merit and fame, you can get a few words, and the workmanship is cheaper.


    This kind of folk custom has led to quite a few bookstores and book shops in the town. For example, there is a street in Nanshi that sells pens, ink, paper and inkstones, as well as other supporting facilities, all of which are business for scholars.


    Although Zhao''er is not a scholar, she has bought bamboo paper for Xue Tingxiang a few times, so she is familiar with the place. However, she did not lead Xue Tingxiang to go immediately, but went around to a place with a lot of food stalls, found a noodle stall, and planned to go there after breakfast.


    "The meal in the morning is the most important. We missed breakfast because we were in a hurry. Sharpening knives is not a mistake for woodcutters. Let''s go when we are full."


    The owner of the Zhaoerguan noodle stall ordered two bowls of sliced ??noodles.


    This noodle is a unique food in Pingyang Prefecture. It is made of buckwheat noodles and sorghum noodles. It is black and red in color.


    "The sliced ??slices here are very delicious, try it."


    Xue Tingxiang tasted it, and it was really delicious.


    Not to mention the craftsmanship, at least the portion is large, and the ingredients are sufficient, unlike Xue''s food, which is reluctant to put oil and salt, and tastes bland.


    But the price is also expensive, Xue Tingxiang finished a large bowl of jerky slices, and gave eight Wen when he asked his son to settle the bill, which means that this bowl of jerky slices is almost enough to buy half a catty of meat. .


    "Is it delicious?" Zhao''er was still asking him when he was walking towards Nanshi.


    "It''s just a bit expensive."


    It is indeed a little expensive for Xue Tingxiang. He has no pocket money since he was a child, and the only chance to have some money in his hands is the few pennies given by Mr. Xue every year.


    In his dream, these few pennies were really nothing, but it was these two weird thoughts mixed together that made Xue Tingxiang feel weird.


    "Why is it expensive? It''s not expensive. You don''t come to the town often, but you come here once after all. Naturally, I will take you to have a good meal."


    It''s really a good meal, don''t look at Zhao''er''s face without changing her face, but in fact, when she came to the town alone before, she would buy a steamed bun at most when she was hungry.


    She has never been reluctant to bear with herself, and always wants to save more, but she is very willing to bear with Xue Tingxiang, and she is at her wit''s end. So every time Xue Tingxiang thought of everything in his dream, he couldn''t believe that he would be the one who killed his wife and children.


    "When I earn money by copying books, I will bring you to eat every day." He couldn''t help but said.


    The sun had already come out, and the pale golden sunlight shone on the boy''s still immature face. His fair face was like the finest white jade, with fine fluff on it. The slightly pale lips were pursed lightly at this moment, and it could be seen that the young man was a little uncomfortable. He didn''t dare to look directly at her, but looked aside.


    Zhao''er''s smile got bigger and bigger, and he couldn''t help stretching out his hand to rub his head: "Silly dog, you can only make a few money by copying books, how can you come to eat that every day." There was a pampering expression in his expression.


    But the voice was silenced in his dark pupils, and Zhao''er finally realized what he said and did.


    She was a little guilty, and it was strange, she had never been afraid of a little man before, but since he recovered from his illness this time, she has become a little afraid of him occasionally.


    It must be her illusion!


    She withdrew her hand, looked left and right, suddenly her eyes lit up, and said: "Look, we''re here." As she spoke, she walked into the bookstore first.

 Chapter 102

    What, isn''t it just for you to study and make you proud?"


    "Why do you say you are so stubborn! You say you are so stubborn, who are you showing your stubbornness to?!"


    "I know you don''t like me, but I''ve been like this for many years, and I can''t change it! I don''t plan to change it either!"


    "Look at Hong''er, does he look like you?"


    ...


    Xue Tingxiang suddenly felt that someone was shaking him. He opened his tired eyes and saw the dark inner room. Hu San''s face was no longer young, and even the lines on the curtain were so familiar. He was just dreaming.


    It''s just that the dream was too clear, the sorghum fragrance in the air, and the curve of her stubbornly pursed mouth made him feel like he was actually there. There were also her tears from being angry, crystal clear and shining with colorful light, he wanted to reach out to touch it, but someone woke him up.


    "My lord, it''s time to drink the medicine."


    Xue Tingxiang was propped up and given medicine. He was so ill that he had to be taken care of even to drink medicine. How could he look like that extremely human minister Xue Shoufu who had ruled the court for decades.


    Oh no, he is not the chief assistant now.


    He has already written a letter to beg for the bones, intending to return to his hometown for the elderly, and the Holy Majesty has already agreed, but he has no home to return to, no relatives to rely on.


    In fact, he didn''t intend to go back.


    "Master Zhang, Mr. Wang, and Mr. Li and Mr. Cao all came to visit you, but they obeyed your orders and blocked the door. They come every day, and they are here again today. Would you like to see me?"


    What can they do? Didn''t they think that his illness was an expedient measure, waiting for him to stand up and continue to lead them to fight against the emperor, but he was really ill, terminally ill, and the medicine was useless.


    "not see."


    "My lord, please sleep a little longer."


    The room became quiet again, Xue Tingxiang''s eyelids began to get heavy again, he blinked again and again, and fell into sleep again.


    ...


    "How come Mr. Wang is free to visit this old man?"


    Wang Mingcheng''s eyes were a bit complicated, but he smiled on his face: "After all, I am a minister of the same court, and I should come to visit Mr. Shoufu because of emotion and reason."


    "I didn''t expect you, Wang Mingcheng, to say such hypocritical things, but to see if the old man is dying on behalf of the emperor?" Xue Tingxiang sarcastically said.


    He is obviously a haggard old man who is obviously dying, but just because of his calm, indifferent eyes that seem somewhat unpredictable, people dare not ignore him in the slightest.


    After all, this is Xue Shoufu, and the name alone is enough to intimidate everyone. That was Xue Tingxiang''s deep-rooted roots left by him after going through three dynasties and dozens of years, just like a towering ancient tree with intertwined roots, without him doing anything, just standing there is enough to make everyone daunting.


    If not, why would the new emperor have to exhaust all means, but still dare not act rashly, only dare to take that roundabout strategy.


    "It seems that my lord has misunderstood His Majesty a lot."


    Xue Tingxiang snorted and laughed, half closed his eyes, did not speak, and looked obviously too lazy to talk to him.


    "Actually, I''m here for myself. I just came to see how lonely and miserable the villain who abandoned his wife and son was now. I''m afraid Mr. Xue is dead now, and even a descendant in mourning None, in fact, Mr. Xue is too hard to see, it is just a show, just listen to it and watch it, how can you take the fake show as real and make yourself like this? Is it because of a disturbed conscience or fear? His true face is known by the world, he is reviled by others, and he will be stigmatized for thousands of years?"


    "you¡­¡­"


    "To say that you abandoned your wife and son is too much to save your face. It should be killing your wife and son, isn''t it, Mr. Xue?"


    No one knows about all this. The world only knows that Xue Shoufu had a first wife before Mrs. Xue, but they don''t know what happened to that first wife. After all, the time is too long, Xue Tingxiang has stood in the court hall for dozens of years, and his former, former and current opponents have all been trampled under his feet.


    People in the world only know that Mr. Shoufu is friendly and respectful to the corporals, but they don''t know that Mr. Shoufu also has a vicious side. In recent years, anyone who wanted to make a fuss about his past events all became lonely ghosts. No one knows how many ghosts have been added to it, and the only one who can know is Wang Mingsheng, the "bitter master".


    "You, you are..."


    Wang Mingcheng leaned closer to his face: "It''s a pity that my mother''s life is so bad, and so is my life. The sinking ship didn''t kill us, but was saved by others. Do you know that for so many years, day and night, I I want to see this scene every night. It''s a pity that your life is too long, and the power is in the hands of the people. I can only climb up step by step, to the position where I can step on you..."


    "You are... Hong''er..." Xue Tingxiang struggled to say this.


    Wang Mingsheng stood up straight and smiled heartily: "My name is not Hong''er, nor is my surname Xue, but my surname is Wang. My mother remarried, to the person who saved us...don''t get excited, even if You are dead now, and I am not your son..."


    Wang Mingsheng has always been known for being calm and introverted, hiding his secrets, and it was probably the first time he laughed so freely in front of people.


    "By the way, you don''t have to think that even if my official surname is Wang, I can still pass on the family lineage to your Xue family. Let me think about it. Yao Ji released the rumor that my official is as good as Long Yang back then, as if you ordered someone to do it. You really hit the mark, I don¡¯t like women, that¡¯s why I haven¡¯t married for many years..."


    He smiled and looked at the old man on the bed, seeing how shocked, disappointed and remorseful he was.


    But so what?


    He suddenly found that he was not as happy as he had imagined, and even this smile seemed too fake. He suddenly lost interest, flattened the corners of his mouth, brushed off his sleeves, and said, "Since Mr. Xue is fine, I will take my leave."


    ...


    "I didn''t, I didn''t..."


    "My lord, what are you talking about?"


    Hearing this voice, the fog in front of Xue Tingxiang suddenly dissipated, and he woke up suddenly from his dream. In front of the eyes is this dark inner room again, Hu San''s unattractive or even ugly face, the air is filled with a bitter smell of medicine, and there seems to be a decadent smell floating gently.


    Xue Tingxiang moved his lips, but no sound came out.


    "My lord, what did you say?"


    Hu San was very anxious, and kept asking, but Xue Tingxiang couldn''t speak at all. Hu San could only ask based on his own guess: "Are you thinking about the past? Don''t worry, your words have been passed on to Mr. Zhang , he already knows that Lord Wang is your only son, and will follow your instructions."


    Xue Tingxiang blinked his eyelids. Hu San thought he still had something to say, so he put his ear next to his mouth, but only heard one sentence: "I didn''t..."


    After that there is no text.


    When Hu San anxiously looked up, he saw Xue Tingxiang''s wide-open eyes and gray-blue face.


    He moved forward to touch the other person''s breath with shaking hands, but was so startled that he sat down on the ground.


    *


    The cold wind came in through the holed window paper, blowing Xue Gouzi''s face coldly.


    Shocked, he opened his eyes.


    What imprinted in my eyes was a small room with blue brick walls and black tile roof. The walls were plastered with white ash, but it looked gray. The beams of the house are log-colored, and because there is no dust, they are bare/exposed. There are several bamboo baskets hanging on them. There seems to be something in the baskets, and they are covered with blue cloth.


    He was lying on a kang with a half-new quilt covering his body. The quilt looked clean and tidy, but in fact the cotton wadding inside had hardened.


    Facing his kang feet, there is a row of dark brown kang cabinets, with brass bare nails inlaid with hinged leaves and copper tassel handles, and simple patterns of auspicious clouds and flowing water carved on them, which look thick and generous. . Although it is nothing in a rich family, it is already a piece of furniture that can be sold in a peasant family.


    There is no problem passing it down for generations!


    This is what his father said back then, and his father was the best carpenter in the village.


    Xue Gouzi felt his head hurt, as if he had been hit hard with a hoe. He wanted to support himself to sit up, but he was exhausted and fell back onto the kang again.


    It was only then that he realized that he was Xue Gouzi, the eldest son of the second room of the Xue family. Because of something that happened, he couldn''t think about it for a while, and he was so angry that he became ill for a while, and he had been sick for many days.


    He is not Xue Tingxiang, that Xue Tingxiang is the person in his dream.


    How could he be like that?


    In order to prove that all that was just a dream, he raised his hand to look at it.


    really! The hand in front of him was slender and fair, and he hadn''t developed the muscles and bones that a man should have. He was only fourteen this year, how could he live to be over seventy years old, and die in the end.


    Xue Gouzi let out a heavy breath, looked around again, and finally felt more at ease.


    Someone was talking outside, and the voice came in through the cracks in the window.


    "I''m talking about recruiting, it''s not my aunt talking about you, look at what you are now, a girl who stays at home all day, and learns from those small traders to do business. That business is what you can do. Did it? Look at your fourth uncle, you can¡¯t save a lot of money by running around outside every day, so don¡¯t worry about it, and if you have that little time, you can help fourth aunt with some work!¡±


    The voice sounded like a young woman, but the sarcasm in the words was too strong. It is said that appearance is born from the heart, and it is no wonder that Mrs. Sun has a mean face.


    This thought flashed subconsciously in Xue Gouzi''s mind, and then he was stunned. It''s true that he hated Fourth Aunt, but why would he miss her so much?


    Before he could figure out why, he heard the voice in his dream.


    "Fourth aunt, I would like to help you with some work, but you also know that the dog has been ill for a few days, and the family gave a few pennies for the medicine at first, but after taking it for half a month, grandma said that the family The money is not in hand, so I stopped the medicine. Gouzi is my man, I can''t just watch him be so sick, it''s not impossible for the fourth aunt to want me to help with the work, or you can lend me some money to buy medicine, I Can I pay you back slowly in the future?"


    The owner of the voice was a young girl, and the tone revealed a capable and crisp taste, mixed with a bit of teasing.


    That''s right, Zhao''er deliberately ran on the Sun family.


    Mrs. Sun has always had a temperament of only getting in and out, and it is more difficult to ask her to give out a penny, let alone lending it to the two half-children of the second room.


    Now there are only these two people left in the second room, the top door is only fourteen, but there is an older one, only sixteen, and it is still a girl''s family. Every time Mrs. Sun heard the rumors from the villagers that Zhao''er, a dead girl, had made some money by doing some business, she would be full of disbelief.


    What kind of business can this dead girl do to make money, but she digs three melons and two dates from the wild, and takes them out to trick the people in the city into exchanging a few pennies.


    "Your fourth aunt has no money to lend you. Our family''s money is all in mother''s place. You don''t care about mother''s going!" Sun patted her buttocks, stood up and went into the house, too lazy to talk nonsense with Zhao''er.


    "Since the fourth aunt has no money to lend me, and I don''t dare to take care of grandma, I can only figure out where to get some money to get some medicine for the dog!"


    Zhao''er''s voice was very loud, so naturally she was speaking not only to Mrs. Sun, but also to Mrs. Zhao who was sitting in the main room.


    Sure enough, Zhao''er entered the house with his front foot, and Mrs. Zhao stood at the door behind him and scolded Mrs. Sun: "You haven''t cleaned the pigsty, so you''re going back to the house to hold a corpse?"


    Zhao''er curled her lips, lifted the door curtain and walked in, bumping head-on into Xue Gouzi''s eyes looking at her.


    They were all from humble backgrounds, and of course they knew how difficult it was to study in a farming family, so before Xue Tingshan said that the Xue family never forgot to cultivate their children and grandchildren while they settled down, Qiao Xiucai praised them greatly.


    Because he knew that this matter seemed insignificant, but it was actually too difficult for farmers. How many families had the idea of ??changing their own destiny by reading books.


    It can be said that those who are born in a poor family in the countryside and can achieve great fame have all experienced great hardships. The starting point is much lower than others. It takes countless efforts to catch up with others, and at the same time they have to face all kinds of cruel competition.


    This kind of competition is not only between classmates, but also between the same clan, and even one''s own brothers.


    If you succeed, the sea and the sky will be bright, and you will not be an ordinary person since then. If you fail, you will put down the book and pick up the hoe, and face the loess and the sky for the rest of your life.


    It is because they understand this kind of cruelty that the two of them can''t help but wonder whether this son deliberately said that his knowledge is weak, or he just wants to pull his brother to reduce the difficulty of the question. But this is a double-edged sword. After all, it is a disadvantage to oneself to lose one''s studies to others.


    These thoughts only happened in an instant, and because of the sudden attention of He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai, Xue Qingshan''s eyebrows jumped wildly, for fear that Xue Tingxiang would say something amazing again. At this moment, he couldn''t care less about why Xue Tingxiang knew the explanation of the scriptures, and he completely forgot that his previous idea was that Xue Tingshan didn''t understand the scriptures, and it would be easy for his son to beat him.


    This is also true for Patriarch Xue. If something happens in the clan that cannot be seen by others, it is limited to the clan. If it happens in public, it will be a bit ugly.


    The eyes of the two seemed to have needles, and they were anxiously focused on Xue Tingxiang''s face. Unexpectedly, he smiled shyly and said: "The boy was weak and sick when he was young, so he inevitably fell behind."


    Xue Qingshan hurriedly laughed and said: "That''s exactly the case. Don''t be afraid that the two seniors will laugh at me. My nephew is talented and intelligent, but his weak body hinders his studies."


    Patriarch Xue also nodded in agreement.


    Others didn''t know what was going on, they just opened their eyes and watched. Only Zheng Lizheng seemed to realize that there was something wrong, but he couldn''t tell the details, so he could only keep silent.


    After He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai gave in to each other again, He Xiucai was the main one in the end. Sitting at the top, he said to Xue Tingxiang: "Since you don''t understand the scriptures, it''s a bit unfair to go beyond the scope of what you have learned. You two are still young, and it''s time to lay down the foundation, so I will test your two. Human base."

 Chapter 103

    ecause he knows that this matter seems trivial, but it is too difficult for farmers, and they can change themselves by reading There are a few people who think about fate.


    It can be said that those who are born in a poor family in the countryside and can achieve great fame have all experienced great hardships. The starting point is much lower than others. It takes countless efforts to catch up with others, and at the same time they have to face all kinds of cruel competition.


    This kind of competition is not only between classmates, between the same exams, but also between the same clan, and even one''s own brothers.


    If you succeed, the sea and the sky will be bright, and you will not be an ordinary person since then. If you fail, you will put down the book and pick up the hoe, and face the loess and the sky for the rest of your life.


    It is because they understand this kind of cruelty that the two can''t help but wonder whether this son deliberately said that his knowledge is weak, or he wants to pull his brother to reduce the difficulty of the question. But this is a double-edged sword. After all, it is a disadvantage to oneself to lose one''s studies to others.


    These thoughts only happened in an instant, and because of the sudden attention of He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai, Xue Qingshan''s eyebrows jumped wildly, for fear that Xue Tingxiang would say something amazing again. At this moment, he couldn''t care less about why Xue Tingshan knew the explanation of the scriptures, and he completely forgot that his previous idea was that Xue Tingshan didn''t understand the scriptures, and it would be effortless for his son to beat him.


    This is also true for Patriarch Xue. If something happens in the clan that cannot be seen by others, it is limited to the clan. If it happens in public, it will be a bit ugly.


    The eyes of the two seemed to have needles, and they were anxiously focused on Xue Tingxiang''s face. Unexpectedly, he smiled shyly and said: "The boy was weak and sick when he was young, so he inevitably fell behind."


    Xue Qingshan hurriedly laughed and said: "That''s exactly the case. Don''t be afraid that the two seniors will laugh at me. My nephew is talented and intelligent, but his weak body hinders his studies."


    Patriarch Xue also nodded in agreement.


    Others didn''t know what was going on, they just opened their eyes and watched. Only Zheng Lizheng seemed to realize that there was something wrong, but he couldn''t tell the details, so he could only keep silent.


    After He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai gave in to each other again, He Xiucai was the main one in the end. Sitting at the top, he said to Xue Tingxiang: "Since you don''t understand the scriptures, it''s a bit unfair to go beyond the scope of what you have learned. You two are still young, and it''s time to lay down the foundation, so I will test your two. Human base."


    Hearing this, although Xue Juncai was a little disappointed that he was overqualified and missed his opportunity to perform, he also felt disdainful.


    If you don''t test the scriptures, then Xue Tingxiang is not his opponent!


    He Xiucai squeezed his beard with his hands, and after pondering for a while, said: "Zhu Zi said: the size of learning is inherently different, but it is the way, it is only one. It is also suitable for young people. If you don''t learn it in elementary school, you will have nothing to learn. Its heart, to cultivate its virtue, is the foundation of the university. The two of you will each silently write a "Disciple Regulations."


    Neither of them expected that the first question would be Mo''s "Disciple Regulations". You must know that "Disciples Regulations" was learned at the beginning of elementary school, and the whole article is only about a thousand words. In addition to the general narrative, it is divided into seven chapters: filial piety when you enter, brotherhood when you go out, sincerity, faith, universal love for all, kindness and benevolence, and Yu Liwen.


    Each chapter is not long, with three words and one sentence, rhyming in the same pattern, and catchy. It lists the various norms that disciples should abide by at home, when going out, and when dealing with people. It also just proves what He Xiucai said before, the size of learning is inherently different, but it is the truth that it is only one.


    Someone has already prepared a square table and pens and inks, and each person has a table and table in front of the hall, and even the ink has been sharpened.


    When the two came to the table, they picked up a pen and wrote without any hesitation.


    As the two rushed to write and write, the noise gradually faded away. Even if the country people don''t understand the basic principles, they also know that scholars should not be disturbed when they are doing their studies.


    This is not a problem for Xue Tingxiang, because he only has one book, so he has spent too much effort to memorize the things he has learned.


    Not only memorizing, but also keeping in mind, so that when asked in school, he can answer fluently, because he has no reference at all.


    It is better to have no books than to have books, because these are all engraved in the mind. Especially since having that dream, in order not to affect his memory, he has silently recited the book he had memorized countless times in his mind.


    While Xue Tingxiang was writing vigorously, he also had a slight change in his opinion of He Xiucai.


    He could see that the other party asked such an unexpected question, not because the other party deliberately released the water, but because the other party wanted to make a surprise. Because this discipline is too simple for scholars, they have learned it when they were just learning, but they just throw it away after learning it.


    Except for the beginning of learning, my husband will not take these things in the future. It may be to test the Three Character Classic, or even a hundred surnames, and a thousand character prose, but it will not be the rules of this disciple.


    Xue Tingxiang even couldn''t wait to see Xue Juncai''s reaction. Maybe the other party can roughly write down this article, but can you write down all the thousands of words, and the words are correct and the order is good? And He Xiucai''s request to silence this disciple''s rule is probably not just silent, but also one of the "books" in elementary school.


    Just relying on your own words is enough to beat the opponent.


    As Xue Tingxiang thought, at first Xue Juncai really felt contemptuous. He even wondered if this He Xiucai was out of his mind to take the "Disciple Regulations" test.


    Who wouldn''t know this disciple? It is something to learn at the beginning of school. But after he fell silent, he realized that he really wasn''t as good as he thought.


    After you leave, do you love me, or are you hurt? You must know that this Disciple Rules is not like other articles, it can connect the past and the future, confirming each other, if the first sentence is wrong, the latter paragraph will be wrong.


    The more Xue Juncai became silent, the more annoyed he felt, and he always felt that he was wrong in being silent. If someone asks a question, he can naturally answer it fluently. Ke Mo, Mo is still a good word!


    At first, he wrote like flying, but then it became slower and slower, and even reached the point where he couldn''t write, obviously he was not sure if his memory was wrong.


    On the contrary, Xue Tingxiang has been calm from the beginning, and he is still writing at a leisurely pace at this time, but it can be seen that his writing is very coherent, with almost no pause.


    At the first place, Qiao Xiucai glanced at He Xiucai with exclamation, and did not hide her surprise at all. He naturally had a panoramic view of the following situation, and he had to admire He Xiucai''s ingenuity.


    He Xiucai smiled slightly. In fact, he would ask this kind of question, but he just wanted people to make mistakes. I was very proud of my inspiration.


    He stroked his beard and said with a faint smile, "You two little friends, don''t worry, there is a stick of incense time, enough to write it down."


    Yizhuxiang wrote more than a thousand characters, which seemed a bit hasty, but it is not impossible to write something as simple as the disciple''s rules silently, as long as you pay close attention to it.


    But that was before, Xue Juncai couldn''t help but feel even more anxious when he heard someone mention the time.


    In the following time, he kept looking at the stick of incense, because he looked at it too frequently, which made his speed even slower.


    "Okay, time is up."


    As the words fell, Xue Tingxiang made a big stroke and put down the brush in his hand.


    Xue Juncai didn''t move, until someone went in front of him, only to find that his whole body was as stiff as a stone, and he was dripping with sweat, and the paper in front of him was only half full.


    Because the two were behind the gate, and Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong were sitting at the end, they didn''t notice anything strange about it. In their minds, a "Regulations for Disciples" couldn''t be simpler, and Xue Juncai''s strange appearance also attracted the attention of the two of them, but they still didn''t expect that Xue Juncai could not finish writing it.


    It wasn''t until He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai looked at each other''s papers that they looked at each other, and He Xiucai announced that Xue Tingxiang won this match.


    Xue Qingshan stood up from the chair in surprise: "How is it possible?"


    At the same time, there was a lot of discussion below and outside the door, and it seemed that Xue Juncai couldn''t believe that Xue Juncai had lost. Insiders look at the doorway, while laymen watch the excitement. The villagers who didn''t know a single word didn''t know what the test was about, they only knew that Master Xiucai said that Xue Juncai lost to the Xue family dog.


    Xue Juncai lost to Xue Gouzi?


    This, this is really surprising. You must know that Xue Juncai has always been the most outstanding young man among the younger generation in Yuqing Village. Whoever mentions him does not give a thumbs up.


    "Senior He, Senior Qiao, did you make a mistake, a disciple''s regulation..."


    He Xiucai gestured with his gaze, and two people stepped forward to unfold Xue Juncai''s and Xue Tingxiang''s papers, held them up, and showed them to everyone.


    I saw that on one of the rice papers, the handwriting was full of strength, correct and beautiful. On the other piece of rice paper, the handwriting was not bad, but it was anticlimactic, and it became more and more scribbled as it went to the back, and there were even spots of ink on it.


    "Xue Tingxiang''s words are not bad, and there is no ink on the scroll, which is a good appearance. And Xue Juncai didn''t finish his silence, and there were mistakes and omissions, so Xue Tingxiang won this round."


    "Brilliant!" Xue Qingshan said in surprise, his eyes were full of disbelief, he wanted to say something, but was pulled by Yang Zhong.


    Xue Juncai didn''t raise his head until now, he raised his head stiffly and looked at Xue Tingxiang with red eyes.


    ...


    Next is the second round, and this round will return to the normal school exam homework.


    He Xiucai asked the question, and the two answered.


    "Seeking the ancients to seek the theory, how can you solve it if you let go of your worries?"


    "Search for the ancients and the ancient things, and read more wise and famous sayings, so that you can get rid of distracting thoughts and be at ease." Xue Juncai took a step forward and replied.


    "Meng Ke is dunsu, Shi Yu is upright. What''s the explanation for Lao Qian''s edict?" This sentence was asked by Xue Tingxiang.


    He pondered for a while, and said: "Mencius advocates simplicity, while Ziyu, the official historian, is upright. What he said is that a person should conform to the standard of the mean as much as possible. He must be hardworking and humble, be cautious, and know how to advise himself."


    "Saying the warning, what''s the next sentence?" When He Xiucai asked this sentence, he didn''t look at any of the two of them.


    Xue Juncai was still in a daze, but Xue Tingxiang had already replied: "I''m almost ashamed, Lin Gao is lucky."


    "Don''t talk about each other''s weaknesses, what''s the solution to relying on your own strengths?"


    This time Xue Juncai didn''t let up, and hurriedly said: "Don''t talk about other people''s shortcomings, and don''t rely on your own strengths to make progress." Before he finished speaking, his cheeks were hot, and he didn''t know whether it was embarrassment or self-ashamed.

 Chapter 104

    But after all, he lived older than Xue Tingxiang, so naturally he will not forget to do superficial work.


    He sighed: "The boy was spoiled by his mother, and it''s also my uncle who can''t discipline well. Uncle is here to accompany you."


    Xue Tingxiang hurriedly stepped aside and said: "Uncle, don''t say that, Ting''er is a junior, I can''t bear it."


    "Ting''er? I didn''t expect you to give yourself a name." Xue Qingshan laughed, and also wanted to point out that Xue Tingxiang''s name was not correct, and he was not as sensible and polite as he appeared on the surface.


    Generally, the names are given by the elders, not just chosen by the younger generation. It is fine for ordinary villagers, but Xue Tingxiang is a scholar, and a scholar should understand etiquette. Read.


    Xue Tingxiang was very clear in his heart and understood what uncle meant. He smiled and said: "When my father was still alive, I asked my grandfather and uncle to help me choose one. Uncle refused because of his humble name so that he could support me. Now the court My son is also fourteen, so I can¡¯t keep using her baby name, so I randomly picked one.¡±


    As soon as these words came out, Xue Qingshan''s face turned ugly again. Xue Tingxiang was obviously saying that he, an uncle, did not want to name him, because he deliberately belittled him. After all, since I have been educated, I should definitely not have a name,


    He forced a smile, and explained: "It''s not that Uncle sees that you are not in good health, and wants to name you after you are an adult. You can''t understand this painstaking effort, if Uncle doesn''t choose one for you now?"


    As he said that, without waiting for Xue Tingxiang to agree, he sighed and made a melancholy look, and said: "You have been weak since you were born, and your father wished you a long life when he was alive, so my uncle named you Fushou, what do you think? ?¡±


    This name is really random, and I am not at all sorry for the name of Xue Qingshan, the only child born in Yuqing Village.


    Xue Tingxiang hesitated for a moment before refusing: "It''s still not uncle, Ting''er''s name has been decided, and I went to the grave to inform my parents before, there is absolutely no chance to change it."


    These words also made it clear why he went to the cemetery every year. Since Xue Tingxiang saw that Xue Qingshan had invited so many people and made such a fuss, he knew that the other party must have plans.


    Regardless of what he plans, he just blocks the way that the other party may use to make a fuss, and the rest is to wait and see what happens.


    Sure enough, Patriarch Xue''s face softened a little.


    Before that, he always thought that this matter was done on purpose by Erfang, just to compete with Juncai for the opportunity to study in Qinghe Academy. This time I came to see this young man is gentle and polite, neither humble nor overbearing, patriarch Xue has no fame, but he can know a few words, and he has been the patriarch for many years, so he has a good eye for people.


    He was very surprised, because he had seen Gouzi before, but he didn''t have a deep impression of him. The only impression he had was that he was an inconspicuous boy. Looking at it now, this son has grown up somewhat unexpectedly.


    But no matter how unexpected he was, patriarch Xue did not forget what he was doing here.


    Just a good impression on one side is not enough to make him shake the decision he has made. He had asked someone to test Juncai''s child, and he was much more knowledgeable than his two grandchildren. If it was said who the next child in Yuqing Village would be, Patriarch Xue felt that Xue Juncai was the most likely.


    Maybe not just a child, but a scholar.


    With two future talent seedlings and a young man who doesn''t know his depth, Patriarch Xue naturally knows how to do this multiple-choice question.


    However, the idea of ??helping Xue Qingshan before was dispelled. If Xue Qingshan couldn''t even handle a child, he didn''t deserve his attention.


    How could Xue Qingshan fail to see Patriarch Xue''s thoughts. In his eyes, this old man is a master who does not see rabbits and does not scatter eagles. He accepts the benefits he brings to the clan, but never knows how to give him something.


    If any clan has ethnology, the clan will not subsidize one or two. On the contrary, he worked for nothing all day long, and every time a certain family in the clan brought some random food, the patriarch called him over and asked him to accept it.


    To be generous with the generosity of others, to spend other people''s wealth, is merciless to others, and it is meaningless to oneself!


    Xue Qingshan sneered in his heart, but pretended to be a respectful petition, and invited Xue patriarch Zheng Lizheng and others into the house.


    Patriarch Xue and Zheng Li were sitting cross-legged on the kang, one on the left and one on the right, while the others were sitting on the stools below. Mrs. Yang and Mrs. Zhou were busy pouring tea, and even Xue Tao''er was sent to ask Mr. Xue to come home quickly.


    Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng both had the habit of smoking dry pipes, and they took out the pipes as soon as they sat down.


    Xue Qingshan hurriedly took a bag of tobacco leaves from his mother Zhao, and while serving them, he said: "This is grown by my father himself. It is usually a treasure. Uncle and Uncle Li should try it."


    "Your father''s shredded tobacco is good, but it''s too little." After lighting it, Zheng Lizheng took a deep breath and said with a smile.


    Xue Qingshan replied: "If Uncle Lizheng likes it, I''ll pretend to be with you when I leave later, so don''t dislike it."


    These are all polite words, everyone knows each other well, Zheng Lizheng nodded with a smile, and went straight to the point: "What is Shan Zi planning to invite some of us old guys over here this time?"


    Looking at Zheng Lizheng''s smiling face, Xue Qingshan scolded the old fox in his heart.


    Things would turn out like this, and he absolutely wouldn''t believe that this guy surnamed Zheng didn''t do anything inside. But that''s exactly how he invited Zheng Lizheng here today. After all, he is the Lizheng of Yuqing Village and his surname is Zheng, so he won''t be said to be covering up.


    Including the few villagers present today, Xue Qingshan was thinking about inviting them. There was one with the surname Zheng, one with the surname Xue, and two families with mixed surnames in the village, but they were all well-known in the village.


    "Is there a matter that requires a few elders to decide, or wait for my father, he is in the field and will be back soon."


    Just as he was talking about Mr. Xue, he came back. After coming in, he exchanged greetings for a while before sitting down and getting to the point.


    "It''s ashamed to say this. Some things in my family have made everyone laugh."


    Hearing this was the beginning of the words, except for Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng, everyone present felt a little embarrassed. After all, this is someone else''s family matter. It''s two different things.


    "Actually, to put it bluntly, it''s all caused by poverty. In the previous situation of our family, it wouldn''t be like this. One baby was given away, but the other was not."


    One was also surnamed Xue, and was of the same generation as Mr. Xue. An old man named Xue Lianhe sighed: "Lian Xing, don''t say that, your family is also in trouble."


    Old Master Xue sighed with a wry smile: "It''s difficult, it''s not difficult for anyone, this light is all on the surface. But no matter how difficult it is, if you want your baby to have a future, you have to pay for it. If you don''t give it to someone, you will be successful." There''s a problem."


    With trembling hands, he took out the dry pipe from his waist, lit it and took a puff, before he said, "The palms and backs of the hands are full of meat, and it hurts me to give up any one. In fact, this matter was discussed last year, and I have been procrastinating on it." I did it because I was afraid that the baby would feel uncomfortable. It is not easy for a peasant family like us to provide for a scholar. The family finally gave up Shanzi. Although he failed to pass the exam several times, he still did it for the village and for us. Guys did something.


    "For so many years, our family has been doing things in the village. Everyone has seen it. If it is far away, it will not be mentioned. Let''s talk about the private school in Shanzi. As long as you are from the village and your family is not rich, Shu Xiu will be later or even less. , our family never mentioned it. Why? It¡¯s because it¡¯s not easy for us country people to make a living, with our faces turned to the loess and our backs turned to the sky. If God doesn¡¯t show mercy, the whole family suffers from famine.


    "Actually, I''m not afraid of the laughter of my brothers and sisters. Back then, I worked hard to support Shanzi''s education, just thinking that if I really passed the exam, I would give my family some tax exemption."


    These words were to the point, and it seemed that they were just a few words lightly, but they didn''t go deeper, but they said that everyone had mixed feelings in their hearts.


    What Mr. Xue said is the truth, or the truth that is in line with people''s reality, that''s what makes it so complicated.


    Finally someone stood up and spoke out for the previous incident, "Brother Lianxing, stop talking about it, we can''t trust you? When people spread rumors in the village, we told the children at home, Brother Lianxing Not that kind of person. There are those who are grandpas, and those who don¡¯t love their grandchildren.¡±


    "Yes, yes, everyone can understand, who is not difficult."


    Seeing that everyone was echoing Mr. Xue''s words, only the one surnamed Zheng remained silent. Zheng Lizheng''s eyes flashed, and he said with a smile: "Everyone in the village has watched Shanzi''s contribution to our village. Everyone knows that Shanzi is benevolent and righteous. This is for everyone''s sake. There is just one sentence, I don''t know if I, an elder, should say it."


    "Uncle Lizheng, you are the Lizheng of our village, there is nothing inappropriate to say."


    Zheng Lizheng nodded: "It stands to reason that this is your family''s business, and I, an outsider, shouldn''t interfere. But Lian Xing said it before, the palms and backs of his hands are all flesh." He suddenly sighed, and said earnestly: " Shanzi, don''t forget why your second child didn''t exist, everyone here can understand, because we have lived for decades, and we have never seen anything in our lives, so we are afraid that outsiders will not understand."


    These words made Xue Qingshan''s complexion look ugly on the spot, but since he can arrange this scene, it''s not that he has no countermeasures.


    He immediately said: "Uncle Lizheng is right, so I discussed it with my father and planned to give the two children a chance. Let the two have a competition, the winner will enter the school, and the one who fails will learn two lessons at home." Years, let¡¯s talk about it later when we have a chance.¡±


    Upon hearing this, the people present looked at each other without much opinion. Especially with the previous foreshadowing, Xue Qingshan''s words seem to be reasonable, which makes people have nothing to choose.


    After all, no family is rich, and money does not come from the river.


    Everyone went to see Zheng Lizheng, Zheng Lizheng looked at everyone with a smile, and said: "Why are you all looking at me? Since Lian Xingjia has an idea, let''s look at his family. But how does this compare? We old guys don''t Literacy, let Shanzi be the judge?"


    After a pause, he shook his head: "No, no, Shanzi is Juncai''s father, so he should avoid suspicion, or choose someone else to convince everyone."


    He looked up at Xue Qingshan and smiled: "Shanzi, you won''t blame me, Uncle Li Zheng, for being too talkative, right? In fact, I''m doing it for your own good. We should be upright in our conduct and conduct."


    Xue Qingshan can''t wait to throw out this person who always ruins his good things, how can he not complain, but on the surface he can''t say that, he can only seem to ponder for a while, and said: "What Uncle Li Zheng said is that although I''m an uncle, so I still have to avoid suspicion. If not, let me invite one, and Uncle Lizheng invite one, and the two of them will come up with the questions on the spot, and the two younger ones will be tested."


    Zheng Lizheng looked at Xue Qingshan with squinted eyes, seeing his confident appearance, he had some bad premonitions in his heart. But he has intervened too much, and it would be too obvious to be picky, so he could only nod and smile in agreement, and praised Xue Qingshan that he is indeed a scholar, but his mind is different.


    The matter has been settled, and what follows is gossip.


    Since people were invited to the door, it would be unreasonable not to ignore the meal at noon, so Mr. Xue ordered a few daughters-in-law to go down to pack the lunch.


    Just now when the elders were talking inside, Xue Tingxiang and Xue Juncai were standing outside, so they naturally knew what happened.


    Zhao''er''s face was a bit ugly, but Xue Jun gave Xue Tingxiang a proud look, and then went in to talk with his father beside several elders, and naturally won another round of praise without mentioning it.


    Zhao''er couldn''t help pulling Xue Tingxiang back into the house, and said anxiously: "What should I do? If I had known this earlier, I would have refrained from beating you. Gou''er, it''s all my sister''s fault. My sister caused trouble for you. "


    She was anxious, and brought up the words of Sister Gou''er again.


    "Don''t be afraid, it''s okay."


    "Is it really okay?" Zhao''er turned back and forth on the spot and said, "But, what if we lose?"


    Xue Tingxiang squinted his eyes: "Don''t you believe me? Think I''m not as good as him?"


    Zhao''er immediately said: "How is it possible! My dog ??is the smartest, and I will be a scholar in the future to become a high official, and my sister is still waiting to enjoy the blessing of the dog!"


    Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang have said this sentence countless times.


    When he was a child, she would encourage him every time he showed signs of discouragement. She even thought so in her heart, so when everyone looked down on him and everyone thought he was not good enough, only she was the only one who kept talking to him like this, and even kept doing it with actions.


    It''s a pity that she didn''t enjoy his blessing, not even a single day.


    Obviously, all that was not what he experienced, it was just a dream of his, but every time Xue Tingxiang thought about it, he felt a great sense of sadness.


    He closed his eyes for a moment, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "Since you have said so, are you still afraid that I will lose?"


    She knew that the little man must be angry again, and he didn''t like her saying things like ''the dog is my man'' the most. Every time he heard her say such things, he would ignore her for a few days. In fact, Zhao''er has to face, but she is the child bride-in-law of the Xue family''s second room. If she didn''t claim to be like this, how could she have the right to challenge the fourth aunt, Sun''s.


    "Are you hungry? Look what I brought back for you?"


    Zhao''er turned her head and put all these troubles behind her, and took out a paper bag from her pocket. Opening the paper bag, there are two steamed buns inside. They are white and plump, and people like it when they look at them.


    "Eat quickly, while it''s still warm." She smiled and stuffed the paper bag into the little man''s hand, while putting the pannier on her shoulders in the corner.


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her.


    The girl in front of her was in her twenties and eighth year, and her skin was the wheat color that is common among girls in the country, but Zhao''er''s complexion was very different from others, it was smooth and radiant, as if she had been smeared with honey. He has a tall nose bridge, a pair of medium-sized eyes, and swarthy pupils. When he smiles, there is a flash of inspiration in him, and he looks lively.


    Zhao''er''s stature is taller than ordinary girls, and she is well-developed, front/convex/backward, full of youthful vigor.


    It was so vivid, as vivid as in his dream.


    He unconsciously took the steamed stuffed bun and gnawed on it. Seeing this trick, he smiled even more happily. He went to the kitchen and poured him a bowl of water, which he placed next to his hand. On the other hand, he bent down to tidy up the scattered quilts on the kang, thinking about what to cook for him at night to nourish his body.


    Finally, the little man got better, so he had to continue to drink the medicine, and he had to drink a few more to strengthen it. From this, he naturally began to calculate the little money left in his hand, and think of a way to get some money, so as to solve the urgent need.


    "Have you eaten yet?" Xue Gouzi asked.


    This kind of behavior rarely happens to him, so Zhao''er can''t help but look up at the little man sitting on the kang.


    In fact, the little man has a handsome appearance, which is different from the fair skin of the countrymen. The corners of his eyes are slightly raised, and the curvature makes his face a little more delicate and handsome. It''s just that the little man always hangs his head halfway on weekdays, with a gloomy and silent temperament, and is too thin, so he is not conspicuous in front of others.


    Zhao''er''s eyes warmed up, her smile widened, and she said cracklingly, "Eat, I ate it outside, this is for you."

 Chapter 105

    Zhao''er washed the dishes and chopsticks used by himself and the little man, and took them back to the kitchen. Mrs. Zhou was cooking pig food, while Tao''er was sweeping the yard. Seeing that she had nothing to do, Zhao''er found Heizi''s food bowl, and took a bowl from the leftover rice that was going to be mixed with pig grass to feed pigs later. , carrying it and walking out the door.


    Mrs. Zhou glanced at her back, but didn''t speak.


    The leftovers are for Heizi. Dogs in the country are like this. The owner eats dry food, and the dog drinks water. When the owner eats water, the dog usually goes hungry. The country dogs are used to starvation, but Zhao''er usually pays little attention to sunspots, no matter good or bad, he always feeds him.


    Occasionally there are additional meals, of course, these are invisible to the human face.


    Anyway, Mrs. Zhao saw Zhao''er picking food out of her pig''s mouth and feeding it to the dog!


    When she stepped out of the main room and saw this scene, her old face immediately pulled down, and she didn''t see her scolding Zhao''er, so she stood in front of the door and shouted at the direction of the kitchen: "Let you feed the pigs!" It¡¯s good for you, feed the food into the dog¡¯s mouth, such a big person is not worth the fart, and it¡¯s not enough to eat for nothing.¡±


    This clearly refers to Sang scolding Huai.


    In the kitchen, Mrs. Zhou didn''t speak. Tao''er, who was sweeping the yard, looked up at Grandma, endured it and continued to sweep the yard. Mrs. Zhao didn''t mention her name, who knows who she was scolding, if she stepped forward to intervene, she would only change the target and be scolded bloody.


    These are lessons learned.


    As soon as Zhao''er walked to the gate of the courtyard, she heard such scolding. She didn''t show any weakness, and turned her head to look at Zhao with a smile: "Grandma, are you scolding Third Aunt? If you scold Third Aunt, Third Aunt But it¡¯s too unfair. If you want to scold you, you should scold me. I scooped up the leftovers and planned to give Heizi to eat. Didn¡¯t I just think that Heizi would not be easy, so I would bring a rabbit to the house every now and then. You said we You can¡¯t do something that wants the cows to work without giving them grass, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Mrs. Zhao glared at Zhao''er angrily. She knew that this girl was not a cheap girl, so she scolded Mrs. Zhou, but she found her by herself. Just as he was about to say something, some of the women who passed by the gate of the courtyard smiled and said, "I saw Lian Xing''s family so energetic early in the morning."


    Someone next to him interjected: "Don''t talk about it, Ren Zhao''er is right. How can there be a cow that works without giving it grass?"


    "That''s right, Lian Xing''s family, it''s almost enough. Everyone in the village doesn''t like your big black dog. At this time when there is a rabbit shortage in the wild, it can fetch rabbits. What a smart beast. Usually In summer and autumn, voles, wild rabbits, and pheasants were often picked up at home, and they would be brought back if they didn¡¯t eat them. If you don¡¯t like Heizi, give it to our family, and your Uncle Shouxin has already taken a fancy to Heizi.¡±


    This is a Lianxing family, Mr. Xue and his aunt, known as Aunt Shouxin. Although he is ten years younger than Mrs. Zhao, but he is of a higher seniority.


    There are more than 200 households in Yuqing Village, with Xue and Zheng as the main surnames, and there are more than a dozen other households with mixed surnames. Since they all have the same surname, it is inevitable that every family is related, and some relationships can be pulled out of Wufu. But relatives are relatives, and when one is younger than others, one has to respect one another, so when this aunt Shouxin spoke, she sounded like an elder giving advice to younger generations.


    Mrs. Zhao was terribly blocked by these words, even though she was scolding, she was really reluctant to let her give Heizi to others. Just like what these people said, Heizi did bring some wild animals to his house at ordinary times, regardless of size, fat or thin, he always eats meat, and it is not easy for country people to eat meat.


    She kept a straight face and said nothing, but the trick in front of the door was on point: "Grandma Seven, this is not acceptable, Heizi is my lifeblood, you have made my lifeblood run away, I can''t live anymore."


    She smiled as soon as she said it, and said witty words in her mouth, and immediately made Aunt Shouxin laugh, pointing at her bit by bit, and said to others: "Look at this naughty girl, but she is not at all. You''re welcome. Please, please, Seventh Grandma doesn''t want you dog, so she won''t take away my son''s life."


    After talking and joking, Zhao''er sent the women away with a smile, and then turned around to feed Heizi.


    Mrs. Zhao glared at her, turned around and was about to enter the room, but just as she lifted her foot, she heard someone calling her from behind.


    "Mom, why are you standing here?"


    But Xue Cuiping, the eldest daughter of the Zhao family, came back.


    Xue Cuiping''s appearance is 60% similar to Zhao''s, but she has a pair of big almond eyes. She looked like she was in her twenties, and she was wearing a washed-out blue floral jacket with a pair of red-coloured wide-leg trousers underneath. She was holding a bamboo basket in her hand, which was covered with a layer of cloth, and she couldn''t see what was in it, and she was looking at Mrs. Zhao suspiciously.


    This really means that Cao Cao and Cao Cao will be here soon. The old man said before that the Zhao family is planning to get someone to report to Shangshui Village. This will save trouble.


    The mother and daughter walked into the house while talking, and soon disappeared behind the curtain of the main room door.


    Zhao''er squatted there watching Heizi eat, stroking its big head with her hand, but she was a little curious about how her aunt came back in time for the busy farming season.


    *


    "This can''t be done, mother, you are letting someone poke my spine!" In the main room, Xue Cuiping stood up after listening to Mrs. Zhao''s words.


    Mrs. Zhao hurriedly reached out to pull her, and at the same time gestured for her to keep her voice down so that no one could hear her.


    "Why not? You are Gouzi''s aunt, and you beat the younger brother and the second child. If this family says who the child wants to listen to, they will probably listen to you."


    Mrs. Zhao''s words are true. Xue Cuiping has been friends with her second child, Xue Qingsong since she was a child, and she and Mrs. Qiu also got along well when she was not married. When Xue Gouzi was born, she often hugged him.


    Xue Gouzi has been shy and introverted since he was a child, and since his second wife left, he has become more silent and gloomy. He often doesn''t see him say a word for ten days and a half months, and the members of the Xue family are only close to aunt Xue Cuiping.


    "But..." Xue Cuiping was full of embarrassment, and secretly said in her heart that she shouldn''t be coming back this trip. She never thought that she hadn''t finished her business before going back to her mother''s house, but this kind of thing would happen.


    "Don''t forget, your family Xingzi came to our private school, and your elder brother didn''t care about you. Now your elder brother needs your help, why don''t you want to ignore it, you are good, your elder brother is fine, The big house is promising, can it still make you suffer?"


    "Why don''t you tell the dog yourself, mother!"


    Mrs. Zhao has never been a patient person. She can speak so softly because Xue Cuiping is her daughter. Seeing her daughter pushing back and forth like this, and poking her heart with words, she immediately exploded: "If your mother can go and tell him, is it still necessary for you? Your mother can say this, can you say it? If you let outsiders You know, what has become of this?"


    Xue Cuiping was already irritated by her in-laws'' affairs, and when she saw her mother scolding herself, she immediately became annoyed: "Hey, the whole family will not go, and I am an outsider who asked me to be this villain? Even if an outsider finds out, it''s okay It¡¯s no use for me to be an aunt, and the second elder brother¡¯s family and adults are all dead, so why not force a child?!¡±


    Seeing her daughter''s voice getting louder, Mrs. Zhao was afraid that people would hear her, so she gave her a firm hand and scolded: "You are afraid that people will not hear you, right?"


    Naturally, Xue Cuiping didn''t want to have a falling out with her mother, so she muttered reluctantly: "Let me say, it''s not your mother''s business to be in charge of this matter, let the elder brother or sister-in-law handle the affairs of the elder brother''s house by himself. Let others do all the bad things." , their family is innocent, there is such a thing!"


    "Why are you talking about your elder brother? Your elder brother is a scholar, he wants to face and respect. Besides, he is ashamed of his second son, and he can''t do such a thing."


    Xue Cuiping''s lips parted, and she pressed down her full stomach.


    If he really felt ashamed of his second brother, would he still make such a fuss? In fact, over the years, Xue Cuiping has also seen through the behavior of this elder brother. If the elder sister-in-law is a smiley face, the elder brother is not a good person. Bad things have been done by others. It is obvious that their family has benefited, but they still pretend to be innocent.


    But so what if she knew, she was a married woman after all, she couldn''t shake the deep-rooted respect her parents had for her elder brother. As long as this kind of value is not broken for a day, the big house will always be the first in the family. In particular, she also has her own selfishness and her own reasons, so even if she knows what happened at home in the past two years, she can only ignore it against her conscience.


    She brushed back the hair that fell on her cheeks, and said: "Mother, let''s not talk about it, I came back this trip to borrow some wheat seeds, you also know my mother-in-law''s disease, because I was in a hurry to raise money last year The money for the medicine, and no seeds left..."


    Before she finished speaking, she was interrupted by Mrs. Zhao.


    Mrs. Zhao patted her hard twice: "Borrowing wheat seeds again, do you think your mother''s family has gold and silver, don''t you? With so many sons in the Liu family, let you, a daughter-in-law, come back to dig out her mother''s family!?"


    "mother¡­¡­"


    "Those head-cutting things in the Liu family, a house full of losers, a bunch of incompetent bastards, who can''t even support their mothers..." Mrs. Zhao scolded, and seeing Xue Cuiping crying, she beat her again. She said twice: "Go and deal with Gouzi, and mother will give you wheat seeds."


    "mother¡­¡­"


    "Go, don''t ink."


    *


    When he heard that his aunt had returned, Xue Gouzi felt a sense of fate in his heart.


    Afterwards, when Xue Cuiping opened the door curtain and walked in with a smile, he surprisingly didn''t feel sad at all.


    When Xue Cuiping was talking, Xue Gouzi was not actually listening, he was just thinking about all the strange things in and out of the dream.


    Xue Tingxiang also experienced such a thing back then, since his parents passed away one after another, he felt resentful towards Xue''s family in his heart. And these grievances accumulated little by little under Dafang''s hypocrisy and the acquiescence of his family members. Until this time, he still had the last bit of hope in his heart, but when even his closest aunt was standing on the opposite side, he completely collapsed in despair. Instead of being silent earlier, he chose to explode.


    In fact, what Dafang and even the Xue family were waiting for was his outburst. As long as he raises this matter himself, countless big hats will be put on his head. He had no ability to resist at all, and these people were all his elders, so his anger and unwillingness were all strangled to death in his infancy.


    This time, what happened in the dream happened again, what should he do?


    Xue Cuiping''s mouth was still opening and closing, it could be seen that she was a little guilty in front of this pale and frail nephew. But these guilty consciences were hidden behind her constantly opening and closing mouth. Xue Gouzi''s eyes were indifferent, but someone beside him couldn''t help it.


    Zhao''er''s face was ugly, but he still forced a smile: "Auntie, you see that the dog has been sick for a few days, and he just got better. He is not in good spirits. If there is anything to say, let''s talk about it later."


    In fact, Zhao''er knew that this day would come sooner or later, otherwise she wouldn''t be desperately trying to make money recently. But when the malice between relatives approached a little bit, and it was her little man who forced it, Zhao''er couldn''t ignore it.


    She knew that it was the relatives who hurt people the most, and she had suffered this kind of pain. When mother left, she promised her that she would take good care of the little man, she made an oath.


    At this moment, Zhao''er''s eyes were stern, which was a sign that the female beast was going crazy.


    Xue Cuiping was frightened by what Zhaoer saw in her eyes, she shook her head subconsciously, and smiled uncomfortably, she couldn''t believe that a girl''s eyes could be so scary.


    "Zhao''er, Auntie is here to enlighten the dog. Auntie is also doing it for the good of the dog, and for the good of the family..."


    "Auntie." Suddenly, Xue Gouzi spoke.


    Interrupting Xue Cuiping''s words also interrupted Zhao''er''s explosion at a critical point.


    Xue Cuiping hurriedly turned her head to look at him: "Dog, Auntie told you..."


    "Auntie, I didn''t understand what you said for a long time. What should the meaning of the family come first? Why does Kong Rong give up pears? What does elder brother need from me? Auntie, you don''t know that elder brother has everything, grandma Uncles and aunts love him too, and they bought good pens, inks, papers and inkstones. Every time he uses paper for calligraphy practice, I can only practice calligraphy with branches and write on the sand. The paper I occasionally use is the worst quality Zhaoer bought. The rice paper, the ink drops on it and it is printed.


    "Brother has a lot of books, but I only have a copy of "Children Learning Qionglin", which I bought when my father worked as a carpenter for a few months. I know that my reading is not as good as that of my elder brother, and my handwriting is not as good as that of my elder brother. So I dare not ask to be like him. I don¡¯t have anything, I really don¡¯t know what I can give up to my elder brother.¡±


    Xue Gouzi''s eyes were bright and moist, with a kind of bewilderment and doubt that was ignorant of the world. The envy in his expression implied inferiority, and there was also some sadness in the inferiority complex.


    In particular, he had just recovered from a serious illness, his face was pale, and he was so thin that only a bone remained. He said such words that really made the sad witnesses cry.


    These words left Xue Cuiping speechless, feeling distressed and ashamed of herself, feeling that she would have no face to see her second brother and sister-in-law if she died. But the situation at home is imminent. There are no seeds during the spring plowing, and the wheat seedlings are not cultivated in time. If this season is missed, the whole family will suffer from famine this year.


    She suddenly hardened her heart, licked her lips and said, "Auntie is talking about going to the school in the town. You see, your handsome elder brother is better at studying than you. He is at the critical moment. You should give up as a younger brother. Anyway, you are one year younger than him, so it won''t be too late to go again next year."


    Zhao''er turned around abruptly, and picked up the stick behind the door.


    At this moment, Xue Gouzi said again: "Why did you let me go? Didn''t I have to go? Uncle asked you to come? Did he forget what he promised my father before he died? It turns out that uncle said Treating me like my own son is all fake..."


    A look of distress flashed in her eyes, and she nodded repeatedly: "Gou''er, no, Ting''er is a different scholar, and the name is so nice. From now on, my sister won''t call you Gou''er, and I won''t let outsiders call you that. It''s called Tingxiang." Anyway, in her heart, whatever the dog says is good,


    Xue Gouzi, no, he should be called Xue Tingxiang now, and he feels a little depressed. He is only less than two years younger than Zhao''er, but he is a deep ravine that he will not be able to cross in his entire life. Having said that, he said again: "Also, can you stop calling yourself sister to me in the future?"


    This time, Zhao''er was even more surprised, and even reached out to touch his forehead: "Ting''er, what''s wrong with you? Did you have some evil? You didn''t call me sister since you were a child."


    Xue Tingxiang took a deep breath and smiled: "But you are not my sister, you will be my wife in the future, how can a man call his wife a sister."


    He was originally pale, half leaning on the quilt at the top of the kang, suddenly smiled like this, his brows and eyes were clear and handsome, which gave people a feeling that they dare not look directly at him.


    Zhao''er''s face turned red all of a sudden, and he couldn''t make sense of what he said: "Dog, you, what are you talking about, I, I..."

 Chapter 106

    Xue Tingxiang looked out the window, and saw that the chicken''s neck was still bleeding, but it was running around in the yard, and Sun followed behind in a panic.


    Seeing that she was really in a bad shape, Mrs. Zhao came out of the room and said a few words. Mrs. Sun was even more anxious, and knew that she was really ashamed in front of the patriarch, but the chicken had wings, but she didn''t. It was only when the chicken lost its strength that Mrs. Sun grabbed it and cursed, "Run, run, it''s destined to be a dish in the pot. Where are you going?"


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t look any further, and looked back.


    He knew why his uncle was so generous and asked him to compete with Xue Juncai, because if there were no accidents, Xue Juncai would definitely win this match.


    In that dream, he had suffered such a loss, but it was not compared with Xue Juncai, but Zhao''er worked so hard to get money and sent him to Qinghe Academy. At that time, he was so stupid that he always blamed his own failures on the harshness of fate, thinking that it was not that he was not good enough, but that everyone did not give him a chance.


    When he first entered Qinghe Academy, he was full of ambition. He thought that he would definitely surpass Xue Juncai and prove that he was the most outstanding member of the Xue family, but the reality slapped him hard in the face. It was also at that time that he, who had never seen the world, understood the sinister intentions of his uncle. He did teach him to read, and he did ''read'' a lot of books, but he just read and didn''t understand the meaning of the scriptures.


    It was later learned that after schoolchildren learn to read, they use reading scriptures as the basis.


    First learn "Three Character Classic", "Hundred Surnames", "Thousand Characters", and then "Thousand Family Poems", "Children''s Learning Qionglin", "Longwenbianying", etc. After reading these, you can enter university and start Study and read the Four Books and Five Classics, etc.


    But at this stage, the teacher does not explain the meaning of the scriptures, that is to say, he just memorizes them by rote, clarifying the meaning of the words but not the meaning of the scriptures. Because people nowadays are used to thinking that children are just learning, it doesn¡¯t matter whether they understand it or not, as long as they remember it, and when they read a lot or for a long time, they will understand what it means.


    This is the so-called reading a thousand times, and its meaning is self-evident.


    When you can recite all these books fluently, and when you can learn to interpret the scriptures, you will get twice the result with half the effort.


    This time-saving, labor-saving and effective teaching mode is popular throughout Dachang, ranging from famous families to low-level sociology and village studies, and many of them are like this. This is especially popular in rural private schools, because there is only one teacher in the school, but it is not realistic to teach several or even dozens of people to explain the scriptures.


    But in fact, aristocratic families with some background would never teach their children this way. Because this teaching mode blindly emphasizes rote memorization, but ignores the truth that the classics are natural and logical.


    This is the pros and cons that ''he'' analyzed from the perspective of the overall situation after standing in the position of chief assistant.


    But at that time, he had just entered the library, because his uncle delayed explaining the meaning of the scriptures for him, and he didn''t understand that there was still a theory of explaining the scriptures. So when he first entered school, the teacher asked him if he had read it, and he replied that he had read it, but he couldn''t understand the scriptures.


    But now, it seems that the uncle is also aware of his own shortcomings, so he deliberately proposes this match, but in fact, he has already planned it, and he is destined to lose.


    Unfortunately, there was an accident.


    *


    Because there were guests at home, except for Mr. Xue and Xue Qingshan and his son, everyone was busy.


    After eating in the main room, the kitchen will start cooking other people''s lunch.


    During the period, Xue Taoer was also ordered to drink. There was wine and meat at the banquet in the main room, and the men exchanged glasses, and there was no way to see that there was any cleverness in the usual times. Especially Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng, the two drank very affectionately, and in the end they both got a little drunk.


    "Okay, don''t send it off, you''ll be there soon." Patriarch Xue waved his hand.


    After sending everyone out of the courtyard, this side started to clear the table and prepare meals. Mrs. Zhao originally wanted to take away the leftover meat and vegetables, but was stopped by Mr. Xue, saying that he was adding vegetables to everyone. People in the country are not rich, and it is commonplace for distinguished guests to leave and eat leftovers.


    The adults are all fine, Shuanzi and Maodan are eating deliciously.


    Zhao''er wanted to take the meal back to the house to eat, but was stopped by Xue Tingxiang, the two just kept their heads down and ate as before, without saying anything.


    Xue Juncai gave Xue Tingxiang a disdainful look.


    He had just accompanied Xue Qingshan to the table, and naturally he ate a lot of good food on the table, seeing that Xue Tingxiang could only eat leftovers, he was naturally full of sarcasm.


    He remembered what his father said to him before, Xue Gouzi would never win him.


    Thinking in his heart, he looked away, and said to Mr. Xue who was on the kang, "Grandpa, I''m going back to the house to read."


    Mr. Xue nodded. He also drank a little too much before, and now he is leaning on the kang smoking a cigarette to hangover.


    "Dog, eat more, brother is still waiting for you to beat me in five days." Xue Juncai suddenly said this when passing by Xue Tingxiang.


    Zhao''er immediately stood up and stared at him: "Can you talk? You''ve read the dog''s stomach after so many years of reading."


    Xue Juncai didn''t expect Zhao''er to show him such shame, his gentle face flushed red, but for some reason, he glanced at Zhao''er and held back.


    Mr. Xue shouted: "Juncai go back to the house!"


    Mrs. Zhou also hurriedly stood up to persuade Zhao''er, that''s all.


    After dinner, the two went back to the second room, and Zhao''er was still angry: "Don''t be angry, dog. When sister earns money, I will take you to the house and won''t be with them anymore."


    Xue Tingxiang was a little moved, but at the same time a little helpless: "You called me a dog again."


    Zhao''er groaned, then smiled and said: "I forgot, it won''t be like this in the future."


    Naturally, he couldn''t be angry with her, and then Zhao''er took the two clothes she changed yesterday and went out to wash, while Xue Tingxiang turned over the "Children''s Learning Qionglin" again.


    Looking at the book in his hand, which was transcribed on the worst bamboo paper and the footers were worn away, Xue Tingxiang felt a little worried. He actually didn''t want to read books, but Zhao''er couldn''t help but think that he should read more books now, and only by reading more books can he win against Xue Juncai more confidently.


    Little did he know that this book was different from the book, and it was useless to just read this book, but he would not tell her about it.


    He dug out the bamboo paper that Zhao''er bought for him from the kang cabinet. The cheapest bamboo paper cost 40 cents a knife. Such ''expensive'' paper was barely enough for practicing calligraphy. Even so, he is very precious at ordinary times, and he is reluctant to use it at all. If he can write on the sand, he will write on the sand, and if he can''t use the sand, he will write on the desk with water.


    Xue Tingxiang touched the stack of yellowed bamboo paper and sighed in his heart.


    ''Xue Tingxiang'' usually uses the highest quality Chengxin paper, so at this time he feels a little disgusted with the things that are usually precious.


    He spread out the papers on the kang table, stacked several sheets, and then cut them into the size of a book with a bamboo knife. In order to make room for the edge seam, he left some leeway and cut a thick stack before he found the inkstone with a corner missing and the ink ingot that had been used up and only a small piece remained.


    These are treasures that he is reluctant to use at ordinary times, but Xue Tingxiang doesn''t feel this way at all today. He added water to the inkstone, and then took the ink ingot to grind the ink, while grinding, he was thinking about something.


    After grinding the ink, he put the bald hair brush in the water bowl and wet it to clean it. After dipping in enough ink, he picked up the pen and wrote something on the paper.


    After writing a few words, he suddenly put down the pen, lifted the paper to look at it, and suddenly crumpled it.


    Mingming''s handwriting is fairly neat. Although he usually saves paper and ink, but because of years of hard work, his handwriting is not bad, but for some reason he just doesn''t like it.


    He closed his eyes slowly, calmed down for a while, and opened them again after a while. At this time, there was no one in the room, and anyone who was there could see a gleam of light flashing in Xue Tingxiang''s eyes. At the same time, his movement of grasping the pen was fast and steady, and with the help of a god, he wrote a series of small characters on the paper in a short time.


    These small characters suddenly became Yan style, then turned into pavilion style, and then turned into thin gold style again. At first, they were both tangible and boneless, but as they were written, their taste changed.


    The face and body are square and dense, the brushwork is thick, straight, open and full of vigor. That pavilion is physically strong and graceful, as if it was carved out of a block. And the thin gold body, the gold hook and iron painting, is full of arrogance, and the strokes are as sharp as cutting gold and jade.


    These three characters represent the whole life of ''Xue Tingxiang'', from the Yan style learned at the beginning of school, to the Guange style studied painstakingly for the imperial examination, to the thin gold style of the official residence.


    And so he wrote, oblivious to himself. Zhao''er came in during the period, but he didn''t dare to disturb him, so he quietly sat down on the edge of the kang.


    After writing for an unknown amount of time, he suddenly let out a long breath and put down his pen.


    He wrote two full sheets of paper.


    At this time, Xue Tingxiang had to admit that the magic of heaven was just a dream, and he actually possessed some of the things that he had in the dream.


    From the moment this dream appeared, Xue Tingxiang had been thinking about why he had such a dream. Now he understands, maybe he just wants him to make up for all the unsatisfactory dreams.


    And possessing everything of the "him" in the dream, he suddenly had great ambitions, and a surge of arrogance lingered in his heart.


    "I''m tired of writing, drink some water."


    Zhao''er brought water, Xue Tingxiang took it, and drank it in one gulp, it was very sweet.


    Only then did he lower his head to look at what he had written, and he actually spent two sheets of bamboo paper. Probably because Zhao''er was by his side, he suddenly remembered that she used to save money to buy paper for him, and felt a little distressed and guilty. He glanced at her and said in a low voice, "I actually wrote so much."


    How could Zhao''er not understand what he was thinking, so he chuckled and said, "Not much, not much, only two sheets. Paper is for use. I told you not to save paper a long time ago. It is used up. Let''s just buy it again."


    "I want to transcribe this book, so I try to write first, so as not to waste paper."


    "What book do you want to copy? Can you copy books too? Don''t you buy them?" Zhao''er was puzzled.


    Xue Tingxiang sighed in his heart. He really felt that he was really stupid before. He would rather borrow books from his uncle every time, or memorize them by rote, and never thought of copying books.


    Nowadays, the books sold in bookstores are rarely printed and expensive, so an industry of copying books has emerged. In this way, not only some poor scholars can get some money in exchange, but also those who want to buy books but suffer from poor pockets can get cheap.


    Of course, this copying is not something that can be done casually, it needs to be written very well.


    Xue Tingxiang boasted that his handwriting was not bad. Back then, many people begged for his calligraphy. Now that he needs a book, why can''t he copy it himself.


    the most important is--


    He glanced at Zhao''er.


    She sat up, raised her hand to touch the little man''s forehead, and made sure that her hands were not hot, then put on her clothes lightly and got off the kang.


    The first thing to do was to open the door, and Heizi, who had been restless for a long time, got out with a swish. Zhao''er also walked out of the room, seeing Heizi hurriedly running out of the courtyard to pee, she shook her head with a broken smile.


    At this time, someone has already got up in the courtyard, it is the Zhou family of the third bedroom and his eldest daughter Xue Tao''er.


    Today it''s the third room''s turn to cook. The Xue family''s rule is that apart from the housework of each room, the work in the office is shared equally. One day per room, in rotation.


    The room responsible for cooking is not only responsible for the food and drink of the whole family, but also takes care of the livestock in the family. The Xue family raised two big fat pigs, and it was not an easy job to just serve these two ancestors every day. Not to mention feeding chickens, carrying water, and chopping firewood, so the female family members who do housework on this day do not have to go to the fields to work.


    It seems to be fair and just, but in fact everyone inside knows how.


    The eldest aunt Yang claimed that the man was a child student, and she was exceptionally superior at home. Since Xue Qingshan passed the child student examination, she never touched housework again. The key is that Mrs. Zhao is also looking towards her, so it''s not easy for others to question her.


    At first, it was Xue Gouzi''s mother, Mrs. Qiu, who finally came in, the third-bedroom Mrs. Zhou, and the two sisters-in-law finally shared the burden. Afterwards, Mrs. Qiu followed her deceased husband, and Mrs. Zhou was left alone. It was not until Mrs. Sun of the fourth room entered the door that she would be able to catch her breath again.


    It''s a pity that Mrs. Sun is lazy and playful. In fact, Mrs. Zhou still does most of the work.


    In the past, when Mrs. Qiu was still alive, Zhao''er also helped Mrs. Qiu to do it. After Mrs. Qiu passed away, Zhao''er was busy with the housework of the second room and had to do the work in the office. In addition, Zhao''er was still young at that time, Mr. Xue told her to take good care of Xue Gouzi and not to take care of the work at work.


    Zhao''er now has free time to go around and get some money, but she is a person who looks at her conscience and will help out as much as she can in her spare time. As for those who used words to squeeze her like Sun, her sharp tongue was not forgiving.


    Seeing Xue Taoer struggling to fetch water from the well, Zhao''er rubbed his face and went up to help her.


    Thirteen-year-old Xue Taoer is like a small flower in bud. Although she is not very beautiful, she is very delicate. Seeing Zhao''er coming to help her, she couldn''t help showing a smile and talking to her: "Sister Zhao''er, is the second brother better?" Xue Gouzi is the second grandson of the Xue family, so Xue Taoer called him the second brother .


    "I had a fever again last night, and it got better in the second half of the night." Zhao''er looked around curiously, and asked, "Why isn''t Third Uncle here?"


    Although Xue Qingbai is a bit honest and reticent, he always loves his wife and daughter. Whenever he meets the third room to cook, he will get up early to fill the water tank.


    The Xue family has its own well, but the well is too deep, and there is no pulley on the well, so it is really exhausting to draw water with the strength of the daughter''s family alone. That is to say, Zhao''er was naturally as strong as an ox, and his strength was no worse than that of ordinary middle-aged men, so he could pull the bucket out of the deep well very easily.


    "My father went to the field and said he would work for a while and return after breakfast."


    Xue Qingbai is an honest farmer. Unlike other brothers in the family who have other skills, he only knows how to farm, so he puts all his heart on the ground. The Xue family has a total of more than 30 mu of land, and now he, Mr. Xue and the fourth son Xue Qinghuai are all planted.


    Although the women of the Xue family also went to the fields, it was only during the busy farming season, and besides, the women only had so little strength, so how could they help. Fortunately, the three men from Xue''s family are all good hands in the field, and they are really too busy, so they hired part-time workers to help out for a few days, so they don''t have to worry about not being able to finish the work in the field.


    Just as he was talking, the door of the fourth room opened, and Xue Qinghuai walked out from inside.


    The men in the Xue family are all big, so Xue Qinghuai also inherited a tall body.


    He was born with thick eyebrows, tiger eyes and a high nose bridge. He was dressed in dark blue coarse cloth and short brown, and looked very heroic. In fact, the men of the Xue family are not bad looking, but the women of the Xue family are a little mediocre, but all the grandchildren are born well, and they are all top-notch in the village.


    "Zhaoer Taoer, you wake up so early." Xue Qinghuai walked over in a few strides, took the wooden bucket in Zhaoer''s hand, walked to the water tank, and poured water into the tank.


    "How can you two little girls do this kind of rough work? You go to do other things, and the fourth uncle is here to fetch water."


    Zhao''er and Tao''er didn''t refuse either, one went to the kitchen to help her mother cook, and the other took a basin to scoop up water for washing.


    As time passed, the rest of the Xue family got up one after another, and there were more and more voices in the yard. On the other side of the kitchen, Mrs. Zhou yelled to eat. Generally, country people don''t pay much attention to breakfast, and they have to set a table or something. They always serve a bowl with a bowl, and eat it at any place.


    Breakfast is two rice porridge, the so-called two rice porridge is porridge cooked from two kinds of rice. Yuqing Village does not grow rice, but only wheat, sorghum, millet, corn and other crops. Although farmers grow wheat, they seldom use it for their own food. They sell it for other grains.


    Even a well-to-do family like Xue''s family with surplus food did not eat fine grains all at once, but a mixture of coarse grains and fine grains. For example, today''s breakfast is two-rice porridge, which is a porridge cooked with millet, that is, yellow rice, and sorghum rice.

 Chapter 107

    Because of this incident, she had fought with many girls and boys in the village, although some people still said behind their backs, no one dared to point fingers in front of others.


    Zhao''er always felt that the little man''s eyes were weird today, and he avoided them uncomfortably.


    She knew that the little man must be angry again, and he didn''t like her saying "the dog is my man" the most. Every time he heard her say such words, he would ignore her for a few days. In fact, recruiting children is also shameful, but she is the child bride-in-law of the Xue family''s second room. If she didn''t claim to be so, she would not be qualified to challenge the fourth aunt Sun.


    "Are you hungry? Look what I brought back for you?"


    Zhao''er turned her head and put all these troubles behind her mind, and took out a paper bag from her pocket. Opening the paper bag, there were two steamed steamed buns inside. They were white and plump, and people liked it just looking at them.


    "Eat quickly, while it''s still warm." She smiled and stuffed the paper bag into the little man''s hand, while putting the pannier on her shoulders in the corner.


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her.


    The girl in front of her was in her twenties and eighth year, and her skin was the wheat color common to girls in the country, but Zhao''er''s complexion was exceptionally different from others'', smooth and radiant, as if she had been smeared with honey. He has a tall nose bridge, a pair of medium-sized eyes, and swarthy pupils. When he smiles, there is a flash of inspiration in him, and he looks lively.


    Zhao''er''s stature is taller than ordinary girls, and she is well-developed, front/convex/backward, full of youthful vigor.


    It was so vivid, as vivid as in his dream.


    He unconsciously took the steamed stuffed bun and gnawed on it. Seeing this trick, he smiled even more happily. He went to the kitchen and poured him a bowl of water, which he placed next to his hand. On the other hand, he bent down to tidy up the scattered quilts on the kang, thinking about what to cook for him at night to nourish his body.


    Finally, the little man got better, so he had to continue to drink the medicine, and he had to drink a few more to strengthen it. From this, he naturally began to calculate the little money left in his hand, and think of a way to get some money, so as to solve the urgent need.


    "Have you eaten yet?" Xue Gouzi asked.


    This kind of behavior rarely happens to him, so Zhao''er can''t help but look up at the little man sitting on the kang.


    In fact, the little man has a handsome appearance, which is different from the fair skin of the countrymen. The corners of his eyes are slightly raised, and the curvature makes his face a little more delicate and handsome. It''s just that the little man always hangs his head halfway on weekdays, with a gloomy and silent temperament, and is too thin, so he is not conspicuous in front of others.


    Zhao''er''s eyes warmed up, her smile widened, and she said cracklingly, "Eat, I ate it outside, this is for you."


    After she finished speaking, she realized that she had slipped her mouth. She waited for the little man to show a disgusted expression, or to condemn her daughter''s family for running around, but he didn''t say anything, as if he had something on his mind. Head eating buns.


    Zhao''er couldn''t help heaving a sigh of relief, but at the same time felt a pain in his heart, and couldn''t help but said: "Dog, don''t worry too much. After all, you heard the words. Since you didn''t say it face-to-face, you can''t take it seriously. Even if it is true Don''t be afraid, sister earns money for your education."


    Xue Gouzi''s head still hurts a little, and he was dizzy. Zhao''er thought he had something on his mind, but in fact he was just thinking about that dream. Hearing Zhao''er''s words at this time, he suddenly remembered why he had this serious illness.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Gouzi''s serious illness came in a hurry due to stagnation of liver qi.


    Speaking of this, I have to talk about the general situation of the Xue family.


    Yuqing Village is a village located under Huyang Town, Xia County, Pingyang Prefecture. There are only more than 200 households in the village.


    The Xue family is one of them.


    However, the Xue family is different from other ordinary farmers, and it can be regarded as having some origins.


    The ancestor of the Xue family, that is, the grandfather of Mr. Xue, was a scholar. In a poor mountain depression like Yuqing Village, it is a great event for the ancestors to have a scholar.


    Because of this talented gentleman, the generation of the Xue family produced the head of the Xue clan, and there were several village elders in the clan, and finally had some say in Yuqing Village. At the same time, it is also a blessing for the younger generation. Mr. Xue''s father is hardworking and willing to work. With the help of the elders, he also slowly built up a family business.


    By the time of Mr. Xue''s generation, the Xue family already had more than 30 acres of fertile land, and several sons also had their own livelihoods. Their lives were enviably prosperous, and they could be regarded as a well-to-do family in the village.


    Mr. Xue and his mother-in-law Zhao have four sons and two daughters. The eldest son Xue Qingshan married his wife Yang, and they have two sons and a daughter. The eldest son Xue Juncai is fifteen years old, the second son Xue Youcai is ten years old, and the eldest daughter Xue Maner is married.


    The second child, Xue Qingsong, is a carpenter. He married his wife Qiu Shi and gave birth to a son, Xue Gouzi, who is fourteen years old. The third child, Xue Qingbai, is a farmer, married his wife Zhou, and gave birth to a son and a daughter. The eldest daughter, Xue Taoer, is thirteen years old this year, and the youngest son, Xue Shuanzi, is eight years old now. The fourth son, Xue Qinghuai, is a shopkeeper. He married his wife, Sun, and gave birth to a son named Xue Maodan, who is only four years old this year.


    As for the two daughters, the eldest daughter, Xue Cuiping, is already married, and the youngest daughter, Xue Cuie, is fourteen this year and is still in her boudoir.


    It is worth mentioning that nowadays there are parents who say that they do not separate their families. In addition, families in the countryside are ruled by clans, so Xue''s family has no separation.


    The Xue family has tasted the benefits of reading, so they have more vision than ordinary farmers. Xue Qingshan is smart since he was a child, and he is the eldest son. Mr. Xue has high hopes for him, and when he reaches the age of enlightenment, he spends money to send him to a private school.


    Xue Qingshan also strives for success. At the age of twenty, he passed the Tongsheng examination. Although he is still a scholar, he can be counted as a scholar who can be counted in ten miles and eight villages.


    Don''t underestimate Tongsheng! As the saying goes, scholars, farmers, businessmen, and scholars are the highest class of people in the current society. If ordinary people want to turn ordinary people into scholars, there is only one way to take the imperial examination. As for the imperial examination, it is only a matter of going to the west to learn Buddhist scriptures, and you have to go through various checkpoints and go through hardships before you can get it.


    If you want to embark on this path, you must first have the qualifications, and Tong Sheng is a person with this qualification. It is necessary to pass the county and government examinations to be called Tongsheng. As for the next step is to be a scholar, to become a scholar is to enter school, and it is also the first step to embark on the road of imperial examinations.


    It can be seen from this that Tong Sheng is not an ordinary person, so Xue Qingshan''s status in the Xue family can be imagined.


    But as I said before, the Xue family''s family background can only be regarded as a middle-level family in the countryside. If a family like this wants to support a scholar, it will almost exhaust all the human and financial resources of the family. Because the eldest son is the eldest son, who will set up a family in the future, and is talented and intelligent, the next few sons naturally have to give in.


    As for why Xue Gouzi became seriously ill, it has to be related to another old matter of the Xue family.


    Back then when Xue Qingshan was selected as a child student, he was considered a success at a young age. He was full of ambitions and wanted to pass the college examination in one fell swoop, and he could also be a scholar, but it was a pity that God did not follow his wishes.


    It was only a close call, and no one would be reconciled to it. Xue Qingshan could only calm down, work hard, and hope to win next time.


    After so many years of rushing away, the original smugness was completely devastated by the impact of reality. Xue Qingshan failed many exams, so he couldn''t stay at home and eat free food all the time. In desperation, he set up a private school in the village, which specializes in taking children from the village and several nearby villages to read and write, and they can more or less earn a living.


    With such convenient conditions, several children of Xue''s family naturally followed suit. The next few children are still young, and among the grandchildren, Xue Juncai, the eldest son of the big house, and Xue Gouzi of the second house have studied the longest.


    However, compared to his cousin Xue Juncai, Xue Gouzi is obviously not as good as he is because he is too weak. When he was young, he was always sick every day, which delayed a lot of homework.


    The time was stretched back to five years ago, this year the academic officer held a college examination in Fucheng, Xue Qingshan naturally would not miss it, he stopped his private school classes early and went to Fucheng to take the exam.


    It''s not easy to go out at this time, and besides, Mr. Xue was worried about his eldest son going out alone, so he asked his second son Xue Qingsong to accompany him. He always took care of him when he was usually on a business trip.


    That is to say, something happened on this trip, Xue Qingshan offended someone in Fucheng, Xue Qingsong was beaten all over his body in order to protect his eldest brother. In the end, the man was pulled back, but he died within a few days after he came back. Before he died, Xue Qingsong asked Xue Qingshan to promise himself that he would do everything in his power to confess Xue Gouzi.


    In fact, after giving way for others all his life, how could Xue Qingsong have no complaints in his heart, but he has a simple and honest nature, and he knows that his talent is not as good as that of his elder brother, so he has been making contributions in obscurity.


    But when it came to his own son, especially Xue Gouzi, who was weak since he was a child, he was not a farmer in any way, and he was dying, so Xue Qingsong took the opportunity to force his elder brother to make a promise.


    Xue Qingsong would do this, but he wanted to break the status quo that the Xue family''s resources had been leaning towards Dafang. The Xue family only had two scholars in the first room, and now there is a Xue Gouzi. The children in the third room were still young at that time, and the fourth child was not married yet. As long as Xue Qingshan agrees, others will naturally have nothing to say, and Xue Qingsong will do his best for his son Brown.


    Xue Qingshan agreed to the matter on the spot, crying blood, saying that he would treat Xue Gouzi as his own son, Xue Qingsong closed his eyes.


    Not long after that, Qiu Shi, who was already in poor health, became depressed and fell ill, and then passed away. Since then, Xue Gouzi has become a poor child without father and mother. Fortunately, there are grandparents and uncles, and Zhaoer, a child bride-in-law, so he doesn''t have to worry about food and clothing.


    In the following years, Xue Qingshan really treated Xue Gouzi like his own son. No one in the village would say that the boss of the Xue family raised his nephew as his own son. But as the saying goes, the human heart is the most fickle, and selfishness is the nature of human beings. As time passed, Da Fang gradually changed his attitude. Although he was in front of others, he was still the same as before, but only the person concerned would know what happened to him afterwards.


    This year, seeing that he had nothing to teach his son, Xue Qingshan decided to send Xue Juncai to the town school to study for two years.


    But it costs a lot of money to go to the school to study, not to mention the one-year study that costs two silver, the three festivals and six rituals of the husband, and the pen, ink, paper and inkstone used in daily life, all of which cost money. The Xue family has already been seriously injured because they confessed to Xue Qingshan, and how can they have money for the two children to go together.


    You can only take out one piece of money, that is to say, Xue Juncai and Xue Gouzi can only go to one.


    Xue Qingshan told the matter in front of the whole family, but Xue Gouzi didn''t say what he couldn''t say tactfully, but chose to remain silent.


    During that time, the atmosphere in the Xue family was weird, the old man Xue was frowning, and the grandmother Zhao was eccentric all day long, but the eldest couple were still the same as before, and they didn''t think it was a problem.


    I will not mention this, it is also a coincidence that Xue Gouzi accidentally overheard his eldest aunt Yang and fourth aunt Sun talking in secret, saying that he would let his parents-in-law come forward and let Xue Gouzi take the initiative to give up his place to study in the town , Xue Gouzi became seriously ill in a fit of rage.


    Thinking of this, Xue Gouzi felt uneasy for a while, and at the same time, many pictures appeared in his mind, which were just some of his previous dreams.


    The Xue Tingxiang in the dream also faced the same situation in the fourteenth year, and the other party''s temperament changed drastically after this incident, changing his previous disposition.


    Could it be that he is Xue Tingxiang, and that Xue Tingxiang is him? But why would he dream of these things!


    Xue Gouzi felt a throbbing pain in his head, the bun in his hand fell on the kang, and the water bowl next to him was also knocked over. Zhao''er heard the movement, rushed up and hugged him in his arms.


    "Dog, dog, don''t scare me!"


    "Tingxiang? This is your own name? Gou''er, why did you give yourself such a name?" Soon she understood, remembering that the talented boy in Dafang always carried his own name because of his young age. People laugh at the same name as Gou''er and Heizi.


    A look of distress flashed in her eyes, and she nodded repeatedly: "Gou''er, no, Ting''er is a different scholar, and the name is so nice. From now on, my sister won''t call you Gou''er, and I won''t let outsiders call you that. It''s called Tingxiang." Anyway, in her heart, whatever the dog says is good,

 Chapter 108

    She rolled over and over again.


    "You do not sleep?"


    It is reasonable to say that they would not rest so early, but today both of them have been busy all day, so they turned off the lights after recruiting children to go to the kang. However, there is a moon outside, and you can still see clearly in the room.


    Zhao''er sat up halfway, and moved to Xue Tingxiang''s side.


    "Dog, tell me what you meant when you scolded that old killer just now?"


    Zhao''er knows how to swear, and has sweared before, but he has never seen such a method of swearing. Yang Zhong was furious by swearing, and Xue''s family didn''t even know how to persuade him. From Zhao''er''s point of view, isn''t this the culmination of swearing, can you swear without uttering dirty words?


    She wanted to learn this method, and it would come in handy.


    Xue Tingxiang turned over and gave her a backbone.


    Zhao''er poked his shoulder with her finger: "What''s wrong? Why are you angry again?"


    He didn''t move, and she moved closer.


    The two of them were only separated by one person, and they wore thin clothes when they slept. Zhao''er leaned over, even though Xue Tingshan had his back on his back, he could still feel a wave of hot air rushing towards him, mixed with a wisp of faint fragrance.


    There was a strange softness slightly attached to his shoulders, Xue Tingshan stiffened his back, and heard her say on top of his head: "Don''t take that old killer''s words to heart, it''s not that I said uncle and aunt are too narrow-minded." It¡¯s too much, to make such a fuss, do you really think that Grandpa will regret it? Even if the family doesn¡¯t say anything, there are still so many people watching outside, so don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll go to the school to make a decision.¡±


    She was very close to him, and the heat of her words sprayed on the tips of his ears, making him shiver again and again. At the same time, a hot numbness rushed from the tips of his ears to his neck, causing waves of unconscious trembling.


    His breathing was a little tight, and he couldn''t help turning over.


    Zhao''er was still talking, and she didn''t expect that he would turn over suddenly, and his face just crashed into her arms.


    Xue Tingxiang''s brain went blank for a moment, and he subconsciously fell backwards. It is obvious that it is about to leave at the touch of a touch, but it clearly feels a suffocating softness, and there is something faintly raised.


    He recalled some situations in the dream, and he only felt his nose was hot, as if something flowed out.


    "Are you alright?" Zhao''er heard a thud, saw him motionless, thought that something was wrong with him being bumped, hurriedly leaned over to look at his face.


    "Why are you panicking! Really. Come on, let me rub it for you."


    He covered his nose with one hand and pushed her with the other: "I''m fine, it doesn''t hurt." He quickly turned over and said falteringly: "It''s getting late, go to sleep."


    "You haven''t told me what you mean by that!"


    "It doesn''t mean anything, just let him take a pee and take a picture of himself!"


    "Ah?!" Zhao''er was stunned, and said after a while, "So that''s what he meant, then you just let him take a pee and take a picture of yourself, and you said so much."


    Seeing that he didn''t answer himself, Zhao''er sat for a while and then lay down.


    "Okay, go to bed now, I won''t disturb you anymore."


    *


    Yang Zhong stayed at Xue''s house for one night and left the next day.


    Because it was rushing to the busy farming season, the Xue family resumed their usual work, and no one mentioned the previous incident, as if nothing happened that night.


    Everything is so busy yet full of peace.


    On this day, Xue Tingxiang and Zhao''er went to town early in the morning.


    Different from the past, today Xue Tingxiang wore new clothes.


    The clothes were brought out overnight by Zhao''er, because Boss Chen said that he would take Xue Tingxiang to Qingyuan Academy. This trip is very meaningful, so naturally it can''t be as casual as before.


    The gray-blue cotton gown was made by Zhao''er after imitating those school shirts in the town. Although the style is simple, it looks extraordinarily straight and docile after being washed with starch. Although Xue Tingxiang is thin and thin, his shoulders are flat and his back is straight. Wearing this student shirt, he has a particularly graceful temperament.


    When they arrived at the place, Boss Chen took Xue Tingxiang out, while Zhao''er stayed at Dongliju.


    The two of them went all the way to the east of the town, the more secluded they became as they went outside, and after walking for almost a cup of tea, they saw a building with white walls and black tiles standing at the end of their line of sight.


    Seeing Xue Tingxiang''s gaze resting on the building, Boss Chen said: "That is the Qinghe Academy." After a pause, he raised his hand and pointed to a building not far behind the Qinghe Academy: "That is the Qinghe Academy. Academy."


    The two walked forward and passed Qinghe Academy, and saw that this academy was really extraordinary. The whole building exudes a magnificent temperament, the gate tower stands majestically, with a few golden characters "Qinghe Academy" written on the door plaque, and the two black-painted gates are closed tightly, with a look of repelling people thousands of miles away. momentum.


    "It''s too late for you to regret it now." Boss Chen said.


    Following the sound of talking, the two of them crossed the Qinghe Academy, only to see the obviously much dilapidated small courtyard not far away.


    The small courtyard is rigorous and simple, with clear water and white walls, and gray and black tiles. Even the door plaque is much smaller than that of the Qinghe Academy, with a few simple big-character books on it¡ª¡ª


    Qingyuan Academy.


    Obviously, no matter where you look at it, it is not as good as the Qinghe Academy, but standing under the square door plaque and looking at the words on it, Xue Tingxiang felt a peaceful and peaceful atmosphere.


    "Since the kid is here, I don''t intend to regret it."


    Boss Chen glanced at him appreciatively, and went to call the door.


    Not long after, an elderly Zhaifu opened the door from the inside.


    He seemed to know Boss Chen, and he led the two of them in without asking too much.


    This school may not seem big, but it is actually small but well-equipped. It is the same as a general school. After passing the screen wall, there is a lecture hall on the central axis. There are two houses on the left and right sides. The temple on the left is built to worship the saint Confucius, and the house on the right is the place where the gentleman sits and rests and collects books.


    After the lecture hall, there must be a shooting garden, a hall, a kitchen, etc. Xue Tingxiang knew the layout without looking. Because in his dream, he studied in Qinghe Academy for several years, but Qinghe Academy is much more spacious and grand than Qingyuan Academy.


    Boss Chen led Xue Tingxiang to the right side of the house with ease, and when he reached a wing room, he straightened his clothes and sleeves, and then brought Xue Tingxiang in.


    This wing room is furnished in a simple and elegant way, and there is a large painting on the central hall facing it, on which are written the words ''peace and distance''. Standing in front of the words was a thin middle-aged man, wearing a dark blue scribe shirt and a square scarf.


    When he heard the movement, he turned around, and saw that he had long eyebrows, a thin face, and a few strands of beard. Judging from his appearance, he is a very serious and rigid person, but his eyes are calm and deep, obviously a person of great wisdom.


    This person is Lin Miao, the owner of Qingyuan Academy.


    "Brother Anqi, I''m here to bother you again." Boss Chen cupped his hands with a smile.


    "The good brother of Mo."


    Lin Miao smiled, obviously he had a good relationship with Boss Chen. After the two exchanged pleasantries, Boss Chen pointed to Xue Tingxiang and said, "This is the young man I told you about."


    Lin Miao looked over.


    Obviously Xue Tingxiang has extensive knowledge, and he has never seen any kind of person in that dream, even the Ninth Five-Year Master, he has seen several, but there is an inexplicable sense of awe.


    "Boy Xue Tingxiang, I have met you." He clasped his hands together and bowed in salute.


    Lin Miao nodded: "Since you''re here, stay here. The school will open in ten days, so you can just come here when it''s time."


    "Mr. Xie."


    Boss Chen glanced at Lin Miao, as if he wanted to say something, seeing this, Xue Tingxiang tactfully said that he was going out for a walk, so he avoided going out.


    After Xue Tingxiang went out, Boss Chen said: "Brother An Qi, don''t you believe in the eyes of a younger brother? I have observed these days, and this son has a calm mind, is diligent and hardworking, and is quite talented in reading. He only needs one A good teacher, if there is a good teacher to guide, I think the future will be limitless in the future."


    The reason why Boss Chen said that was because Lin Miao''s performance was too plain. He originally thought that Lin Miao loves calligraphy, and after reading Xue Tingxiang''s calligraphy, and his lobbying, he should accept him as a student no matter what.


    This student is different from the students in the academy, and can be regarded as a student entering the room. As the saying goes, a teacher for a day is a father for life. A young child has more than one teacher from the beginning of school until he passes the exam/fame.


    When you start learning, you are called a teacher, that is, a teacher of enlightenment. The karma teacher is the teacher who teaches the karma, also known as the scripture teacher. Those who teach their work must pass on their scriptures, and those who pass on their scriptures must educate their people, so a teacher is extremely important to a student. There are also human teachers and seat teachers, which will not be mentioned here.


    As for what Boss Chen said about "accepting students", the teacher is more like a combination of a professional teacher and a human teacher to students. He not only needs to teach them, but also teaches them the principles of life, which is different from treating ordinary students. The teacher has to cultivate it carefully, and it can be regarded as inheriting his mantle.


    Of course, students have to pay relatively, and they must truly be teachers for one day and fathers for life. This kind of relationship is not father and son, but victory is father and son, which is very popular among scholars today. The intertwined relationship among scholars in Shilin was laid on this basis, and gradually developed into a towering tree.


    Lin Miao laughed: "You really value him very much."


    Boss Chen sneered: "If I didn''t miss you, you would think that I have the time to meddle in your business. Don''t forget the October competition, if Qingyuan Academy loses again this year..."


    Boss Chen didn''t say what he said next, but Lin Miao understood what it meant.


    He sighed softly: "Everything is determined by God, if it is the case in reality, you can''t force it."


    Boss Chen repeatedly shook his head and stomped his feet and said, "Oh, I''m not talking about you. Your temperament is the most troublesome. You talk about the way of a gentleman with others, but others never follow you. Year after year They were all defeated by that villain, and now there are no good seedlings who are willing to come here to study, what should we do in the long run."


    "Brother Mo Zhi, you don''t understand."


    "Yes, yes, I don''t understand, I just know that if this continues, the reputation of the Qingyuan Academy will be lost in your hands."


    After finishing speaking, both of them were silent.


    Lin Miao looked tired, and Boss Chen seemed to know that he had made a slip of the tongue. He slowed down his tone, and said, "I can''t do anything about you. Anyway, I brought him for you. I''m really optimistic about this child. As for the rest, you can figure it out yourself."


    Lin Miao nodded: "Brother Mo Zhi, thank you in advance for my brother, but the matter of accepting apprentices will be discussed later. Don''t worry, he has entered the Qingyuan Academy, and I will teach him carefully."


    Boss Chen also understood where his heart knot was, and he didn''t force it. The two chatted for a while, and Boss Chen said goodbye.


    When Boss Chen came out of the wing, Xue Tingxiang had just returned.


    He was taken by Zhaifu to wander around the school, and he could see that the school was a bit old, and the paint on many buildings was peeling off, but every flower, plant and tree could be seen to be elegant.


    It''s like a place to study, unlike the Qinghe Academy, where there is a smell of copper everywhere.


    The two left hand in hand, Xue Tingxiang asked Boss Chen about Shu Xiu on the way.


    After asking about it, I found out that the repairs at Qingyuan Academy are very cheap, apart from the usual six rites of apprenticeship, only one tael of silver is needed a year.


    As for the usual etiquette of filial piety, it only depends on family background and intentions, and it doesn''t matter whether you give it or not. In addition, regarding the dormitory study, you can choose to do the dormitory study or not, but you must come to the morning study every day. As for meals, you can choose to bring your own rice, or you can choose to pay a certain amount of money every month and have it supplied by the school, both of which are debatable.


    It''s not like the Qinghe Academy that requires students to live in dormitories, just to charge the expensive accommodation and meals.


    According to Boss Chen, in the past, when the Qingyuan Academy had court subsidies, the annual tael of silver was not collected. It was only later that the subsidies were lost, and the gentlemen and handymen in the academy had to support their families before they were charged. Silver taels.


    Boss Chen sighed in his tone, and Xue Tingxiang also sighed in his heart.


    In his dream, ''Xue Tingxiang'' had been studying in the Qinghe Academy for three years. If he had known about the existence of this Qingyuan Academy, Zhao''er would not have been so busy for his training. It would not be so desperate to give up, and he would not waste three years in Qinghe Academy.


    Fortunately, the reality and the dream finally deviated, and the inexplicable Xue Tingxiang felt relieved.


    Zhao''er took the cloth towel, went back to the edge of the Kang, took off the cloth towel on his head and wiped his hair.


    Her hair was black and dense, reaching to her waist. She brushed her long hair to the side of her neck, and sat on the edge of the Kang with her head slightly tilted, letting her long hair hang down, and combed it with a comb.


    The girl was wearing a lilac-colored floral jacket and maroon wide-leg pants. She had to straighten her back and tilt her neck so that the water from her wet hair wouldn''t wet her clothes. These were all subconscious actions, but in Xue Tingxiang''s eyes, his heartbeat accelerated inexplicably, and he felt a sense of tension in his blood.

 Chapter 109

    What good can we do at this time?


    Zhao''er had vigilance in his eyes.


    Xue Tao''er ran over, leaned closer and whispered, "It''s not my aunt''s father, he said he wants to talk to the dog."


    Xue Tingxiang also heard the movement outside the room and came out.


    "Don''t go, I''ll push it." Zhao''er knew that it would be no good for Yang Zhong to find a young man because of his elder status. Xue Jun is his grandson, so what good can he say if he goes, especially What about the previous incident?


    "No problem."


    When these words came out, Zhao''er was stunned for a moment, and Xue Tingxiang remembered that he would never speak like this in normal times.


    He smiled and said, "It''s okay, you''re still afraid that I won''t succeed if he eats it."


    "Can¡­¡­"


    At this time, Xue Tingxiang had already passed her to the main room, so she could only follow in a hurry.


    *


    Here in the main room, as expected, the wine is in full swing.


    Yang Zhong''s white and chubby face was flushed from drinking, and he looked slightly drunk. Mr. Xue''s dark red face shone red under the light. Xue Qingshan also sat on the side, along with Xue Juncai, Xue Qingbai and Xue Qinghuai.


    Women are not at the table.


    Seeing Xue Tingxiang walking in, Yang Zhong said, "Our little genius is here, come and let me see."


    He waved his hands without treating himself as an outsider, and when Xue Tingxiang approached, he opened his drunken eyes and looked up and down: "I don''t see anything has changed, how did you become so promising?"


    As soon as these words were sarcasm, the court immediately fell silent.


    Xue Qingshan focused on eating vegetables between his sandwiches, as if he didn''t hear him. Xue Juncai seemed to be sitting upright, but in fact he was looking at this place intentionally or unintentionally.


    The rest of the Xue family were a little embarrassed, especially Mr. Xue, his face was a little stiff, but he hesitated to speak.


    Zhao''er was about to attack, when Xue Qinghuai suddenly stood up, smiled and picked up the wine bowl: "My father-in-law, I respect you for a bowl, this wine is brewed by my father himself, and most people can''t drink it when they come here. Don''t look at your old man When I came, I quickly dug a jar and said to drink a few more bowls with you."


    Yang Zhong looked at Xue Qinghuai with a smile, and without hesitation, he picked up the wine bowl and drank it down in one gulp, and ate a few mouthfuls of food. Taking advantage of the situation, Xue Qinghuai hurriedly winked at Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang, telling them to leave quickly.


    Xue Tingxiang smirked slightly, and planned to take Zhao''er away, and listened to Yang Zhong before he even took a step.


    "What''s the matter? Why is the elder leaving before he finished talking? Although I am not your own grandfather, I am also your own grandfather. Is this old man not paying attention to me, or what?"


    The hat was buttoned too big, Zhao''er was about to say something, Xue Tingxiang gave her a hand.


    He took two steps forward, pretending to be listening respectfully: "Since my in-laws and grandpas have taught me, I will just listen to you." After a pause, he continued: "It''s just that my in-laws and grandpas are also scholars, so I think they know how to be rude. reason"


    "According to what you little brat thinks, as an elder, I can''t say that you are a junior?"


    The smell of alcohol came straight to Xue Tingxiang''s face, and there was also a strange smell of various vegetables mixed in it.


    Xue Tingxiang did not evade, and nodded calmly: "Naturally."


    "Hey! Look! It''s really different."


    Yang Zhong tapped Xue Tingxiang a few times with his finger, and looked at the rest of Xue''s family with a smirk, and the villain first complained: "In-law, is this your family''s tutor?"


    It was obvious that Yang Zhong was here to make trouble, and of course it was for Xue Juncai. When he came back from Lizheng''s house before, Mr. Xue guessed that the big room would definitely make a fuss, but he didn''t expect that the fuss should be here.


    In fact, as the son and daughter-in-law, how could the married couple blatantly quarrel with Mr. Xue? After all, they swore before that whoever wins will go, and whoever loses should not complain. And Yang Zhong, as Xue Juncai''s grandfather, couldn''t be more appropriate to stand in for him. If it works, it''s good, if it doesn''t, it won''t hurt the relationship between father and son.


    "relatives by marriage¡­¡­"


    Mr. Xue was about to speak, but was interrupted by Xue Tingxiang''s voice.


    "Although my parents are both deceased, there are my grandfather, uncles, and other elders of the Xue family. Even if there is something wrong, it is not up to people of other surnames to point fingers here. Although my grandfather and my family are connected I want to kiss you, but I definitely didn''t go to the Xue family''s table, eat the Xue family''s food, and scold the Xue family for their reasons."


    Because there are guests, candles are rarely lit in the house, which illuminates the room brightly.


    Standing in the middle, the boy is thin and thin, but he is tall and straight. He was wearing a shabby clothes, the cuffs and the front of the clothes were a little white, but it made people feel an inviolable aura.


    "Could this be the way of in-laws and grandpas being guests? One day when I, the Xue family, went to your house as guests, I would point and point at the Yang family, and be eccentric. Presumably, my in-laws and grandpas would not be angry. After all, coming here is not indecent. Thanks ah Master is always the junior in the family and talks about his in-laws and grandpas, but the boy is only his in-laws and grandpas, he is a literati, he is respected by the younger generation as a person who understands etiquette, now it seems that it is nothing more than that!"


    "you--"


    There was silence in the room, and no one thought that Xue Tingxiang would explode on the spot regardless of his seniority.


    Xue Qingshan stopped eating, and suddenly felt restless.


    But he didn''t stand up to speak for his father-in-law. Xue Tingxiang''s hat was too big, which brought the face of the whole Xue family and even the Xue clan. If he speaks for it, he is echoing the fact that the face of the Xue family can be trampled on the ground by the Yang family.


    In particular, this is not in line with what he planned.


    Yang Zhong''s face was flushed red, and his lips trembled with anger: "You kid, you dare to teach your elders a lesson at such a young age."


    "Don''t dare! A gentleman is harmonious but different, and a villain is the same but not harmonious. The boy is just telling the truth. I also hope that the in-laws and grandparents should be cautious in their words and deeds, so that they can be the appearance of a gentleman."


    This is teaching myself through the words of the sage!


    Yang Zhong laughed back angrily, and pointed at him with his finger: "Okay, okay, it''s really amazing. After studying for a few days, people are different. You really think that it''s a big deal if you win the handsome talent today, even if you furious."


    "A gentleman has nothing to fight for, and he will definitely shoot! When he bows and rises, he goes down to drink, and his fight is also a gentleman."


    This sentence comes from the eight chapters of "The Analects of Confucius". It roughly means that a gentleman will not argue about anything. If there is a dispute, it must be upholding the way of a gentleman. Neither humble nor overbearing, neither angry nor complaining, and having fun with wine after the competition is the battle between gentlemen. It''s not that you must be flushed in the face, like a black-eyed chicken, that would be out of style.


    It is about being a person and dealing with affairs, and at the same time, it is using the words of the saints to ridicule Yang Zhong for not having the manners and tolerance of his elders, and to make things difficult for his juniors in order to protect his grandson.


    There were only four scholars present, and the others were all at a loss. They could only see that Xue Tingxiang was not at a disadvantage, but Yang Zhong was so angry that his seven orifices seemed to be smoking.


    Forget about Yang Zhong, Xue Qingshan and his son couldn''t help being a little bit surprised when he was angry.


    You must know that although Xue Tingxiang has studied the Four Books, he only understands the superficiality and does not understand the meaning of the scriptures. But just now he uttered two sentences in a row, both of which are from the Four Books, and if he didn''t understand the meaning of the scriptures, how could he use them to harm others.


    Could it be that someone taught him behind his back? No wonder his performance was so unexpected today.


    And right at this moment, other changes took place in the field.


    It was Yang Zhong who stood up in anger and wanted to teach Xue Tingxiang a lesson, but was stopped by Mr. Xue, Xue Qinghuai and Xue Qingbai.


    "Well, you little bastard, you have learned to swear before your hair grows."


    "A gentleman does not mirror water, but mirrors people. Mirroring water, the appearance of meeting, mirroring people, you can know good and bad, but if you want to come to your relatives and grandpas, you don''t understand this sentence."


    Xue Tingxiang had a smile on his face, obviously there was nothing wrong with that smile, even a bit shy, and his words were gentle and polite, but it made people taste a bit ironic.


    "I know if I understand you or not, I know you are swearing, I must teach you a lesson today!" Yang Zhong struggled to raise his hand, and at this moment, a violent shout sounded in vain.


    "Father-in-law!"


    It was Mr. Xue who spoke.


    "My father-in-law, I respect your in-laws, but this is my Xue family!"


    Mr. Xue''s complexion was very ugly. He had been tolerant just now because of the other party''s identity, but Xue Tingxiang was right. There was a whole family sitting in the room, all of whom were surnamed Xue. There was absolutely no reason for someone surnamed Yang to teach others a lesson. .


    No matter how much the family makes trouble, it is wrong for outsiders to intervene.


    There was silence in the room, only the sound of Yang Zhong panting heavily.


    The sound of a stool falling to the ground sounded, and it was Xue Qingshan who stood up.


    At this time, Yang Shi, who had been hiding in the house, also ran out, and said angrily and anxiously: "Father, what are you doing! Why did you drink some wine and start to make trouble."


    She explained to the dark-faced old man Xue: "Father, don''t blame me, my father is like this, when he starts to drink. Oh, father, what do you think you are making a fuss about?" Then she complained to Xue Qingshan: " Juncai''s father, and you too, why don''t you stop him from making trouble like this."


    Yang Zhongdao: "I''m making trouble, what''s wrong with me?! Xue Lianxing, don''t forget what you promised me back then. Juncai is your eldest grandson, so you plan to let it go?"


    "Father, stop talking, I''ll help you down to rest."


    The Dafang couple, one on the left and the other on the right, helped Yang Zhong out, and Yang Zhong seemed to be really drunk, shouting that you should really let go, and stumbled and was helped out by the couple.


    *


    Because of this commotion, the Xue family was extremely quiet afterwards.


    Mrs. Zhou originally asked Zhao''er and the two of them to eat, but they said they had eaten, so they went back to the house.


    A table of food and wine, only half eaten, old man Xue sat there alone, eating food and drinking wine, no one dared to disturb.


    Mrs. Zhao hid in the back room, don''t look at her usually yelling at Mr. Xue, but when Mr. Xue really got angry, she didn''t dare to make trouble.


    Xue Qinghuai walked to the table and sat down, saying: "Father, it''s getting late, let''s rest early."


    Mr. Xue nodded, but when he put down his chopsticks, he sighed again.


    Xue Qinghuai couldn''t help but persuaded: "Father, don''t think too much."


    "Look at the eldest couple. Why don''t you remember your kindness? The second has only been dead for a few years. Even if the child is not sensible, there is no need to do so."


    Xue Qinghuai understood what the old man meant, but he couldn''t answer these words well, so he could only say awkwardly: "Maybe the eldest brother and sister-in-law don''t know that the in-laws guild will make such a fuss."


    Mr. Xue snorted, but did not speak.


    "But Gouzi didn''t suffer, you see he was mad at sister-in-law."


    Hearing this, Mr. Xue couldn''t help but twitch his eyebrows and eyes: "I followed the second child."


    Xue Qingsong has this kind of temperament, usually taciturn, but don''t push him into a hurry, he can surprise everyone.


    "This big family has been living in harmony and beauty, but it''s getting more and more difficult." Mr. Xue sighed, probably because he drank some wine, and his emotions were particularly leaking.


    Xue Qinghuai didn''t respond.


    After a long time, Mr. Xue sighed: "Let your wife clean up this table, and you should go and rest earlier."


    "Hey, I''ll let her clean it up."


    She rolled over and over again.

 Chapter 110

    The chief examiner asked the question: "If you take the bait, you are old; if you take the bait, you are a tester. If you are old, you will be a child, and if you are a child, you will be old."


    The old boy bowed to Rao and replied: "One person is great, and two are heaven. Heaven is greater than human affection, and human affection is greater than heaven."


    This flattery was exquisite, so the examiner was too embarrassed to go back on his word, so he had no choice but to choose him as a scholar.


    In fact, upon hearing this story, one knew it was made up. Anyone who has participated in the hospital examination should know what the situation will be. How can the chief examiner take the initiative to test an old boy? The examiner and the examinee will not talk to each other, and it is also for avoidance.


    It was obviously made up by some failed scholar, and it was used as a comforting chat. Because it made people laugh, it spread among scholars. It even extends to the fact that any official in the DPRK is released as an academic officer, or presides over the new department examination, and the official who is friendly with him can''t help but tell the last sentence, "Don''t be too human."


    It is not only a joke, but also an exhortation. There have always been many frauds involved in imperial examinations.


    Xue Tingxiang did not expect to hear this pair here.


    He didn''t feel uneasy because this second line was borrowed, because winning Xue Juncai has always been the biggest obsession in his heart.


    It is now, and it was also in the dream.


    In the dream, he was troubled by this matter for a long time, and after all kinds of hard work, he finally felt proud. It was because of the experience that he knew that this kind of obsession affects a person''s xinxing too much. He has a more ambitious goal, and there are still many things to do, but Xue Juncai is just an obstacle to him now, overcoming him is what he needs to do now.


    As for why he discarded the second couplet he came up with and chose to borrow this. Xue Tingxiang took a look at Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong, and thought it was because of his insignificance that he made fun of them with resentment.


    Obviously, only Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong are Tongsheng, and although this pair is perfect, it is obviously ironic. Old students test children, children students test to old age. This is undoubtedly the greatest ridicule and curse for a person who has failed to pass the entrance examination for many years.


    The faces of the two of them immediately turned purple, but they had to hold back. At this time, He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai had already clapped their hands and praised it.


    "Okay, that''s right!"


    It seemed that everyone had forgotten about Xue Juncai. He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai whispered a few times, and then He Xiucai announced: "After the unanimous decision of the two of us, the winner is Xue Tingxiang and Xue Xiaoyou."


    "Xue Xiaoyou, I hope you can work hard and achieve fame as soon as possible." He said to Xue Tingxiang with a pleasant face.


    "Thank you two seniors for your encouragement, I will definitely work harder." Xue Tingxiang bowed to him.


    While He Qiao and Xue Tingxiang were talking, the villagers standing in the hall and outside the house had already started discussing. Most of them are admiration, but of course there are also those who can''t believe it and question it.


    Among them, the Xue family is the most unbelievable, especially Xue Qingshan. He had suppressed it before, but now he couldn''t help it anymore, stood up and said: "Just relying on these to judge victory or defeat, are the two seniors Too hasty?"


    Seeing that both He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai looked over, he flinched a bit, and then became confident again: "The kid''s pair hasn''t been made yet, so the winner is decided like this..."


    He Xiucai showed displeasure on his face, and ignored him, but asked patriarch Xue with a cold old face: "Could it be that patriarch Xue also disagrees with the conclusions of the two of us?"


    Patriarch Xue dared to offend Mr. Xiucai, he was still two Mr. Xiucai. Besides, from his point of view, Xue Tingxiang''s performance this time was indeed somewhat unexpected, and it was much more talented than Xue Jun. He was an outsider, so he could see it clearly, so he quickly scolded Xue Qingshan and asked him to apologize publicly to the two scholars.


    Xue Juncai was also full of dissatisfaction: "The boy is not convinced either, he has never been as good as me, I just didn''t prepare properly, the two seniors can ask another question, this time the boy will definitely beat him."


    At this time, a woman squeezed in from the crowd outside the door.


    Her clothes are disheveled and her hair is messy. It is Mrs. Yang.


    Yang stumbled in and cried, "My son can''t lose, you two must have been bribed to hurt my son on purpose."


    This remark made a big fuss, especially on such an occasion, when a woman rushed in and made a loud noise, not only He Qiao and the two scholars showed anger, but even several village elders present repeatedly reprimanded them as inappropriate.


    "Ridiculous, really ridiculous! Could it be that Li Zheng and the patriarch thought we were bribed?"


    "You two scholars, don''t be angry. This woman has long hair but short knowledge. She is talking nonsense."


    "Lian Xing, don''t get your shrew back!"


    The old man Xue beside him was so anxious that he didn''t know what to do, but as a father-in-law, he couldn''t help his daughter-in-law, so he had to ask his eldest son Xue Qingshan to take his wife away quickly.


    It''s just that Xue Qingshan still wants an explanation at this time, so how could he care about this.


    There was a lot of trouble on the field, He Xiucai wanted to leave, and Qiao Xiucai didn''t want to stay longer. Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng repeatedly tried to persuade them to stay, and at the same time angrily reprimanded them to get rid of these people quickly.


    Qiao Xiucai sneered, and did not reprimand Xue Juncai, but sneered at Xue Qingshan: "You are a boy, and you have passed the exam several times, but you can''t see the meaning of these exams, brother He, no wonder you took the exam. After so many years, he is still a child!"


    This Qiao Xiucai''s words were too touching, Xue Qingshan''s face turned green and pale. In fact, Qiao Xiucai was not usually so bitter, but he uttered bad words because he saw that the father and son refused to admit their losses and wanted to pester them.


    "In terms of adapting to the situation and calmness of mind, he is not as good as him." He pointed to Xue Tingxiang, and then pointed to Xue Juncai: "You have time in the examination room to dawdle for you, another chance? Let''s talk about the roll , full of stains, I am afraid that if you don¡¯t need to read what you wrote, you will end up not taking it!¡±


    At this time, Xue Juncai was already pale with fright, how could he react, but Xue Qingshan was as if struck by lightning, so he didn''t speak anymore.


    *


    He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai stayed in the end.


    Taking advantage of the chaos in the hall, Xue Qingshan sneaked into the crowd with Xue Juncai and Yang surreptitiously.


    Seeing that there is no excitement, the villagers also dispersed, and while walking home, they discussed today''s affairs with the people around them.


    In fact, they don''t know anything, as long as they know that the person who wins in the end is the dog of the second wife of Xue Lianxing''s family. It can be predicted that after this incident, many people in the village will change their views on Xue Tingxiang, and they will even talk about it endlessly.


    And Xue Juncai''s name in the village is destined to be replaced by Xue Tingxiang.


    Taking advantage of the crowd, Xue Tingxiang walked out from Zheng Lizheng''s house.


    Zhao''er had been waiting outside for a long time, and as soon as he saw him, he said happily: "Gou''er, you really won, you beat Xue Juncai! My sister is so happy."


    She was so happy that she didn''t know how to be happy. Seeing this, Xue Tingxiang couldn''t say anything to condemn her, but just looked at her with a smile.


    After being happy for a while, Zhao''er showed a little hesitation: "By the way, after you beat him, do you really want to go to Qinghe Academy to study?"


    Xue Tingxiang pondered for a while: "I don''t plan to go to Qinghe Academy. Uncle Chen said that he can introduce me to Qingyuan Academy."


    "Qingyuan Academy? The name seems to be quite similar to Qinghe Academy. Is this academy good?" Immediately, Zhao''er laughed and said, "That''s right, Uncle Chen is well-informed, so what he can say is definitely not bad. .¡±


    Xue Tingxiang nodded: "I plan to go to town in these two days and talk to Uncle Chen about it."


    "What are you waiting for these two days, let''s go now."


    Xue Tingxiang did not expect Zhao''er to be so eager, so he hesitated.


    Zhao''er said again: "There must be chaos at home right now, let''s avoid the limelight first."


    He immediately understood the meaning of her words, with the dispositions of the eldest couple, and the always eccentric Zhao family, he didn''t know what kind of chaos would happen in the family.


    The two left the village avoiding the crowd, and because they didn''t meet the mule cart, they took the bullock cart to the town.


    When we arrived at Dongliju, Uncle Chen happened to be there. Xue Tingxiang explained the matter, and Uncle Chen agreed that he would go to his classmate tomorrow. After that, the two of them didn''t go back, Xue Tingxiang continued to copy his unfinished book, while Zhao''er continued to tidy up the pile of clothes that she hadn''t finished.


    It was not until the evening that the two returned to Yuqing Village.


    The courtyard of Xue''s house was quiet, with cooking smoke wafting from the chimney, and it seemed that cooking was going on in the stove.


    Standing in the yard, Mrs. Zhao saw two people walking in from the outside. She had a cold old face and scolded without naming names: "People say that we enjoy the blessings of our children and grandchildren, but we have become old slaves. We don''t see anyone for a day." , Open your mouth to eat when you get home, I owe you in my previous life!"


    Mrs. Yang came out from the east chamber: "Mother, the meal for the third sibling is ready, let''s quickly set the table for dinner."


    Mrs. Zhao snorted coldly, turned around and entered the door of the main house. Yang Shi didn''t even look at the two of them, but followed behind and went in.


    Zhao''er looked at Xue Tingxiang.


    Xue Tingxiang looked at her: "What are you looking at?"


    Zhao''er sneered, and muttered in a low voice: "Don''t pay attention to grandma, she just has no side."


    "Ok, I know."


    *


    When the two were tidying up in the house, there was a sudden commotion in the courtyard, not only the voices of Mr. Xue and Xue Qingshan, but also a familiar voice.


    Zhao''er looked out the window, and saw Yang''s father, Yang Zhong.


    Yang Zhong was from nearby Niujiaoling, and because he was a boy, he was considered a respectable figure in Niujiaoling. Like his son-in-law, he opened a private school to make ends meet. However, this person is exaggerated, good at putting on airs, relying on the old to sell the old, the most important thing is to attract children''s dislike.


    Yang Zhong seemed to have eaten too much wine somewhere, his steps were a little staggering, and his fat face was flushed.


    The couple from Dafang greeted them, as well as Mr. Xue.


    Mr. Xue looked a little embarrassed: "Old relative, for my family''s affairs, I have troubled you to run several times. This is because you have eaten too much wine. Come in and sit down."


    Yang complained: "Father, you too, why do you drink so much wine?"


    "It''s not that Zheng Lizheng is too hospitable. After drinking for so long, your father is still not drunk?" Yang Zhong looked a little smug, and said to Mr. Xue: "It''s nothing, a handsome man is too. My grandson, as a grandfather, how can I not come to make decisions for him. "


    This made Mr. Xue even more embarrassed. He also knew what happened in the morning, and it must not be so simple. He accompanied him with a smile and said: "I made my in-laws laugh at me, if it wasn''t for the family''s financial difficulties, this kind of thing wouldn''t have happened..."


    The voices of the two gradually lowered, and they entered the room together.


    Zhao''er took a look at Xue Tingxiang: "Fortunately, I bought a few buns when I came back. Well, I don''t need to eat this dinner."


    In fact, no one asked them to eat, because Yang Zhong''s sudden arrival made the whole Xue family toss around.


    This Yang Zhong used to have a temperament that likes to toss people, and he also likes to put on airs. The key person has the status of a child, and Mr. Xue also respects him. Every time he comes, he must be greeted with good wine and good food.


    The Xue family was not wary of Yang Zhonghui coming at this time before, they just cooked some meals casually, this kind of meal is not good for entertaining people, they have to do it all over again.


    Zhao''er didn''t bother with outside affairs, went to the kitchen to pour some hot water, then went back to the house and Xue Tingxiang ate buns together.


    After eating the buns, it was already dark outside.


    Zhao''er stood in front of the door, seeing the brightly lit lights in the main room, it was obvious that he had already eaten.


    She was about to go to the kitchen to boil water and wash her feet, when Xue Tao''er hurried out from the main room and said, "Miss Zhao''er, grandpa asks the dog to come over."


    Hearing this, Zhao''er immediately stopped in his tracks, and said with a smile, "Master, there''s something we can''t let us know. Since the dog is here, I''ll stay and listen too."


    Mr. Xue glanced at her, changed his usual temperament, and said in a bad tone: "What are you doing here, a woman? You have a role to listen to when a man talks?!"


    Zhao''er was not annoyed, but said aggrievedly: "Then how can the eldest aunt stay, she is not a woman? Besides, the dog can''t talk, I don''t look at it, I am afraid that what he said will anger me Lord."


    In fact, her subtext was just to say that she was afraid that others would bully Xue Tingxiang, and no one present could hear it.


    Mr. Xue stared at her. Now he really doubts that all this was made by this girl. He knew that Gou''er child was a bored gourd, why didn''t he go to the grave early and complained that he would not go later, but why did he go at this time.


    Thinking of all the disobedient things this girl did in the past, Mr. Xue felt disgusted in his heart. But he also knew that now was not the time to vent his anger, but to settle the matter.


    "Since you want to listen, then listen." The tone was the same as before, but anyone could hear the dissatisfaction in his voice.


    Zhao''er couldn''t hear it, so he stood aside.


    Seeing this, Mrs. Sun hurriedly dragged Xue Qinghuai to stay.


    "Since Zhao''er has stayed, let''s stay and listen too." She laughed along with her.


    Mr. Xue was immediately furious: "Since you want to listen, stay and listen."


    So everyone stayed, including the four-year-old Mao Dan, and even Mrs. Zhou, who was busy in the kitchen, stayed behind under the guise of cleaning the table.


    In the huge main room, only an oil lamp was lit on the square table. The wick was jumping and shadowy, and everyone''s eyes were on Mr. Xue. But he suddenly didn''t know where to start. He looked around everyone''s faces with heavy eyes, and finally fell on Xue Tingxiang''s face.


    "Actually, it''s nothing. I just want to talk about what the boss said a while ago that he wants to send the child to the school in the town."


    Zhao''er was inexplicably nervous, and couldn''t help but glance at Xue Tingxiang, and then went to see Mr. Xue.


    Dafang and his wife were overjoyed, they knew this would happen, and it was not in vain for them to swallow their anger for many days.


    Xue Qingshan couldn''t hide the joy on his face, he looked at Xue Tingxiang with pity and compassion, then looked at other people, and finally fell on Xue Tingxiang.


    "Dog, don''t be discouraged. You are still much worse than your talented brother. You will study with uncle for another two years, and then the family will send you to the town to study."


    This kind of tone was too stinging at this time, Zhao''er had a sneer on the corner of his mouth, and wanted to say something, but was pulled by Xue Tingxiang.


    Xue Qingshan took all of this into his eyes, and satirized in his heart, no matter how difficult this girl''s film is, she can only embarrass others on these trivial things, and it still doesn''t work when it comes to big things. He smiled, and said to Zhao''er: "Zhao''er, don''t be angry, uncle knows that you are high-minded, but high-mindedness can''t be eaten, don''t you?"


    No one in the room said anything.


    At this moment, Mr. Xue suddenly said angrily: "Boss, what are you talking about!"


    Xue Qingshan didn''t take it seriously: "Father, I''m not trying to persuade the dog not to be discouraged..."


    Old man Xue''s beard was shaking with anger, and he pointed at him with a cigarette pot: "You need to persuade, the one who is going to study in the town is not a handsome man, but a dog!"


    As soon as these words came out, one stone really stirred up a thousand waves.


    The room was silent for a moment, and soon Zhao''s slightly shrill voice broke the silence.


    "Old man, what are you talking about? What do you mean a person who is going to study in the town is not a talented person?"


    Xue Qingshan also said: "Father, did you say the wrong person in a muddle?"


    "Your father is not ignorant, and he didn''t say anything wrong. The one who goes to study in the town is a dog, not a genius!"

 Chapter 111

    "You''re right, I won''t think about it anymore." He paused, and then said, "I just want to say one thing, can you stop calling me a dog?"


    Zhao''er was puzzled and said, "But I didn''t call you that all the time. If you don''t call me a dog, what would you call it?"


    Xue Gouzi pondered for a moment, "Call me Ting Xiang."


    "Tingxiang? This is your own name? Dog, why did you give yourself such a name?" Immediately she understood, thinking of Dafang''s talented boy, because of his young age, he always carried People laugh at the same name as Gou''er and Heizi.


    There was a flash of distress in her eyes, and she nodded repeatedly: "Gou''er, no, Ting''er is a different scholar, and the name is so nice. From now on, my sister won''t call you Gou''er, and I won''t let outsiders call you that. It''s called Tingxiang." Anyway, in her heart, whatever the dog says is good,


    Xue Gouzi, no, he should be called Xue Tingxiang now, and he feels a little depressed. He is only less than two years younger than Zhao''er, but he is a deep ravine that he will not be able to cross in his entire life. Having said that, he said again: "Also, can you stop calling yourself sister to me in the future?"


    This time, Zhao''er was even more surprised, and even reached out to touch his forehead: "Ting''er, what''s wrong with you? Did you have some evil? You didn''t call me sister since you were a child."


    Xue Tingxiang took a deep breath and smiled: "But you are not my sister, you will be my wife in the future, how can a man call his wife a sister."


    He was originally pale, half leaning on the quilt at the top of the kang, suddenly smiled like this, his brows and eyes were clear and handsome, which gave people a feeling that they dare not look directly at him.


    Zhao''er''s face turned red all of a sudden, and he couldn''t make sense of what he said: "Dog, you, what are you talking about, I, I..."


    "Don''t you want to be my daughter-in-law and have a baby for me?" He moved closer.


    She stood up abruptly, and reprimanded: "You little kid, why are you talking about this? Your hair hasn''t grown fully yet!" She said a foul language that Xue Tingxiang didn''t like to hear the most, and she didn''t realize it: "You want to The thing to do is to take care of your body, as for these things, we will talk about them later!"


    Her eyes were fierce, and her tone was also fierce. After she finished speaking, she lowered her head and scooped rice from the bowl to Xue Tingshan''s mouth. He glanced at her, ate honestly, and suddenly became in a good mood.


    Maybe the two of them can change the way they get along in the future, and change it if they don''t like it, there is no need to wait for her to understand.


    *


    Zhao''er threw away the mess, turned around and went back to the house, leaving the whole family to finish their lunch in a depressing atmosphere.


    During this period, Sun had nothing to say to her, but no one paid any attention to her.


    Yang couldn''t eat, if it wasn''t for her parents-in-law, if she didn''t want to embarrass herself in front of the two younger siblings, she would have thrown her chopsticks and left. But now he can only suppress the aggrieved stomach, and eat the food in front of him like chewing wax.


    After dinner, Mrs. Sun took Mao Dan away, knowing that her son got into trouble today, and she was afraid that she would be angered later. Mrs. Zhou took Xue Taoer to clean up the table, and took the dishes and chopsticks to the kitchen to wash. Xue Qingbai helped her, Zhou could not carry such a pot of dishes by himself, usually when Xue Qingbai was not at home, she and her daughter could only carry them.


    Only Dafang, mother and son were left in the room, along with Mr. Xue and Mrs. Zhao.


    Yang stood up and wanted to go back to the East Chamber, but was stopped by Mr. Xue.


    Mr. Xue took out his dry pipe, took out some shredded tobacco grown by himself from the dark blue tobacco pouch, rolled it into a ball, pressed it into the tobacco pot, and then lit it with a torch.


    His movements are very slow, neither fast nor slow. Anyone who is familiar with Mr. Xue''s character knows that he has something on his mind.


    It''s true that there is something wrong, and if it''s not something, he won''t call his daughter-in-law to stop.


    "The handsome boy and the talented boy go back to the house first. Grandpa has something to say to your mother."


    Xue Youcai glanced at his mother and wanted to say something, but was dragged away by his elder brother Xue Juncai.


    "Father, just tell me if you have anything to say."


    Mrs. Yang is thirty-four this year. In the countryside, a woman in her thirties is no longer considered young. Here, the wind blows and the sun shines and eats, so the women look old.


    But Yang''s maintenance is very good, her face is like a disc, her skin is fair, and there are a few fine lines at the corners of her eyes. She was wearing a worn-out stone blue satin gown with make-up, her shiny black hair was pulled into a bun behind her head, a gilt hairpin was inserted into it, and a pair of old silver earrings were on her ears. It can''t be called onion tip, but it is also white and soft, wearing a gold ring.


    It is not an exaggeration to say that she is the grandma of the landlord''s family in this dress and bearing, even the Zhao family is not as good as her.


    With his old eyes, Mr. Xue moved Yang back and forth a few times, making her stand uneasy.


    Just as I was about to say something, my father-in-law said suddenly: "Boss daughter-in-law, how long have you been married to our family?"


    Yang was startled, and replied: "Seventeen years, my daughter-in-law married into the Xue family in the seventeenth year."


    "Then how will your mother and I treat you?"


    Yang''s heart skipped a beat: "Father and mother treat their daughter-in-law like their own daughters."


    Mr. Xue nodded, took a puff of the dry cigarette, and the light blue smoke began to linger on his old face again, making it difficult to see the expression on his face clearly.


    "You are the eldest daughter-in-law of our family, and your mother has always loved you. You and the boss have the same heart as your mother and I. I only wish that you can become a talent."


    Yang''s heart relaxed, and she couldn''t help laughing: "Juncai is serious about his studies, even my father said that he is a rare and good seedling, and it is no problem to be a scholar."


    Speaking of Xue Juncai who is the most proud, even Mr. Xue couldn''t help showing a smile.


    Seeing that the father-in-law''s face softened, Yang took advantage of the situation and said: "It''s just that you know, father, that when it''s time to end, you don''t have to just sit at home and study. Thinking back then, Juncai''s father also listened to my father''s words, I went to Qinghe Academy to study for two years, met some classmates, and registered in front of my husband. I took the opportunity to impress the county magistrate, and I passed the county exam. The ranking of the county exam As long as it is not bad, the government examination is not to say that it is sure, but it is half sure. It''s just that you have to rely on luck when you get to the hospital examination, and Juncai''s father is unlucky, so he will fail repeatedly."


    This is the real reason why Yang Shi is valued by the old couple in the Xue family, not only because her father is a child, but also because her father was kind to Xue Qingshan in the past.


    And Yang''s statement seems absurd, but it is true. The two county examinations are not as strictly controlled as the hospital examination, especially the county examination, which is presided over by the magistrate of the county.


    There are five county exams in total, and the results of the first exam are mainly to be judged. And this time, there are two stereotyped essays and one poem. As long as there are no typos and fluent essays, you can pass them all.


    Compared with people he doesn''t know well at all, the magistrate is still willing to pick people who are somewhat familiar.


    And going to a good school to study is to provide an opportunity to stand out in front of the county magistrate. Dachang has always attached great importance to the selection of talents. How many scholars can be produced in this county, and even a son can be a Jinshi, which is considered a political achievement. No matter how fatuous and incompetent the county magistrate, this kind of cutscene must go.


    And being able to enter a good school will not only increase your contacts, but also your vision.


    For example, the county examinations are nothing more than the Four Books and Five Classics and the sacred edicts. How to write and what taboos should not be violated all need guidance. No matter how wonderful your article is, if you violate taboos such as temple taboos, royal names, and holy taboos, you will not take it.


    And in places like the countryside, many private schools are opened by old children for the sake of making a living, and I still want to be a scholar to change my fortune, so how can I teach middle school children in every detail.


    Xue Qingshan himself was like this, that''s why he put all his energy into sending Xue Juncai to Qinghe Academy.


    Yang thought that her father-in-law wanted to tell her about sending Xue Juncai to the school, so she said this. Little did they know that her words really touched Mr. Xue''s mind, but Mr. Xue didn''t intend to tell her these things.


    Mr. Xue took a deep breath of dry cigarettes, and said: "The boss you said has been told to me, and we will talk about this matter later. You are Juncai''s mother, and there is nothing wrong with planning for your son, but you have to know that our family It¡¯s not just Dafang¡¯s family.¡±


    The father-in-law''s tone was a bit meaningful, Yang was startled for a moment, and forced a smile: "Father, of course my daughter-in-law knows that the Xue family is not just ours, but don''t worry, if Juncai''s father and Juncai are promising, they will never forget to be filial to you My mother." Seeing her father-in-law''s complexion was gloomy, she hurriedly added: "There are other people in the family, Juncai always remembers that he can study, thanks to a few uncles and aunts."


    Mr. Xue nodded: "If you understand, you should know that the other three families have been sacrificing for the eldest house. I won''t mention the far ones, just talk about the third and fourth children. The land in the house refers to the third and fourth children Kindly, your father is getting old, and his hands and feet are not as sharp as before. The fourth child has to pick up goods and sell them when he is busy with the house. I don¡¯t know how many pairs of shoes he has to wear out in a year, but all the money he earns is handed over to the public. , I haven¡¯t paid a penny. What is everyone working so hard for? It¡¯s not for our family, but for Dafang.¡±


    Yang''s complexion became forced: "Father, why is this all for our eldest family? Juncai''s father is promising, isn''t it because the Xue family has a good face? Because Juncai''s father was born in Tongsheng, no one in the village would look at us highly, even that The Zheng family, don¡¯t you also give us three points of courtesy to the Xue family. This is for the overall situation, for the future generations of our Xue family..."


    Old Master Xue sighed and interrupted: "Father understands what you said, and so does your mother. But as the saying goes, if the board is not on your body, of course you don''t feel pain. You put yourself in the position of the third and fourth child , What do you think? I have done the most work, and I can¡¯t even put my good words into my mouth, and it¡¯s all in other people¡¯s mouths.¡±


    These words were in line with what Zhao''er said just now, Yang''s face turned red immediately, her round face flushed red.


    "Father, why did you call this into my mouth, I..."


    Mr. Xue ignored her, and went to scold Mrs. Zhao again: "There is also you, who is biased in front of people. You just continue to do it, so that the third and fourth are chilled, and they make a fuss about separating from the family. You go there Planted for the boss and talented people to take the imperial examination!"


    At the end, his tone was full of sighs of hatred for iron.


    Mrs. Zhao didn''t want to listen to this anymore, and muttered: "What do you mean I am biased? Why am I biased? Didn''t I think that the boss and Juncai want to study, and studying is a waste of brain, so I should give them more supplements. Don''t those who are good? It fell into my mouth."


    The more she spoke, the angrier she became, and she couldn''t help cursing: "Separate the family, don''t they want to turn the world upside down, if the parents don''t separate, even if I can spare them, the ancestors'' family law can''t forgive them."


    Old Master Xue smiled wryly. If it wasn''t for these two old things and the family law of the ancestors, the family would not be like this a long time ago.


    He shifted his gaze to Mrs. Yang: "You also understand the situation at home. Can your mother and I manage it for a while, or for a lifetime? Since you want to send Juncai to study in the school in the town, you should win over the third and fourth bedroom. "


    "Father, I..."


    "In the past, your mother doted on you. I never said it. You can tell which is right and which is wrong. But from tomorrow onwards, you and the third and fourth families will share the work at home. "


    After Mr. Xue finished speaking, he stopped talking and just smoked his own cigarette with a sullen head. Yang couldn''t stand here either, and hurried out of the main room with her head down.


    *


    As soon as Mrs. Zhou cleaned up the kitchen and came out, she saw her sister-in-law returning to the east chamber with her head down, her expression was not very good.


    Her eyes flickered, and she glanced towards the south end of the west wing, which was a four-bedroom house.


    There was a faint person behind the window facing the courtyard in the fourth room, and Mrs. Zhou knew that Mrs. Sun had been watching the movement. She pretended not to notice, wiped her hands on the apron, and went back to the house.


    When it was time to cook in the evening, Mrs. Yang was wearing coarse clothes, which was rare, and came to the kitchen to compete with Mrs. Zhou for work.


    Mrs. Zhou couldn''t even refuse, so Mrs. Yang smiled and said that Mrs. Zhou had worked hard, so she just let her rest.


    Mrs. Zhou was pushed out of the kitchen by her, and she happened to meet Mrs. Sun who was standing at the door of the west chamber. There was also surprise in their eyes.


    But what surprised them was yet to come, because from this day on, Mrs. Yang changed her previous attitude and started doing all kinds of work. Although it was many years of not touching her hands, she was clumsy in doing things now, but she did it.


    Not only cooking, but also being very generous, often actively persuade Mrs. Zhao to take some money, or buy some meat or bring out some eggs, and cook dishes for the family to eat.


    The sparks that had been stirred up by Zhao''er''s words in the Xue family were suppressed just like that. During this period, Xue Tingxiang''s body finally recovered, and he had the strength to walk around.


    This day, after getting up early in the morning and having breakfast, Zhao''er planned to go to town.


    The rags she brought back from the embroidery workshop have all been made into things like purses and embroidered shoes. After saving for many days, it should be sold in the embroidery workshop.


    She put everything into the back basket, and before leaving, she told Xue Tingxiang that the weather was fine today and asked him to go out to bask in the sun more often.

 Chapter 112

    It is said that there was a gray-haired scholar who took the exam, and the examiner knew from his appearance that he was an old boy who had repeatedly failed the exam. He intentionally made things difficult for him: "I''ll make a couplet, if you can match, I''ll take you."


    The old boy felt bitter in his heart, but he didn''t dare to give up.


    The chief examiner asked the question: "If you take the bait, you are old; if you take the bait, you are a tester. If you are old, you will be a child, and if you are a child, you will be an old man."


    The old boy bowed to Rao, and replied: "One person is great, and two are heaven. Heaven is greater than human affection, and human affection is greater than heaven."


    This flattery was exquisite, so the examiner was too embarrassed to go back on his word, so he had no choice but to choose him as a scholar.


    In fact, upon hearing this story, one knew it was made up. Anyone who has participated in the hospital examination should know what the situation will be. How can the examiner take the initiative to test an old boy? The examiner and the examinee will not talk to each other, and it is also for avoidance.


    Obviously it was made up by a failed scholar, and it was used as a comforting chat. Because it made people laugh, it spread among scholars. It even extended to the fact that any official in the DPRK was released as an academic officer, or presided over a new department examination, and the official who had a good relationship with him could not help telling the last sentence, but don''t be ''human beings are too big''.


    It is not only a joke, but also an exhortation. There have always been many frauds involved in imperial examinations.


    Xue Tingxiang did not expect to hear this pair here.


    He didn''t feel uneasy because this second line was borrowed, because winning Xue Juncai has always been the biggest obsession in his heart.


    It is now, and it was also in the dream.


    In the dream, he was troubled by this matter for a long time, and after all kinds of hard work, he finally felt proud. It was because of the experience that he knew that this kind of obsession affects a person''s xinxing too much. He has a more ambitious goal, and there are still many things to do, but Xue Juncai is just an obstacle to him now, overcoming him is what he needs to do now.


    As for why he discarded the second couplet he came up with and chose to borrow this. Xue Tingxiang took a look at Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong, and thought it was because of his insignificance that he made fun of them with resentment.


    Obviously, only Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong are Tongsheng, and although this pair is perfect, it is obviously ironic. Old students test children, children students test to old age. This is undoubtedly the greatest ridicule and curse for a person who has failed to pass the entrance examination for many years.


    The faces of the two of them immediately turned purple, but they had to hold back. At this time, He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai had already clapped their hands and praised it.


    "Okay, that''s right!"


    It seemed that everyone had forgotten about Xue Juncai. He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai whispered a few times, and then He Xiucai announced: "After the unanimous decision of the two of us, the winner is Xue Tingxiang and Xue Xiaoyou."


    "Xue Xiaoyou, I hope you can work hard and achieve fame as soon as possible." He said to Xue Tingxiang with a pleasant face.


    "Thank you two seniors for your encouragement, I will definitely work harder." Xue Tingxiang bowed to him.


    While He Qiao and Xue Tingxiang were talking, the villagers standing in the hall and outside the house had already started discussing. Most of them are admiration, but of course there are also those who can''t believe it and question it.


    Among them, the Xue family is the most unbelievable, especially Xue Qingshan. He had suppressed it before, but now he couldn''t help it anymore, stood up and said: "Just relying on these to judge victory or defeat, are the two seniors Too hasty?"


    Seeing that both He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai looked over, he flinched a bit, and then became confident again: "The kid''s pair hasn''t been made yet, so the winner is decided like this..."


    He Xiucai showed displeasure on his face, and ignored him, but asked patriarch Xue with a cold old face: "Could it be that patriarch Xue also disagrees with the conclusions of the two of us?"


    Patriarch Xue dared to offend Mr. Xiucai, he was still two Mr. Xiucai. Besides, from his point of view, Xue Tingxiang''s performance this time was indeed somewhat unexpected, and it was much more talented than Xue Jun. He was an outsider, so he could see it clearly, so he quickly scolded Xue Qingshan and asked him to apologize publicly to the two scholars.


    Xue Juncai was also full of dissatisfaction: "The boy is not convinced either, he has never been as good as me, I just didn''t prepare properly, the two seniors can ask another question, this time the boy will definitely beat him."


    At this time, a woman squeezed in from the crowd outside the door.


    Her clothes are disheveled and her hair is messy. It is Mrs. Yang.


    Yang stumbled in and cried, "My son can''t lose, you two must have been bribed to hurt my son on purpose."


    This remark made a big fuss, especially on such an occasion, when a woman rushed in and made a loud noise, not only He Qiao and the two scholars showed anger, but even several village elders present repeatedly reprimanded them as inappropriate.


    "Ridiculous, really ridiculous! Could it be that Li Zheng and the patriarch thought we were bribed?"


    "You two scholars, don''t be angry. This woman has long hair but short knowledge. She is talking nonsense."


    "Lian Xing, don''t get your shrew back!"


    The old man Xue beside him was so anxious that he didn''t know what to do, but as a father-in-law, he couldn''t help his daughter-in-law, so he had to ask his eldest son Xue Qingshan to take his wife away quickly.


    It''s just that Xue Qingshan still wants an explanation at this time, so how could he care about this.


    There was a lot of trouble on the field, He Xiucai wanted to leave, and Qiao Xiucai didn''t want to stay longer. Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng repeatedly tried to persuade them to stay, and at the same time angrily reprimanded them to get rid of these people quickly.


    Qiao Xiucai sneered, and did not reprimand Xue Juncai, but sneered at Xue Qingshan: "You are a boy, and you have passed the exam several times, but you can''t see the meaning of these exams, brother He, no wonder you took the exam. After so many years, he is still a child!"


    This Qiao Xiucai''s words were too touching, Xue Qingshan''s face turned green and pale. In fact, Qiao Xiucai was not usually so bitter, but he uttered bad words because he saw that the father and son refused to admit their losses and wanted to pester them.


    "In terms of adapting to the situation and calmness of mind, he is not as good as him." He pointed to Xue Tingxiang, and then pointed to Xue Juncai: "You have time in the examination room to dawdle for you, another chance? Let''s talk about the roll , full of stains, I am afraid that if you don¡¯t need to read what you wrote, you will end up not taking it!¡±


    At this time, Xue Juncai was already pale with fright, how could he react, but Xue Qingshan was as if struck by lightning, so he didn''t speak anymore.


    *


    He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai stayed in the end.


    Taking advantage of the chaos in the hall, Xue Qingshan sneaked into the crowd with Xue Juncai and Yang surreptitiously.


    Seeing that there is no excitement, the villagers also dispersed, and while walking home, they discussed today''s affairs with the people around them.


    In fact, they don''t know anything, as long as they know that the person who wins in the end is the dog of the second wife of Xue Lianxing''s family. It can be predicted that after this incident, many people in the village will change their views on Xue Tingxiang, and they will even talk about it endlessly.


    And Xue Juncai''s name in the village is destined to be replaced by Xue Tingxiang.


    Taking advantage of the crowd, Xue Tingxiang walked out from Zheng Lizheng''s house.


    Zhao''er had been waiting outside for a long time, and as soon as he saw him, he said happily: "Gou''er, you really won, you beat Xue Juncai! My sister is so happy."


    She was so happy that she didn''t know how to be happy. Seeing this, Xue Tingxiang couldn''t say anything to condemn her, but just looked at her with a smile.


    After being happy for a while, Zhao''er showed a little hesitation: "By the way, after you beat him, do you really want to go to Qinghe Academy to study?"


    Xue Tingxiang pondered for a while: "I don''t plan to go to Qinghe Academy. Uncle Chen said that he can introduce me to Qingyuan Academy."


    "Qingyuan Academy? The name seems to be quite similar to Qinghe Academy. Is this academy good?" Immediately, Zhao''er laughed and said, "That''s right, Uncle Chen is well-informed, so what he can say is definitely not bad. .¡±


    Xue Tingxiang nodded: "I plan to go to town in these two days and talk to Uncle Chen about it."


    "What are you waiting for these two days, let''s go now."


    Xue Tingxiang did not expect Zhao''er to be so eager, so he hesitated.


    Zhao''er said again: "There must be chaos at home right now, let''s avoid the limelight first."


    He immediately understood the meaning of her words, with the dispositions of the eldest couple, and the always eccentric Zhao family, he didn''t know what kind of chaos would happen in the family.


    The two left the village avoiding the crowd, and because they didn''t meet the mule cart, they took the bullock cart to the town.


    When we arrived at Dongliju, Uncle Chen happened to be there. Xue Tingxiang explained the matter, and Uncle Chen agreed that he would go to his classmate tomorrow. After that, the two of them didn''t go back, Xue Tingxiang continued to copy his unfinished book, while Zhao''er continued to tidy up the pile of clothes that she hadn''t finished.


    It was not until the evening that the two returned to Yuqing Village.


    The courtyard of Xue''s house was quiet, with cooking smoke wafting from the chimney, and it seemed that cooking was going on in the stove.


    Standing in the yard, Mrs. Zhao saw two people walking in from the outside. She had a cold old face and scolded without naming names: "People say that we enjoy the blessings of our children and grandchildren, but we have become old slaves. We don''t see anyone for a day." , Open your mouth to eat when you get home, I owe you in my previous life!"


    Mrs. Yang came out from the east chamber: "Mother, the meal for the third sibling is ready, let''s quickly set the table for dinner."


    Mrs. Zhao snorted coldly, turned around and entered the door of the main house. Yang Shi didn''t even look at the two of them, but followed behind and went in.


    Zhao''er looked at Xue Tingxiang.


    Xue Tingxiang looked at her: "What are you looking at?"


    Zhao''er sneered, and muttered in a low voice: "Don''t pay attention to grandma, she just has no side."


    "Ok, I know."


    *


    When the two were tidying up in the house, there was a sudden commotion in the courtyard, not only the voices of Mr. Xue and Xue Qingshan, but also a familiar voice.


    Zhao''er looked out the window, and saw Yang''s father, Yang Zhong.


    Yang Zhong was from nearby Niujiaoling, and because he was a boy, he was considered a respectable figure in Niujiaoling. Like his son-in-law, he opened a private school to make ends meet. However, this person is exaggerated, good at putting on airs, relying on the old to sell the old, the most important thing is to attract children''s dislike.


    Yang Zhong seemed to have eaten too much wine somewhere, his steps were a little staggering, and his fat face was flushed.


    The couple from Dafang greeted them, as well as Mr. Xue.


    Mr. Xue looked a little embarrassed: "Old relative, for my family''s affairs, I have troubled you to run several times. This is because you have eaten too much wine. Come in and sit down."


    Yang complained: "Father, you too, why do you drink so much wine?"


    "It''s not that Zheng Lizheng is too hospitable. After drinking for so long, your father is still not drunk?" Yang Zhong looked a little smug, and said to Mr. Xue: "It''s nothing, a handsome man is too. My grandson, as a grandfather, how can I not come to make decisions for him. "


    This made Mr. Xue even more embarrassed. He also knew what happened in the morning, and it must not be so simple. He accompanied him with a smile and said: "I made my in-laws laugh at me, if it wasn''t for the family''s financial difficulties, this kind of thing wouldn''t have happened..."


    The voices of the two gradually lowered, and they entered the room together.


    Zhao''er took a look at Xue Tingxiang: "Fortunately, I bought a few buns when I came back. Well, I don''t need to eat this dinner."


    In fact, no one asked them to eat, because Yang Zhong''s sudden arrival made the whole Xue family toss around.


    This Yang Zhong used to have a temperament that likes to toss people, and he also likes to put on airs. The key person has the status of a child, and Mr. Xue also respects him. Every time he comes, he must be greeted with good wine and good food.


    The Xue family was not wary of Yang Zhonghui coming at this time before, they just cooked some meals casually, this kind of meal is not good for entertaining people, they have to do it all over again.


    Zhao''er didn''t bother with outside affairs, went to the kitchen to pour some hot water, then went back to the house and Xue Tingxiang ate buns together.


    After eating the buns, it was already dark outside.


    Zhao''er stood in front of the door, seeing the brightly lit lights in the main room, it was obvious that he had already eaten.


    She was about to go to the kitchen to boil water and wash her feet, when Xue Tao''er hurried out from the main room and said, "Miss Zhao''er, grandpa asks the dog to come over."


    Since Xue Tingxiang made up his mind to copy the books, Zhao''er had no reason to object.


    However, she even made a big wish that she would earn a lot of money in the future and not let him worry about a book, not to mention here.


    After Zhao''er helped him lay out the paper, he went to find a suitable needle and thread, planning to bind it for him after he finished writing.


    Xue Tingxiang laughed a little, but didn''t say anything, and started to write seriously on the paper.


    He planned to copy all the books he had memorized, because he found a problem. Since he had that dream, ''Xue Tingxiang'' had more and more influence on him, including the impact on his own memory.


    Especially all the books he has learned since he was a child. He had flipped through the memory of that dream before, and he had memories of some bibliographies in elementary school and even college, but his memory was extremely vague, and many of the more detailed things had been forgotten.


    He thought about the reason, and felt that "he" seemed to be very disgusted with the memory of studying hard in the cold window, so he always adopted an evasive attitude. In addition, the Xue Tingxiang in the dream has lived for more than seventy years. Since he passed the Jinshi examination, he has been obsessed with officialdom battles, but he doesn''t care about his own knowledge.


    After so many years, his memory is more about the ups and downs of the officialdom, the various forces in the party struggle, and the speculation of the people, rather than the original essence of a scholar.


    Seriously speaking, ''Xue Tingxiang'' is not a real scholar, he is just a politician.


    But obviously he doesn''t need these things now, as if a young child has a sword, he knows the significance of these things to his future. But today a young child needs nothing more than a piece of clothing, or just food and clothing.


    But these memories have already begun to affect his own memory. He doesn''t want to forget what he has learned. What he needs to do now is to consolidate his memory and combine with ''Xue Tingxiang''''s advanced understanding of many things. This is the right way.


    And the best way to master it is nothing more than copying books.


    Obviously this yellow bamboo paper is of very low quality, the brush strokes should not be light or heavy, the ink will be uneven if it is light, and it will smudge if it is heavy, but Xue Tingxiang writes on it like flowing clouds and flowing water as if there is nothing. The handwriting on it is full and round, and it is extraordinarily majestic.


    Zhao''er held his breath and didn''t even dare to make a sound. His eyes fell on Xue Tingxiang, who was writing vigorously. Suddenly, he had the illusion that a little man had grown up.


    Xue Tingxiang quickly wrote a sheet, and he was about to take it away to dry, Zhao''er quickly took it, and spread it carefully on the kang. Her eyes were attracted by those words. She couldn''t tell how beautiful they were, but felt like a painting.


    And during this period, Xue Tingxiang wrote another one.


    In this way, Xue Tingxiang wrote and asked children to dry it. After a while, the kang was covered with paper.


    A book of the Three Character Classic does not contain more than a thousand characters, and Xue Tingxiang finished it very quickly.


    He put down the pen, took a deep breath, and moved his wrist a few times. He hadn''t written at such a high density for a long time, and it was a challenge to his wrist strength.

 Chapter 113

    A young man was walking on the path in the village.


    He was dressed in a blue jacket, as if he hadn''t seen the sun for a long time, and his skin was weak and pale. The body is also slender and thin, but his expression is calm and calm. He is clearly dressed in shabby clothes, and the path in the village is uneven, and there are even cow dung and chicken dung, but it just makes him feel like walking in the garden.


    It was the time of spring plowing, and everyone was busy plowing the fields at the moment, and there were hardly any people on the road in the village. Occasionally, a woman who is doing work in the yard sees that person walking on the road from a distance, and only after a few fixed eyes does she recognize who it is.


    "Dog, where is this going?"


    Xue Tingxiang looked at the woman who was talking to him, and said with a smile, "Auntie, I''ll just walk around."


    It was just a casual remark, but the woman didn''t say anything more to him, she turned to get something in the room, and the mother-in-law in the room asked her, "Third daughter-in-law, who were you talking to just now?"


    "The dog of the second room of Xue Lianxing''s family. Hey, mother, you are surprised. I didn''t recognize him when he knocked on the door just now. I always feel like a different person."


    Her mother-in-law didn''t take it seriously: "What can you become, but you can''t change your body, I remember that kid has been ill recently."


    The daughter-in-law said: "I see, maybe I plan to go to the back mountain." There is a mountain behind Yuqing Village, where all the dead villagers in the village are buried, and the Xue family''s ancestral grave is also there.


    Hearing this, her mother-in-law sighed: "Don''t even mention it, it''s a pity for the second child of the Xing family. Both of them are gone. It''s a pity to leave a baby."


    This is just gossip between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and while they were talking, Xue Tingxiang had already brought Heizi into the back mountain.


    *


    Houshan is called Houshan, the mountain behind Yuqing Village.


    This mountain has no name, and the mountain is not high, but it is extremely deep. Anyway, so far, no villager has been able to walk back and forth from this deep mountain and old forest, most of them are activities outside the mountain.


    The Xue family''s ancestral grave was built on a small hill not far from the village. This Xue family is not only Xue Tingxiang''s family, but the ancestors of the entire Xue clan are buried here.


    On such a big hill, the lineage of the patriarch is in the middle, and the branches of the various families spread out. The lineage of Mr. Xue is at a place near the foot of the southwest mountain.


    Because the couple in the second room died young, and Xue Qingsong died in an accident, they were buried at the edge.


    When Xue Tingxiang arrived at the place, he began to pull the grass around the grave mound casually.


    There were not many weeds, they had just been cleared during the Chinese New Year, so he gathered the grass at random and placed it on the ground, taking advantage of the opportunity and sat down in front of the grave.


    A piece of mountainous land, two small graves, in front of each of the graves stood a small bluestone stele, on which the names of the second family and the couple were crudely written.


    This monument was originally recruited to find someone to make it and set it up.


    Nowadays, there are three kinds of people who cannot erect monuments after they die, those who die suddenly, die young, and have no heirs. Xue Qingsong belongs to violent death.


    Although everyone doesn''t say it, people who feel that they died suddenly have resentment after death, which is not conducive to the feng shui of the ancestor''s grave, so no monument is erected. I also want him to forget who he is, so as not to cause trouble if he is ignorant.


    But at the same time, there is another saying that after death without a monument, you will be a lonely ghost, who cannot stand the incense of future generations.


    At the beginning, the funeral of the second wife was arranged by the Xue family, and they acquiesced to follow the old customs. At that time, Xue Tingxiang was still young and didn''t understand these things at all, but Zhao''er understood.


    She talked to Xue''s family about erecting a monument, but was blocked, and Xue''s family took turns to persuade her. Later, Zhao''er didn''t tell anyone about it, and took the money to ask someone to make these two simple monuments and put them in front of the grave.


    It was too late when Xue''s family found out, and they couldn''t tear down the stele in front of the villagers.


    The villagers were also surprised when they saw the stele, but after thinking about how the Xue family''s second child died, they could understand it.


    Therefore, Xue Qingshan also gained a good reputation. He would rather risk his family''s feng shui to erect a monument for his brother.


    With various thoughts spinning in his mind, Xue Tingxiang took out a piece of cloth from his arms and slowly wiped the tombstone.


    The words on it were still written by him, and the strokes are immature, but after all, people can still tell what is written on it.


    ...


    Today is the anniversary of Mr. Zheng''s death. Zheng Hu brought his two sons to the grave to worship.


    The country people are not so particular, they just prepared some steamed buns, wine and meat, and the father and son burned the paper money in front of the grave, so let''s forget about it.


    Zheng Hu had always had a deep relationship with his father, so he was inevitably depressed, so he let his two sons go back first, while he sat in front of the grave, smoking a pipe and talking to his father.


    After talking for a while, he stood up and planned to go back.


    There was still work waiting to be done in the field, and Zheng Hu didn''t want to waste time, so he decided to take a shortcut. When he passed near Xue Lianxing''s ancestral grave, he suddenly heard someone crying.


    There are graves on the two nearby hills, one is of the surname Xue, and the other is of the surname Zheng. This kind of festive day is not like Zheng Hu''s on the anniversary of the death of an elder in the family, but no one would come to this kind of place.


    In particular, there may be a lot of dead people buried here, the trees are dense, and sometimes the sky and day are gloomy. Hearing this strange sound under such circumstances, Zheng Hu was so frightened that his hair stood on end and his legs went limp.


    After all, he had lived for decades. He listened intently and calmly, and it took him a while to understand that it was a boy''s voice.


    Thinking about who''s grave was here, he bravely walked closer, bypassed a big tree, and saw a young man in blue clothes sitting in front of the grave from a distance.


    Next to it was a big black dog wagging its tail.


    It''s the dog of the second room of Xue Lianxing''s family.


    Only then did Zheng Hu heave a sigh of relief, and the voice came into his ears again: "...Father, what do you think I should do? Uncle wants to send brother Juncai to the school in town, I thought I could do the same." Go... But my aunt came to the house a few days ago, but she told me to let Brother Juncai, before..."


    The young man''s voice was full of hesitation and bewilderment, Zheng Hu did not expect to hear the secret affairs of the Xue family in such a place. He was so surprised that the pipe in his hand dropped without realizing it. He didn''t realize it until his foot was hit by the pipe, picked up the pipe in a hurry and left.


    He didn''t know that after he left, the lonely and helpless boy in his eyes stopped crying.


    In the past few days, Xue Tingxiang has been thinking hard, trying to find a suitable opportunity, and somehow he thought of Zheng Hu.


    Zheng Hu''s father, Mr. Zheng, died during the spring plowing. It was not a happy funeral, but an accident. He was accidentally squeezed to the foot of the field by his own cattle and fell to his death.


    The ridge was not very tall, and countless villagers fell off the ridge every year, and Mr. Zheng died unluckily. At the beginning, this incident was widely circulated in the village, so Xue Tingxiang remembered it very clearly.


    Since it was the anniversary of the father''s death, the son Zheng Hu would definitely come to visit the grave, and Zheng Hu used to like to take shortcuts, so he would definitely pass by this area, so who else is more suitable than him.


    The most important thing is that Yuqing Village doesn''t seem big, but Xue and Zheng''s surnames have always been different from each other. Zheng Hu''s uncle is Li Zheng, and if he knows it, Zheng Lizheng will know it too.


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t stay any longer, and quickly returned home with Heizi the same way.


    The yard was still silent, he found a twig and put it in front of the door, and sat there quietly basking in the sun, thinking about Zhao''er who went to the town.


    *


    Zheng Hu hurried all the way, without even returning home, he went to Zheng Lizheng''s house.


    Zheng Li is the Lizheng of Yuqing Village and the head of the Zheng clan. Naturally, the family''s house is the only one in Yuqing Village. If it can be compared with it, it is the house of Patriarch Xue''s family.


    Yishui''s green brick and tile-roofed house, and the courtyard walls are also made of green bricks. The most conspicuous thing is the ancestral hall of the Zheng family on the front, but this ancestral hall will not be opened until a certain time. The two black doors The paulownia gate is closed all year round.


    Going around to the side is the courtyard of Zheng Lizheng''s family.


    The yard is huge, unlike other houses where the barn, barn, kitchen, etc. are all in the front yard, the front yard of Zheng Lizheng''s house is just a big empty yard, only two sycamore trees are planted in the yard. Whenever there is any major event in the village, the courtyard will always be densely packed with people.


    There are three main rooms facing the face, and east and west wing rooms on the left and right, all of which are blue bricks and black tiles, which are extraordinarily magnificent.


    When Zheng Hu arrived, only Zheng Lizheng and his wife Tian Shi were at home.


    As soon as Tian saw his nephew coming, he greeted him: "Huzi, why are you here at this time? Do you have something to do with your uncle?"


    "Hey, there''s something wrong."


    With that said, Zheng Hu hurried into the house. Tian shook her head, thinking that there must be something wrong, since Zheng Hu is usually very steady.


    After Zheng Hu entered, he turned to the east room.


    Sure enough, his uncle Zheng Li was sitting cross-legged on the big kang in the east room, smoking dry cigarettes.


    "Why, in a hurry."


    Zheng Hu sat down on a pier under the kang, panting heavily, unable to speak for a while.


    Zheng Lizheng looked to be in his sixties, with a long face and a pair of medium-sized eyes. From the appearance, he is just an ordinary farmer''s old man, even the clothes he wears are ordinary. There is only that unmoving calmness, which can be seen as a person who has been around the world for a long time.


    With the cigarette holder in his mouth, he pushed the teapot on the kang table forward, Zheng Hu was not polite, stood up and poured a bowl of tea, and drank it down.


    "Uncle, let me tell you, something happened to me today."


    "What''s the matter?"


    "Today is not the anniversary of my father''s death. I took it with me early in the morning..."


    Halfway through Zheng Hu''s speech, Zheng Lizheng sat up from the kang, as if listening seriously.


    Seeing his uncle like this, Zheng Hu knew he had come to the right place. After hearing what the only son of Xue Lianxing''s family cried, he realized that this was an opportunity, an opportunity to suppress the prestige of Xue in Yuqing Village.


    He spoke in more detail, almost repeating every word, while Zheng Li was smoking a pipe, his eyes narrowed.


    *


    Zhao''er didn''t come back until the second half of the afternoon, and when he came back, he looked a little unhappy.


    Xue Tingxiang looked at the basket behind her, every time Zhao''er came back before, the basket was always full, but today he knew that there was nothing in it.


    "What''s wrong?"


    Zhao''er was thinking about it, when the little man asked him, he was taken aback for a moment, and then said: "It''s nothing, I brought you meat buns from the town, and I''ll heat them up for you to eat later."


    How could there be nothing, obviously there is something.


    Xue Tingxiang glanced at her face, but since she didn''t want to say more, he didn''t want to press her.


    Zhao''er went back and forth to the town, covered in dust, she went to the kitchen to boil water, and took a bath in the bathroom. The Xue family has a special room for bathing, in the vegetable field in the backyard. The house is not big, three meters square, the floor is paved with bluestone slabs, and there is a drain in the corner, through which the bath water can flow directly into the vegetable field.


    Taking off her clothes, Zhao''er rubbed the soap horns on her body, but a burst of melancholy came to her heart.


    In fact, something really happened, but she didn''t say it because she was afraid that the little man would worry.


    The way she finally found to get money was robbed.


    The person who robbed was none other than the owner of the embroidery workshop who took her finished product and pocketed the embroidered shoes.


    In fact, Zhao''er is quite clever. He bought rags from the owner of this embroidery workshop, but the finished product was not sold to this one, but to another one. It''s just that she didn''t expect that the two bosses were actually relatives, and she didn''t know how the other party knew. When she went again this time, the other party was unwilling to sell her rags.


    Not only does this embroidery workshop have no rags, but the owner of this embroidery workshop ordered people to buy all the rags from other embroidery workshops. Zhao''er didn''t know about this until after visiting several embroidery workshops.


    She has already made plans to pay for the little man to study in the town. She has asked about the Qinghe Academy, and the beam repair will cost five taels of silver every year. Among them, because many students live too far away, they can choose to study in dormitories. If it is a place to study, the monthly meals, accommodation, etc. are added together, and another one or two taels of silver will be needed.


    In Zhao''er''s heart, she wanted Xue Ting to study overnight. She felt that Xue''s house was not a good place to study, and there were too many messes in the family, which meant that she had to prepare six taels of silver before sending the little man to school.


    She originally thought that she could make enough money by doing this business twice, but who would have thought that such a thing would happen.


    In the middle of her thoughts, Zhao''er had already taken a shower, she wrapped her hair in a handkerchief, put on her clothes, and went back to the house.


    Xue Tingxiang was sitting on the kang reading a book, and it was his only book "Children Learning Qionglin". Seeing her coming in, he looked up at her and said, "It''s still cold, dry your hair quickly."


    Hearing this, Zhao''er''s heart warmed up.


    These days the little man has changed a lot compared to before, and this change is naturally good, so she couldn''t help showing a smile even though she was worried.


    She climbed onto the kang and took a cloth towel out of the kang cabinet. Xue Tingxiang was sitting on the side, inevitably he had to make room for her. When she passed by, a scent mixed with soap locust penetrated into the tip of his nose, he couldn''t help moving his nose, and his eyes fell on her who was close at hand.


    But Zhao''er has always been domineering, and never allowed anyone to talk about a little man, and whoever said she was in a hurry. Because of this incident, she had fought with many girls and boys in the village, although some people still said it behind their backs, no one dared to point fingers in front of others.


    Zhao''er always felt that the little man''s eyes were weird today, and he avoided them uncomfortably.


    She knew that the little man must be angry again, and he didn''t like her saying things like ''the dog is my man'' the most. Every time he heard her say such things, he would ignore her for a few days. In fact, Zhao''er has to face, but she is the child bride-in-law of the Xue family''s second room. If she didn''t claim to be like this, how could she have the right to challenge the fourth aunt, Sun''s.


    "Are you hungry? Look what I brought back for you?"


    Zhao''er turned her head and put all these troubles behind her, and took out a paper bag from her pocket. Opening the paper bag, there are two steamed buns inside. They are white and plump, and people like it when they look at them.


    "Eat quickly, while it''s still warm." She smiled and stuffed the paper bag into the little man''s hand, while putting the pannier on her shoulders in the corner.


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her.


    The girl in front of her was in her twenties and eighth year, and her skin was the wheat color that is common among girls in the country, but Zhao''er''s complexion was very different from others, it was smooth and radiant, as if she had been smeared with honey. He has a tall nose bridge, a pair of medium-sized eyes, and swarthy pupils. When he smiles, there is a flash of inspiration in him, and he looks lively.


    Zhao''er''s stature is taller than ordinary girls, and she is well-developed, front/convex/backward, full of youthful vigor.


    It was so vivid, as vivid as in his dream.


    He unconsciously took the steamed stuffed bun and gnawed on it. Seeing this trick, he smiled even more happily. He went to the kitchen and poured him a bowl of water, which he placed next to his hand. On the other hand, he bent down to tidy up the scattered quilts on the kang, thinking about what to cook for him at night to nourish his body.


    Finally, the little man got better, so he had to continue to drink the medicine, and he had to drink a few more to strengthen it. From this, he naturally began to calculate the little money left in his hand, and think of a way to get some money, so as to solve the urgent need.


    "Have you eaten yet?" Xue Gouzi asked.


    This kind of behavior rarely happens to him, so Zhao''er can''t help but look up at the little man sitting on the kang.


    In fact, the little man has a handsome appearance, which is different from the fair skin of the countrymen. The corners of his eyes are slightly raised, and the curvature makes his face a little more delicate and handsome. It''s just that the little man always hangs his head halfway on weekdays, with a gloomy and silent temperament, and is too thin, so he is not conspicuous in front of others.


    Zhao''er''s eyes warmed up, her smile widened, and she said cracklingly, "Eat, I ate it outside, this is for you."


    After she finished speaking, she realized that she had slipped her mouth. She waited for the little man to show a disgusted expression, or to condemn her daughter''s family for running around, but he didn''t say anything, as if he had something on his mind. Head eating buns.


    Zhao''er couldn''t help heaving a sigh of relief, but at the same time felt a pain in his heart, and couldn''t help but said: "Dog, don''t worry too much. After all, you heard the words. Since you didn''t say it face-to-face, you can''t take it seriously. Even if it is true Don''t be afraid, sister earns money for your education."


    Xue Gouzi''s head still hurts a little, and he was dizzy. Zhao''er thought he had something on his mind, but in fact he was just thinking about that dream. Hearing Zhao''er''s words at this time, he suddenly remembered why he had this serious illness.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Gouzi''s serious illness came in a hurry due to stagnation of liver qi.


    Speaking of this, I have to talk about the general situation of the Xue family.


    Yuqing Village is a village located under Huyang Town, Xia County, Pingyang Prefecture. There are only more than 200 households in the village.


    The Xue family is one of them.


    However, the Xue family is different from other ordinary farmers, and it can be regarded as having some origins.


    The ancestor of the Xue family, that is, the grandfather of Mr. Xue, was a scholar. In a poor mountain depression like Yuqing Village, it is a great event for the ancestors to have a scholar.


    Because of this talented gentleman, the generation of the Xue family produced the head of the Xue clan, and there were several village elders in the clan, and finally had some say in Yuqing Village. At the same time, it is also a blessing for the younger generation. Mr. Xue''s father is hardworking and willing to work. With the help of the elders, he also slowly built up a family business.


    By the time of Mr. Xue''s generation, the Xue family already had more than 30 acres of fertile land, and several sons also had their own livelihoods. Their lives were enviably prosperous, and they could be regarded as a well-to-do family in the village.


    Mr. Xue and his mother-in-law Zhao have four sons and two daughters. The eldest son Xue Qingshan married his wife Yang, and they have two sons and a daughter. The eldest son Xue Juncai is fifteen years old, the second son Xue Youcai is ten years old, and the eldest daughter Xue Maner is married.


    The second child, Xue Qingsong, is a carpenter. He married his wife Qiu Shi and gave birth to a son, Xue Gouzi, who is fourteen years old. The third child, Xue Qingbai, is a farmer, married his wife Zhou, and gave birth to a son and a daughter. The eldest daughter, Xue Taoer, is thirteen years old this year, and the youngest son, Xue Shuanzi, is eight years old now. The fourth son, Xue Qinghuai, is a shopkeeper. He married his wife, Sun, and gave birth to a son named Xue Maodan, who is only four years old this year.


    As for the two daughters, the eldest daughter, Xue Cuiping, is already married, and the youngest daughter, Xue Cuie, is fourteen this year and is still in her boudoir.


    It is worth mentioning that nowadays there are parents who say that they do not separate their families. In addition, families in the countryside are ruled by clans, so Xue''s family has no separation.


    The Xue family has tasted the benefits of reading, so they have more vision than ordinary farmers. Xue Qingshan is smart since he was a child, and he is the eldest son. Mr. Xue has high hopes for him, and when he reaches the age of enlightenment, he spends money to send him to a private school.

 Chapter 114

    You can see her appearance in her fifties, with her gray hair neatly pulled behind her head. The face is long, the eyelids are a little sunken, and when the face is pulled, it becomes triangular eyes, which looks particularly unfriendly.


    Without Mrs. Zhao''s words, Mrs. Sun said: "Zhao''er, it''s not the fourth aunt talking about you, you girl likes to make a fuss. Could it be that you deliberately torment us all, even if you don''t like it..."


    Before she finished speaking, she was pulled by the man Xue Qinghuai.


    "Okay, let''s say a few words less, Zhao''er is not ignorant, and besides, the dog is already sick, so it''s better to find a doctor to take a look, and the family can rest assured."


    "I said less and said less, and I didn''t say anything..."


    "You also said..."


    The couple went out while chatting and tugging. The eldest aunt Yang smiled at Zhao''er, and then said to the mother-in-law: "Mother, let''s go too, let the dog rest well."


    Mrs. Zhao glanced at the dog on the kang, snorted coldly, turned her head and left. Just from her posture, it can be seen that she is very angry.


    In fact, it is true. The Xue family can''t be called a rich family. It costs at least one or two hundred dollars to invite a doctor back from the town. ! In particular, the doctor''s pulse just now confirmed Zhao''s guess that Xue Gouzi was deliberately pretending to be ill, and it was only strange that she was happy.


    Let Mrs. Zhao see that the two little boys in the second room are deliberately torturing the family, but since the eldest daughter-in-law has come forward to persuade her, Mrs. Zhao will naturally not say more.


    Generally speaking, among the three daughters-in-law of the Xue family, Yang is the one who wins Zhao''s heart the most. The eldest has an unusual status, and Zhao is willing to show the eldest daughter-in-law some face.


    After Mrs. Zhao and Mrs. Yang left, only the third uncle Xue Qingbai and the third aunt Zhou were left in the house. The two were not used to talking much, and they didn''t stay long, Zhao''er thought that the third uncle had worked hard just now, so he sent the two of them out with a smile.


    When he turned his head and came back, he saw Xue Gouzi lying on the kang with his eyes open, his eyes staring blankly, as if he had lost his mind.


    She didn''t think much about it, she came to the side of the kang and patted his head: "Dog, don''t think too much, they don''t believe that you are sick and have a headache, sister believes you. Take care of your illness and don''t think about it anymore. "


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her, his mouth was dry and his throat was tight: "Zhaoer..."


    "What''s wrong? Is there something uncomfortable?"


    Feeling these undelicate but very warm hands touching his head and face, Xue Gouzi had a sense of reality and gratitude that he had never had before.


    She wasn''t dead, and neither was he.


    Although he didn''t like some of her daily actions, and even hated her as his child bride-in-law, but he never thought of letting her die, so how could he be the one who killed his wife and son.


    But Xue Gouzi was still very flustered, because that dream was too real. After going through that dream for more than seventy years, it seemed that he had also experienced that life. But after waking up from the dream, the vicissitudes of life have changed, and he dare not look back.


    "Zhaoer..."


    "Why!"


    "Zhaoer..."


    "Um."


    "Zhaoer..."


    A hot stream suddenly flowed out unconsciously from the dry eye sockets.


    This scared Zhao''er quite a bit, and he didn''t care to think that the little man would never call her that, let alone let himself get close to him. He hugged his head into his arms and asked him anxiously up.


    Seeing that he didn''t speak, but just buried himself in his arms and cried, Zhao''er couldn''t help but wonder if those people made him think too much just now. According to Zhao''er, the little man has a lot of things on his mind, and he never speaks out, otherwise he wouldn''t have this serious illness.


    She patted him on the back, hugged him like she did when she was a child, and comforted him: "Don''t be afraid, dog, even if they don''t send you to study, sister will send you there, and sister will send you even if she sells everything." go."


    *


    After all, Xue Gouzi had just recovered from a serious illness, and after experiencing such an incident, he fell asleep after drinking some porridge for dinner.


    Zhao''er covered him with a quilt before tidying up the basket she had just brought back.


    The back basket is full of needlework and cloth, which are rags that Zhao''er bought in the embroidery workshop in the town. The reason why I started this business was because I used to recruit children to carry the finished purses for the women in the village to sell in the embroidery workshop.


    There is no adult in the second room. Although the family is in charge of eating, after all, the pen, ink, paper and inkstone used by Xue Gouzi to study, as well as the clothes, bedding and some odds and ends of the two people on weekdays, etc., all need money.


    Wanting to ask for money from Mrs. Zhao is more expensive than ascending to the sky, and although the uncle Xue Qingshan is determined to treat his nephew as if he were his own, but Zhao''er usually only sees the big family''s child with greasy lips, and Xue Juncai never Lack of pens, ink, paper and inkstones. In contrast, the little man was as thin as a bamboo pole, and he picked up a bald pen that Xue Qingshan didn''t use back then.


    Zhao''er has always been a strong one, she couldn''t bear to wrong the little man, so she could only find money everywhere by herself. There was no opportunity to make money in the countryside, so she went to the town to look around, as long as it was within her power and did not require capital, she would try to do it.


    In the past few years, she has collected vegetables from the village and sold them in the town, picked up work from the embroidery workshop and assigned them to women with good craftsmanship in the village, and usually went to the mountains to find mountain products to sell.


    And now this business has been done several times, Zhao''er has a sweet mouth and a thick face, the boss of the embroidery workshop can''t hold her back, so he sells the unwanted rags to her in bags. She took it back, sorted and cut it, and then asked the women in the village to help make purses and other things, and she could earn a lot of money by reselling them in the embroidery workshop. It is much better than before just receiving the purses made by others, and earning a penny for a few purses.


    If he hadn''t made some money by doing this business, he didn''t know when Xue Gouzi would recover from his serious illness. Mrs. Zhao would have given up the money to get the medicine for a long time ago, and Zhao''er used his own money to catch the medicines later. I still have to hide it, for fear that other members of the Xue family will find out.


    Thinking of this, the corners of Zhao''er''s mouth tightened.


    She has always been agile in her hands and feet, and seeing that she picked out some usable cloth heads, she stopped tossing about. I chose clean ones and spread them out on a square table, and cut these strangely shaped cloth heads into a uniform shape with scissors.


    This is Zhao''er''s own calculation based on how much fabric is needed to make a purse, no more and no less, she will not take out these rags for people to see.


    It is not easy for country people to earn a penny. If someone finds out, the designated way to earn money will be robbed within a few days.


    Zhao''er also wants to use this to make money for the little man to go to the town to study, so that she can only go to see Xue Jun, and her little man can also go. Zhao''er has always been prepared with both hands when doing things, and she knows in her heart that the big house will never let such a good thing happen to the little man.


    It is better to ask for others than to ask for yourself, and it is better to rely on yourself than to rely on mountains and rivers.


    Zhao''er has understood this truth since she was seven years old when she was going to be exchanged for money by her grandmother and father.


    After Zhao''er finished what she was doing, seeing the little man was fast asleep, and seeing that it was already dark outside, she wrapped the tidy cloth in something, and hurried out with it.


    Under the night, Yuqing Village was exceptionally peaceful, and the light silver moonlight shone on the trails in the village. Although the road was still unclear, it was not completely dark after all.


    Zhao''er walked all the way and didn''t even startle a dog.


    This is not an ability that ordinary people can have. You must know that in places like the countryside, almost every household has a dog. Dogs are very alert at night, and whenever someone walks past the door, they bark wildly. Even if a petty thief came to the door, he would have been scared away by the dog long ago.


    Zhao''er also developed this ability after walking a lot at night.


    Of course, it was also related to the sunspot following her legs.


    Heizi is a country dog, but it is stronger and bigger than ordinary dogs. There are not many dogs in Yuqing Village that can beat Heizi, and it is because of Heizi that Zhao''er dares to walk alone at night.


    She went all the way to a family''s house with ease, and it was strange that the other party knew that she would come at this time and left the door open for her. As soon as she entered the door, the family''s dog rushed over. Before she could reach her, a black shadow rushed over and threw the other person to the ground. The dog was so frightened that it fell on the ground and stopped barking.


    Zhao''er gloated at the side: "I don''t have a long memory!"


    At this time, a person came out of the house, and he smiled as he walked up to the front: "This black man is here to bully our family Wangcai again, Zhao''er, come in and sit down."


    "Aunt Osmanthus, I won''t go in, I''m still rushing back."


    Zhao''er handed over the things in his hands to the visitor, took some things from the other person, wrapped them in cloth, and then went to the next household.


    Zhao''er went to five families.


    She is anxious to make money, but there are few women in the village who are good at needlework, and she needs to find someone who is tight-lipped and reliable. shit money.


    The reason why she said that was because when she collected vegetables from the village and sold them in the town, she was publicized by people who didn''t know the door, causing her to be pointed at all day long. She was not afraid of being pointed out, but these things finally reached the ears of the little man, and some villagers made fun of him, which caused a lot of conflicts between her and the little man. And after that, she won''t receive any vegetables in the village, even if someone sells them to her, it will be at a high price.


    In the end, she had no choice but to go to other villages to collect vegetables. It was not a waste of time. Since then, Zhaoer has developed a memory.


    When Zhao''er came home, Xue Gouzi on the kang was still sleeping soundly.


    She went to get some water to wash her face and wipe her hands before getting on the kang. The second room only had this kang, and she had slept with Xue Gouzi since she was a child, and she was used to it.


    Heizi slept under the kang, just now when he invited his son into the house, he slid in at his feet and chose a random place to lie down. It seems that the dog''s eyes have been closed, but in fact the two ears are standing up, and they move from time to time.


    Before Zhao''er lay down, she bullied herself over to look at the little man, and touched his forehead, before falling asleep in peace.


    *


    Compared with the second room because of the sparse population, there are only two rooms and one kang, the treatment of the first room is obviously much better. The entire three east rooms were occupied by the big room, and at this time in the east room, Mrs. Yang was talking to Xue Qingshan.


    Yang narrated what happened during the day, Xue Qingshan immediately frowned after listening.


    He was not at home during the day, so naturally he didn''t know what happened at home. Nowadays, some respectable families will invite scholars to preside over their weddings and funerals, but where rural families can afford to hire scholars, some will invite children to make up the number.


    No matter how they are all scholars, they are different from ordinary people.


    Today, Xue Qingshan was invited by a family in a nearby village to have a wedding. It doesn''t matter what the etiquette is.


    But the people in the countryside are poor, so the happy money will not be too much, at most a few tens of pennies.


    Xue Qingshan likes this kind of work the most. Every time at this time, he will randomly assign articles to memorize for the students in the school, and then go out for a whole day, and no one will say anything. What he likes is not only having money to take, but also when this time is his happiest time.


    He was sitting in the position of the guest of honor, and the men who came to have a wedding banquet were all proud to have a conversation with him.


    He is the master of Tongsheng!


    Of course, it would be even better if Tongsheng could be replaced by a scholar, Xue Qingshan would have dreamed of it. But for so many years, he has more or less self-knowledge, so he can''t help pinning his hopes on his son.


    It''s a pity that someone is blocking this way now.


    Xue Qingshan drank a lot of wine, his chubby face was flushed, and he was holding his breath in his heart, so he spit and scolded: "What kind of moth is this son of a bitch, I really want to open a dyeing workshop just to give him some color. !"


    Yang sighed faintly: "Who told you that you agreed to the second child so easily at the beginning, but now it''s hard to get off the tiger because of our talents."


    "In that situation back then, the second child seemed to be honest, and he wanted to accompany his elder brother when he was about to die. If I knew that he was paying attention that day, I would have found a way to shut him up, but so many people I was present, and the accident happened because of me, if I don''t even agree to this matter, how can I gain a foothold in front of others."


    Of course, Mrs. Yang knew this truth, but she couldn''t calm down. Just because of that bullshit promise, Da Fang kept her hands tied. Her son wanted to go to the library to study, but he had to hide and beg the other party to show his respect.


    She was always proud and arrogant, so naturally the more she thought about it, the more annoyed she became, her eyes sparkled, but she sneered on her face: "Because he fell ill suddenly, originally Dad planned to make decisions for us, so we can only endure it. But he has been sick for these days, and today he has such a scene, and my mother is already annoyed. I asked the fourth daughter-in-law to tell my mother that the dog is probably pretending to be sick. I think my mother has already decided that he is pretending. sick."


    Xue Qingshan''s eyes lit up: "That''s good, I''ll go talk to my parents tomorrow and let them put this matter into practice." He put his arms around Yang''s shoulders with a smile, and said: "My wife is smarter. , Prepared a backhand early."


    Yang gave him an angry look, and the two of them rested together, without speaking for a whole night.


    The morning light was twilight, and the sky was just breaking. Most of the villagers in Yuqing Village got up very early.


    Smoke rose from the chimneys of many houses, and villagers walking in twos and threes on the village trails, either carrying hoes or pulling cattle, looked like they were going to the fields.


    It is the time of spring plowing, and the plan of the year lies in spring. If you are lazy at this time, you will cry when the grain is harvested in autumn.


    Zhao''er woke up at this hour on time, and opened his eyes to find that the little man was still asleep.


    Not long after she fell asleep yesterday, the little man developed a fever again. After being busy for most of the night, luckily the fever subsided in the middle of the night.


    She sat up, raised her hand to touch the little man''s forehead, and made sure that her hands were not hot, then put on her clothes lightly and got off the kang.


    The first thing to do was to open the door, and Heizi, who had been restless for a long time, got out with a swish. Zhao''er also walked out of the room, seeing Heizi hurriedly running out of the courtyard to pee, she shook her head with a broken smile.


    At this time, someone has already got up in the courtyard, it is the Zhou family of the third bedroom and his eldest daughter Xue Tao''er.


    Today it''s the third room''s turn to cook. The Xue family''s rule is that apart from the housework of each room, the work in the office is shared equally. One day per room, in rotation.


    The room responsible for cooking is not only responsible for the food and drink of the whole family, but also takes care of the livestock in the family. The Xue family raised two big fat pigs, and it was not an easy job to just serve these two ancestors every day. Not to mention feeding chickens, carrying water, and chopping firewood, so the female family members who do housework on this day do not have to go to the fields to work.


    It seems to be fair and just, but in fact everyone inside knows how.


    The eldest aunt Yang claimed that the man was a child student, and she was exceptionally superior at home. Since Xue Qingshan passed the child student examination, she never touched housework again. The key is that Mrs. Zhao is also looking towards her, so it''s not easy for others to question her.


    At first, it was Xue Gouzi''s mother, Mrs. Qiu, who finally came in, the third-bedroom Mrs. Zhou, and the two sisters-in-law finally shared the burden. Afterwards, Mrs. Qiu followed her deceased husband, and Mrs. Zhou was left alone. It was not until Mrs. Sun of the fourth room entered the door that she would be able to catch her breath again.


    It''s a pity that Mrs. Sun is lazy and playful. In fact, Mrs. Zhou still does most of the work.


    In the past, when Mrs. Qiu was still alive, Zhao''er also helped Mrs. Qiu to do it. After Mrs. Qiu passed away, Zhao''er was busy with the housework of the second room and had to do the work in the office. In addition, Zhao''er was still young at that time, Mr. Xue told her to take good care of Xue Gouzi and not to take care of the work at work.


    Zhao''er now has free time to go around and get some money, but she is a person who looks at her conscience and will help out as much as she can in her spare time. As for those who used words to squeeze her like Sun, her sharp tongue was not forgiving.


    Seeing Xue Taoer struggling to fetch water from the well, Zhao''er rubbed his face and went up to help her.


    Thirteen-year-old Xue Taoer is like a small flower in bud. Although she is not very beautiful, she is very delicate. Seeing Zhao''er coming to help her, she couldn''t help showing a smile and talking to her: "Sister Zhao''er, is the second brother better?" Xue Gouzi is the second grandson of the Xue family, so Xue Taoer called him the second brother .


    "I had a fever again last night, and it got better in the second half of the night." Zhao''er looked around curiously, and asked, "Why isn''t Third Uncle here?"


    Although Xue Qingbai is a bit honest and reticent, he always loves his wife and daughter. Whenever he meets the third room to cook, he will get up early to fill the water tank.


    The Xue family has its own well, but the well is too deep, and there is no pulley on the well, so it is really exhausting to draw water with the strength of the daughter''s family alone. That is to say, Zhao''er was naturally as strong as an ox, and his strength was no worse than that of ordinary middle-aged men, so he could pull the bucket out of the deep well very easily.


    "My father went to the field and said he would work for a while and return after breakfast."


    Xue Qingbai is an honest farmer. Unlike other brothers in the family who have other skills, he only knows how to farm, so he puts all his heart on the ground. The Xue family has a total of more than 30 mu of land, and now he, Mr. Xue and the fourth son Xue Qinghuai are all planted.


    Although the women of the Xue family also went to the fields, it was only during the busy farming season, and besides, the women only had so little strength, so how could they help. Fortunately, the three men from Xue''s family are all good hands in the field, and they are really too busy, so they hired part-time workers to help out for a few days, so they don''t have to worry about not being able to finish the work in the field.


    Just as he was talking, the door of the fourth room opened, and Xue Qinghuai walked out from inside.


    The men in the Xue family are all big, so Xue Qinghuai also inherited a tall body.


    He was born with thick eyebrows, tiger eyes and a high nose bridge. He was dressed in dark blue coarse cloth and short brown, and looked very heroic. In fact, the men of the Xue family are not bad looking, but the women of the Xue family are a little mediocre, but all the grandchildren are born well, and they are all top-notch in the village.


    "Zhaoer Taoer, you wake up so early." Xue Qinghuai walked over in a few strides, took the wooden bucket in Zhaoer''s hand, walked to the water tank, and poured water into the tank.


    "How can you two little girls do this kind of rough work? You go to do other things, and the fourth uncle is here to fetch water."


    Zhao''er and Tao''er didn''t refuse either, one went to the kitchen to help her mother cook, and the other took a basin to scoop up water for washing.


    As time passed, the rest of the Xue family got up one after another, and there were more and more voices in the yard. On the other side of the kitchen, Mrs. Zhou yelled to eat. Generally, country people don''t pay much attention to breakfast, and they have to set a table or something. They always serve a bowl with a bowl, and eat it at any place.


    Breakfast is two rice porridge, the so-called two rice porridge is porridge cooked from two kinds of rice. Yuqing Village does not grow rice, but only wheat, sorghum, millet, corn and other crops. Although farmers grow wheat, they seldom use it for their own food. They sell it for other grains.


    Even a well-to-do family like Xue''s family with surplus food did not eat fine grains all at once, but a mixture of coarse grains and fine grains. For example, today''s breakfast is two-rice porridge, which is a porridge cooked with millet, that is, yellow rice, and sorghum rice.


    Because it was a busy time of farming, it was cooked quite thickly. Although it didn''t hold up with chopsticks inserted, it was much better than the usual thin soup with little water.


    There is no way, the Xue family seems to have a decent family background in the village, but there are three scholars in the family. Not to mention Xue Gouzi, Guangda Fang and his son spend a lot of money every month, and it''s no wonder that Mrs. Zhao usually can pick up fleas to get a little blood.


    Zhao''er filled two bowls of porridge, put a few cornbreads on a thick porcelain plate, and put some pickles on the side, and took them back to the second room''s room.


    As soon as he entered the door, he saw Xue Gouzi sitting up from the kang.


    She hurriedly put the wooden tray on the square table, and came up to see him: "But he''s better? Are you hungry? Sister will bring you some porridge."


    Xue Gouzi looked at her with complicated eyes.


    After experiencing such a dream, he now doesn''t know how to face Zhao''er. As long as he saw her, he couldn''t help but think of him in his dream, those words scolded by others before he died. He also tried to find the cause of Zhao''er''s death in his memory, but it seemed that that memory was Xue Tingxiang''s most unbearable past, and he had no memory at all.


    In fact, Xue Gouzi was burned in a daze last night, and Xue Gouzi thought for a long time. He couldn''t figure out whether he was Xue Gouzi or Xue Tingxiang, whether that dream was true or not, whether he was thinking about it every day and dreaming at night , to have such an absurd dream.


    However, he also had an idea in his heart. If everything in that dream was true, several things should happen in succession. If these things happen, it means that his dreams are real.


    Thinking about something in his heart, he reached out to catch the bowl, only to realize that he didn''t even have the strength to hold the bowl. Luckily, Zhao''er caught the bowl quickly, so he didn''t spill it all over him.


    Xue Gouzi was a little embarrassed and anxious. It was very strange, obviously he would not have this kind of reaction in front of Zhao''er before, but I don''t know if it was a dream, and his state of mind had a strange change.


    Zhao''er laughed at him: "Why are you being polite with my sister? I forgot that when you were a child, you peed on the kang, and it was my sister who washed it for you."


    Zhao''er came to Xue''s house when he was seven years old, and Gouzi was only five years old at that time. It is very inexplicable for a child to pee on the kang. It is obvious that he has not urinated for a long time. I don''t know if he drank too much water before going to bed or what, but he actually peed on the kang.


    Since Qiu gave birth to the dog, her bones were not good, and it was winter again. In order to repay the kindness of the second wife, Zhao''er volunteered to wash the dirty clothes and pants for the dog. Since then, she started her career as a child bride.


    What Xue Gouzi hates the most is Zhao''er. He always likes to say inconspicuous things in front of him. You must know that as you get older, boys will lose face, how can you still be willing to listen to people mentioning such things, especially dogs are naturally sensitive. But today for some reason, he didn''t feel annoyed, only a little embarrassed.


    He was surprised by his own reaction, but Zhao''er had already fed him porridge with a wooden spoon. He subconsciously opened his mouth, and waited until the warm porridge blown by her was fed into his mouth, and he saw the smiling eyes of the other party.


    Those eyes were big and bright, as if there were stars hidden in them, and he couldn''t help but blush.


    Zhao''er smiled even more happily, and stuffed him with a tortilla: "Eat quickly, sister will cook eggs for you at noon."


    She was coaxing him like a child, Gouzi suddenly had this understanding.


    He was eating porridge from Zhao''er, thinking wildly in his mind, it was very chaotic.


    Just then, someone came to the door.


    It was Xue Qingshan.


    Exactly the same as in the dream.


    Xue Qingshan''s fair face was full of sighs and worries, he sighed and said a lot of words, the main idea was to let the dog recover well, don''t worry too much, there are grandparents and uncles at home, he can''t lose him.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Qingshan also followed the appearance and height of the man from the Xue family. He was also a weed in Yuqing Village in his early years, but unfortunately he got a little fatter as he got older.


    "Uncle still has to go to the private school, dog, take care of your illness, you are a child with a lot of thoughts." Sighing and patting his nephew on the shoulder, Xue Qingshan lifted the curtain and left.


    What is he doing?


    Zhao''er thought suspiciously. After thinking about it for a while, she couldn''t figure out why, so she stopped thinking about it and concentrated on feeding the dog porridge, but Xue Gouzi looked thoughtful.


    *


    In the main room, Mrs. Zhao is chatting with Mr. Xue about what happened yesterday.


    Mrs. Zhao was sewing an old dress in her hand, and said, "Let me tell you, you just like to spoil that little thing. You love him, but he doesn''t love you. Our family''s money doesn''t come from the river, just Because he didn''t want to show his illness to the whole family, he made a fuss after another, which is to make the family upside down."


    Mr. Xue was in his fifties, tall and tall, and his skin was black and red like that of a countryman who had been exposed to the sun for a long time. He was wearing dark blue coarse cloth pants, sitting cross-legged on the Kang, smoking a dry cigarette.


    Every time after dinner or before work, Mr. Xue always smoked for a while, otherwise he would feel exhausted.


    "Okay, Gouwazi is sick, who doesn''t have three illnesses and four pains." After a while, he said hoarsely.


    The patter, patter sounded again, and the lingering blue smoke swirled in the air, and then scattered in all directions. Behind it, the old face of Mr. Xue was hidden, looming.

 Chapter 115

    After finishing the three township examinations, most of August has passed.


    However, candidates who have completed the rural examination generally will not leave, and have to wait for the release of the results in early September.


    The time to release the rankings is not fixed, but usually the rankings will be released before the tenth day of September, which means that candidates will have to wait for more than half a month.


    During this period of time, groups of scholars can often be seen haunting various restaurants and teahouses, and naturally there are quite a few brothels and Chuguan. They stayed up all night, singing and singing every night, as if they were in the last state of madness.


    And Xue Tingxiang fell ill after leaving the examination room after the third test.


    It was also rainy days in those few days, even though he was well prepared, he still caught a cold. Not to mention recuperating during this period, Yue Buyian also came to visit Xue Tingxiang.


    By the time Xue Tingxiang recovered from his illness, September had already entered.


    In the blink of an eye, it was time to fill in the rankings, and every time this day came, even though they knew that the rankings would be released tomorrow, all the candidates were very excited.


    Many people even went to the Gongyuan to inquire about the news. Mao Badou thought that Xue Ting had been bored in the room for many days, so he wanted to take him with him, but he refused.


    Knowing that nothing can be found out, it is not in vain to go, it is better to wait for the day tomorrow.


    On the second day, early in the morning, the people of Beilu Academy got dressed and prepared to go out. Lin Miao didn''t intend to go, he had seen too many joys and sorrows in front of Guibang, so he didn''t intend to join in the fun this time.


    When Xue Tingxiang and the others arrived at the Gongyuan, the Gongyuan Street was already full of people.


    The needle can''t go in, the water can''t get in, even with Mao Badou''s skill, he can only look at the ocean and sigh.


    "Well, let''s go back. Just squeeze in like this, and you won''t die or peel off your skin."


    So all the people had to go back.


    After returning home, Lin Miao saw the students all slumped, and couldn''t help shaking their heads and smiling: "Just wait quietly." If you really hit it, you don''t need to go to know it.


    After a while, Yue Butian also came.


    From his appearance, he seemed to have also gone to the Gongyuan, but he didn''t squeeze in and turn back.


    "Why didn''t you go, it''s fine if you don''t go like me, you should join in the fun."


    Yue Buyian also knew that it was the first time for Xue Tingxiang and others to take part in the provincial examination, and the stunned young man who passed the test for the first time was always full of confidence, wishing to see his name appear on the list, how could he sit still.


    "Brother Yue didn''t go either?"


    Yue Buyian laughed and scratched his head: "I''ll forget it, anyway, I don''t have much hope."


    "Brother Yue shouldn''t have said that. Your talent will win the exam sooner or later. It''s better not to be discouraged."


    Yue Buyian chuckled and said nothing, Xue Tingxiang naturally wouldn''t say anything more.


    The room was too stuffy, so a few of them went to sit in the lobby of the inn together. There were many scholars like them, and most of them couldn''t squeeze in and turned back to wait for the good news.


    There were people coming and going on the street, and there was a sense of restlessness in the air. They were obviously drinking tea and talking and laughing happily, but their eyes were all looking outside the door intentionally or unintentionally.


    Suddenly, there seemed to be the sound of beating gongs and drums in the distance, accompanied by a burst of restlessness.


    Because it was a little too far away, I couldn''t hear it clearly. After a while, I heard someone saying who had won the prize, and the announcer came to ask for a reward.


    Everyone was talking about it, even the common people in the past seemed to be equally happy for the person who was selected.


    There was another sound of beating gongs and drums, as well as crackling firecrackers, and the scholar who couldn''t bear it had already gone out, and after a while, he turned back and discussed with his friends about the person Zhongju.


    It seems that Taiyuan City is extremely small today, since the two bursts of beating of gongs and drums, there have been one after another, which can be heard endlessly. It''s no wonder that the bustle comes here, it''s because there are a lot of inns here, and they are not far from the Gongyuan, and there are the most candidates for the exam living here.


    There was the sound of gongs and drums entering the street, as if the membrane covering people''s ears was suddenly lifted off, and everything became extremely clear.


    As the movement got closer and closer, the people sitting in the lobby felt apprehensive, and some people couldn''t help poking their heads out to look forward to it, until the band that announced the good news stopped in front of the inn.


    A festive man in a red dress strode in from the door with a smile on his face: "Great news, Master He from Hebichuan, Qingyuan County, Xizhong is the 42nd place in the Shanxi Township Examination in the sixth year of Jiacheng .¡±


    "I won?" Following the voice, a short and thin middle-aged man in his forties fell off the chair with a plop. Faster than he fell, he jumped up again in an instant.


    It would not be an exaggeration to say that he was dancing, he limped and ran to the announcer and asked, "I have won? My surname is He, and my first name is Bi Chuan. Is it true that I have won?"


    The announcer said: "If you are Master He Bichuan He, then you have won."


    "I am He Bichuan, I am He Bichuan..."


    The people sitting at the same table with him all stepped forward to congratulate him: "Congratulations, Brother He."


    "congratulations."


    "Ten years of studying hard in the cold window is finally not in vain."


    Here, Xue Tingxiang and the others looked at He Bichuan with a half-hearted smile, not only finding him ridiculous, but also empathizing with him.


    If it were them who won, I am afraid it would not be any better than him.


    "This person is considered to be in his early years." Yue Buyian said.


    "That''s not the case."


    "On such a festive day, it''s not enough to drink tea without wine. Boy, bring some wine."


    The buddy who had been standing on the sidelines to watch the excitement, went to get the wine in a hurry, and waited for the announcer to be sent away over there, so he also drank it here.


    Not only did Yue Buyian drink, Xue Tingxiang and the others also poured it for himself, as if drinking could suppress the restlessness in his heart.


    The entire lobby was extremely lively, but the center of it all revolved around Nahe Bichuan. Ten years of studying hard in the cold window, and today he has won the imperial examination, which is also in line with other people''s glory.


    The scenery!


    Afterwards, the sound of good news came repeatedly, but they did not stop in front of the inn, but the bustle outside never stopped.


    The busier it was outside, it meant that the chances of winning the exam had dropped a lot, and many scholars were out of their minds. Some also wanted wine and drank it by themselves, some spoke sarcasticly, and some were already planning to have lunch.


    For example Xue Tingxiang et al.


    Their actions also seemed to remind other college entrance examination candidates who were waiting for the results that it was really boring to sit like this all the time, so they should find something to do.


    The inn guys got busy again, ordering and serving each table, and everyone was drinking and talking while eating. It seems that they are not idle, but in fact they are a little bit out of their minds.


    There was another sound of beating gongs and drums. By this time, no one would be too excited, but at this moment, the announcer stopped at the entrance of the inn.


    "Great news, Mr. Liu Changyan, Leping County, is the 21st place in the Shanxi Township Examination in the sixth year of Jiacheng."


    Liu Changyan stood up, he was from Beilu Academy.


    "Congratulations brother Liu, congratulations."


    Liu Changyan couldn''t help laughing a few times, stepped forward and took out the silver taels as a reward. This money is absolutely indispensable, if there are too few rewards, there may be news that so-and-so won the Juren the next day, but they are extremely stingy.


    Next, Beilu Academy seemed to be opened, and there were three good news, all of which were given to them.


    Others didn''t know that they belonged to the same academy, they just thought they were walking together, and they were all envious. Some people even asked whether the courtyard they lived in had good Fengshui. There were only a few places for exams, and they already took four of them.


    Afterwards, it seemed that their words were verified, and another good news came, this time it was Mao Badou''s.


    Don''t look at Mao Badou''s ambitious appearance, in fact, he didn''t expect that he could hit it, but he just came to the end to practice his hands, and he didn''t expect to hit it.


    He hit it.


    When this guy just laughed at others, he laughed very well, but now it''s his turn, and he is no better than others. He couldn''t even speak smoothly, and even forgot to reward him with money. In the end, Xue Tingxiang came forward to help him reward the person who announced the good news.


    "Okay, okay, you can sit down quickly, if you can''t help it, why don''t you just go back to the room and laugh for a while?"


    "I''m going to announce the good news to the teacher."


    Li Datian grabbed him and said, "Come on, don''t go anywhere, just sit down."


    In fact, it is better to say that Xue Tingxiang and the other four are waiting for happiness for themselves, rather than for Lin Miao. They are still young, whether they are in the middle or not, even if they may feel sad in their hearts, they will come back in three years at most. But Lin Miao has already taken the test many times, if he fails this time.


    In the following time, everyone''s heart was heavy.


    Those who have already registered in the top 20, and the further they go, the higher the ranking. Those who know their own level know that they will not be able to reach the top, and they look dejected and sigh again and again.


    However, Beilu Academy consecrated several times in a row, and then they died down again. It was not until the end of the day that another one came.


    This time it was Chen Jian.


    "Great news, Mr. Chen Jian from Xia County, he is the fifth place in the Shanxi Township Examination in the sixth year of Jiacheng."


    "Ajian, congratulations."


    After a while of congratulations, the announcer was sent away, and the candidates who were waiting had already returned to their rooms. Already in fifth place.


    The Five Classics Chief is not someone like them.


    "Ting Xing, you can definitely win." Chen Jian said.


    Xue Tingxiang smiled, but said nothing.


    Wu Jingkui, if there hadn''t been this fight between the Wu and Chen families, he would have been sure of it. But now¡ª


    Don''t look at Xue Tingxiang''s calm and self-control all the time, but in fact, he is very unreasonable in his heart. He even prepared for the worst. If she didn''t pass the exam, she would go back to her hometown to study, and she would just be able to take advantage of the free time to accompany her to recruit children, so as not to go to the capital to catch the exam by herself like in the dream, and had to leave her at home alone.


    Thinking about it this way, my heart sank.


    Just then, the good news came again.


    "Good news, Mr. Yuebu Dianyue, Yangqu County, is the third place in the Shanxi Township Examination in the sixth year of Jiacheng."


    Yue Buyian, who had been drinking all the time, suddenly raised his head, his eyes were sleepy, but there was a very bright light hidden in them.


    "Brother Yue, congratulations."


    Everyone here is saying congratulations, and there is another sound of beating gongs and drums outside the door.


    At this time, even the innkeeper couldn''t bear it any longer, standing by the door and laughing so hard that his mouth was about to bloom.


    What kind of luck is he, he won seven in one inn, presumably his store will be overcrowded in the next township test.


    "Great news, Mr. Lin Miaolin of Xia County, the winner is Yayuan, the second place in the Shanxi Township Examination in the sixth year of Jiacheng."


    "Teacher, teacher..." Mao Badou wailed and howled, and ran to the back. Before he could leave the lobby, Lin Miao came out.


    I saw that his clothes were fluttering, he had the demeanor of a great Confucian, he was calm and relaxed, unlike other people, he was full of ugly behaviors.


    "What are you panicking about?"


    "Teacher, you have won."


    Lin Miao nodded, and went forward to talk to the announcer.


    Yayuan, but only the existence of Xieyuan.


    The scholars who had gone back to the house a long time ago were sad, but now they heard that there were three Wujingkui in the inn, so they couldn''t help running out to watch the excitement. Seeing that the teacher and the students were in the same middle school, the teacher was still Yayuan, and they all came forward to make friends, wanting to know who this Yayuan was, and taught two students.


    They regarded Yue Butian as Lin Miao''s student.


    The lobby was extremely lively, even people from other inns came to see Yayuan''s demeanor.


    Xue Tingxiang, who was standing aside, smiled, and Chen Jian, who had been looking at him, said, "Tingxiang, don''t..."


    He originally wanted to say don''t be sad, but this kind of words really didn''t fit Xue Tingxiang. After thousands of words, he finally turned it into one sentence: "You are also unlucky. The draft was wet in the first scene, and the next two scenes encountered rain. After the exam, I got seriously ill again. If I don¡¯t pass this time, I¡¯ll take another exam after the exam, absolutely¡­¡±


    He spoke a little incoherently, Chen Jian was not as talkative as Mao Badou, nor as good at words as Xue Tingxiang, he was not good at words, and usually he didn''t talk much, at this time he was comforting people, and he wanted to cover his face and sigh.


    "Okay, Jian, I know what you want to say, I''m fine."


    "That''s fine." Chen Jian smiled in relief. He knew that Ting Xiang was not the kind of person who cared too much about gains and losses. With his ability, it was really unlucky that God didn''t open his eyes to miss this time.


    Lin Miao finally finished dealing with a group of scholars who came to make friends, and came over.


    He looked outside the door, and it had been a while since the announcement of the second place. The sound of blowing and beating could not be heard again, which means that the scholars of Zhongjieyuan were not here.


    He looked at Xue Tingxiang, the student whom he placed the most hope in, and recalled his troubles in the rural examination, couldn''t help sighing, and patted him on the shoulder: "Tingxiang, don''t be sentimental, in the teacher''s heart , you should be the talent to solve the Yuan."


    "Thank you, teacher, for your relief. If you fail this time, you will come again next time, student..."


    At this moment, there seemed to be some faint movement.


    It was different from the previous ones, and seemed to be noisier. There were sounds of blowing and beating, as well as applause, all mixed together to form a wave of sound.


    "What is this doing?"


    Just as he was talking, a lion dancer appeared in front of the door. The five lively lions are rolling and bowing again, and their various naive expressions make people laugh. The drummers beat the leather drums hanging on their bodies with all their might, as did the drummers who played the gongs and suolas, making bursts of noise.


    It was the sound of firecrackers again, and it was noisy again. For a while, it was clearly close at hand, but it was impossible to hear the words of the people around it.


    "Which one is this open? You really know how to choose a date."


    "Why did you choose this place to make trouble, boss, isn''t this hindering your family''s business?"


    The innkeeper was all smiles and his eyes were shining brightly. He seemed to say something, but no one could hear him clearly. The guy was also talking, but unfortunately he could only see his mouth moving.


    At this moment, the lions separated suddenly, and they all made a gesture of offering a hydrangea ball. A man in a red and short brown dress and a red scarf on his head trotted forward.


    After the sound of firecrackers and blowing loudly, I heard him congratulate loudly: "Good news, Mr. Xue Tingxuan, Huyang Township, Xia County, Xizhong is the first place in the Shanxi Township Examination in the sixth year of Jiacheng, Xie Yuan!"


    "Ting Xing, Ting Xing!"


    "Ting Shan, you''ve won!"


    Being surrounded by people, Xue Tingxiang looked at the scene in a daze, but thought in his heart how much money he would have to give to satisfy these people. If he didn''t spread the news that the newly appointed Master Xie Yuan was too stingy tomorrow, he would simply be a penny-pinching cock.


    ...


    In the end, Xue Tingxiang took out all the money on his body, and Mao Badou and others collected some more before sending the announcers away.


    Since they are putting on such a big display, and they are here to announce the good news and add to your glory, you are too stingy to do it. Don''t think that these are all free gifts, they are all paid for.


    But the money was worth it, because of this movement, half of the people in Taiyuan City were attracted to come here. If it were anyone else, even if they lost their fortune, they would have to give it.


    In fact, this is just a routine used by people who announce the good news every time the results of the township examination are released.


    Xie Yuan, the first place, how can it be achieved without some tricks.


    The innkeeper knew it before, but it was a pity that there was too much noise, and no one heard that he was actually saying that it was a good news for Lord Xie Yuan.


    After an announcement of the rankings, I saw all the ups and downs. Those who won were cheered, while those who were not were saddened. There is also a big man who cries like a tearful man, and he will inevitably get drunk and go crazy with alcohol.


    Among the four sons of Qingyuan, Mao Badou all won, but Li Datian was the only one who missed, which is also a pity.


    Li Datian needs to try his best to explain that he is not as sad as others imagined. There was a bit of disappointment, after all, the four of them had passed the county, government, and hospital exams together, and now they came to the township exams, leaving him alone.


    It may be that he had expected it before the end, and he knew how much he weighed, so he really missed, but it was not too surprising.


    On the contrary, Mao Badou made a big surprise, and even Lin Miao didn''t expect him to be able to hit it. This may mean that once a person has a goal, he can burst out with infinite potential.


    Afterwards, Li Datian jokingly said that it seems that he should also find someone he likes.


    Naturally, this was said to Mao Badou. Mao Badou had said at the beginning that he must win the election to prove that he is more capable than that surnamed Li, and it is time to ask Lin Yanran for marriage, so that she can save face That''s enough.


    He himself thought so, as for what Lin Yanran thought, or even what Lin Miao thought, it was unknown.

 Chapter 116

    The day after the announcement of the rankings is the ''Deer Ming Banquet'', in addition to the new recruits, the chief and deputy examiners, supervisors and all inner and outer curtain officials will be present.


    As for why it is called the Luming Banquet, it is reported that the emperor of a certain dynasty entertained the imperial examination students with "deer" as the main imperial banquet, in order to show the greatness of the emperor''s grace and the meaning of recruiting talents. The deer has always been revered as a fairy beast, and its image is a rare talent, and the emperor is the son of heaven. "Ming" means a gift from heaven, so the imperial meal where the emperor is the host and the talented guest is called "Luming Banquet".


    There is another saying that deer and "lu" have the same pronunciation, which means fame and wealth, and the entry into the new department is the beginning of official career. Scholars have always been reserved and introverted, so they will be replaced by deer. All in all, this Luming Banquet is a banquet to celebrate newcomers.


    It is said to be a banquet, but in fact, the banquet is not something to eat, and it is mainly a formality. First, the chief and deputy examiners brought the big and small curtain officials to pay homage to the saint, and then the new recruits gave thanks to all the examiners.


    In fact, the main test is the main test, and the others are secondary.


    Xue Tingxiang is dressed in a bright red Juren scarf suit, with a dogwood hairpin on the right side of the hat. Hairpins are originally a custom of Jinshi and the first rank, but in order to express joy, new recruits can also wear hairpins when they go to the Luming Banquet.


    But only Xie Yuan can wear hairpins to show the difference.


    A total of seventy new recruits gathered together, with Xie Yuan leading the way, followed by Yayuan, leading a group of new recruits, first saluted the chief examiner Huang Mingzhong, then the assistant examiner, and so on.


    Afterwards, the banquet was held, and the "Luming" chapter in the song "The Book of Songs" can be regarded as the name of the Luming Banquet.


    In the hall, there are pianos, drums and zithers, the sound of singing and dancing, and the red candles with thick and long arms illuminate the whole room like daytime.


    "Our Xie Yuanlang is really a boy from a hero." An official stroked his beard and said to the people around him.


    That''s not exactly the case, the sixteen-year-old Master Juren is extremely rare, and he can be called a genius.


    Over there, Xue Tingxiang was toasting the chief examiner.


    Huang Mingzhong smiled, took the wine and drank it down, and said some words of encouragement.


    It could be seen that he was in a bad mood. As for what was wrong, only he knew in his heart.


    Next came Ye Ju, the deputy examiner, and Ye Ju also said some words of encouragement. When it was his turn to drink, someone interjected from the side: "Xie Yuanlang should thank Mr. Ye, if it weren''t for Mr. Ye, Xie Yuan Lang can''t get the title of Xie Yuan."


    As soon as this person spoke, someone interrupted him: "I think you''re talking nonsense because you''ve been drinking too much. This Xie Yuanlang is a handsome young man, and his fame is naturally within his grasp."


    The man also realized his slip of the tongue, and quickly skipped the matter with a haha.


    Naturally, Xue Tingxiang couldn''t pretend he didn''t hear it, but he couldn''t ask specific questions, so he could only smile and salute Ye Ju again: "Student thank you again, Mr. Assistant Examiner."


    Ye Ju supported him: "The imperial court opened a new course to select talented people. Xue Jieyuan is a talented person. It should be like this. You don''t need to thank me."


    Others just took it as an exaggeration, only Xue Tingxiang knew it in his mind, and it seems that he was able to win the solution, probably because of what happened during the period, and what Ye Ju did from it.


    After the Lu Ming banquet was over, everyone drank a lot of wine, and fortunately there were carriages and horses to see them off, otherwise there would be news the next day, the anecdote of the new recruit so-and-so sleeping on the street.


    There are a lot of anecdotes about this kind of anecdote in the past few days, most of them are that a certain candidate was frustrated in the examination room, drunk on the street, or a certain candidate was kicked out of a certain brothel because of his lack of money, and so on. If there is an anecdote about a new recruit, it will be a lot of fun.


    After the Luming Banquet, there were some celebratory receptions and tea parties, which were organized by candidates or new recruits themselves, but Xue Tingxiang was in a hurry to go back to his hometown, so he didn''t attend.


    The people in Beilu Academy parted ways since then, those who failed to go back to the academy to study hard, hoping to come back in three years, and those who won went back to their hometown in a hurry.


    The test will be in February next year, also known as Chunwei. It is now mid-September, and the journey to the capital is long. It will take at least one or two months to travel on the road, and the time to settle down in the capital is very tight. Some new recruits don''t want to make a fuss, and some go directly to the capital for the examination in February next year.


    However, most people still have to go back to their hometowns to settle down with their loved ones.


    Because time was too late, Lin Miao didn''t plan to go back to Xia County. He made an appointment with Xue Tingxiang and others to go to the capital, and then returned to Beilu Academy.


    As for Xue Tingxiang, Mao Badou, Chen Jian, and Li Datian, they all took carriages and horses back to Xia County.


    On this road, the journey is long, and it will take at least half a month to get home, and the four of them return home like an arrow.


    *


    On the way Xue Tingxiang and the others were rushing back, something happened in Yuqing Village.


    Let''s talk about the matter from before. Ever since Wang Dazhi and his wife found Zhao''er and the sisters and were driven away, the two never appeared again.


    I also came here after that, but was driven away before entering the village.


    The country people are not very particular about their speech. When they heard that they had sold their daughter, the cruel parents who wanted to drag her back and sell her again, all spat, chased and scolded her again and again. Those harsh people scolded very badly, making the two of them really poor and crazy, and went home to have a baby. Anyway, after giving birth, they would sell it, and whoever sold it would not sell it.


    They scolded them until they covered their faces and fled, and they haven''t been here since then.


    On the other side, Xue Cuie went back to Zhao''s house.


    Because she was always missing these days, she said she was going out to dig wild vegetables and chop firewood, but when she went out for a day, when she came back, there were only a few wild vegetables and a few sticks of dry firewood in the basket.


    This looks like going out to work? So she was scolded a lot.


    Especially her daughter Diandian is only a little over one year old now, and it is the time when she is learning to walk and running around. Don''t look at Hong''s harsh treatment of Xue Cuie, but after all, Diandian is Zhao Jinrui''s first child and Hong''s first granddaughter, so he is naturally loved.


    But no matter how strange the child was, she couldn''t bring it here alone. Xue Cuie hadn''t been seen every day for the past few days, and Hong was so busy that she hated this mother even more.


    That day, Xue Cuie disappeared again early in the morning, but this time she didn''t even bring a machete and a carrying basket. Hong searched around the village but couldn''t find it. When she came back, she found her granddaughter''s head was broken, so she cursed at her in her yard. up.


    While scolding, Xue Cuie came back covering her face, looking very embarrassed, her face was blushing, people who didn''t know thought she had met some bad guy.


    That''s what the Hong family thinks, otherwise how could it be so for no reason.


    Her first reaction was not to comfort, but to ask Xue Cuie what happened to the slap marks on her face. Xue Cuie naturally wouldn''t tell her what''s wrong, she faltered and hawed her answer, and knew she was lying as soon as she heard it. Now Mrs. Hong was at a loss. He jumped three feet high and shouted loudly for a man and a son, saying that Xue Cuie had met a robber.


    There are no robbers in this rural area, it''s just bad guys.


    The bad guy is naturally a man, what can happen to a woman when she meets a bad guy, but the other party wants to do something wrong and Xue Cui''e resists, that''s why she is beaten like this, maybe her body is also dirty.


    When Zhao Jinrui heard what his mother said, he immediately turned black and scolded: "You still have the face to come back!"


    Uncle Zhao would like to ask the truth, but why is he a father-in-law who has the guts to ask the truth about this kind of thing, he can only listen to the mother-in-law and son scolding each other, so the reason why Xue Cuie became like this is due to It was because she was raped by bad guys.


    Of course, there is also the contribution of the eldest daughter-in-law and the second daughter-in-law of the Zhao family.


    The Hong family is filling the house, and the two have always hated the old hag for making their father-in-law treat their first two sons badly every day, and they also made things difficult for their two daughters-in-law. Now it''s the turn of these two people to watch the excitement of the Hong family, so naturally they can''t help fanning the flames and adding fuel to the scene.


    Xue Cuie opened her mouth four times, even if she wanted to tell the truth now, she couldn''t explain it clearly. As soon as she said that she was going back to her mother''s house, someone blocked her back, saying that she was deceiving on purpose.


    Here, Zhao Jinrui became angrier the more he listened, and he grabbed Xue Cuie and went back to the house and beat him up.


    Diandian cried hoarsely, and the Zhao family was in turmoil. Some villagers heard the news and came to ask. Under the publicity of the eldest daughter-in-law and the second daughter-in-law of the Zhao family, Xue Cuie''s loss of virginity was spread throughout the village.


    In the end, Xue Cui''e couldn''t argue with anything, and was beaten to death by Zhao Jinrui. As soon as Zhao Jinrui came out of the house, Mrs. Hong said: "Stop her, you must!"


    In fact, at this time, the Zhao family also knew that they had misunderstood, but the Hong family hated Xue Cuie, and now they made such a fuss again. It is easy to spread rumors, but difficult to explain clearly. If Xue Cuie is really left at home, Zhao Jinrui will become a green cloud in the eyes of outsiders.


    However, the Zhao family was very smart, and they asked Xue Cuie to stay at home to heal her injuries before sending her back to Xue''s family.


    When Mrs. Zhao heard that her daughter was divorced by her natal family, she fainted on the spot.


    A group of people in the Xue family turned their backs and invited a doctor to treat Zhao. After Zhao woke up, she faced the fact that her daughter was divorced. The Zhao family firmly insisted that Xue Cuie was raped, so they had to divorce her. During the period, the Xue Qingbai brothers almost fought with the two sons of the Zhao family, but fortunately they were stopped by the two elders.


    The two families sat down and discussed the matter. Even if Mr. Xue testified that his daughter did come back, and the slap marks on her face were slapped by him, the Zhao family''s attitude of divorcing his wife is also very firm.


    However, Uncle Zhao also spoke soft words and expressed his difficulties, but what he said was taught by the Hong family. Probably Xue Cuie''s return from Yuqing Village was seen by the villagers, and this kind of gossip spread in the village. Now the matter can''t be explained at all, even for Zhao Jinrui''s future, this wife must have to divorce.


    What can Mr. Xue say, can he say that he committed a crime?


    Take a break, take a break, the man wants to divorce his wife, and the woman can''t stop her. Even if he could ask his relatives to go to the man''s house to beat him up and threaten him, but after all, Mrs. Zhao is still there, and he doesn''t look at the face of the monk or the face of the Buddha. Besides, Mr. Xue is also afraid that if the incident spreads to Yuqing Village, the Xue family will have no face to face others in the future.


    This marriage shouldn''t have been married from the very beginning, if it wasn''t for Xue Cui''e not to live up to expectations...


    After all, it was her own fault, and she couldn''t blame others.


    After a long period of bargaining, the two families reached the following agreement.


    The brothers of the Xue family went to Zhaojia Village to make a scene, and the two partners acted in a play, which meant that all this was a misunderstanding, but because the Zhao family slandered their daughter so much, even if the Zhao family came to ask, the Xue family would not Let the daughter come back. And the Zhao family should divorce their wives, what should they do.


    In fact, this play is all for outsiders to watch. As for the ups and downs of each, only you can taste it.


    Xue Cuie and Mrs. Zhao naturally protested, but this time Mr. Xue was very firm.


    After the matter was over, old man Xue suddenly aged more than ten years. Ever since Xue Qingshan was born, old man Xue''s body and bones were not as good as before, and he fell ill this time.


    It is not necessary to go into details when asking a doctor about medicine, Mrs. Zhao has never regretted it, and others don''t know, anyway, the three and four housekeepers are very busy.


    But at this moment, another thing happened, it was something happened on the side of Xiaoshantou.


    Xue''s family is in trouble now, Zhao''er simply moved to live with Zhaodi on the top of a small hill in order to keep her baby clean.


    If she had been hesitant about moving before, and Xue Cui''e was dismissed and returned home, she would not have to think about it. The two have already torn their skins apart, who knows what will happen to Xue Cuie when they live together.


    The hilltop is clean and the environment is good, and it is far away from those messy things of the Xue family. Zhao''er has a very happy life every day, teasing his nephew to raise a baby, life should not be too beautiful.


    Now that Zhao''er is rich, everyone in the village knows that Zhao''er opened the well-known Wangji Food Shop in the county. As time went by, the small workshop became widely known, and many women in the village came to ask for work. Anyway, Zhao''er is also short of people now, so he picks out good needlework and stays to work.


    They used to hide it because their strength was too weak. With Xue Tingxiang''s winning a scholar, and with their backs on the mountain of the Xue family, and the deterrence of the county magistrate Xu, if they want to be jealous, they have to weigh themselves.


    But since ancient times, if you have money, you will be cared about by people. No, there was a thief on the top of the hill this night.


    This thief was a timid one, and he stole chickens twice at the beginning, because there were a lot of chickens on the hill, and Xue''s family had a lot of business recently, Zhou and Sun didn''t count them in detail, so everyone didn''t know.


    Who would have thought that this thief would become more and more daring, and even went to the room where Zhao''er lived.


    He was under the window, and was held down by Heizi who had been staring at him for a long time without saying a word. The thief was so frightened that he cried for his father and mother. Zhao''er, Zhaodi, and Aunt Gao all got up when they heard the movement.


    Especially Zhao''er, who picked up a shovel and pointed at the thief with his belly out, as if he would start fighting if he disagreed with him.


    In fact, I couldn''t help being careless, Gao Sheng was not at home, and there were only three women''s families and a baby boy living on this hill. Forget about her sister, Aunt Gao is old, old and young, only she has a little strength.


    "Don''t do it, don''t do it, I''m the black three."


    He was so dark that he couldn''t see the face clearly, but the thief knew his face, so he gave his name. It was also because the shovel that was touching his head was too scary, he felt that his head would be wiped off in the next moment, originally Hei San planned to run away because he was a man.


    "Hei San? You are so courageous, you stole it from me!" Zhao''er sneered, and asked Aunt Gao to get the rope to tie Hei San up.


    "Sister Zhao''er, please forgive me, I was also confused for a while, because I couldn''t get through the life at home, that''s why I got dizzy for a while."


    "Don''t tell me, talk to the patriarch later!"


    Aunt Gao held a lantern and went down the mountain in the dark to call for someone, San Hei was thrown in the yard, and the two sisters Zhao''er entered the house. As for Heizi, he has been squatting beside Hei San, planning to bite him if he disagrees.


    Xue Qingbai and Xue Qinghuai arrived soon, along with Xue Qiang and the others.


    "Well, you bastard, you stole under my sister Zhao''er''s eyelids!" Xue Qiang and the other young boys came up with punches and kicks, beating Hei San until he cried for his father and mother.


    "Sister Zhao''er, what should I do about this? Just beat him up?"


    "Lock it up first, and send it to the patriarch, Lizheng, tomorrow."


    Although Xue Qiang and the others felt that Zhao''er was making a fuss out of a molehill, they had always believed in Zhao''er and didn''t say anything. That''s why Xue Qinghuai saw Zhao''er''s meaning, this time he was lightly forgiven, someone will definitely commit another crime next time, anyway, they are all from the village, what can you do to me? Someone will surely follow suit.


    So Zhao''er is planning to make an example to others!


    Patriarch Xue has always defended his shortcomings, and Hei San is from a foreign surname, needless to say what happened to him, he was naturally expelled from the village.


    As soon as he heard that he was going to be sent to the patriarch and Lizheng, Hei San, who covered his head, immediately refused to pretend to be dead, and cried, "Sister Zhao''er, please be merciful, please don''t send me to the patriarch Lizheng."


    Zhao''er kept a straight face and ignored him, but asked Xue Qiang to get Hei San to be locked up.


    "Sister Zhao''er, I know I''m wrong, I really know I''m wrong, please don''t send me to the patriarch, they will definitely not spare me, I have an old mother at home, my mother can''t stand this stimulation..."


    Seeing that Zhao''er was still unmoved, Hei San was disheartened and was about to give up begging for mercy when suddenly a flash of light flashed in his mind: "Sister Zhao''er, I have something to tell you. I know how Widow Xue died. I''ll tell you About you, can you let me go?"


    Zhao''er looked over immediately.


    Hei San was overjoyed and told what he knew.

 Chapter 117

    Mr. Xue stared at her, he really suspected that all this was made by this girl. He knew that Gou''er was a bored gourd, why didn''t he go to the grave early and complained that he would not go later, and why he went at this time.


    Thinking of all the disobedient things this girl did in the past, Mr. Xue felt disgusted in his heart. But he also knew that now was not the time to vent his anger, but to settle the matter.


    "Since you want to listen, then listen." The tone was the same as before, but everyone could hear the dissatisfaction in his voice.


    Zhao''er couldn''t hear it, so he stood aside.


    Seeing this, Mrs. Sun hurriedly dragged Xue Qinghuai to stay.


    "Since Zhao''er has stayed, let''s stay and listen too." She laughed along with her.


    Mr. Xue was immediately furious: "Since you want to listen, stay and listen."


    So everyone stayed, including the four-year-old Mao Dan, and even Mrs. Zhou, who was busy in the kitchen, stayed behind under the guise of cleaning the table.


    In the huge main room, only an oil lamp was lit on the square table. The wick was jumping and shadowy, and everyone''s eyes were on Mr. Xue. But he suddenly didn''t know where to start. He looked around everyone''s faces with heavy eyes, and finally fell on Xue Tingxiang''s face.


    "Actually, it''s nothing. I just want to talk about what the boss said a while ago that he wants to send the child to the school in the town."


    Zhao''er was inexplicably nervous, and couldn''t help but glance at Xue Tingxiang, and then went to see Mr. Xue.


    Dafang and his wife were overjoyed, they knew this would happen, and it was not in vain for them to swallow their anger for many days.


    Xue Qingshan couldn''t hide the joy on his face, he looked at Xue Tingxiang with pity and compassion, then looked at other people, and finally fell on Xue Tingxiang.


    "Dog, don''t be discouraged. You are still much worse than your talented brother. You will study with uncle for another two years, and then the family will send you to the town to study."


    This kind of tone was too stinging at this time, Zhao''er had a sneer on the corner of his mouth, and wanted to say something, but was pulled by Xue Tingxiang.


    Xue Qingshan took all of this into his eyes, and satirized in his heart, no matter how difficult this girl''s film is, she can only embarrass others on these trivial things, and it still doesn''t work when it comes to big things. He smiled, and said to Zhao''er: "Zhao''er, don''t be angry, uncle knows that you are high-minded, but high-mindedness can''t be eaten, don''t you?"


    No one in the room said anything.


    At this moment, Mr. Xue suddenly said angrily: "Boss, what are you talking about!"


    Xue Qingshan didn''t take it seriously: "Father, I''m not trying to persuade the dog not to be discouraged..."


    Old man Xue''s beard was shaking with anger, and he pointed at him with a cigarette pot: "You need to persuade, the one who is going to study in the town is not a handsome man, but a dog!"


    As soon as these words came out, one stone really stirred up a thousand waves.


    The room was silent for a moment, and soon Zhao''s slightly shrill voice broke the silence.


    "Old man, what are you talking about? What do you mean a person who is going to study in the town is not a talented person?"


    Xue Qingshan also said: "Father, did you say the wrong person in a muddle?"


    "Your father is not ignorant, and he didn''t say anything wrong. The one who goes to study in the town is a dog, not a genius!"


    After saying this, Mr. Xue seemed to have lost all his energy, and stopped talking. The eyes of the whole room kept looking back and forth at Xue Tingxiang and Xue Juncai, full of surprise.


    Xue Qingshan''s smile cracked, and Yang''s face was full of surprise.


    Xue Juncai''s handsome face flushed red, "Grandfather..."


    Mr. Xue waved his hand wearily: "Okay, let''s all go back to the house."


    With everything said like this, everyone had no choice but to leave, but Dafang''s family still stayed behind.


    As soon as everyone walked out of the main room, they heard a commotion inside.


    "Old man, please speak clearly, what do you mean it is a dog who is going to study in the town, not my handsome talent!"


    It was Zhao''s voice.


    There is also Xue Qingshan, mixed with Yang''s aggrieved and sharp cries, and Mr. Xue''s exhausted explanation.


    No secrets can be hidden under one roof, so everyone knows what''s going on.


    *


    Early the next morning, everyone got up.


    But the spirit is not very good, it can be seen that he didn''t sleep much at night. Especially Yang''s eyes were a little red and swollen, and she looked like she was crying.


    Xue Qingshan''s eyes were also full of bloodshot eyes, he looked at Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang with sinister eyes from time to time, but for some reason he didn''t say anything.


    The atmosphere was very depressing, no one spoke, everyone was there and doing what they were doing in an orderly manner, but the yard was surprisingly quiet.


    After breakfast, Mr. Xue took his hoe and planned to go to the field. Xue Qingbai and Xue Qinghuai didn''t dare to delay, one went to lead the cow out, the other picked up the iron plow, and followed him out the door.


    Xue Qingshan didn''t stay at home anymore, and then went out, but he didn''t know where he went.


    Unlike the rest of the Xue family, Zhao''er was very happy.


    Since she learned the ins and outs of the matter from Xue Tingxiang last night, she has fallen into uncontrollable excitement. Don''t say that she gloats, in her heart she should be a little man, and she is worrying about having no money in her hands. This news is tantamount to great joy for her.


    Knowing that the schoolchildren who go to the academy are very particular, she purposely found a piece of blue cloth that had been kept at the bottom of the box for a long time. This is Qiu''s dowry back then, and Qiu gave Zhao''er to make clothes, but unfortunately she has been reluctant to part with it, and now it is just right to use it as a school bag for Xue Tingxiang.


    After cutting the cloth, she began to sew with needles and threads, talking to Xue Tingxiang without saying a word. At this moment, the door curtain was suddenly lifted.


    It was Xue Youcai, the second boy of Dafang.


    Xue Youcai was only seven years old this year, but he was born fat and thick, and he was obviously spoiled. After he came in, he scolded Xue Tingxiang: "Just like you, you are still grabbing things from my elder brother, and you have the same name as a dog. You are no smarter than a dog."


    This kid''s tongue is really poisonous, and he is also used to by the elder couple, and he has always been a bully at home, making everyone angry. I saw signs of it a few years ago, but it''s a pity that Mrs. Yang has been protecting him, saying that he is still young and ignorant, but he has grown up in the past two years, but it is a pity that he is still ignorant.


    Zhao''er doesn''t like him, if anyone in this family beat Xue Youcai, it must be her. Xue Youcai was afraid of her, yet hated her, she stood up abruptly, before she could speak, Xue Youcai suddenly threw a bag of things in his hand. It hit the head and face, and it hurt people, and there was a strange smell in it.


    Zhao''er was hit twice, she subconsciously tried to hide, thinking of Xue Tingxiang on the kang, she turned her back to protect him. Xue Tingxiang was unprepared, she hugged her upright, obviously it was not appropriate, but he felt blushing and heart beating.


    After finally waiting for this wave to pass, Zhao''er let go of his hand, Xue Youcai had already run away, and the thing he used to hit them turned out to be dried cow dung.


    Zhao''er was so disgusted that she ran after her.


    She stopped Xue Youcai at the gate of the courtyard, grabbed him by the collar without saying a word, picked up a branch from a nearby wall, and lashed at him.


    "If I don''t beat you for three days, you dare to go to the house to expose the tiles..."


    Xue Youcai struggled to run away, but Zhao''er was so painful that he was whipped. Crying and shouting, he sat down on the ground and lay down on the ground.


    This looks like the posture that young children are accustomed to playing tricks on.


    There was such a big commotion outside that everyone in the room was startled out.


    Seeing Xue Youcai being beaten by Zhao''er, Mrs. Zhao exploded: "Who told you to beat my grandson, stop!"


    Zhao''er ignored her and scolded: "Do you still dare to do it in the future? Why don''t you learn how to throw bullshit like others! The words are quite vicious. Who taught you to speak like this? If you don''t speak clearly today, I will not only Hit you, I will take you to the river to wash your mouth later..."


    Mrs. Yang also came out, and she screamed: "Wang Zhaoer, you are crazy, you dare to hit Juncai!"


    "Auntie, why don''t you see what he has done? You didn''t learn well at a young age, like some women who uttered obscene language and threw cow dung on people. I''ll tell you now, your second brother has a name , called Xue Tingxiang, if you dare to tell me whether you are a dog or not in the future, I will beat you every time I see you!"


    Xue Youcai cried until tears and snot came out, but unfortunately no one came up to rescue him. Zhao was so angry that she jumped up and down, Yang wanted to stop Zhao''er, but was stopped by Heizi.


    You usually see this sunspot with a slumped head and no energy at all. He stopped in front of people, growled a warning in his voice, and showed his sharp teeth. Yang didn''t doubt that if she dared to go forward, she would The dog would pounce on her and give her a bite.


    At this moment, a surprised voice suddenly sounded outside the courtyard: "What are you doing?"


    It was Xue Qingshan who came back from the outside, not only patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng, but also five or six villagers over half a hundred years old.


    Seeing the situation at home like this, Xue Qingshan was surprised at first, then smiled wryly, and said to the people beside him: "I won''t mention what outsiders say is right and wrong, just say that they are mean dogs, but there is absolutely no one Dare to do this. This girl has always been a pungent person, making troubles at home every now and then, if someone was really mean, she would have already caused a lot of trouble."


    What you said made people feel inexplicable, but Zhao''er is not the master who allows people to slander, so he immediately retorted: "Uncle, what you said is a bit slanderous. I usually respect the elders at home. What nonsense is it? There is a reason for beating this kid today, and he actually scolded..."


    Having said that, she was interrupted by Yang.


    She came over anxiously and distressed, snatched Xue Youcai from Zhao''er''s hand and cried, "How old is he, how old are you? He is just not sensible at this age, and you still care about him... "


    Yang was crying, with a look of grievance and helplessness, Xue Qingshan was also sighing beside him, Zhao''er didn''t know what the two couples were playing, it was over.


    Her little face was flushed with anxiety, and she was about to explain again, when Xue Tingxiang who came out of the room grabbed her.


    He took two steps forward, stood in front of Zhao''er, and first respectfully called Patriarch Xue, Zheng Lizheng and the few villagers. They are all from the same village, and you can''t see them when you look up. As a junior, these are his elders.


    After the proper etiquette passed, he explained to Yang: "I hope that my aunt will not be angry. Zhao''er was also impulsive. She saw that the talented boy called me the same name as a dog, and threw a lot of cow dung on me. That''s why I hit the boy in a fit of anger."


    Xue Tingxiang''s behavior first gave people a good impression. As a scholar, you should be gentle and polite. Next, I will take advantage of the gap of the apology and explain the ins and outs of the matter in two sentences.


    Zhao''er was not stupid, her mistake was that she was eager to explain everything clearly, so she couldn''t help but talk too much, but Xue Tingxiang only talked about the main points and didn''t mention anything else.


    And he speaks very well, it is normal for children to be naughty, but it is worth considering when they are naughty enough to insult people as dogs, not to mention throwing cow dung on Xue Tingxiang, his elder brother. At the same time, it also explained for Zhao''er why she beat the talented boy so impulsively.


    Sure enough, after hearing this, Patriarch Xue and the others inevitably turned to his side when they saw the forbearing expression on Xue Tingxiang''s thin face.


    Mr. Xue glanced at her, changed his usual temperament, and said in a bad tone: "What are you doing here, a woman? You have a role to listen to when a man talks?!"


    Zhao''er was not annoyed, but said aggrievedly: "Then how can the eldest aunt stay, she is not a woman? Besides, the dog can''t talk, I don''t look at it, I am afraid that what he said will anger me Lord."


    In fact, her subtext was just to say that she was afraid that others would bully Xue Tingxiang, and no one present could hear it.


    Mr. Xue stared at her. Now he really doubts that all this was made by this girl. He knew that Gou''er child was a bored gourd, why didn''t he go to the grave early and complained that he would not go later, but why did he go at this time.


    Thinking of all the disobedient things this girl did in the past, Mr. Xue felt disgusted in his heart. But he also knew that now was not the time to vent his anger, but to settle the matter.


    "Since you want to listen, then listen." The tone was the same as before, but anyone could hear the dissatisfaction in his voice.


    Zhao''er couldn''t hear it, so he stood aside.


    Seeing this, Mrs. Sun hurriedly dragged Xue Qinghuai to stay.


    "Since Zhao''er has stayed, let''s stay and listen too." She laughed along with her.


    Mr. Xue was immediately furious: "Since you want to listen, stay and listen."


    So everyone stayed, including the four-year-old Mao Dan, and even Mrs. Zhou, who was busy in the kitchen, stayed behind under the guise of cleaning the table.


    In the huge main room, only an oil lamp was lit on the square table. The wick was jumping and shadowy, and everyone''s eyes were on Mr. Xue. But he suddenly didn''t know where to start. He looked around everyone''s faces with heavy eyes, and finally fell on Xue Tingxiang''s face.


    "Actually, it''s nothing. I just want to talk about what the boss said a while ago that he wants to send the child to the school in the town."


    Zhao''er was inexplicably nervous, and couldn''t help but glance at Xue Tingxiang, and then went to see Mr. Xue.


    Dafang and his wife were overjoyed, they knew this would happen, and it was not in vain for them to swallow their anger for many days.


    Xue Qingshan couldn''t hide the joy on his face, he looked at Xue Tingxiang with pity and compassion, then looked at other people, and finally fell on Xue Tingxiang.


    "Dog, don''t be discouraged. You are still much worse than your talented brother. You will study with uncle for another two years, and then the family will send you to the town to study."


    This kind of tone was too stinging at this time, Zhao''er had a sneer on the corner of his mouth, and wanted to say something, but was pulled by Xue Tingxiang.


    Xue Qingshan took all of this into his eyes, and satirized in his heart, no matter how difficult this girl''s film is, she can only embarrass others on these trivial things, and it still doesn''t work when it comes to big things. He smiled, and said to Zhao''er: "Zhao''er, don''t be angry, uncle knows that you are high-minded, but high-mindedness can''t be eaten, don''t you?"


    No one in the room said anything.


    At this moment, Mr. Xue suddenly said angrily: "Boss, what are you talking about!"


    Xue Qingshan didn''t take it seriously: "Father, I''m not trying to persuade the dog not to be discouraged..."


    Old man Xue''s beard was shaking with anger, and he pointed at him with a cigarette pot: "You need to persuade, the one who is going to study in the town is not a handsome man, but a dog!"


    As soon as these words came out, one stone really stirred up a thousand waves.


    The room was silent for a moment, and soon Zhao''s slightly shrill voice broke the silence.


    "Old man, what are you talking about? What do you mean a person who is going to study in the town is not a talented person?"


    Xue Qingshan also said: "Father, did you say the wrong person in a muddle?"


    "Your father is not ignorant, and he didn''t say anything wrong. The one who goes to study in the town is a dog, not a genius!"


    After saying this, Mr. Xue seemed to have lost all his energy, and stopped talking. The eyes of the whole room kept looking back and forth at Xue Tingxiang and Xue Juncai, full of surprise.


    Xue Qingshan''s smile cracked, and Yang''s face was full of surprise.


    Xue Juncai''s handsome face flushed red, "Grandfather..."


    Mr. Xue waved his hand wearily: "Okay, let''s all go back to the house."


    With everything said like this, everyone had no choice but to leave, but Dafang''s family still stayed behind.


    As soon as everyone walked out of the main room, they heard a commotion inside.


    "Old man, please speak clearly, what do you mean it is a dog who is going to study in the town, not my handsome talent!"


    It was Zhao''s voice.


    There is also Xue Qingshan, mixed with Yang''s aggrieved and sharp cries, and Mr. Xue''s exhausted explanation.


    No secrets can be hidden under one roof, so everyone knows what''s going on.


    *


    Early the next morning, everyone got up.

 Chapter 118

    Chickens clucked and clucked outside, but it was Mrs. Sun who slaughtered the chicken and made it run away.


    Xue Tingxiang looked out the window, and saw that the chicken''s neck was still bleeding, but it was running around in the yard, and Mrs. Sun followed behind chasing after him in a panic.


    Seeing that she was really in a bad shape, Mrs. Zhao came out of the room and said a few words. Mrs. Sun was even more anxious, and knew that she was really ashamed in front of the patriarch, but the chicken had wings, but she didn''t. It was only when the chicken lost its strength that Mrs. Sun grabbed it and cursed, "Run, run, it''s destined to be a dish in the pot. Where are you going?"


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t look any further, and looked back.


    He knew why his uncle was so generous and asked him to compete with Xue Juncai, because if there were no accidents, Xue Juncai would definitely win this match.


    In that dream, he had suffered such a loss, but it was not compared with Xue Juncai, but Zhao''er worked so hard to get money and sent him to Qinghe Academy. At that time, he was so stupid that he always blamed his own failures on the harshness of fate, thinking that it was not that he was not good enough, but that everyone did not give him a chance.


    When he first entered the Qinghe Academy, he was full of ambition. He thought that he would definitely surpass Xue Juncai and prove that he was the most outstanding person in the Xue family, but the reality slapped him hard in the face. It was also at that time that he, who had never seen the world, understood the sinister intentions of his uncle. He did teach him to read, and he did ''read'' a lot of books, but he just read and didn''t understand the meaning of the scriptures.


    It was later learned that after schoolchildren learn to read, they use reading scriptures as the basis.


    First learn "Three Character Classic", "Hundred Surnames", "Thousand Characters", and then "Thousand Family Poems", "Children''s Learning Qionglin", "Longwenbianying", etc. After reading these, you can enter university and start Study and read the Four Books and Five Classics, etc.


    But at this stage, the teacher does not explain the meaning of the scriptures, that is to say, he just memorizes them by rote, clarifying the meaning of the words but not the meaning of the scriptures. Because people nowadays are used to thinking that children are just learning, it doesn¡¯t matter whether they understand it or not, as long as they remember it, and when they read a lot or for a long time, they will understand what it means.


    This is the so-called reading a thousand times, and its meaning is self-evident.


    When you can recite all these books fluently, and when you can learn to interpret the scriptures, you will get twice the result with half the effort.


    This time-saving, labor-saving and effective teaching mode is popular throughout Dachang, ranging from famous families to low-level sociology and village studies, and many of them are like this. This is especially popular in rural private schools, because there is only one teacher in the school, but it is not realistic to teach several or even dozens of people to explain the scriptures.


    But in fact, aristocratic families with some background would never teach their children this way. Because this teaching mode blindly emphasizes rote memorization, but ignores the truth that the classics are natural and logical.


    This is the pros and cons that ''he'' analyzed from the perspective of the overall situation after standing in the position of chief assistant.


    But at that time, he had just entered the library, because his uncle delayed explaining the meaning of the scriptures for him, and he didn''t understand that there was still a theory of explaining the scriptures. So when he first entered school, the teacher asked him if he had read it, and he replied that he had read it, but he couldn''t understand the scriptures.


    But now, it seems that the uncle is also aware of his own shortcomings, so he deliberately proposes this match, but in fact, he has already planned it, and he is destined to lose.


    Unfortunately, there was an accident.


    *


    Because there were guests at home, except for Mr. Xue and Xue Qingshan and his son, everyone was busy.


    After eating in the main room, the kitchen will start cooking other people''s lunch.


    During the period, Xue Taoer was also ordered to drink. There was wine and meat at the banquet in the main room, and the men exchanged glasses, and there was no way to see that there was any cleverness in the usual times. Especially Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng, the two drank very affectionately, and in the end they both got a little drunk.


    "Okay, don''t send it off, you''ll be there soon." Patriarch Xue waved his hand.


    After sending everyone out of the courtyard, this side started to clear the table and prepare meals. Mrs. Zhao originally wanted to take away the leftover meat and vegetables, but was stopped by Mr. Xue, saying that he was adding vegetables to everyone. People in the country are not rich, and it is commonplace for distinguished guests to leave and eat leftovers.


    The adults are all fine, Shuanzi and Maodan are eating deliciously.


    Zhao''er wanted to take the meal back to the house to eat, but was stopped by Xue Tingxiang, the two just kept their heads down and ate as before, without saying anything.


    Xue Juncai gave Xue Tingxiang a disdainful look.


    He had just accompanied Xue Qingshan to the table, and naturally he ate a lot of good food on the table, seeing that Xue Tingxiang could only eat leftovers, he was naturally full of sarcasm.


    He remembered what his father said to him before, Xue Gouzi would never win him.


    Thinking in his heart, he looked away, and said to Mr. Xue who was on the kang, "Grandpa, I''m going back to the house to read."


    Mr. Xue nodded. He also drank a little too much before, and now he is leaning on the kang smoking a cigarette to hangover.


    "Dog, eat more, brother is still waiting for you to beat me in five days." Xue Juncai suddenly said this when passing by Xue Tingxiang.


    Zhao''er immediately stood up and stared at him: "Can you talk? You''ve read the dog''s stomach after so many years of reading."


    Xue Juncai didn''t expect Zhao''er to show him such shame, his gentle face flushed red, but for some reason, he glanced at Zhao''er and held back.


    Mr. Xue shouted: "Juncai go back to the house!"


    Mrs. Zhou also hurriedly stood up to persuade Zhao''er, that''s all.


    After dinner, the two went back to the second room, and Zhao''er was still angry: "Don''t be angry, dog. When sister earns money, I will take you to the house and won''t be with them anymore."


    Xue Tingxiang was a little moved, but at the same time a little helpless: "You called me a dog again."


    Zhao''er groaned, then smiled and said: "I forgot, it won''t be like this in the future."


    Naturally, he couldn''t be angry with her, and then Zhao''er took the two clothes she changed yesterday and went out to wash, while Xue Tingxiang turned over the "Children''s Learning Qionglin" again.


    Looking at the book in his hand, which was transcribed on the worst bamboo paper and the footers were worn away, Xue Tingxiang felt a little worried. He actually didn''t want to read books, but Zhao''er couldn''t help but think that he should read more books now, and only by reading more books can he win against Xue Juncai more confidently.


    Little did he know that this book was different from the book, and it was useless to just read this book, but he would not tell her about it.


    He dug out the bamboo paper that Zhao''er bought for him from the kang cabinet. The cheapest bamboo paper cost 40 cents a knife. Such ''expensive'' paper was barely enough for practicing calligraphy. Even so, he is very precious at ordinary times, and he is reluctant to use it at all. If he can write on the sand, he will write on the sand, and if he can''t use the sand, he will write on the desk with water.


    Xue Tingxiang touched the stack of yellowed bamboo paper and sighed in his heart.


    ''Xue Tingxiang'' usually uses the highest quality Chengxin paper, so at this time he feels a little disgusted with the things that are usually precious.


    He spread out the papers on the kang table, stacked several sheets, and then cut them into the size of a book with a bamboo knife. In order to make room for the edge seam, he left some leeway and cut a thick stack before he found the inkstone with a corner missing and the ink ingot that had been used up and only a small piece remained.


    These are treasures that he is reluctant to use at ordinary times, but Xue Tingxiang doesn''t feel this way at all today. He added water to the inkstone, and then took the ink ingot to grind the ink, while grinding, he was thinking about something.


    After grinding the ink, he put the bald hair brush in the water bowl and wet it to clean it. After dipping in enough ink, he picked up the pen and wrote something on the paper.


    After writing a few words, he suddenly put down the pen, lifted the paper to look at it, and suddenly crumpled it.


    Mingming''s handwriting is fairly neat. Although he usually saves paper and ink, but because of years of hard work, his handwriting is not bad, but for some reason he just doesn''t like it.


    He closed his eyes slowly, calmed down for a while, and opened them again after a while. At this time, there was no one in the room, and anyone who was there could see a gleam of light flashing in Xue Tingxiang''s eyes. At the same time, his movement of grasping the pen was fast and steady, and with the help of a god, he wrote a series of small characters on the paper in a short time.


    These small characters suddenly became Yan style, then turned into pavilion style, and then turned into thin gold style again. At first, they were both tangible and boneless, but as they were written, their taste changed.


    The face and body are square and dense, the brushwork is thick, straight, open and full of vigor. That pavilion is physically strong and graceful, as if it was carved out of a block. And the thin gold body, the gold hook and iron painting, is full of arrogance, and the strokes are as sharp as cutting gold and jade.


    These three characters represent the whole life of ''Xue Tingxiang'', from the Yan style learned at the beginning of school, to the Guange style studied painstakingly for the imperial examination, to the thin gold style of the official residence.


    And so he wrote, oblivious to himself. Zhao''er came in during the period, but he didn''t dare to disturb him, so he quietly sat down on the edge of the kang.


    After writing for an unknown amount of time, he suddenly let out a long breath and put down his pen.


    He wrote two full sheets of paper.


    At this time, Xue Tingxiang had to admit that the magic of heaven was just a dream, and he actually possessed some of the things that he had in the dream.


    From the moment this dream appeared, Xue Tingxiang had been thinking about why he had such a dream. Now he understands, maybe he just wants him to make up for all the unsatisfactory dreams.


    And possessing everything of the "him" in the dream, he suddenly had great ambitions, and a surge of arrogance lingered in his heart.


    "I''m tired of writing, drink some water."


    Zhao''er brought water, Xue Tingxiang took it, and drank it in one gulp, it was very sweet.


    Only then did he lower his head to look at what he had written, and he actually spent two sheets of bamboo paper. Probably because Zhao''er was by his side, he suddenly remembered that she used to save money to buy paper for him, and felt a little distressed and guilty. He glanced at her and said in a low voice, "I actually wrote so much."


    How could Zhao''er not understand what he was thinking, so he chuckled and said, "Not much, not much, only two sheets. Paper is for use. I told you not to save paper a long time ago. It is used up. Let''s just buy it again."


    "I want to transcribe this book, so I try to write first, so as not to waste paper."


    "What book do you want to copy? Can you copy books too? Don''t you buy them?" Zhao''er was puzzled.


    Xue Tingxiang sighed in his heart. He really felt that he was really stupid before. He would rather borrow books from his uncle every time, or memorize them by rote, and never thought of copying books.


    Nowadays, the books sold in bookstores are rarely printed and expensive, so an industry of copying books has emerged. In this way, not only some poor scholars can get some money in exchange, but also those who want to buy books but suffer from poor pockets can get cheap.


    Of course, this copying is not something that can be done casually, it needs to be written very well.


    Xue Tingxiang boasted that his handwriting was not bad. Back then, many people begged for his calligraphy. Now that he needs a book, why can''t he copy it himself.


    the most important is--


    He glanced at Zhao''er.


    "Dog, where is this going?"


    Xue Tingxiang looked at the woman who was talking to him, and said with a smile: "Auntie, I''ll just walk around."


    It was just a casual sentence, the woman didn''t say anything more to him, she turned to get something in the room, the mother-in-law in the room asked her: "Third daughter-in-law, who were you talking to just now?"


    "The dog from the second bedroom of Xue Lianxing''s family. Hey, mother, it''s strange to say that I didn''t recognize him when he knocked on the door just now. I always feel like a different person."


    Her mother-in-law didn''t take it seriously: "What can you become, but you can''t change your body, I remember that kid has been ill recently."


    The daughter-in-law said: "I see, maybe I plan to go to the back mountain." There is a mountain behind Yuqing Village, where all the dead villagers in the village are buried, and the Xue family''s ancestral grave is also there.


    Hearing this, her mother-in-law sighed: "Don''t even mention it, it''s a pity for the second child of the Xing family. Both of them are gone. It''s a pity to leave a baby."


    This is just gossip between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and while they were talking, Xue Tingxiang had already brought Heizi into the back mountain.


    *


    Houshan is called Houshan, the mountain behind Yuqing Village.


    This mountain has no name, and the mountain is not high, but it is extremely deep. Anyway, so far, no villager has been able to walk back and forth from this deep mountain and old forest, most of them are activities outside the mountain.


    The Xue family''s ancestral grave was built on a small hill not far from the village. This Xue family is not only Xue Tingxiang''s family, but the ancestors of the entire Xue clan are buried here.


    On such a big hill, the lineage of the patriarch is in the middle, and the branches of the various families spread out. The lineage of Mr. Xue is at a place near the foot of the southwest mountain.


    Because the couple in the second room died young, and Xue Qingsong died in an accident, they were buried at the edge.


    When Xue Tingxiang arrived at the place, he began to pull the grass around the grave mound casually.


    There were not many weeds, they had just been cleared during the Chinese New Year, so he gathered the grass at random and placed it on the ground, taking advantage of the opportunity and sat down in front of the grave.


    A piece of mountainous land, two small graves, in front of each of the graves stood a small bluestone stele, on which the names of the second family and the couple were crudely written.


    This monument was originally recruited to find someone to make it and set it up.


    Nowadays, there are three kinds of people who cannot erect monuments after they die, those who die suddenly, die young, and have no heirs. Xue Qingsong belongs to violent death.


    Although everyone doesn''t say it, people who feel that they died suddenly have resentment after death, which is not conducive to the feng shui of the ancestor''s grave, so no monument is erected. I also want him to forget who he is, so as not to cause trouble if he is ignorant.


    But at the same time, there is another saying that after death without a monument, you will be a lonely ghost, who cannot stand the incense of future generations.


    At the beginning, the funeral of the second wife was arranged by the Xue family, and they acquiesced to follow the old customs. At that time, Xue Tingxiang was still young and didn''t understand these things at all, but Zhao''er understood.

 Chapter 119

    What good can we do at this time?


    Zhao''er had vigilance in his eyes.


    Xue Tao''er ran over, leaned closer and whispered, "It''s not my aunt''s father, he said he wants to talk to the dog."


    Xue Tingxiang also heard the movement outside the room and came out.


    "Don''t go, I''ll push it." Zhao''er knew that it would be no good for Yang Zhong to find a young man because of his elder status. Xue Jun is his grandson. And what happened before?


    "No problem."


    When these words came out, Zhao''er was stunned for a moment, and Xue Tingxiang remembered that he would never speak like this in normal times.


    He smiled and said, "It''s okay, you''re still afraid that I won''t succeed if he eats it."


    "Can¡­¡­"


    At this time, Xue Tingxiang had already passed her to the main room, so she could only follow in a hurry.


    *


    Here in the main room, as expected, the wine is in full swing.


    Yang Zhong''s white and chubby face was flushed from drinking, and he looked slightly drunk. Mr. Xue''s dark red face glowed red under the light. Xue Qingshan also sat on the side, along with Xue Juncai, Xue Qingbai and Xue Qinghuai.


    Women are not at the table.


    Seeing Xue Tingxiang walking in, Yang Zhong said: "Our little talent is here, come and let me see."


    He waved his hands, not treating himself as an outsider at all, and when Xue Tingxiang approached, he looked up and down with his drunken eyes: "I don''t see anything changed, how did you become so promising?"


    As soon as these words were sarcasm, the court immediately fell silent.


    Xue Qingshan focused on eating vegetables between his sandwiches, as if he didn''t hear him. Xue Juncai seemed to be sitting upright, but in fact he was looking at this place intentionally or unintentionally.


    The rest of the Xue family were a little embarrassed, especially Mr. Xue, his face was a little stiff, but he hesitated to speak.


    Zhao''er was about to attack, when Xue Qinghuai suddenly stood up, smiled and picked up the wine bowl: "My father-in-law, I respect you for a bowl, this wine is brewed by my father himself, and most people can''t drink it when they come here. Don''t look at your old man When I came, I quickly dug a jar and said to drink a few more bowls with you."


    Yang Zhong looked at Xue Qinghuai with a smile, and without hesitation, he picked up the wine bowl and drank it down in one gulp, and ate a few mouthfuls of food. Taking advantage of the situation, Xue Qinghuai hurriedly winked at Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang, telling them to leave quickly.


    Xue Tingxiang smirked slightly, and planned to take Zhao''er away, and listened to Yang Zhong before he even took a step.


    "What''s the matter? Why is the elder leaving before he finished talking? Although I am not your own grandfather, I am also your own grandfather. Is this old man not paying attention to me, or what?"


    The hat was buttoned too big, Zhao''er was about to say something, Xue Tingxiang gave her a hand.


    He took two steps forward, pretending to be listening respectfully: "Since my in-laws and grandpas have taught me, I will just listen to you." After a pause, he continued: "It''s just that my in-laws and grandpas are also scholars, so I think they know how to be rude. reason"


    "According to what you little brat thinks, as an elder, I can''t say that you are a junior?"


    The smell of alcohol came straight to Xue Tingxiang''s face, and there was also a strange smell of various vegetables mixed in it.


    Xue Tingxiang did not evade, and nodded calmly: "Naturally."


    "Hey! Look! It''s really different."


    Yang Zhong tapped Xue Tingxiang a few times with his finger, and looked at the rest of Xue''s family with a smirk, and the villain first complained: "In-law, is this your family''s tutor?"


    It was obvious that Yang Zhong was here to make trouble, and of course it was for Xue Juncai. When he came back from Lizheng''s house before, Mr. Xue guessed that the big room would definitely make a fuss, but he didn''t expect that the fuss should be here.


    In fact, as the son and daughter-in-law, how could the married couple blatantly quarrel with Mr. Xue? After all, they swore before that whoever wins will go, and whoever loses should not complain. And Yang Zhong, as Xue Juncai''s grandfather, couldn''t be more appropriate to stand in for him. If it works, it''s good, if it doesn''t, it won''t hurt the relationship between father and son.


    "relatives by marriage¡­¡­"


    Mr. Xue was about to speak, but was interrupted by Xue Tingxiang''s voice.


    "Although my parents are both deceased, there are my grandfather, uncles, and other elders of the Xue family. Even if there is something wrong, it is not up to people of other surnames to point fingers here. Although my grandfather and my family are connected I want to kiss you, but I definitely didn''t go to the Xue family''s table, eat the Xue family''s food, and scold the Xue family for their reasons."


    Because there are guests, candles are rarely lit in the house, which illuminates the room brightly.


    Standing in the middle, the boy is thin and thin, but he is tall and straight. He was wearing a shabby clothes, the cuffs and the front of the clothes were a little white, but it made people feel an inviolable aura.


    "Could this be the way of in-laws and grandpas being guests? One day when I, the Xue family, went to your house as guests, I would point and point at the Yang family, and be eccentric. Presumably, my in-laws and grandpas would not be angry. After all, coming here is not indecent. Thanks ah Master is always the junior in the family and talks about his in-laws and grandpas, but the boy is only his in-laws and grandpas, he is a literati, he is respected by the younger generation as a person who understands etiquette, now it seems that it is nothing more than that!"


    "you--"


    There was silence in the room, and no one thought that Xue Tingxiang would explode on the spot regardless of his seniority.


    Xue Qingshan stopped eating, and suddenly felt restless.


    But he didn''t stand up to speak for his father-in-law. Xue Tingxiang''s hat was too big, which brought the face of the whole Xue family and even the Xue clan. If he speaks for it, he is echoing the fact that the face of the Xue family can be trampled on the ground by the Yang family.


    In particular, this is not in line with what he planned.


    Yang Zhong''s face was flushed red, and his lips trembled with anger: "You kid, you dare to teach your elders a lesson at such a young age."


    "Don''t dare! A gentleman is harmonious but different, and a villain is the same but not harmonious. The boy is just telling the truth. I also hope that the in-laws and grandparents should be cautious in their words and deeds, so that they can be the appearance of a gentleman."


    This is teaching myself through the words of the sage!


    Yang Zhong laughed back angrily, and pointed at him with his finger: "Okay, okay, it''s really amazing. After studying for a few days, people are different. You really think that it''s a big deal if you win the handsome talent today, even if you furious."


    "A gentleman has nothing to fight for, and he will definitely shoot! When he bows and rises, he goes down to drink, and his fight is also a gentleman."


    This sentence comes from the eight chapters of "The Analects of Confucius". It roughly means that a gentleman will not argue about anything. If there is a dispute, it must be upholding the way of a gentleman. Neither humble nor overbearing, neither angry nor complaining, and having fun with wine after the competition is the battle between gentlemen. It''s not that you must be flushed in the face, like a black-eyed chicken, that would be out of style.


    It is about being a person and dealing with affairs, and at the same time, it is using the words of the saints to ridicule Yang Zhong for not having the manners and tolerance of his elders, and to make things difficult for his juniors in order to protect his grandson.


    There were only four scholars present, and the others were all at a loss. They could only see that Xue Tingxiang was not at a disadvantage, but Yang Zhong was so angry that his seven orifices seemed to be smoking.


    Forget about Yang Zhong, Xue Qingshan and his son couldn''t help being a little bit surprised when he was angry.


    You must know that although Xue Tingxiang has studied the Four Books, he only understands the superficiality and does not understand the meaning of the scriptures. But just now he uttered two sentences in a row, both of which are from the Four Books, and if he didn''t understand the meaning of the scriptures, how could he use them to harm others.


    Could it be that someone taught him behind his back? No wonder his performance was so unexpected today.


    And right at this moment, other changes took place in the field.


    It was Yang Zhong who stood up in anger and wanted to teach Xue Tingxiang a lesson, but was stopped by Mr. Xue, Xue Qinghuai and Xue Qingbai.


    "Well, you little bastard, you have learned to swear before your hair grows."


    "A gentleman does not mirror water, but mirrors people. Mirroring water, the appearance of meeting, mirroring people, you can know good and bad, but if you want to come to your relatives and grandpas, you don''t understand this sentence."


    Xue Tingxiang had a smile on his face, obviously there was nothing wrong with that smile, even a bit shy, and his words were gentle and polite, but it made people taste a bit ironic.


    "I know if I understand you or not, I know you are swearing, I must teach you a lesson today!" Yang Zhong struggled to raise his hand, and at this moment, a violent shout sounded in vain.


    "Father-in-law!"


    It was Mr. Xue who spoke.


    "My father-in-law, I respect your in-laws, but this is my Xue family!"


    Mr. Xue''s complexion was very ugly. He had been tolerant just now because of the other party''s identity, but Xue Tingxiang was right. There was a whole family sitting in the room, all of whom were surnamed Xue. There was absolutely no reason for someone surnamed Yang to teach others a lesson. .


    No matter how much the family makes trouble, it is wrong for outsiders to intervene.


    There was silence in the room, only the sound of Yang Zhong panting heavily.


    The sound of a stool falling to the ground sounded, and it was Xue Qingshan who stood up.


    At this time, Yang Shi, who had been hiding in the house, also ran out, and said angrily and anxiously: "Father, what are you doing! Why did you drink some wine and start to make trouble."


    She explained to the dark-faced old man Xue: "Father, don''t blame me, my father is like this, when he starts to drink. Oh, father, what do you think you are making a fuss about?" Then she complained to Xue Qingshan: " Juncai''s father, and you too, why don''t you stop him from making trouble like this."


    Yang Zhongdao: "I''m making trouble, what''s wrong with me?! Xue Lianxing, don''t forget what you promised me back then. Juncai is your eldest grandson, so you plan to let it go?"


    "Father, stop talking, I''ll help you down to rest."


    The Dafang couple, one on the left and the other on the right, helped Yang Zhong out, and Yang Zhong seemed to be really drunk, shouting that you should really let go, and stumbled and was helped out by the couple.


    *


    Because of this commotion, the Xue family was extremely quiet afterwards.


    Mrs. Zhou originally asked Zhao''er and the two of them to eat, but they said they had eaten, so they went back to the house.


    A table of food and wine, only half eaten, old man Xue sat there alone, eating food and drinking wine, no one dared to disturb.


    Mrs. Zhao hid in the back room, don''t look at her usually yelling at Mr. Xue, but when Mr. Xue really got angry, she didn''t dare to make trouble.


    Xue Qinghuai walked to the table and sat down, saying: "Father, it''s getting late, let''s rest early."


    Mr. Xue nodded, but when he put down his chopsticks, he sighed again.


    Xue Qinghuai couldn''t help but persuaded: "Father, don''t think too much."


    "Look at the eldest couple. Why don''t you remember your kindness? The second has only been dead for a few years. Even if the child is not sensible, there is no need to do so."


    Xue Qinghuai understood what the old man meant, but he couldn''t answer these words well, so he could only say awkwardly: "Maybe the eldest brother and sister-in-law don''t know that the in-laws guild will make such a fuss."


    Mr. Xue snorted, but did not speak.


    "But Gouzi didn''t suffer, you see he was mad at sister-in-law."


    Hearing this, Mr. Xue couldn''t help but twitch his eyebrows and eyes: "I followed the second child."


    Xue Qingsong has this kind of temperament, usually taciturn, but don''t push him into a hurry, he can surprise everyone.


    "This big family has been living in harmony and beauty, but it''s getting more and more difficult." Mr. Xue sighed, probably because he drank some wine, and his emotions were particularly leaking.


    Xue Qinghuai didn''t respond.


    After a long time, Mr. Xue sighed: "Let your wife clean up this table, and you should go and rest earlier."


    "Hey, I''ll let her clean it up."


    Zhao''er has always thought that the little man''s eyes are the most beautiful eyes in the world, although these eyes are always disgusted and resistant when facing her.


    In fact, Xue Gouzi''s eyes are the only ones that look good. He has been weak since he was born, and the second wife and his wife managed to support him, and they are usually spoiled. The boys of his age in the village were all dark-skinned and as strong as a calf, but he was pale, emaciated, silent and taciturn.


    But Zhao''er has always been domineering, and never allowed anyone to talk about a little man, and whoever said she was in a hurry. Because of this incident, she had fought with many girls and boys in the village, although some people still said it behind their backs, no one dared to point fingers in front of others.


    Zhao''er always felt that the little man''s eyes were weird today, and he avoided them uncomfortably.


    She knew that the little man must be angry again, and he didn''t like her saying things like ''the dog is my man'' the most. Every time he heard her say such things, he would ignore her for a few days. In fact, Zhao''er has to face, but she is the child bride-in-law of the Xue family''s second room. If she didn''t claim to be like this, how could she have the right to challenge the fourth aunt, Sun''s.


    "Are you hungry? Look what I brought back for you?"


    Zhao''er turned her head and put all these troubles behind her, and took out a paper bag from her pocket. Opening the paper bag, there are two steamed buns inside. They are white and plump, and people like it when they look at them.


    "Eat quickly, while it''s still warm." She smiled and stuffed the paper bag into the little man''s hand, while putting the pannier on her shoulders in the corner.


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her.


    The girl in front of her was in her twenties and eighth year, and her skin was the wheat color that is common among girls in the country, but Zhao''er''s complexion was very different from others, it was smooth and radiant, as if she had been smeared with honey. He has a tall nose bridge, a pair of medium-sized eyes, and swarthy pupils. When he smiles, there is a flash of inspiration in him, and he looks lively.


    Zhao''er''s stature is taller than ordinary girls, and she is well-developed, front/convex/backward, full of youthful vigor.


    It was so vivid, as vivid as in his dream.


    He unconsciously took the steamed stuffed bun and gnawed on it. Seeing this trick, he smiled even more happily. He went to the kitchen and poured him a bowl of water, which he placed next to his hand. On the other hand, he bent down to tidy up the scattered quilts on the kang, thinking about what to cook for him at night to nourish his body.


    Finally, the little man got better, so he had to continue to drink the medicine, and he had to drink a few more to strengthen it. From this, he naturally began to calculate the little money left in his hand, and think of a way to get some money, so as to solve the urgent need.

 Chapter 120

    Hearing this, Zhao''er immediately stopped in his tracks and said with a smile, "Master, is there anything we can''t let us know about. Since the dog is here, I''ll stay and listen too."


    Mr. Xue glanced at her, changed his usual disposition, and said in a bad tone: "You woman, why are you staying here? You have a role to listen to when a man speaks?!"


    Zhao''er was not annoyed, but said aggrievedly: "Then how can the eldest aunt stay, she is not a woman? Besides, the dog can''t talk, I don''t look at it, I am afraid that what he said will anger me." Lord."


    In fact, her subtext was just to say that she was afraid that others would bully Xue Tingxiang, and no one present could hear it.


    Mr. Xue stared at her, he really suspected that all this was made by this girl. He knew that Gou''er was a boring gourd, why didn''t he go to the grave early and complained that he would not go later, and why did he go at this time.


    Thinking of all the disobedient things this girl did in the past, Mr. Xue felt disgusted in his heart. But he also knew that now was not the time to vent his anger, but to settle the matter.


    "Since you want to listen, then listen." The tone was the same as before, but anyone could hear the dissatisfaction in his voice.


    Zhao''er couldn''t hear it, so he stood aside.


    Seeing this, Mrs. Sun hurriedly dragged Xue Qinghuai to stay.


    "Since Zhao''er has stayed, let''s stay and listen too." She laughed along with her.


    Mr. Xue was immediately furious: "Since you want to listen, stay and listen."


    So everyone stayed, including the four-year-old Mao Dan, and even Mrs. Zhou, who was busy in the kitchen, stayed behind under the guise of cleaning the table.


    In the huge main room, only an oil lamp was lit on the square table. The wick was jumping and shadowy, and everyone''s eyes were on Mr. Xue. But he suddenly didn''t know where to start. He looked around everyone''s faces with heavy eyes, and finally fell on Xue Tingxiang''s face.


    "Actually, it''s nothing. I just want to talk about what the boss said a while ago that he wants to send the child to the school in the town."


    Zhao''er was inexplicably nervous, and couldn''t help but glance at Xue Tingxiang, and then went to see Mr. Xue.


    Dafang and his wife were overjoyed, they knew this would happen, and it was not in vain for them to swallow their anger for many days.


    Xue Qingshan couldn''t hide the joy on his face, he looked at Xue Tingxiang with pity and compassion, then looked at other people, and finally fell on Xue Tingxiang.


    "Dog, don''t be discouraged. You are still much worse than your talented brother. You will study with uncle for another two years, and then the family will send you to the town to study."


    This kind of tone was too stinging at this time, Zhao''er had a sneer on the corner of his mouth, and wanted to say something, but was pulled by Xue Tingxiang.


    Xue Qingshan took all of this into his eyes, and satirized in his heart, no matter how difficult this girl''s film is, she can only embarrass others on these trivial things, and it still doesn''t work when it comes to big things. He smiled, and said to Zhao''er: "Zhao''er, don''t be angry, uncle knows that you are high-minded, but high-mindedness can''t be eaten, don''t you?"


    No one in the room said anything.


    At this moment, Mr. Xue suddenly said angrily: "Boss, what are you talking about!"


    Xue Qingshan didn''t take it seriously: "Father, I''m not trying to persuade the dog not to be discouraged..."


    Old man Xue''s beard was shaking with anger, and he pointed at him with a cigarette pot: "You need to persuade, the one who is going to study in the town is not a handsome man, but a dog!"


    As soon as these words came out, one stone really stirred up a thousand waves.


    The room was silent for a moment, and soon Zhao''s slightly shrill voice broke the silence.


    "Old man, what are you talking about? What do you mean a person who is going to study in the town is not a talented person?"


    Xue Qingshan also said: "Father, did you say the wrong person in a muddle?"


    "Your father is not ignorant, and he didn''t say anything wrong. The one who goes to study in the town is a dog, not a talent!"


    After saying this, Mr. Xue seemed to have lost all his energy, and stopped talking. The eyes of the whole room kept looking back and forth at Xue Tingxiang and Xue Juncai, full of surprise.


    Xue Qingshan''s smile cracked, and Yang''s face was full of surprise.


    Xue Juncai''s handsome face flushed red, "Grandfather..."


    Mr. Xue waved his hand wearily: "Okay, let''s all go back to the house."


    With everything said like this, everyone had no choice but to leave, but Dafang''s family still stayed behind.


    As soon as everyone walked out of the main room, they heard a commotion inside.


    "Old man, please speak clearly, what do you mean it is a dog who is going to study in the town, not my handsome talent!"


    It was Zhao''s voice.


    There is also Xue Qingshan, mixed with Yang''s aggrieved and sharp cries, and Mr. Xue''s exhausted explanation.


    No secrets can be hidden under one roof, so everyone knows what''s going on.


    *


    Early the next morning, everyone got up.


    But the spirit is not very good, it can be seen that he didn''t sleep much at night. Especially Yang''s eyes were a little red and swollen, and she looked like she was crying.


    Xue Qingshan''s eyes were also full of bloodshot eyes, he looked at Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang with sinister eyes from time to time, but for some reason he didn''t say anything.


    The atmosphere was very depressing, no one spoke, everyone was there and doing what they were doing in an orderly manner, but the yard was surprisingly quiet.


    After breakfast, Mr. Xue took his hoe and planned to go to the field. Xue Qingbai and Xue Qinghuai didn''t dare to delay, one went to lead the cow out, the other picked up the iron plow, and followed him out the door.


    Xue Qingshan didn''t stay at home anymore, and then went out, but he didn''t know where he went.


    Unlike the rest of the Xue family, Zhao''er was very happy.


    Since she learned the ins and outs of the matter from Xue Tingxiang last night, she has fallen into uncontrollable excitement. Don''t say that she gloats, in her heart she should be a little man, and she is worrying about having no money in her hands, this news is tantamount to great joy for her.


    Knowing that the schoolchildren who go to the academy are very particular, she purposely found a piece of blue cloth that had been kept at the bottom of the box for a long time. This is Qiu''s dowry back then, and Qiu gave Zhao''er to make clothes, but unfortunately she has been reluctant to part with it, and now it is just right to use it as a school bag for Xue Tingxiang.


    After cutting the cloth, she began to sew with needles and threads, talking to Xue Tingxiang without saying a word. At this moment, the door curtain was suddenly lifted.


    It was Xue Youcai, the second boy of Dafang.


    Xue Youcai was only seven years old this year, but he was born fat and thick, and he was obviously spoiled. After he came in, he scolded Xue Tingxiang: "Just like you, you are still grabbing things from my elder brother, and you have the same name as a dog. You are no smarter than a dog."


    This kid''s tongue is really poisonous, and he is also used to by the elder couple, and he has always been a bully at home, making everyone angry. I saw signs of it a few years ago, but it''s a pity that Mrs. Yang has been protecting him, saying that he is still young and ignorant, but he has grown up in the past two years, but it is a pity that he is still ignorant.


    Zhao''er doesn''t like him, if anyone in this family beat Xue Youcai, it must be her. Xue Youcai was afraid of her, yet hated her, she stood up abruptly, before she could speak, Xue Youcai suddenly threw a bag of things in his hand. It hit the head and face, and it hurt people, and there was a strange smell in it.


    Zhao''er was hit twice, she subconsciously tried to hide, thinking of Xue Tingxiang on the kang, she turned her back to protect him. Xue Tingxiang was unprepared, she hugged her upright, obviously it was not appropriate, but he felt blushing and heart beating.


    After finally waiting for this wave to pass, Zhao''er let go of his hand, Xue Youcai had already run away, and the thing he used to hit them turned out to be dried cow dung.


    Zhao''er was so disgusted that she ran after her.


    She stopped Xue Youcai at the gate of the courtyard, grabbed him by the collar without saying a word, picked up a branch from a nearby wall, and lashed at him.


    "If I don''t beat you for three days, you dare to go to the house to expose the tiles..."


    Xue Youcai struggled to run away, but Zhao''er was so painful that he was whipped. Crying and shouting, he sat down on the ground and lay down on the ground.


    This looks like the posture that young children are accustomed to playing tricks on.


    There was such a big commotion outside that everyone in the room was startled out.


    Seeing Xue Youcai being beaten by Zhao''er, Mrs. Zhao exploded: "Who told you to beat my grandson, stop!"


    Zhao''er ignored her and scolded: "Do you still dare to do it in the future? Why don''t you learn how to throw bullshit like others! The words are quite vicious. Who taught you to speak like this? If you don''t speak clearly today, I will not only Hit you, I will take you to the river to wash your mouth later..."


    Mrs. Yang also came out, and she screamed: "Wang Zhaoer, you are crazy, you dare to hit Juncai!"


    "Auntie, why don''t you see what he has done? You didn''t learn well at a young age, like some women who uttered obscene language and threw cow dung on people. I''ll tell you now, your second brother has a name , called Xue Tingxiang, if you dare to tell me whether you are a dog or not in the future, I will beat you every time I see you!"


    Xue Youcai cried until tears and snot came out, but unfortunately no one came up to rescue him. Zhao was so angry that she jumped up and down, Yang wanted to stop Zhao''er, but was stopped by Heizi.


    You usually see this sunspot with a slumped head and no energy at all. He stopped in front of people, growled a warning in his voice, and showed his sharp teeth. Yang didn''t doubt that if she dared to go forward, she would The dog would pounce on her and give her a bite.


    At this moment, a surprised voice suddenly sounded outside the courtyard: "What are you doing?"


    It was Xue Qingshan who came back from the outside, not only patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng, but also five or six villagers over half a hundred years old.


    Seeing the situation at home like this, Xue Qingshan was surprised at first, then smiled wryly, and said to the people beside him: "I won''t mention what outsiders say is right and wrong, just say that they are mean dogs, but there is absolutely no one Dare to do this. This girl has always been a pungent person, making troubles at home every now and then, if someone was really mean, she would have already caused a lot of trouble."


    What you said made people feel inexplicable, but Zhao''er is not the master who allows people to slander, so he immediately retorted: "Uncle, what you said is a bit slandering. I usually respect the elders at home. What nonsense is it? There is a reason for beating this kid today, and he actually scolded..."


    Having said that, she was interrupted by Yang.


    She came over anxiously and distressed, snatched Xue Youcai from Zhao''er''s hand and cried, "How old is he, how old are you? He is just not sensible at this age, and you still care about him... "


    Yang Shi was crying, with a look of grievance and helplessness, Xue Qingshan was also sighing beside him, Zhao''er didn''t know what the two couples were playing, it was over.


    Her little face was flushed with anxiety, and she was about to explain again, when Xue Tingxiang who came out of the room grabbed her.


    He took two steps forward, stood in front of Zhao''er, and first respectfully called Patriarch Xue, Zheng Lizheng and the few villagers. They are all from the same village, and you can''t see them when you look up. As a junior, these are his elders.


    After the proper etiquette passed, he explained to Yang: "I hope that my aunt will not be angry. Zhao''er was also impulsive. She saw that the boy called me the same name as a dog, and threw a lot of cow dung on me. That''s why I hit the boy in a fit of anger."

 Chapter 121

    Speaking of it, it was a coincidence. After Boss Chen made an agreement with Xue Tingxiang that time, after he returned, he went around looking for people to inquire about the Zhifang.


    Most of them deal with paper workshops, ink workshops, engraving workshops and the like in this business, and they also know in their hearts that business like this kind of craftsmanship is generally not offered outside. But by coincidence, a paper mill with which he often had business dealings was going out to make workshops.


    He asked the owner of the workshop and found out why.


    It turns out that the business of this paper shop has been bad, and it only makes a living by making some bamboo and tissue paper. In the off-season, it even makes some fire paper and money to subsidize the wages of the craftsmen.


    Shanxi is not a major province of paper production, nor does it have any famous papers. Bamboo and hemp paper can be found in Jiangxi and Fujian, tissue paper can be found in Henan, Guizhou, and Zhejiang, and rice paper can be found in Xuanzhou, Anhui. purchase.


    In Shanxi, at best, there is only tissue paper available, but it is gray in color and slightly thick in texture, which is disgusted by people. It''s like the worst-quality bamboo and tissue paper sold in Boss Chen''s shop are locally produced in Shanxi, and only some poor scholars from their families will buy this kind of paper for use.


    So not only this paper mill, but other paper mills are having a hard time. It''s just that the owner of this paper shop is really tired of this business. Moreover, the paper workshop does not make money, and the owner of the workshop has to do it himself, so it goes without saying that there is a lot of hard work involved.


    It just so happened that the owner of the workshop was getting old, and his children and grandchildren had changed to other businesses. He didn''t need him to earn this money, so he wanted to sell the paper workshop. But after a long time, no one took over. The owner of the workshop over there was worrying about the livelihood of the craftsmen in the workshop, and Boss Chen came to the door here.


    After some discussions between the two, Boss Chen bought the paper shop at a low price, and the craftsmen didn''t have to find another way out.


    Xue Tingxiang went out with Boss Chen, and when he came back in the evening, he told Zhao''er Zhifang that the plate was ready.


    He went to have a look. Although the paper shop was a bit old, the utensils inside were newly added in recent years, and they were still usable. Even if you add some other tools, it won''t cost much money. The contract of partnership between him and Boss Chen was also signed. He provided the prescription, and Boss Chen provided the money and took charge of the business.


    Xue Tingxiang four.


    Originally, Boss Chen said that he accounted for 40% of the money, but now the money is worthless, that is to say, Fangzi is worth money. A good prescription can be handed down from generation to generation, but I don¡¯t know how much it can be exchanged for. This is how ordinary people come into partnership.


    But Xue Tingxiang insisted on not giving in. He knew that he couldn''t take care of the business, so he pointed at Boss Chen in every way. Besides, Boss Chen helped him a lot back then, and he always remembered this kindness.


    The matter was settled like this, and after Boss Chen signed a 20-year contract with those craftsmen, the paper workshop was reopened.


    This side is doing the old business of the past to maintain the daily flowers, and the other end Xue Tingxiang has been going out for several days, just to teach those craftsmen the craft of making paper, and the most important thing in rue paper is to prevent insects. , he taught it to Boss Chen.


    As for the future, it all depends on Boss Chen.


    The weather is getting colder and colder, and it is almost the twelfth lunar month.


    Every time around this time, it is the slowest period for recruiting children. At Wangji Vegetable Shop, they rely on some preserved vegetables, pickled vegetables, meat, eggs, chickens, etc. to support them. The food delivery business stopped, and Jiang Wu, Gao Sheng and the others could also take a break.


    At this moment, news came out from the Jiang family that a wedding was going to be held for Jiang Wu.


    It turned out that the Jiang family had already chosen a wife for Jiang Wu. It was a girl surnamed Li from a nearby village. It was said that the girl was fair and beautiful, and she was also virtuous and hardworking. Jiang Wu also met, but because he was busy, he set the wedding date in Dongyue, and got married before the twelfth lunar month, so that Jiang Wu could "marry a daughter-in-law for the New Year" this year.


    The Jiang family had been preparing for a long time, and Jiang Wu came to announce the good news when the wedding was approaching, so they didn''t know about Zhao''er.


    Gao Sheng and others congratulated each other repeatedly, and Zhao''er was very happy when he heard about it, and a group of people told Jiang Wu that they would definitely go to the wedding.


    On the right day, the Jiang family is very lively.


    Although the Jiang family has a foreign surname in the village, because the Jiang family has a hunting skill, their life is no worse than any other family. Not to mention that since Jiang Wu and Zhao''er went into business, they don''t know how much money they have made for the family.


    Now that the son is holding a wedding, it is natural to do it big. On the first day, Jiang''s family set up a water mat, and on the first day, even the whole village went to celebrate.


    Only Xue''s family didn''t go. After all, they have filial piety, so they were afraid of collision.


    Jiang Wu, dressed in a bright red wedding dress, was standing in front of the door to greet the guests who came to the banquet, when he suddenly saw a big black dog running towards him. His eyes moved slightly, he said something to his brother, and then quietly followed the big dog away.


    I saw Zhao''er from a long distance away.


    Zhao''er stood there with her stomach outstretched, wearing a light blue jacket and a moon-white pleated skirt, with a bun on her head and no jewelry, she looked clean. Maybe it''s because she wasn''t exposed to the wind and sun like before, Zhao''er became much fairer, her complexion was better, and her little face was flushed.


    Jiang Wu was a little stunned.


    In the past year or so, he seldom went back to the village and spent more time outside. He had only seen him when he announced the good news, but he suddenly found that Zhao''er had changed a lot now.


    In the past, he was very hot-tempered, pungent and capable. Now it is a little softer, probably because she is going to be a mother, the edges of her brows and eyes have softened, and there is always a gentle smile in her eyes.


    Like this time, Zhao''er just looked at him gently and smiled.


    "Brother Jiang Wu."


    Even the voice has changed, less sharp and more gentle.


    Who changed her?


    Is it that frail young man?


    No, he is no longer a teenager, but the famous Xue Juren.


    Zhao''er finally made it through!


    Even Jiang Wu was surprised that he would think so, instead of being jealous every time he thought of that person like before.


    Perhaps, time can really pass through everything.


    "Hey." He responded and said with a smile, "Why are you standing here? Come on in and sit down."


    Zhao''er raised eyebrows and blamed: "Did you forget that I have filial piety?" Without waiting for Jiang Wu to speak, she said again: "I originally prepared a gift for my sister-in-law, but it''s a pity that you haven''t been to Xiaoshan since that time. I couldn¡¯t give it to you either. No, seeing that it¡¯s almost time, I¡¯ll come here by myself.¡±


    Seeing Jiang Wu walking towards her, she quickly stopped her and said: "Don''t come over, I''ll let Heizi take it to you. We can''t touch each other, so as not to offend your joy, you are the bridegroom."


    Jiang Wu stopped in his tracks, Zhao''er took out a slender brocade box from his sleeve, and let Heizi run to him with it in his mouth. He squatted down to pick it up. It was obviously not heavy, but he felt heavy.


    It took him a while to stand up, not knowing what to say.


    In fact, there are a lot of things I want to say, but I just hesitated and hesitated for so long, and became dumb at this moment.


    "Brother Jiang Wu, I''m leaving." He waved his hand in this direction, Zhao''er turned around and planned to leave. She was dressed thickly, had a big belly, and her posture was not good-looking either, she was clumsy and clumsy.


    "Trick!"


    "Ah!" She stopped, half turned around, and looked at him in surprise.


    Seeing her look like this, the impulse that Jiang Wu finally had aroused suddenly disappeared again. He smiled: "It''s okay, I just want to tell you, walk slowly when you go back, the road is slippery."


    Zhao''er nodded: "Well, I know, you go, pack up, and pick up the bride later."


    "Why."


    It seemed that Jiang Wu''s appearance was a little weird, and Zhao''er hesitated to turn around. She glanced at Jiang Wu again, before saying: "Brother Jiang Wu, you want to be happy."


    "The same to you."


    Hearing these words, Zhao''er suddenly became cheerful, nodded to Jiang Wu, and led Heizi away.


    Jiang Wu watched until he couldn''t see her back before turning his eyes away.


    He stood quietly for a while, then suddenly let out a laugh, and then returned to the fiery red world full of noise.


    *


    Zhao''er finally breathed a sigh of relief.


    This breath has been hidden in her heart, unable to spit it out, unable to swallow it, and today she can finally let it go. She walked slowly all the way, because most of the people in the village gathered at Jiang''s house, and it was extraordinarily quiet everywhere.


    Heizi followed her step by step.


    One person and one dog walked very slowly.


    She looked at the grass on the side of the road, and even the withered tree branches. Although the scenery was not good, she was in a good mood.


    Suddenly he looked up, and there was a person standing not far in front of him.


    It was Xue Tingxiang who was wearing a blue cotton robe.


    "Where did you go? Don''t tell me a word."


    Obviously Xue Tingxiang''s expression was normal, but Zhao''er was inexplicably guilty. She lied subconsciously: "Isn''t Brother Jiang Wu happy today? I just wanted to come and have a look. I remembered that I was filial on the way, so I turned back."


    Xue Tingxiang walked to her side, helped her to go forward, and said calmly, "Why didn''t you take a look? I remember that you seemed to have prepared a gift for the Jiang family, why didn''t you take it and send it over?"


    "Isn''t this filial piety? I let my sister take it."


    Xue Tingxiang snorted, but didn''t say anything.


    The two returned to the hill.


    There was no one on the small hill today, Aunt Gao, mother and son, and Zhao Di were all carrying Brother Wei to a wedding, so the two of them were left alone. It was Zhao''er who asked Zhaodi to go. Since Zhaodi lived in the village, she had to get in touch with the villagers. It would be good for Brother Wei to go out and get in touch with people.


    It''s not too early. It gets dark early in winter. Usually, I start cooking at this time, and eat when it gets dark. Eat early and rest early.


    Xue Tingxiang went to the stove, scooped a bowl of rice from the rice jar, washed the pot with water, and then sat in front of the stove to light a fire. During this period, Zhao''er didn''t enter the house, and just followed him step by step.


    "Go home, it''s cold outside."


    "It''s not cold in the kitchen either."


    The fire was lit, and Xue Tingshan stuffed dead branches to light the fire. His white hands, which used to only hold pens, now looked good when doing these chores.


    He and Zhao''er usually eat with everyone, but now Zhao''er has a big belly and gets hungry faster. Sometimes when she gets hungry in the middle of the night, Xue Tingxiang has to cook for her, so it''s also out of practice. .


    It¡¯s too complicated to do. It¡¯s still possible to cook a porridge or a bowl of noodles.


    After filling the stove with firewood, Xue Tingxiang stood up and went outside to get food.


    Every winter in Yuqing Village, the unfinished dishes are frozen outside. People who don''t pay attention to it just put it casually, pay attention to their moves, and make a special cabinet, put some meat and vegetables in it, it will not be spoiled, and it will be clean.


    Xue Tingxiang took two bowls of mutton from the cabinet, threw them in the water basin to soak for a while, and the frozen mutton came out of the bowls. He threw the mutton into the hot pot, and within a short while, he could smell the aroma of stewed mutton.


    These mutton are all prepared in advance, one piece is mutton, and the other is frozen mutton soup. It only needs to be thawed when eating, and some side dishes can be added.


    It is simple and labor-saving. Zhao''er came up with this method.


    Xue Tingxiang took two radishes out from the corner of the kitchen, washed them with water, and chopped them on the cutting board. With a bang, a carrot was cut in half. Bang bang bang a few more times, the radishes were chopped into small pieces.


    Zhao''er was startled when he heard it, and couldn''t help shrugging his shoulders.


    After Xue Tingxiang chopped the radish and soaked some dried shiitake mushrooms, he sat down in front of the stove again. The orange fire light illuminated his face bright red, and the jumping of the flames rendered his white face flickering.


    Zhao''er couldn''t help but took two steps forward, squatting by the stove to catch up with the warm sunspot, looking at the hostess and then the hostess.


    "Your craftsmanship is getting better and better now, and it smells delicious!" Zhao''er said with a flattering smile on his face, pretending to be brisk.


    Xue Tingxiang hummed.


    Obviously yes, but Zhao''er heard something humming.


    Zhao''er couldn''t hold on anymore, she looked around pretendingly, and said to herself: "It seems that there is nothing for me to help, so I''ll go back to the house." After saying that, she fled in despair He quickly fled back into the room.


    Xue Tingxiang glanced at her back with a gloomy face, and snorted again.


    At the same time, Heizi snorted, licked the corner of his mouth, and touched his trouser leg with his nose.


    Xue Tingxiang glanced at it: "You son of a bitch! What did you do just now, you don''t know what to do, and you still want to eat?"


    Heizi glanced at him innocently, it was originally a dog, what would it be called a dogleg?


    *


    Dinner was eaten quietly, and the two of them packed up and rested after eating.


    After burning hot water to soak their feet, before going to the kang, Xue Tingxiang added firewood to the kang, and the two of them lay down.


    It seems that because of too much firewood, the kang was extremely hot today, and Zhao''er couldn''t sleep because of tossing and turning, so he had to lift the quilt.


    It was much more comfortable to lift the quilt. She lay on her back and faced inward. She covered the quilt when she felt cold, and lifted it when she felt hot. She seemed to be having fun.


    But Xue Tingxiang remained silent from the beginning to the end.


    When Zhao''er covered the quilt again, there was one more person behind him.


    He still hugged her from behind as before, but instead of falling asleep, he pinched his hands in front of her. Squeezing and pinching, the clothes were untied at some point, and slightly cold palms slipped inside.


    These days, Xue Tingxiang also has dishonest hands and feet, but they are just a taste of it. Zhao''er thought it was the same this time, so she didn''t stop him, but cooperated a little.


    But soon she realized that something was wrong, and when she realized it, something had squeezed in.


    "What are you doing, you can''t!" Her voice seemed to be stuck in her throat, small.


    The people behind ignored her at all, and pinched her thigh, giving it a squeeze. Because of the posture, but also because of scruples, I didn''t go in too much, but that''s what tortured me the most.


    It took her all her strength to turn her head around, and when she was about to speak, someone bit her lip.


    After a plundering, the other party let her go, but didn''t let her go.


    In the end, Zhao''er cried and begged for mercy: "I was wrong, I was wrong..."


    He panted slightly, his voice low and hoarse: "What''s wrong with you?"


    Zhao''er cried in a mess: "I shouldn''t lie, in fact, I went to see Brother Jiang Wu and gave him the gift I prepared. After giving it to me, I came back, and then I bumped into you."


    Xue Tingxiang snorted and did not move.


    When he doesn''t know? He was actually following behind.


    He knew that Zhao''er hadn''t done anything, but he just felt uncomfortable.


    "Are you still thinking about him?"


    "I didn''t think about him, I just treated Brother Jiang Wu as my elder brother."


    "Could it be Brother Qing?"


    Zhao''er pushed him with his hands: "You are unreasonable! How can you have any love brother! You are talking nonsense!"


    He snorted again.


    Zhao''er said in a low voice, "I was afraid that you would get angry, so I kept it from you."


    But he didn''t hide it, he was still angry.


    In the next few days, Xue Tingxiang''s anger never disappeared, no matter how Zhao''er tried to please him, it was of no use. Even Zhaodi and Aunt Gao noticed it, and asked Zhaoer privately if the couple had had a fight.


    But it doesn''t look like it, Xue Tingxiang does everything inside and out, especially when it''s about Zhao''er. For several days, I heard him getting up in the middle of the night to cook for Zhao''er. Whose man could do this.


    What can Zhaoer say? It can be said that I was dizzy for a while, that''s why I stumbled and regretted through the ages, and looking back, it has been a hundred years.


    This man is really stingy!


    Don''t look at her gnashing her teeth in hatred, turning her head and still pampering him, and being tormented at night crying for father and mother, for fear of tossing the child out.


    Time passed day by day, until the time entered the twelfth lunar month, when Li Datian came to the door, Xue Tingxiang''s anger did not disappear.


    Li Datian is here on business.

 Chapter 122

    Zhao''er was familiar with the boss, and greeted her with a smile as soon as she entered the door. The strange thing was that the boss recognized her, and when he saw her, he smiled and asked her if she came to buy paper for her brother.


    Bringing this up is old stuff.


    At the beginning, Zhao''er felt sorry for Xue Tingxiang, so she saved some money to buy paper for him to practice calligraphy. Who would have thought that this paper was much more expensive than she imagined. Even the worst yellow bamboo paper costs 40 Wen a knife, but that day Zhaoer collected all the money on his body, but only 30 Wen.


    In order to get the boss to sell the paper to her at a lower price, Zhao''er worked with the boss for a long time. He even made up a pretense that he had a hard-working younger brother, but unfortunately his parents died and his family was poor, so the boss agreed to sell it to her cheaply. Later, she came to buy a few more times, all at the previous price, but she became acquainted with Boss Chen.


    Boss Chen praised her as a noble character, earning all the hard money, but still supporting her younger brother to study, and she usually buys half of the paper when she comes to buy paper.


    Normally, Zhao''er would accept this kind of talk with a cheeky face, but today, with Xue Tingxiang here, she was inevitably a little embarrassed, for fear that Boss Chen would slip up and make the little man look down on her for lying.


    Zhao''er has suffered, so she knows the skills of survival, but the little man doesn''t, especially the scholar is very pedantic, so every time she encounters such a situation where the two people''s ideas conflict, she will always subconsciously go away. Avoid these.


    Within a day, two people said that they were his younger brothers, which made Xue Tingxiang very unhappy. Naturally, he didn''t notice Zhao''er''s hidden thoughts. When he came back to his senses, Zhao''er had already talked with the boss, and even showed him the copy of "Hundred Surnames" that he had copied overnight.


    "This is your brother? He looks handsome, but a little thinner." Boss Chen is a middle-aged man in his forties, with a goatee and elegant body. Wearing a scholar''s shirt, he doesn''t look like a business boss, but a scholar.


    "He was sick for a while a while ago, and he got better recently."


    "No wonder I haven''t seen you here for a long time." While talking, Boss Chen took the manuscript that Zhao''er handed over, whether it was bound or paper quality, it was very poor.


    He knew in his heart that this kind of peasant boy could not write very good characters, but he admired this young man named Zhao''er, so he planned not to criticize too much even if he really did not do well, just say some mild words and refuse it. up.


    If the level is not bad and the words can still be read, it is not impossible to give him some casual work, just as a help.


    But when Boss Chen saw the writing on the yellow bamboo paper, he was still taken aback.


    "He wrote this word?" Boss Chen looked at Xue Tingxiang in surprise, and went to flip through the manuscript in his hand.


    His expression was so weird that Zhao''er had a bad feeling in his heart. She couldn''t help wondering if the little man''s handwriting was not good, after all, no one had ever praised the little man''s handwriting, even Xue Qingshan said that his handwriting was like a spring worm and autumn snake.


    Although Zhao''er doesn''t know what spring worms and autumn snakes are, she understands the sad look on the little man''s face, and she knows it means poor writing.


    But she didn''t think it was the little man''s fault. He even had to pick and use the paper that could practice calligraphy. Can he write well? It was that time that she lost her temper, collected vegetables and sold them in the town, and saved a sum of money to buy Xue Tingxiang''s first piece of paper in her life.


    It was a whole knife, not a few pieces given as a charity from Xue Qingshan or Xue Juncai.


    Zhao''er''s head felt cold for a while, and she couldn''t help wondering if she was too blind to the little man at ordinary times, or if she flattered her too much. She was not afraid of anything else, but she was afraid that if Boss Chen said something unpleasant later, the little man would not be able to stand the blow.


    Thinking of this, she hurriedly turned her back and made a gesture to Boss Chen, leading him aside, then said to him in a low voice: "Uncle Chen, if my younger brother''s handwriting is really bad, can you..."


    "Can you do something?" Immediately, Boss Chen understood and said with a smile: "You kid too, even if you have a heart of love and affection, you should not deceive him, but point out his shortcomings, so that he will to make progress.¡±


    His voice was a bit loud, Xue Tingxiang over there must have heard it, Zhao''er blushed, but Na Na didn''t know what to say.


    Boss Chen said again: "But your brother''s handwriting is really good, he must be a famous teacher."


    He walked up to Xue Tingxiang in a few steps, and saluted with cupped fists: "I don''t know who my little friend is your teacher?" He said hesitantly in his eyes, because the poor boy in front of him, who was dressed in coarse cloth and short brown, really didn''t seem to be able to learn from anyone. Famous teachers.


    Just his words...


    Since Boss Chen runs a book shop, he is either a hobby or a ancestral business. In fact, Boss Chen has both, which can be regarded as the origin of family education. He also passed the exam several times when he was young, but he stopped at being a scholar. However, he was not interested in being an official, so he turned around and took care of his ancestral business. It is also a great thing in life to meet a few literary friends, play chess, drink tea, taste calligraphy and painting together.


    From his point of view, although this son''s handwriting is immature, he already has a strong character.


    We must know that the shape is easy to get, but the spirit is hard to find. Master Yan and Master Liu have always been collectively called "Yan Jin Liu Gu", which is enough to show the characteristics of Yan body. However, Xue Tingxiang''s calligraphy has already possessed its fundamentals. As long as it does not go astray, in time, he will definitely be a great calligrapher of a generation.


    How did he know that Xue Tingxiang deliberately hid the edge of his pen in order to hide himself, and it took most of the night to finish copying the book that could have been copied in half an hour at most. Otherwise, if the word is taken out, Boss Chen will definitely think it is someone''s calligraphy.


    Just when Boss Chen was thinking about it, Xue Tingxiang had already answered: "I don''t have a teacher."


    "Just copying?"


    "I''ve been to "Yan Qinli Monument" before."


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t lie, he did only copy "Yan Qinli Monument", this set of copybooks is Xue Qingshan''s favorite treasure, and he never let people touch it. And the reason why he was lucky enough to see and touch it once was that Xue Jun, who was still young at that time, was shown off in front of him.


    Because of this incident, he was extremely impressed with "Yan Qinli Monument", and even became obsessed with it. Later, after some money at home, Zhao''er bought a set with him, and the first font he learned was Yanti.


    "Just came across "Yan Qin Li Monument"?"


    Xue Tingxiang nodded.


    Boss Chen''s eyes became brighter, and he sighed after a long time: "Perhaps you have a talent in this field that is difficult for others to surpass. I hope you practice hard and don''t slack off. That''s all, let''s talk about business. Your handwriting is very good. In my opinion It''s passed here."


    He walked inside the counter, took a book and handed it to Xue Tingxiang.


    "I have a copy of "University Chapters and Sentences" here. You can take it back and try it out. I will provide the pen and ink. After copying, if the finished product is not inferior to the standard of this book, I will pay you a tael of silver."


    "One tael of silver? Uncle Chen, isn''t that too much?" Zhao''er asked in surprise.


    Uncle Chen laughed: "Do you know how many characters are in this book? And do you know how much money I will resell this book for?"


    After finishing speaking, he continued to say to Xue Tingxiang: "It is reasonable to say that it is to be copied in my book shop. If you take the book back and copy it, you need to pay some pledged money or things. I know your brother well, so forget it." Well, how long do you think it will take to finish copying?"


    Xue Tingxiang hesitated for a moment, and said: "Since Boss Chen has rules here, how about the boy copying here? I just hope that Boss Chen will be more flexible. Can you let the boy read a few books here in his spare time?"


    Boss Chen was taken aback for a moment, and then he understood. He took a deep look at this thin but neither humble nor overbearing boy.


    "Can!"


    "Then thank you Boss Chen first, don''t worry, the boy will definitely not damage the books here."


    Zhao''er kept silent until the end of the conversation, and then pulled Xue Tingxiang aside to speak.


    "Do you really want to copy books here? It would be nice to take it home. If you are afraid that Boss Chen won''t allow it, I still have some money to pledge."


    "You don''t think this is a good place."


    Xue Tingxiang looked back at the room full of books, he himself had only read a limited number of books, and in the memory of ''Xue Tingxiang'', many memories about this aspect were blurred.


    But life is his, and he wants to move forward step by step. It doesn''t mean that he has a dream, and he will definitely be the chief assistant in the future, and he will definitely be able to pass the Jinshi examination. After all, even Xue Tingxiang in the dream had to put in a lot of hard work and go through many detours before he could reach the first rank of official residence step by step.


    Of course Zhao''er understood what he meant, but she was very worried about suddenly leaving the little man outside alone. She was thinking about finding an excuse to stay here with him, but Boss Chen said from the side: "Okay, you don''t have to worry about your brother, can you lose it with me? You don''t have to sell vegetables to work today? Hurry up. "


    In the eyes of Boss Chen, Zhao''er is a hard-working brother who supports his younger brother by selling vegetables in the town.


    "Uncle Chen, I''m leaving now."


    She hurriedly took out a dozen or so copper coins from her pocket and handed them to Xue Tingxiang: "I should come to find you for lunch at noon, if not, you can buy it yourself, right here..."


    "Copy books here, and you can have a light meal at noon." Boss Chen interrupted again.


    Zhao''er was still rambling: "You still have the money, you can buy whatever you want, and I will pick you up in the afternoon."


    "You''d better pick up your work and finish it first, don''t worry your brother won''t lose it."


    This Uncle Chen!


    Zhao''er couldn''t go on talking anymore, and ran out of the bookstore almost in despair.


    After the person had left, Boss Chen teased with a smile: "Your brother treats you very well."


    Xue Tingxiang smirked, "It''s pretty good, like a little hen who doesn''t care about her chicks. For some reason, he actually thought of this sentence.


    After that, under the guidance of the shop assistant, he went to a room behind the shop.


    The layout of this room is simple, but it is elegant. It can be seen that Boss Chen is an elegant person. The best thing about this house is that there is a large window facing the outside yard, and there is a set of tables and chairs, which is completely different from Xue Tingxiang''s imagination of being hidden in a dark room without light.


    The clerk even brought a basin of water for him to wash his hands, prepared pens, ink, paper and inkstone, etc., and said he could call him if he had anything to do, so he went down.


    Xue Tingxiang came to the water basin, dipped his hands in the water, rubbed them gently a few times, and wiped them dry with a cloth towel beside him, before going to the desk and sitting down.


    He grinds the ink first. Grinding ink can well adjust people''s emotions and achieve a ''quiet'' state.


    After the ink was polished, his mind was empty at this moment. He rolled up his sleeves to write, and his hands were empty, only to realize that he was wearing a short brown at this time, where there were no sleeves, so naturally he was not afraid of staining the sleeves.


    All this was just for a moment, he didn''t care about it, and wrote quietly.


    But Boss Chen, who was standing outside the door, was a little skeptical, and couldn''t help but wonder if this son was from a famous family, but it''s a pity that his family has fallen, rather than a poor kid. His words and deeds, and even his demeanor, don''t look like those from a poor family at all.


    After thinking for a while, but unable to figure out why, Boss Chen shook his head and went back to the front.


    "No problem."


    Having said this, Zhao''er was taken aback for a moment, and Xue Tingxiang remembered that he would never speak like this in normal times.


    He smiled and said, "It''s okay, you''re still afraid that I won''t succeed if he eats it."


    "Can¡­¡­"


    At this time, Xue Tingxiang had already passed her to the main room, so she could only follow in a hurry.


    *


    Here in the main room, as expected, the wine is in full swing.


    Yang Zhong''s white and chubby face was flushed from drinking, and he looked like he was slightly drunk. Mr. Xue''s dark red face glowed red under the light. Xue Qingshan also sat on the side, along with Xue Juncai, Xue Qingbai and Xue Qinghuai.


    Women are not at the table.


    Seeing Xue Tingxiang walking in, Yang Zhong said: "Our little talent is here, come and let me see."


    He waved his hands, not treating himself as an outsider at all, and when Xue Tingxiang approached, he opened a pair of drunken eyes and looked up and down: "I don''t see anything changed, how did you become so promising?"


    As soon as these words were sarcasm, the court immediately fell silent.


    Xue Qingshan focused on eating vegetables between his sandwiches, as if he didn''t hear him. Xue Juncai seemed to be sitting upright, but in fact he was looking at this place intentionally or unintentionally.


    The rest of the Xue family were a little embarrassed, especially Mr. Xue, his face was a little stiff, but he hesitated to speak.


    Zhao''er was about to attack, when Xue Qinghuai suddenly stood up, smiled and picked up the wine bowl: "My father-in-law, I respect you for a bowl, this wine is brewed by my father himself, and most people can''t drink it when they come here. Don''t look at your old man When I came, I quickly dug a jar and said to drink a few more bowls with you."


    Yang Zhong looked at Xue Qinghuai with a smile, and without hesitation, he picked up the wine bowl and drank it down in one gulp, and ate a few mouthfuls of food. Taking advantage of the situation, Xue Qinghuai hurriedly winked at Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang, telling them to leave quickly.


    Xue Tingxiang smirked slightly, and planned to take Zhao''er away, and listened to Yang Zhong before he even took a step.


    "What''s the matter? Why is the elder leaving before he finished talking? Although I am not your own grandfather, I am also your own grandfather. Is this old man not paying attention to me, or what?"


    The hat was buttoned too big, Zhao''er was about to say something, Xue Tingxiang gave her a hand.


    He took two steps forward, pretending to be listening respectfully: "Since my in-laws and grandpas have taught me, I will just listen to you." After a pause, he continued: "It''s just that my in-laws and grandpas are also scholars, so I think they know how to be rude. reason"


    "According to what you little brat thinks, as an elder, I can''t say that you are a junior?"


    The smell of alcohol came straight to Xue Tingxiang''s face, and there was also a strange smell of various vegetables mixed in it.


    Xue Tingxiang did not evade, and nodded calmly: "Naturally."


    "Hey! Look! It''s really different."


    Yang Zhong tapped Xue Tingxiang a few times with his finger, and looked at the rest of Xue''s family with a smirk, and the villain first complained: "In-law, is this your family''s tutor?"


    It was obvious that Yang Zhong was here to make trouble, and of course it was for Xue Juncai. When he came back from Lizheng''s house before, Mr. Xue guessed that the big room would definitely make a fuss, but he didn''t expect that the fuss should be here.


    In fact, as the son and daughter-in-law, how could the married couple blatantly quarrel with Mr. Xue? After all, they swore before that whoever wins will go, and whoever loses should not complain. And Yang Zhong, as Xue Juncai''s grandfather, couldn''t be more appropriate to stand in for him. If it works, it''s good, if it doesn''t, it won''t hurt the relationship between father and son.


    "relatives by marriage¡­¡­"


    Mr. Xue was about to speak, but was interrupted by Xue Tingxiang''s voice.


    "Although my parents are both deceased, there are my grandfather, uncles, and other elders of the Xue family. Even if there is something wrong, it is not up to people of other surnames to point fingers here. Although my grandfather and my family are connected I want to kiss you, but I definitely didn''t go to the Xue family''s table, eat the Xue family''s food, and scold the Xue family for their reasons."

 Chapter 123

    Xue Tingxiang looked at the woman who was talking to him, and said with a smile: "Auntie, I''ll just walk around."


    It was just a casual remark, but the woman didn''t say anything more to him, she turned to get something in the house, and the mother-in-law in the house asked her, "Third daughter-in-law, who were you talking to just now?"


    "The dog of the second room of Xue Lianxing''s family. Hey, mother, you are surprised. I didn''t recognize him just now when he knocked on the door. I always feel like a different person."


    Her mother-in-law didn''t take it seriously: "What can I become, but I can''t change my body, I remember that kid has been ill recently."


    The daughter-in-law said: "I see, maybe I plan to go to the back mountain." There is a mountain behind Yuqing Village, where all the dead villagers in the village are buried, and the ancestral grave of Xue''s family is also there.


    Hearing this, her mother-in-law sighed: "Don''t even mention it, it''s a pity for the second child of the Xing family. Both of them have left. It''s a pity to leave a baby."


    This is just gossip between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and while they were talking, Xue Tingxiang had already brought Heizi into the back mountain.


    *


    Houshan is called Houshan, the mountain behind Yuqing Village.


    This mountain has no name and is not high, but it is extremely deep. Anyway, so far, no villager has been able to walk back and forth from this deep mountain and old forest, most of them are activities outside the mountain.


    The Xue family''s ancestral grave was built on a small hill not far from the village. This Xue family is not only Xue Tingxiang''s family, but the ancestors of the entire Xue clan are buried here.


    On such a big hill, the lineage of the patriarch is in the middle, and the branches of the various families spread out. The lineage of Mr. Xue is at a place near the foot of the southwest mountain.


    Because the couple in the second room died young, and Xue Qingsong died in an accident, they were buried at the edge.


    When Xue Tingxiang arrived at the place, he began to pull the grass around the grave mound casually.


    There were not many weeds, they had just been cleared during the Chinese New Year, so he gathered the grass at random and placed it on the ground, taking advantage of the opportunity and sat down in front of the grave.


    A piece of mountainous land, two small graves, in front of each of the graves stood a small bluestone stele, on which the names of the second family and the couple were crudely written.


    This monument was originally recruited to find someone to make it and set it up.


    Nowadays, there are three kinds of people who cannot erect monuments after they die, those who die suddenly, die young, and have no heirs. Xue Qingsong belongs to violent death.


    Although everyone doesn''t say it, people who feel that they died suddenly have resentment after death, which is not conducive to the feng shui of the ancestor''s grave, so no monument is erected. I also want him to forget who he is, so as not to cause trouble if he is ignorant.


    But at the same time, there is another saying that after death without a monument, you will be a lonely ghost, who cannot stand the incense of future generations.


    At the beginning, the funeral of the second wife was arranged by the Xue family, and they acquiesced to follow the old customs. At that time, Xue Tingxiang was still young and didn''t understand these things at all, but Zhao''er understood.


    She talked to Xue''s family about erecting a monument, but was blocked, and Xue''s family took turns to persuade her. Later, Zhao''er didn''t tell anyone about it, and took the money to ask someone to make these two simple monuments and put them in front of the grave.


    It was too late when Xue''s family found out, and they couldn''t tear down the stele in front of the villagers.


    The villagers were also surprised when they saw the stele, but after thinking about how the Xue family''s second child died, they could understand it.


    Therefore, Xue Qingshan also gained a good reputation. He would rather risk his family''s feng shui to erect a monument for his brother.


    With various thoughts spinning in his mind, Xue Tingxiang took out a piece of cloth from his arms and slowly wiped the tombstone.


    The words on it were still written by him, and the strokes are immature, but after all, people can still tell what is written on it.


    ...


    Today is the anniversary of Mr. Zheng''s death. Zheng Hu brought his two sons to the grave to worship.


    The country people are not so particular, they just prepared some steamed buns, wine and meat, and the father and son burned the paper money in front of the grave, so let''s forget about it.


    Zheng Hu had always had a deep relationship with his father, so he was inevitably depressed, so he let his two sons go back first, while he sat in front of the grave, smoking a pipe and talking to his father.


    After talking for a while, he stood up and planned to go back.


    There was still work waiting to be done in the field, and Zheng Hu didn''t want to waste time, so he decided to take a shortcut. When he passed near Xue Lianxing''s ancestral grave, he suddenly heard someone crying.


    There are graves on the two nearby hills, one is of the surname Xue, and the other is of the surname Zheng. This kind of festive day is not like Zheng Hu''s on the anniversary of the death of an elder in the family, but no one would come to this kind of place.


    In particular, there may be a lot of dead people buried here, the trees are dense, and sometimes the sky and day are gloomy. Hearing this strange sound under such circumstances, Zheng Hu was so frightened that his hair stood on end and his legs went limp.


    After all, he had lived for decades. He listened intently and calmly, and it took him a while to understand that it was a boy''s voice.


    Thinking about who''s grave was here, he bravely walked closer, bypassed a big tree, and saw a young man in blue clothes sitting in front of the grave from a distance.


    Next to it was a big black dog wagging its tail.


    It''s the dog of the second room of Xue Lianxing''s family.


    Only then did Zheng Hu heave a sigh of relief, and the voice came into his ears again: "...Father, what do you think I should do? Uncle wants to send brother Juncai to the school in town, I thought I could do the same." Go... But my aunt came to the house a few days ago, but she told me to let Brother Juncai, before..."


    The young man''s voice was full of hesitation and bewilderment, Zheng Hu did not expect to hear the secret affairs of the Xue family in such a place. He was so surprised that the pipe in his hand dropped without realizing it. He didn''t realize it until his foot was hit by the pipe, picked up the pipe in a hurry and left.


    He didn''t know that after he left, the lonely and helpless boy in his eyes stopped crying.


    In the past few days, Xue Tingxiang has been thinking hard, trying to find a suitable opportunity, and somehow he thought of Zheng Hu.


    Zheng Hu''s father, Mr. Zheng, died during the spring plowing. It was not a happy funeral, but an accident. He was accidentally squeezed to the foot of the field by his own cattle and fell to his death.


    The ridge was not very tall, and countless villagers fell off the ridge every year, and Mr. Zheng died unluckily. At the beginning, this incident was widely circulated in the village, so Xue Tingxiang remembered it very clearly.


    Since it was the anniversary of the father''s death, the son Zheng Hu would definitely come to visit the grave, and Zheng Hu used to like to take shortcuts, so he would definitely pass by this area, so who else is more suitable than him.


    The most important thing is that Yuqing Village doesn''t seem big, but Xue and Zheng''s surnames have always been different from each other. Zheng Hu''s uncle is Li Zheng, and if he knows it, Zheng Lizheng will know it too.


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t stay any longer, and quickly returned home with Heizi the same way.


    The yard was still silent, he found a twig and put it in front of the door, and sat there quietly basking in the sun, thinking about Zhao''er who went to the town.


    *


    Zheng Hu hurried all the way, without even returning home, he went to Zheng Lizheng''s house.


    Zheng Li is the Lizheng of Yuqing Village and the head of the Zheng clan. Naturally, the family''s house is the only one in Yuqing Village. If it can be compared with it, it is the house of Patriarch Xue''s family.


    Yishui''s green brick and tile-roofed house, and the courtyard walls are also made of green bricks. The most conspicuous thing is the ancestral hall of the Zheng family on the front, but this ancestral hall will not be opened until a certain time. The two black doors The paulownia gate is closed all year round.


    Going around to the side is the courtyard of Zheng Lizheng''s family.


    The yard is huge, unlike other houses where the barn, barn, kitchen, etc. are all in the front yard, the front yard of Zheng Lizheng''s house is just a big empty yard, only two sycamore trees are planted in the yard. Whenever there is any major event in the village, the courtyard will always be densely packed with people.


    There are three main rooms facing the face, and east and west wing rooms on the left and right, all of which are blue bricks and black tiles, which are extraordinarily magnificent.


    When Zheng Hu arrived, only Zheng Lizheng and his wife Tian Shi were at home.


    As soon as Tian saw his nephew coming, he greeted him: "Huzi, why are you here at this time? Do you have something to do with your uncle?"


    "Hey, there''s something wrong."


    With that said, Zheng Hu hurried into the house. Tian shook her head, thinking that there must be something wrong, since Zheng Hu is usually very steady.


    After Zheng Hu entered, he turned to the east room.


    Sure enough, his uncle Zheng Li was sitting cross-legged on the big kang in the east room, smoking dry cigarettes.


    "Why, in a hurry."


    Zheng Hu sat down on a pier under the kang, panting heavily, unable to speak for a while.


    Zheng Lizheng looked to be in his sixties, with a long face and a pair of medium-sized eyes. From the appearance, he is just an ordinary farmer''s old man, even the clothes he wears are ordinary. There is only that unmoving calmness, which can be seen as a person who has been around the world for a long time.


    With the cigarette holder in his mouth, he pushed the teapot on the kang table forward, Zheng Hu was not polite, stood up and poured a bowl of tea, and drank it down.


    "Uncle, let me tell you, something happened to me today."


    "What''s the matter?"


    "Today is not the anniversary of my father''s death. I took it with me early in the morning..."


    Halfway through Zheng Hu''s speech, Zheng Lizheng sat up from the kang, as if listening seriously.


    Seeing his uncle like this, Zheng Hu knew he had come to the right place. After hearing what the only son of Xue Lianxing''s family cried, he realized that this was an opportunity, an opportunity to suppress the prestige of Xue in Yuqing Village.


    He spoke in more detail, almost repeating every word, while Zheng Li was smoking a pipe, his eyes narrowed.


    *


    Zhao''er didn''t come back until the second half of the afternoon, and when he came back, he looked a little unhappy.


    Xue Tingxiang looked at the basket behind her, every time Zhao''er came back before, the basket was always full, but today he knew that there was nothing in it.


    "What''s wrong?"


    Zhao''er was thinking about it, when the little man asked him, he was taken aback for a moment, and then said: "It''s nothing, I brought you meat buns from the town, and I''ll heat them up for you to eat later."


    How could there be nothing, obviously there is something.


    Xue Tingxiang glanced at her face, but since she didn''t want to say more, he didn''t want to press her.


    Zhao''er went back and forth to the town, covered in dust, she went to the kitchen to boil water, and took a bath in the bathroom. The Xue family has a special room for bathing, in the vegetable field in the backyard. The house is not big, three meters square, the floor is paved with bluestone slabs, and there is a drain in the corner, through which the bath water can flow directly into the vegetable field.


    Taking off her clothes, Zhao''er rubbed the soap horns on her body, but a burst of melancholy came to her heart.


    In fact, something really happened, but she didn''t say it because she was afraid that the little man would worry.


    The way she finally found to get money was robbed.


    The person who robbed was none other than the owner of the embroidery workshop who took her finished product and pocketed the embroidered shoes.


    In fact, Zhao''er is quite clever. He bought rags from the owner of this embroidery workshop, but the finished product was not sold to this one, but to another one. It''s just that she didn''t expect that the two bosses were actually relatives, and she didn''t know how the other party knew. When she went again this time, the other party was unwilling to sell her rags.


    Not only does this embroidery workshop have no rags, but the owner of this embroidery workshop ordered people to buy all the rags from other embroidery workshops. Zhao''er didn''t know about this until after visiting several embroidery workshops.


    She has already made plans to pay for the little man to study in the town. She has asked about the Qinghe Academy, and the beam repair will cost five taels of silver every year. Among them, because many students live too far away, they can choose to study in dormitories. If it is a place to study, the monthly meals, accommodation, etc. are added together, and another one or two taels of silver will be needed.


    In Zhao''er''s heart, she wanted Xue Ting to study overnight. She felt that Xue''s house was not a good place to study, and there were too many messes in the family, which meant that she had to prepare six taels of silver before sending the little man to school.


    She originally thought that she could make enough money by doing this business twice, but who would have thought that such a thing would happen.


    In the middle of her thoughts, Zhao''er had already taken a shower, she wrapped her hair in a handkerchief, put on her clothes, and went back to the house.


    Xue Tingxiang was sitting on the kang reading a book, and it was his only book "Children Learning Qionglin". Seeing her coming in, he looked up at her and said, "It''s still cold, dry your hair quickly."


    Hearing this, Zhao''er''s heart warmed up.


    These days the little man has changed a lot compared to before, and this change is naturally good, so she couldn''t help showing a smile even though she was worried.


    She climbed onto the kang and took a cloth towel out of the kang cabinet. Xue Tingxiang was sitting on the side, inevitably he had to make room for her. When she passed by, a scent mixed with soap locust penetrated into the tip of his nose, he couldn''t help moving his nose, and his eyes fell on her who was close at hand.


    "I know you don''t like me, but I''ve been like this for many years, and I can''t change it! I don''t plan to change it either!"


    "Look at Hong''er, does he look like you?"


    ...


    Xue Tingxiang suddenly felt that someone was shaking him, opened his tired eyes, and saw the dark inner room, Hu San''s face was no longer young, even the lines on the curtain were so familiar, he knew He was just dreaming.


    It''s just that the dream was too clear, the sorghum fragrance in the air, and the curve of her stubbornly pursed mouth made him feel like he was actually there. There are also her tears from being angry, crystal clear and shining with colorful light, he wanted to reach out to touch it, but someone woke him up.


    "My lord, it''s time to drink the medicine."


    Xue Tingxiang was propped up and given medicine. He was dying of illness, and he had to be served by someone even to drink medicine. How could he look like that extremely human minister Xue Shoufu who had ruled the court for decades.


    Oh no, he is not the chief assistant now.


    He has already written a letter to beg for the bones, intending to return to his hometown for the elderly, and the Holy Majesty has already agreed, but he has no home to return to, no relatives to rely on.


    In fact, he didn''t intend to go back.


    "Master Zhang, Mr. Wang, and Mr. Li and Mr. Cao all came to visit you, but they obeyed your orders and blocked the door. They come every day, and they are here again today. Would you like to see me?"

 Chapter 124

    Of course, there is only ethnology, and there is no husband.


    Xue Tingxiang personally went to invite He and Qiao two scholars. In addition to having a monthly salary no lower than that offered by other academies every year, anyone who can teach ethnology can get his own advice.


    This alone is enough to attract many poor talents to come here, a piece of advice that can''t be bought with money.


    On the day when the plaque of ethnology was unveiled, County Magistrate Xu was present in person, and even the Qingyuan Academy also came.


    The scene was extremely grand, and ordinary villagers had never seen such a formation before. Not to mention those well-dressed scholars, just the guard of honor of the county magistrate is enough for them to be dazzled.


    Today is an important event for the whole family, so naturally there is no need to observe filial piety, Xue Tingxiang also came to the scene in person, but his clothes were very plain.


    Amidst the sound of firecrackers, County Magistrate Xu and Xue Tingxiang took off the piece of red silk hanging on the plaque together.


    The large characters of "Yuqing Social Studies" are revealed, although they are not glittering with gold, they are simple and solemn.


    The reason why it is not called Xue Clan Studies, but Yu Qing Society Studies, is that Xue Tingxian and Xue Patriarch jointly discussed it. After all, the establishment of this village school is based on benefiting the village. Both of them are not simple-minded people who only do things without making names. The family study is only aimed at the Xue family, but if it is social studies, it will expand the influence of the Xue family in the local area.


    As long as this social science is controlled by the Xue family for a day, others cannot help but look down on Xue.


    Especially now that Yuqing Society School is in full swing, the founder is Juren, the teacher who teaches is a scholar, the county magistrate came to the scene in person, and so many people even came to the prestigious Qingyuan Academy in the county.


    Even those illiterate ordinary people knew the meaning contained in it. The Xue clan had finally turned around, just like the first clan in Huyang Township.


    This unveiling ceremony not only satisfied the Xue family''s face, but also allowed Xu county magistrate to show off his official authority. Presumably in the future, there will be another addition to the public opinion about the county magistrate''s love and care for the people under his rule.


    The excitement dissipated and everything returned to calm, but Yuqing Village was different after all.


    At the same time as studying social studies, Patriarch Xue called on the villagers to work together to repair the main road from the clan to the entrance of the village, and the soil was compacted. Now the road is spacious and flat, which is different from the rugged dirt roads in other villages. generally.


    Every morning, there are children who go to school, or a few companions, or are led by adults, walking on this road.


    From a distance, it is a very beautiful picture.


    Afterwards, there will be the sound of reading aloud, from the Disciple Rules to the Three Character Classic, a scene of prosperity.


    In his spare time, Xue Tingxiang would also visit the social school. These elementary school children didn''t know him. Seeing his young face and ordinary clothes, they thought he was some student who wanted to study because of his fame.


    Nowadays, there are many people who want to study in Yuqing Society School, but because of the limited space, they can only refuse it. Every few days, someone would come to the door in person, and these schoolchildren were used to it.


    While being proud, I can''t help but study hard even more, for fear that my studies will be dropped and my husband will let my family take me home.


    This is Xue Juren''s righteous deed, and the elders in the family have told them so. If it weren''t for Xue Juren, they would definitely not have books to read, and could only graze cattle and cut pig grass at home, wandering between the mountains and fields every day. How can I sit in a lecture hall with bright windows and clean windows like now, read well, and have a lunch in social studies every day as a subsidy.


    Xue Juren is a very good person, you should repay him well when you study in the future.


    So how could these elementary school children expect that this young looking boy in front of them is the tall and majestic Xue Juren in their minds.


    It was the break time, and the schoolchildren managed to rest for a while, and they were all playing in front of the lecture hall.


    A group of children with an average age of seven or eight years old couldn''t help talking about Xue Juren while talking. Some people guessed that he must be very old, and someone who can be called a master must not be young; some people guessed that Xue Ju must have two horns on his head, otherwise he would be so powerful, in the hearts of children, anyone who can grow horns is very powerful; As I talked, I acted it out, so that everyone could understand what I meant.


    I saw a child half-hunched, pretending to be stroking his beard with his hands, coughing twice: "You all have to study hard, and don''t disappoint the old man''s expectations."


    The people next to him all laughed and quarreled with him that Xue Juren must not be like this, but more people said yes, Xue Juren must be like this.


    At this time, three people came out from the side room, it was He Xiucai and Xue Tingxiang, and behind them was a young man with slightly gray temples.


    Xue Tingxiang walked in front with a somewhat embarrassed face, while He Xiucai accompanied him.


    Without He Xiucai''s words, the schoolchildren were so frightened that they quickly fell silent and stood there with their heads drooping.


    Seeing this, He Xiucai couldn''t say anything to condemn, but said: "Don''t make fun of Xue Juren in the future, go back to the lecture hall."


    "Yes, sir."


    Bowing respectfully, the group of fur kids glanced at Xue Tingxiang curiously, and then dispersed.


    "Senior, I hope you don''t take offense. These children are used to being wild, and after a while of teaching, they will be able to understand the rules." He Xiucai said to Xue Tingxiang respectfully, and there was an explanation in his words. It is a bit more rigid and serious, but it shows a lot of love for these school children.


    "No problem."


    Xue Tingxiang stood still, and then said to He Xiucai: "Just remember what I told you just now. The most important thing about stereotyped essays is to solve the questions. You should do the two questions I wrote with you first. After a few days Bring it to me."


    "Thank you for your guidance, senior."


    Xue Tingxiang nodded, stopped He Xiucai from sending him off again, and walked around to the back door to leave. The young man standing some distance away from them hesitated for a while, then followed.


    Watching Xue Tingxiang leave slowly, He Xiucai sighed for a while. Who would have thought that a person who was only a young man with a style back then would reach such a level?


    Even he and Qiao Xiucai didn''t expect that the young man who needed the two of them to decide his destiny in Hitachi had to be referred to as "senior" now.


    The imperial examination is difficult, as difficult as reaching the sky, but once it passes, the fate of the whole life will be turned upside down.


    He Xiucai didn''t think about it any more. The reason why he accepted to come to Yuqing Society School that day was largely because of Xue Juren. Now teaching here, from time to time Xue Juren would come to point them out. There were many things that he didn''t understand or always felt veiled before.


    This feeling was so rare that he didn''t waste it. Instead, he hurried back to the dorm and took out the two questions that Xue Tingxiang had just left to do.


    *


    Xue Tingxiang stopped after going out the back door.


    He looked back at the young man who walked over hesitantly. He is said to be a young man, but he is actually only one year older than Xue Tingxiang, but he has given birth to a young boy, making him look a lot older out of thin air.


    Xue Tingxiang gave Xue Juncai a complicated look before asking, "What do you think of this place?"


    Xue Juncai didn''t speak, but looked at him suspiciously.


    "Although you are filial, you don''t have to stay at home. We don''t pay much attention to it in the countryside. You don''t have any fame, so you don''t have to worry too much."


    Xue Juncai pursed his lips, lowered his head and said, "I am the great-grandson of Cheng, and I should guard Grandpa for three years."


    Xue Tingxiang sighed secretly: "No one told you not to keep your filial piety, I just think you don''t have to be so wasteful. Nowadays, there is a need for a gentleman in social studies. If you think you don''t have the fame to be a teacher, you can teach those elementary school children first. In this way First of all, you can review the past and learn the new, and you can also subsidize the family a little bit, and my aunt is very worried about you."


    Xue Juncai shook his lower lip, but did not speak.


    "You don''t have to think that I''m giving you alms, it''s Tang Ye''s decision. If you want, you can tell Tang Ye. Well, I have to go back. Now Hong''er is very naughty, I''m afraid Zhao''er can''t see it alone. Stop him." Xue Tingxiang let out a laugh, then turned and left.


    After walking a few steps, a voice came from behind: "I''m sorry."


    He paused, without turning back: "You have nothing to do to me."


    "I said this on behalf of my father and mother, I''m sorry." Xue Juncai looked at the back and said very solemnly.


    Xue Tingxiang still didn''t look back, but just raised his hand: "I accept this sentence, let''s go first." As he spoke, his back gradually moved away and disappeared from Xue Juncai''s sight.


    It took Xue Juncai a long time to look away, stood there for a while, then suddenly turned and walked towards a place.


    That was the location of Patriarch Xue''s house.


    The next day, there was a new teacher in Yuqing Social School.


    This gentleman has a young face, but his age is hard to tell, making it hard to tell how old he is. However, this gentleman is not bad in knowledge, and he treats the schoolchildren with generosity and patience. Compared with Mr. He who is always serious and rigid, and Mr. Qiao who rarely shows up, he is much more popular with the schoolchildren.


    This gentleman''s surname is Xue, and it is said that he is Xue Juren''s cousin.


    Many ignorant schoolchildren asked Mr. Xue what kind of person Xue Ju was. Then a young talent, the outstanding dragon and phoenix appeared in front of everyone.


    It''s a pity that they are still young after all, and they don''t know much about the descriptions of adults. It is enough to know that Xue Juren is very powerful. What attracted them even more was that since Mr. Xue was Xue Juren''s cousin, was Xue Juren an old man?


    It''s a pity that no one can answer them. Even if they asked Mr. Xue, he would just smile and say nothing.


    Time passed day by day like this, Hong''er has been more than eight months in a blink of an eye, and Xue Tingxiang has also arrived at the time of filial piety.


    Keeping filial piety for the grandfather is not just a year for the grandson.


    When the day came, Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang cleaned up the house on purpose. After that, I went to the grave and put the grave of old man Xue, but naturally I didn''t pull down the couple.


    In fact, there is not much difference between Xue Tingxiang and Zhao''er for filial piety but not filial piety. The only inconvenient thing is that some places cannot be visited.


    But where could they go now? Not to mention that Xue Tingxiang was studying at home to prepare for the exam in the future. There was an energetic kid on the stall, a person like Zhao''er was exhausted every day, so naturally he didn''t want to go anywhere.


    Li Datian came back on time, on the third day of Xue Taoer''s filial piety.


    An auspicious day was chosen, and the Li family came to hire him.


    The wedding date is set on the eighth day of October. It''s not that the two families are anxious, but that the two children can''t wait any longer, and they are not too young.


    On that day, Zhao''er stayed at Xue''s house to see her off, while Xue Tingxiang went to Li''s house to help welcome her.


    Amidst the joy of beating gongs and drums, Xue Taoer, who was covered in red wedding dress, also got married.


    On the day Sanchao returned home, the young couple both came to Xue''s house, only seeing Xue Tao''er''s rosy complexion and shy appearance, they knew that she was doing well in Li''s house.


    It''s New Year''s Eve again, and the atmosphere of the New Year''s Eve dinner this year is much better than last year.


    Zhao''s family has been forgotten by others, Xue Juncai has now entered social studies, and Yang''s finally relieved has less frown and more smiles. Not to mention the three-bedroom and four-bedroom, Wangji Caixing''s business has reached several nearby counties, and it has a great momentum.


    While earning more and more money, Xue Qingbai and Xue Qinghuai were naturally very busy. But this kind of busyness is joyful and joyful.


    This year was also much more lively than last year, and the number of people who came to pay New Year''s greetings to Xue Tingxiang was innumerable, and they were busy until after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, before it subsided a little.


    I thought I could finally take a break, but who would have thought that there would be a letter from the capital.


    It was Mao Badou''s letter.


    Mao Badou is getting married, so Xue Tingxiang and Li Datian must be present.

 Chapter 125

    This article can be read normally if the subscription ratio is ¡Ý50%, otherwise it will be delayed for three days to make up for it.


    At the beginning, Zhao''er felt sorry for Xue Tingxiang, so she saved some money to buy paper for him to practice calligraphy. Who would have thought that this paper was much more expensive than she imagined. Even the worst yellow bamboo paper costs 40 Wen a knife, but that day Zhaoer collected all the money on his body, but only 30 Wen.


    In order to get the boss to sell the paper to her at a lower price, Zhao''er worked with the boss for a long time. He even made up the pretense that he has a hard-working younger brother, but unfortunately both parents died and his family was poor, so the boss agreed to sell it to her cheaply. Later, she came to buy it several times, all at the previous price, but she became acquainted with Boss Chen.


    Boss Chen praised her as a noble character, earning all the hard money, but still supporting her younger brother to study, and she usually buys paper half-buy and half-free when she comes to buy paper.


    Normally, Zhao''er would accept this kind of talk with a cheeky face, but today, with Xue Tingxiang around, she was inevitably a little embarrassed, for fear that Boss Chen would slip up and make the little man look down on her for lying.


    Zhao''er has suffered, so she knows the skills of survival, but the little man doesn''t understand, especially the scholar is very pedantic, so every time she encounters such a situation where the two people''s ideas conflict, she will always subconsciously go away. Avoid these.


    Within a day, two people said that they were his younger brothers, which made Xue Tingxiang very unhappy. Naturally, he didn''t notice Zhao''er''s hidden thoughts. When he came back to his senses, Zhao''er had already talked with the boss, and even showed him the copy of "Hundred Surnames" that he had copied overnight.


    "This is your brother? He looks handsome, but a little thinner." Boss Chen is a middle-aged man in his forties, with a goatee and elegant body. Wearing a scholar''s shirt, he doesn''t look like a business boss, but a scholar.


    "He was sick for a while a while ago, and he got better recently."


    "No wonder I haven''t seen you here for a long time." While talking, Boss Chen took the manuscript that Zhao''er handed over, whether it was bound or paper quality, it was very poor.


    He knew in his heart that this kind of peasant boy could not write very good characters, but he admired this young man named Zhao''er, so he planned not to criticize too much even if he really did not do well, just say some mild words and refuse it. up.


    If the level is not bad and the words can still be read, it is not impossible to give him some casual work, just as a help.


    But when Boss Chen saw the writing on the yellow bamboo paper, he was still taken aback.


    "He wrote this word?" Boss Chen looked at Xue Tingxiang in surprise, and went to flip through the manuscript in his hand.


    His expression was so weird that Zhao''er had a bad feeling in his heart. She couldn''t help wondering if the little man''s handwriting was not good, after all, no one had ever praised the little man''s handwriting, even Xue Qingshan said that his handwriting was like a spring worm and autumn snake.


    Although Zhao''er doesn''t know what spring worms and autumn snakes are, she understands the sad look on the little man''s face, and she knows it means poor writing.


    But she didn''t think it was the little man''s fault. He even had to pick and use the paper that could practice calligraphy. Can he write well? It was that time that she lost her temper, collected vegetables and sold them in the town, and saved a sum of money to buy Xue Tingxiang''s first piece of paper in her life.


    It was a whole knife, not a few pieces given as a charity from Xue Qingshan or Xue Juncai.


    Zhao''er''s head felt cold for a while, and she couldn''t help wondering if she was too blind to the little man at ordinary times, or if she flattered her too much. She was not afraid of anything else, but she was afraid that if Boss Chen said something unpleasant later, the little man would not be able to stand the blow.


    Thinking of this, she hurriedly turned her back and made a gesture to Boss Chen, leading him aside, then said to him in a low voice: "Uncle Chen, if my younger brother''s handwriting is really bad, can you..."


    "Can you do something?" Immediately, Boss Chen understood and said with a smile: "You kid too, even if you have a heart of love and affection, you should not deceive him, but point out his shortcomings, so that he will to make progress.¡±


    His voice was a bit loud, Xue Tingxiang over there must have heard it, Zhao''er blushed, but Na Na didn''t know what to say.


    Boss Chen said again: "But your brother''s handwriting is really good, he must be a famous teacher."


    He walked up to Xue Tingxiang in a few steps, and saluted with cupped fists: "I don''t know who my little friend is your teacher?" He said hesitantly in his eyes, because the poor boy in front of him, who was dressed in coarse cloth and short brown, really didn''t seem to be able to learn from anyone. Famous teachers.


    Just his words...


    Since Boss Chen runs a book shop, he is either a hobby or a ancestral business. In fact, Boss Chen has both, which can be regarded as the origin of family education. He also passed the exam several times when he was young, but he stopped at being a scholar. However, he was not interested in being an official, so he turned around and took care of his ancestral business. It is also a great thing in life to meet a few literary friends, play chess, drink tea, taste calligraphy and painting together.


    From his point of view, although this son''s handwriting is immature, he already has a strong character.


    We must know that the shape is easy to get, but the spirit is hard to find. Master Yan and Master Liu have always been collectively called "Yan Jin Liu Gu", which is enough to show the characteristics of Yan body. However, Xue Tingxiang''s calligraphy has already possessed its fundamentals. As long as it does not go astray, in time, he will definitely be a great calligrapher of a generation.


    How did he know that Xue Tingxiang deliberately hid the edge of his pen in order to hide himself, and it took most of the night to finish copying the book that could have been copied in half an hour at most. Otherwise, if the word is taken out, Boss Chen will definitely think it is someone''s calligraphy.


    Just when Boss Chen was thinking about it, Xue Tingxiang had already answered: "I don''t have a teacher."


    "Just copying?"


    "I''ve been to "Yan Qinli Monument" before."


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t lie, he did only copy "Yan Qinli Monument", this set of copybooks is Xue Qingshan''s favorite treasure, and he never let people touch it. And the reason why he was lucky enough to see and touch it once was that Xue Jun, who was still young at that time, was shown off in front of him.


    Because of this incident, he was extremely impressed with "Yan Qinli Monument", and even became obsessed with it. Later, after some money at home, Zhao''er bought a set with him, and the first font he learned was Yanti.


    "Just came across "Yan Qin Li Monument"?"


    Xue Tingxiang nodded.


    Boss Chen''s eyes became brighter, and he sighed after a long time: "Perhaps you have a talent in this field that is difficult for others to surpass. I hope you practice hard and don''t slack off. That''s all, let''s talk about business. Your handwriting is very good. In my opinion It''s passed here."


    He walked inside the counter, took a book and handed it to Xue Tingxiang.


    "I have a copy of "University Chapters and Sentences" here. You can take it back and try it out. I will provide the pen and ink. After copying, if the finished product is not inferior to the standard of this book, I will pay you a tael of silver."


    "One tael of silver? Uncle Chen, isn''t that too much?" Zhao''er asked in surprise.


    Uncle Chen laughed: "Do you know how many characters are in this book? And do you know how much money I will resell this book for?"


    After finishing speaking, he continued to say to Xue Tingxiang: "It is reasonable to say that it is to be copied in my book shop. If you take the book back and copy it, you need to pay some pledged money or things. I know your brother well, so forget it." Well, how long do you think it will take to finish copying?"


    Xue Tingxiang hesitated for a moment, and said: "Since Boss Chen has rules here, how about the boy copying here? I just hope that Boss Chen will be more flexible. Can you let the boy read a few books here in his spare time?"


    Boss Chen was taken aback for a moment, and then he understood. He took a deep look at this thin but neither humble nor overbearing boy.


    "Can!"


    "Then thank you Boss Chen first, don''t worry, the boy will definitely not damage the books here."


    Zhao''er kept silent until the end of the conversation, and then pulled Xue Tingxiang aside to speak.


    "Do you really want to copy books here? It would be nice to take it home. If you are afraid that Boss Chen won''t allow it, I still have some money to pledge."


    "You don''t think this is a good place."


    Xue Tingxiang looked back at the room full of books, he himself had only read a limited number of books, and in the memory of ''Xue Tingxiang'', many memories about this aspect were blurred.


    But life is his, and he wants to move forward step by step. It doesn''t mean that he has a dream, and he will definitely be the chief assistant in the future, and he will definitely be able to pass the Jinshi examination. After all, even Xue Tingxiang in the dream had to put in a lot of hard work and go through many detours before he could reach the first rank of official residence step by step.


    Of course Zhao''er understood what he meant, but she was very worried about suddenly leaving the little man outside alone. She was thinking about finding an excuse to stay here with him, but Boss Chen said from the side: "Okay, you don''t have to worry about your brother, can you lose it with me? You don''t have to sell vegetables to work today? Hurry up. "


    In the eyes of Boss Chen, Zhao''er is a hard-working brother who supports his younger brother by selling vegetables in the town.


    "Uncle Chen, I''m leaving now."


    She hurriedly took out a dozen or so copper coins from her pocket and handed them to Xue Tingxiang: "I should come to find you for lunch at noon, if not, you can buy it yourself, right here..."


    "Copy books here, and you can have a light meal at noon." Boss Chen interrupted again.


    Zhao''er was still rambling: "You still have the money, you can buy whatever you want, and I will pick you up in the afternoon."


    "You''d better pick up your work and finish it first, don''t worry your brother won''t lose it."


    This Uncle Chen!


    Zhao''er couldn''t go on talking anymore, and ran out of the bookstore almost in despair.


    After the person had left, Boss Chen teased with a smile: "Your brother treats you very well."


    Xue Tingxiang smirked, "It''s pretty good, like a little hen who doesn''t care about her chicks. For some reason, he actually thought of this sentence.


    After that, under the guidance of the shop assistant, he went to a room behind the shop.


    The layout of this room is simple, but it is elegant. It can be seen that Boss Chen is an elegant person. The best thing about this house is that there is a large window facing the outside yard, and there is a set of tables and chairs, which is completely different from Xue Tingxiang''s imagination of being hidden in a dark room without light.


    The clerk even brought a basin of water for him to wash his hands, prepared pens, ink, paper and inkstone, etc., and said he could call him if he had anything to do, so he went down.


    Xue Tingxiang came to the water basin, dipped his hands in the water, rubbed them gently a few times, and wiped them dry with a cloth towel beside him, before going to the desk and sitting down.


    He grinds the ink first. Grinding ink can well adjust people''s emotions and achieve a ''quiet'' state.


    After the ink was polished, his mind was empty at this moment. He rolled up his sleeves to write, and his hands were empty, only to realize that he was wearing a short brown at this time, where there were no sleeves, so naturally he was not afraid of staining the sleeves.


    All this was just for a moment, he didn''t care about it, and wrote quietly.


    But Boss Chen, who was standing outside the door, was a little skeptical, and couldn''t help but wonder if this son was from a famous family, but it''s a pity that his family has fallen, rather than a poor kid. His words and deeds, and even his demeanor, don''t look like those from a poor family at all.


    After thinking for a while, but unable to figure out why, Boss Chen shook his head and went back to the front.


    It was the time of spring plowing, and everyone was busy plowing the fields at the moment, and there were hardly any people on the road in the village. Occasionally, a woman who is doing work in the yard sees the person walking on the road from a distance, and only after a few fixed eyes does she recognize who it is.


    "Dog, where is this going?"


    Xue Tingxiang looked at the woman who was talking to him, and said with a smile: "Auntie, I''ll just walk around."


    It was just a casual sentence, the woman didn''t say anything more to him, she turned to get something in the room, the mother-in-law in the room asked her: "Third daughter-in-law, who were you talking to just now?"


    "The dog from the second bedroom of Xue Lianxing''s family. Hey, mother, it''s strange to say that I didn''t recognize him when he knocked on the door just now. I always feel like a different person."


    Her mother-in-law didn''t take it seriously: "What can you become, but you can''t change your body, I remember that kid has been ill recently."


    The daughter-in-law said: "I see, maybe I plan to go to the back mountain." There is a mountain behind Yuqing Village, where all the dead villagers in the village are buried, and the Xue family''s ancestral grave is also there.


    Hearing this, her mother-in-law sighed: "Don''t even mention it, it''s a pity for the second child of the Xing family. Both of them are gone. It''s a pity to leave a baby."


    This is just gossip between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and while they were talking, Xue Tingxiang had already brought Heizi into the back mountain.


    *


    Houshan is called Houshan, the mountain behind Yuqing Village.


    This mountain has no name, and the mountain is not high, but it is extremely deep. Anyway, so far, no villager has been able to walk back and forth from this deep mountain and old forest, most of them are activities outside the mountain.


    The Xue family''s ancestral grave was built on a small hill not far from the village. This Xue family is not only Xue Tingxiang''s family, but the ancestors of the entire Xue clan are buried here.


    On such a big hill, the lineage of the patriarch is in the middle, and the branches of the various families spread out. The lineage of Mr. Xue is at a place near the foot of the southwest mountain.


    Because the couple in the second room died young, and Xue Qingsong died in an accident, they were buried at the edge.


    When Xue Tingxiang arrived at the place, he began to pull the grass around the grave mound casually.


    There were not many weeds, they had just been cleared during the Chinese New Year, so he gathered the grass at random and placed it on the ground, taking advantage of the opportunity and sat down in front of the grave.


    A piece of mountainous land, two small graves, in front of each of the graves stood a small bluestone stele, on which the names of the second family and the couple were crudely written.


    This monument was originally recruited to find someone to make it and set it up.


    Nowadays, there are three kinds of people who cannot erect monuments after they die, those who die suddenly, die young, and have no heirs. Xue Qingsong belongs to violent death.


    Although everyone doesn''t say it, people who feel that they died suddenly have resentment after death, which is not conducive to the feng shui of the ancestor''s grave, so no monument is erected. I also want him to forget who he is, so as not to cause trouble if he is ignorant.

 Chapter 126

    Seeing Xue Taoer running over, she leaned closer and whispered: "I''m not the father of my aunt, and I want to find a dog to talk to."


    Xue Tingxiang also heard the movement outside the room and came out.


    "Don''t go, I''ll push it." Zhao''er knew that it would be no good for Yang Zhong to find a young man because of his elder status, and Xue Jun was his grandson. And what happened before?


    "No problem."


    When these words came out, Zhao''er was stunned for a moment, and Xue Tingxiang remembered that he would never speak like this in normal times.


    He smiled and said, "It''s okay, you''re still afraid that I won''t succeed if he eats it."


    "Can¡­¡­"


    At this time, Xue Tingxiang had already passed her to the main room, so she could only follow in a hurry.


    *


    Here in the main room, as expected, the wine is in full swing.


    Yang Zhong''s white and chubby face was flushed from drinking, and he looked like he was slightly drunk. Mr. Xue''s dark red face shone red under the light. Xue Qingshan also sat on the side, along with Xue Juncai, Xue Qingbai and Xue Qinghuai.


    Women are not at the table.


    Seeing Xue Tingxiang walking in, Yang Zhong said: "Our little talent is here, come and let me see."


    He waved his hands, not treating himself as an outsider at all, and when Xue Tingxiang approached, he looked up and down with his drunken eyes: "I don''t see anything changed, how did you become so promising?"


    As soon as these words were sarcasm, the court immediately fell silent.


    Xue Qingshan focused on eating vegetables between his sandwiches, as if he didn''t hear him. Xue Juncai seemed to be sitting upright, but in fact he was looking at this place intentionally or unintentionally.


    The rest of the Xue family were a little embarrassed, especially Mr. Xue, his face was a little stiff, but he hesitated to speak.


    Zhao''er was about to attack, when Xue Qinghuai suddenly stood up, smiled and picked up the wine bowl: "My father-in-law, I respect you for a bowl, this wine is brewed by my father himself, and most people can''t drink it when they come here. Don''t look at your old man When I came, I quickly dug a jar and said to drink a few more bowls with you."


    Yang Zhong looked at Xue Qinghuai with a smile, and without hesitation, he picked up the wine bowl and drank it down in one gulp, and ate a few mouthfuls of food. Taking advantage of the situation, Xue Qinghuai hurriedly winked at Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang, telling them to leave quickly.


    Xue Tingxiang smirked slightly, and planned to take Zhao''er away, and listened to Yang Zhong before he even took a step.


    "What''s the matter? Why is the elder leaving before he finished talking? Although I am not your own grandfather, I am also your own grandfather. Is this old man not paying attention to me, or what?"


    The hat was buttoned too big, Zhao''er was about to say something, Xue Tingxiang gave her a hand.


    He took two steps forward, pretending to be listening respectfully: "Since my in-laws and grandpas have taught me, I will just listen to you." After a pause, he continued: "It''s just that my in-laws and grandpas are also scholars, so I think they know how to be rude. reason"


    "According to what you little brat thinks, as an elder, I can''t say that you are a junior?"


    The smell of alcohol came straight to Xue Tingxiang''s face, and there was also a strange smell of various vegetables mixed in it.


    Xue Tingxiang did not evade, and nodded calmly: "Naturally."


    "Hey! Look! It''s really different."


    Yang Zhong tapped Xue Tingxiang a few times with his finger, and looked at the rest of Xue''s family with a smirk, and the villain first complained: "In-law, is this your family''s tutor?"


    It was obvious that Yang Zhong was here to make trouble, and of course it was for Xue Juncai. When he came back from Lizheng''s house before, Mr. Xue guessed that the big room would definitely make a fuss, but he didn''t expect that the fuss should be here.


    In fact, as the son and daughter-in-law, how could the married couple blatantly quarrel with Mr. Xue? After all, they swore before that whoever wins will go, and whoever loses should not complain. And Yang Zhong, as Xue Juncai''s grandfather, couldn''t be more appropriate to stand in for him. If it works, it''s good, if it doesn''t, it won''t hurt the relationship between father and son.


    "relatives by marriage¡­¡­"


    Mr. Xue was about to speak, but was interrupted by Xue Tingxiang''s voice.


    "Although my parents are both deceased, there are my grandfather, uncles, and other elders of the Xue family. Even if there is something wrong, it is not up to people of other surnames to point fingers here. Although my grandfather and my family are connected I want to kiss you, but I definitely didn''t go to the Xue family''s table, eat the Xue family''s food, and scold the Xue family for their reasons."


    Because there are guests, candles are rarely lit in the house, which illuminates the room brightly.


    Standing in the middle, the boy is thin and thin, but he is tall and straight. He was wearing a shabby clothes, the cuffs and the front of the clothes were a little white, but it made people feel an inviolable aura.


    "Could this be the way of in-laws and grandpas being guests? One day when I, the Xue family, went to your house as guests, I would point and point at the Yang family, and be eccentric. Presumably, my in-laws and grandpas would not be angry. After all, coming here is not indecent. Thanks ah Master is always the junior in the family and talks about his in-laws and grandpas, but the boy is only his in-laws and grandpas, he is a literati, he is respected by the younger generation as a person who understands etiquette, now it seems that it is nothing more than that!"


    "you--"


    There was silence in the room, and no one thought that Xue Tingxiang would explode on the spot regardless of his seniority.


    Xue Qingshan stopped eating, and suddenly felt restless.


    But he didn''t stand up to speak for his father-in-law. Xue Tingxiang''s hat was too big, which brought the face of the whole Xue family and even the Xue clan. If he speaks for it, he is echoing the fact that the face of the Xue family can be trampled on the ground by the Yang family.


    In particular, this is not in line with what he planned.


    Yang Zhong''s face was flushed red, and his lips trembled with anger: "You kid, you dare to teach your elders a lesson at such a young age."


    "Don''t dare! A gentleman is harmonious but different, and a villain is the same but not harmonious. The boy is just telling the truth. I also hope that the in-laws and grandparents should be cautious in their words and deeds, so that they can be the appearance of a gentleman."


    This is teaching myself through the words of the sage!


    Yang Zhong laughed back angrily, and pointed at him with his finger: "Okay, okay, it''s really amazing. After studying for a few days, people are different. You really think that it''s a big deal if you win the handsome talent today, even if you furious."


    "A gentleman has nothing to fight for, and he will definitely shoot! When he bows and rises, he goes down to drink, and his fight is also a gentleman."


    This sentence comes from the eight chapters of "The Analects of Confucius". It roughly means that a gentleman will not argue about anything. If there is a dispute, it must be upholding the way of a gentleman. Neither humble nor overbearing, neither angry nor complaining, and having fun with wine after the competition is the battle between gentlemen. It''s not that you must be flushed in the face, like a black-eyed chicken, that would be out of style.


    It is about being a person and dealing with affairs, and at the same time, it is using the words of the saints to ridicule Yang Zhong for not having the manners and tolerance of his elders, and to make things difficult for his juniors in order to protect his grandson.


    There were only four scholars present, and the others were all at a loss. They could only see that Xue Tingxiang was not at a disadvantage, but Yang Zhong was so angry that his seven orifices seemed to be smoking.


    Forget about Yang Zhong, Xue Qingshan and his son couldn''t help being a little bit surprised when he was angry.


    You must know that although Xue Tingxiang has studied the Four Books, he only understands the superficiality and does not understand the meaning of the scriptures. But just now he uttered two sentences in a row, both of which are from the Four Books, and if he didn''t understand the meaning of the scriptures, how could he use them to harm others.


    Could it be that someone taught him behind his back? No wonder his performance was so unexpected today.


    And right at this moment, other changes took place in the field.


    It was Yang Zhong who stood up in anger and wanted to teach Xue Tingxiang a lesson, but was stopped by Mr. Xue, Xue Qinghuai and Xue Qingbai.


    "Well, you little bastard, you have learned to swear before your hair grows."


    "A gentleman does not mirror water, but mirrors people. Mirroring water, the appearance of meeting, mirroring people, you can know good and bad, but if you want to come to your relatives and grandpas, you don''t understand this sentence."


    Xue Tingxiang had a smile on his face, obviously there was nothing wrong with that smile, even a bit shy, and his words were gentle and polite, but it made people taste a bit ironic.


    "I know if I understand you or not, I know you are swearing, I must teach you a lesson today!" Yang Zhong struggled to raise his hand, and at this moment, a violent shout sounded in vain.


    "Father-in-law!"


    It was Mr. Xue who spoke.


    "My father-in-law, I respect your in-laws, but this is my Xue family!"


    Mr. Xue''s complexion was very ugly. He had been tolerant just now because of the other party''s identity, but Xue Tingxiang was right. There was a whole family sitting in the room, all of whom were surnamed Xue. There was absolutely no reason for someone surnamed Yang to teach others a lesson. .


    No matter how much the family makes trouble, it is wrong for outsiders to intervene.


    There was silence in the room, only the sound of Yang Zhong panting heavily.


    The sound of a stool falling to the ground sounded, and it was Xue Qingshan who stood up.


    At this time, Yang Shi, who had been hiding in the house, also ran out, and said angrily and anxiously: "Father, what are you doing! Why did you drink some wine and start to make trouble."


    She explained to the dark-faced old man Xue: "Father, don''t blame me, my father is like this, when he starts to drink. Oh, father, what do you think you are making a fuss about?" Then she complained to Xue Qingshan: " Juncai''s father, and you too, why don''t you stop him from making trouble like this."


    Yang Zhongdao: "I''m making trouble, what''s wrong with me?! Xue Lianxing, don''t forget what you promised me back then. Juncai is your eldest grandson, so you plan to let it go?"


    "Father, stop talking, I''ll help you down to rest."


    The Dafang couple, one on the left and the other on the right, helped Yang Zhong out, and Yang Zhong seemed to be really drunk, shouting that you should really let go, and stumbled and was helped out by the couple.


    *


    Because of this commotion, the Xue family was extremely quiet afterwards.


    Mrs. Zhou originally asked Zhao''er and the two of them to eat, but they said they had eaten, so they went back to the house.


    A table of food and wine, only half eaten, old man Xue sat there alone, eating food and drinking wine, no one dared to disturb.


    Mrs. Zhao hid in the back room, don''t look at her usually yelling at Mr. Xue, but when Mr. Xue really got angry, she didn''t dare to make trouble.


    Xue Qinghuai walked to the table and sat down, saying: "Father, it''s getting late, let''s rest early."


    Mr. Xue nodded, but when he put down his chopsticks, he sighed again.


    Xue Qinghuai couldn''t help but persuaded: "Father, don''t think too much."


    "Look at the eldest couple. Why don''t you remember your kindness? The second has only been dead for a few years. Even if the child is not sensible, there is no need to do so."


    Xue Qinghuai understood what the old man meant, but he couldn''t answer these words well, so he could only say awkwardly: "Maybe the eldest brother and sister-in-law don''t know that the in-laws guild will make such a fuss."


    Mr. Xue snorted, but did not speak.


    "But Gouzi didn''t suffer, you see he was mad at sister-in-law."


    Hearing this, Mr. Xue couldn''t help but twitch his eyebrows and eyes: "I followed the second child."


    Xue Qingsong has this kind of temperament, usually taciturn, but don''t push him into a hurry, he can surprise everyone.


    "This big family has been living in harmony and beauty, but it''s getting more and more difficult." Mr. Xue sighed, probably because he drank some wine, and his emotions were particularly leaking.


    Xue Qinghuai didn''t respond.


    After a long time, Mr. Xue sighed: "Let your wife clean up this table, and you should go and rest earlier."


    "Hey, I''ll let her clean it up."


    Having said this, Zhao''er was taken aback for a moment, and Xue Tingxiang remembered that he would never speak like this in normal times.


    He smiled and said, "It''s okay, you''re still afraid that I won''t succeed if he eats it."


    "Can¡­¡­"


    At this time, Xue Tingxiang had already passed her to the main room, so she could only follow in a hurry.


    *


    Here in the main room, as expected, the wine is in full swing.


    Yang Zhong''s white and chubby face was flushed from drinking, and he looked like he was slightly drunk. Mr. Xue''s dark red face glowed red under the light. Xue Qingshan also sat on the side, along with Xue Juncai, Xue Qingbai and Xue Qinghuai.


    Women are not at the table.


    Seeing Xue Tingxiang walking in, Yang Zhong said: "Our little talent is here, come and let me see."


    He waved his hands, not treating himself as an outsider at all, and when Xue Tingxiang approached, he opened a pair of drunken eyes and looked up and down: "I don''t see anything changed, how did you become so promising?"


    As soon as these words were sarcasm, the court immediately fell silent.


    Xue Qingshan focused on eating vegetables between his sandwiches, as if he didn''t hear him. Xue Juncai seemed to be sitting upright, but in fact he was looking at this place intentionally or unintentionally.


    The rest of the Xue family were a little embarrassed, especially Mr. Xue, his face was a little stiff, but he hesitated to speak.


    Zhao''er was about to attack, when Xue Qinghuai suddenly stood up, smiled and picked up the wine bowl: "My father-in-law, I respect you for a bowl, this wine is brewed by my father himself, and most people can''t drink it when they come here. Don''t look at your old man When I came, I quickly dug a jar and said to drink a few more bowls with you."


    Yang Zhong looked at Xue Qinghuai with a smile, and without hesitation, he picked up the wine bowl and drank it down in one gulp, and ate a few mouthfuls of food. Taking advantage of the situation, Xue Qinghuai hurriedly winked at Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang, telling them to leave quickly.


    Xue Tingxiang smirked slightly, and planned to take Zhao''er away, and listened to Yang Zhong before he even took a step.


    "What''s the matter? Why is the elder leaving before he finished talking? Although I am not your own grandfather, I am also your own grandfather. Is this old man not paying attention to me, or what?"


    The hat was buttoned too big, Zhao''er was about to say something, Xue Tingxiang gave her a hand.


    He took two steps forward, pretending to be listening respectfully: "Since my in-laws and grandpas have taught me, I will just listen to you." After a pause, he continued: "It''s just that my in-laws and grandpas are also scholars, so I think they know how to be rude. reason"


    "According to what you little brat thinks, as an elder, I can''t say that you are a junior?"


    The smell of alcohol came straight to Xue Tingxiang''s face, and there was also a strange smell of various vegetables mixed in it.


    Xue Tingxiang did not evade, and nodded calmly: "Naturally."


    "Hey! Look! It''s really different."


    Yang Zhong tapped Xue Tingxiang a few times with his finger, and looked at the rest of Xue''s family with a smirk, and the villain first complained: "In-law, is this your family''s tutor?"


    It was obvious that Yang Zhong was here to make trouble, and of course it was for Xue Juncai. When he came back from Lizheng''s house before, Mr. Xue guessed that the big room would definitely make a fuss, but he didn''t expect that the fuss should be here.


    In fact, as the son and daughter-in-law, how could the married couple blatantly quarrel with Mr. Xue? After all, they swore before that whoever wins will go, and whoever loses should not complain. And Yang Zhong, as Xue Juncai''s grandfather, couldn''t be more appropriate to stand in for him. If it works, it''s good, if it doesn''t, it won''t hurt the relationship between father and son.


    "relatives by marriage¡­¡­"


    Mr. Xue was about to speak, but was interrupted by Xue Tingxiang''s voice.


    "Although my parents are both deceased, there are my grandfather, uncles, and other elders of the Xue family. Even if there is something wrong, it is not up to people of other surnames to point fingers here. Although my grandfather and my family are connected I want to kiss you, but I definitely didn''t go to the Xue family''s table, eat the Xue family''s food, and scold the Xue family for their reasons."


    Because there are guests, candles are rarely lit in the house, which illuminates the room brightly.

 Chapter 127

    "How can it be done on February 8th? I will definitely use your car when the time comes. Your Daqing mule is not considered a laborer? Daqing, look, brother Jiang Wu said that you are not considered a laborer, and even your rations will be deducted."


    The mule named Daqing shook its head and snorted, which seemed to mean that if he dared to deduct my rations, I would slow down and let him carry it by himself.


    Zhao''er laughed loudly, pointed at Daqing and said, "Look, even Daqing protested."


    Jiang Wu looked sideways at the girl who was smiling wantonly, with a strange gleam in her eyes. Fortunately, Daqing knew the way and was docile, otherwise the three people in the car would have been taken into the ditch beside the road.


    Seeing this scene, Xue Tingxiang''s face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.


    He was both annoyed and angry, and he actually forgot about Jiang Wu.


    In that dream, Jiang Wu has been coveting Zhao''er.


    Jiang Wu is two years older than Zhao''er, but he has never married. If Zhao''er hadn''t been his child bride-in-law, the Jiang family would have come to propose marriage a long time ago.


    Even so, Jiang Wu never gave up, and once even approached him and told him that he wanted to marry Zhao''er, telling him not to be so selfish and letting Zhao''er go free. She also said that she and Zhao''er would support him to study together and treat him like a younger brother, that''s how he knew about it.


    Shocked and annoyed, he also remembered Zhao''er''s reluctance to marry him. He mistakenly thought that Zhao''er had an affair with Jiang Wu, so he borrowed his parents'' orders to forcefully marry her. Later, by chance, Only then did he realize that he had wronged her.


    This matter has always been a scar between the two, even though it was never mentioned again, there is a gap between them. Afterwards, he was busy starting his career, while Zhao''er was busy running business. The two met only once in a long time, and even when they met, they seldom talked again until he went to Beijing to rush for the exam after winning the exam.


    The he in the dream once thought after Zhao''er died, if he hadn''t been so despicable back then and forced Zhao''er by his parents'' orders, Zhao''er wouldn''t have died.


    But this kind of thought is like a superficial thought, it just passed by in a flash. At this time, thinking about it, he is probably despicable in his bones. Even if he is not the Xue Tingxiang in his dream, he never thought of letting him go.


    She was supposed to be his, and when he still half understood, someone would always point to her and say, this is his future wife, isn''t it?


    "Brother Jiang Wu, you''d better look at some roads, this road is uneven, don''t lead us all into a ditch."


    Xue Tingxiang''s voice successfully interrupted the chatting and laughing of Jiang Wu and Zhao''er, as if a very ignorant person suddenly appeared, making the already warm atmosphere suddenly cool down.


    Zhao''er laughed dryly: "Look at me, I was so focused on talking to you about the business that I forgot that you were still driving the car. Fortunately, Daqing is smart, otherwise I would have fallen."


    Da Qing called out, looking very complacent.


    Jiang Wu looked back subconsciously, just in time to meet the young man''s dark eyes. Those eyes made him inexplicably guilty, but soon he regained his confidence.


    He knew that the dogs of the Xue family didn''t like to recruit children, and he also knew that the second bedroom couple of the Xue family originally recruited children as daughters, not child brides. The child bride-in-law was only passed on from the villagers to the villagers, and it became true because of the entrustment of the second wife of the Xue family at the end of their lives.


    Not only that, but he also knew that Zhao''er only regarded the other party as a younger brother, and had no intention of marrying the other party.


    The young man was undoubtedly thin and thin, although he was handsome, there was still a bit of childishness on his face. Such a young man made the strong and powerful Jiang Wu inexplicably feel condescending. He smiled heartily and said indifferently: "Don''t be afraid, you dog, Brother Jiang Wu drives the car every day, and you can walk back with your eyes closed."


    Xue Tingxiang did not speak, but lowered his head with the corners of his lips pursed.


    Seeing this, Zhao''er immediately understood whether the title Gouzi made the little man feel uncomfortable again. But facing Jiang Wu, she couldn''t show a cold face, she could only smile and say: "Brother Jiang Wu, let me tell you that the dog has a name, it''s called Tingxiang, Xue Tingxiang."


    "It''s an elegant name."


    "Yeah, so don''t call me Gouzi Gouzi in the future, it''s weird."


    While speaking, the car had arrived at Yuqing Village.


    Jiang Wu inertially circled to the end of the village before stopping, Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang got out of the car.


    "When will the business be done? Tell me a time, and I will pick you up when the time comes."


    "Aren''t you going to be busy in the town tomorrow, and those clothes have to be tidied up. When I''m ready, I''ll go to your house and give you a letter."


    Zhao''er also thought that two days later would be the day when Xue Tingxiang and Xue Juncai competed, and she would not be in the mood to do business until this matter was over.


    "OK."


    *


    Now that the matter was settled, they said goodbye to each other.


    Jiang Wu drove the car home, while Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang went home together.


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t say anything along the way, but just walked silently.


    Zhao''er glanced at him: "What''s the matter? You seem a little unhappy. Did Brother Jiang Wu call you angry just now? He didn''t know you were famous. I told him that he would never That''s what it''s called."


    He suppressed the jealousy in his heart, and said in a muffled voice, "Why do you know him so well?"


    "Brother Jiang Wu, we''ve known each other since we were young. You forgot that Heizi was brought back by his dog after he gave birth to a cub. Brother Jiang Wu is a very nice person and has helped me a lot."


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t speak, but stopped.


    Zhao''er walked forward for a while, only to realize that he hadn''t followed.


    She came back in a few steps, and asked suspiciously: "What''s wrong with you, why are you so weird?"


    He held his breath: "Don''t forget, you are a man."


    Zhao''er was taken aback for a moment, then looked at him and laughed. But he just smiled and didn''t speak, which made Xue Tingxiang angry and annoyed.


    Don''t think about it, she must have thought of something good.


    Seeing his fair face flushed with anger, Zhao''er hurriedly said: "Okay, don''t be angry, I know I have a man."


    There was a teasing taste in her voice, knowing that she was coaxing him, his heart still jumped several times.


    With the experience in the dream, Xue Tingxiang knew that this was not the time to be awkward, besides, there was Jiang Wu watching over him, so he didn''t want to repeat the experience in the dream again.


    He couldn''t help but reiterated: "I''m also doing it for your own good, lest people in the village see and make irresponsible remarks." He didn''t dare to look at her, but stared at the ground beside him, with some confidence in his heart. Distracted.


    Seeing him confessing himself like an adult, with a fair face and a slightly childish face, I don''t know how to trick him and want to rub his head.


    She did the same, and said at the same time: "Well, well, you are right, I will listen to you."


    He suddenly became more angry, and a sense of powerlessness and discouragement came to his heart.


    Why does she always treat herself like a child!


    *


    Early the next morning, Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang went out.


    When I arrived, Dongliju had just opened, Xue Tingxiang went to the clean room yesterday to continue copying books, but Zhao''er went to the yard behind the shop.


    She discussed with Boss Chen and borrowed this place to pack her clothes. Zhao''er had seen those clothes before, they were all old clothes, since she wanted to make money, she couldn''t afford to sell them poorly, so she came here today mainly to do this job.


    She borrowed the bamboo mat used for drying books from the shop, poured out the big bag of clothes, first sorted them into men''s and women''s styles, and then divided them into several piles according to texture and thickness, and then began to check the clothes one by one for damage. The place.


    If there was a hole somewhere, she would sew it up with the needle and thread she brought. Zhao''er''s needlework is pretty good, but she can''t do embroidery or something, and she''s fine with sewing and making clothes.


    She managed to clean up a pile, and seeing that the sun was shining outside, she went to fetch water from the well in the courtyard. There is a pulley in the well, so it is very convenient to fetch water. Zhao''er fetched a basin of water, soaked the clothes in the big wooden basin, wiped the soap locust water and scrubbed it.


    After washing and rinsing, the rice soup in the kitchen is also ready.


    Although Boss Chen and the others don''t cook in the shop, they always need a place to boil water for tea and so on, so the shop also turned on the fire, and Zhao''er borrowed the stove to cook a big pot of rice soup.


    She brought out the boiled rice soup, poured it into the wooden basin, and added some water into it, it is most suitable if it is slightly hot. Fang poured all the washed clothes into it and kept stirring with a stick.


    Stir well, put half a cup of tea, pick up the clothes from the wooden basin, fetch water and rinse again.


    This is the so-called starched clothes. The clothes that have been washed are sticky and sticky. As long as they don''t fade, they look like new ones. Some people who are fastidious will iron it with an iron, but since there is no such condition, Zhao''er does not intend to do so.


    During this period, Boss Chen came in. Seeing that Zhao''er was in full swing, he pointed to the various clothes hanging out in the yard and said with a smile, "It''s good for you, you take my place as your own. You make it look like a laundry room."


    Nowadays, there are places like starch washing rooms. Some people don''t want to wash their clothes at home, so they will send their clothes to the starch washing room for washing. Inexpensive and saves time and effort.


    Knowing that Boss Chen was joking with himself, Zhao''er also joked: "After what Uncle Chen said, it opened my eyes again. When I don''t have any business to do, I will buy a laundry room. When the time comes Uncle Chen will bring you the clothes, and I will wash them for you without charge."


    "You girl, you are really a good businessman." Boss Chen shook his head and laughed, and went back to the front.


    The room where Xue Tingxiang copied the books was in this yard, and the big window happened to be facing the yard, so Zhao''er''s every word and deed could be seen by him.


    Usually he can concentrate on nothing else, but today he is always going to see her intentionally or unintentionally.


    Seeing her tossing around in the yard, seeing her very lively face under the sun, seeing the beads of sweat on her forehead, she had no intention of copying the book at all, and only copied less than two pages in one morning.


    Boss Chen walked in to take a look, and followed his gaze to Zhao''er: "You are lucky to have such a woman at the booth."


    Xue Tingxiang did not speak.


    Boss Chen said again: "By the way, how far have you reached in your studies?"


    "I have finished studying the four books, but I can only read them, but I can''t understand them."


    "It''s okay to be able to read but not understand. Now that you have entered the university, you should start to learn Mingjing. However, in that kind of country school, many teachers themselves have only a half-knowledge, and they can''t teach anything. You can read more when you have nothing to do. Reading books like "Four Books Chapters" and "Zhu Zi Ji Zhu" can''t help you fully understand the scriptures, but they are somewhat helpful. The most important thing is to find a good school with good teachers to guide you. "Boss Chen pointed out.


    After a pause, he said again: "I heard from Zhao''er that he wanted to send you to the Qinghe Academy. Instead of spending a lot of money to go to that kind of place, I suggest that you go to the Qingyuan Academy."


    "Qingyuan Academy?" Xue Tingxiang asked in a daze.


    Boss Chen thought he didn''t know, or was deceived by rumors like those ordinary people, and said: "This Qingyuan Academy is one of the oldest schools in Huyang Township, and it used to be famous throughout Xia County. In our township, half of the people who pass the county examination every year come from the Qingyuan Academy, and there are not a few of them who pass the exam. It¡¯s just that the Qinghe Academy has risen suddenly in the past few years, and it seems to have declined.¡±


    Boss Chen''s voice was low, as if he was sighing infinitely, and suddenly turned high, quite angry: "Everyone in the world values ??fame and fortune, and is easily deceived by false appearances. They don''t know that the Qinghe Academy is using opportunism. The owner Gao Relying on his relationship with County Magistrate Hu, Youzhi became attached to him, and all the money allocated by the imperial court to the county to support local social studies and village studies flowed into the Qinghe Academy, and the two of them made a lot of money and filled their own pockets.

 Chapter 128

    But he has never had such a clear dream, as clear as it is real.


    "Dog, why do you think you are so stubborn? Isn''t my money your money? What do you think I earn money for? Isn''t it just to support your studies and make you feel proud?"


    "Why do you say you are so stubborn! You say you are so stubborn, who are you showing your stubbornness to?!"


    "I know you don''t like me, but I''ve been like this for many years, and I can''t change it! I don''t plan to change it either!"


    "Look at Hong''er, does he look like you?"


    ...


    Xue Tingxiang suddenly felt that someone was shaking him, opened his tired eyes, and saw the dark inner room, Hu San''s face that was no longer young, even the lines on the curtains were so familiar, he knew He was just dreaming.


    It''s just that the dream was too clear, the sorghum fragrance in the air, and the curve of her stubbornly pursed lips made him feel like he was actually there. There were also her tears from being angry, which were crystal clear and shone with colorful light. He wanted to reach out to touch it, but was woken up by someone.


    "My lord, it''s time to drink the medicine."


    Xue Tingxiang was propped up and given medicine. He was dying of illness, and he had to be served by someone even to drink medicine. How could he look like Xue Shoufu, an extremely human minister who had ruled the court for decades.


    Oh no, he is not the chief assistant now.


    He has already written a letter to beg for the bones, intending to return to his hometown for the elderly, and the Holy Majesty has already agreed, but he has no home to return to, no relatives to rely on.


    In fact, he didn''t intend to go back.


    "Master Zhang, Mr. Wang, and Mr. Li and Mr. Cao all came to visit you, but they obeyed your orders and blocked the door. They come every day, and they are here again today. Would you like to see me?"


    What can they do? Didn''t they think that his illness was an expedient measure, waiting for him to stand up and continue to lead them to fight against the emperor, but he was really ill, terminally ill, and the medicine was useless.


    "not see."


    "My lord, please sleep a little longer."


    The room became quiet again, Xue Tingxiang''s eyelids began to get heavy again, he blinked again and again, and fell into sleep again.


    ...


    "How come Mr. Wang is free to visit this old man?"


    Wang Mingcheng''s eyes were a bit complicated, but he smiled on his face: "After all, I am a minister of the same court, and I should come to visit Mr. Shoufu because of emotion and reason."


    "I didn''t expect you, Wang Mingcheng, to say such hypocritical things, but to see if the old man is dying on behalf of the emperor?" Xue Tingxiang sarcastically said.


    He is obviously a haggard old man who is obviously dying, but just because of his calm, indifferent eyes that seem somewhat unpredictable, people dare not ignore him in the slightest.


    After all, this is Xue Shoufu, and the name alone is enough to intimidate everyone. That was Xue Tingxiang''s deep-rooted roots left by him after going through three dynasties and dozens of years, just like a towering ancient tree with intertwined roots, without him doing anything, just standing there is enough to make everyone daunting.


    If not, why would the new emperor have to exhaust all means, but still dare not act rashly, only dare to take that roundabout strategy.


    "It seems that my lord has misunderstood His Majesty a lot."


    Xue Tingxiang snorted and laughed, half closed his eyes, did not speak, and looked obviously too lazy to talk to him.


    "Actually, I''m here for myself. I just came to see how lonely and miserable the villain who abandoned his wife and son was now. I''m afraid Mr. Xue is dead now, and even a descendant in mourning None, in fact, Mr. Xue is too hard to see, it is just a show, just listen to it and watch it, how can you take the fake show as real and make yourself like this? Is it because of a disturbed conscience or fear? His true face is known by the world, he is reviled by others, and he will be stigmatized for thousands of years?"


    "you¡­¡­"


    "To say that you abandoned your wife and son is too much to save your face. It should be killing your wife and son, isn''t it, Mr. Xue?"


    No one knows about all this. The world only knows that Xue Shoufu had a first wife before Mrs. Xue, but they don''t know what happened to that first wife. After all, the time is too long, Xue Tingxiang has stood in the court hall for dozens of years, and his former, former and current opponents have all been trampled under his feet.


    People in the world only know that Mr. Shoufu is friendly and respectful to the corporals, but they don''t know that Mr. Shoufu also has a vicious side. In recent years, anyone who wanted to make a fuss about his past events all became lonely ghosts. No one knows how many ghosts have been added to it, and the only one who can know is Wang Mingsheng, the "bitter master".


    "You, you are..."


    Wang Mingcheng leaned closer to his face: "It''s a pity that my mother''s life is so bad, and so is my life. The sinking ship didn''t kill us, but was saved by others. Do you know that for so many years, day and night, I I want to see this scene every night. It''s a pity that your life is too long, and the power is in the hands of the people. I can only climb up step by step, to the position where I can step on you..."


    "You are... Hong''er..." Xue Tingxiang struggled to say this.


    Wang Mingsheng stood up straight and smiled heartily: "My name is not Hong''er, nor is my surname Xue, but my surname is Wang. My mother remarried, to the person who saved us...don''t get excited, even if You are dead now, and I am not your son..."


    Wang Mingsheng has always been known for being calm and introverted, hiding his secrets, and it was probably the first time he laughed so freely in front of people.


    "By the way, you don''t have to think that even if my official surname is Wang, I can still pass on the family lineage to your Xue family. Let me think about it. Yao Ji released the rumor that my official is as good as Long Yang back then, as if you ordered someone to do it. You really hit the mark, I don¡¯t like women, that¡¯s why I haven¡¯t married for many years..."


    He smiled and looked at the old man on the bed, seeing how shocked, disappointed and remorseful he was.


    But so what?


    He suddenly found that he was not as happy as he had imagined, and even this smile seemed too fake. He suddenly lost interest, flattened the corners of his mouth, brushed off his sleeves, and said, "Since Mr. Xue is fine, I will take my leave."


    ...


    "I didn''t, I didn''t..."


    "My lord, what are you talking about?"


    Hearing this voice, the fog in front of Xue Tingxiang suddenly dissipated, and he woke up suddenly from his dream. In front of the eyes is this dark inner room again, Hu San''s unattractive or even ugly face, the air is filled with a bitter smell of medicine, and there seems to be a decadent smell floating gently.


    Xue Tingxiang moved his lips, but no sound came out.


    "My lord, what did you say?"


    Hu San was very anxious, and kept asking, but Xue Tingxiang couldn''t speak at all. Hu San could only ask based on his own guess: "Are you thinking about the past? Don''t worry, your words have been passed on to Mr. Zhang , he already knows that Lord Wang is your only son, and will follow your instructions."


    Xue Tingxiang blinked his eyelids. Hu San thought he still had something to say, so he put his ear next to his mouth, but only heard one sentence: "I didn''t..."


    After that there is no text.


    When Hu San anxiously looked up, he saw Xue Tingxiang''s wide-open eyes and gray-blue face.


    He moved forward to touch the other person''s breath with shaking hands, but was so startled that he sat down on the ground.


    *


    The cold wind came in through the holed window paper, blowing Xue Gouzi''s face coldly.


    Shocked, he opened his eyes.


    What imprinted in my eyes was a small room with blue brick walls and black tile roof. The walls were plastered with white ash, but it looked gray. The beams of the house are log-colored, and because there is no dust, they are bare/exposed. There are several bamboo baskets hanging on them. There seems to be something in the baskets, and they are covered with blue cloth.


    He was lying on a kang with a half-new quilt covering his body. The quilt looked clean and tidy, but in fact the cotton wadding inside had hardened.


    Facing his kang feet, there is a row of dark brown kang cabinets, with brass bare nails inlaid with hinged leaves and copper tassel handles, and simple patterns of auspicious clouds and flowing water carved on them, which look thick and generous. . Although it is nothing in a rich family, it is already a piece of furniture that can be sold in a peasant family.


    There is no problem passing it down for generations!


    This is what his father said back then, and his father was the best carpenter in the village.


    Xue Gouzi felt his head hurt, as if he had been hit hard with a hoe. He wanted to support himself to sit up, but he was exhausted and fell back onto the kang again.


    It was only then that he realized that he was Xue Gouzi, the eldest son of the second room of the Xue family. Because of something that happened, he couldn''t think about it for a while, and he was so angry that he became ill for a while, and he had been sick for many days.


    He is not Xue Tingxiang, that Xue Tingxiang is the person in his dream.


    How could he be like that?


    In order to prove that all that was just a dream, he raised his hand to look at it.


    really! The hand in front of him was slender and fair, and he hadn''t developed the muscles and bones that a man should have. He was only fourteen this year, how could he live to be over seventy years old, and die in the end.


    Xue Gouzi let out a heavy breath, looked around again, and finally felt more at ease.


    Someone was talking outside, and the voice came in through the cracks in the window.


    "I''m talking about recruiting, it''s not my aunt talking about you, look at what you are now, a girl who stays at home all day, and learns from those small traders to do business. That business is what you can do. Did it? Look at your fourth uncle, you can¡¯t save a lot of money by running around outside every day, so don¡¯t worry about it, and if you have that little time, you can help fourth aunt with some work!¡±


    The voice sounded like a young woman, but the sarcasm in the words was too strong. It is said that appearance is born from the heart, and it is no wonder that Mrs. Sun has a mean face.


    This thought flashed subconsciously in Xue Gouzi''s mind, and then he was stunned. It''s true that he hated Fourth Aunt, but why would he miss her so much?


    Before he could figure out why, he heard the voice in his dream.


    "Fourth aunt, I would like to help you with some work, but you also know that the dog has been ill for a few days, and the family gave a few pennies for the medicine at first, but after taking it for half a month, grandma said that the family The money is not in hand, so I stopped the medicine. Gouzi is my man, I can''t just watch him be so sick, it''s not impossible for the fourth aunt to want me to help with the work, or you can lend me some money to buy medicine, I Can I pay you back slowly in the future?"


    The owner of the voice was a young girl, and the tone revealed a capable and crisp taste, mixed with a bit of teasing.


    That''s right, Zhao''er deliberately ran on the Sun family.


    Mrs. Sun has always had a temperament of only getting in and out, and it is more difficult to ask her to give out a penny, let alone lending it to the two half-children of the second room.


    Now there are only these two people left in the second room, the top door is only fourteen, but there is an older one, only sixteen, and it is still a girl''s family. Every time Mrs. Sun heard the rumors from the villagers that Zhao''er, a dead girl, had made some money by doing some business, she would be full of disbelief.


    What kind of business can this dead girl do to make money, but she digs three melons and two dates from the wild, and takes them out to trick the people in the city into exchanging a few pennies.


    "Your fourth aunt has no money to lend you. Our family''s money is all in mother''s place. You don''t care about mother''s going!" Sun patted her buttocks, stood up and went into the house, too lazy to talk nonsense with Zhao''er.


    "Since the fourth aunt has no money to lend me, and I don''t dare to take care of grandma, I can only figure out where to get some money to get some medicine for the dog!"


    Zhao''er''s voice was very loud, so naturally she was speaking not only to Mrs. Sun, but also to Mrs. Zhao who was sitting in the main room.


    Sure enough, Zhao''er entered the house with his front foot, and Mrs. Zhao stood at the door behind him and scolded Mrs. Sun: "You haven''t cleaned the pigsty, so you''re going back to the house to hold a corpse?"


    Zhao''er curled her lips, lifted the door curtain and walked in, bumping head-on into Xue Gouzi''s eyes looking at her.


    Chickens clucked and clucked outside, but it was Mrs. Sun who slaughtered the chicken and made it run away.


    Xue Tingxiang looked out the window, and saw that the chicken''s neck was still bleeding, but it was flying around the yard, and Mrs. Sun followed behind chasing after him in a panic.


    Seeing that she was really in a bad shape, Mrs. Zhao came out of the room and said a few words. Mrs. Sun was even more anxious, and knew that she was really ashamed in front of the patriarch, but the chicken had wings, but she didn''t. It was only when the chicken lost its strength that Mrs. Sun grabbed it and cursed, "Run, run, it''s destined to be a dish in the pot. Where are you going?"


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t look any further, and looked back.


    He knew why his uncle was so generous, and proposed to let him compete with Xue Juncai, because if there were no accidents, Xue Juncai would definitely win this match.


    In that dream, he had suffered such a loss, but it was not compared with Xue Juncai, but Zhao''er worked so hard to get money and sent him to Qinghe Academy. At that time, he was so stupid that he always blamed his own failure on the harshness of fate, thinking that it was not that he could not do it, but that everyone did not give him a chance.


    When he first entered the Qinghe Academy, he was full of ambition. He thought that he would definitely surpass Xue Juncai and prove that he was the most outstanding person in the Xue family, but the reality slapped him hard in the face. It was also at that time that he, who had never seen the world, understood the sinister intentions of his uncle. He did teach him to read, and he did ''read'' a lot of books, but he just read and didn''t understand the meaning of the scriptures.


    It was later learned that after schoolchildren learn to read, they use reading scriptures as the basis.


    First learn "Three Character Classic", "Hundred Surnames", "Thousand Characters", and then "Thousand Family Poems", "Children''s Learning Qionglin", "Longwenbianying", etc. After reading these, you can enter university and start Study and read the Four Books and Five Classics, etc.


    But at this stage, the teacher does not explain the meaning of the scriptures, that is to say, he just memorizes them by rote, clarifying the meaning of the words but not the meaning of the scriptures. Because people nowadays are used to thinking that children are just learning, it doesn¡¯t matter whether they understand it or not, as long as they remember it, and when they read a lot or for a long time, they will understand what it means.

 Chapter 129

    See Xue Gouzi come back to his senses and look at the face in front of him that has been entangled in his dreams for many years.


    "You''re right, I won''t think about it anymore." He paused, and then said, "I just want to say one thing, can you stop calling me a dog?"


    Zhao''er was puzzled and said, "But I didn''t call you that all the time. If you don''t call me a dog, what would you call it?"


    Xue Gouzi pondered for a moment, "Call me Ting Xiang."


    "Tingxiang? This is your own name? Gou''er, why did you give yourself such a name?" Immediately she understood, remembering that the talented boy in Dafang always carried his own name because of his young age. People laugh at Gou''er and Heizi for having the same name.


    A look of distress flashed in her eyes, and she nodded repeatedly: "Gou''er, no, Ting''er is a different scholar, and the name is so nice. From now on, my sister won''t call you Gou''er, and I won''t let outsiders call you that. It''s called Tingxiang." Anyway, in her heart, whatever the dog says is good,


    Xue Gouzi, no, he should be called Xue Tingxiang now, and he feels a little depressed. He is only less than two years younger than Zhao''er, but he is a deep ravine that he will not be able to cross in his entire life. Having said that, he said again: "Also, can you stop calling yourself sister to me in the future?"


    This time, Zhao''er was even more surprised, and even reached out to touch his forehead: "Ting''er, what''s wrong with you? Did you have some evil? You didn''t call me sister since you were a child."


    Xue Tingxiang took a deep breath and smiled: "But you are not my sister, you will be my wife in the future, how can a man call his wife a sister."


    He was originally pale, half leaning on the quilt at the top of the kang, suddenly smiled like this, his brows and eyes were clear and handsome, which gave people a feeling that they dare not look directly at him.


    Zhao''er''s face turned red all of a sudden, and he couldn''t make sense of what he said: "Dog, you, what are you talking about, I, I..."


    "Don''t you want to be my daughter-in-law and have a baby for me?" He moved closer.


    She stood up abruptly, and reprimanded: "You little kid, why are you talking about this? Your hair hasn''t grown fully yet!" She said a foul language that Xue Tingxiang didn''t like to hear the most, and she didn''t realize it: "You want to The thing to do is to take care of your body, as for these things, we will talk about them later!"


    Her eyes were fierce, and her tone was also fierce. After she finished speaking, she lowered her head and scooped rice from the bowl to Xue Tingshan''s mouth. He glanced at her, ate honestly, and suddenly became in a good mood.


    Maybe the two of them can change the way they get along in the future, and change it if they don''t like it, there is no need to wait for her to understand.


    *


    Zhao''er threw away the mess, turned around and went back to the house, leaving the whole family to finish their lunch in a depressing atmosphere.


    During this period, Sun had nothing to say to her, but no one paid any attention to her.


    Yang couldn''t eat, if it wasn''t for her parents-in-law, if she didn''t want to embarrass herself in front of the two younger siblings, she would have thrown her chopsticks and left. But now he can only suppress the aggrieved stomach, and eat the food in front of him like chewing wax.


    After dinner, Mrs. Sun took Mao Dan away, knowing that her son got into trouble today, and she was afraid that she would be angered later. Mrs. Zhou took Xue Taoer to clean up the table, and took the dishes and chopsticks to the kitchen to wash. Xue Qingbai helped her, Zhou could not carry such a pot of dishes by himself, usually when Xue Qingbai was not at home, she and her daughter could only carry them.


    Only Dafang, mother and son were left in the room, along with Mr. Xue and Mrs. Zhao.


    Yang stood up and wanted to go back to the East Chamber, but was stopped by Mr. Xue.


    Mr. Xue took out his dry pipe, took out some shredded tobacco grown by himself from the dark blue tobacco pouch, rolled it into a ball, pressed it into the tobacco pot, and then lit it with a torch.


    His movements are very slow, neither fast nor slow. Anyone who is familiar with Mr. Xue''s character knows that he has something on his mind.


    It''s true that there is something wrong, and if it''s not something, he won''t call his daughter-in-law to stop.


    "The handsome boy and the talented boy go back to the house first. Grandpa has something to say to your mother."


    Xue Youcai glanced at his mother and wanted to say something, but was dragged away by his elder brother Xue Juncai.


    "Father, just tell me if you have anything to say."


    Mrs. Yang is thirty-four this year. In the countryside, a woman in her thirties is no longer considered young. Here, the wind blows and the sun shines and eats, so the women look old.


    But Yang''s maintenance is very good, her face is like a disc, her skin is fair, and there are a few fine lines at the corners of her eyes. She was wearing a worn-out stone blue satin gown with make-up, her shiny black hair was pulled into a bun behind her head, a gilt hairpin was inserted into it, and a pair of old silver earrings were on her ears. It can''t be called onion tip, but it is also white and soft, wearing a gold ring.


    It is not an exaggeration to say that she is the grandma of the landlord''s family in this dress and bearing, even the Zhao family is not as good as her.


    With his old eyes, Mr. Xue moved Yang back and forth a few times, making her stand uneasy.


    Just as I was about to say something, my father-in-law said suddenly: "Boss daughter-in-law, how long have you been married to our family?"


    Yang was startled, and replied: "Seventeen years, my daughter-in-law married into the Xue family in the seventeenth year."


    "Then how will your mother and I treat you?"


    Yang''s heart skipped a beat: "Father and mother treat their daughter-in-law like their own daughters."


    Mr. Xue nodded, took a puff of the dry cigarette, and the light blue smoke began to linger on his old face again, making it difficult to see the expression on his face clearly.


    "You are the eldest daughter-in-law of our family, and your mother has always loved you. You and the boss have the same heart as your mother and I. I only wish that you can become a talent."


    Yang''s heart relaxed, and she couldn''t help laughing: "Juncai is serious about his studies, even my father said that he is a rare and good seedling, and it is no problem to be a scholar."


    Speaking of Xue Juncai who is the most proud, even Mr. Xue couldn''t help showing a smile.


    Seeing that the father-in-law''s face softened, Yang took advantage of the situation and said: "It''s just that you know, father, that when it''s time to end, you don''t have to just sit at home and study. Thinking back then, Juncai''s father also listened to my father''s words, I went to Qinghe Academy to study for two years, met some classmates, and registered in front of my husband. I took the opportunity to impress the county magistrate, and I passed the county exam. The ranking of the county exam As long as it is not bad, the government examination is not to say that it is sure, but it is half sure. It''s just that you have to rely on luck when you get to the hospital examination, and Juncai''s father is unlucky, so he will fail repeatedly."


    This is the real reason why Yang Shi is valued by the old couple in the Xue family, not only because her father is a child, but also because her father was kind to Xue Qingshan in the past.


    And Yang''s statement seems absurd, but it is true. The two county examinations are not as strictly controlled as the hospital examination, especially the county examination, which is presided over by the magistrate of the county.


    There are five county exams in total, and the results of the first exam are mainly to be judged. And this time, there are two stereotyped essays and one poem. As long as there are no typos and fluent essays, you can pass them all.


    Compared with people he doesn''t know well at all, the magistrate is still willing to pick people who are somewhat familiar.


    And going to a good school to study is to provide an opportunity to stand out in front of the county magistrate. Dachang has always attached great importance to the selection of talents. How many scholars can be produced in this county, and even a son can be a Jinshi, which is considered a political achievement. No matter how fatuous and incompetent the county magistrate, this kind of cutscene must go.


    And being able to enter a good school will not only increase your contacts, but also your vision.


    For example, the county examinations are nothing more than the Four Books and Five Classics and the sacred edicts. How to write and what taboos should not be violated all need guidance. No matter how wonderful your article is, if you violate taboos such as temple taboos, royal names, and holy taboos, you will not take it.


    And in places like the countryside, many private schools are opened by old children for the sake of making a living, and I still want to be a scholar to change my fortune, so how can I teach middle school children in every detail.


    Xue Qingshan himself was like this, that''s why he put all his energy into sending Xue Juncai to Qinghe Academy.


    Yang thought that her father-in-law wanted to tell her about sending Xue Juncai to the school, so she said this. Little did they know that her words really touched Mr. Xue''s mind, but Mr. Xue didn''t intend to tell her these things.


    Mr. Xue took a deep breath of dry cigarettes, and said: "The boss you said has been told to me, and we will talk about this matter later. You are Juncai''s mother, and there is nothing wrong with planning for your son, but you have to know that our family It¡¯s not just Dafang¡¯s family.¡±


    The father-in-law''s tone was a bit meaningful, Yang was startled for a moment, and forced a smile: "Father, of course my daughter-in-law knows that the Xue family is not just ours, but don''t worry, if Juncai''s father and Juncai are promising, they will never forget to be filial to you My mother." Seeing her father-in-law''s complexion was gloomy, she hurriedly added: "There are other people in the family, Juncai always remembers that he can study, thanks to a few uncles and aunts."


    Mr. Xue nodded: "If you understand, you should know that the other three families have been sacrificing for the eldest house. I won''t mention the far ones, just talk about the third and fourth children. The land in the house refers to the third and fourth children Kindly, your father is getting old, and his hands and feet are not as sharp as before. The fourth child has to pick up goods and sell them when he is busy with the house. I don¡¯t know how many pairs of shoes he has to wear out in a year, but all the money he earns is handed over to the public. , I haven¡¯t paid a penny. What is everyone working so hard for? It¡¯s not for our family, but for Dafang.¡±


    Yang''s complexion became forced: "Father, why is this all for our eldest family? Juncai''s father is promising, isn''t it because the Xue family has a good face? Because Juncai''s father was born in Tongsheng, no one in the village would look at us highly, even that The Zheng family, don¡¯t you also give us three points of courtesy to the Xue family. This is for the overall situation, for the future generations of our Xue family..."


    Old Master Xue sighed and interrupted: "Father understands what you said, and so does your mother. But as the saying goes, if the board is not on your body, of course you don''t feel pain. You put yourself in the position of the third and fourth child , What do you think? I have done the most work, and I can¡¯t even put my good words into my mouth, and it¡¯s all in other people¡¯s mouths.¡±


    These words were in line with what Zhao''er said just now, Yang''s face turned red immediately, her round face flushed red.


    "Father, why did you call this into my mouth, I..."


    Mr. Xue ignored her, and went to scold Mrs. Zhao again: "There is also you, who is biased in front of people. You just continue to do it, so that the third and fourth are chilled, and they make a fuss about separating from the family. You go there Planted for the boss and talented people to take the imperial examination!"


    At the end, his tone was full of sighs of hatred for iron.


    Mrs. Zhao didn''t want to listen to this anymore, and muttered: "What do you mean I am biased? Why am I biased? Didn''t I think that the boss and Juncai want to study, and studying is a waste of brain, so I should give them more supplements. Don''t those who are good? It fell into my mouth."


    The more she spoke, the angrier she became, and she couldn''t help cursing: "Separate the family, don''t they want to turn the world upside down, if the parents don''t separate, even if I can spare them, the ancestors'' family law can''t forgive them."


    Old Master Xue smiled wryly. If it wasn''t for these two old things and the family law of the ancestors, the family would not be like this a long time ago.


    He shifted his gaze to Mrs. Yang: "You also understand the situation at home. Can your mother and I manage it for a while, or for a lifetime? Since you want to send Juncai to study in the school in the town, you should win over the third and fourth bedroom. "


    "Father, I..."


    "In the past, your mother doted on you. I never said it. You can tell which is right and which is wrong. But from tomorrow onwards, you and the third and fourth families will share the work at home. "


    After Mr. Xue finished speaking, he stopped talking and just smoked his own cigarette with a sullen head. Yang couldn''t stand here either, and hurried out of the main room with her head down.

 Chapter 130

    Zhao''er took the cloth towel, went back to the edge of the Kang, took off the cloth towel on his head and wiped his hair.


    Her hair was black and dense, and was waist-length. She brushed her long hair to the side of her neck, and sat on the edge of the Kang with her head slightly tilted, letting her long hair hang down, and combing it with a comb.


    The girl was wearing a lilac-colored floral jacket and maroon wide-leg pants. She had to straighten her back and tilt her neck so that the water from her wet hair wouldn''t wet her clothes. These were all subconscious movements, but in Xue Tingxiang''s eyes, his heartbeat accelerated inexplicably, and he felt a sense of tension in his blood.


    Without him, it is because of this posture that the girl''s figure is vividly displayed. High/chest/upturned/hips, slender waist, Xue Tingxiang has never seen such a scene before, a very strange feeling of dryness climbed up in his body.


    But at the same time, he was familiar with it, and a picture appeared in his mind, which was the time of the two people''s bridal chamber.


    In the dream, he didn''t like her at that time, but he felt that marrying her was a matter of course.


    It was a deep-rooted thought that she should be his wife.


    It''s just that this hidden deepest emotion was covered up by his awkwardness and ignorance, especially when he went to the school to study and let his classmates know that he had a child bride in the country, which caused a lot of ridicule.


    But in fact, he liked her deep down in his heart, so she was tortured badly by him that night in the bridal chamber.


    Originally, he was just ignorant, and she was a newcomer, so he hurt her and also hurt her. But he still thought about the pain, and she cried with tears and snot running down her nose. That was the first time she showed weakness in front of him, and he liked this way of bullying her ever since.


    At that time, he was studying in the academy, and he would only come back once every ten days. Every time he came back, she was so afraid that she would hide. But he had to rely on him and let him do whatever he wanted. He obviously liked it, but pretended not to like it.


    Now that I think about it, he was really an asshole at that time.


    Thinking about these messes in his heart, he suddenly said, "I''ll wipe it for you."


    Zhao''er looked at him sideways in surprise, and subconsciously refused: "I still can''t, I''ll do it myself." After these days of corrections, she has gradually learned not to call herself sister.


    Before her words fell, Xue Tingxiang had already snatched the cloth towel, and pulled her to turn her back, Zhao''er could only freeze there, letting him wipe it.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Tingxiang is still half-headed now, so he can only half-kneel and sit up to wipe her hair. The two were very close, Zhao''er didn''t notice it, but Xue Tingxiang felt his blood was surging.


    Zhao''er''s hair is very black, dense and smooth, like a piece of fine satin. He was clumsy, and Fang began to pull and hurt her several times, until he heard her involuntarily inhaling, he slowed down his movements.


    Feeling that it was a bit difficult for him to reach, Zhao''er was a little distressed, he kept stretching his arms: "If I don''t lie here?"


    As she said that, she went to try it, and it was more convenient for him to lie on the kang, and both of them would not be tired. What she didn''t know was that her posture looked even more seductive from behind, especially for a young man with a fresh blood.


    Xue Tingxiang immediately regretted accepting this matter. It felt like a kind of torture. He needed to work hard to stabilize himself so as not to look randomly.


    "If not, why don''t you sit up?" he asked.


    But got no answer from her.


    When I went to see it, I found that she had fallen asleep.


    The girl seemed very tired and slept soundly. She lay prone on the long-folded quilt, her thick long hair was scattered behind her back and down to her waist. Because the quilt was covering her face, her face was squeezed out of shape, but her pink lips were pouty.


    Zhao''er, who had just taken a bath, still had water vapor on her face. Her plump and delicate cheeks looked young and tender at first glance. Her pink lips had a watery glow, which was attractive to pick.


    Something in his heart was clamoring, and he leaned on him unconsciously. The cheeks of the two were getting closer and closer, so close that he could see and smell the sweet smell.


    Suddenly, she moved, and he quickly backed away, pretending to be nonchalant, muttering in his mouth why he fell asleep, but actually watching her reaction nervously.


    Fortunately, she just moved, and there was no sign of waking up, so he was relieved.


    But the impulse in his heart was gone, he glanced at her several times, reached out and took the thin quilt to cover her, and continued to wipe her wet hair with a cloth towel.


    *


    Yuqing Village was originally a village established by a group of victims who fled during the war in the previous dynasty.


    At first it was not called Yuqing Village, but Zhengjiazhuang. The village is full of people with the surname Zheng, but the number of people is not large, only a dozen or so families. Many years later, there was a famine one year, and the government arranged for a group of people who fled the disaster to settle here. These people are the ancestors of the Xue family.


    There are not many people surnamed Zheng, and there are also many people surnamed Xue. At first, people surnamed Zheng took the lead.


    The Dachang Dynasty implemented the Lilao system, where one hundred households constituted one li, and Jiachang was set up, which is commonly known as Lizheng. There are also several old people, who are commonly known as village elders.


    Within the jurisdiction of Yuqing Village, everything in the village, such as adjudicating civil lawsuits, arbitrating right and wrong, guiding folk customs, persuading farming and mulberry, issuing sentiments, etc., and even urging taxes, military service, etc., are all handled by the local people. Li Zheng and the villagers co-hosted the completion.


    Li Lao''s power can be said to be quite large, and anyone who can be Li Lao is a person of high moral and respect in the local area.


    In fact, this kind of system is equivalent to a local people governing a local people.


    Nowadays there is such a saying that the so-called imperial power does not come down to the county, but only the clan under the county, and the clan is self-governing, self-government depends on ethics, and ethics creates squires, that''s how it is.


    Over the years, the two surnames of Xue and Zheng seem to be harmonious on the surface, but they have been at odds with each other, and what they are fighting for is the right to speak in the village. Although it was because there was a scholar among the people surnamed Xue before, the Xue family changed its previous decline and several village elders appeared in the clan, but the position of Lizheng has always been in the hands of the people surnamed Zheng.


    Now Yuqing Village has one Lizheng and four village elders. Three of these four elders have the surname Xue, that is to say, two pairs of three. But because Zheng Lizheng is here, it is still not an advantage.


    Patriarch Xue is confident that if there is another scholar in the clan, he will be able to completely overwhelm the Zheng family, so when he heard the rumors that had been raging in the village for the past two days, he immediately exploded.


    Mr. Xue was still in the field, so he was called to Patriarch Xue''s house.


    Seeing Patriarch Xue''s face as dark as the bottom of a pot, Old Master Xue was puzzled by Monk Zhang Er: "Brother Haizi, what''s the matter?" In terms of seniority, Patriarch Xue is considered Old Master Xue''s cousin.


    "You still ask me what''s wrong? Don''t you know what''s going on outside recently?"


    Mr. Xue really doesn''t know.


    Seeing this, Patriarch Xue gave a rough account of the matter with a dark face.


    I don''t know when, things about the Xue family have spread outside.


    The source is that someone saw Xue Gouzi, the only son of Xue''s second wife, crying in front of Xue''s second son''s grave.


    The specific content of the cry is untestable, and it is possible for a half-grown boy to express his grievances in this way, which is enough to prove that the child must have been wronged at home. Later, someone familiar with the situation revealed the truth, and everyone knew that the boss of the Xue family planned to send his son to study in the town, but left his nephew alone.


    Few people in the village did not know how the second child of the Xue family died. And when Xue Qingsong was dying, many people in the village were there, so they naturally held Xue Qingshan''s hand and made him promise to treat his son well.


    When he came back from the Xue family, many people discussed it in private, saying that the second son of the Xue family was really miserable, leaving behind a sick wife and a young son.


    Now that such rumors spread, the scene before the death of Xue Lao Er was repeated by people in various ways. Some elderly people shook their heads and sighed, saying that people''s hearts are unpredictable, and it is impossible to entrust their wives and children to anyone. Take care of yourself. You treated him like your big brother and threw your life on him, but he didn''t treat your son as his own son.


    Even Xue Tingxiang''s situation in Xue''s family in the past few years has caused some women to talk about it.


    For example, although the dog from the second room seldom shows up in front of people, he always wears old clothes every time he sees him, while the handsome man from the first room has never seen him in old clothes. Even some things in the private school were told by the ignorant children to the adults. Xue Juncai had everything in his pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and he had the most books in the school. As for Xue Gouzi, he was seen writing on the desk with water on him several times.


    Being eccentric, everyone is eccentric, and no one can say anything about his own son, but Boss Xue also took the life of his own brother on his back. This kind of eccentricity is a bit chilling.


    "You are very old, and the juniors in the family can''t teach well? You are biased towards the elders, but why did you make this matter out of people''s faces? What do you think about this matter now!"


    Mr. Xue was quite old, and his face was flushed with embarrassment, but he also knew that this matter was serious, and his family''s reputation would be ruined if he was not careful.


    It doesn''t matter if you finish your own reputation, but the boss''s reputation can''t be finished. If he gets the name of the only son of the dead brother who is mean, the boss will be ruined for life. Don''t talk about the examination of any scholar, maybe the private school will not be able to open.


    "Brother Haizi..." He looked at Patriarch Xue begging for help, and he didn''t have any rules in his mind for a moment.


    "Now, only by sending both children away can people have nothing to choose."


    Mr. Xue''s old face turned even redder, and he rubbed his big rough hands: "Brother Haizi, you know that our family has been wiped out all these years in order to provide for the boss. It''s not that I don''t want to send two children, but I really can''t." rise."


    Hearing this, Patriarch Xue also frowned.


    When Xue Qingshan went to the Qinghe Academy to study, he knew the inside story very well. That place is desperate for money, and the key is not to have any objections, because most people are willing to pay to go in. One year''s expenses cost at least twenty taels, but Xue Qingshan has been there for five years.


    Patriarch Xue originally planned to make up one or two if it wasn''t enough, but now he doesn''t open his mouth. That''s all for Xue Qingshan, Xue Juncai is still young, and he doesn''t know what the future will be like. The key point is that his two grandchildren are also studying, and neither family is rich.


    "If you don''t, you don''t even want to go, can you do it?" Mr. Xue muttered.


    Patriarch Xue sneered: "That''s not what the outsiders said, your family''s mean and fatherless son. If you don''t want the boss''s reputation to be ruined, you can either give two of them, or you can only give one to the kid from the second room."


    *


    When Mr. Xue came out of Patriarch Xue''s house, he was in a daze.


    He trembled and touched his waist a few times before taking off the cigarette pouch. He didn''t go any further, so he squatted under a tree beside the road and lit the tobacco. He smoked the whole pot of tobacco without stopping before he stood up.


    He walked slowly towards home, and people greeted him from time to time along the way.


    Normally, Mr. Xue would only feel that his face is bright, not that person, who would like to say hello to you, but now he always has the illusion that others are smiling at him, but actually laughing at him in his heart.


    He tried his best to walk back all the way, when another person walked up to him, he was still an acquaintance. The other party smiled and told him why he came back from the field so early today, he couldn''t bear it anymore, and pulled the man under a tree aside to talk.


    "Old man Zhou, tell me the truth, why are people talking about our family behind our backs in the village?"


    The old man this week is also an old man with black and red skin, but he is a head shorter than Mr. Xue, and his back is a bit rickety. Hearing this, he subconsciously glanced at Mr. Xue, and sighed after a long time: "I thought you knew, but you don''t."


    "What do I know? How could I know!" The first sentence almost came out from between the teeth, but the latter sentence was full of wry smiles.


    Having lived most of his life, old man Zhou naturally understands the old man''s mood at this time. But he didn''t know what to say, so he could only say sincerely: "Don''t be too troublesome, these people in the village are just busy and like to talk about right and wrong. But don''t blame me for talking too much, you The family did this..." He sucked between his teeth, as if smacking his lips, but it wasn''t: "It''s really a bit inappropriate."


    inappropriate?


    This is probably because the old man Zhou said this because of his relationship with him, and he didn''t know how others scolded him behind his back. Fangcai''s patriarch only told him that the publicity was bad, but he didn''t tell him how bad it was.


    Mr. Xue asked: "What are you talking about, tell me."


    The old man Zhou sighed before saying what he knew. Now that the words are out of the way, he doesn''t think there is anything he can''t say, "I''m not talking about you, you are the father, so don''t worry about this matter, don''t forget how your second child died, Such an approach will inevitably poke people''s spines."


    Old Master Xue''s complexion was pale, and he mumbled: "It has nothing to do with the boss, it''s because my wife and I discussed this."


    Old man Zhou raised his eyelids and glanced at the old man, and he didn''t plan to say anything that hurt his heart. Once he said this, the friendship between the two of them would be ruined in the future.


    "Anyway, you have to think about this matter. I won''t chat with you anymore. I have to go home. If you don''t come to my place at night, I''ll accompany you for a drink or two?"


    "No, there are still things at home."


    After Old Man Zhou left, Mr. Xue stood there for a while, and then went home.


    As soon as he entered the house, Xue Qingshan, who was standing in the yard, asked, "Father, what did my cousin ask you to do?"


    Mr. Xue glanced at his son, and entered the main room without saying a word.


    Xue Qingshan felt a little puzzled by the second monk, and wanted to ask the third brother what happened. At this time, Mrs. Zhou in the kitchen was yelling to eat, and everyone in the room came out, so of course it didn''t come true.


    During dinner, Mr. Xue''s complexion was always bad.


    Since Xue Tingxiang was able to get out of bed, he didn''t eat in his own room, but ate with everyone. The atmosphere at the dinner table was not very good, and even Mao Dan, who used to like to make a fuss at the dinner table, did not dare to make a fuss today.


    After dinner, Mrs. Zhou and Xue Taoer cleared the table and went to wash the dishes.


    The others were about to leave, but they were stopped by Mr. Xue.


    "Boss and eldest daughter-in-law stay here, I have something to tell you, the dog also stays, and everyone else goes back to the house."


    "Don''t go, I''ll push." ??Zhao''er knew that it would be no good for Yang Zhong to find a young man because of his elder status. What about the previous incident?


    "No problem."


    Having said this, Zhao''er was taken aback for a moment, and Xue Tingxiang remembered that he would never speak like this in normal times.


    He smiled and said, "It''s okay, you''re still afraid that I won''t succeed if he eats it."


    "Can¡­¡­"


    At this time, Xue Tingxiang had already passed her to the main room, so she could only follow in a hurry.


    *


    Here in the main room, as expected, the wine is in full swing.


    Yang Zhong''s white and chubby face was flushed from drinking, and he looked like he was slightly drunk. Mr. Xue''s dark red face glowed red under the light. Xue Qingshan also sat on the side, along with Xue Juncai, Xue Qingbai and Xue Qinghuai.


    Women are not at the table.


    Seeing Xue Tingxiang walking in, Yang Zhong said: "Our little talent is here, come and let me see."


    He waved his hands, not treating himself as an outsider at all, and when Xue Tingxiang approached, he opened a pair of drunken eyes and looked up and down: "I don''t see anything changed, how did you become so promising?"


    As soon as these words were sarcasm, the court immediately fell silent.


    Xue Qingshan focused on eating vegetables between his sandwiches, as if he didn''t hear him. Xue Juncai seemed to be sitting upright, but in fact he was looking at this place intentionally or unintentionally.


    The rest of the Xue family were a little embarrassed, especially Mr. Xue, his face was a little stiff, but he hesitated to speak.


    Zhao''er was about to attack, when Xue Qinghuai suddenly stood up, smiled and picked up the wine bowl: "My father-in-law, I respect you for a bowl, this wine is brewed by my father himself, and most people can''t drink it when they come here. Don''t look at your old man When I came, I quickly dug a jar and said to drink a few more bowls with you."

 Chapter 131

    Xue Tingxiang looked at the woman who was talking to him, and said with a smile: "Auntie, I''ll just walk around."


    It was just a casual sentence, the woman didn''t say anything more to him, she turned to get something in the room, the mother-in-law in the room asked her: "Third daughter-in-law, who were you talking to just now?"


    "The dog of the second room of Xue Lianxing''s family. Hey, mother, it''s strange to say that he just knocked on the door, but I didn''t recognize him for a while. I always feel like a different person."


    Her mother-in-law didn''t take it seriously: "What can I become, but I can''t change my body, I remember that kid has been ill recently."


    The daughter-in-law said: "I see, maybe I plan to go to the back mountain." There is a mountain behind Yuqing Village, where all the dead villagers in the village are buried, and the ancestral grave of Xue''s family is also there.


    Hearing this, her mother-in-law sighed: "Don''t even mention it, it''s a pity for the second child of the Xing family. Both of them have left. It''s a pity to leave a baby."


    This is just gossip between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and while they were talking, Xue Tingxiang had already brought Heizi into the back mountain.


    *


    Houshan is called Houshan, the mountain behind Yuqing Village.


    This mountain has no name and is not high, but it is extremely deep. Anyway, so far, no villager has been able to walk back and forth from this deep mountain and old forest, most of them are activities outside the mountain.


    The Xue family''s ancestral grave was built on a small hill not far from the village. This Xue family is not only Xue Tingxiang''s family, but the ancestors of the entire Xue clan are buried here.


    On such a big hill, the lineage of the patriarch is in the middle, and the branches of the various families spread out. The lineage of Mr. Xue is at a place near the foot of the southwest mountain.


    Because the couple in the second room died young, and Xue Qingsong died in an accident, they were buried at the edge.


    When Xue Tingxiang arrived at the place, he began to pull the grass around the grave mound casually.


    There were not many weeds, they had just been cleared during the Chinese New Year, so he gathered the grass at random and placed it on the ground, taking advantage of the opportunity and sat down in front of the grave.


    A piece of mountainous land, two small graves, in front of each of the graves stood a small bluestone stele, on which the names of the second family and the couple were crudely written.


    This monument was originally recruited to find someone to make it and set it up.


    Nowadays, there are three kinds of people who cannot erect monuments after they die, those who die suddenly, die young, and have no heirs. Xue Qingsong belongs to violent death.


    Although everyone doesn''t say it, people who feel that they died suddenly have resentment after death, which is not conducive to the feng shui of the ancestor''s grave, so no monument is erected. I also want him to forget who he is, so as not to cause trouble if he is ignorant.


    But at the same time, there is another saying that after death without a monument, you will be a lonely ghost, who cannot stand the incense of future generations.


    At the beginning, the funeral of the second wife was arranged by the Xue family, and they acquiesced to follow the old customs. At that time, Xue Tingxiang was still young and didn''t understand these things at all, but Zhao''er understood.


    She talked to Xue''s family about erecting a monument, but was blocked, and Xue''s family took turns to persuade her. Later, Zhao''er didn''t tell anyone about it, and took the money to ask someone to make these two simple monuments and put them in front of the grave.


    It was too late when Xue''s family found out, and they couldn''t tear down the stele in front of the villagers.


    The villagers were also surprised when they saw the stele, but after thinking about how the Xue family''s second child died, they could understand it.


    Therefore, Xue Qingshan also gained a good reputation. He would rather risk his family''s feng shui to erect a monument for his brother.


    With various thoughts spinning in his mind, Xue Tingxiang took out a piece of cloth from his arms and slowly wiped the tombstone.


    The words on it were still written by him, and the strokes are immature, but after all, people can still tell what is written on it.


    ...


    Today is the anniversary of Mr. Zheng''s death. Zheng Hu brought his two sons to the grave to worship.


    The country people are not so particular, they just prepared some steamed buns, wine and meat, and the father and son burned the paper money in front of the grave, so let''s forget about it.


    Zheng Hu had always had a deep relationship with his father, so he was inevitably depressed, so he let his two sons go back first, while he sat in front of the grave, smoking a pipe and talking to his father.


    After talking for a while, he stood up and planned to go back.


    There was still work waiting to be done in the field, and Zheng Hu didn''t want to waste time, so he decided to take a shortcut. When he passed near Xue Lianxing''s ancestral grave, he suddenly heard someone crying.


    There are graves on the two nearby hills, one is of the surname Xue, and the other is of the surname Zheng. This kind of festive day is not like Zheng Hu''s on the anniversary of the death of an elder in the family, but no one would come to this kind of place.


    In particular, there may be a lot of dead people buried here, the trees are dense, and sometimes the sky and day are gloomy. Hearing this strange sound under such circumstances, Zheng Hu was so frightened that his hair stood on end and his legs went limp.


    After all, he had lived for decades. He listened intently and calmly, and it took him a while to understand that it was a boy''s voice.


    Thinking about who''s grave was here, he bravely walked closer, bypassed a big tree, and saw a young man in blue clothes sitting in front of the grave from a distance.


    Next to it was a big black dog wagging its tail.


    It''s the dog of the second room of Xue Lianxing''s family.


    Only then did Zheng Hu heave a sigh of relief, and the voice came into his ears again: "...Father, what do you think I should do? Uncle wants to send brother Juncai to the school in town, I thought I could do the same." Go... But my aunt came to the house a few days ago, but she told me to let Brother Juncai, before..."


    The young man''s voice was full of hesitation and bewilderment, Zheng Hu did not expect to hear the secret affairs of the Xue family in such a place. He was so surprised that the pipe in his hand dropped without realizing it. He didn''t realize it until his foot was hit by the pipe, picked up the pipe in a hurry and left.


    He didn''t know that after he left, the lonely and helpless boy in his eyes stopped crying.


    In the past few days, Xue Tingxiang has been thinking hard, trying to find a suitable opportunity, and somehow he thought of Zheng Hu.


    Zheng Hu''s father, Mr. Zheng, died during the spring plowing. It was not a happy funeral, but an accident. He was accidentally squeezed to the foot of the field by his own cattle and fell to his death.


    The ridge was not very tall, and countless villagers fell off the ridge every year, and Mr. Zheng died unluckily. At the beginning, this incident was widely circulated in the village, so Xue Tingxiang remembered it very clearly.


    Since it was the anniversary of the father''s death, the son Zheng Hu would definitely come to visit the grave, and Zheng Hu used to like to take shortcuts, so he would definitely pass by this area, so who else is more suitable than him.


    The most important thing is that Yuqing Village doesn''t seem big, but Xue and Zheng''s surnames have always been different from each other. Zheng Hu''s uncle is Li Zheng, and if he knows it, Zheng Lizheng will know it too.


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t stay any longer, and quickly returned home with Heizi the same way.


    The yard was still silent, he found a twig and put it in front of the door, and sat there quietly basking in the sun, thinking about Zhao''er who went to the town.


    *


    Zheng Hu hurried all the way, without even returning home, he went to Zheng Lizheng''s house.


    Zheng Li is the Lizheng of Yuqing Village and the head of the Zheng clan. Naturally, the family''s house is the only one in Yuqing Village. If it can be compared with it, it is the house of Patriarch Xue''s family.


    Yishui''s green brick and tile-roofed house, and the courtyard walls are also made of green bricks. The most conspicuous thing is the ancestral hall of the Zheng family on the front, but this ancestral hall will not be opened until a certain time. The two black doors The paulownia gate is closed all year round.


    Going around to the side is the courtyard of Zheng Lizheng''s family.


    The yard is huge, unlike other houses where the barn, barn, kitchen, etc. are all in the front yard, the front yard of Zheng Lizheng''s house is just a big empty yard, only two sycamore trees are planted in the yard. Whenever there is any major event in the village, the courtyard will always be densely packed with people.


    There are three main rooms facing the face, and east and west wing rooms on the left and right, all of which are blue bricks and black tiles, which are extraordinarily magnificent.


    When Zheng Hu arrived, only Zheng Lizheng and his wife Tian Shi were at home.


    As soon as Tian saw his nephew coming, he greeted him: "Huzi, why are you here at this time? Do you have something to do with your uncle?"


    "Hey, there''s something wrong."


    With that said, Zheng Hu hurried into the house. Tian shook her head, thinking that there must be something wrong, since Zheng Hu is usually very steady.


    After Zheng Hu entered, he turned to the east room.


    Sure enough, his uncle Zheng Li was sitting cross-legged on the big kang in the east room, smoking dry cigarettes.


    "Why, in a hurry."


    Zheng Hu sat down on a pier under the kang, panting heavily, unable to speak for a while.


    Zheng Lizheng looked to be in his sixties, with a long face and a pair of medium-sized eyes. From the appearance, he is just an ordinary farmer''s old man, even the clothes he wears are ordinary. There is only that unmoving calmness, which can be seen as a person who has been around the world for a long time.


    With the cigarette holder in his mouth, he pushed the teapot on the kang table forward, Zheng Hu was not polite, stood up and poured a bowl of tea, and drank it down.


    "Uncle, let me tell you, something happened to me today."


    "What''s the matter?"


    "Today is not the anniversary of my father''s death. I took it with me early in the morning..."


    Halfway through Zheng Hu''s speech, Zheng Lizheng sat up from the kang, as if listening seriously.


    Seeing his uncle like this, Zheng Hu knew he had come to the right place. After hearing what the only son of Xue Lianxing''s family cried, he realized that this was an opportunity, an opportunity to suppress the prestige of Xue in Yuqing Village.


    He spoke in more detail, almost repeating every word, while Zheng Li was smoking a pipe, his eyes narrowed.


    *


    Zhao''er didn''t come back until the second half of the afternoon, and when he came back, he looked a little unhappy.


    Xue Tingxiang looked at the basket behind her, every time Zhao''er came back before, the basket was always full, but today he knew that there was nothing in it.


    "What''s wrong?"


    Zhao''er was thinking about it, when the little man asked him, he was taken aback for a moment, and then said: "It''s nothing, I brought you meat buns from the town, and I''ll heat them up for you to eat later."


    How could there be nothing, obviously there is something.


    Xue Tingxiang glanced at her face, but since she didn''t want to say more, he didn''t want to press her.


    Zhao''er went back and forth to the town, covered in dust, she went to the kitchen to boil water, and took a bath in the bathroom. The Xue family has a special room for bathing, in the vegetable field in the backyard. The house is not big, three meters square, the floor is paved with bluestone slabs, and there is a drain in the corner, through which the bath water can flow directly into the vegetable field.


    Taking off her clothes, Zhao''er rubbed the soap horns on her body, but a burst of melancholy came to her heart.


    In fact, something really happened, but she didn''t say it because she was afraid that the little man would worry.


    The way she finally found to get money was robbed.


    The person who robbed was none other than the owner of the embroidery workshop who took her finished product and pocketed the embroidered shoes.


    In fact, Zhao''er is quite clever. He bought rags from the owner of this embroidery workshop, but the finished product was not sold to this one, but to another one. It''s just that she didn''t expect that the two bosses were actually relatives, and she didn''t know how the other party knew. When she went again this time, the other party was unwilling to sell her rags.


    Not only does this embroidery workshop have no rags, but the owner of this embroidery workshop ordered people to buy all the rags from other embroidery workshops. Zhao''er didn''t know about this until after visiting several embroidery workshops.


    She has already made plans to pay for the little man to study in the town. She has asked about the Qinghe Academy, and the beam repair will cost five taels of silver every year. Among them, because many students live too far away, they can choose to study in dormitories. If it is a place to study, the monthly meals, accommodation, etc. are added together, and another one or two taels of silver will be needed.


    In Zhao''er''s heart, she wanted Xue Ting to study overnight. She felt that Xue''s house was not a good place to study, and there were too many messes in the family, which meant that she had to prepare six taels of silver before sending the little man to school.


    She originally thought that she could make enough money by doing this business twice, but who would have thought that such a thing would happen.


    In the middle of her thoughts, Zhao''er had already taken a shower, she wrapped her hair in a handkerchief, put on her clothes, and went back to the house.


    Xue Tingxiang was sitting on the kang reading a book, and it was his only book "Children Learning Qionglin". Seeing her coming in, he looked up at her and said, "It''s still cold, dry your hair quickly."


    Hearing this, Zhao''er''s heart warmed up.


    These days the little man has changed a lot compared to before, and this change is naturally good, so she couldn''t help showing a smile even though she was worried.


    She climbed onto the kang and took a cloth towel out of the kang cabinet. Xue Tingxiang was sitting on the side, inevitably he had to make room for her. When she passed by, a scent mixed with soap locust penetrated into the tip of his nose, he couldn''t help moving his nose, and his eyes fell on her who was close at hand.


    Zhao''er took the cloth towel, went back to the edge of the Kang, took off the cloth towel on his head and wiped his hair.


    Her hair was black and dense, reaching to her waist. She brushed her long hair to the side of her neck, and sat on the edge of the Kang with her head slightly tilted, letting her long hair hang down, and combed it with a comb.


    The girl was wearing a lilac-colored floral jacket and maroon wide-leg pants. She had to straighten her back and tilt her neck so that the water from her wet hair wouldn''t wet her clothes. These were all subconscious actions, but in Xue Tingxiang''s eyes, his heartbeat accelerated inexplicably, and he felt a sense of tension in his blood.


    Without him, it is because of this posture that the girl''s figure is vividly displayed. High/chest/upturned/hip, slender waist, Xue Tingxiang has never seen such a scene before, a very strange feeling of dryness and heat climbed up in his body.


    But at the same time, he was familiar with it, and a picture appeared in his mind, which was the time of the two people''s bridal chamber.


    In the dream, he didn''t like her at that time, but he felt that marrying her was a matter of course.


    It was a deep-rooted thought that she should be his wife.


    It''s just that this hidden deepest emotion was covered up by his awkwardness and ignorance, especially when he went to the school to study and let his classmates know that he had a child bride in the country, which caused a lot of ridicule.


    But in fact, he liked her deep down in his heart, so she was tortured badly by him that night in the bridal chamber.

 Chapter 132

    Chickens clucked and clucked outside, but it was Mrs. Sun who slaughtered the chicken and made it run away.


    Xue Tingxiang looked out the window, and saw that the chicken''s neck was still bleeding, but it was running around in the yard, and Mrs. Sun followed behind in a panic.


    Seeing that she was really in a bad shape, Mrs. Zhao came out of the room and said a few words. Mrs. Sun was even more anxious, and knew that she was really ashamed in front of the patriarch, but the chicken had wings, but she didn''t. It was only when the chicken lost its strength that Mrs. Sun grabbed it and cursed: "Run, run, run, it''s destined to be a dish in the pot, where are you going?"


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t look any further, and looked back.


    He knew why his uncle was so generous and asked him to compete with Xue Juncai, because if there were no accidents, Xue Juncai would definitely win this match.


    In that dream, he had suffered such a loss, but it was not compared with Xue Juncai, but Zhao''er worked so hard to get money and sent him to Qinghe Academy. At that time, he was so stupid that he always blamed his own failures on the harshness of fate, thinking that it was not that he was not good enough, but that everyone did not give him a chance.


    When he first entered the Qinghe Academy, he was full of ambition. He thought that he would definitely surpass Xue Juncai and prove that he was the most outstanding person in the Xue family, but the reality slapped him hard in the face. It was also at that time that he, who had never seen the world, understood the sinister intentions of his uncle. He did teach him to read, and he did ''read'' a lot of books, but he just read and didn''t understand the meaning of the scriptures.


    It was later learned that after schoolchildren learn to read, they use reading scriptures as the basis.


    First learn "Three Character Classic", "Hundred Surnames", "Thousand Characters", and then "Thousand Family Poems", "Children''s Learning Qionglin", "Longwenbianying", etc. After reading these, you can enter university and start Study and read the Four Books and Five Classics, etc.


    But at this stage, the teacher does not explain the meaning of the scriptures, that is to say, he just memorizes them by rote, clarifying the meaning of the words but not the meaning of the scriptures. Because people nowadays are used to thinking that children are just learning, it doesn¡¯t matter whether they understand it or not, as long as they remember it, and when they read a lot or for a long time, they will understand what it means.


    This is the so-called reading a thousand times, and its meaning is self-evident.


    When you can recite all these books fluently, and when you can learn to interpret the scriptures, you will get twice the result with half the effort.


    This time-saving, labor-saving and effective teaching mode is popular throughout Dachang, ranging from famous families to low-level sociology and village studies, and many of them are like this. This is especially popular in rural private schools, because there is only one teacher in the school, but it is not realistic to teach several or even dozens of people to explain the scriptures.


    But in fact, aristocratic families with some background would never teach their children this way. Because this teaching mode blindly emphasizes rote memorization, but ignores the truth that the classics are natural and logical.


    This is the pros and cons that ''he'' analyzed from the perspective of the overall situation after standing in the position of chief assistant.


    But at that time, he had just entered the library, because his uncle delayed explaining the meaning of the scriptures for him, and he didn''t understand that there was still a theory of explaining the scriptures. So when he first entered school, the teacher asked him if he had read it, and he replied that he had read it, but he couldn''t understand the scriptures.


    But now, it seems that the uncle is also aware of his own shortcomings, so he deliberately proposes this match, but in fact, he has already planned it, and he is destined to lose.


    Unfortunately, there was an accident.


    *


    Because there were guests at home, except for Mr. Xue and Xue Qingshan and his son, everyone was busy.


    After eating in the main room, the kitchen will start cooking other people''s lunch.


    During the period, Xue Taoer was also ordered to drink. There was wine and meat at the banquet in the main room, and the men exchanged glasses, and there was no way to see that there was any cleverness in the usual times. Especially Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng, the two drank very affectionately, and in the end they both got a little drunk.


    "Okay, don''t send it off, you''ll be there soon." Patriarch Xue waved his hand.


    After sending everyone out of the courtyard, this side started to clear the table and prepare meals. Mrs. Zhao originally wanted to take away the leftover meat and vegetables, but was stopped by Mr. Xue, saying that he was adding vegetables to everyone. People in the country are not rich, and it is commonplace for distinguished guests to leave and eat leftovers.


    The adults are all fine, Shuanzi and Maodan are eating deliciously.


    Zhao''er wanted to take the meal back to the house to eat, but was stopped by Xue Tingxiang, the two just kept their heads down and ate as before, without saying anything.


    Xue Juncai gave Xue Tingxiang a disdainful look.


    He had just accompanied Xue Qingshan to the table, and naturally he ate a lot of good food on the table, seeing that Xue Tingxiang could only eat leftovers, he was naturally full of sarcasm.


    He remembered what his father said to him before, Xue Gouzi would never win him.


    Thinking in his heart, he looked away, and said to Mr. Xue who was on the kang, "Grandpa, I''m going back to the house to read."


    Mr. Xue nodded. He also drank a little too much before, and now he is leaning on the kang smoking a cigarette to hangover.


    "Dog, eat more, brother is still waiting for you to beat me in five days." Xue Juncai suddenly said this when passing by Xue Tingxiang.


    Zhao''er immediately stood up and stared at him: "Can you talk? You''ve read the dog''s stomach after so many years of reading."


    Xue Juncai didn''t expect Zhao''er to show him such shame, his gentle face flushed red, but for some reason, he glanced at Zhao''er and held back.


    Mr. Xue shouted: "Juncai go back to the house!"


    Mrs. Zhou also hurriedly stood up to persuade Zhao''er, that''s all.


    After dinner, the two went back to the second room, and Zhao''er was still angry: "Don''t be angry, dog. When sister earns money, I will take you to the house and won''t be with them anymore."


    Xue Tingxiang was a little moved, but at the same time a little helpless: "You called me a dog again."


    Zhao''er groaned, then smiled and said: "I forgot, it won''t be like this in the future."


    Naturally, he couldn''t be angry with her, and then Zhao''er took the two clothes she changed yesterday and went out to wash, while Xue Tingxiang turned over the "Children''s Learning Qionglin" again.


    Looking at the book in his hand, which was transcribed on the worst bamboo paper and the footers were worn away, Xue Tingxiang felt a little worried. He actually didn''t want to read books, but Zhao''er couldn''t help but think that he should read more books now, and only by reading more books can he win against Xue Juncai more confidently.


    Little did he know that this book was different from the book, and it was useless to just read this book, but he would not tell her about it.


    He dug out the bamboo paper that Zhao''er bought for him from the kang cabinet. The cheapest bamboo paper cost 40 cents a knife. Such ''expensive'' paper was barely enough for practicing calligraphy. Even so, he is very precious at ordinary times, and he is reluctant to use it at all. If he can write on the sand, he will write on the sand, and if he can''t use the sand, he will write on the desk with water.


    Xue Tingxiang touched the stack of yellowed bamboo paper and sighed in his heart.


    ''Xue Tingxiang'' usually uses the highest quality Chengxin paper, so at this time he feels a little disgusted with the things that are usually precious.


    He spread out the papers on the kang table, stacked several sheets, and then cut them into the size of a book with a bamboo knife. In order to make room for the edge seam, he left some leeway and cut a thick stack before he found the inkstone with a corner missing and the ink ingot that had been used up and only a small piece remained.


    These are treasures that he is reluctant to use at ordinary times, but Xue Tingxiang doesn''t feel this way at all today. He added water to the inkstone, and then took the ink ingot to grind the ink, while grinding, he was thinking about something.


    After grinding the ink, he put the bald hair brush in the water bowl and wet it to clean it. After dipping in enough ink, he picked up the pen and wrote something on the paper.


    After writing a few words, he suddenly put down the pen, lifted the paper to look at it, and suddenly crumpled it.


    Mingming''s handwriting is fairly neat. Although he usually saves paper and ink, but because of years of hard work, his handwriting is not bad, but for some reason he just doesn''t like it.


    He closed his eyes slowly, calmed down for a while, and opened them again after a while. At this time, there was no one in the room, and anyone who was there could see a gleam of light flashing in Xue Tingxiang''s eyes. At the same time, his movement of grasping the pen was fast and steady, and with the help of a god, he wrote a series of small characters on the paper in a short time.


    These small characters suddenly became Yan style, then turned into pavilion style, and then turned into thin gold style again. At first, they were both tangible and boneless, but as they were written, their taste changed.


    The face and body are square and dense, the brushwork is thick, straight, open and full of vigor. That pavilion is physically strong and graceful, as if it was carved out of a block. And the thin gold body, the gold hook and iron painting, is full of arrogance, and the strokes are as sharp as cutting gold and jade.


    These three characters represent the whole life of ''Xue Tingxiang'', from the Yan style learned at the beginning of school, to the Guange style studied painstakingly for the imperial examination, to the thin gold style of the official residence.


    And so he wrote, oblivious to himself. Zhao''er came in during the period, but he didn''t dare to disturb him, so he quietly sat down on the edge of the kang.


    After writing for an unknown amount of time, he suddenly let out a long breath and put down his pen.


    He wrote two full sheets of paper.


    At this time, Xue Tingxiang had to admit that the magic of heaven was just a dream, and he actually possessed some of the things that he had in the dream.


    From the moment this dream appeared, Xue Tingxiang had been thinking about why he had such a dream. Now he understands, maybe he just wants him to make up for all the unsatisfactory dreams.


    And possessing everything of the "him" in the dream, he suddenly had great ambitions, and a surge of arrogance lingered in his heart.


    "I''m tired of writing, drink some water."


    Zhao''er brought water, Xue Tingxiang took it, and drank it in one gulp, it was very sweet.


    Only then did he lower his head to look at what he had written, and he actually spent two sheets of bamboo paper. Probably because Zhao''er was by his side, he suddenly remembered that she used to save money to buy paper for him, and felt a little distressed and guilty. He glanced at her and said in a low voice, "I actually wrote so much."


    How could Zhao''er not understand what he was thinking, so he chuckled and said, "Not much, not much, only two sheets. Paper is for use. I told you not to save paper a long time ago. It is used up. Let''s just buy it again."


    "I want to transcribe this book, so I try to write first, so as not to waste paper."


    "What book do you want to copy? Can you copy books too? Don''t you buy them?" Zhao''er was puzzled.


    Xue Tingxiang sighed in his heart. He really felt that he was really stupid before. He would rather borrow books from his uncle every time, or memorize them by rote, and never thought of copying books.


    Nowadays, the books sold in bookstores are rarely printed and expensive, so an industry of copying books has emerged. In this way, not only some poor scholars can get some money in exchange, but also those who want to buy books but suffer from poor pockets can get cheap.


    Of course, this copying is not something that can be done casually, it needs to be written very well.


    Xue Tingxiang boasted that his handwriting was not bad. Back then, many people begged for his calligraphy. Now that he needs a book, why can''t he copy it himself.


    the most important is--


    He glanced at Zhao''er.


    She knew that the little man must be angry again, and he didn''t like her saying things like ''the dog is my man'' the most. Every time he heard her say such things, he would ignore her for a few days. In fact, Zhao''er has to face, but she is the child bride-in-law of the Xue family''s second room. If she didn''t claim to be like this, how could she have the right to challenge the fourth aunt, Sun''s.


    "Are you hungry? Look what I brought back for you?"


    Zhao''er turned her head and put all these troubles behind her, and took out a paper bag from her pocket. Opening the paper bag, there are two steamed buns inside. They are white and plump, and people like it when they look at them.


    "Eat quickly, while it''s still warm." She smiled and stuffed the paper bag into the little man''s hand, while putting the pannier on her shoulders in the corner.


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her.


    The girl in front of her was in her twenties and eighth year, and her skin was the wheat color that is common among girls in the country, but Zhao''er''s complexion was very different from others, it was smooth and radiant, as if she had been smeared with honey. He has a tall nose bridge, a pair of medium-sized eyes, and swarthy pupils. When he smiles, there is a flash of inspiration in him, and he looks lively.


    Zhao''er''s stature is taller than ordinary girls, and she is well-developed, front/convex/backward, full of youthful vigor.


    It was so vivid, as vivid as in his dream.


    He unconsciously took the steamed stuffed bun and gnawed on it. Seeing this trick, he smiled even more happily. He went to the kitchen and poured him a bowl of water, which he placed next to his hand. On the other hand, he bent down to tidy up the scattered quilts on the kang, thinking about what to cook for him at night to nourish his body.


    Finally, the little man got better, so he had to continue to drink the medicine, and he had to drink a few more to strengthen it. From this, he naturally began to calculate the little money left in his hand, and think of a way to get some money, so as to solve the urgent need.


    "Have you eaten yet?" Xue Gouzi asked.


    This kind of behavior rarely happens to him, so Zhao''er can''t help but look up at the little man sitting on the kang.


    In fact, the little man has a handsome appearance, which is different from the fair skin of the countrymen. The corners of his eyes are slightly raised, and the curvature makes his face a little more delicate and handsome. It''s just that the little man always hangs his head halfway on weekdays, with a gloomy and silent temperament, and is too thin, so he is not conspicuous in front of others.

 Chapter 133

    Zhao''er had vigilance in his eyes.


    Xue Tao''er ran over, leaned closer and whispered, "I''m not my aunt''s father, he said he wants to talk to the dog."


    Xue Tingxiang also heard the movement outside the room and came out.


    "Don''t go, I''ll push it." Zhao''er knew that it would be no good for Yang Zhong to find a young man because of his elder status. Xue Jun is his grandson, so what good can he say if he goes, especially What about the previous incident?


    "No problem."


    Having said this, Zhao''er was taken aback for a moment, and Xue Tingxiang remembered that he would never speak like this in normal times.


    He smiled and said, "It''s okay, you''re still afraid that I won''t succeed if he eats it."


    "Can¡­¡­"


    At this time, Xue Tingxiang had already passed her to the main room, so she could only follow in a hurry.


    *


    Here in the main room, as expected, the wine is in full swing.


    Yang Zhong''s white and chubby face was flushed from drinking, and he looked slightly drunk. Mr. Xue''s dark red face shone red under the light. Xue Qingshan also sat on the side, along with Xue Juncai, Xue Qingbai and Xue Qinghuai.


    Women are not at the table.


    Seeing Xue Tingxiang walking in, Yang Zhong said, "Our little genius is here, come and let me see."


    He waved his hands, not treating himself as an outsider at all, and when Xue Tingxiang approached, he looked up and down with his drunken eyes: "I don''t see anything changed, how did you become so promising?"


    As soon as these words were sarcasm, the court immediately fell silent.


    Xue Qingshan focused on eating vegetables between his sandwiches, as if he didn''t hear him. Xue Juncai seemed to be sitting upright, but in fact he was looking at this place intentionally or unintentionally.


    The rest of the Xue family were a little embarrassed, especially Mr. Xue, his face was a little stiff, but he hesitated to speak.


    Zhao''er was about to attack, when Xue Qinghuai suddenly stood up, smiled and picked up the wine bowl: "My father-in-law, I respect you for a bowl, this wine is brewed by my father himself, and most people can''t drink it when they come here. Don''t look at your old man When I came, I quickly dug a jar and said to drink a few more bowls with you."


    Yang Zhong looked at Xue Qinghuai with a smile, and without hesitation, he picked up the wine bowl and drank it down in one gulp, and ate a few mouthfuls of food. Taking advantage of the situation, Xue Qinghuai hurriedly winked at Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang, telling them to leave quickly.


    Xue Tingxiang smirked slightly, and planned to take Zhao''er away, and listened to Yang Zhong before he even took a step.


    "What''s the matter? Why is the elder leaving before he finished talking? Although I am not your own grandfather, I am also your own grandfather. Is this old man not paying attention to me, or what?"


    The hat was buttoned too big, Zhao''er was about to say something, Xue Tingxiang gave her a hand.


    He took two steps forward, pretending to be listening respectfully: "Since my in-laws and grandpas have taught me, I will just listen to you." After a pause, he continued: "It''s just that my in-laws and grandpas are also scholars, so I think they know how to be rude. reason"


    "According to what you little brat thinks, as an elder, I can''t say that you are a junior?"


    The smell of alcohol came straight to Xue Tingxiang''s face, and there was also a strange smell of various vegetables mixed in it.


    Xue Tingxiang did not evade, and nodded calmly: "Naturally."


    "Hey! Look! It''s really different."


    Yang Zhong tapped Xue Tingxiang a few times with his finger, and looked at the rest of Xue''s family with a smirk, and the villain first complained: "In-law, is this your family''s tutor?"


    It was obvious that Yang Zhong was here to make trouble, and of course it was for Xue Juncai. When he came back from Lizheng''s house before, Mr. Xue guessed that the big room would definitely make a fuss, but he didn''t expect that the fuss should be here.


    In fact, as the son and daughter-in-law, how could the married couple blatantly quarrel with Mr. Xue? After all, they swore before that whoever wins will go, and whoever loses should not complain. And Yang Zhong, as Xue Juncai''s grandfather, couldn''t be more appropriate to stand in for him. If it works, it''s good, if it doesn''t, it won''t hurt the relationship between father and son.


    "relatives by marriage¡­¡­"


    Mr. Xue was about to speak, but was interrupted by Xue Tingxiang''s voice.


    "Although my parents are both deceased, there are my grandfather, uncles, and other elders of the Xue family. Even if there is something wrong, it is not up to people of other surnames to point fingers here. Although my grandfather and my family are connected I want to kiss you, but I definitely didn''t go to the Xue family''s table, eat the Xue family''s food, and scold the Xue family for their reasons."


    Because there are guests, candles are rarely lit in the house, which illuminates the room brightly.


    Standing in the middle, the boy is thin and thin, but he is tall and straight. He was wearing a shabby clothes, the cuffs and the front of the clothes were a little white, but it made people feel an inviolable aura.


    "Could this be the way of in-laws and grandpas being guests? One day when I, the Xue family, went to your house as guests, I would point and point at the Yang family, and be eccentric. Presumably, my in-laws and grandpas would not be angry. After all, coming here is not indecent. Thanks ah Master is always the junior in the family and talks about his in-laws and grandpas, but the boy is only his in-laws and grandpas, he is a literati, he is respected by the younger generation as a person who understands etiquette, now it seems that it is nothing more than that!"


    "you--"


    There was silence in the room, and no one thought that Xue Tingxiang would explode on the spot regardless of his seniority.


    Xue Qingshan stopped eating, and suddenly felt restless.


    But he didn''t stand up to speak for his father-in-law. Xue Tingxiang''s hat was too big, which brought the face of the whole Xue family and even the Xue clan. If he speaks for it, he is echoing the fact that the face of the Xue family can be trampled on the ground by the Yang family.


    In particular, this is not in line with what he planned.


    Yang Zhong''s face was flushed red, and his lips trembled with anger: "You kid, you dare to teach your elders a lesson at such a young age."


    "Don''t dare! A gentleman is harmonious but different, and a villain is the same but not harmonious. The boy is just telling the truth. I also hope that the in-laws and grandparents should be cautious in their words and deeds, so that they can be the appearance of a gentleman."


    This is teaching myself through the words of the sage!


    Yang Zhong laughed back angrily, and pointed at him with his finger: "Okay, okay, it''s really amazing. After studying for a few days, people are different. You really think that it''s a big deal if you win the handsome talent today, even if you furious."


    "A gentleman has nothing to fight for, and he will definitely shoot! When he bows and rises, he goes down to drink, and his fight is also a gentleman."


    This sentence comes from the eight chapters of "The Analects of Confucius". It roughly means that a gentleman will not argue about anything. If there is a dispute, it must be upholding the way of a gentleman. Neither humble nor overbearing, neither angry nor complaining, and having fun with wine after the competition is the battle between gentlemen. It''s not that you must be flushed in the face, like a black-eyed chicken, that would be out of style.


    It is about being a person and dealing with affairs, and at the same time, it is using the words of the saints to ridicule Yang Zhong for not having the manners and tolerance of his elders, and to make things difficult for his juniors in order to protect his grandson.


    There were only four scholars present, and the others were all at a loss. They could only see that Xue Tingxiang was not at a disadvantage, but Yang Zhong was so angry that his seven orifices seemed to be smoking.


    Forget about Yang Zhong, Xue Qingshan and his son couldn''t help being a little bit surprised when he was angry.


    You must know that although Xue Tingxiang has studied the Four Books, he only understands the superficiality and does not understand the meaning of the scriptures. But just now he uttered two sentences in a row, both of which are from the Four Books, and if he didn''t understand the meaning of the scriptures, how could he use them to harm others.


    Could it be that someone taught him behind his back? No wonder his performance was so unexpected today.


    And right at this moment, other changes took place in the field.


    It was Yang Zhong who stood up in anger and wanted to teach Xue Tingxiang a lesson, but was stopped by Mr. Xue, Xue Qinghuai and Xue Qingbai.


    "Well, you little bastard, you have learned to swear before your hair grows."


    "A gentleman does not mirror water, but mirrors people. Mirroring water, the appearance of meeting, mirroring people, you can know good and bad, but if you want to come to your relatives and grandpas, you don''t understand this sentence."


    Xue Tingxiang had a smile on his face, obviously there was nothing wrong with that smile, even a bit shy, and his words were gentle and polite, but it made people taste a bit ironic.


    "I know if I understand you or not, I know you are swearing, I must teach you a lesson today!" Yang Zhong struggled to raise his hand, and at this moment, a violent shout sounded in vain.


    "Father-in-law!"


    It was Mr. Xue who spoke.


    "My father-in-law, I respect your in-laws, but this is my Xue family!"


    Mr. Xue''s complexion was very ugly. He had been tolerant just now because of the other party''s identity, but Xue Tingxiang was right. There was a whole family sitting in the room, all of whom were surnamed Xue. There was absolutely no reason for someone surnamed Yang to teach others a lesson. .


    No matter how much the family makes trouble, it is wrong for outsiders to intervene.


    There was silence in the room, only the sound of Yang Zhong panting heavily.


    The sound of a stool falling to the ground sounded, and it was Xue Qingshan who stood up.


    At this time, Yang Shi, who had been hiding in the house, also ran out, and said angrily and anxiously: "Father, what are you doing! Why did you drink some wine and start to make trouble."


    She explained to the dark-faced old man Xue: "Father, don''t blame me, my father is like this, when he starts to drink. Oh, father, what do you think you are making a fuss about?" Then she complained to Xue Qingshan: " Juncai''s father, and you too, why don''t you stop him from making trouble like this."


    Yang Zhongdao: "I''m making trouble, what''s wrong with me?! Xue Lianxing, don''t forget what you promised me back then. Juncai is your eldest grandson, so you plan to let it go?"


    "Father, stop talking, I''ll help you down to rest."


    The Dafang couple, one on the left and the other on the right, helped Yang Zhong out, and Yang Zhong seemed to be really drunk, shouting that you should really let go, and stumbled and was helped out by the couple.


    *


    Because of this commotion, the Xue family was extremely quiet afterwards.


    Mrs. Zhou originally asked Zhao''er and the two of them to eat, but they said they had eaten, so they went back to the house.


    A table of food and wine, only half eaten, old man Xue sat there alone, eating food and drinking wine, no one dared to disturb.


    Mrs. Zhao hid in the back room, don''t look at her usually yelling at Mr. Xue, but when Mr. Xue really got angry, she didn''t dare to make trouble.


    Xue Qinghuai walked to the table and sat down, saying: "Father, it''s getting late, let''s rest early."


    Mr. Xue nodded, but when he put down his chopsticks, he sighed again.


    Xue Qinghuai couldn''t help but persuaded: "Father, don''t think too much."


    "Look at the eldest couple. Why don''t you remember your kindness? The second has only been dead for a few years. Even if the child is not sensible, there is no need to do so."


    Xue Qinghuai understood what the old man meant, but he couldn''t answer these words well, so he could only say awkwardly: "Maybe the eldest brother and sister-in-law don''t know that the in-laws guild will make such a fuss."


    Mr. Xue snorted, but did not speak.


    "But Gouzi didn''t suffer, you see he was mad at sister-in-law."


    Hearing this, Mr. Xue couldn''t help but twitch his eyebrows and eyes: "I followed the second child."


    Xue Qingsong has this kind of temperament, usually taciturn, but don''t push him into a hurry, he can surprise everyone.


    "This big family has been living in harmony and beauty, but it''s getting more and more difficult." Mr. Xue sighed, probably because he drank some wine, and his emotions were particularly leaking.


    Xue Qinghuai didn''t respond.


    After a long time, Mr. Xue sighed: "Let your wife clean up this table, and you should go and rest earlier."


    "Hey, I''ll let her clean it up."


    Mr. Xue glanced at her, changed his usual temperament, and said in a bad tone: "What are you doing here, a woman? You have a role to listen to when a man talks?!"


    Zhao''er was not annoyed, but said aggrievedly: "Then how can the eldest aunt stay, she is not a woman? Besides, the dog can''t talk, I don''t look at it, I am afraid that what he said will anger me Lord."


    In fact, her subtext was just to say that she was afraid that others would bully Xue Tingxiang, and no one present could hear it.


    Mr. Xue stared at her. Now he really doubts that all this was made by this girl. He knew that Gou''er child was a bored gourd, why didn''t he go to the grave early and complained that he would not go later, but why did he go at this time.


    Thinking of all the disobedient things this girl did in the past, Mr. Xue felt disgusted in his heart. But he also knew that now was not the time to vent his anger, but to settle the matter.


    "Since you want to listen, then listen." The tone was the same as before, but anyone could hear the dissatisfaction in his voice.


    Zhao''er couldn''t hear it, so he stood aside.


    Seeing this, Mrs. Sun hurriedly dragged Xue Qinghuai to stay.


    "Since Zhao''er has stayed, let''s stay and listen too." She laughed along with her.


    Mr. Xue was immediately furious: "Since you want to listen, stay and listen."


    So everyone stayed, including the four-year-old Mao Dan, and even Mrs. Zhou, who was busy in the kitchen, stayed behind under the guise of cleaning the table.


    In the huge main room, only an oil lamp was lit on the square table. The wick was jumping and shadowy, and everyone''s eyes were on Mr. Xue. But he suddenly didn''t know where to start. He looked around everyone''s faces with heavy eyes, and finally fell on Xue Tingxiang''s face.


    "Actually, it''s nothing. I just want to talk about what the boss said a while ago that he wants to send the child to the school in the town."


    Zhao''er was inexplicably nervous, and couldn''t help but glance at Xue Tingxiang, and then went to see Mr. Xue.


    Dafang and his wife were overjoyed, they knew this would happen, and it was not in vain for them to swallow their anger for many days.


    Xue Qingshan couldn''t hide the joy on his face, he looked at Xue Tingxiang with pity and compassion, then looked at other people, and finally fell on Xue Tingxiang.


    "Dog, don''t be discouraged. You are still much worse than your talented brother. You will study with uncle for another two years, and then the family will send you to the town to study."

 Chapter 134

    Now Hong''er is almost two years old, she looks like a little adult.


    At this time, the little boy likes to ask questions the most. Seeing that his father said to let him sleep by himself, he asked back.


    "Why did you let Hong''er sleep by herself, I want to sleep with my mother."


    "Hong''er has grown up, and she can''t sleep with mother when she grows up." Xue Tingxiang earnestly and kindly seduced her.


    Hong''er thought for a while, then compromised: "Then I can''t sleep with mother, I''ll sleep with dad." As he said that, he looked at Xue Tingxiang with small eyes, which seemed to mean that I was more obedient.


    Xue Tingxiang froze for a moment: "You can''t sleep with dad either, you have to sleep by yourself when you grow up."


    Hearing this, Hong''er''s little bun face immediately wrinkled, looking at her father and then at her mother.


    Zhao''er tried her best to maintain a dignified appearance, pretending not to notice her son''s request for help.


    Seeing that there was no way to ask for help, Hong''er began to use her own brain, her small face was extremely expressive, frowning for a while, pursing her lips for a while, as if she was very worried.


    "Father, you can''t do this." He tried to persuade Xue Tingxiang.


    My father became interested and looked at him solemnly: "Father is actually doing it for your own good."


    "How can you do this for my own good? Although Hong''er is already very big, she is still a child after all. Which family''s children don''t sleep with their parents."


    "Whose children do you see sleeping with their parents?"


    "Da Mao and Er Mao from the house next door are sleeping with his mother. And Da Nier from the house next door is also sleeping with his mother."


    These are all little friends that Hong''er has just met, he is the youngest among the furry kids, but he is the most popular because Big Nier likes to play with Hong''er.


    Da Nier is the little granddaughter of the Huang family next door. She is only four years old this year.


    Because of Da Nier''s relationship, the big bastard Ermao of the Liu family next door must also like to play with Honger, otherwise Da Nier would ignore them.


    "They are all older than me, and they still sleep with mother."


    Xue Tingxiang choked for a moment, the child became serious, but very serious, he was speechless for a while. But he didn''t intend to give up, but continued to persuade: "But Dani''er is a girl doll, and you are a boy doll, so they can''t be compared. As for Da Mao and Er Mao, do you like playing with them?"


    Hong''er shook his head, he didn''t like playing with Da Mao and Er Mao, they didn''t wipe their noses, they were so dirty.


    Xue Tingxiang knew what his son was thinking, because Hong''er had told him more than once before, and also told Zhao''er about Da Mao and Er Mao not wiping their noses, and they were very disgusted.


    "You know why they always have a runny nose? It''s because they''re old enough to sleep with their mother."


    Hong''er was quite frightened, and looked at Xue Tingxiang suspiciously: "Really."


    "Of course." Xue Tingxiang nodded.


    Zhao''er couldn''t see, so he could only pretend to arrange the bedding, and turned his back to busy.


    "So what? I don''t want to be a slug."


    "So you''ll sleep by yourself from tonight."


    Hong''er was deceived, with a dejected look, obviously struggling.


    Xue Tingxiang continued to persuade: "Look, it''s not that you are not allowed to sleep with your mother, or you are not allowed to sleep in the same bed. You are small, sleep in a bed by yourself."


    "What about you, dad?" Hong''er asked suddenly.


    "I naturally sleep with your mother in the same bed."


    "But why can you share the same bed with mother, but Hong''er can''t, isn''t father afraid of becoming a slug?"


    This question is so difficult to answer, Xue Tingxiang could only bite the bullet and said: "You are different from your father, you have grown up. When you grow up, you will be able to sleep in the same bed with your wife."


    "It''s the same bed with mother." Hong''er corrected.


    "It''s not a mother, it''s a daughter-in-law. Hong''er will also have a daughter-in-law when she grows up. Then you can sleep with her in the same bed."


    "But she''s obviously a mother!"


    Zhao''er couldn''t help laughing and got into the quilt, Xue Tingyan became angry and stuffed Hong''er into the quilt, and then went to blow on the lamp on the kang cabinet before getting into the quilt.


    In the darkness, Hong''er''s eyes were shining brightly.


    "Go to sleep."


    "Father, why don''t you tell me a story." This so-called story is actually a compilation of the Four Books and Five Classics. It is Xue Tingxiang''s weapon to coax his son to sleep these days when Zhaoer is away.


    "Then close your eyes."


    That being said, when Xue Tingxiang was telling stories, Hong''er still opened his eyes from time to time, looking over the quilt. At the end of the story, Hong''er hadn''t fallen asleep yet, but Xue Tingxiang was already sleepy.


    After finally getting the little boy to sleep, Xue Tingxiang was also very tired.


    Zhao''er laughed again under the covers, he rubbed her waist resentfully, and said in a low voice, "This little bastard must have done it on purpose."


    "Who told you..." Zhao''er was too vague to understand the last few words.


    "What did you say?"


    Under the quilt, Zhao''er blushed and pushed him: "Go to sleep, don''t wake him up again."


    "Don''t you wish you could wake him up?"


    "How can it be?"


    "Since you don''t want to, then you definitely want to..."


    Covered by the quilt, you can only see the movement inside, but you can''t see anything. Even if it moves, the range is very small.


    I don''t know how long it has passed, Zhao''er couldn''t take it anymore, and lifted the quilt to breathe. But as soon as he spit out his breath, he lost his breath.


    "You, take it easy..."


    "Who made me focus just now?"


    The next moment this person was sealed, the moonlight was thick, and the night was still very long.


    *


    The closer to the end of the year, the busier the capital city will be.


    Not only is it the celebration of the New Year, but also many scholars from other places rushed to the capital.


    The examination will be in February, but the scholars who go for the examination have to find a place to settle in advance, so many people will arrive early. One reason is to avoid delays on the road, it is better to arrive early than late, and the second reason is to come earlier to inquire about the situation in the capital.


    At this time, the scholars who went for the examination were very active. Apart from visiting various guild halls to socialize and inquire about news, naturally they also went around to visit high-ranking officials and dignitaries.


    As for who the CEO is this time, some people have long been guessing in private. Someone even published a special tabloid, which listed all the officials in the DPRK and China who were likely to become the president this time, and even the candidates who went to the test this time also listed some people who were in the limelight.


    These people are naturally the ones who are very likely to be Jinshi in this examination.


    The tabloid is nameless, it publishes one every three days, it is only circulated privately, and almost everyone has a copy.


    Xue Tingxiang is not on the list.


    Without him, the first reason is that every time the examination is a gathering of talents, Dachang has a vast land and resources, even if Xue Tingxiang can win Jieyuan in Shanxi, he can also be counted as the number one person, but outside of Shanxi, no one knows him. who. In particular, Shanxi is not considered to be a place with a prosperous literary style, but Jiangsu and Zhejiang have been the most affluent places in all dynasties. When the place is rich and people have enough food and clothing, naturally there are more people who study, and when there are more people who study, there are outstanding people. Also many.


    There used to be such a saying that talented scholars in the south of the Yangtze River were generals in Shandong, and emperors were buried in the loess in the northwest.


    It can be seen!


    The area of ??Jiangsu and Zhejiang has always been a major province of imperial examinations, and the number of talents in Jiangnan is well known both inside and outside the court. So it is understandable that Xue Tingxiang will be unknown on the list.


    As for the other point, it was because Xue Tingxiang didn''t like going out very much.


    The other scholars socialized everywhere, tea parties, poetry parties, wine parties, fellow countrymen''s meetings, and even Mao Badou and Li Datian couldn''t help but go to the Shanxi Guild Hall to get acquainted, but he was indifferent.


    The so-called guild hall is the place where people from the same country and the same industry stop and gather.


    At first, there was only one kind of guild hall, which was for Juren who came to the capital to take the exam. These Juren were discriminated against because of their poor family background, or because of their accent, and they came from thousands of miles away, so they would inevitably be bullied by the locals. So some fellow villagers who are officials or businessmen in Beijing, out of the friendship among fellow villagers, established a guild hall for the accommodation of the students who came to Beijing to take the exam.


    Of course, apart from these fellowships, since you can come to Beijing to take the exam, you can be regarded as a dragon and a phoenix among the people. If you know more people, you will have more ways to help people. A good man with three gangs, no matter whether he is an official or a businessman, this principle is still understood, and it can be regarded as a kind of invisible investment.


    Afterwards, this kind of guild hall gradually multiplied into guild halls such as business and gangs, which will not be mentioned here. And the Shanxi guild hall where Mao Badou and the others went was for those who were going to take the exam.


    There are a lot of gossip in this kind of guild hall, and Mao Badou has always been a guy who likes to join in the fun. Especially after being bored for a whole winter, I was really bored. Naturally, I was very excited like a cat smelling fish.


    Of course, it is not without benefits, at least I heard a lot of gossip from him.


    For example, a certain person went to visit a certain high-ranking official in private, but was bumped into by someone accidentally; for example, someone who has very bad moral character and has a good reputation; for example, someone who has connections can visit the president who is very popular this time. one of the candidates.


    Especially the third point, in fact, a large part of the reason why these scholars would jump up and down to haunt everywhere is because of this reason.


    The difficulty of the imperial examination is more difficult than going to the blue sky.


    Some people start learning from babbling, and they may not even pass the exam if they are gray-haired. Some teenagers become famous, but they fall into the test of Jinshi, once every three years, if they fail to pass the test, they will come back again, and the test lasts for decades. Not only human and material resources, but even spiritual and energy have to be invested a lot.


    There are thousands of candidates for each subject, but only three hundred are taken. Those who are not selected have to go home and come back in three years.


    It is so difficult, why do so many people still enjoy it so much? Because once you become a Jinshi, it is really a carp jumping through the dragon''s gate. From then on, it is not difficult to change your family.


    Since such a huge benefit has been brought in, it is inevitable that someone will have a wrong mind.


    Not to mention all kinds of cheating methods, these heretics are too dangerous after all, one careless will be the end of being exiled or banned from taking the exam. Therefore, it is more popular nowadays to go through joints, which is the so-called back door.


    It''s like this test, Zuo, but those who can be elected as the chief executive are those people anyway, and if some are removed based on other factors, there are only a few left. Those who have connections and connections have their own methods, and those who have nothing to do with connections have to find connections even if they change their methods.


    If it doesn''t work, just try to get lucky next to each house. If someone can support him a little bit, and that person is finally selected as the president, maybe this time he can change his fate from then on.


    And whoever has the most people in the capital is naturally the most officials. These officials have relatives and children, and there will always be some opportunities for people to seize.


    Of course, there are still a small number of people who follow this heretical way, and more people do it for the sake of communication.


    Nowadays, there are three kinds of relationships that are the strongest, fellow township, same year, and same teacher.


    Not to mention the same hometown and the same teacher, the same year refers to the person who took the exam in the same subject and was selected. Even if he takes a step back, even if he doesn''t win, since he has become a juren, his status is naturally different from before, and he is destined to have a lot of communication with the officialdom. If there are good friends who are good friends who are admitted to Jinshi and then become officials in a certain place, these will be capital for the future.


    This year''s Spring Festival, the capital was very lively, and this kind of excitement continued until after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, reaching its peak. As more and more candidates entered the capital, the capital was overcrowded, and all kinds of gossip made people dizzy.


    At the same time, a kind of private gambling called "surname" is also spreading in Beijing.


    The so-called Wei surname is to use the surname of the examinee as the object of guessing. If you buy it, you win, and if you don¡¯t buy it, you lose.


    Before starting the bet, there will be a banker who sets out guessing and buying rules, such as Zhao Qian, Sun Li, etc., or they don¡¯t open, and if they do, the payout is bound to be very small. And the compensation for those surnames is naturally much higher.


    This kind of gamble with the surname actually doesn''t attract too many people''s attention. What attracts the most attention is buying a certain person.


    The unnamed newspaper is aimed at this kind of people. Those who can be on the list are all famous talents who went to the test this time. These people are all in the range of guessing. Of course, there are also some unnamed people on the list who will also gamble, and the payouts for these people will be huge, and some can even reach two hundred for one. That is to say, among the people who buy one tael, if this person really wins after the list is revealed, the dealer who started the bet will pay two hundred taels.


    This situation is really appalling, and it is very hard to imagine that such a thing happened under the heels of the emperor.


    As everyone knows, the imperial court has repeatedly prohibited them, and since these bankers dare to gamble in Beijing, they must have a backer, so they are naturally popular.


    Xue Tingxiang still heard about this from Mao Badou, this guy couldn''t stand his loneliness, someone who knew him took him to a gambling place to see the world, so he took Li Datian with him.


    It doesn''t matter if I go, I feel very embarrassed when I come back.


    Without him, he and Li Datian were not included in the bet this time, but Xue Tingxiang was there, but it was a pity that he was pressed at the bottom of the box, no one paid attention at all, and naturally no one made a bet.


    The reason why Xue Tingxiang was among them was probably because of his reputation as Xie Yuan from Shanxi Province. Unfortunately, Jie Yuan failed in the last test, and he has no talent. He is rarely known, and others don''t care if he is With filial piety in his body, he was naturally offered a huge odds.


    The biggest payout is two hundred for one, and Xue Tingxiang is one hundred for one. Just looking at his payout, you can tell that he is a big upset, and the possibility of being a Jinshi is extremely low. Isn''t this an obvious curse!


    "How come they have the names of candidates who are going to take the exam? Isn''t this only available to the government?" Zhao''er questioned.


    There is no need to ask this question. Naturally, these private bettors have connections in the government. In fact, it is also imagined that if there is no connection, who would dare to try to gamble in the capital.


    After listening to Mao Badou''s explanation, Zhao''er sighed, "These people are really daring."


    More than audacity!


    Xue Tingxiang sneered.


    Immediately, he cheered up and comforted Mao Badou: "Actually, if you think about it differently, the payout is high, and you will pay more if you win the bet."


    Mao Badou''s mind has always turned faster, and he immediately reacted: "Ting Xiang, do you want to kill yourself?" He said, he laughed: "Hey, why did I forget this, since you are going to end, you must Yes, I will win. I will buy it for you now, and let those good students who see people as low as dogs see it."


    Xue Tingxiang hurriedly stopped him: "How do you say that the wind is the rain, even if it is buying, it is not your way of buying."


    "Then what else can you say?" Mao Badou asked curiously.


    "Gambling is something that should be avoided as much as possible, but these people¡ª" Xue Tingxiang paused before saying, "I''d better go out with you and have a look."

 Chapter 135

    You can see her appearance in her fifties, with her gray hair neatly tied behind her head. With a long face, the eyelids are a little sunken, and when the face is pulled, it becomes a triangular eye, which looks particularly unfriendly.


    Without Mrs. Zhao''s words, Mrs. Sun said: "Zhao''er, it''s not my aunt talking about you, you girl likes to make a fuss. Could it be that you deliberately torment us all, even if you don''t like it..."


    Before she finished speaking, she was pulled by the man Xue Qinghuai.


    "Okay, let''s say a few words less, Zhao''er is not ignorant, besides, the dog is already sick, so it''s better to find a doctor to take a look, and the family can rest assured."


    "I said less and said less, and I didn''t say anything..."


    "You also said..."


    The couple went out while chatting and tugging. The eldest aunt Yang smiled at Zhao''er, and then said to the mother-in-law: "Mother, let''s go too, let the dog have a good rest."


    Mrs. Zhao glanced at the dog on the kang, snorted coldly, turned her head and left. Just from her posture, it can be seen that she is very angry.


    In fact, it is true. The Xue family can''t be called a rich family. It costs at least one or two hundred dollars to invite a doctor back from the town. ! In particular, the doctor''s pulse just now confirmed Zhao''s guess that Xue Gouzi was deliberately pretending to be ill, and it was only strange that she was happy.


    Let Mrs. Zhao see that the two little boys in the second room are deliberately torturing the family, but since the eldest daughter-in-law has come forward to persuade her, Mrs. Zhao will naturally not say more.


    Generally speaking, among the three daughters-in-law of the Xue family, Yang is the one who wins Zhao''s heart the most. The eldest has an unusual status, and Zhao is willing to show the eldest daughter-in-law some face.


    After Mrs. Zhao and Mrs. Yang left, only the third uncle Xue Qingbai and the third aunt Zhou were left in the house. The two were not used to talking much, and they didn''t stay long, Zhao''er thought that the third uncle had worked hard just now, so he sent the two of them out with a smile.


    When he turned his head and came back, he saw Xue Gouzi lying on the kang with his eyes open, his eyes staring blankly, as if he had lost his mind.


    She didn''t think much about it, she came to the side of the kang and patted his head: "Dog, don''t think too much, they don''t believe that you are sick and have a headache, sister believes you. Take care of your illness and don''t think about it anymore. "


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her, his mouth was dry and his throat was tight: "Zhaoer..."


    "What''s wrong? Is there something uncomfortable?"


    Feeling these undelicate but very warm hands touching his head and face, Xue Gouzi had a sense of reality and gratitude that he had never had before.


    She wasn''t dead, and neither was he.


    Although he didn''t like some of her daily actions, and even hated her as his child bride-in-law, but he never thought of letting her die, so how could he be the one who killed his wife and son.


    But Xue Gouzi was still very flustered, because that dream was too real. After going through that dream for more than seventy years, it seemed that he had also experienced that life. But after waking up from the dream, the vicissitudes of life have changed, and he dare not look back.


    "Zhaoer..."


    "Why!"


    "Zhaoer..."


    "Um."


    "Zhaoer..."


    A hot stream suddenly flowed out unconsciously from the dry eye sockets.


    This scared Zhao''er quite a bit, and he didn''t care to think that the little man would never call her that, let alone let himself get close to him. He hugged his head into his arms and asked him anxiously up.


    Seeing that he didn''t speak, but just buried himself in his arms and cried, Zhao''er couldn''t help but wonder if those people made him think too much just now. According to Zhao''er, the little man has a lot of things on his mind, and he never speaks out, otherwise he wouldn''t have this serious illness.


    She patted him on the back, hugged him like she did when she was a child, and comforted him: "Don''t be afraid, dog, even if they don''t send you to study, sister will send you there, and sister will send you even if she sells everything." go."


    *


    After all, Xue Gouzi had just recovered from a serious illness, and after experiencing such an incident, he fell asleep after drinking some porridge for dinner.


    Zhao''er covered him with a quilt before tidying up the basket she had just brought back.


    The back basket is full of needlework and cloth, which are rags that Zhao''er bought in the embroidery workshop in the town. The reason why I started this business was because I used to recruit children to carry the finished purses for the women in the village to sell in the embroidery workshop.


    There is no adult in the second room. Although the family is in charge of eating, after all, the pen, ink, paper and inkstone used by Xue Gouzi to study, as well as the clothes, bedding and some odds and ends of the two people on weekdays, etc., all need money.


    Wanting to ask for money from Mrs. Zhao is more expensive than ascending to the sky, and although the uncle Xue Qingshan is determined to treat his nephew as if he were his own, but Zhao''er usually only sees the big family''s child with greasy lips, and Xue Juncai never Lack of pens, ink, paper and inkstones. In contrast, the little man was as thin as a bamboo pole, and he picked up a bald pen that Xue Qingshan didn''t use back then.


    Zhao''er has always been a strong one, she couldn''t bear to wrong the little man, so she could only find money everywhere by herself. There was no opportunity to make money in the countryside, so she went to the town to look around, as long as it was within her power and did not require capital, she would try to do it.


    In the past few years, she has collected vegetables from the village and sold them in the town, picked up work from the embroidery workshop and assigned them to women with good craftsmanship in the village, and usually went to the mountains to find mountain products to sell.


    And now this business has been done several times, Zhao''er has a sweet mouth and a thick face, the boss of the embroidery workshop can''t hold her back, so he sells the unwanted rags to her in bags. She took it back, sorted and cut it, and then asked the women in the village to help make purses and other things, and she could earn a lot of money by reselling them in the embroidery workshop. It is much better than before just receiving the purses made by others, and earning a penny for a few purses.


    If he hadn''t made some money by doing this business, he didn''t know when Xue Gouzi would recover from his serious illness. Mrs. Zhao would have given up the money to get the medicine for a long time ago, and Zhao''er used his own money to catch the medicines later. I still have to hide it, for fear that other members of the Xue family will find out.


    Thinking of this, the corners of Zhao''er''s mouth tightened.


    She has always been agile in her hands and feet, and seeing that she picked out some usable cloth heads, she stopped tossing about. I chose clean ones and spread them out on a square table, and cut these strangely shaped cloth heads into a uniform shape with scissors.


    This is Zhao''er''s own calculation based on how much fabric is needed to make a purse, no more and no less, she will not take out these rags for people to see.


    It is not easy for country people to earn a penny. If someone finds out, the designated way to earn money will be robbed within a few days.


    Zhao''er also wants to use this to make money for the little man to go to the town to study, so that she can only go to see Xue Jun, and her little man can also go. Zhao''er has always been prepared with both hands when doing things, and she knows in her heart that the big house will never let such a good thing happen to the little man.


    It is better to ask for others than to ask for yourself, and it is better to rely on yourself than to rely on mountains and rivers.


    Zhao''er has understood this truth since she was seven years old when she was going to be exchanged for money by her grandmother and father.


    After Zhao''er finished what she was doing, seeing the little man was fast asleep, and seeing that it was already dark outside, she wrapped the tidy cloth in something, and hurried out with it.


    Under the night, Yuqing Village was exceptionally peaceful, and the light silver moonlight shone on the trails in the village. Although the road was still unclear, it was not completely dark after all.


    Zhao''er walked all the way and didn''t even startle a dog.


    This is not an ability that ordinary people can have. You must know that in places like the countryside, almost every household has a dog. Dogs are very alert at night, and whenever someone walks past the door, they bark wildly. Even if a petty thief came to the door, he would have been scared away by the dog long ago.


    Zhao''er also developed this ability after walking a lot at night.


    Of course, it was also related to the sunspot following her legs.


    Heizi is a country dog, but it is stronger and bigger than ordinary dogs. There are not many dogs in Yuqing Village that can beat Heizi, and it is because of Heizi that Zhao''er dares to walk alone at night.


    She went all the way to a family''s house with ease, and it was strange that the other party knew that she would come at this time and left the door open for her. As soon as she entered the door, the family''s dog rushed over. Before she could reach her, a black shadow rushed over and threw the other person to the ground. The dog was so frightened that it fell on the ground and stopped barking.


    Zhao''er gloated at the side: "I don''t have a long memory!"


    At this time, a person came out of the house, and he smiled as he walked up to the front: "This black man is here to bully our family Wangcai again, Zhao''er, come in and sit down."


    "Aunt Osmanthus, I won''t go in, I''m still rushing back."


    Zhao''er handed over the things in his hands to the visitor, took some things from the other person, wrapped them in cloth, and then went to the next household.


    Zhao''er went to five families.


    She is anxious to make money, but there are few women in the village who are good at needlework, and she needs to find someone who is tight-lipped and reliable. shit money.


    The reason why she said that was because when she collected vegetables from the village and sold them in the town, she was publicized by people who didn''t know the door, causing her to be pointed at all day long. She was not afraid of being pointed out, but these things finally reached the ears of the little man, and some villagers made fun of him, which caused a lot of conflicts between her and the little man. And after that, she won''t receive any vegetables in the village, even if someone sells them to her, it will be at a high price.


    In the end, she had no choice but to go to other villages to collect vegetables. It was not a waste of time. Since then, Zhaoer has developed a memory.


    When Zhao''er came home, Xue Gouzi on the kang was still sleeping soundly.


    She went to get some water to wash her face and wipe her hands before getting on the kang. The second room only had this kang, and she had slept with Xue Gouzi since she was a child, and she was used to it.


    Heizi slept under the kang, just now when he invited his son into the house, he slid in at his feet and chose a random place to lie down. It seems that the dog''s eyes have been closed, but in fact the two ears are standing up, and they move from time to time.


    Before Zhao''er lay down, she bullied herself over to look at the little man, and touched his forehead, before falling asleep in peace.


    *


    Compared with the second room because of the sparse population, there are only two rooms and one kang, the treatment of the first room is obviously much better. The entire three east rooms were occupied by the big room, and at this time in the east room, Mrs. Yang was talking to Xue Qingshan.


    Yang narrated what happened during the day, Xue Qingshan immediately frowned after listening.


    He was not at home during the day, so naturally he didn''t know what happened at home. Nowadays, some respectable families will invite scholars to preside over their weddings and funerals, but where rural families can afford to hire scholars, some will invite children to make up the number.


    No matter how they are all scholars, they are different from ordinary people.


    Today, Xue Qingshan was invited by a family in a nearby village to have a wedding. It doesn''t matter what the etiquette is.


    But the people in the countryside are poor, so the happy money will not be too much, at most a few tens of pennies.


    Xue Qingshan likes this kind of work the most. Every time at this time, he will randomly assign articles to memorize for the students in the school, and then go out for a whole day, and no one will say anything. What he likes is not only having money to take, but also when this time is his happiest time.


    He was sitting in the position of the guest of honor, and the men who came to have a wedding banquet were all proud to have a conversation with him.


    He is the master of Tongsheng!


    Of course, it would be even better if Tongsheng could be replaced by a scholar, Xue Qingshan would have dreamed of it. But for so many years, he has more or less self-knowledge, so he can''t help pinning his hopes on his son.


    It''s a pity that someone is blocking this way now.


    Xue Qingshan drank a lot of wine, his chubby face was flushed, and he was holding his breath in his heart, so he spit and scolded: "What kind of moth is this son of a bitch, I really want to open a dyeing workshop just to give him some color. !"


    Yang sighed faintly: "Who told you that you agreed to the second child so easily at the beginning, but now it''s hard to get off the tiger because of our talents."


    "In that situation back then, the second child seemed to be honest, and he wanted to accompany his elder brother when he was about to die. If I knew that he was paying attention that day, I would have found a way to shut him up, but so many people I was present, and the accident happened because of me, if I don''t even agree to this matter, how can I gain a foothold in front of others."


    Of course, Mrs. Yang knew this truth, but she couldn''t calm down. Just because of that bullshit promise, Da Fang kept her hands tied. Her son wanted to go to the library to study, but he had to hide and beg the other party to show his respect.


    She was always proud and arrogant, so naturally the more she thought about it, the more annoyed she became, her eyes sparkled, but she sneered on her face: "Because he fell ill suddenly, originally Dad planned to make decisions for us, so we can only endure it. But he has been sick for these days, and today he has such a scene, and my mother is already annoyed. I asked the fourth daughter-in-law to tell my mother that the dog is probably pretending to be sick. I think my mother has already decided that he is pretending. sick."


    Xue Qingshan''s eyes lit up: "That''s good, I''ll go talk to my parents tomorrow and let them put this matter into practice." He put his arms around Yang''s shoulders with a smile, and said: "My wife is smarter. , Prepared a backhand early."


    Yang gave him an angry look, and the two of them rested together, without speaking for a whole night.


    Smoke rose from the chimneys of many houses, and villagers walking in twos and threes on the village trails, either carrying hoes or pulling cattle, looked like they were going to the fields.


    It is the time of spring plowing, and the plan of the year lies in spring. If you are lazy at this time, you will cry when the grain is harvested in autumn.


    Zhao''er woke up at this hour on time, and opened his eyes to find that the little man was still asleep.


    Not long after she fell asleep yesterday, the little man developed a fever again. After being busy for most of the night, luckily the fever subsided in the middle of the night.


    She sat up, raised her hand to touch the little man''s forehead, and made sure that her hands were not hot, then put on her clothes lightly and got off the kang.


    The first thing to do was to open the door, and Heizi, who had been restless for a long time, got out with a swish. Zhao''er also walked out of the room, seeing Heizi hurriedly running out of the courtyard to pee, she shook her head with a broken smile.

 Chapter 136

    Xue Tingxiang also heard the movement outside the room and came out.


    "Don''t go, I''ll push it." Zhao''er knew that it would be no good for Yang Zhong to find a young man because of his elder status. Xue Jun is his grandson, so what good can he say if he goes, especially What about the previous incident?


    "No problem."


    When these words came out, Zhao''er was stunned for a moment, and Xue Tingxiang remembered that he would never speak like this in normal times.


    He smiled and said, "It''s okay, you''re still afraid that I won''t succeed if he eats it."


    "Can¡­¡­"


    At this time, Xue Tingxiang had already passed her to the main room, so she could only follow in a hurry.


    *


    Here in the main room, as expected, the wine is in full swing.


    Yang Zhong''s white and chubby face was flushed from drinking, and he looked like he was slightly drunk. Mr. Xue''s dark red face glowed red under the light. Xue Qingshan also sat on the side, along with Xue Juncai, Xue Qingbai and Xue Qinghuai.


    Women are not at the table.


    Seeing Xue Tingxiang walking in, Yang Zhong said, "Our little genius is here, come and let me see."


    He waved his hands without treating himself as an outsider, and when Xue Tingxiang approached, he looked up and down with a pair of drunken eyes: "I don''t see anything changed, how did you become so promising?"


    As soon as these words were heard, they were sarcasm, and the field immediately fell silent.


    Xue Qingshan focused on eating vegetables between his sandwiches, and didn''t seem to hear. Xue Juncai seemed to be sitting upright, but in fact he was looking at this place intentionally or unintentionally.


    The rest of the Xue family were a little embarrassed, especially Mr. Xue, his face was a little stiff, but he hesitated to speak.


    Zhao''er was about to attack, when Xue Qinghuai suddenly stood up, smiled and picked up the wine bowl: "My father-in-law, I respect you for a bowl, this wine is brewed by my father himself, and most people can''t drink it when they come here. Don''t look at your old man When I came, I quickly dug a jar and said to drink a few more bowls with you."


    Yang Zhong looked at Xue Qinghuai with a smile, and without hesitation, he picked up the wine bowl and drank it down in one gulp, and ate a few mouthfuls of food. Taking advantage of the situation, Xue Qinghuai hurriedly winked at Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang, telling them to leave quickly.


    Xue Tingxiang smirked slightly, and planned to take Zhao''er away, and listened to Yang Zhong before he even took a step.


    "What''s the matter? Why is the elder leaving before he finished talking? Although I am not your own grandfather, I am also your own grandfather. Is this old man not paying attention to me, or what?"


    The hat was buttoned too big, Zhao''er was about to say something, Xue Tingxiang gave her a hand.


    He took two steps forward, pretending to be listening respectfully: "Since my in-laws and grandpas have taught me, I will just listen to you." After a pause, he continued: "It''s just that my in-laws and grandpas are also scholars, so I think they know how to be rude. reason"


    "According to what you little brat thinks, as an elder, I can''t say that you are a junior?"


    The smell of alcohol came straight to Xue Tingxiang''s face, and there was also a strange smell of various vegetables mixed in it.


    Xue Tingxiang did not evade, and nodded calmly: "Naturally."


    "Hey! Look! It''s really different."


    Yang Zhong tapped Xue Tingxiang a few times with his finger, and looked at the rest of Xue''s family with a smirk, and the villain first complained: "In-law, is this your family''s tutor?"


    It was obvious that Yang Zhong was here to make trouble, and of course it was for Xue Juncai. When he came back from Lizheng''s house before, Mr. Xue guessed that the big room would definitely make a fuss, but he didn''t expect that the fuss should be here.


    In fact, as the son and daughter-in-law, how could the married couple blatantly quarrel with Mr. Xue? After all, they swore before that whoever wins will go, and whoever loses should not complain. And Yang Zhong, as Xue Juncai''s grandfather, couldn''t be more appropriate to stand in for him. If it works, it''s good, if it doesn''t, it won''t hurt the relationship between father and son.


    "relatives by marriage¡­¡­"


    Mr. Xue was about to speak, but was interrupted by Xue Tingxiang''s voice.


    "Although my parents are both deceased, there are my grandfather, uncles, and other elders of the Xue family. Even if there is something wrong, it is not up to people of other surnames to point fingers here. Although my grandfather and my family are connected I want to kiss you, but I definitely didn''t go to the Xue family''s table, eat the Xue family''s food, and scold the Xue family for their reasons."


    Because there are guests, candles are rarely lit in the house, which illuminates the room brightly.


    Standing in the middle, the boy is thin and thin, but he is tall and straight. He was wearing a shabby clothes, the cuffs and the front of the clothes were a little white, but it made people feel an inviolable aura.


    "Could this be the way of in-laws and grandpas being guests? One day when I, the Xue family, went to your house as guests, I would point and point at the Yang family, and be eccentric. Presumably, my in-laws and grandpas would not be angry. After all, coming here is not indecent. Thanks ah Master is always the junior in the family and talks about his in-laws and grandpas, but the boy is only his in-laws and grandpas, he is a literati, he is respected by the younger generation as a person who understands etiquette, now it seems that it is nothing more than that!"


    "you--"


    There was silence in the room, and no one thought that Xue Tingxiang would explode on the spot regardless of his seniority.


    Xue Qingshan stopped eating, and suddenly felt restless.


    But he didn''t stand up to speak for his father-in-law. Xue Tingxiang''s hat was too big, which brought the face of the whole Xue family and even the Xue clan. If he speaks for it, he is echoing the fact that the face of the Xue family can be trampled on the ground by the Yang family.


    In particular, this is not in line with what he planned.


    Yang Zhong''s face was flushed red, and his lips trembled with anger: "You kid, you dare to teach your elders a lesson at such a young age."


    "Don''t dare! A gentleman is harmonious but different, and a villain is the same but not harmonious. The boy is just telling the truth. I also hope that the in-laws and grandparents should be cautious in their words and deeds, so that they can be the appearance of a gentleman."


    This is teaching myself through the words of the sage!


    Yang Zhong laughed back angrily, and pointed at him with his finger: "Okay, okay, it''s really amazing. After studying for a few days, people are different. You really think that it''s a big deal if you win the handsome talent today, even if you furious."


    "A gentleman has nothing to fight for, and he will definitely shoot! When he bows and rises, he goes down to drink, and his fight is also a gentleman."


    This sentence comes from the eight chapters of "The Analects of Confucius". It roughly means that a gentleman will not argue about anything. If there is a dispute, it must be upholding the way of a gentleman. Neither humble nor overbearing, neither angry nor complaining, and having fun with wine after the competition is the battle between gentlemen. It''s not that you must be flushed in the face, like a black-eyed chicken, that would be out of style.


    It is about being a person and dealing with affairs, and at the same time, it is using the words of the saints to ridicule Yang Zhong for not having the manners and tolerance of his elders, and to make things difficult for his juniors in order to protect his grandson.


    There were only four scholars present, and the others were all at a loss. They could only see that Xue Tingxiang was not at a disadvantage, but Yang Zhong was so angry that his seven orifices seemed to be smoking.


    Forget about Yang Zhong, Xue Qingshan and his son couldn''t help being a little bit surprised when he was angry.


    You must know that although Xue Tingxiang has studied the Four Books, he only understands the superficiality and does not understand the meaning of the scriptures. But just now he uttered two sentences in a row, both of which are from the Four Books, and if he didn''t understand the meaning of the scriptures, how could he use them to harm others.


    Could it be that someone taught him behind his back? No wonder his performance was so unexpected today.


    And right at this moment, other changes took place in the field.


    It was Yang Zhong who stood up in anger and wanted to teach Xue Tingxiang a lesson, but was stopped by Mr. Xue, Xue Qinghuai and Xue Qingbai.


    "Well, you little bastard, you have learned to swear before your hair grows."


    "A gentleman does not mirror water, but mirrors people. Mirroring water, the appearance of meeting, mirroring people, you can know good and bad, but if you want to come to your relatives and grandpas, you don''t understand this sentence."


    Xue Tingxiang had a smile on his face, obviously there was nothing wrong with that smile, even a bit shy, and his words were gentle and polite, but it made people taste a bit ironic.


    "I know if I understand you or not, I know you are swearing, I must teach you a lesson today!" Yang Zhong struggled to raise his hand, and at this moment, a violent shout sounded in vain.


    "Father-in-law!"


    It was Mr. Xue who spoke.


    "My father-in-law, I respect your in-laws, but this is my Xue family!"


    Mr. Xue''s complexion was very ugly. He had been tolerant just now because of the other party''s identity, but Xue Tingxiang was right. There was a whole family sitting in the room, all of whom were surnamed Xue. There was absolutely no reason for someone surnamed Yang to teach others a lesson. .


    No matter how much the family makes trouble, it is wrong for outsiders to intervene.


    There was silence in the room, only the sound of Yang Zhong panting heavily.


    The sound of a stool falling to the ground sounded, and it was Xue Qingshan who stood up.


    At this time, Yang Shi, who had been hiding in the house, also ran out, and said angrily and anxiously: "Father, what are you doing! Why did you drink some wine and start to make trouble."


    She explained to the dark-faced old man Xue: "Father, don''t blame me, my father is like this, when he starts to drink. Oh, father, what do you think you are making a fuss about?" Then she complained to Xue Qingshan: " Juncai''s father, and you too, why don''t you stop him from making trouble like this."


    Yang Zhongdao: "I''m making trouble, what''s wrong with me?! Xue Lianxing, don''t forget what you promised me back then. Juncai is your eldest grandson, so you plan to let it go?"


    "Father, stop talking, I''ll help you down to rest."


    The Dafang couple, one on the left and the other on the right, helped Yang Zhong out, and Yang Zhong seemed to be really drunk, shouting that you should really let go, and stumbled and was helped out by the couple.


    *


    Because of this commotion, the Xue family was extremely quiet afterwards.


    Mrs. Zhou originally asked Zhao''er and the two of them to eat, but they said they had eaten, so they went back to the house.


    A table of food and wine, only half eaten, old man Xue sat there alone, eating food and drinking wine, no one dared to disturb.


    Mrs. Zhao hid in the back room, don''t look at her usually yelling at Mr. Xue, but when Mr. Xue really got angry, she didn''t dare to make trouble.


    Xue Qinghuai walked to the table and sat down, saying: "Father, it''s getting late, let''s rest early."


    Mr. Xue nodded, but when he put down his chopsticks, he sighed again.


    Xue Qinghuai couldn''t help but persuaded: "Father, don''t think too much."


    "Look at the eldest couple. Why don''t you remember your kindness? The second has only been dead for a few years. Even if the child is not sensible, there is no need to do so."


    Xue Qinghuai understood what the old man meant, but he couldn''t answer these words well, so he could only say awkwardly: "Maybe the eldest brother and sister-in-law don''t know that the in-laws guild will make such a fuss."


    Mr. Xue snorted, but did not speak.


    "But Gouzi didn''t suffer, you see he was mad at sister-in-law."


    Hearing this, Mr. Xue couldn''t help but twitch his eyebrows and eyes: "I followed the second child."


    Xue Qingsong has this kind of temperament, usually taciturn, but don''t push him into a hurry, he can surprise everyone.


    "This big family has been living in harmony and beauty, but it''s getting more and more difficult." Mr. Xue sighed, probably because he drank some wine, and his emotions were particularly leaking.


    Xue Qinghuai didn''t respond.


    After a long time, Mr. Xue sighed: "Let your wife clean up this table, and you should go and rest earlier."


    "Hey, I''ll let her clean it up."


    Since Xue Tingxiang made up his mind to copy the books, Zhao''er had no reason to object.


    However, she even made a big wish that she would earn a lot of money in the future and not let him worry about a book, not to mention here.


    After Zhao''er helped him lay out the paper, he went to find a suitable needle and thread, planning to bind it for him after he finished writing.


    Xue Tingxiang laughed a little, but didn''t say anything, and started to write seriously on the paper.


    He planned to copy all the books he had memorized, because he found a problem. Since he had that dream, ''Xue Tingxiang'' had more and more influence on him, including the impact on his own memory.


    Especially all the books he has learned since he was a child. He had flipped through the memory of that dream before, and he had memories of some bibliographies in elementary school and even college, but his memory was extremely vague, and many of the more detailed things had been forgotten.


    He thought about the reason, and felt that "he" seemed to be very disgusted with the memory of studying hard in the cold window, so he always adopted an evasive attitude. In addition, the Xue Tingxiang in the dream has lived for more than seventy years. Since he passed the Jinshi examination, he has been obsessed with officialdom battles, but he doesn''t care about his own knowledge.


    After so many years, his memory is more about the ups and downs of the officialdom, the various forces in the party struggle, and the speculation of the people, rather than the original essence of a scholar.


    Seriously speaking, ''Xue Tingxiang'' is not a real scholar, he is just a politician.


    But obviously he doesn''t need these things now, as if a young child has a sword, he knows the significance of these things to his future. But today a young child needs nothing more than a piece of clothing, or just food and clothing.


    But these memories have already begun to affect his own memory. He doesn''t want to forget what he has learned. What he needs to do now is to consolidate his memory and combine with ''Xue Tingxiang''''s advanced understanding of many things. This is the right way.


    And the best way to master it is nothing more than copying books.


    Obviously this yellow bamboo paper is of very low quality, the brush strokes should not be light or heavy, the ink will be uneven if it is light, and it will smudge if it is heavy, but Xue Tingxiang writes on it like flowing clouds and flowing water as if there is nothing. The handwriting on it is full and round, and it is extraordinarily majestic.


    Zhao''er held his breath and didn''t even dare to make a sound. His eyes fell on Xue Tingxiang, who was writing vigorously. Suddenly, he had the illusion that a little man had grown up.

 Chapter 137

    Zhao''er didn''t finish the rest of the sentence, Shen Ping also understood.


    He laughed a little, but he appreciated Zhao''er''s frankness of not wanting to take advantage of others: "These were sold to a clothing store or an embroidery workshop, and the price was the same. Regardless of the large quantity, there are not many good ones that can be sold at a price The ones have already been picked away."


    Zhao''er thinks about it, the eyes of the county people are naturally different from those of the country people, let alone this kind of big pawn shop, what is bad in their eyes is actually good for the country people to see.


    She breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "I want the bag of clothes from Shopkeeper Shen, and I''ll give you the money right now."


    "Are you rich now?"


    Of course she is rich, Zhao''er now has more than two taels of silver in total, and just now Su Lan gave her another five taels, which is naturally enough.


    At the same time, Shen Ping laughed a bit, "Well, I forgot that you have visited her before, so I came here, and she won''t take advantage of me." The voice was very small, almost like a whisper, and only care about the trick. I had to look at the clothes, but I didn''t hear clearly.


    "I''ll find a guy to call a car for you, and you, a little girl, can''t transport these things."


    "Thank you, Shopkeeper Shen."


    After seeing Zhao''er off, Shen Ping turned around and went into the pawn shop.


    Although he is called the third shopkeeper, he is not the third shopkeeper of this store, but the third shopkeeper of the entire ''Herongsheng'', and he will only stay in Xia County permanently under his deliberate request.


    Shen Ping is the son of the Shen family, his father is the chief manager of the Shen residence, and he has been a servant with the third young master Shen Fu since he was a child. It was not until he became an adult that he was released to become a shopkeeper.


    "If she comes again next time, just do as I told you before."


    "Yes, shopkeeper."


    *


    Just after noon, the clerk Ah Cai came to deliver meals to Xue Tingxiang.


    Boss Chen said it was simple food, but in fact the food was not bad, with one meat and one vegetable, and one soup. Xue Tingxiang knew very well that Boss Chen was taking care of him deliberately. How could anyone hire someone to copy books, take care of tea and food, and the wages they paid were not low.


    It was because he knew it in his heart that he didn''t say no. In this case, the refusal retained his character, but it seemed too petty and hypocritical.


    It can only be repaid in the future, Xue Tingxiang thought lightly in his heart.


    After eating, when the man came to clean up the dishes, he said that he could rest for an hour. There is a chaise longue available in this room, and of course you can go to the front to read a book to pass the time.


    In fact, the latter sentence is the key point, Xue Tingxiang was not pretentious, after cleaning his hands, he went forward.


    This store may not seem big, but it has a lot of books of all kinds, ranging from rural tales to books about the imperial examination, and there are many books about the imperial examination.


    Since the former dynasty, the imperial examination has used eight-legged essays as the standard style, with strict regulations, and even restrictions on the length of sentences, the number of words, the level of rhymes, and even the scope of questions.


    Stereotype essays take questions from the Four Books and Five Classics, and are composed of eight parts: breaking the title, inheriting the title, starting the lecture, starting, starting the essay, middle section, back section, and binding the section. It seems rigid and rigid, but in fact it is not easy to do a good stereotyped essay. If you really think that only reading the Four Books and Five Classics is enough, you are wrong. Not to mention astronomy and geography, at least you have to be involved in all aspects, so that you can write a good article full of flowers and content.


    In that dream, Xue Tingxiang won the Jinshi with the 21st place in the second class, and was admitted to the Hanlin Academy after passing through the hall. He should have been on a steady rise since then, but because he offended someone, a majestic Hanlin was sent down. The kind of place where the birds don''t shit is an official.


    Xue Tingxiang pursed his lips slightly, feeling that he was thinking too much, after all, he is not even a child now, let''s think about the present.


    So, without thinking too much, he took out a book from the bookcase and read it quietly.


    During this period, customers from the bookstore came to sell some pens, ink, paper and inkstones, or came to buy books, always interrupting Xue Tingxiang''s reading.


    Seeing this, Boss Chen said: "Brother Xue, you can take the book to the back and read."


    Xue Tingxiang looked at him in surprise: "This..."


    "It''s okay, it''s not bad for your book."


    Xue Tingxiang was silent, bowed deeply in salute, and then went back.


    When Xue Tingxiang woke up, he heard Boss Chen talking outside and Zhao''er''s voice at the same time.


    "Where did you get this big bag?" Boss Chen looked at Zhao''er in surprise, and asked for the bag at her feet that was much bigger than her.


    Zhao''er was sweating profusely and said: "Uncle Chen, I got it from the county, and so did the man from the car dealership. They only helped me to the intersection and left me behind. I wanted to be dragged to the car dealership. But thinking that my brother is still here..."


    Boss Chen laughed, and called his assistant: "Ah Cai, come and help little brother Zhao''er carry the things in." Then he said to Zhao''er: "Come in and have a drink and rest before leaving."


    "Uncle Chen, what a shame."


    "When you were bargaining with me, you were never polite, but now you are more polite." Boss Chen pretended to stare.


    Generally speaking, Boss Chen is an elegant and humorous person.


    Xue Tingxiang also came out to help, and asked, "What''s in it? Why is it so heavy? Where did you get it?"


    Not to mention it was really heavy, Ah Cai tried a few times but couldn''t lift it, only three people could lift it.


    "I got it from a pawn shop. If I can sell this package, my sister will have enough money to send you to the Qinghe Academy."


    Zhao''er hadn''t realized that he had slipped up, but Xue Tingxiang had. He glanced at Boss Chen, and Zhao''er understood what he said at this moment, and looked at Boss Chen with some guilt: "Uncle Chen, I will explain to you later."


    She was a little anxious, and without asking the two of them to help, she lifted the big bag and carried it on her shoulders. The big bag pushed her to one side, but she still stopped, and she quickly carried the things inside.


    Ah Cai praised: "It doesn''t look like she is strong, she is so strong."


    Here, Xue Tingxiang looked at the back and pursed the corners of his mouth, while Boss Chen''s eyes darkened.


    Xue Tingxiang looked up at Boss Chen, and walked towards him.


    ...


    Zhao''er found a place to put down the big bag, then went to wash his hands and face to clean up his body, and then A Cai led him to see Boss Chen.


    Seeing Boss Chen, Zhao''er felt a little guilty. But she didn''t intend to continue to lie to Boss Chen, because Boss Chen is a good person. Not to mention the benefits he gave her before, just because he asked the little man to copy books for such a high price, let him read books here, and take care of the lunch at noon, Zhao''er can no longer continue to deceive.


    In fact, Zhao''er is not a liar, it''s just that she concealed her gender, and then the so-called workmanship is just collecting some vegetables and selling them to make some purses or something.


    "Uncle Chen..."


    Boss Chen sighed and waved his hands: "Okay, you don''t need to say anymore, you are a girl, and you are really embarrassing."


    Zhao''er looked surprised, her round eyes widened.


    Boss Chen laughed a little and said, "Your little husband has already told me everything."


    "He, what did he say..." Zhao''er stammered, still in disbelief. Because she knows that the little man always pays attention to face and has a lot of thoughts, and she doesn''t like to mention her as his child bride-in-law in front of outsiders, and the Xue family''s bad things.


    "I''ve said everything that needs to be said." After a pause, Boss Chen asked, "Look at how surprised you are, isn''t it still a secret?"


    Zhao''er laughed awkwardly, and faltered: "That''s not true, it''s just that he''s young, and people in our village hate him. People always think that I''m older than him, and my daughter-in-law teases men and laughs at him."


    The same sentence sounds different to different people.


    Boss Chen couldn''t help but want to laugh, but Xue Tingxiang outside had mixed feelings in his heart.


    That''s why she always called herself sister, so in the dream he was old, but she didn''t want to marry him. Or he ignored her wishes and insisted on marrying him with his parents'' orders.


    She actually understood her awkward state of mind. He told himself not to be surprised by what other people said, but he cared about it in his heart, so even if the two got married, they couldn''t do it together.


    She actually knew everything, yet she relied on him for everything! Follow him!


    While the mood was churning, the topic was changed inside.


    "I just heard from you that you plan to save money to send him to Qinghe Academy?"


    Zhao''er nodded, seeing the strange expression on Boss Chen''s face, she couldn''t help but ask, "Is that school bad?"


    "Take the road of opportunism, and it won''t last long."


    Zhao''er didn''t quite understand what he heard, but he also knew that it was not a good word.


    "If you want to help him find a good book academy, I have something to recommend. It''s just..." Boss Chen sighed suddenly: "Well, let me tell you that you don''t understand either. Let''s talk about it later."


    Zhao''er nodded in a daze.


    It was not too early to meet later, and the two planned to return to Yuqing Village.


    Because the big bag of clothes was too much, and it would be eye-catching to bring back, Boss Chen asked Zhao''er to put the things in his shop temporarily. Anyway, there are still a few vacant rooms behind the shop, so just find a place to put them.


    The two went back to the village by car, because after time, only the ox cart could be used, so the two sat on the ox cart and walked back bumping back and forth.


    Halfway along the road, a mule cart came head-on.


    The driver was a man, dark and tall. When he got closer, he could see his appearance clearly. He had thick eyebrows and tiger eyes, a high nose bridge, and he was very heroic. His sleeves were half rolled up above his elbows, and his arms seemed to be full of muscles. He looked like a powerful man.


    Xue Tingxiang saw the person coming at a glance, and his pupils shrank immediately.


    He glanced at Zhao''er next to him, saw her with her head half down, and he was relieved.


    But the visitor still saw them, his eyes lit up, and he raised his voice and shouted: "Zhaoer."


    Zhao''er looked over and immediately smiled: "Brother Jiang Wu, where are you going?"


    Jiang Wu tightened the reins and stopped the mule cart.


    "I''m going to town, are you going back? Get out of the car, and I''ll see you off."


    Zhao''er hesitated and said, "Don''t you still want to go to town? Anyway, we''ve already got in the car, so you should do your own work."


    "I don''t have anything to do. I just went to Lao Li''s place to have a look. Originally, my father said that I would go tomorrow and buy some things on the way back. It doesn''t matter whether I go or not. Come on, this car is slow and bumpy. My car is still faster." Jiang Wu said to Zhao''er with a smile, completely unaware that the face of the owner of the bullock cart turned black.


    Seeing this, Zhao''er didn''t let the owner of the ox cart stop, and jumped off from above. After taking two steps over there, I realized that I had forgotten the person.


    While letting the owner of the bullock cart stop, she said to Xue Tingxiang: "Come on down, let''s go back in Brother Jiang Wu''s car." With her beaming face, she was in a good mood.


    Xue Tingxiang''s face was a bit ugly, he glanced at Zhao''er, and then slowly got out of the car.


    The two got into the mule cart, and Jiang Wu drove the cart to Yuqing Village.


    "If I knew you were coming to the county today, I would have asked you to help me get my things back. Brother Jiang Wu, let me tell you, I found a business to do, and this business can make a lot of money. I definitely can''t do it alone. Why don''t we partner up and pay half a penny?"


    It wasn''t Jiang Wu''s first time doing business with Zhao''er. To be honest, before Zhao''er came to collect vegetables and sell them in the town, Jiang Wu helped her a lot.


    How much food can Zhao''er collect in other villages by herself, and besides, she doesn''t have a car, so it''s not convenient to go back and forth. But the Jiang family has a car, and the ancestors of the Jiang family were hunters. With this unique skill, the life of the Jiang family is very comfortable.


    The men of Jiang''s family don''t usually farm land, and the family''s more than 20 acres of land are rented out, and they only earn money by collecting rent and hunting with the men in the family. But hunting is not every day, so Jiang Wu is very free when he is not in the mountains, so he helps recruits to collect vegetables and so on, saying that the two share half and half, but Jiang Wu does not want the money every time .


    "But let me tell you first, if you don''t want to split the money, I won''t do this business with you."


    Jiang Wu looked helpless, but with a smile in his eyes: "Okay, I can''t do it according to what you say, but I don''t need half of it, after all, this is a deal you got, so I''ll help you run some errands or something. Twenty-eight, you eight and I two."


    "How can it be done on February 8th? I will definitely use your car when the time comes. Your Daqing mule is not considered labor? Daqing, look, Brother Jiang Wu said that you are not considered labor, and even your rations will be deducted."


    The mule named Daqing shook its head and snorted, which seemed to mean that if he dared to deduct my rations, I would slow down and let him carry it by himself.


    Zhao''er laughed loudly, pointed at Daqing and said, "Look, even Daqing protested."


    Jiang Wu looked sideways at the girl who was smiling wantonly, with a strange gleam in her eyes. Fortunately, Daqing knew the way and was docile, otherwise he would have ordered all three people in the car into the ditch beside the road.


    Seeing this scene, Xue Tingxiang''s face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.


    He was both annoyed and angry, he actually forgot about Jiang Wu.


    In that dream, Jiang Wu has been coveting Zhao''er.


    Jiang Wu was two years older than Zhao''er, but he never married. If Zhao''er hadn''t been his child bride-in-law, the Jiang family would have come to propose marriage a long time ago.


    Even so, Jiang Wu never gave up, and once even approached him and told him that he wanted to marry Zhao''er, telling him not to be so selfish, and letting Zhao''er go free. She also said that she and Zhao''er would support him to study together and treat him like a younger brother, that''s how he knew about it.


    Shocked and annoyed, he also remembered Zhao''er''s reluctance to marry him. He mistakenly thought that Zhao''er was having an affair with Jiang Wu, so he borrowed his parents'' orders to forcefully marry her. Later, by chance, Only then did he realize that he had wronged her.


    This matter has always been a scar between the two, even though it was never mentioned again, there is a gap between them. Afterwards, he was busy starting his career, while Zhao''er was busy running business. The two met only once in a long time, and even when they met, they seldom talked again until he went to Beijing to rush for the exam after winning the exam.


    The he in the dream once thought after Zhao''er died, if he hadn''t been so despicable back then and forced Zhao''er by his parents'' orders, Zhao''er wouldn''t have died.


    But this kind of thought is like a superficial thought, it just passed by in a flash. At this time, thinking about it, he is probably despicable in his bones. Even if he is not the Xue Tingxiang in his dream, he never thought of letting him go.


    She was supposed to be his, and when he still half understood, someone would always point to her and say, this is his future wife, isn''t it?


    "Brother Jiang Wu, you''d better look at some roads, this road is uneven, don''t lead us all into a ditch."


    Xue Tingxiang''s voice successfully interrupted the chatting and laughing of Jiang Wu and Zhao''er, as if a very ignorant person suddenly appeared, making the already warm atmosphere suddenly cool down.


    Zhao''er laughed dryly: "Look at me, I was so focused on talking to you about the business that I forgot that you were still driving the car. Fortunately, Daqing is smart, otherwise I would have fallen."


    Da Qing called out, looking very complacent.


    Jiang Wu looked back subconsciously, just in time to meet the young man''s dark eyes. Those eyes made him inexplicably guilty, but soon he regained his confidence.

 Chapter 138

    Without him, it is because of this posture that the girl''s figure is vividly displayed. High/chest/upturned/hips, slender waist, Xue Tingxiang has never seen such a scene before, a very strange feeling of dryness and heat climbed up in his body.


    But at the same time, he was familiar with it, and a picture appeared in his mind, which was the time of the two people''s bridal chamber.


    In the dream, he didn''t like her at that time, but he felt that marrying her was a matter of course.


    It was a deep-rooted thought that she should be his wife.


    It''s just that this latent deepest emotion was concealed by his awkwardness and ignorance, especially when he went to the school to study and let his classmates know that he had a child bride in the country, which caused a lot of ridicule.


    But in fact, he liked her deep down in his heart, so she was tortured by him that night in the bridal chamber.


    Originally, he was just ignorant, and she was a newcomer, so he hurt her and also hurt her. But he still thought about the pain, and she cried with tears and snot running down her nose. That was the first time she showed weakness in front of him, and he liked this way of bullying her ever since.


    At that time, he was studying in the academy, and he only came back once every ten days. Every time he came back, she was so scared that she hid. But he had to rely on him and let him do whatever he wanted. He obviously liked it, but pretended not to like it.


    Now that I think about it, he was really an asshole at that time.


    Thinking about these messes in his heart, he suddenly said, "I''ll wipe it for you."


    Zhao''er looked at him sideways in surprise, and subconsciously refused: "I still can''t, I''ll do it myself." After these days of corrections, she has gradually learned not to call herself sister.


    Before her words fell, Xue Tingxiang had already snatched the cloth towel, and pulled her to turn her back, Zhao''er could only freeze there, letting him wipe it.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Tingxiang is still half-headed now, so he can only half-kneel and sit up to wipe her hair. The two were very close, Zhao''er didn''t notice it, but Xue Tingxiang felt his blood was surging.


    Zhao''er''s hair is very black, dense and smooth, like a piece of fine satin. He was clumsy, and Fang began to pull and hurt her several times, until he heard her involuntarily inhaling, he slowed down his movements.


    Feeling that it was a bit difficult for him to reach, Zhao''er was a little distressed, he kept stretching his arms: "If I don''t lie here?"


    As she said that, she went to try it, and it was more convenient for him to lie on the kang, and both of them would not be tired. What she didn''t know was that her posture looked even more seductive from behind, especially for a young man with a fresh blood.


    Xue Tingxiang immediately regretted accepting this matter. It felt like a kind of torture. He needed to work hard to stabilize himself so as not to look randomly.


    "If not, why don''t you sit up?" he asked.


    But got no answer from her.


    When I went to see it, I found that she had fallen asleep.


    The girl seemed very tired and slept soundly. She lay prone on the long-folded quilt, her thick long hair was scattered behind her back and down to her waist. Because the quilt was covering her face, her face was squeezed out of shape, but her pink lips were pouty.


    Zhao''er, who had just taken a bath, still had water vapor on her face. Her plump and delicate cheeks looked young and tender at first glance. Her pink lips had a watery glow, which was attractive to pick.


    Something in his heart was clamoring, and he leaned on him unconsciously. The cheeks of the two were getting closer and closer, so close that he could see and smell the sweet smell.


    Suddenly, she moved, and he quickly backed away, pretending to be nonchalant, muttering in his mouth why he fell asleep, but actually watching her reaction nervously.


    Fortunately, she just moved, and there was no sign of waking up, so he was relieved.


    But the impulse in his heart was gone, he glanced at her several times, reached out and took the thin quilt to cover her, and continued to wipe her wet hair with a cloth towel.


    *


    Yuqing Village was originally a village established by a group of victims who fled during the war in the previous dynasty.


    At first it was not called Yuqing Village, but Zhengjiazhuang. The village is full of people with the surname Zheng, but the number of people is not large, only a dozen or so families. Many years later, there was a famine one year, and the government arranged for a group of people who fled the disaster to settle here. These people are the ancestors of the Xue family.


    There are not many people surnamed Zheng, and there are also many people surnamed Xue. At first, people surnamed Zheng took the lead.


    The Dachang Dynasty implemented the Lilao system, where one hundred households constituted one li, and Jiachang was set up, which is commonly known as Lizheng. There are also several old people, who are commonly known as village elders.


    Within the jurisdiction of Yuqing Village, everything in the village, such as adjudicating civil lawsuits, arbitrating right and wrong, guiding folk customs, persuading farming and mulberry, issuing sentiments, etc., and even urging taxes, military service, etc., are all handled by the local people. Li Zheng and the villagers co-hosted the completion.


    Li Lao''s power can be said to be quite large, and anyone who can be Li Lao is a person of high moral and respect in the local area.


    In fact, this kind of system is equivalent to a local people governing a local people.


    Nowadays there is such a saying that the so-called imperial power does not come down to the county, but only the clan under the county, and the clan is self-governing, self-government depends on ethics, and ethics creates squires, that''s how it is.


    Over the years, the two surnames of Xue and Zheng seem to be harmonious on the surface, but they have been at odds with each other, and what they are fighting for is the right to speak in the village. Although it was because there was a scholar among the people surnamed Xue before, the Xue family changed its previous decline and several village elders appeared in the clan, but the position of Lizheng has always been in the hands of the people surnamed Zheng.


    Now Yuqing Village has one Lizheng and four village elders. Three of these four elders have the surname Xue, that is to say, two pairs of three. But because Zheng Lizheng is here, it is still not an advantage.


    Patriarch Xue is confident that if there is another scholar in the clan, he will be able to completely overwhelm the Zheng family, so when he heard the rumors that had been raging in the village for the past two days, he immediately exploded.


    Mr. Xue was still in the field, so he was called to Patriarch Xue''s house.


    Seeing Patriarch Xue''s face as dark as the bottom of a pot, Old Master Xue was puzzled by Monk Zhang Er: "Brother Haizi, what''s the matter?" In terms of seniority, Patriarch Xue is considered Old Master Xue''s cousin.


    "You still ask me what''s wrong? Don''t you know what''s going on outside recently?"


    Mr. Xue really doesn''t know.


    Seeing this, Patriarch Xue gave a rough account of the matter with a dark face.


    I don''t know when, things about the Xue family have spread outside.


    The source is that someone saw Xue Gouzi, the only son of Xue''s second wife, crying in front of Xue''s second son''s grave.


    The specific content of the cry is untestable, and it is possible for a half-grown boy to express his grievances in this way, which is enough to prove that the child must have been wronged at home. Later, someone familiar with the situation revealed the truth, and everyone knew that the boss of the Xue family planned to send his son to study in the town, but left his nephew alone.


    Few people in the village did not know how the second child of the Xue family died. And when Xue Qingsong was dying, many people in the village were there, so they naturally held Xue Qingshan''s hand and made him promise to treat his son well.


    When he came back from the Xue family, many people discussed it in private, saying that the second son of the Xue family was really miserable, leaving behind a sick wife and a young son.


    Now that such rumors spread, the scene before the death of Xue Lao Er was repeated by people in various ways. Some elderly people shook their heads and sighed, saying that people''s hearts are unpredictable, and it is impossible to entrust their wives and children to anyone. Take care of yourself. You treated him like your big brother and threw your life on him, but he didn''t treat your son as his own son.


    Even Xue Tingxiang''s situation in Xue''s family in the past few years has caused some women to talk about it.


    For example, although the dog from the second room seldom shows up in front of people, he always wears old clothes every time he sees him, while the handsome man from the first room has never seen him in old clothes. Even some things in the private school were told by the ignorant children to the adults. Xue Juncai had everything in his pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and he had the most books in the school. As for Xue Gouzi, he was seen writing on the desk with water on him several times.


    Being eccentric, everyone is eccentric, and no one can say anything about his own son, but Boss Xue also took the life of his own brother on his back. This kind of eccentricity is a bit chilling.


    "You are very old, and the juniors in the family can''t teach well? You are biased towards the elders, but why did you make this matter out of people''s faces? What do you think about this matter now!"


    Mr. Xue was quite old, and his face was flushed with embarrassment, but he also knew that this matter was serious, and his family''s reputation would be ruined if he was not careful.


    It doesn''t matter if you finish your own reputation, but the boss''s reputation can''t be finished. If he gets the name of the only son of the dead brother who is mean, the boss will be ruined for life. Don''t talk about the examination of any scholar, maybe the private school will not be able to open.


    "Brother Haizi..." He looked at Patriarch Xue begging for help, and he didn''t have any rules in his mind for a moment.


    "Now, only by sending both children away can people have nothing to choose."


    Mr. Xue''s old face turned even redder, and he rubbed his big rough hands: "Brother Haizi, you know that our family has been wiped out all these years in order to provide for the boss. It''s not that I don''t want to send two children, but I really can''t." rise."


    Hearing this, Patriarch Xue also frowned.


    When Xue Qingshan went to the Qinghe Academy to study, he knew the inside story very well. That place is desperate for money, and the key is not to have any objections, because most people are willing to pay to go in. One year''s expenses cost at least twenty taels, but Xue Qingshan has been there for five years.


    Patriarch Xue originally planned to make up one or two if it wasn''t enough, but now he doesn''t open his mouth. That''s all for Xue Qingshan, Xue Juncai is still young, and he doesn''t know what the future will be like. The key point is that his two grandchildren are also studying, and neither family is rich.


    "If you don''t, you don''t even want to go, can you do it?" Mr. Xue muttered.


    Patriarch Xue sneered: "That''s not what the outsiders said, your family''s mean and fatherless son. If you don''t want the boss''s reputation to be ruined, you can either give two of them, or you can only give one to the kid from the second room."


    *


    When Mr. Xue came out of Patriarch Xue''s house, he was in a daze.


    He trembled and touched his waist a few times before taking off the cigarette pouch. He didn''t go any further, so he squatted under a tree beside the road and lit the tobacco. He smoked the whole pot of tobacco without stopping before he stood up.


    He walked slowly towards home, and people greeted him from time to time along the way.


    Normally, Mr. Xue would only feel that his face is bright, not that person, who would like to say hello to you, but now he always has the illusion that others are smiling at him, but actually laughing at him in his heart.


    He tried his best to walk back all the way, when another person walked up to him, he was still an acquaintance. The other party smiled and told him why he came back from the field so early today, he couldn''t bear it anymore, and pulled the man under a tree aside to talk.


    "Old man Zhou, tell me the truth, why are people talking about our family behind our backs in the village?"


    The old man this week is also an old man with black and red skin, but he is a head shorter than Mr. Xue, and his back is a bit rickety. Hearing this, he subconsciously glanced at Mr. Xue, and sighed after a long time: "I thought you knew, but you don''t."


    "What do I know? How could I know!" The first sentence almost came out from between the teeth, but the latter sentence was full of wry smiles.


    Having lived most of his life, old man Zhou naturally understands the old man''s mood at this time. But he didn''t know what to say, so he could only say sincerely: "Don''t be too troublesome, these people in the village are just busy and like to talk about right and wrong. But don''t blame me for talking too much, you The family did this..." He sucked between his teeth, as if smacking his lips, but it wasn''t: "It''s really a bit inappropriate."


    inappropriate?


    This is probably because the old man Zhou said this because of his relationship with him, and he didn''t know how others scolded him behind his back. Fangcai''s patriarch only told him that the publicity was bad, but he didn''t tell him how bad it was.


    Mr. Xue asked: "What are you talking about, tell me."


    The old man Zhou sighed before saying what he knew. Now that the words are out of the way, he doesn''t think there is anything he can''t say, "I''m not talking about you, you are the father, so don''t worry about this matter, don''t forget how your second child died, Such an approach will inevitably poke people''s spines."


    Old Master Xue''s complexion was pale, and he mumbled: "It has nothing to do with the boss, it''s because my wife and I discussed this."


    Old man Zhou raised his eyelids and glanced at the old man, and he didn''t plan to say anything that hurt his heart. Once he said this, the friendship between the two of them would be ruined in the future.


    "Anyway, you have to think about this matter. I won''t chat with you anymore. I have to go home. If you don''t come to my place at night, I''ll accompany you for a drink or two?"


    "No, there are still things at home."


    After Old Man Zhou left, Mr. Xue stood there for a while, and then went home.


    As soon as he entered the house, Xue Qingshan, who was standing in the yard, asked, "Father, what did my cousin ask you to do?"


    Mr. Xue glanced at his son, and entered the main room without saying a word.


    Xue Qingshan felt a little puzzled by the second monk, and wanted to ask the third brother what happened. At this time, Mrs. Zhou in the kitchen was yelling to eat, and everyone in the room came out, so of course it didn''t come true.


    During dinner, Mr. Xue''s complexion was always bad.


    Since Xue Tingxiang was able to get out of bed, he didn''t eat in his own room, but ate with everyone. The atmosphere at the dinner table was not very good, and even Mao Dan, who used to like to make a fuss at the dinner table, did not dare to make a fuss today.


    After dinner, Mrs. Zhou and Xue Taoer cleared the table and went to wash the dishes.


    The others were about to leave, but they were stopped by Mr. Xue.


    "Boss and eldest daughter-in-law stay here, I have something to tell you, the dog also stays, and everyone else goes back to the house."


    She sat up, raised her hand to touch the little man''s forehead, and made sure that her hands were not hot, then put on her clothes lightly and got off the kang.


    The first thing to do was to open the door, and Heizi, who had been restless for a long time, got out with a swish. Zhao''er also walked out of the room, seeing Heizi hurriedly running out of the courtyard to pee, she shook her head with a broken smile.


    At this time, someone has already got up in the courtyard, it is the Zhou family of the third bedroom and his eldest daughter Xue Tao''er.


    Today it''s the third room''s turn to cook. The Xue family''s rule is that apart from the housework of each room, the work in the office is shared equally. One day per room, in rotation.


    The room responsible for cooking is not only responsible for the food and drink of the whole family, but also takes care of the livestock in the family. The Xue family raised two big fat pigs, and it was not an easy job to just serve these two ancestors every day. Not to mention feeding chickens, carrying water, and chopping firewood, so the female family members who do housework on this day do not have to go to the fields to work.


    It seems to be fair and just, but in fact everyone inside knows how.

 Chapter 139

    Xue Gouzi has been ill for several days, his face is thin and out of shape, and his eyes are getting bigger and bigger.


    Zhao''er has always thought that the little man''s eyes are the most beautiful eyes in the world, although these eyes are always disgusted and resistant when facing her.


    In fact, Xue Gouzi is only beautiful with these eyes. He has been weak since he was a child, and the second wife and his wife managed to support him, and they are always spoiled. The boys of his age in the village were all dark-skinned and as strong as a calf, but he was pale and emaciated, silent and reticent.


    But Zhao''er has always been domineering, and never allowed anyone to call him a little man, and she would be anxious with anyone who said that. Because of this incident, she had fought with many girls and boys in the village, although some people still said it behind their backs, no one dared to point fingers in front of others.


    Zhao''er always felt that the little man''s eyes were weird today, and he avoided them uncomfortably.


    She knew that the little man must be angry again, and he didn''t like her saying ''the dog is my man'' the most. Every time he heard her say such words, he would ignore her for a few days. In fact, recruiting children is also shameful, but she is the child bride-in-law of the Xue family''s second room. If she didn''t claim to be like this, she would not be qualified to challenge the fourth aunt Sun.


    "Are you hungry? Look what I brought back for you?"


    Zhao''er turned her head and put all these troubles behind her mind, and took out a paper bag from her pocket. Opening the paper bag, there are two steamed buns inside. They are white and plump, and people like it when they look at them.


    "Eat quickly, while it''s still warm." She smiled and stuffed the paper bag into the little man''s hand, while putting the pannier on her shoulders in the corner.


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her.


    The girl in front of her was in her twenties and eighth year, and her skin was the wheat color that is common among girls in the country, but Zhao''er''s complexion was very different from others, it was smooth and radiant, as if she had been smeared with honey. He has a tall nose bridge, a pair of medium-sized eyes, and swarthy pupils. When he smiles, there is a flash of inspiration in him, and he looks lively.


    Zhao''er''s stature is taller than ordinary girls, and she is well-developed, front/convex/backward, full of youthful vigor.


    It was so vivid, as vivid as in his dream.


    He unconsciously took the steamed stuffed bun and gnawed on it. Seeing this trick, he smiled even more happily. He went to the kitchen and poured him a bowl of water, which he placed next to his hand. On the other hand, he bent down to tidy up the scattered quilts on the kang, thinking about what to cook for him at night to nourish his body.


    Finally, the little man got better, so he had to continue to drink the medicine, and he had to drink a few more to strengthen it. From this, he naturally began to calculate the little money left in his hand, and think of a way to get some money, so as to solve the urgent need.


    "Have you eaten yet?" Xue Gouzi asked.


    This kind of behavior rarely happens to him, so Zhao''er can''t help but look up at the little man sitting on the kang.


    In fact, the little man has a handsome appearance, which is different from the fair skin of the countrymen. The corners of his eyes are slightly raised, and the curvature makes his face a little more delicate and handsome. It''s just that the little man always hangs his head halfway on weekdays, with a gloomy and silent temperament, and is too thin, so he is not conspicuous in front of others.


    Zhao''er''s eyes warmed up, her smile widened, and she said cracklingly, "Eat, I ate it outside, this is for you."


    After she finished speaking, she realized that she had slipped her mouth. She waited for the little man to show a disgusted expression, or to condemn her daughter''s family for running around, but he didn''t say anything, as if he had something on his mind. Head eating buns.


    Zhao''er couldn''t help heaving a sigh of relief, but at the same time felt a pain in his heart, and couldn''t help but said: "Dog, don''t worry too much. After all, you heard the words. Since you didn''t say it face-to-face, you can''t take it seriously. Even if it is true Don''t be afraid, sister earns money for your education."


    Xue Gouzi''s head still hurts a little, and he was dizzy. Zhao''er thought he had something on his mind, but in fact he was just thinking about that dream. Hearing Zhao''er''s words at this time, he suddenly remembered why he had this serious illness.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Gouzi''s serious illness came in a hurry due to stagnation of liver qi.


    Speaking of this, I have to talk about the general situation of the Xue family.


    Yuqing Village is a village located under Huyang Town, Xia County, Pingyang Prefecture. There are only more than 200 households in the village.


    The Xue family is one of them.


    However, the Xue family is different from other ordinary farmers, and it can be regarded as having some origins.


    The ancestor of the Xue family, that is, the grandfather of Mr. Xue, was a scholar. In a poor mountain depression like Yuqing Village, it is a great event for the ancestors to have a scholar.


    Because of this talented gentleman, the generation of the Xue family produced the head of the Xue clan, and there were several village elders in the clan, and finally had some say in Yuqing Village. At the same time, it is also a blessing for the younger generation. Mr. Xue''s father is hardworking and willing to work. With the help of the elders, he also slowly built up a family business.


    By the time of Mr. Xue''s generation, the Xue family already had more than 30 acres of fertile land, and several sons also had their own livelihoods. Their lives were enviably prosperous, and they could be regarded as a well-to-do family in the village.


    Mr. Xue and his mother-in-law Zhao have four sons and two daughters. The eldest son Xue Qingshan married his wife Yang, and they have two sons and a daughter. The eldest son Xue Juncai is fifteen years old, the second son Xue Youcai is ten years old, and the eldest daughter Xue Maner is married.


    The second child, Xue Qingsong, is a carpenter. He married his wife Qiu Shi and gave birth to a son, Xue Gouzi, who is fourteen years old. The third child, Xue Qingbai, is a farmer, married his wife Zhou, and gave birth to a son and a daughter. The eldest daughter, Xue Taoer, is thirteen years old this year, and the youngest son, Xue Shuanzi, is eight years old now. The fourth son, Xue Qinghuai, is a shopkeeper. He married his wife, Sun, and gave birth to a son named Xue Maodan, who is only four years old this year.


    As for the two daughters, the eldest daughter, Xue Cuiping, is already married, and the youngest daughter, Xue Cuie, is fourteen this year and is still in her boudoir.


    It is worth mentioning that nowadays there are parents who say that they do not separate their families. In addition, families in the countryside are ruled by clans, so Xue''s family has no separation.


    The Xue family has tasted the benefits of reading, so they have more vision than ordinary farmers. Xue Qingshan is smart since he was a child, and he is the eldest son. Mr. Xue has high hopes for him, and when he reaches the age of enlightenment, he spends money to send him to a private school.


    Xue Qingshan also strives for success. At the age of twenty, he passed the Tongsheng examination. Although he is still a scholar, he can be counted as a scholar who can be counted in ten miles and eight villages.


    Don''t underestimate Tongsheng! As the saying goes, scholars, farmers, businessmen, and scholars are the highest class of people in the current society. If ordinary people want to turn ordinary people into scholars, there is only one way to take the imperial examination. As for the imperial examination, it is only a matter of going to the west to learn Buddhist scriptures, and you have to go through various checkpoints and go through hardships before you can get it.


    If you want to embark on this path, you must first have the qualifications, and Tong Sheng is a person with this qualification. It is necessary to pass the county and government examinations to be called Tongsheng. As for the next step is to be a scholar, to become a scholar is to enter school, and it is also the first step to embark on the road of imperial examinations.


    It can be seen from this that Tong Sheng is not an ordinary person, so Xue Qingshan''s status in the Xue family can be imagined.


    But as I said before, the Xue family''s family background can only be regarded as a middle-level family in the countryside. If a family like this wants to support a scholar, it will almost exhaust all the human and financial resources of the family. Because the eldest son is the eldest son, who will set up a family in the future, and is talented and intelligent, the next few sons naturally have to give in.


    As for why Xue Gouzi became seriously ill, it has to be related to another old matter of the Xue family.


    Back then when Xue Qingshan was selected as a child student, he was considered a success at a young age. He was full of ambitions and wanted to pass the college examination in one fell swoop, and he could also be a scholar, but it was a pity that God did not follow his wishes.


    It was only a close call, and no one would be reconciled to it. Xue Qingshan could only calm down, work hard, and hope to win next time.


    After so many years of rushing away, the original smugness was completely devastated by the impact of reality. Xue Qingshan failed many exams, so he couldn''t stay at home and eat free food all the time. In desperation, he set up a private school in the village, which specializes in taking children from the village and several nearby villages to read and write, and they can more or less earn a living.


    With such convenient conditions, several children of Xue''s family naturally followed suit. The next few children are still young, and among the grandchildren, Xue Juncai, the eldest son of the big house, and Xue Gouzi of the second house have studied the longest.


    However, compared to his cousin Xue Juncai, Xue Gouzi is obviously not as good as he is because he is too weak. When he was young, he was always sick every day, which delayed a lot of homework.


    The time was stretched back to five years ago, this year the academic officer held a college examination in Fucheng, Xue Qingshan naturally would not miss it, he stopped his private school classes early and went to Fucheng to take the exam.


    It''s not easy to go out at this time, and besides, Mr. Xue was worried about his eldest son going out alone, so he asked his second son Xue Qingsong to accompany him. He always took care of him when he was usually on a business trip.


    That is to say, something happened on this trip, Xue Qingshan offended someone in Fucheng, Xue Qingsong was beaten all over his body in order to protect his eldest brother. In the end, the man was pulled back, but he died within a few days after he came back. Before he died, Xue Qingsong asked Xue Qingshan to promise himself that he would do everything in his power to confess Xue Gouzi.


    In fact, after giving way for others all his life, how could Xue Qingsong have no complaints in his heart, but he has a simple and honest nature, and he knows that his talent is not as good as that of his elder brother, so he has been making contributions in obscurity.


    But when it came to his own son, especially Xue Gouzi, who was weak since he was a child, he was not a farmer in any way, and he was dying, so Xue Qingsong took the opportunity to force his elder brother to make a promise.


    Xue Qingsong would do this, but he wanted to break the status quo that the Xue family''s resources had been leaning towards Dafang. The Xue family only had two scholars in the first room, and now there is a Xue Gouzi. The children in the third room were still young at that time, and the fourth child was not married yet. As long as Xue Qingshan agrees, others will naturally have nothing to say, and Xue Qingsong will do his best for his son Brown.


    Xue Qingshan agreed to the matter on the spot, crying blood, saying that he would treat Xue Gouzi as his own son, Xue Qingsong closed his eyes.


    Not long after that, Qiu Shi, who was already in poor health, became depressed and fell ill, and then passed away. Since then, Xue Gouzi has become a poor child without father and mother. Fortunately, there are grandparents and uncles, and Zhaoer, a child bride-in-law, so he doesn''t have to worry about food and clothing.


    In the following years, Xue Qingshan really treated Xue Gouzi like his own son. No one in the village would say that the boss of the Xue family raised his nephew as his own son. But as the saying goes, the human heart is the most fickle, and selfishness is the nature of human beings. As time passed, Da Fang gradually changed his attitude. Although he was in front of others, he was still the same as before, but only the person concerned would know what happened to him afterwards.


    This year, seeing that he had nothing to teach his son, Xue Qingshan decided to send Xue Juncai to the town school to study for two years.


    But it costs a lot of money to go to the school to study, not to mention the one-year study that costs two silver, the three festivals and six rituals of the husband, and the pen, ink, paper and inkstone used in daily life, all of which cost money. The Xue family has already been seriously injured because they confessed to Xue Qingshan, and how can they have money for the two children to go together.


    You can only take out one piece of money, that is to say, Xue Juncai and Xue Gouzi can only go to one.


    Xue Qingshan told the matter in front of the whole family, but Xue Gouzi didn''t say what he couldn''t say tactfully, but chose to remain silent.


    During that time, the atmosphere in the Xue family was weird, the old man Xue was frowning, and the grandmother Zhao was eccentric all day long, but the eldest couple were still the same as before, and they didn''t think it was a problem.


    I will not mention this, it is also a coincidence that Xue Gouzi accidentally overheard his eldest aunt Yang and fourth aunt Sun talking in secret, saying that he would let his parents-in-law come forward and let Xue Gouzi take the initiative to give up his place to study in the town , Xue Gouzi became seriously ill in a fit of rage.


    Thinking of this, Xue Gouzi felt uneasy for a while, and at the same time, many pictures appeared in his mind, which were just some of his previous dreams.


    The Xue Tingxiang in the dream also faced the same situation in the fourteenth year, and the other party''s temperament changed drastically after this incident, changing his previous disposition.


    Could it be that he is Xue Tingxiang, and that Xue Tingxiang is him? But why would he dream of these things!


    Xue Gouzi felt a throbbing pain in his head, the bun in his hand fell on the kang, and the water bowl next to him was also knocked over. Zhao''er heard the movement, rushed up and hugged him in his arms.


    "Dog, dog, don''t scare me!"


    The leftovers are for Heizi. Dogs in the country are like this. The owner eats dry food, and the dog drinks water. When the owner eats water, the dog usually goes hungry. Country dogs in the countryside are used to starvation, but Zhao''er usually pays little attention to sunspots, no matter good or bad, he always feeds him.


    Occasionally there are additional meals, of course, these are invisible to the human face.


    Anyway, Mrs. Zhao saw Zhao''er picking food out of her pig''s mouth and feeding it to the dog!


    She stepped out of the main room and saw this scene, her old face immediately pulled down, and she didn''t see her scolding Zhao''er, so she stood in front of the door and shouted at the direction of the kitchen: "Let you feed the pigs!" It¡¯s good for you, feed the food into the dog¡¯s mouth, such a big person is useless, and eating for nothing is not enough.¡±


    This clearly refers to Sang scolding Huai.


    In the kitchen, Mrs. Zhou didn''t speak. Tao''er, who was sweeping the yard, looked up at Grandma, endured it and continued to sweep the yard. Mrs. Zhao didn''t mention her name, who knows who she was scolding, if she stepped forward to intervene, she would only change the target and be scolded bloody.


    These are lessons learned.


    As soon as Zhao''er walked to the gate of the courtyard, she heard such scolding. She didn''t show any weakness, and turned her head to look at Zhao with a smile: "Grandma, are you scolding Third Aunt? If you scold Third Aunt, Third Aunt But it¡¯s too unfair. If you want to scold you, you should scold me. I scooped up the leftovers and planned to give Heizi to eat. Didn¡¯t I just think that Heizi would not be easy, so I would bring a rabbit to the house every now and then. You said we You can¡¯t do something that wants the cows to work without giving them grass, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Mrs. Zhao glared at Zhao''er angrily. She knew that this girl was not a cheap girl, so she scolded Mrs. Zhou, but she found her by herself. Just as he was about to say something, some of the women who passed by the gate of the courtyard smiled and said, "I saw Lian Xing''s family so energetic early in the morning."


    Someone next to him interjected: "Don''t talk about it, Ren Zhao''er is right. How can there be a cow that works without giving it grass?"


    "That''s right, Lian Xing''s family, it''s almost enough. Everyone in the village doesn''t like your big black dog. At this time when there is a rabbit shortage in the wild, it can fetch rabbits. What a smart beast. Usually In summer and autumn, voles, wild rabbits, and pheasants were often picked up at home, and they would be brought back if they didn¡¯t eat them. If you don¡¯t like Heizi, give it to our family, and your Uncle Shouxin has already taken a fancy to Heizi.¡±


    This is a Lianxing family, Mr. Xue and his aunt, known as Aunt Shouxin. Although he is ten years younger than Mrs. Zhao, but he is of a higher seniority.


    There are more than 200 households in Yuqing Village, with Xue and Zheng as the main surnames, and there are more than a dozen other households with mixed surnames. Since they all have the same surname, it is inevitable that every family is related, and some relationships can be pulled out of Wufu. But relatives are relatives, and when one is younger than others, one has to respect one another, so when this aunt Shouxin spoke, she sounded like an elder giving advice to younger generations.


    Mrs. Zhao was terribly blocked by these words, even though she was scolding, she was really reluctant to let her give Heizi to others. Just like what these people said, Heizi did bring some wild animals to his house at ordinary times, regardless of size, fat or thin, he always eats meat, and it is not easy for country people to eat meat.


    She kept a straight face and said nothing, but the trick in front of the door was on point: "Grandma Seven, this is not acceptable, Heizi is my lifeblood, you have made my lifeblood run away, I can''t live anymore."


    She smiled as soon as she said it, and said witty words in her mouth, and immediately made Aunt Shouxin laugh, pointing at her bit by bit, and said to others: "Look at this naughty girl, but she is not at all. You''re welcome. Please, please, Seventh Grandma doesn''t want you dog, so she won''t take away my son''s life."


    After talking and joking, Zhao''er sent the women away with a smile, and then turned around to feed Heizi.


    Mrs. Zhao glared at her, turned around and was about to enter the room, but just as she lifted her foot, she heard someone calling her from behind.

 Chapter 140

    She rolled over and over again.


    "You do not sleep?"


    It is reasonable to say that they would not rest so early, but today both of them have been busy all day, so they turned off the lights after recruiting children to go to the kang. But with the moon outside, you can still see clearly in the room.


    Zhao''er sat up halfway, and moved to Xue Tingxiang''s side.


    "Dog, tell me what you meant when you scolded that old killer just now?"


    Zhao''er knows how to swear, and has sweared before, but he has never seen such a method of swearing. Yang Zhong was furious because of the swearing, and Xue''s family didn''t even know how to persuade him. From Zhao''er''s point of view, isn''t this the culmination of swearing, can you swear without uttering dirty words?


    She wants to learn this method, it will come in handy sometime.


    Xue Tingxiang turned over and gave her a backbone.


    Zhao''er poked his shoulder with her finger: "What''s wrong? Why are you angry again?"


    He didn''t move, and she moved closer.


    The two of them were only separated by one person, and they wore thin clothes when they slept. Zhao''er leaned over, and even though Xue Tingshan had his back on his back, he could still feel a wave of heat rushing towards him, mixed with a faint fragrance.


    There was a strange softness slightly attached to his shoulders, Xue Tingshan stiffened his back, and heard her say on top of his head: "Don''t take that old killer''s words to heart, it''s not that I said uncle and aunt are too narrow-minded." It¡¯s too much, to make such a fuss, do you really think that Grandpa will regret it? Even if the family doesn¡¯t say anything, there are still so many people watching outside, so don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll go to the school to make a decision.¡±


    She was very close to him, and the heat of her words sprayed on the tips of his ears, making him shiver again and again. At the same time, a hot numbness rushed from the tips of his ears to his neck, causing waves of unconscious trembling.


    His breathing was a little tight, and he couldn''t help turning over.


    Zhao''er was still talking, and she didn''t expect that he would turn over suddenly, and his face just crashed into her arms.


    Xue Tingxiang''s brain went blank for a moment, and he subconsciously fell backwards. It is obvious that it is about to leave at the touch of a touch, but it clearly feels a suffocating softness, and there is something faintly raised.


    He recalled some situations in the dream, and he only felt his nose was hot, as if something flowed out.


    "Are you alright?" Zhao''er heard a thud, saw him motionless, thought that something was wrong with him being bumped, hurriedly leaned over to look at his face.


    "Why are you panicking! Really. Come on, let me rub it for you."


    He covered his nose with one hand and pushed her with the other: "I''m fine, it doesn''t hurt." He quickly turned over and said falteringly: "It''s getting late, go to sleep."


    "You haven''t told me what you mean by that!"


    "It doesn''t mean anything, just let him take a pee and take a picture of himself!"


    "Ah?!" Zhao''er was stunned, and said after a while, "So that''s what he meant, then you just let him take a pee and take a picture of yourself, and you said so much."


    Seeing that he didn''t answer himself, Zhao''er sat for a while and then lay down.


    "Okay, go to bed now, I won''t disturb you anymore."


    *


    Yang Zhong stayed at Xue''s house for one night and left the next day.


    Because it was rushing to the busy farming season, the Xue family resumed their usual work, and no one mentioned the previous incident, as if nothing happened that night.


    Everything is so busy yet full of peace.


    On this day, Xue Tingxiang and Zhao''er went to town early in the morning.


    Different from the past, today Xue Tingxiang wore new clothes.


    The clothes were brought out overnight by Zhao''er, because Boss Chen said that he would take Xue Tingxiang to Qingyuan Academy. This trip is very meaningful, so naturally it can''t be as casual as before.


    The gray-blue cotton gown was made by Zhao''er after imitating those school shirts in the town. Although the style is simple, it looks extraordinarily straight and docile after being washed with starch. Although Xue Tingxiang is thin and thin, his shoulders are flat and his back is straight. Wearing this student shirt, he has a particularly graceful temperament.


    When they arrived at the place, Boss Chen took Xue Tingxiang out, while Zhao''er stayed at Dongliju.


    The two of them went all the way to the east of the town, the more secluded they became as they went outside, and after walking for almost a cup of tea, they saw a building with white walls and black tiles standing at the end of their line of sight.


    Seeing Xue Tingxiang''s gaze resting on the building, Boss Chen said: "That is the Qinghe Academy." After a pause, he raised his hand and pointed to a building not far behind the Qinghe Academy: "That is the Qinghe Academy. Academy."


    The two walked forward and passed Qinghe Academy, and saw that this academy was really extraordinary. The whole building exudes a magnificent temperament, the gate tower stands majestically, with a few golden characters "Qinghe Academy" written on the door plaque, and the two black-painted gates are closed tightly, with a look of repelling people thousands of miles away. momentum.


    "It''s too late for you to regret it now." Boss Chen said.


    Following the sound of talking, the two of them crossed the Qinghe Academy, only to see the obviously much dilapidated small courtyard not far away.


    The small courtyard is rigorous and simple, with clear water and white walls, and gray and black tiles. Even the door plaque is much smaller than that of the Qinghe Academy, with a few simple big-character books on it¡ª¡ª


    Qingyuan Academy.


    Obviously, no matter where you look at it, it is not as good as the Qinghe Academy, but standing under the square door plaque and looking at the words on it, Xue Tingxiang felt a peaceful and peaceful atmosphere.


    "Since the kid is here, I don''t intend to regret it."


    Boss Chen glanced at him appreciatively, and went to call the door.


    Not long after, an elderly Zhaifu opened the door from the inside.


    He seemed to know Boss Chen, and he led the two of them in without asking too much.


    This school may not seem big, but it is actually small but well-equipped. It is the same as a general school. After passing the screen wall, there is a lecture hall on the central axis. There are two houses on the left and right sides. The temple on the left is built to worship the saint Confucius, and the house on the right is the place where the gentleman sits and rests and collects books.


    After the lecture hall, there must be a shooting garden, a hall, a kitchen, etc. Xue Tingxiang knew the layout without looking. Because in his dream, he studied in Qinghe Academy for several years, but Qinghe Academy is much more spacious and grand than Qingyuan Academy.


    Boss Chen led Xue Tingxiang to the right side of the house with ease, and when he reached a wing room, he straightened his clothes and sleeves, and then brought Xue Tingxiang in.


    This wing room is furnished in a simple and elegant way, and there is a large painting on the central hall facing it, on which are written the words ''peace and distance''. Standing in front of the words was a thin middle-aged man, wearing a dark blue scribe shirt and a square scarf.


    When he heard the movement, he turned around, and saw that he had long eyebrows, a thin face, and a few strands of beard. Judging from his appearance, he is a very serious and rigid person, but his eyes are calm and deep, obviously a person of great wisdom.


    This person is Lin Miao, the owner of Qingyuan Academy.


    "Brother Anqi, I''m here to bother you again." Boss Chen cupped his hands with a smile.


    "The good brother of Mo."


    Lin Miao smiled, obviously he had a good relationship with Boss Chen. After the two exchanged pleasantries, Boss Chen pointed to Xue Tingxiang and said, "This is the young man I told you about."


    Lin Miao looked over.


    Obviously Xue Tingxiang has extensive knowledge, and he has never seen any kind of person in that dream, even the Ninth Five-Year Master, he has seen several, but there is an inexplicable sense of awe.


    "Boy Xue Tingxiang, I have met you." He clasped his hands together and bowed in salute.


    Lin Miao nodded: "Since you''re here, stay here. The school will open in ten days, so you can just come here when it''s time."


    "Mr. Xie."


    Boss Chen glanced at Lin Miao, as if he wanted to say something, seeing this, Xue Tingxiang tactfully said that he was going out for a walk, so he avoided going out.


    After Xue Tingxiang went out, Boss Chen said: "Brother An Qi, don''t you believe in the eyes of a younger brother? I have observed these days, and this son has a calm mind, is diligent and hardworking, and is quite talented in reading. He only needs one A good teacher, if there is a good teacher to guide, I think the future will be limitless in the future."


    The reason why Boss Chen said that was because Lin Miao''s performance was too plain. He originally thought that Lin Miao loves calligraphy, and after reading Xue Tingxiang''s calligraphy, and his lobbying, he should accept him as a student no matter what.


    This student is different from the students in the academy, and can be regarded as a student entering the room. As the saying goes, a teacher for a day is a father for life. A young child has more than one teacher from the beginning of school until he passes the exam/fame.


    When you start learning, you are called a teacher, that is, a teacher of enlightenment. The karma teacher is the teacher who teaches the karma, also known as the scripture teacher. Those who teach their work must pass on their scriptures, and those who pass on their scriptures must educate their people, so a teacher is extremely important to a student. There are also human teachers and seat teachers, which will not be mentioned here.


    As for what Boss Chen said about "accepting students", the teacher is more like a combination of a professional teacher and a human teacher to students. He not only needs to teach them, but also teaches them the principles of life, which is different from treating ordinary students. The teacher has to cultivate it carefully, and it can be regarded as inheriting his mantle.


    Of course, students have to pay relatively, and they must truly be teachers for one day and fathers for life. This kind of relationship is not father and son, but victory is father and son, which is very popular among scholars today. The intertwined relationship among scholars in Shilin was laid on this basis, and gradually developed into a towering tree.


    Lin Miao laughed: "You really value him very much."


    Boss Chen sneered: "If I didn''t miss you, you would think that I have the time to meddle in your business. Don''t forget the October competition, if Qingyuan Academy loses again this year..."


    Boss Chen didn''t say what he said next, but Lin Miao understood what it meant.


    He sighed softly: "Everything is determined by God, if it is the case in reality, you can''t force it."


    Boss Chen repeatedly shook his head and stomped his feet and said, "Oh, I''m not talking about you. Your temperament is the most troublesome. You talk about the way of a gentleman with others, but others never follow you. Year after year They were all defeated by that villain, and now there are no good seedlings who are willing to come here to study, what should we do in the long run."


    "Brother Mo Zhi, you don''t understand."


    "Yes, yes, I don''t understand, I just know that if this continues, the reputation of the Qingyuan Academy will be lost in your hands."


    After finishing speaking, both of them were silent.


    Lin Miao looked tired, and Boss Chen seemed to know that he had made a slip of the tongue. He slowed down his tone, and said, "I can''t do anything about you. Anyway, I brought him for you. I''m really optimistic about this child. As for the rest, you can figure it out yourself."


    Lin Miao nodded: "Brother Mo Zhi, thank you in advance for my brother, but the matter of accepting apprentices will be discussed later. Don''t worry, he has entered the Qingyuan Academy, and I will teach him carefully."


    Boss Chen also understood where his heart knot was, and he didn''t force it. The two chatted for a while, and Boss Chen said goodbye.


    When Boss Chen came out of the wing, Xue Tingxiang had just returned.


    He was taken by Zhaifu to wander around the school, and he could see that the school was a bit old, and the paint on many buildings was peeling off, but every flower, plant and tree could be seen to be elegant.


    It''s like a place to study, unlike the Qinghe Academy, where there is a smell of copper everywhere.


    The two left hand in hand, Xue Tingxiang asked Boss Chen about Shu Xiu on the way.


    After asking about it, I found out that the repairs at Qingyuan Academy are very cheap, apart from the usual six rites of apprenticeship, only one tael of silver is needed a year.


    As for the usual etiquette of filial piety, it only depends on family background and intentions, and it doesn''t matter whether you give it or not. In addition, regarding the dormitory study, you can choose to do the dormitory study or not, but you must come to the morning study every day. As for meals, you can choose to bring your own rice, or you can choose to pay a certain amount of money every month and have it supplied by the school, both of which are debatable.


    It''s not like the Qinghe Academy that requires students to live in dormitories, just to charge the expensive accommodation and meals.


    According to Boss Chen, in the past, when the Qingyuan Academy had court subsidies, the annual tael of silver was not collected. It was only later that the subsidies were lost, and the gentlemen and handymen in the academy had to support their families before they were charged. Silver taels.


    Boss Chen sighed in his tone, and Xue Tingxiang also sighed in his heart.


    In his dream, ''Xue Tingxiang'' had been studying in the Qinghe Academy for three years. If he had known about the existence of this Qingyuan Academy, Zhao''er would not have been so busy for his training. It would not be so desperate to give up, and he would not waste three years in Qinghe Academy.


    Fortunately, the reality and the dream finally deviated, and the inexplicable Xue Tingxiang felt relieved.


    Thinking of all the disobedient things this girl did in the past, Mr. Xue felt disgusted in his heart. But he also knew that now was not the time to vent his anger, but to settle the matter.


    "Since you want to listen, then listen." The tone was the same as before, but anyone could hear the dissatisfaction in his voice.


    Zhao''er couldn''t hear it, so he stood aside.


    Seeing this, Mrs. Sun hurriedly dragged Xue Qinghuai to stay.


    "Since Zhao''er has stayed, let''s stay and listen too." She laughed along with her.


    Mr. Xue was immediately furious: "Since you want to listen, stay and listen."


    So everyone stayed, including the four-year-old Mao Dan, and even Mrs. Zhou, who was busy in the kitchen, stayed behind under the guise of cleaning the table.


    In the huge main room, only an oil lamp was lit on the square table. The wick was jumping and shadowy, and everyone''s eyes were on Mr. Xue. But he suddenly didn''t know where to start. He looked around everyone''s faces with heavy eyes, and finally fell on Xue Tingxiang''s face.


    "Actually, it''s nothing. I just want to talk about what the boss said a while ago that he wants to send the child to the school in the town."


    Zhao''er was inexplicably nervous, and couldn''t help but glance at Xue Tingxiang, and then went to see Mr. Xue.

 Chapter 141

    I saw that gentle and thin young man with his hands behind his back, walking back and forth in the hall for a few steps, Fang said: "The hook is for the old, and the hook is for the test. The old test is for the children, and the children are tested for the old."


    In fact, Xue Tingxiang is not good at reciting poems, but he can''t hold back that the person in his dream has lived a long life and has a wide market. There used to be a long-standing joke among scholars¡ª¡ª


    It is said that there was a gray-haired scholar who took the exam, and the examiner knew from his appearance that he was an old boy who had repeatedly failed the exam, so he deliberately made things difficult for him: "I have a couplet, if you can match, I will take it." you."


    The old boy felt bitter in his heart, but he didn''t dare to give up.


    The chief examiner asked the question: "If you take the bait, you are old; if you take the bait, you are a tester. If you are old, you will be a child, and if you are a child, you will be an old man."


    The old boy bowed to Rao, and replied: "One person is great, and two are heaven. Heaven is greater than human affection, and human affection is greater than heaven."


    This flattery was exquisite, so the examiner was too embarrassed to go back on his word, so he had no choice but to choose him as a scholar.


    In fact, upon hearing this story, one knew it was made up. Anyone who has participated in the hospital examination should know what the situation will be. How can the examiner take the initiative to test an old student? The examiner and the examinee will not talk to each other, and it is also for avoidance.


    It was obviously made up by a failed scholar, and it was used as a comforting chat, and because it made people laugh, it spread among scholars. It even extended to the fact that any official in the DPRK was released as an academic officer, or presided over a new department examination, and the official who had a good relationship with him could not help telling the last sentence, but don''t be ''human beings are too big''.


    It is not only a joke, but also an exhortation. There have always been many frauds involved in imperial examinations.


    Xue Tingxiang did not expect to hear this pair here.


    He didn''t feel uneasy because this second line was borrowed, because winning Xue Juncai has always been the biggest obsession in his heart.


    It is now, and it was also in the dream.


    In the dream, he was troubled by this matter for a long time, and after all kinds of hard work, he finally felt proud. It was because of the experience that he knew that this kind of obsession affects a person''s xinxing too much. He has a more ambitious goal, and there are still many things to do, but Xue Juncai is just an obstacle to him now, overcoming him is what he needs to do now.


    As for why he discarded the second couplet he came up with and chose to borrow this. Xue Tingxiang took a look at Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong, and thought it was because of his insignificance that he made fun of them with resentment.


    Obviously, only Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong are Tongsheng, and although this pair is perfect, it is obviously ironic. Old students test children, children students test to old age. This is undoubtedly the greatest ridicule and curse for a person who has failed to pass the entrance examination for many years.


    The faces of the two of them immediately turned purple, but they had to hold back. At this time, He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai had already clapped their hands and praised it.


    "Okay, that''s right!"


    It seemed that everyone had forgotten about Xue Juncai. He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai whispered a few times, and then He Xiucai announced: "After the unanimous decision of the two of us, the winner is Xue Tingxiang and Xue Xiaoyou."


    "Xue Xiaoyou, I hope you can work hard and achieve fame as soon as possible." He said to Xue Tingxiang with a pleasant face.


    "Thank you two seniors for your encouragement, I will definitely work harder." Xue Tingxiang bowed to him.


    While He Qiao and Xue Tingxiang were talking, the villagers standing in the hall and outside the house had already started discussing. Most of them are admiration, but of course there are also those who can''t believe it and question it.


    Among them, the Xue family is the most unbelievable, especially Xue Qingshan. He had suppressed it before, but now he couldn''t help it anymore, stood up and said: "Just relying on these to judge victory or defeat, are the two seniors Too hasty?"


    Seeing that both He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai looked over, he flinched a bit, and then became confident again: "The kid''s pair hasn''t been made yet, so the winner is decided like this..."


    He Xiucai showed displeasure on his face, and ignored him, but asked patriarch Xue with a cold old face: "Could it be that patriarch Xue also disagrees with the conclusions of the two of us?"


    Patriarch Xue dared to offend Mr. Xiucai, he was still two Mr. Xiucai. Besides, from his point of view, Xue Tingxiang''s performance this time was indeed somewhat unexpected, and it was much more talented than Xue Jun. He was an outsider, so he could see it clearly, so he quickly scolded Xue Qingshan and asked him to apologize publicly to the two scholars.


    Xue Juncai was also full of dissatisfaction: "The boy is not convinced either, he has never been as good as me, I just didn''t prepare properly, the two seniors can ask another question, this time the boy will definitely beat him."


    At this time, a woman squeezed in from the crowd outside the door.


    Her clothes are disheveled and her hair is messy. It is Mrs. Yang.


    Yang stumbled in and cried, "My son can''t lose, you two must have been bribed to hurt my son on purpose."


    This remark made a big fuss, especially on such an occasion, when a woman rushed in and made a loud noise, not only He Qiao and the two scholars showed anger, but even several village elders present repeatedly reprimanded them as inappropriate.


    "Ridiculous, really ridiculous! Could it be that Li Zheng and the patriarch thought we were bribed?"


    "You two scholars, don''t be angry. This woman has long hair but short knowledge. She is talking nonsense."


    "Lian Xing, don''t get your shrew back!"


    The old man Xue beside him was so anxious that he didn''t know what to do, but as a father-in-law, he couldn''t help his daughter-in-law, so he had to ask his eldest son Xue Qingshan to take his wife away quickly.


    It''s just that Xue Qingshan still wants an explanation at this time, so how could he care about this.


    There was a lot of trouble on the field, He Xiucai wanted to leave, and Qiao Xiucai didn''t want to stay longer. Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng repeatedly tried to persuade them to stay, and at the same time angrily reprimanded them to get rid of these people quickly.


    Qiao Xiucai sneered, and did not reprimand Xue Juncai, but sneered at Xue Qingshan: "You are a boy, and you have passed the exam several times, but you can''t see the meaning of these exams, brother He, no wonder you took the exam. After so many years, he is still a child!"


    This Qiao Xiucai''s words were too touching, Xue Qingshan''s face turned green and pale. In fact, Qiao Xiucai was not usually so bitter, but he uttered bad words because he saw that the father and son refused to admit their losses and wanted to pester them.


    "In terms of adapting to the situation and calmness of mind, he is not as good as him." He pointed to Xue Tingxiang, and then pointed to Xue Juncai: "You have time in the examination room to dawdle for you, another chance? Let''s talk about the roll , full of stains, I am afraid that if you don¡¯t need to read what you wrote, you will end up not taking it!¡±


    At this time, Xue Juncai was already pale with fright, how could he react, but Xue Qingshan was as if struck by lightning, so he didn''t speak anymore.


    *


    He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai stayed in the end.


    Taking advantage of the chaos in the hall, Xue Qingshan sneaked into the crowd with Xue Juncai and Yang surreptitiously.


    Seeing that there is no excitement, the villagers also dispersed, and while walking home, they discussed today''s affairs with the people around them.


    In fact, they don''t know anything, as long as they know that the person who wins in the end is the dog of the second wife of Xue Lianxing''s family. It can be predicted that after this incident, many people in the village will change their views on Xue Tingxiang, and they will even talk about it endlessly.


    And Xue Juncai''s name in the village is destined to be replaced by Xue Tingxiang.


    Taking advantage of the crowd, Xue Tingxiang walked out from Zheng Lizheng''s house.


    Zhao''er had been waiting outside for a long time, and as soon as he saw him, he said happily: "Gou''er, you really won, you beat Xue Juncai! My sister is so happy."


    She was so happy that she didn''t know how to be happy. Seeing this, Xue Tingxiang couldn''t say anything to condemn her, but just looked at her with a smile.


    After being happy for a while, Zhao''er showed a little hesitation: "By the way, after you beat him, do you really want to go to Qinghe Academy to study?"


    Xue Tingxiang pondered for a while: "I don''t plan to go to Qinghe Academy. Uncle Chen said that he can introduce me to Qingyuan Academy."


    "Qingyuan Academy? The name seems to be quite similar to Qinghe Academy. Is this academy good?" Immediately, Zhao''er laughed and said, "That''s right, Uncle Chen is well-informed, so what he can say is definitely not bad. .¡±


    Xue Tingxiang nodded: "I plan to go to town in these two days and talk to Uncle Chen about it."


    "What are you waiting for these two days, let''s go now."


    Xue Tingxiang did not expect Zhao''er to be so eager, so he hesitated.


    Zhao''er said again: "There must be chaos at home right now, let''s avoid the limelight first."


    He immediately understood the meaning of her words, with the dispositions of the eldest couple, and the always eccentric Zhao family, he didn''t know what kind of chaos would happen in the family.


    The two left the village avoiding the crowd, and because they didn''t meet the mule cart, they took the bullock cart to the town.


    When we arrived at Dongliju, Uncle Chen happened to be there. Xue Tingxiang explained the matter, and Uncle Chen agreed that he would go to his classmate tomorrow. After that, the two of them didn''t go back, Xue Tingxiang continued to copy his unfinished book, while Zhao''er continued to tidy up the pile of clothes that she hadn''t finished.


    It was not until the evening that the two returned to Yuqing Village.


    The courtyard of Xue''s house was quiet, with cooking smoke wafting from the chimney, and it seemed that cooking was going on in the stove.


    Standing in the yard, Mrs. Zhao saw two people walking in from the outside. She had a cold old face and scolded without naming names: "People say that we enjoy the blessings of our children and grandchildren, but we have become old slaves. We don''t see anyone for a day." , Open your mouth to eat when you get home, I owe you in my previous life!"


    Mrs. Yang came out from the east chamber: "Mother, the meal for the third sibling is ready, let''s quickly set the table for dinner."


    Mrs. Zhao snorted coldly, turned around and entered the door of the main house. Yang Shi didn''t even look at the two of them, but followed behind and went in.


    Zhao''er looked at Xue Tingxiang.


    Xue Tingxiang looked at her: "What are you looking at?"


    Zhao''er sneered, and muttered in a low voice: "Don''t pay attention to grandma, she just has no side."


    "Ok, I know."


    *


    When the two were tidying up in the house, there was a sudden commotion in the courtyard, not only the voices of Mr. Xue and Xue Qingshan, but also a familiar voice.


    Zhao''er looked out the window, and saw Yang''s father, Yang Zhong.


    Yang Zhong was from nearby Niujiaoling, and because he was a boy, he was considered a respectable figure in Niujiaoling. Like his son-in-law, he opened a private school to make ends meet. However, this person is exaggerated, good at putting on airs, relying on the old to sell the old, the most important thing is to attract children''s dislike.


    Yang Zhong seemed to have eaten too much wine somewhere, his steps were a little staggering, and his fat face was flushed.


    The couple from Dafang greeted them, as well as Mr. Xue.


    Mr. Xue looked a little embarrassed: "Old relative, for my family''s affairs, I have troubled you to run several times. This is because you have eaten too much wine. Come in and sit down."


    Yang complained: "Father, you too, why do you drink so much wine?"


    "It''s not that Zheng Lizheng is too hospitable. After drinking for so long, your father is still not drunk?" Yang Zhong looked a little smug, and said to Mr. Xue: "It''s nothing, a handsome man is too. My grandson, as a grandfather, how can I not come to make decisions for him. "


    This made Mr. Xue even more embarrassed. He also knew what happened in the morning, and it must not be so simple. He accompanied him with a smile and said: "I made my in-laws laugh at me, if it wasn''t for the family''s financial difficulties, this kind of thing wouldn''t have happened..."


    The voices of the two gradually lowered, and they entered the room together.


    Zhao''er took a look at Xue Tingxiang: "Fortunately, I bought a few buns when I came back. Well, I don''t need to eat this dinner."


    In fact, no one asked them to eat, because Yang Zhong''s sudden arrival made the whole Xue family toss around.


    This Yang Zhong used to have a temperament that likes to toss people, and he also likes to put on airs. The key person has the status of a child, and Mr. Xue also respects him. Every time he comes, he must be greeted with good wine and good food.


    The Xue family was not wary of Yang Zhonghui coming at this time before, they just cooked some meals casually, this kind of meal is not good for entertaining people, they have to do it all over again.


    Zhao''er didn''t bother with outside affairs, went to the kitchen to pour some hot water, then went back to the house and Xue Tingxiang ate buns together.


    After eating the buns, it was already dark outside.


    Zhao''er stood in front of the door, seeing the brightly lit lights in the main room, it was obvious that he had already eaten.


    She was about to go to the kitchen to boil water and wash her feet, when Xue Tao''er hurried out from the main room and said, "Miss Zhao''er, grandpa asks the dog to come over."


    Zhao''er always felt that the little man''s eyes were weird today, and he avoided them uncomfortably.


    She knew that the little man must be angry again, and he didn''t like her saying things like ''the dog is my man'' the most. Every time he heard her say such things, he would ignore her for a few days. In fact, Zhao''er has to face, but she is the child bride-in-law of the Xue family''s second room. If she didn''t claim to be like this, how could she have the right to challenge the fourth aunt, Sun''s.


    "Are you hungry? Look what I brought back for you?"


    Zhao''er turned her head and put all these troubles behind her, and took out a paper bag from her pocket. Opening the paper bag, there are two steamed buns inside. They are white and plump, and people like it when they look at them.


    "Eat quickly, while it''s still warm." She smiled and stuffed the paper bag into the little man''s hand, while putting the pannier on her shoulders in the corner.


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her.


    The girl in front of her was in her twenties and eighth year, and her skin was the wheat color that is common among girls in the country, but Zhao''er''s complexion was very different from others, it was smooth and radiant, as if she had been smeared with honey. He has a tall nose bridge, a pair of medium-sized eyes, and swarthy pupils. When he smiles, there is a flash of inspiration in him, and he looks lively.


    Zhao''er''s stature is taller than ordinary girls, and she is well-developed, front/convex/backward, full of youthful vigor.


    It was so vivid, as vivid as in his dream.


    He unconsciously took the steamed stuffed bun and gnawed on it. Seeing this trick, he smiled even more happily. He went to the kitchen and poured him a bowl of water, which he placed next to his hand. On the other hand, he bent down to tidy up the scattered quilts on the kang, thinking about what to cook for him at night to nourish his body.


    Finally, the little man got better, so he had to continue to drink the medicine, and he had to drink a few more to strengthen it. From this, he naturally began to calculate the little money left in his hand, and think of a way to get some money, so as to solve the urgent need.


    "Have you eaten yet?" Xue Gouzi asked.


    This kind of behavior rarely happens to him, so Zhao''er can''t help but look up at the little man sitting on the kang.


    In fact, the little man has a handsome appearance, which is different from the fair skin of the countrymen. The corners of his eyes are slightly raised, and the curvature makes his face a little more delicate and handsome. It''s just that the little man always hangs his head halfway on weekdays, with a gloomy and silent temperament, and is too thin, so he is not conspicuous in front of others.

 Chapter 142

    The leftovers are for Heizi. Dogs in the country are like this. The owner eats dry food, and the dog drinks water. When the owner eats water, the dog usually starves. Country dogs in the countryside are used to starvation, but Zhao''er usually pays little attention to sunspots, no matter good or bad, he always feeds him.


    Occasionally there are additional meals, of course, these are invisible to the human face.


    Anyway, Mrs. Zhao saw Zhao''er picking food out of her pig''s mouth and feeding it to the dog!


    She stepped out of the main room and saw this scene, her old face immediately pulled down, and she didn''t see her scolding Zhao''er, so she stood in front of the door and shouted at the direction of the kitchen: "Let you feed the pigs!" It¡¯s good for you, feed the food into the dog¡¯s mouth, such a big person is not worth the fart, and eating for nothing is not enough.¡±


    This clearly refers to Sang scolding Huai.


    In the kitchen, Mrs. Zhou didn''t speak. Tao''er, who was sweeping the yard, looked up at Grandma, endured it and continued to sweep the yard. Mrs. Zhao didn''t mention her name, who knows who she is scolding, if she stepped forward to intervene, she would only change her target and be scolded bloody.


    These are lessons learned.


    As soon as Zhao''er walked to the gate of the courtyard, she heard such scolding, she did not show weakness, and turned her head to look at Zhao with a smile: "Grandma, are you scolding the third aunt? If you scold the third aunt, the third aunt But it¡¯s too unfair. If you want to scold you, you should scold me. I scooped up the leftovers and planned to eat them for Heizi. I was thinking that Heizi would not be easy, so I would bring a rabbit to the house every now and then. You said we You can¡¯t do something that wants the cows to work without giving them grass, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Mrs. Zhao glared at Zhao''er angrily. She knew that this girl was not a cheap girl, so she scolded Mrs. Zhou, but she found her by herself. Just as he was about to say something, some of the women who passed by the gate of the courtyard smiled and said, "I saw Lian Xing''s family so energetic early in the morning."


    Someone next to him interjected: "Don''t talk about it, Ren Zhao''er is right. How can there be a cow that works without giving it grass?"


    "That''s right, Lian Xing''s family, it''s almost enough. Everyone in the village doesn''t like your big black dog. At this time when there is a rabbit shortage in the wild, it can fetch rabbits. What a smart beast. Usually In summer and autumn, voles, wild rabbits, and pheasants were often picked up at home, and they would be brought back if they didn¡¯t eat them. If you don¡¯t like Heizi, give it to our family, and your Uncle Shouxin has already taken a fancy to Heizi.¡±


    This is a Lianxing family, Mr. Xue and his aunt, known as Aunt Shouxin. Although he is ten years younger than Mrs. Zhao, but he is of a higher seniority.


    There are more than 200 households in Yuqing Village, with Xue and Zheng as the main surnames, and there are more than a dozen other households with mixed surnames. Since they all have the same surname, it is inevitable that every family is related, and some relationships can be pulled out of Wufu. But relatives are relatives, and when one is younger than others, one has to respect one another, so when this aunt Shouxin spoke, she sounded like an elder giving advice to younger generations.


    Mrs. Zhao was terribly blocked by these words, even though she was scolding, she was really reluctant to let her give Heizi to others. Just like what these people said, Heizi did bring some wild animals to his house at ordinary times, regardless of size, fat or thin, he always eats meat, and it is not easy for country people to eat meat.


    She kept a straight face and said nothing, but the trick in front of the door was on point: "Grandma Seven, this is not acceptable, Heizi is my lifeblood, you have made my lifeblood run away, I can''t live anymore."


    She smiled as soon as she said it, and said witty words in her mouth, and immediately made Aunt Shouxin laugh, pointing at her bit by bit, and said to others: "Look at this naughty girl, but she is not at all. You''re welcome. Please, please, Seventh Grandma doesn''t want you dog, so she won''t take away my son''s life."


    After talking and joking, Zhao''er sent the women away with a smile, and then turned around to feed Heizi.


    Mrs. Zhao glared at her, turned around and was about to enter the room, but just as she lifted her foot, she heard someone calling her from behind.


    "Mom, why are you standing here?"


    But Xue Cuiping, the eldest daughter of the Zhao family, came back.


    Xue Cuiping''s appearance is 60% similar to Zhao''s, but she has a pair of big almond eyes. She looked like she was in her twenties, and she was wearing a washed-out blue floral jacket with a pair of red-coloured wide-leg trousers underneath. She was holding a bamboo basket in her hand, which was covered with a layer of cloth, and she couldn''t see what was in it, and she was looking at Mrs. Zhao suspiciously.


    This really means that Cao Cao and Cao Cao will be here soon. The old man said before that the Zhao family is planning to get someone to report to Shangshui Village. This will save trouble.


    The mother and daughter walked into the house while talking, and soon disappeared behind the curtain of the main room door.


    Zhao''er squatted there watching Heizi eat, stroking its big head with her hand, but she was a little curious about how her aunt came back in time for the busy farming season.


    *


    "This can''t be done, mother, you are letting someone poke my spine!" In the main room, Xue Cuiping stood up after listening to Mrs. Zhao''s words.


    Mrs. Zhao hurriedly reached out to pull her, and at the same time gestured for her to keep her voice down so that no one could hear her.


    "Why not? You are Gouzi''s aunt, and you beat the younger brother and the second child. If this family says who the child wants to listen to, they will probably listen to you."


    Mrs. Zhao''s words are true. Xue Cuiping has been friends with her second child, Xue Qingsong since she was a child, and she and Mrs. Qiu also got along well when she was not married. When Xue Gouzi was born, she often hugged him.


    Xue Gouzi has been shy and introverted since he was a child, and since his second wife left, he has become more silent and gloomy. He often doesn''t see him say a word for ten days and a half months, and the members of the Xue family are only close to aunt Xue Cuiping.


    "But..." Xue Cuiping was full of embarrassment, and secretly said in her heart that she shouldn''t be coming back this trip. She never thought that she hadn''t finished her business before going back to her mother''s house, but this kind of thing would happen.


    "Don''t forget, your family Xingzi came to our private school, and your elder brother didn''t care about you. Now your elder brother needs your help, why don''t you want to ignore it, you are good, your elder brother is fine, The big house is promising, can it still make you suffer?"


    "Why don''t you tell the dog yourself, mother!"


    Mrs. Zhao has never been a patient person. She can speak so softly because Xue Cuiping is her daughter. Seeing her daughter pushing back and forth like this, and poking her heart with words, she immediately exploded: "If your mother can go and tell him, is it still necessary for you? Your mother can say this, can you say it? If you let outsiders You know, what has become of this?"


    Xue Cuiping was already irritated by her in-laws'' affairs, and when she saw her mother scolding herself, she immediately became annoyed: "Hey, the whole family will not go, and I am an outsider who asked me to be this villain? Even if an outsider finds out, it''s okay It¡¯s no use for me to be an aunt, and the second elder brother¡¯s family and adults are all dead, so why not force a child?!¡±


    Seeing her daughter''s voice getting louder, Mrs. Zhao was afraid that people would hear her, so she gave her a firm hand and scolded: "You are afraid that people will not hear you, right?"


    Naturally, Xue Cuiping didn''t want to have a falling out with her mother, so she muttered reluctantly: "Let me say, it''s not your mother''s business to be in charge of this matter, let the elder brother or sister-in-law handle the affairs of the elder brother''s house by himself. Let others do all the bad things." , their family is innocent, there is such a thing!"


    "Why are you talking about your elder brother? Your elder brother is a scholar, he wants to face and respect. Besides, he is ashamed of his second son, and he can''t do such a thing."


    Xue Cuiping''s lips parted, and she pressed down her full stomach.


    If he really felt ashamed of his second brother, would he still make such a fuss? In fact, over the years, Xue Cuiping has also seen through the behavior of this elder brother. If the elder sister-in-law is a smiley face, the elder brother is not a good person. Bad things have been done by others. It is obvious that their family has benefited, but they still pretend to be innocent.


    But so what if she knew, she was a married woman after all, she couldn''t shake the deep-rooted respect her parents had for her elder brother. As long as this kind of value is not broken for a day, the big house will always be the first in the family. In particular, she also has her own selfishness and her own reasons, so even if she knows what happened at home in the past two years, she can only ignore it against her conscience.


    She brushed back the hair that fell on her cheeks, and said: "Mother, let''s not talk about it, I came back this trip to borrow some wheat seeds, you also know my mother-in-law''s disease, because I was in a hurry to raise money last year The money for the medicine, and no seeds left..."


    Before she finished speaking, she was interrupted by Mrs. Zhao.


    Mrs. Zhao patted her hard twice: "Borrowing wheat seeds again, do you think your mother''s family has gold and silver, don''t you? With so many sons in the Liu family, let you, a daughter-in-law, come back to dig out her mother''s family!?"


    "mother¡­¡­"


    "Those head-cutting things in the Liu family, a house full of losers, a bunch of incompetent bastards, who can''t even support their mothers..." Mrs. Zhao scolded, and seeing Xue Cuiping crying, she beat her again. She said twice: "Go and deal with Gouzi, and mother will give you wheat seeds."


    "mother¡­¡­"


    "Go, don''t ink."


    *


    When he heard that his aunt had returned, Xue Gouzi felt a sense of fate in his heart.


    Afterwards, when Xue Cuiping opened the door curtain and walked in with a smile, he surprisingly didn''t feel sad at all.


    When Xue Cuiping was talking, Xue Gouzi was not actually listening, he was just thinking about all the strange things in and out of the dream.


    Xue Tingxiang also experienced such a thing back then, since his parents passed away one after another, he felt resentful towards Xue''s family in his heart. And these grievances accumulated little by little under Dafang''s hypocrisy and the acquiescence of his family members. Until this time, he still had the last bit of hope in his heart, but when even his closest aunt was standing on the opposite side, he completely collapsed in despair. Instead of being silent earlier, he chose to explode.


    In fact, what Dafang and even the Xue family were waiting for was his outburst. As long as he raises this matter himself, countless big hats will be put on his head. He had no ability to resist at all, and these people were all his elders, so his anger and unwillingness were all strangled to death in his infancy.


    This time, what happened in the dream happened again, what should he do?


    Xue Cuiping''s mouth was still opening and closing, it could be seen that she was a little guilty in front of this pale and frail nephew. But these guilty consciences were hidden behind her constantly opening and closing mouth. Xue Gouzi''s eyes were indifferent, but someone beside him couldn''t help it.


    Zhao''er''s face was ugly, but he still forced a smile: "Auntie, you see that the dog has been sick for a few days, and he just got better. He is not in good spirits. If there is anything to say, let''s talk about it later."


    In fact, Zhao''er knew that this day would come sooner or later, otherwise she wouldn''t be desperately trying to make money recently. But when the malice between relatives approached a little bit, and it was her little man who forced it, Zhao''er couldn''t ignore it.


    She knew that it was the relatives who hurt people the most, and she had suffered this kind of pain. When mother left, she promised her that she would take good care of the little man, she made an oath.


    At this moment, Zhao''er''s eyes were stern, which was a sign that the female beast was going crazy.


    Xue Cuiping was frightened by what Zhaoer saw in her eyes, she shook her head subconsciously, and smiled uncomfortably, she couldn''t believe that a girl''s eyes could be so scary.


    "Zhao''er, Auntie is here to enlighten the dog. Auntie is also doing it for the good of the dog, and for the good of the family..."


    "Auntie." Suddenly, Xue Gouzi spoke.


    Interrupting Xue Cuiping''s words also interrupted Zhao''er''s explosion at a critical point.


    Xue Cuiping hurriedly turned her head to look at him: "Dog, Auntie told you..."


    "Auntie, I didn''t understand what you said for a long time. What should the meaning of the family come first? Why does Kong Rong give up pears? What does elder brother need from me? Auntie, you don''t know that elder brother has everything, grandma Uncles and aunts love him too, and they bought good pens, inks, papers and inkstones. Every time he uses paper for calligraphy practice, I can only practice calligraphy with branches and write on the sand. The paper I occasionally use is the worst quality Zhaoer bought. The rice paper, the ink drops on it and it is printed.


    "Brother has a lot of books, but I only have a copy of "Children Learning Qionglin", which I bought when my father worked as a carpenter for a few months. I know that my reading is not as good as that of my elder brother, and my handwriting is not as good as that of my elder brother. So I dare not ask to be like him. I don¡¯t have anything, I really don¡¯t know what I can give up to my elder brother.¡±


    Xue Gouzi''s eyes were bright and moist, with a kind of bewilderment and doubt that was ignorant of the world. The envy in his expression implied inferiority, and there was also some sadness in the inferiority complex.


    In particular, he had just recovered from a serious illness, his face was pale, and he was so thin that only a bone remained. He said such words that really made the sad witnesses cry.


    These words left Xue Cuiping speechless, feeling distressed and ashamed of herself, feeling that she would have no face to see her second brother and sister-in-law if she died. But the situation at home is imminent. There are no seeds during the spring plowing, and the wheat seedlings are not cultivated in time. If this season is missed, the whole family will suffer from famine this year.


    She suddenly hardened her heart, licked her lips and said, "Auntie is talking about going to the school in the town. You see, your handsome elder brother is better at studying than you. He is at the critical moment. You should give up as a younger brother. Anyway, you are one year younger than him, so it won''t be too late to go again next year."


    Zhao''er turned around abruptly, and picked up the stick behind the door.


    At this moment, Xue Gouzi said again: "Why did you let me go? Didn''t I have to go? Uncle asked you to come? Did he forget what he promised my father before he died? It turns out that uncle said Treating me like my own son is all fake..."


    Now is the busy season, and there are not many schoolchildren in the school. The private schools in the countryside are like this. Every two seasons when the farming season is busy, the schoolchildren will be given holidays, so Xue Qingshan has been quite free recently. But no one cares about where he goes or not. When the school is on vacation, he is often not seen for several days.


    Zhao''er washed the dishes and chopsticks used by herself and the little man, and took them back to the kitchen. Mrs. Zhou was cooking pig food, while Tao''er was sweeping the yard. Seeing that she had nothing to do, Zhao''er found Heizi''s food bowl, and took a bowl from the leftover rice that was going to be mixed in pig grass to feed pigs later. , carrying it and walking out the door.


    Mrs. Zhou glanced at her back, but said nothing.


    The leftovers are for Heizi. Dogs in the country are like this. The owner eats dry food, and the dog drinks water. When the owner eats water, the dog usually goes hungry. Country dogs in the countryside are used to starvation, but Zhao''er usually pays little attention to sunspots, no matter good or bad, he always feeds him.


    Occasionally there are additional meals, of course, these are invisible to the human face.


    Anyway, Mrs. Zhao saw Zhao''er picking food out of her pig''s mouth and feeding it to the dog!


    She stepped out of the main room and saw this scene, her old face immediately pulled down, and she didn''t see her scolding Zhao''er, so she stood in front of the door and shouted at the direction of the kitchen: "Let you feed the pigs!" It¡¯s good for you, feed the food into the dog¡¯s mouth, such a big person is useless, and eating for nothing is not enough.¡±


    This clearly refers to Sang scolding Huai.


    In the kitchen, Mrs. Zhou didn''t speak. Tao''er, who was sweeping the yard, looked up at Grandma, endured it and continued to sweep the yard. Mrs. Zhao didn''t mention her name, who knows who she was scolding, if she stepped forward to intervene, she would only change the target and be scolded bloody.


    These are lessons learned.


    As soon as Zhao''er walked to the gate of the courtyard, she heard such scolding. She didn''t show any weakness, and turned her head to look at Zhao with a smile: "Grandma, are you scolding Third Aunt? If you scold Third Aunt, Third Aunt But it¡¯s too unfair. If you want to scold you, you should scold me. I scooped up the leftovers and planned to give Heizi to eat. Didn¡¯t I just think that Heizi would not be easy, so I would bring a rabbit to the house every now and then. You said we You can¡¯t do something that wants the cows to work without giving them grass, don¡¯t you think?¡±

 Chapter 143

    By the time Zhao''er arrived at the county seat, it was three o''clock. It was just right to meet someone at this time, her second sister might not have time to see her if it was too early or too late, and she would have to wait for a long time.


    Zhao''er came all the way to the south of the city, before he entered the archway where Shen''s house was located, he saw the two large flags more than five feet high erected in front of Shen''s residence.


    This is the Jinshi Jidi Banner, which can be set up only if someone in the family has won the Jinshi.


    This fame flagpole is divided into two structures, the flagpole sandwich stone and the flagpole.


    The flagpoles on the flagpoles are also exquisite. If you have a serious background in the imperial examination, and you have passed the Jinshi in the imperial examination, you can set up two flagpoles for the flagpoles. If it is the number one scholar, it will be a three-dou flagpole, and if there are high-ranking members of the third rank or higher in the clan, four dou can be set up.


    The two big flags in front of Shen''s house, one is three buckets, the other is four buckets. In other words, the Shen family once had a number one scholar, and had an important minister in the court.


    Zhao''er, a country girl, knows this because her second sister told her when she came to visit her.


    The main entrance, the side entrance, and even the corner entrance are not accessible to Zhao''er with her status. She made a long detour before arriving at the back entrance of Shen''s residence.


    The back door was ajar, and Zhao''er didn''t dare to rush in, so he knocked on the door respectfully.


    The door opened with a creak, and a round woman came out from inside, and asked her, "Who are you looking for?"


    This old lady is just a doorkeeper, but she is also wearing satin gowns and jewelry on her ears and hands, which is enough to show the wealth of the Shen family.


    The Shen family is indeed rich, and in this Xia County, it can be said that they are stomping their feet, and the county is about to tremble three times. The Shen Mansion here is the ancestral home of the Shen family, except for the Shen family''s uncle and second master who are officials outside, the rest of the Shen family live here.


    "Mother-in-law, I''m looking for Sulan. I''m her younger brother. I''m here to see her."


    This woman''s attitude is not warm, but she is not as inferior as a dog''s eye. At least from this trick, it can be seen that the rules of the Shen family must be very strict. She asked Zhao''er to wait, then closed the door and went inside.


    Zhao''er waited for a long time before the back door opened again, and a very beautiful woman came out from inside. I saw her radiant skin, phoenix eyes and vermilion lips, wearing a water-red jacket and a moon-white pleated skirt. A head of black and thick long hair was simply tied up in a bun, with a golden hairpin inserted into it.


    Obviously the clothes are ordinary, and the hair accessories are also ordinary, but wearing all these on her body gives her a sense of beauty that no one else has. Her chest is bulging, but her waist is very thin, she has a good figure.


    This person is Zhao''er''s second sister Wang Zhaodi, but she changed her name to Su Lan in Shen''s residence.


    Zhao''er couldn''t help frowning, since the last time she saw her second sister, her second sister has changed a lot. Not only the material of the clothes, but also the jewelry on his body, his complexion and even his figure have changed a lot.


    She was a little panicked, grabbed Su Lan, and went to the corner where no one was around.


    "Sister, did you really do it?"


    Seeing her younger sister frivolously wrinkling her sleeves, Su Lan asked impatiently, "What can I do or not?"


    "It''s that, that..." Zhao''er hesitated for a while, and then said with a blushing face: "You can''t really be the housekeeper for the sixth young master, right?"


    The corners of Su Lan''s eyes twitched, and the corners of her mouth twitched: "Why do you care about these things?"


    "Sister!" Zhao''er couldn''t help stamping her feet.


    Su Lan looked at her younger sister and remembered that she was sold by her family back then. Only younger sister Zhao''er found out her whereabouts from the matchmaker and walked all day and night to see her by herself. At that time, she was full of panic, Zhao''er''s appearance made her know that she was not alone, and that no one would know that she would not die in this mansion, and she immediately softened her heart.


    She sighed lightly: "Didn''t I tell you before, I won''t go out of the house to go through that kind of hard life. Although I am a housekeeper now, but the sixth young master promised me that when grandma came in, I would give it to me." An aunt will do it."


    Zhao''er was so surprised that she couldn''t believe it. She knew it already, but she was still shocked when she learned from the second sister that she really did such a thing.


    For the first time in her life, she didn''t know what to say, so she hesitated for a while and said, "That''s it? If you treat someone like a child, you will be bullied by the big wife."


    Zhao''er''s only cognition told her that when she was young, she had few days to live comfortably.


    What the younger sister said made Su Lan feel extremely uncomfortable, and she waved her hand nonchalantly. On the snow-white and slender jade fingers, there is a golden opal ring on it, which exudes a faint light and is dazzling in the sun.


    "You don''t understand, and you don''t have to be afraid of me being bullied. As long as the sixth young master is on my side, even if the sixth grandma comes in later, she won''t dare to bully me."


    "Can¡­¡­"


    "Okay, don''t talk about me, your little husband has recovered from his illness? It''s not that I said you, it''s better for you to come into the mansion to be a girl to be my company than to stay in that house and exhaust yourself .Which woman is looking for a man who is not looking for someone who can protect herself. You are fine, but you are working outside to earn money to support your family.¡±


    "Isn''t he still young? Besides, sister, it''s not like you don''t know. If it wasn''t for my mother and father, I''m afraid I would have been sold somewhere long ago. You were lucky enough to be sold into Shen''s residence. But there are also those who are unlucky and sold into that dirty place."


    Su Lan pressed her bright red lips tightly and did not speak.


    She was sold into Shen''s residence back then, it was not explained by good luck.


    In the sparkling eyes of the phoenix, all kinds of light returned to silence. She let out a breath and scolded: "That''s why I don''t want to see you the most. Every time you come, you make me angry and make me troubled."


    Zhao''er kicked the pebbles under his feet: "I just thought I haven''t seen you for a long time, so I came here to have a look at you."


    "How are you doing? The Xue family didn''t make things difficult for you, right? Just wait, when my sister becomes the sixth young master''s aunt, whoever bullies you in the future, I will help you deal with him."


    Zhao''er heard it warmly in her heart, and couldn''t help leaning over, hugging Su Lan''s slender waist coquettishly: "Sister, don''t worry, I''m so aggressive, who dares to bully me. You don''t know that the Xue family is such a moth." too much¡­¡­"


    She recounted what happened to Xue''s family recently.


    The corners of Su Lan''s mouth curled up when she heard this, and she said sarcastically: "So this is the human heart. Don''t try to test the human heart, it will usually disappoint you. Don''t rely on others, what you hold in your hands is the truth."


    Su Lan is a bit extreme, but Zhao''er knows why the second sister is like this. In fact, occasionally she will be extreme, but she rarely speaks out.


    "Then what do you do now? If your little man really loses, then he won''t be able to go to school? Have you ever thought about this matter, if you win, if you lose, it will be hard for the two of you The Xue family has a foothold."


    Of course Zhao''er understood this truth. She stood up straight and smiled: "Sister, I know. Don''t worry, I plan to find another way to do business. At worst, the two of us will be alone. Dog likes to learn, so let him learn." , until I can''t afford it anymore."


    Su Lan poked her forehead with her jade finger, hating iron and steel: "You still can''t confess, how old are you? After a day of good life, I think I can''t confess. Come on, don''t tell me The second sister doesn''t feel sorry for you, I have someone I know who is the third shopkeeper in ''He Rongsheng'', if you go to him, he can at least find a way for you to make some money."


    ''Herongsheng'' is the name of the pawn shop, there are many branches in Binh Duong Province, and there is one in Huyang Township. Zhao''er usually comes and goes in the town, so he has naturally heard of this name.


    "This is the Shen family''s business with Rongsheng? Sister, how do you know the three shopkeepers?"


    Su Lan''s eyes flashed a hint of complexity, and she said impatiently: "Don''t worry about it, you can go directly to a man named Shen Ping. Well, I won''t tell you anymore, the sixth young master will have lunch later Now, I have to go and wait, lest those little hoofs rush to the front to show courteousness again."


    After a pause, she took out something from her sleeve and stuffed it into Zhao''er''s hand: "Take it, it doesn''t matter if you really lose, let''s do it by ourselves first. The Shen family''s genealogy is famous in the whole Pingyang Mansion. Sister will become an aunt in the future, and see if I can ask the Sixth Young Master to let your little man come in as a companion or something. I really owe you in my previous life, and I have to worry about everything."


    Su Lan''s figure quickly disappeared through the door.


    Zhao''er stood where he was, looking down at the silver ingot in his hand. After a long time, Fang grabbed it tightly and left.


    *


    Zhao''er didn''t know where He Rongsheng in the county was, she had inquired along the way.


    When we got there, it was a coincidence that the third shopkeeper named Shen Ping was there.


    Shen Ping is a very young boy with a good appearance, very mature and stable. He was wearing a dark blue straight gown, and looked about twenty years old, but he did not expect to be the shopkeeper of a pawnshop.


    When he heard about Zhao''er''s purpose, his eyes flashed: "You are Zhao''er, I heard your sister said about you."


    Zhao''er didn''t expect that the second sister would tell Shen Ping her name, and she smelled something unusual. While speaking, Shen Ping had already led her in.


    "When your sister told me about you before, I was thinking about what kind of business would allow you to do it for a long time. After thinking about it, I think selling old clothes is quite suitable for a girl like you."


    The second sister even told her gender to the other party''s surprise, it didn''t last long, Zhao''er''s attention was attracted by Shen Ping''s words.


    "What is selling used clothes?"


    "You should know what a pawnshop is for. This pawnshop accepts everything, and you can pawn anything. The current period is divided into dead pawns and live pawns. If it is a live pawn, it means that the other party will come to redeem it. If it is a dead pawn, it means that the things are not needed. Of course, there are also those who do not redeem their living debts within the time limit, and naturally they become death debts.


    "These things are accepted by the pawn shop and exchanged for money to the owner. Naturally, they will be resold. For example, some old clothes that come from pawns are directly sold to embroidery workshops or garment shops. If you are willing to do this business, you can buy them from Take some old clothes here and sell them back."


    Following Shen Ping''s narration, Zhao''er''s eyes flickered again and again, and he asked, "Then I don''t know what the price is? Is it calculated on a piece-by-piece basis, or what? Since it''s an old clothes, surely it won''t be as expensive as a new one, right?"


    Shen Ping glanced at her: "You are very smart." He turned around and went to layman: "Come with me, I will take you to have a look."


    Zhao''er followed him all the way back, the yard behind the pawn shop was huge, it looked like it was a warehouse.


    On the way, he met a lot of people in pawnshops, and they were all respectful when they saw Shen Ping. Zhao''er followed him to a warehouse, but neither of them went in. A man who looked like a buddy dragged a large bag of things out, and opened the door in front of it.


    This big bag is full of clothes, some are worn out, some are 80% or 90% new, and some are even brand new. It seems that they have not been worn twice. The texture of the clothes is also various, some are made of cotton, some are made of silk, some are made of silk, but they are all of good quality, anyway, they are better than the coarse cloth clothes Zhao''er is wearing.


    "These are usually mixed together, because they are collected at a low price, so the asking price is not high. If you give me two taels of such a bag of clothes, it will be yours."


    Zhao''er couldn''t see through her eyes. In order to make sure that the business could be done, she went up to check it out.


    Such a package of clothes, at least a hundred pieces.


    Even if a piece of clothing sells for 20 Wen, it is enough for her to pay back. And some clothes are sold for more than twenty yuan just based on her visual inspection. What can be done with twenty renminbi, at least six or seven feet of cloth is needed to make a suit of clothes, and the worst cotton cloth is seven or eight renminbi.


    Not to mention that there are some good fabrics in it, and even some cotton clothes, even if you don''t sell them, you won''t lose money if you wear them yourself.


    The room was very quiet, the eyes of the young man on the kang darkened, and there was a trace of vicissitudes that did not match his age.


    Looking at such a little man, Zhao''er was afraid to go forward. It took a while to come over, sitting on the edge of the kang, hesitantly said: "Dog, are you okay?"


    Looking at the worried face of the other party, Xue Gouzi smiled: "I''m fine."


    Zhao''er pursed her lips tightly and patted his head: "Believe me, sister, one day we won''t have to ask for anyone."


    *


    Xue Cuiping left without even eating lunch, and when she left, she took a bag of wheat seeds Mrs. Zhao gave her.


    No one knew what she had said to Mrs. Zhao, and what Mrs. Zhao had said to her. All in all, when eating lunch at noon, Mrs. Zhao''s and Mrs. Yang''s faces were so ugly that Mrs. Sun and Mrs. Zhou were cautious.


    Zhao''er never looked at these things. After the rice was put on the table, she took two bowls to put the rice first, and then add the vegetables. Lunch can''t be called rich, it''s just millet rice, and the dishes are stuffed white rice and radish, as well as some homemade pickles. There is also meat, all big fat meat, a small plate, placed in front of the men.


    Men have to work in the fields and eat meat to gain strength.


    Zhao''er didn''t want to eat meat either, the meat cooked by Zhou''s was greasy and greasy, which made people feel unappetizing. She put some hot dishes and pickles into the bowl as usual, but she didn''t put much, but Mrs. Zhao suddenly dropped her chopsticks.


    "Just such a little food, the two of you can eat this? Hungry ghost reincarnation or something?"


    This is very hurtful and slaps face, but anyone with some self-esteem can''t stand it, but Zhao''er is used to it. Zhao Shi is like this, whoever makes her dissatisfied, she can use various methods to get back sick.


    She was not annoyed, and continued to pick up vegetables. She originally planned to pick up only those, but because of Mrs. Zhao''s words, she deliberately picked up two more chopsticks.


    "I can''t help Grandma, the dog needs to take care of himself, if there''s nothing good to feed him, he has to be full to eat." As she spoke, she suddenly turned her head and said to Mrs. Zhou: "Third Aunt, wash the vegetables next time." You call me Caicai, our family is not a family that is too poor to eat, but there are scholars in the family, and there is a master who is a child. Although grandma lives carefully on weekdays, she is not a person who does not let people eat food. "


    When it comes to pointing at Sang and scolding Huai, Zhao''er thinks she can''t lose to anyone, especially since she is holding her breath in her heart.


    Sure enough, Mrs. Zhao was immediately annoyed: "No matter how rich a family is, they can''t afford you to eat so much. You can eat more than anyone else if you don''t work every day. A stupid girl like you, if it wasn''t for our family, He was kicked out a long time ago."


    Zhao''er immediately put away her smile: "Grandma, you are wrong to say that. I came to the house when I was seven years old, and I didn''t do any work inside and out? When my father died, I wore a filial piety and kept my spirit. When my mother died, I waited on her bed day and night for more than half a year. I was the daughter-in-law of the second room, and I paid the end of my life for the second wife.


    "But grandma, don''t dislike me as a granddaughter-in-law who is talkative. People are divided into three or six grades according to how much they eat. Some people don''t know how to wipe the oil on their mouths when they eat delicious food. They can be replaced by others. If you eat some rotten white song, it will become a waste of food. There are more than a dozen chickens in this house, and there are no fewer eggs. Taoer and I feed them every day, and I don¡¯t know where the eggs have gone. Gouzi¡¯s disease I ate one egg so far, don¡¯t let me raise the chicken next time, anyway, I can¡¯t eat it, whoever eats it will raise it.¡±

 Chapter 144

    After she calmed down, she asked Shen Ping: "Shopkeeper Shen, these clothes only cost two taels in total. Will the pawnshop lose money? Are you doing it just to take care of me..."


    Zhao''er didn''t finish the rest of the sentence, Shen Ping also understood.


    He laughed, but he appreciated Zhao''er''s frankness of not wanting to take advantage of others: "These were sold to a clothing store or an embroidery workshop, and the price was the same. Regardless of the quantity, there are not many good ones that can be sold at a reasonable price." The ones have already been picked away."


    Zhao''er thinks about it too, the eyes of the county people are naturally different from those of the country people, let alone this kind of big pawn shop, what is bad in their eyes is actually good for the country people to see.


    She breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "Shopkeeper Shen, I want this bag of clothes, and I''ll give you the money right now."


    "Are you rich now?"


    Of course she is rich, Zhao''er now has more than two taels of silver in total, and just now Su Lan gave her another five taels, which is naturally enough.


    At the same time, Shen Ping laughed a bit, "Well, I forgot that you have visited her before, so I came here, and she won''t take advantage of me." The voice was very small, almost like a murmur, Zhao''er only cares about it. I had to look at the clothes, but I didn''t hear clearly.


    "I''ll find a guy to call a car for you, and you, a little girl, can''t transport these things."


    "Thank you, Shopkeeper Shen."


    After seeing Zhao''er off, Shen Ping turned around and went into the pawn shop.


    Although he is called the third shopkeeper, he is not the third shopkeeper of this store, but the third shopkeeper of the entire ''Herongsheng'', and he will only stay in Xia County permanently under his deliberate request.


    Shen Ping is the son of the Shen family, his father is the chief manager of the Shen residence, and he has been a servant with the third young master Shen Fu since he was a child. It was not until he became an adult that he was released to become a shopkeeper.


    "If she comes again next time, just do as I told you before."


    "Yes, shopkeeper."


    *


    Just after noon, the clerk Ah Cai came to deliver meals to Xue Tingxiang.


    Boss Chen said it was simple food, but in fact the food was not bad, with one meat and one vegetable, and one soup. Xue Tingxiang knew very well that Boss Chen was taking care of him deliberately. How could anyone hire someone to copy books, take care of tea and food, and the wages they paid were not low.


    It was because he knew it in his heart that he didn''t say no. In this case, the refusal retained his character, but it seemed too petty and hypocritical.


    It can only be repaid in the future, Xue Tingxiang thought lightly in his heart.


    After eating, when the man came to clean up the dishes, he said that he could rest for an hour. There is a chaise longue available in this room, and of course you can go to the front to read a book to pass the time.


    In fact, the latter sentence is the key point, Xue Tingxiang was not pretentious, after cleaning his hands, he went forward.


    This store may not seem big, but it has a lot of books of all kinds, ranging from rural tales to books about the imperial examination, and there are many books about the imperial examination.


    Since the former dynasty, the imperial examination has used eight-legged essays as the standard style, with strict regulations, and even restrictions on the length of sentences, the number of words, the level of rhymes, and even the scope of questions.


    Stereotype essays take questions from the Four Books and Five Classics, and are composed of eight parts: breaking the title, inheriting the title, starting the lecture, starting, starting the essay, middle section, back section, and binding the section. It seems rigid and rigid, but in fact it is not easy to do a good stereotyped essay. If you really think that only reading the Four Books and Five Classics is enough, you are wrong. Not to mention astronomy and geography, at least you have to be involved in all aspects, so that you can write a good article full of flowers and content.


    In that dream, Xue Tingxiang won the Jinshi with the 21st place in the second class, and was admitted to the Hanlin Academy after passing through the hall. He should have been on a steady rise since then, but because he offended someone, a majestic Hanlin was sent down. The kind of place where the birds don''t shit is an official.


    Xue Tingxiang pursed his lips slightly, feeling that he was thinking too much, after all, he is not even a child now, let''s think about the present.


    So, without thinking too much, he took out a book from the bookcase and read it quietly.


    During this period, customers from the bookstore came to sell some pens, ink, paper and inkstones, or came to buy books, always interrupting Xue Tingxiang''s reading.


    Seeing this, Boss Chen said: "Brother Xue, you can take the book to the back and read."


    Xue Tingxiang looked at him in surprise: "This..."


    "It''s okay, it''s not bad for your book."


    Xue Tingxiang was silent, bowed deeply in salute, and then went back.


    When Xue Tingxiang woke up, he heard Boss Chen talking outside and Zhao''er''s voice at the same time.


    "Where did you get this big bag?" Boss Chen looked at Zhao''er in surprise, and asked for the bag at her feet that was much bigger than her.


    Zhao''er was sweating profusely and said: "Uncle Chen, I got it from the county, and so did the man from the car dealership. They only helped me to the intersection and left me behind. I wanted to be dragged to the car dealership. But thinking that my brother is still here..."


    Boss Chen laughed, and called his assistant: "Ah Cai, come and help little brother Zhao''er carry the things in." Then he said to Zhao''er: "Come in and have a drink and rest before leaving."


    "Uncle Chen, what a shame."


    "When you were bargaining with me, you were never polite, but now you are more polite." Boss Chen pretended to stare.


    Generally speaking, Boss Chen is an elegant and humorous person.


    Xue Tingxiang also came out to help, and asked, "What''s in it? Why is it so heavy? Where did you get it?"


    Not to mention it was really heavy, Ah Cai tried a few times but couldn''t lift it, only three people could lift it.


    "I got it from a pawn shop. If I can sell this package, my sister will have enough money to send you to the Qinghe Academy."


    Zhao''er hadn''t realized that he had slipped up, but Xue Tingxiang had. He glanced at Boss Chen, and Zhao''er understood what he said at this moment, and looked at Boss Chen with some guilt: "Uncle Chen, I will explain to you later."


    She was a little anxious, and without asking the two of them to help, she lifted the big bag and carried it on her shoulders. The big bag pushed her to one side, but she still stopped, and she quickly carried the things inside.


    Ah Cai praised: "It doesn''t look like she is strong, she is so strong."


    Here, Xue Tingxiang looked at the back and pursed the corners of his mouth, while Boss Chen''s eyes darkened.


    Xue Tingxiang looked up at Boss Chen, and walked towards him.


    ...


    Zhao''er found a place to put down the big bag, then went to wash his hands and face to clean up his body, and then A Cai led him to see Boss Chen.


    Seeing Boss Chen, Zhao''er felt a little guilty. But she didn''t intend to continue to lie to Boss Chen, because Boss Chen is a good person. Not to mention the benefits he gave her before, just because he asked the little man to copy books for such a high price, let him read books here, and take care of the lunch at noon, Zhao''er can no longer continue to deceive.


    In fact, Zhao''er is not a liar, it''s just that she concealed her gender, and then the so-called workmanship is just collecting some vegetables and selling them to make some purses or something.


    "Uncle Chen..."


    Boss Chen sighed and waved his hands: "Okay, you don''t need to say anymore, you are a girl, and you are really embarrassing."


    Zhao''er looked surprised, her round eyes widened.


    Boss Chen laughed a little and said, "Your little husband has already told me everything."


    "He, what did he say..." Zhao''er stammered, still in disbelief. Because she knows that the little man always pays attention to face and has a lot of thoughts, and she doesn''t like to mention her as his child bride-in-law in front of outsiders, and the Xue family''s bad things.


    "I''ve said everything that needs to be said." After a pause, Boss Chen asked, "Look at how surprised you are, isn''t it still a secret?"


    Zhao''er laughed awkwardly, and faltered: "That''s not true, it''s just that he''s young, and people in our village hate him. People always think that I''m older than him, and my daughter-in-law teases men and laughs at him."


    The same sentence sounds different to different people.


    Boss Chen couldn''t help but want to laugh, but Xue Tingxiang outside had mixed feelings in his heart.


    That''s why she always called herself sister, so in the dream he was old, but she didn''t want to marry him. Or he ignored her wishes and insisted on marrying him with his parents'' orders.


    She actually understood her awkward state of mind. He told himself not to be surprised by what other people said, but he cared about it in his heart, so even if the two got married, they couldn''t do it together.


    She actually knew everything, yet she relied on him for everything! Follow him!


    While the mood was churning, the topic was changed inside.


    "I just heard from you that you plan to save money to send him to Qinghe Academy?"


    Zhao''er nodded, seeing the strange expression on Boss Chen''s face, she couldn''t help but ask, "Is that school bad?"


    "Take the road of opportunism, and it won''t last long."


    Zhao''er didn''t quite understand what he heard, but he also knew that it was not a good word.


    "If you want to help him find a good book academy, I have something to recommend. It''s just..." Boss Chen sighed suddenly: "Well, let me tell you that you don''t understand either. Let''s talk about it later."


    Zhao''er nodded in a daze.


    It was not too early to meet later, and the two planned to return to Yuqing Village.


    Because the big bag of clothes was too much, and it would be eye-catching to bring back, Boss Chen asked Zhao''er to put the things in his shop temporarily. Anyway, there are still a few vacant rooms behind the shop, so just find a place to put them.


    The two went back to the village by car, because after time, only the ox cart could be used, so the two sat on the ox cart and walked back bumping back and forth.


    Halfway along the road, a mule cart came head-on.


    The driver was a man, dark and tall. When he got closer, he could see his appearance clearly. He had thick eyebrows and tiger eyes, a high nose bridge, and he was very heroic. His sleeves were half rolled up above his elbows, and his arms seemed to be full of muscles. He looked like a powerful man.


    Xue Tingxiang saw the person coming at a glance, and his pupils shrank immediately.


    He glanced at Zhao''er next to him, saw her with her head half down, and he was relieved.


    But the visitor still saw them, his eyes lit up, and he raised his voice and shouted: "Zhaoer."


    Zhao''er looked over and immediately smiled: "Brother Jiang Wu, where are you going?"


    Jiang Wu tightened the reins and stopped the mule cart.


    "I''m going to town, are you going back? Get out of the car, and I''ll see you off."


    Zhao''er hesitated and said, "Don''t you still want to go to town? Anyway, we''ve already got in the car, so you should do your own work."


    "I don''t have anything to do. I just went to Lao Li''s place to have a look. Originally, my father said that I would go tomorrow and buy some things on the way back. It doesn''t matter whether I go or not. Come on, this car is slow and bumpy. My car is still faster." Jiang Wu said to Zhao''er with a smile, completely unaware that the face of the owner of the bullock cart turned black.


    Seeing this, Zhao''er didn''t let the owner of the ox cart stop, and jumped off from above. After taking two steps over there, I realized that I had forgotten the person.


    While letting the owner of the bullock cart stop, she said to Xue Tingxiang: "Come on down, let''s go back in Brother Jiang Wu''s car." With her beaming face, she was in a good mood.


    Xue Tingxiang''s face was a bit ugly, he glanced at Zhao''er, and then slowly got out of the car.


    The two got into the mule cart, and Jiang Wu drove the cart to Yuqing Village.


    "If I knew you were coming to the county today, I would have asked you to help me get my things back. Brother Jiang Wu, let me tell you, I found a business to do, and this business can make a lot of money. I definitely can''t do it alone. Why don''t we partner up and pay half a penny?"


    It wasn''t Jiang Wu''s first time doing business with Zhao''er. To be honest, before Zhao''er came to collect vegetables and sell them in the town, Jiang Wu helped her a lot.


    How much food can Zhao''er collect in other villages by herself, and besides, she doesn''t have a car, so it''s not convenient to go back and forth. But the Jiang family has a car, and the ancestors of the Jiang family were hunters. With this unique skill, the life of the Jiang family is very comfortable.


    The men of Jiang''s family don''t usually farm land, and the family''s more than 20 acres of land are rented out, and they only earn money by collecting rent and hunting with the men in the family. But hunting is not every day, so Jiang Wu is very free when he is not in the mountains, so he helps recruits to collect vegetables and so on, saying that the two share half and half, but Jiang Wu does not want the money every time .


    "But let me tell you first, if you don''t want to split the money, I won''t do this business with you."


    But he had never had such a clear dream, so clear as if it was real.


    "Dog, why do you think you are so stubborn? Isn''t my money your money? What do you think I earn money for? Isn''t it just to support your studies and make you feel proud?"


    "Why do you say you are so stubborn! You say you are so stubborn, who are you showing your stubbornness to?!"


    "I know you don''t like me, but I''ve been like this for many years, and I can''t change it! I don''t plan to change it either!"


    "Look at Hong''er, does he look like you?"


    ...


    Xue Tingxiang suddenly felt that someone was shaking him, opened his tired eyes, and saw the dark inner room, Hu San''s face was no longer young, even the lines on the curtain were so familiar, he knew He was just dreaming.


    It''s just that the dream was too clear, the sorghum fragrance in the air, and the curve of her stubbornly pursed mouth made him feel like he was actually there. There are also her tears from being angry, crystal clear and shining with colorful light, he wanted to reach out to touch it, but someone woke him up.


    "My lord, it''s time to drink the medicine."


    Xue Tingxiang was propped up and given medicine. He was dying of illness, and he had to be served by someone even to drink medicine. How could he look like that extremely human minister Xue Shoufu who had ruled the court for decades.


    Oh no, he is not the chief assistant now.


    He has already written a letter to beg for the bones, intending to return to his hometown for the elderly, and the Holy Majesty has already agreed, but he has no home to return to, no relatives to rely on.


    In fact, he didn''t intend to go back.


    "Master Zhang, Mr. Wang, and Mr. Li and Mr. Cao all came to visit you, but they obeyed your orders and blocked the door. They come every day, and they are here again today. Would you like to see me?"


    What can they do? Didn''t they think that his illness was an expedient measure, waiting for him to stand up and continue to lead them to fight against the emperor, but he was really ill, terminally ill, and the medicine was useless.


    "not see."


    "My lord, please sleep a little longer."


    The room became quiet again, Xue Tingxiang''s eyelids began to get heavy again, he blinked again and again, and fell into sleep again.

 Chapter 145

    The books in the bookcase are new and old, some are hardcover, which are worth a lot of money at first glance, and some are thread bound, which look a little rough. Most of them are transcribed copies. Generally, it is not sure that the book will be a good seller. The bookstore boss always asks someone to transcribe it, because if it is opened, thousands of copies will be printed.


    Zhao''er was familiar with the boss, and greeted her with a smile as soon as she entered the door. The strange thing was that the boss recognized her, and when he saw her, he smiled and asked her if she came to buy paper for her brother.


    Bringing this up is old stuff.


    At the beginning, Zhao''er felt sorry for Xue Tingxiang, so she saved some money to buy paper for him to practice calligraphy. Who would have thought that this paper was much more expensive than she imagined. Even the worst yellow bamboo paper costs 40 Wen a knife, but that day Zhaoer collected all the money on his body, but only 30 Wen.


    In order to get the boss to sell the paper to her at a lower price, Zhao''er worked with the boss for a long time. He even made up the pretense of having a hard-working younger brother, but unfortunately both parents died and his family was poor, so the boss agreed to sell it to her cheaply. Later, she came to buy it a few times, all at the previous price, but she became acquainted with Boss Chen.


    Boss Chen praised her for her noble character, earning hard money, but still supporting her younger brother''s education. Usually, when she comes to buy paper, she almost always buys half and gives half away.


    Normally, Zhao''er would accept this kind of talk with a cheeky face, but today with Xue Tingxiang around, she was inevitably a little embarrassed, for fear that Boss Chen would slip up and make the little man look down on her for lying.


    Zhao''er has suffered, so she knows the skills of survival, but the little man doesn''t, especially the scholar is very pedantic, so every time she encounters such a situation where the two people''s ideas conflict, she will always subconsciously go away. Avoid these.


    Within a day, two people said that they were his younger brothers, which made Xue Tingxiang very unhappy. Naturally, he didn''t notice Zhao''er''s hidden thoughts. When he came back to his senses, Zhao''er had already talked with the boss, and even showed him the copy of "Hundred Surnames" that he had copied overnight.


    "This is your brother? He looks handsome, but a little thinner." Boss Chen is a middle-aged man in his forties, with a goatee and elegant body. Wearing a scholar''s shirt, he doesn''t look like a business boss, but a scholar.


    "He was sick for a while a while ago, and he got better recently."


    "No wonder I haven''t seen you here for a long time." While talking, Boss Chen took the manuscript that Zhao''er handed over, whether it was bound or paper quality, it was very poor.


    He knew in his heart that this kind of peasant boy could not write very good characters, but he admired this young man named Zhao''er, so he planned not to criticize too much even if he really did not do well, just say some mild words and refuse it. up.


    If the level is not bad and the words can still be read, it is not impossible to give him some casual work, just as a help.


    But when Boss Chen saw the writing on the yellow bamboo paper, he was still taken aback.


    "He wrote this word?" Boss Chen looked at Xue Tingxiang in surprise, and went to flip through the manuscript in his hand.


    His expression was so weird that Zhao''er had a bad feeling in his heart. She couldn''t help wondering if the little man''s handwriting was not good, after all, no one had ever praised the little man''s handwriting, even Xue Qingshan said that his handwriting was like a spring worm and autumn snake.


    Although Zhao''er doesn''t know what spring worms and autumn snakes are, she understands the sad look on the little man''s face, and she knows it means poor writing.


    But she didn''t think it was the little man''s fault. He even had to pick and use the paper that could practice calligraphy. Can he write well? It was that time that she lost her temper, collected vegetables and sold them in the town, and saved a sum of money to buy Xue Tingxiang''s first piece of paper in her life.


    It was a whole knife, not a few pieces given as a charity from Xue Qingshan or Xue Juncai.


    Zhao''er''s head felt cold for a while, and she couldn''t help wondering if she was too blind to the little man at ordinary times, or if she flattered her too much. She was not afraid of anything else, but she was afraid that if Boss Chen said something unpleasant later, the little man would not be able to stand the blow.


    Thinking of this, she hurriedly turned her back and made a gesture to Boss Chen, leading him aside, then said to him in a low voice: "Uncle Chen, if my younger brother''s handwriting is really bad, can you..."


    "Can you do something?" Immediately, Boss Chen understood and said with a smile: "You kid too, even if you have a heart of love and affection, you should not deceive him, but point out his shortcomings, so that he will to make progress.¡±


    His voice was a bit loud, Xue Tingxiang over there must have heard it, Zhao''er blushed, but Na Na didn''t know what to say.


    Boss Chen said again: "But your brother''s handwriting is really good, he must be a famous teacher."


    He walked up to Xue Tingxiang in a few steps, and saluted with cupped fists: "I don''t know who my little friend is your teacher?" He said hesitantly in his eyes, because the poor boy in front of him, who was dressed in coarse cloth and short brown, really didn''t seem to be able to learn from anyone. Famous teachers.


    Just his words...


    Since Boss Chen runs a book shop, he is either a hobby or a ancestral business. In fact, Boss Chen has both, which can be regarded as the origin of family education. He also passed the exam several times when he was young, but he stopped at being a scholar. However, he was not interested in being an official, so he turned around and took care of his ancestral business. It is also a great thing in life to meet a few literary friends, play chess, drink tea, taste calligraphy and painting together.


    From his point of view, although this son''s handwriting is immature, he already has a strong character.


    We must know that the shape is easy to get, but the spirit is hard to find. Master Yan and Master Liu have always been collectively called "Yan Jin Liu Gu", which is enough to show the characteristics of Yan body. However, Xue Tingxiang''s calligraphy has already possessed its fundamentals. As long as it does not go astray, in time, he will definitely be a great calligrapher of a generation.


    How did he know that Xue Tingxiang deliberately hid the edge of his pen in order to hide himself, and it took most of the night to finish copying the book that could have been copied in half an hour at most. Otherwise, if the word is taken out, Boss Chen will definitely think it is someone''s calligraphy.


    Just when Boss Chen was thinking about it, Xue Tingxiang had already answered: "I don''t have a teacher."


    "Just copying?"


    "I''ve been to "Yan Qinli Monument" before."


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t lie, he did only copy "Yan Qinli Monument", this set of copybooks is Xue Qingshan''s favorite treasure, and he never let people touch it. And the reason why he was lucky enough to see and touch it once was that Xue Jun, who was still young at that time, was shown off in front of him.


    Because of this incident, he was extremely impressed with "Yan Qinli Monument", and even became obsessed with it. Later, after some money at home, Zhao''er bought a set with him, and the first font he learned was Yanti.


    "Just came across "Yan Qin Li Monument"?"


    Xue Tingxiang nodded.


    Boss Chen''s eyes became brighter, and he sighed after a long time: "Perhaps you have a talent in this field that is difficult for others to surpass. I hope you practice hard and don''t slack off. That''s all, let''s talk about business. Your handwriting is very good. In my opinion It''s passed here."


    He walked inside the counter, took a book and handed it to Xue Tingxiang.


    "I have a copy of "University Chapters and Sentences" here. You can take it back and try it out. I will provide the pen and ink. After copying, if the finished product is not inferior to the standard of this book, I will pay you a tael of silver."


    "One tael of silver? Uncle Chen, isn''t that too much?" Zhao''er asked in surprise.


    Uncle Chen laughed: "Do you know how many characters are in this book? And do you know how much money I will resell this book for?"


    After finishing speaking, he continued to say to Xue Tingxiang: "It is reasonable to say that it is to be copied in my book shop. If you take the book back and copy it, you need to pay some pledged money or things. I know your brother well, so forget it." Well, how long do you think it will take to finish copying?"


    Xue Tingxiang hesitated for a moment, and said: "Since Boss Chen has rules here, how about the boy copying here? I just hope that Boss Chen will be more flexible. Can you let the boy read a few books here in his spare time?"


    Boss Chen was taken aback for a moment, and then he understood. He took a deep look at this thin but neither humble nor overbearing boy.


    "Can!"


    "Then thank you Boss Chen first, don''t worry, the boy will definitely not damage the books here."


    Zhao''er kept silent until the end of the conversation, and then pulled Xue Tingxiang aside to speak.


    "Do you really want to copy books here? It would be nice to take it home. If you are afraid that Boss Chen won''t allow it, I still have some money to pledge."


    "You don''t think this is a good place."


    Xue Tingxiang looked back at the room full of books, he himself had only read a limited number of books, and in the memory of ''Xue Tingxiang'', many memories about this aspect were blurred.


    But life is his, and he wants to move forward step by step. It doesn''t mean that he has a dream, and he will definitely be the chief assistant in the future, and he will definitely be able to pass the Jinshi examination. After all, even Xue Tingxiang in the dream had to put in a lot of hard work and go through many detours before he could reach the first rank of official residence step by step.


    Of course Zhao''er understood what he meant, but she was very worried about suddenly leaving the little man outside alone. She was thinking about finding an excuse to stay here with him, but Boss Chen said from the side: "Okay, you don''t have to worry about your brother, can you lose it with me? You don''t have to sell vegetables to work today? Hurry up. "


    In the eyes of Boss Chen, Zhao''er is a hard-working brother who supports his younger brother by selling vegetables in the town.


    "Uncle Chen, I''m leaving now."


    She hurriedly took out a dozen or so copper coins from her pocket and handed them to Xue Tingxiang: "I should come to find you for lunch at noon, if not, you can buy it yourself, right here..."


    "Copy books here, and you can have a light meal at noon." Boss Chen interrupted again.


    Zhao''er was still rambling: "You still have the money, you can buy whatever you want, and I will pick you up in the afternoon."


    "You''d better pick up your work and finish it first, don''t worry your brother won''t lose it."


    This Uncle Chen!


    Zhao''er couldn''t go on talking anymore, and ran out of the bookstore almost in despair.


    After the person had left, Boss Chen teased with a smile: "Your brother treats you very well."


    Xue Tingxiang smirked, "It''s pretty good, like a little hen who doesn''t care about her chicks. For some reason, he actually thought of this sentence.


    After that, under the guidance of the shop assistant, he went to a room behind the shop.


    The layout of this room is simple, but it is elegant. It can be seen that Boss Chen is an elegant person. The best thing about this house is that there is a large window facing the outside yard, and there is a set of tables and chairs, which is completely different from Xue Tingxiang''s imagination of being hidden in a dark room without light.


    The clerk even brought a basin of water for him to wash his hands, prepared pens, ink, paper and inkstone, etc., and said he could call him if he had anything to do, so he went down.


    Xue Tingxiang came to the water basin, dipped his hands in the water, rubbed them gently a few times, and wiped them dry with a cloth towel beside him, before going to the desk and sitting down.


    He grinds the ink first. Grinding ink can well adjust people''s emotions and achieve a ''quiet'' state.


    After the ink was polished, his mind was empty at this moment. He rolled up his sleeves to write, and his hands were empty, only to realize that he was wearing a short brown at this time, where there were no sleeves, so naturally he was not afraid of staining the sleeves.


    All this was just for a moment, he didn''t care about it, and wrote quietly.


    But Boss Chen, who was standing outside the door, was a little skeptical, and couldn''t help but wonder if this son was from a famous family, but it''s a pity that his family has fallen, rather than a poor kid. His words and deeds, and even his demeanor, don''t look like those from a poor family at all.


    After thinking for a while, but unable to figure out why, Boss Chen shook his head and went back to the front.


    But at the same time, he was familiar with it, and a picture appeared in his mind, which was the time of the two people''s bridal chamber.


    In the dream, he didn''t like her at that time, but he felt that marrying her was a matter of course.


    It was a deep-rooted thought that she should be his wife.


    It''s just that this hidden deepest emotion was covered up by his awkwardness and ignorance, especially when he went to the school to study and let his classmates know that he had a child bride in the country, which caused a lot of ridicule.


    But in fact, he liked her deep down in his heart, so she was tortured badly by him that night in the bridal chamber.


    Originally, he was just ignorant, and she was a newcomer, so he hurt her and also hurt her. But he still thought about the pain, and she cried with tears and snot running down her nose. That was the first time she showed weakness in front of him, and he liked this way of bullying her ever since.


    At that time, he was studying in the academy, and he would only come back once every ten days. Every time he came back, she was so afraid that she would hide. But he had to rely on him and let him do whatever he wanted. He obviously liked it, but pretended not to like it.


    Now that I think about it, he was really an asshole at that time.


    Thinking about these messes in his heart, he suddenly said, "I''ll wipe it for you."


    Zhao''er looked at him sideways in surprise, and subconsciously refused: "I still can''t, I''ll do it myself." After these days of corrections, she has gradually learned not to call herself sister.


    Before her words fell, Xue Tingxiang had already snatched the cloth towel, and pulled her to turn her back, Zhao''er could only freeze there, letting him wipe it.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Tingxiang is still half-headed now, so he can only half-kneel and sit up to wipe her hair. The two were very close, Zhao''er didn''t notice it, but Xue Tingxiang felt his blood was surging.


    Zhao''er''s hair is very black, dense and smooth, like a piece of fine satin. He was clumsy, and Fang began to pull and hurt her several times, until he heard her involuntarily inhaling, he slowed down his movements.

 Chapter 146

    The books in the bookcase are new and old, some are hardcover, which are worth a lot of money at first glance, and some are thread-bound, which looks a little rough. Most of them are transcripts of various kinds. Generally, it is not sure that the book will be a good seller. The boss of the bookstore always asks someone to copy it, because if it is opened, thousands of copies will be printed.


    Zhao''er was familiar with the boss, and greeted her with a smile as soon as she entered the door. The strange thing was that the boss recognized her, and when he saw her, he smiled and asked her if she came to buy paper for her brother.


    Bringing this up is old stuff.


    At the beginning, Zhao''er felt sorry for Xue Tingxiang, so she saved some money to buy paper for him to practice calligraphy. Who would have thought that this paper was much more expensive than she imagined. Even the worst yellow bamboo paper costs 40 Wen a knife, but that day Zhaoer collected all the money on his body, but only 30 Wen.


    In order to get the boss to sell the paper to her at a lower price, Zhao''er worked with the boss for a long time. He even made up the pretense of having a hard-working younger brother, but unfortunately both parents died and his family was poor, so the boss agreed to sell it to her cheaply. Later, she came to buy it a few times, all at the previous price, but she became acquainted with Boss Chen.


    Boss Chen praised her for her noble character, earning hard money, but still supporting her younger brother''s education. Usually, when she comes to buy paper, she almost always buys half and gives half away.


    Normally, Zhao''er would accept this kind of talk with a cheeky face, but today with Xue Tingxiang around, she was inevitably a little embarrassed, for fear that Boss Chen would slip up and make the little man look down on her for lying.


    Zhao''er has suffered, so she knows the skills of survival, but the little man doesn''t, especially the scholar is very pedantic, so every time she encounters such a situation where the two people''s ideas conflict, she will always subconsciously go away. Avoid these.


    Within a day, two people said that they were his younger brothers, which made Xue Tingxiang very unhappy. Naturally, he didn''t notice Zhao''er''s hidden thoughts. When he came back to his senses, Zhao''er had already talked with the boss, and even showed him the copy of "Hundred Surnames" that he had copied overnight.


    "This is your brother? He looks handsome, but a little thinner." Boss Chen is a middle-aged man in his forties, with a goatee and elegant body. Wearing a scholar''s shirt, he doesn''t look like a business boss, but a scholar.


    "He was sick for a while a while ago, and he got better recently."


    "No wonder I haven''t seen you here for a long time." While talking, Boss Chen took the manuscript that Zhao''er handed over, whether it was bound or paper quality, it was very poor.


    He knew in his heart that this kind of peasant boy could not write very good characters, but he admired this young man named Zhao''er, so he planned not to criticize too much even if he really did not do well, just say some mild words and refuse it. up.


    If the level is not bad and the words can still be read, it is not impossible to give him some casual work, just as a help.


    But when Boss Chen saw the writing on the yellow bamboo paper, he was still taken aback.


    "He wrote this word?" Boss Chen looked at Xue Tingxiang in surprise, and went to flip through the manuscript in his hand.


    His expression was so weird that Zhao''er had a bad feeling in his heart. She couldn''t help wondering if the little man''s handwriting was not good, after all, no one had ever praised the little man''s handwriting, even Xue Qingshan said that his handwriting was like a spring worm and autumn snake.


    Although Zhao''er doesn''t know what spring worms and autumn snakes are, she understands the sad look on the little man''s face, and she knows it means poor writing.


    But she didn''t think it was the little man''s fault. He even had to pick and use the paper that could practice calligraphy. Can he write well? It was that time that she lost her temper, collected vegetables and sold them in the town, and saved a sum of money to buy Xue Tingxiang''s first piece of paper in her life.


    It was a whole knife, not a few pieces given as a charity from Xue Qingshan or Xue Juncai.


    Zhao''er''s head felt cold for a while, and she couldn''t help wondering if she was too blind to the little man at ordinary times, or if she flattered her too much. She was not afraid of anything else, but she was afraid that if Boss Chen said something unpleasant later, the little man would not be able to stand the blow.


    Thinking of this, she hurriedly turned her back and made a gesture to Boss Chen, leading him aside, then said to him in a low voice: "Uncle Chen, if my younger brother''s handwriting is really bad, can you..."


    "Can you do something?" Immediately, Boss Chen understood and said with a smile: "You kid too, even if you have a heart of love and affection, you should not deceive him, but point out his shortcomings, so that he will to make progress.¡±


    His voice was a bit loud, Xue Tingxiang over there must have heard it, Zhao''er blushed, but Na Na didn''t know what to say.


    Boss Chen said again: "But your brother''s handwriting is really good, he must be a famous teacher."


    He walked up to Xue Tingxiang in a few steps, and saluted with cupped fists: "I don''t know who my little friend is your teacher?" He said hesitantly in his eyes, because the poor boy in front of him, who was dressed in coarse cloth and short brown, really didn''t seem to be able to learn from anyone. Famous teachers.


    Just his words...


    Since Boss Chen runs a book shop, he is either a hobby or a ancestral business. In fact, Boss Chen has both, which can be regarded as the origin of family education. He also passed the exam several times when he was young, but he stopped at being a scholar. However, he was not interested in being an official, so he turned around and took care of his ancestral business. It is also a great thing in life to meet a few literary friends, play chess, drink tea, taste calligraphy and painting together.


    From his point of view, although this son''s handwriting is immature, he already has a strong character.


    We must know that the shape is easy to get, but the spirit is hard to find. Master Yan and Master Liu have always been collectively called "Yan Jin Liu Gu", which is enough to show the characteristics of Yan body. However, Xue Tingxiang''s calligraphy has already possessed its fundamentals. As long as it does not go astray, in time, he will definitely be a great calligrapher of a generation.


    How did he know that Xue Tingxiang deliberately hid the edge of his pen in order to hide himself, and it took most of the night to finish copying the book that could have been copied in half an hour at most. Otherwise, if the word is taken out, Boss Chen will definitely think it is someone''s calligraphy.


    Just when Boss Chen was thinking about it, Xue Tingxiang had already answered: "I don''t have a teacher."


    "Just copying?"


    "I''ve been to "Yan Qinli Monument" before."


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t lie, he did only copy "Yan Qinli Monument", this set of copybooks is Xue Qingshan''s favorite treasure, and he never let people touch it. And the reason why he was lucky enough to see and touch it once was that Xue Jun, who was still young at that time, was shown off in front of him.


    Because of this incident, he was extremely impressed with "Yan Qinli Monument", and even became obsessed with it. Later, after some money at home, Zhao''er bought a set with him, and the first font he learned was Yanti.


    "Just came across "Yan Qin Li Monument"?"


    Xue Tingxiang nodded.


    Boss Chen''s eyes became brighter, and he sighed after a long time: "Perhaps you have a talent in this field that is difficult for others to surpass. I hope you practice hard and don''t slack off. That''s all, let''s talk about business. Your handwriting is very good. In my opinion It''s passed here."


    He walked inside the counter, took a book and handed it to Xue Tingxiang.


    "I have a copy of "University Chapters and Sentences" here. You can take it back and try it out. I will provide the pen and ink. After copying, if the finished product is not inferior to the standard of this book, I will pay you a tael of silver."


    "One tael of silver? Uncle Chen, isn''t that too much?" Zhao''er asked in surprise.


    Uncle Chen laughed: "Do you know how many characters are in this book? And do you know how much money I will resell this book for?"


    After finishing speaking, he continued to say to Xue Tingxiang: "It is reasonable to say that it is to be copied in my book shop. If you take the book back and copy it, you need to pay some pledged money or things. I know your brother well, so forget it." Well, how long do you think it will take to finish copying?"


    Xue Tingxiang hesitated for a moment, and said: "Since Boss Chen has rules here, how about the boy copying here? I just hope that Boss Chen will be more flexible. Can you let the boy read a few books here in his spare time?"


    Boss Chen was taken aback for a moment, and then he understood. He took a deep look at this thin but neither humble nor overbearing boy.


    "Can!"


    "Then thank you Boss Chen first, don''t worry, the boy will definitely not damage the books here."


    Zhao''er kept silent until the end of the conversation, and then pulled Xue Tingxiang aside to speak.


    "Do you really want to copy books here? It would be nice to take it home. If you are afraid that Boss Chen won''t allow it, I still have some money to pledge."


    "You don''t think this is a good place."


    Xue Tingxiang looked back at the room full of books, he himself had only read a limited number of books, and in the memory of ''Xue Tingxiang'', many memories about this aspect were blurred.


    But life is his, and he wants to move forward step by step. It doesn''t mean that he has a dream, and he will definitely be the chief assistant in the future, and he will definitely be able to pass the Jinshi examination. After all, even Xue Tingxiang in the dream had to put in a lot of hard work and go through many detours before he could reach the first rank of official residence step by step.


    Of course Zhao''er understood what he meant, but she was very worried about suddenly leaving the little man outside alone. She was thinking about finding an excuse to stay here with him, but Boss Chen said from the side: "Okay, you don''t have to worry about your brother, can you lose it with me? You don''t have to sell vegetables to work today? Hurry up. "


    In the eyes of Boss Chen, Zhao''er is a hard-working brother who supports his younger brother by selling vegetables in the town.


    "Uncle Chen, I''m leaving now."


    She hurriedly took out a dozen or so copper coins from her pocket and handed them to Xue Tingxiang: "I should come to find you for lunch at noon, if not, you can buy it yourself, right here..."


    "Copy books here, and you can have a light meal at noon." Boss Chen interrupted again.


    Zhao''er was still rambling: "You still have the money, you can buy whatever you want, and I will pick you up in the afternoon."


    "You''d better pick up your work and finish it first, don''t worry your brother won''t lose it."


    This Uncle Chen!


    Zhao''er couldn''t go on talking anymore, and ran out of the bookstore almost in despair.


    After the person had left, Boss Chen teased with a smile: "Your brother treats you very well."


    Xue Tingxiang smirked, "It''s pretty good, like a little hen who doesn''t care about her chicks. For some reason, he actually thought of this sentence.


    After that, under the guidance of the shop assistant, he went to a room behind the shop.


    The layout of this room is simple, but it is elegant. It can be seen that Boss Chen is an elegant person. The best thing about this house is that there is a large window facing the outside yard, and there is a set of tables and chairs, which is completely different from Xue Tingxiang''s imagination of being hidden in a dark room without light.


    The clerk even brought a basin of water for him to wash his hands, prepared pens, ink, paper and inkstone, etc., and said he could call him if he had anything to do, so he went down.


    Xue Tingxiang came to the water basin, dipped his hands in the water, rubbed them gently a few times, and wiped them dry with a cloth towel beside him, before going to the desk and sitting down.


    He grinds the ink first. Grinding ink can well adjust people''s emotions and achieve a ''quiet'' state.


    After the ink was polished, his mind was empty at this moment. He rolled up his sleeves to write, and his hands were empty, only to realize that he was wearing a short brown at this time, where there were no sleeves, so naturally he was not afraid of staining the sleeves.


    All this was just for a moment, he didn''t care about it, and wrote quietly.


    But Boss Chen, who was standing outside the door, was a little skeptical, and couldn''t help but wonder if this son was from a famous family, but it''s a pity that his family has fallen, rather than a poor kid. His words and deeds, and even his demeanor, don''t look like those from a poor family at all.


    After thinking for a while, but unable to figure out why, Boss Chen shook his head and went back to the front.


    A big Kang, two quilts, one for each person.


    But Zhao''er couldn''t sleep today, and when she came back from the main room, she was a little excited.


    She rolled over and over again.


    "You do not sleep?"


    It is reasonable to say that they would not rest so early, but today both of them have been busy all day, so they turned off the lights after recruiting children to go to the kang. However, there is a moon outside, and you can still see clearly in the room.


    Zhao''er sat up halfway, and moved to Xue Tingxiang''s side.


    "Dog, tell me what you meant when you scolded that old killer just now?"


    Zhao''er knows how to swear, and has sweared before, but she has never seen such a method of swearing, and Yang Zhong is so annoyed by the swearing, and Xue''s family doesn''t even know how to persuade him. From Zhao''er''s point of view, isn''t this the culmination of swearing, can you swear without uttering dirty words?


    She wanted to learn this method, and it would come in handy.


    Xue Tingxiang turned over and gave her a backbone.


    Zhao''er poked his shoulder with her finger: "What''s wrong? Why are you angry again?"


    He didn''t move, and she moved closer.


    The two of them were only separated by one person, and they wore thin clothes when they slept. Zhao''er leaned over, and even though Xue Tingshan had his back on his back, he could feel a wave of hot air rushing towards him, mixed with a wisp of faint fragrance.


    There was a strange softness slightly attached to his shoulders, Xue Tingshan''s back was stiff, and she heard her say on top of her head: "Don''t take that old killer''s words to heart, it''s not that I said uncle and aunt are too narrow-minded." It¡¯s too much, and even made such a fuss, do you really think that grandpa will regret it? Even if the family doesn¡¯t say anything, there are still so many people watching outside, so don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll go to the school to make a decision.¡±


    She was very close to him, and the heat of her words sprayed on the tips of his ears, making him shiver again and again. At the same time, a hot numbness rushed from the tips of his ears to his neck, causing waves of unconscious trembling.


    His breathing was a little tight, and he couldn''t help turning over.


    Zhao''er was still talking, and she didn''t expect that he would turn over suddenly, and his face just crashed into her arms.


    Xue Tingxiang''s brain went blank for a moment, and he subconsciously fell backwards. It is obvious that it is about to leave at the touch of a touch, but it clearly feels a suffocating softness, and there is something faintly raised.


    He recalled some situations in the dream, and he only felt his nose was hot, as if something flowed out.


    "Are you alright?" Zhao''er heard a thud, saw him motionless, thought that something was wrong with him being bumped, hurriedly leaned over to look at his face.


    "Why are you panicking! Really. Come on, let me rub it for you."


    He covered his nose with one hand and pushed her with the other: "I''m fine, it doesn''t hurt." He quickly turned over and said falteringly: "It''s getting late, go to sleep."


    "You haven''t told me what you mean by that!"


    "It doesn''t mean anything, just let him take a pee and take a picture of himself!"


    "Ah?!" Zhao''er was stunned, and said after a while, "So that''s what he meant, then you just let him take a pee and take a picture of yourself, and you said so much."


    Seeing that he didn''t answer himself, Zhao''er sat for a while and then lay down.


    "Okay, go to bed now, I won''t disturb you anymore."


    *


    Yang Zhong stayed at Xue''s house for one night and left the next day.


    Because it was rushing to the busy farming season, the Xue family resumed their usual work, and no one mentioned the previous incident, as if nothing happened that night.


    Everything is so busy yet full of peace.


    On this day, Xue Tingxiang and Zhao''er went to town early in the morning.


    Different from the past, today Xue Tingxiang wore new clothes.


    The clothes were brought out overnight by Zhao''er, because Boss Chen said that he would take Xue Tingxiang to Qingyuan Academy. This trip is very meaningful, so naturally it can''t be as casual as before.


    The gray-blue cotton gown was made by Zhao''er after imitating those school shirts in the town. Although the style is simple, it looks extraordinarily straight and docile after being washed with starch. Although Xue Tingxiang is thin and thin, his shoulders are flat and his back is straight. Wearing this student shirt, he has a particularly graceful temperament.


    When they arrived at the place, Boss Chen took Xue Tingxiang out, while Zhao''er stayed at Dongliju.

 Chapter 147

    "Uncle Chen is acquainted with the owner of the Qingyuan Academy?" Seeing that Boss Chen was so outraged, Xue Tingxiang asked curiously.


    Boss Chen stroked his beard and said, "I''m ashamed to say that I was a classmate with him when I was young, but I was not good at studies and only passed the exam as a boy student, but he was selected as a scholar in one fell swoop, and he was still a boy student. It''s a pity that the luck was bad, and he has not been able to pass the exam. It took him many years to pass the exam, and he had no intention of pursuing a career, so he returned to his hometown to inherit his father''s career in teaching and educating people."


    "It won''t be bad luck all the time." Xue Tingxiang said.


    If he remembers correctly, the Qingyuan Academy''s Director Lin finally passed the Juren examination three years later, the whole town was a sensation at that time, and the Qinghe Academy''s owner Gao Youzhi was so angry that he almost vomited blood. At that time, he was planning to leave the Qinghe Academy to study at the Shen family''s ethnology, and happened to hear something about it.


    Boss Chen thought the young man was just comforting him, and smiled, "Thank you for your good words."


    Xue Tingxiang was not ambiguous, and cupped his hands and said: "Thank you, Uncle Chen, for the suggestion, but there are still trivial matters at home that have not been dealt with. When everything is settled, the boy will go to the Qingyuan Academy to study."


    "You are straightforward, so you are not afraid of being implicated and hindering your fame?" Boss Chen asked curiously.


    "The kid hasn''t entered school yet, so what are you talking about? Besides, the imperial court has always attached great importance to the selection of talents. If there are really talented people, presumably the magistrate Hu will not dare to stop him too much."


    "I can''t see that you have high ambitions. Well, since you dare to go, I will recommend you one or two. Although my classmate is rigid and dull, he is not good at words, but his knowledge is first-rate. Don''t dare It is no problem to teach a person to become a Jinshi, but a scholar is fine."


    "Then thank Uncle Chen first."


    *


    For several days, Xue Tingxiang and Zhao''er left early and returned late.


    Someone from Xue''s family asked twice, and Zhao''er said to take Xue Tingxiang out to get some fresh air, so as not to be overwhelmed. The people in the big room showed contempt, and Mr. Xue couldn''t help shaking his head. After that, no one asked any more questions, and most of them knew in their hearts that Xue Tingxiang was doomed. Maybe the two children in Erfang also have a lot of mentality, so they broke the cans and didn''t read books, but ran around playing.


    You must know that even if you are as qualified as Xue Juncai, you have to read books at home for many days to prepare.


    In the blink of an eye, it was five days.


    This day is no different from ordinary days.


    The farmhouse is always busy in the morning, and after a night, the family''s livestock have to be waited on, and the whole family has to be tossed about to eat. After breakfast, the men will go to the fields, and the women will do housework at home.


    If there is some difference, Xue Juncai had two more poached eggs in his bowl than others for breakfast.


    Because of Mr. Xue''s beating some time ago, Mrs. Zhao didn''t dare to openly fight against the big family members these days. Today, seeing that life is not normal, she couldn''t hold back.


    Originally, Xue Tingxiang didn''t have any, but Yang Shi saw that her father-in-law looked bad, so she took the initiative to ask Zhao Shi to ask for two eggs, and put them in the bowl for him.


    Xue Tingxiang wants to recruit one of them separately, but he doesn''t want to be recruited, but it''s a pity that he can''t be persuaded.


    For the sake of one egg, the two of you whispered one sentence at a time, while Mr. Xue''s expression on the top was particularly serious.


    But life in the country is like this, no matter how heavy your heart is, you can''t lose your livelihood. Especially when rushing for spring plowing, Mr. Xue still took his two sons to work in the fields for a while, and didn''t come back until the sun was high.


    The news about the competition between the two children of Xue''s family has spread throughout Yuqing Village.


    It''s not that there are people who say strange things, but most people can still understand what old man Xue did. It''s not easy for rural people to earn a little money, and no one''s money comes from the big river. If there is a way, no one will do this.


    Knowing that today is the day, let the children of the family watch in the village. Seeing a stranger go to Zheng Lizheng''s house, these hairy kids ran into the field, shouting from a long distance, "Someone is coming from Lizheng''s house". The adults stopped planting the land, so they picked up the hoes and rushed back.


    Not long after, the big courtyard of Zheng Lizheng''s house was full of people, and more villagers kept coming here.


    There was a lot of commotion in the yard, everyone was gossiping and discussing today''s matter at the same time.


    In the room, Zheng Li was talking with a middle-aged man in a scholar''s shirt and a flat scarf on his head.


    This man had a thin and long face, his complexion was a little pale, and his eyes were slightly swollen. She doesn''t look good, but her identity seems to be extraordinary, and she actually sits in the main seat.


    And Zheng Lizheng could only sit on the sidelines.


    His Gu Pan has a different temperament from ordinary people. This person is Qiao Xiucai, who has a reputation in the surrounding ten miles and eight villages.


    Long before, Zheng Lizheng had thought about it. Xue Qingshan came forward to invite someone from the Xue family, if he didn''t expect, it should be his father-in-law Yang Zhong, Yang Zhong is just a boy, so he will invite a scholar.


    On the one hand, it seemed that he was impartial, and on the other hand, it was a good time to show his prestige.


    "Qiao Xianggong, you drink tea, I will order someone to remind you."


    Qiao Xiucai waved his hand indifferently: "Don''t worry."


    Just as he was talking, there was a commotion outside, but it was patriarch Xue who came with someone.


    However, it was not Patriarch Xue who took the lead, but an old man over fifty years old. This old man is of medium stature, dressed the same as Qiao Xiucai, also wearing a scholar''s shirt and a flat scarf, obviously even if he is not a scholar, he is still a child.


    Sure enough, when Qiao Xiucai saw the old man, he quickly stood up from his chair and bowed to him.


    "I never thought it would be Senior He, late born is so polite."


    "Don''t be too polite, just sit down."


    This He Xiucai was the person invited by patriarch Xue to preside over this competition.


    Zheng Lizheng was right, at first Xue Qingshan really planned to invite his father-in-law, but it was a pity that this matter was rejected by Patriarch Xue.


    Patriarch Xue also only knew that Xue Qingshan was so stupid. They all said that he should not avoid relatives when he was a virtuous person, but this is not the way. Since he felt that the chances of winning were more than guaranteed, there was no need for people to make mistakes, so he took care of this matter.


    He knew in his heart that the surname Zheng would not let go of the opportunity to show off, and if he came forward to invite someone, he must be a scholar. He originally planned to invite Qiao Xiucai, but he was a step late, so he had to delay the relationship and invite He Xiucai.


    After courteously giving way to each other, the two scholars sat down on the main seat.


    Zheng Lizheng and Patriarch Xue sat beside him.


    "Let Brother Lizheng worry about it."


    "Don''t bother, don''t worry, I''m the leader here, so I can''t show up if something happens in the village."


    A lot of back and forth, seemingly amiable, but there is a hint of wit hidden in the words. During this period, a few old people walked in from the outside, but they were a few old people from Yuqing Village, Mr. Xue, Xue Qingshan and others also came.


    Another uninvited guest was Xue Qingshan''s father-in-law Yang Zhong.


    Yang Zhong was in his fifties, with a chubby body. He didn''t look like a scholar, but a landlord with a fat brain. As soon as he came in, he joined Qiao Xiucai and He Xiucai, but unfortunately, these two scholars were not willing to talk to him, they said a few words with him, and then went to sit aside awkwardly.


    Xue Qingshan sat at the end.


    The Weng and the son-in-law are considered pretty people, and those who can sit here are all respectable people in the village, but because of the identity of this boy, they can also sit in the hall. You know, even Mr. Xue doesn''t have a seat, so he can only stand aside.


    "I don''t know the real master, but he''s here?" He Xiucai asked when he saw that almost everyone had come.


    Patriarch Xue looked at Mr. Xue, and Xue Qinghuai hurriedly said, "Here we come."


    Just as he was speaking, the villagers surrounding the door made way, and two teenagers walked out from the crowd.


    These two teenagers are all dressed in short brown, and they can be seen from humble backgrounds at a glance.


    The one in the lead looks gentle and handsome, with a slender figure. Although the clothes are simple, he is quite personable. The one in the back is half a head shorter than the one in the front, his body seems a little weak, and he seems a little introverted, his eyelids are always half down, and he seems a little afraid of strangers.


    But when the two came to the hall and accepted the scrutiny of the crowd, they had some clues.


    The elder''s appearance is not bad, but he always pulls his sleeves intentionally or unintentionally, as if the clothes don''t fit well. But the young one has been standing neither humble nor overbearing, the half-drooped eyelids not only do not make people feel contemptuous, but it feels like the respect that the younger generation should have for the elders.


    Therefore, it seemed that the older one looked directly into the eyes of everyone, which was a bit too abrupt. It is good to have self-confidence, but when the younger generation faces the elders, a humble and respectful attitude is indispensable.


    All this happened in an instant, and Qiao Xiucai and He Xiucai, who were seated in the main seats, had the initial judgment on these two young people.


    "Student Xue Juncai, student Xue Tingxiang, I have met all the elders."

 Chapter 148

    The leftovers are for Heizi. Dogs in the country are like this. The owner eats dry food, and the dog drinks water. When the owner eats water, the dog usually goes hungry. The country dogs are used to starvation, but Zhao''er usually pays little attention to sunspots, no matter good or bad, he always feeds him.


    Occasionally there are additional meals, of course, these are invisible to the human face.


    Anyway, Mrs. Zhao saw Zhao''er picking food out of her pig''s mouth and feeding it to the dog!


    When she stepped out of the main room and saw this scene, her old face immediately pulled down, and she didn''t see her scolding Zhao''er, so she stood in front of the door and shouted at the direction of the kitchen: "Let you feed the pigs!" It¡¯s good for you, feed the food into the dog¡¯s mouth, such a big person is not worth the fart, and eating for nothing is not enough.¡±


    This clearly refers to Sang scolding Huai.


    Mrs. Zhou didn''t speak in the kitchen. Tao''er, who was sweeping the yard, looked up at Grandma, endured it and continued to sweep the yard. Mrs. Zhao didn''t mention her name, who knows who she was scolding, if she stepped forward to intervene, she would only change her target and be scolded bloody.


    These are lessons learned.


    As soon as Zhao''er walked to the gate of the courtyard, she heard such scolding. She didn''t show any weakness, and turned her head to look at Zhao with a smile: "Grandma, are you scolding Third Aunt? If you scold Third Aunt, Third Aunt But it¡¯s too unfair. If you want to scold you, you should scold me. I scooped up the leftovers and planned to eat them for Heizi. I was thinking that Heizi would not be easy, so I would bring a rabbit to the house every now and then. You said we You can¡¯t do something that wants the cows to work without giving them grass, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Mrs. Zhao glared at Zhao''er angrily. She knew that this girl was not a cheap girl, so she scolded Mrs. Zhou, but she found her by herself. Just as he was about to say something, some of the women who passed by the gate of the courtyard smiled and said, "I saw Lian Xing''s family so energetic early in the morning."


    Someone next to him interjected: "Don''t talk about it, Ren Zhao''er is right. How can there be a cow that works without giving it grass?"


    "That''s right, Lian Xing''s family, it''s almost enough. Everyone in the village doesn''t like your big black dog. At this time when there is a rabbit shortage in the wild, it can fetch rabbits. What a smart beast. Usually In summer and autumn, voles, wild rabbits, and pheasants were often picked up at home, and they would be brought back if they didn¡¯t eat them. If you don¡¯t like Heizi, give it to our family, and your Uncle Shouxin has already taken a fancy to Heizi.¡±


    This is a Lianxing family, Mr. Xue and his aunt, known as Aunt Shouxin. Although he is ten years younger than Mrs. Zhao, but he is of a higher seniority.


    There are more than 200 households in Yuqing Village, with Xue and Zheng as the main surnames, and there are more than a dozen other households with mixed surnames. Since they all have the same surname, it is inevitable that every family is related, and some relationships can be pulled out of Wufu. But relatives are relatives, and when one is younger than others, one has to respect one another, so when this aunt Shouxin spoke, she sounded like an elder giving advice to younger generations.


    Mrs. Zhao was terribly blocked by these words, even though she was scolding, she was really reluctant to let her give Heizi to others. Just like what these people said, Heizi did bring some wild animals to his house at ordinary times, regardless of size, fat or thin, he always eats meat, and it is not easy for country people to eat meat.


    She kept a straight face and said nothing, but the trick in front of the door was on point: "Grandma Seven, this is not acceptable, Heizi is my lifeblood, you have made my lifeblood run away, I can''t live anymore."


    She smiled as soon as she said it, and said witty words in her mouth, and immediately made Aunt Shouxin laugh, pointing at her bit by bit, and said to others: "Look at this naughty girl, but she is not at all. You''re welcome. Please, please, Seventh Grandma doesn''t want you dog, so she won''t take away my son''s life."


    After talking and joking, Zhao''er sent the women away with a smile, and then turned around to feed Heizi.


    Mrs. Zhao glared at her, turned around and was about to enter the room, but just as she lifted her foot, she heard someone calling her from behind.


    "Mom, why are you standing here?"


    But Xue Cuiping, the eldest daughter of the Zhao family, came back.


    Xue Cuiping''s appearance is 60% similar to Zhao''s, but she has a pair of big almond eyes. She looked like she was in her twenties, and she was wearing a washed-out blue floral jacket with a pair of red-coloured wide-leg trousers underneath. She was holding a bamboo basket in her hand, which was covered with a layer of cloth, and she couldn''t see what was in it, and she was looking at Mrs. Zhao suspiciously.


    This really means that Cao Cao and Cao Cao will be here soon. The old man said before that the Zhao family is planning to get someone to report to Shangshui Village. This will save trouble.


    The mother and daughter walked into the house while talking, and soon disappeared behind the curtain of the main room door.


    Zhao''er squatted there watching Heizi eat, stroking its big head with her hand, but she was a little curious about how her aunt came back in time for the busy farming season.


    *


    "This can''t be done, mother, you are letting someone poke my spine!" In the main room, Xue Cuiping stood up after listening to Mrs. Zhao''s words.


    Mrs. Zhao hurriedly reached out to pull her, and at the same time gestured for her to keep her voice down so that no one could hear her.


    "Why not? You are Gouzi''s aunt, and you beat the younger brother and the second child. If this family says who the child wants to listen to, they will probably listen to you."


    Mrs. Zhao''s words are true. Xue Cuiping has been friends with her second child, Xue Qingsong since she was a child, and she and Mrs. Qiu also got along well when she was not married. When Xue Gouzi was born, she often hugged him.


    Xue Gouzi has been shy and introverted since he was a child, and since his second wife left, he has become more silent and gloomy. He often doesn''t see him say a word for ten days and a half months, and the members of the Xue family are only close to aunt Xue Cuiping.


    "But..." Xue Cuiping was full of embarrassment, and secretly said in her heart that she shouldn''t be coming back this trip. She never thought that she hadn''t finished her business before going back to her mother''s house, but this kind of thing would happen.


    "Don''t forget, your family Xingzi came to our private school, and your elder brother didn''t care about you. Now your elder brother needs your help, why don''t you want to ignore it, you are good, your elder brother is fine, The big house is promising, can it still make you suffer?"


    "Why don''t you tell the dog yourself, mother!"


    Mrs. Zhao has never been a patient person. She can speak so softly because Xue Cuiping is her daughter. Seeing her daughter pushing back and forth like this, and poking her heart with words, she immediately exploded: "If your mother can go and tell him, is it still necessary for you? Your mother can say this, can you say it? If you let outsiders You know, what has become of this?"


    Xue Cuiping was already irritated by her in-laws'' affairs, and when she saw her mother scolding herself, she immediately became annoyed: "Hey, the whole family will not go, and I am an outsider who asked me to be this villain? Even if an outsider finds out, it''s okay It¡¯s no use for me to be an aunt, and the second elder brother¡¯s family and adults are all dead, so why not force a child?!¡±


    Seeing her daughter''s voice getting louder, Mrs. Zhao was afraid that people would hear her, so she gave her a firm hand and scolded: "You are afraid that people will not hear you, right?"


    Naturally, Xue Cuiping didn''t want to have a falling out with her mother, so she muttered reluctantly: "Let me say, it''s not your mother''s business to be in charge of this matter, let the elder brother or sister-in-law handle the affairs of the elder brother''s house by himself. Let others do all the bad things." , their family is innocent, there is such a thing!"


    "Why are you talking about your elder brother? Your elder brother is a scholar, he wants to face and respect. Besides, he is ashamed of his second son, and he can''t do such a thing."


    Xue Cuiping''s lips parted, and she pressed down her full stomach.


    If he really felt ashamed of his second brother, would he still make such a fuss? In fact, over the years, Xue Cuiping has also seen through the behavior of this elder brother. If the elder sister-in-law is a smiley face, the elder brother is not a good person. Bad things have been done by others. It is obvious that their family has benefited, but they still pretend to be innocent.


    But so what if she knew, she was a married woman after all, she couldn''t shake the deep-rooted respect her parents had for her elder brother. As long as this kind of value is not broken for a day, the big house will always be the first in the family. In particular, she also has her own selfishness and her own reasons, so even if she knows what happened at home in the past two years, she can only ignore it against her conscience.


    She brushed back the hair that fell on her cheeks, and said: "Mother, let''s not talk about it, I came back this trip to borrow some wheat seeds, you also know my mother-in-law''s disease, because I was in a hurry to raise money last year The money for the medicine, and no seeds left..."


    Before she finished speaking, she was interrupted by Mrs. Zhao.


    Mrs. Zhao patted her hard twice: "Borrowing wheat seeds again, do you think your mother''s family has gold and silver, don''t you? With so many sons in the Liu family, let you, a daughter-in-law, come back to dig out her mother''s family!?"


    "mother¡­¡­"


    "Those head-cutting things in the Liu family, a house full of losers, a bunch of incompetent bastards, who can''t even support their mothers..." Mrs. Zhao scolded, and seeing Xue Cuiping crying, she beat her again. She said twice: "Go and deal with Gouzi, and mother will give you wheat seeds."


    "mother¡­¡­"


    "Go, don''t ink."


    *


    When he heard that his aunt had returned, Xue Gouzi felt a sense of fate in his heart.


    Afterwards, when Xue Cuiping opened the door curtain and walked in with a smile, he surprisingly didn''t feel sad at all.


    When Xue Cuiping was talking, Xue Gouzi was not actually listening, he was just thinking about all the strange things in and out of the dream.


    Xue Tingxiang also experienced such a thing back then, since his parents passed away one after another, he felt resentful towards Xue''s family in his heart. And these grievances accumulated little by little under Dafang''s hypocrisy and the acquiescence of his family members. Until this time, he still had the last bit of hope in his heart, but when even his closest aunt was standing on the opposite side, he completely collapsed in despair. Instead of being silent earlier, he chose to explode.


    In fact, what Dafang and even the Xue family were waiting for was his outburst. As long as he raises this matter himself, countless big hats will be put on his head. He had no ability to resist at all, and these people were all his elders, so his anger and unwillingness were all strangled to death in his infancy.


    This time, what happened in the dream happened again, what should he do?


    Xue Cuiping''s mouth was still opening and closing, it could be seen that she was a little guilty in front of this pale and frail nephew. But these guilty consciences were hidden behind her constantly opening and closing mouth. Xue Gouzi''s eyes were indifferent, but someone beside him couldn''t help it.


    Zhao''er''s face was ugly, but he still forced a smile: "Auntie, you see that the dog has been sick for a few days, and he just got better. He is not in good spirits. If there is anything to say, let''s talk about it later."


    In fact, Zhao''er knew that this day would come sooner or later, otherwise she wouldn''t be desperately trying to make money recently. But when the malice between relatives approached a little bit, and it was her little man who forced it, Zhao''er couldn''t ignore it.


    She knew that it was the relatives who hurt people the most, and she had suffered this kind of pain. When mother left, she promised her that she would take good care of the little man, she made an oath.


    At this moment, Zhao''er''s eyes were stern, which was a sign that the female beast was going crazy.


    Xue Cuiping was frightened by what Zhaoer saw in her eyes, she shook her head subconsciously, and smiled uncomfortably, she couldn''t believe that a girl''s eyes could be so scary.


    "Zhao''er, Auntie is here to enlighten the dog. Auntie is also doing it for the good of the dog, and for the good of the family..."


    "Auntie." Suddenly, Xue Gouzi spoke.


    Interrupting Xue Cuiping''s words also interrupted Zhao''er''s explosion at a critical point.


    Xue Cuiping hurriedly turned her head to look at him: "Dog, Auntie told you..."


    "Auntie, I didn''t understand what you said for a long time. What should the meaning of the family come first? Why does Kong Rong give up pears? What does elder brother need from me? Auntie, you don''t know that elder brother has everything, grandma Uncles and aunts love him too, and they bought good pens, inks, papers and inkstones. Every time he uses paper for calligraphy practice, I can only practice calligraphy with branches and write on the sand. The paper I occasionally use is the worst quality Zhaoer bought. The rice paper, the ink drops on it and it is printed.


    "Brother has a lot of books, but I only have a copy of "Children Learning Qionglin", which I bought when my father worked as a carpenter for a few months. I know that my reading is not as good as that of my elder brother, and my handwriting is not as good as that of my elder brother. So I dare not ask to be like him. I don¡¯t have anything, I really don¡¯t know what I can give up to my elder brother.¡±


    Xue Gouzi''s eyes were bright and moist, with a kind of bewilderment and doubt that was ignorant of the world. The envy in his expression implied inferiority, and there was also some sadness in the inferiority complex.


    In particular, he had just recovered from a serious illness, his face was pale, and he was so thin that only a bone remained. He said such words that really made the sad witnesses cry.


    These words left Xue Cuiping speechless, feeling distressed and ashamed of herself, feeling that she would have no face to see her second brother and sister-in-law if she died. But the situation at home is imminent. There are no seeds during the spring plowing, and the wheat seedlings are not cultivated in time. If this season is missed, the whole family will suffer from famine this year.


    She suddenly hardened her heart, licked her lips and said, "Auntie is talking about going to the school in the town. You see, your handsome elder brother is better at studying than you. He is at the critical moment. You should give up as a younger brother. Anyway, you are one year younger than him, so it won''t be too late to go again next year."


    Zhao''er turned around abruptly, and picked up the stick behind the door.


    At this moment, Xue Gouzi said again: "Why did you let me go? Didn''t I have to go? Uncle asked you to come? Did he forget what he promised my father before he died? It turns out that uncle said Treating me like my own son is all fake..."


    Zhao''er didn''t finish the rest of the sentence, Shen Ping also understood.


    He laughed, but he appreciated Zhao''er''s frankness of not wanting to take advantage of others: "These were sold to a clothing store or an embroidery workshop, and the price was the same. Regardless of the quantity, there are not many good ones that can be sold at a reasonable price." The ones have already been picked away."


    Zhao''er thinks about it too, the eyes of the county people are naturally different from those of the country people, let alone this kind of big pawn shop, what is bad in their eyes is actually good for the country people to see.


    She breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "I want the bag of clothes from Shopkeeper Shen, and I''ll give you the money right now."


    "Are you rich now?"


    Of course she is rich, Zhao''er now has more than two taels of silver in total, and just now Su Lan gave her another five taels, which is naturally enough.


    At the same time, Shen Ping laughed a little, "Well, I forgot that you had visited her before, so I came here, and she won''t take advantage of me." The voice was very small, almost like a murmur, and Zhao''er only cared about it. I had to look at the clothes, but I didn''t hear clearly.


    "I''ll find a guy to call a car for you, and you, a little girl, can''t transport these things."


    "Thank you, Shopkeeper Shen."


    After seeing Zhao''er off, Shen Ping turned around and went into the pawn shop.


    Although he is called the third shopkeeper, he is not the third shopkeeper of this store, but the third shopkeeper of the entire ''Herongsheng'', and he will only stay in Xia County permanently under his deliberate request.


    Shen Ping is the son of the Shen family, his father is the chief manager of the Shen residence, and he has been a servant with the third young master Shen Fu since he was a child. It was not until he became an adult that he was released to become a shopkeeper.


    "If she comes again next time, just do as I told you before."


    "Yes, shopkeeper."


    *


    Just after noon, the clerk Ah Cai came to deliver meals to Xue Tingxiang.


    Boss Chen said it was simple food, but in fact the food was not bad, with one meat and one vegetable, and one soup. Xue Tingxiang knew very well that Boss Chen was taking care of him deliberately. How could anyone hire someone to copy books, take care of tea and food, and the wages they paid were not low.


    It was because he knew it in his heart that he didn''t say no. In this case, the refusal retained his character, but it seemed too petty and hypocritical.


    It can only be repaid in the future, Xue Tingxiang thought lightly in his heart.


    After eating, when the man came to clean up the dishes, he said that he could rest for an hour. There is a chaise longue available in this room, and of course you can go to the front to read a book to pass the time.


    In fact, the latter sentence is the key point, Xue Tingxiang was not pretentious, after cleaning his hands, he went forward.


    This store may not seem big, but it has a lot of books of all kinds, ranging from rural tales to books about the imperial examination, and there are many books about the imperial examination.


    Since the former dynasty, the imperial examination has used eight-legged essays as the standard style, with strict regulations, and even restrictions on the length of sentences, the number of words, the level of rhymes, and even the scope of questions.


    Stereotype essays take questions from the Four Books and Five Classics. It consists of eight parts: breaking the title, inheriting the title, starting the lecture, starting, starting the essay, middle section, back section, and binding the section. It seems rigid and rigid, but in fact it is not easy to do a good stereotyped essay. If you really think that only reading the Four Books and Five Classics is enough, you are wrong. Not to mention astronomy and geography, at least you have to be involved in all aspects, so that you can write a good article full of flowers and content.

 Chapter 149

    Xue Tao''er ran over, leaned closer and whispered, "I''m not my aunt''s father, he said he wants to talk to the dog."


    Xue Tingxiang also heard the movement outside the room and came out.


    "Don''t go, I''ll push it." Zhao''er knew that it would be no good for Yang Zhong to find a young man because of his elder status. Xue Jun is his grandson. What about the previous incident?


    "No problem."


    Having said this, Zhao''er was taken aback for a moment, and Xue Tingxiang remembered that he would never speak like this in normal times.


    He smiled and said, "It''s okay, you''re still afraid that I won''t succeed if he eats it."


    "Can¡­¡­"


    At this time, Xue Tingxiang had already passed her to the main room, so she could only follow in a hurry.


    *


    Here in the main room, as expected, the wine is in full swing.


    Yang Zhong''s white and chubby face was flushed from drinking, and he looked slightly drunk. Mr. Xue''s dark red face shone red under the light. Xue Qingshan also sat on the side, along with Xue Juncai, Xue Qingbai and Xue Qinghuai.


    Women are not at the table.


    Seeing Xue Tingxiang walking in, Yang Zhong said: "Our little talent is here, come and let me see."


    He waved his hands without treating himself as an outsider, and when Xue Tingxiang approached, he opened his drunken eyes and looked up and down: "I don''t see anything has changed, how did you become so promising?"


    As soon as these words were sarcasm, the court immediately fell silent.


    Xue Qingshan focused on eating vegetables between his sandwiches, as if he didn''t hear him. Xue Juncai seemed to be sitting upright, but in fact he was looking at this place intentionally or unintentionally.


    The rest of the Xue family were a little embarrassed, especially Mr. Xue, his face was a little stiff, but he hesitated to speak.


    Zhao''er was about to attack, when Xue Qinghuai suddenly stood up, smiled and picked up the wine bowl: "My father-in-law, I respect you for a bowl, this wine is brewed by my father himself, and most people can''t drink it when they come here. Don''t look at your old man When I came, I quickly dug a jar and said to drink a few more bowls with you."


    Yang Zhong looked at Xue Qinghuai with a smile, and without hesitation, he picked up the wine bowl and drank it down in one gulp, and ate a few mouthfuls of food. Taking advantage of the situation, Xue Qinghuai hurriedly winked at Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang, telling them to leave quickly.


    Xue Tingxiang smirked slightly, and planned to take Zhao''er away, and listened to Yang Zhong before he even took a step.


    "What''s the matter? Why is the elder leaving before he finished talking? Although I am not your own grandfather, I am also your own grandfather. Is this old man not paying attention to me, or what?"


    The hat was buttoned too big, Zhao''er was about to say something, Xue Tingxiang gave her a hand.


    He took two steps forward, pretending to be listening respectfully: "Since my in-laws and grandpas have taught me, I will just listen to you." After a pause, he continued: "It''s just that my in-laws and grandpas are also scholars, so I think they know how to be rude. reason"


    "According to what you little brat thinks, as an elder, I can''t say that you are a junior?"


    The smell of alcohol came straight to Xue Tingxiang''s face, and there was also a strange smell of various vegetables mixed in it.


    Xue Tingxiang did not evade, and nodded calmly: "Naturally."


    "Hey! Look! It''s really different."


    Yang Zhong tapped Xue Tingxiang a few times with his finger, and looked at the rest of Xue''s family with a smirk, and the villain first complained: "In-law, is this your family''s tutor?"


    It was obvious that Yang Zhong was here to make trouble, and of course it was for Xue Juncai. When he came back from Lizheng''s house before, Mr. Xue guessed that the big room would definitely make a fuss, but he didn''t expect that the fuss should be here.


    In fact, as the son and daughter-in-law, how could the married couple blatantly quarrel with Mr. Xue? After all, they swore before that whoever wins will go, and whoever loses should not complain. And Yang Zhong, as Xue Juncai''s grandfather, couldn''t be more appropriate to stand in for him. If it works, it''s good, if it doesn''t, it won''t hurt the relationship between father and son.


    "relatives by marriage¡­¡­"


    Mr. Xue was about to speak, but was interrupted by Xue Tingxiang''s voice.


    "Although my parents are both deceased, there are my grandfather, uncles, and other elders of the Xue family. Even if there is something wrong, it is not up to people of other surnames to point fingers here. Although my grandfather and my family are connected I want to kiss you, but I definitely didn''t go to the Xue family''s table, eat the Xue family''s food, and scold the Xue family for their reasons."


    Because there are guests, candles are rarely lit in the house, which illuminates the room brightly.


    Standing in the middle, the boy is thin and thin, but he is tall and straight. He was wearing a shabby clothes, the cuffs and the front of the clothes were a little white, but it made people feel an inviolable aura.


    "Could this be the way of in-laws and grandpas being guests? One day when I, the Xue family, went to your house as guests, I would point and point at the Yang family, and be eccentric. Presumably, my in-laws and grandpas would not be angry. After all, coming here is not indecent. Thanks ah Master is always the junior in the family and talks about his in-laws and grandpas, but the boy is only his in-laws and grandpas, he is a literati, he is respected by the younger generation as a person who understands etiquette, now it seems that it is nothing more than that!"


    "you--"


    There was silence in the room, and no one thought that Xue Tingxiang would explode on the spot regardless of his seniority.


    Xue Qingshan stopped eating, and suddenly felt restless.


    But he didn''t stand up to speak for his father-in-law. Xue Tingxiang''s hat was too big, which brought the face of the whole Xue family and even the Xue clan. If he speaks for it, he is echoing the fact that the face of the Xue family can be trampled on the ground by the Yang family.


    In particular, this is not in line with what he planned.


    Yang Zhong''s face was flushed red, and his lips trembled with anger: "You kid, you dare to teach your elders a lesson at such a young age."


    "Don''t dare! A gentleman is harmonious but different, and a villain is the same but not harmonious. The boy is just telling the truth. I also hope that the in-laws and grandparents should be cautious in their words and deeds, so that they can be the appearance of a gentleman."


    This is teaching myself through the words of the sage!


    Yang Zhong laughed back angrily, and pointed at him with his finger: "Okay, okay, it''s really amazing. After studying for a few days, people are different. You really think that it''s a big deal if you win the handsome talent today, even if you furious."


    "A gentleman has nothing to fight for, and he will definitely shoot! When he bows and rises, he goes down to drink, and his fight is also a gentleman."


    This sentence comes from the eight chapters of "The Analects of Confucius". It roughly means that a gentleman will not argue about anything. If there is a dispute, it must be upholding the way of a gentleman. Neither humble nor overbearing, neither angry nor complaining, and having fun with wine after the competition is the battle between gentlemen. It''s not that you must be flushed in the face, like a black-eyed chicken, that would be out of style.


    It is about being a person and dealing with affairs, and at the same time, it is using the words of the saints to ridicule Yang Zhong for not having the manners and tolerance of his elders, and to make things difficult for his juniors in order to protect his grandson.


    There were only four scholars present, and the others were all at a loss. They could only see that Xue Tingxiang was not at a disadvantage, but Yang Zhong was so angry that his seven orifices seemed to be smoking.


    Forget about Yang Zhong, Xue Qingshan and his son couldn''t help being a little bit surprised when he was angry.


    You must know that although Xue Tingxiang has studied the Four Books, he only understands the superficiality and does not understand the meaning of the scriptures. But just now he uttered two sentences in a row, both of which are from the Four Books, and if he didn''t understand the meaning of the scriptures, how could he use them to harm others.


    Could it be that someone taught him behind his back? No wonder his performance was so unexpected today.


    And right at this moment, other changes took place in the field.


    It was Yang Zhong who stood up in anger and wanted to teach Xue Tingxiang a lesson, but was stopped by Mr. Xue, Xue Qinghuai and Xue Qingbai.


    "Well, you little bastard, you have learned to swear before your hair grows."


    "A gentleman does not mirror water, but mirrors people. Mirroring water, the appearance of meeting, mirroring people, you can know good and bad, but if you want to come to your relatives and grandpas, you don''t understand this sentence."


    Xue Tingxiang had a smile on his face, obviously there was nothing wrong with that smile, even a bit shy, and his words were gentle and polite, but it made people taste a bit ironic.


    "I know if I understand you or not, I know you are swearing, I must teach you a lesson today!" Yang Zhong struggled to raise his hand, and at this moment, a violent shout sounded in vain.


    "Father-in-law!"


    It was Mr. Xue who spoke.


    "My father-in-law, I respect your in-laws, but this is my Xue family!"


    Mr. Xue''s complexion was very ugly. He had been tolerant just now because of the other party''s identity, but Xue Tingxiang was right. There was a whole family sitting in the room, all of whom were surnamed Xue. There was absolutely no reason for someone surnamed Yang to teach others a lesson. .


    No matter how much the family makes trouble, it is wrong for outsiders to intervene.


    There was silence in the room, only the sound of Yang Zhong panting heavily.


    The sound of a stool falling to the ground sounded, and it was Xue Qingshan who stood up.


    At this time, Yang Shi, who had been hiding in the house, also ran out, and said angrily and anxiously: "Father, what are you doing! Why did you drink some wine and start to make trouble."


    She explained to the dark-faced old man Xue: "Father, don''t blame me, my father is like this, when he starts to drink. Oh, father, what do you think you are making a fuss about?" Then she complained to Xue Qingshan: " Juncai''s father, and you too, why don''t you stop him from making trouble like this."


    Yang Zhongdao: "I''m making trouble, what''s wrong with me?! Xue Lianxing, don''t forget what you promised me back then. Juncai is your eldest grandson, so you plan to let it go?"


    "Father, stop talking, I''ll help you down to rest."


    The Dafang couple, one on the left and the other on the right, helped Yang Zhong out, and Yang Zhong seemed to be really drunk, shouting that you should really let go, and stumbled and was helped out by the couple.


    *


    Because of this commotion, the Xue family was extremely quiet afterwards.


    Mrs. Zhou originally asked Zhao''er and the two of them to eat, but they said they had eaten, so they went back to the house.


    A table of food and wine, only half eaten, old man Xue sat there alone, eating food and drinking wine, no one dared to disturb.


    Mrs. Zhao hid in the back room, don''t look at her usually yelling at Mr. Xue, but when Mr. Xue really got angry, she didn''t dare to make trouble.


    Xue Qinghuai walked to the table and sat down, saying: "Father, it''s getting late, let''s rest early."

 Chapter 150

    What good can we do at this time?


    Zhao''er had vigilance in his eyes.


    Xue Tao''er ran over, leaned closer and whispered, "It''s not my aunt''s father, he said he wants to talk to the dog."


    Xue Tingxiang also heard the movement outside the room and came out.


    "Don''t go, I''ll push it." Zhao''er knew that it would be no good for Yang Zhong to find a young man because of his elder status. Xue Jun is his grandson. What about the previous incident?


    "No problem."


    After saying this, Zhao''er was stunned for a moment, and Xue Tingxiang remembered that he would never speak like this.


    He smiled and said, "It''s okay, you''re still afraid that I won''t succeed if he eats it."


    "Can¡­¡­"


    At this time, Xue Tingxiang had already passed her to the main room, so she could only follow in a hurry.


    *


    Here in the main room, as expected, the wine is in full swing.


    Yang Zhong''s white and chubby face was flushed from drinking, and he looked like he was slightly drunk. Mr. Xue''s dark red face shone red under the light. Xue Qingshan also sat on the side, along with Xue Juncai, Xue Qingbai and Xue Qinghuai.


    Women are not at the table.


    Seeing Xue Tingxiang walking in, Yang Zhong said, "Our little genius is here, come and let me see."


    He waved his hands, not treating himself as an outsider at all, and when Xue Tingxiang approached, he looked up and down with his drunken eyes: "I don''t see anything changed, how did you become so promising?"


    As soon as these words were sarcasm, the court immediately fell silent.


    Xue Qingshan focused on eating vegetables between his sandwiches, as if he didn''t hear him. Xue Juncai seemed to be sitting upright, but in fact he was looking at this place intentionally or unintentionally.


    The rest of the Xue family were a little embarrassed, especially Mr. Xue, his face was a little stiff, but he hesitated to speak.


    Zhao''er was about to attack, when Xue Qinghuai suddenly stood up, smiled and picked up the wine bowl: "My father-in-law, I respect you for a bowl, this wine is brewed by my father himself, and most people can''t drink it when they come here. Don''t look at your old man When I came, I quickly dug a jar and said to drink a few more bowls with you."


    Yang Zhong looked at Xue Qinghuai with a smile, and without hesitation, he picked up the wine bowl and drank it down in one gulp, and ate a few mouthfuls of food. Taking advantage of the situation, Xue Qinghuai hurriedly winked at Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang, telling them to leave quickly.


    Xue Tingxiang smirked slightly, and planned to take Zhao''er away, and listened to Yang Zhong before he even took a step.


    "What''s the matter? Why is the elder leaving before he finished talking? Although I am not your own grandfather, I am also your own grandfather. Is this old man not paying attention to me, or what?"


    The hat was buttoned too big, Zhao''er was about to say something, Xue Tingxiang gave her a hand.


    He took two steps forward, pretending to be listening respectfully: "Since my in-laws and grandpas have taught me, I will just listen to you." After a pause, he continued: "It''s just that my in-laws and grandpas are also scholars, so I think they know how to be rude. reason"


    "According to what you little brat thinks, as an elder, I can''t say that you are a junior?"


    The smell of alcohol came straight to Xue Tingxiang''s face, and there was also a strange smell of various vegetables mixed in it.


    Xue Tingxiang did not evade, and nodded calmly: "Naturally."


    "Hey! Look! It''s really different."


    Yang Zhong tapped Xue Tingxiang a few times with his finger, and looked at the rest of Xue''s family with a smirk, and the villain first complained: "In-law, is this your family''s tutor?"


    It was obvious that Yang Zhong was here to make trouble, and of course it was for Xue Juncai. When he came back from Lizheng''s house before, Mr. Xue guessed that the big room would definitely make a fuss, but he didn''t expect that the fuss should be here.


    In fact, as the son and daughter-in-law, how could the married couple blatantly quarrel with Mr. Xue? After all, they swore before that whoever wins will go, and whoever loses should not complain. And Yang Zhong, as Xue Juncai''s grandfather, couldn''t be more appropriate to stand in for him. If it works, it''s good, if it doesn''t, it won''t hurt the relationship between father and son.


    "relatives by marriage¡­¡­"


    Mr. Xue was about to speak, but was interrupted by Xue Tingxiang''s voice.


    "Although my parents are both deceased, there are my grandfather, uncles, and other elders of the Xue family. Even if there is something wrong, it is not up to people of other surnames to point fingers here. Although my grandfather and my family are connected I want to kiss you, but I definitely didn''t go to the Xue family''s table, eat the Xue family''s food, and scold the Xue family for their reasons."


    Because there are guests, candles are rarely lit in the house, which illuminates the room brightly.


    Standing in the middle, the boy is thin and thin, but he is tall and straight. He was wearing a shabby clothes, the cuffs and the front of the clothes were a little white, but it made people feel an inviolable aura.


    "Could this be the way of in-laws and grandpas being guests? One day when I, the Xue family, went to your house as guests, I would point and point at the Yang family, and be eccentric. Presumably, my in-laws and grandpas would not be angry. After all, coming here is not indecent. Thanks ah Master is always the junior in the family and talks about his in-laws and grandpas, but the boy is only his in-laws and grandpas, he is a literati, he is respected by the younger generation as a person who understands etiquette, now it seems that it is nothing more than that!"


    "you--"


    There was silence in the room, and no one thought that Xue Tingxiang would explode on the spot regardless of his seniority.


    Xue Qingshan stopped eating, and suddenly felt restless.


    But he didn''t stand up to speak for his father-in-law. Xue Tingxiang''s hat was too big, which brought the face of the whole Xue family and even the Xue clan. If he speaks for it, he is echoing the fact that the face of the Xue family can be trampled on the ground by the Yang family.


    In particular, this is not in line with what he planned.


    Yang Zhong''s face was flushed red, and his lips trembled with anger: "You kid, you dare to teach your elders a lesson at such a young age."


    "Don''t dare! A gentleman is harmonious but different, and a villain is the same but not harmonious. The boy is just telling the truth. I also hope that the in-laws and grandparents should be cautious in their words and deeds, so that they can be the appearance of a gentleman."


    This is teaching myself through the words of the sage!


    Yang Zhong laughed back angrily, and pointed at him with his finger: "Okay, okay, it''s really amazing. After studying for a few days, people are different. You really think that it''s a big deal if you win the handsome talent today, even if you furious."


    "A gentleman has nothing to fight for, and he will definitely shoot! When he bows and rises, he goes down to drink, and his fight is also a gentleman."


    This sentence comes from the eight chapters of "The Analects of Confucius". It roughly means that a gentleman will not argue about anything. If there is a dispute, it must be upholding the way of a gentleman. Neither humble nor overbearing, neither angry nor complaining, and having fun with wine after the competition is the battle between gentlemen. It''s not that you must be flushed in the face, like a black-eyed chicken, that would be out of style.


    It is about being a person and dealing with affairs, and at the same time, it is using the words of the saints to ridicule Yang Zhong for not having the manners and tolerance of his elders, and to make things difficult for his juniors in order to protect his grandson.


    There were only four scholars present, and the others were all at a loss. They could only see that Xue Tingxiang was not at a disadvantage, but Yang Zhong was so angry that his seven orifices seemed to be smoking.


    Forget about Yang Zhong, Xue Qingshan and his son couldn''t help being a little bit surprised when he was angry.


    You must know that although Xue Tingxiang has studied the Four Books, he only understands the superficiality and does not understand the meaning of the scriptures. But just now he uttered two sentences in a row, both of which are from the Four Books, and if he didn''t understand the meaning of the scriptures, how could he use them to harm others.


    Could it be that someone taught him behind his back? No wonder his performance was so unexpected today.


    And right at this moment, other changes took place in the field.


    It was Yang Zhong who stood up in anger and wanted to teach Xue Tingxiang a lesson, but was stopped by Mr. Xue, Xue Qinghuai and Xue Qingbai.


    "Well, you little bastard, you have learned to swear before your hair grows."


    "A gentleman does not mirror water, but mirrors people. Mirroring water, the appearance of meeting, mirroring people, you can know good and bad, but if you want to come to your relatives and grandpas, you don''t understand this sentence."


    Xue Tingxiang had a smile on his face, obviously there was nothing wrong with that smile, even a bit shy, and his words were gentle and polite, but it made people taste a bit ironic.


    "I know if I understand you or not, I know you are swearing, I must teach you a lesson today!" Yang Zhong struggled to raise his hand, and at this moment, a violent shout sounded in vain.


    "Father-in-law!"


    It was Mr. Xue who spoke.


    "My father-in-law, I respect your in-laws, but this is my Xue family!"


    Mr. Xue''s complexion was very ugly. He had been tolerant just now because of the other party''s identity, but Xue Tingxiang was right. There was a whole family sitting in the room, all of whom were surnamed Xue. There was absolutely no reason for someone surnamed Yang to teach others a lesson. .


    No matter how much the family makes trouble, it is wrong for outsiders to intervene.


    There was silence in the room, only the sound of Yang Zhong panting heavily.


    The sound of a stool falling to the ground sounded, and it was Xue Qingshan who stood up.


    At this time, Yang Shi, who had been hiding in the house, also ran out, and said angrily and anxiously: "Father, what are you doing! Why did you drink some wine and start to make trouble."


    She explained to the dark-faced old man Xue: "Father, don''t blame me, my father is like this, when he starts to drink. Oh, father, what do you think you are making a fuss about?" Then she complained to Xue Qingshan: " Juncai''s father, and you too, why don''t you stop him from making trouble like this."


    Yang Zhongdao: "I''m making trouble, what''s wrong with me?! Xue Lianxing, don''t forget what you promised me back then. Juncai is your eldest grandson, so you plan to let it go?"


    "Father, stop talking, I''ll help you down to rest."


    The Dafang couple, one on the left and the other on the right, helped Yang Zhong out, and Yang Zhong seemed to be really drunk, shouting that you should really let go, and stumbled and was helped out by the couple.


    *


    Because of this commotion, the Xue family was extremely quiet afterwards.


    Mrs. Zhou originally asked Zhao''er and the two of them to eat, but they said they had eaten, so they went back to the house.


    A table of food and wine, only half eaten, old man Xue sat there alone, eating food and drinking wine, no one dared to disturb.


    Mrs. Zhao hid in the back room, don''t look at her usually yelling at Mr. Xue, but when Mr. Xue really got angry, she didn''t dare to make trouble.


    Xue Qinghuai walked to the table and sat down, saying: "Father, it''s getting late, let''s rest early."


    Mr. Xue nodded, but when he put down his chopsticks, he sighed again.


    Xue Qinghuai couldn''t help but persuaded: "Father, don''t think too much."


    "Look at the eldest couple. Why don''t you remember your kindness? The second has only been dead for a few years. Even if the child is not sensible, there is no need to do so."


    Xue Qinghuai understood what the old man meant, but he couldn''t answer these words well, so he could only say awkwardly: "Maybe the eldest brother and sister-in-law don''t know that the in-laws guild will make such a fuss."


    Mr. Xue snorted, but did not speak.


    "But Gouzi didn''t suffer, you see he was mad at sister-in-law."


    Hearing this, Mr. Xue couldn''t help but twitch his eyebrows and eyes: "I followed the second child."


    Xue Qingsong has this kind of temperament, usually taciturn, but don''t push him into a hurry, he can surprise everyone.


    "This big family has been living in harmony and beauty, but it''s getting more and more difficult." Mr. Xue sighed, probably because he drank some wine, and his emotions were particularly leaking.


    Xue Qinghuai didn''t respond.


    After a long time, Mr. Xue sighed: "Let your wife clean up this table, and you should go and rest earlier."


    "Hey, I''ll let her clean it up."


    Zhao''er didn''t finish the rest of the sentence, Shen Ping also understood.


    He laughed, but he appreciated Zhao''er''s frankness of not wanting to take advantage of others: "These were sold to a clothing store or an embroidery workshop, and the price was the same. Regardless of the quantity, there are not many good ones that can be sold at a reasonable price." The ones have already been picked away."


    Zhao''er thinks about it too, the eyes of the county people are naturally different from those of the country people, let alone this kind of big pawn shop, what is bad in their eyes is actually good for the country people to see.


    She breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "I want the bag of clothes from Shopkeeper Shen, and I''ll give you the money right now."


    "Are you rich now?"


    Of course she is rich, Zhao''er now has more than two taels of silver in total, and just now Su Lan gave her another five taels, which is naturally enough.


    At the same time, Shen Ping laughed a little, "Well, I forgot that you had visited her before, so I came here, and she won''t take advantage of me." The voice was very small, almost like a murmur, and Zhao''er only cared about it. I had to look at the clothes, but I didn''t hear clearly.


    "I''ll find a guy to call a car for you, and you, a little girl, can''t transport these things."


    "Thank you, Shopkeeper Shen."


    After seeing Zhao''er off, Shen Ping turned around and went into the pawn shop.


    Although he is called the third shopkeeper, he is not the third shopkeeper of this store, but the third shopkeeper of the entire ''Herongsheng'', and he will only stay in Xia County permanently under his deliberate request.


    Shen Ping is the son of the Shen family, his father is the chief manager of the Shen residence, and he has been a servant with the third young master Shen Fu since he was a child. It was not until he became an adult that he was released to become a shopkeeper.


    "If she comes again next time, just do as I told you before."


    "Yes, shopkeeper."


    *


    Just after noon, the clerk Ah Cai came to deliver meals to Xue Tingxiang.


    Boss Chen said it was simple food, but in fact the food was not bad, with one meat and one vegetable, and one soup. Xue Tingxiang knew very well that Boss Chen was taking care of him deliberately. How could anyone hire someone to copy books, take care of tea and food, and the wages they paid were not low.


    It was because he knew it in his heart that he didn''t say no. In this case, the refusal retained his character, but it seemed too petty and hypocritical.


    It can only be repaid in the future, Xue Tingxiang thought lightly in his heart.

 Chapter 151

    She sat up, raised her hand to touch the little man''s forehead, and made sure that her hands were not hot, then put on her clothes lightly and got off the kang.


    The first thing he did was to open the door, and Heizi, who had been restless for a long time, got out with a swish. Zhao''er also walked out of the room, and seeing Heizi rushing out of the courtyard to pee, she shook her head with a grin.


    At this time, someone had already woken up in the courtyard, it was the Zhou family of the third bedroom and his eldest daughter Xue Tao''er.


    Today it''s the third room''s turn to cook. The Xue family''s rule is that apart from the housework of each room, the work in the office is shared equally. One day per room, in rotation.


    The room responsible for cooking is not only responsible for eating and drinking for the whole family, but also takes care of the livestock in the family. The Xue family raised two big fat pigs, and it was not an easy job to serve these two ancestors every day. Not to mention feeding chickens, carrying water, and chopping firewood, so the female family members who do housework on this day do not have to work in the fields.


    It seems to be fair and just, but in fact everyone inside knows how.


    The eldest aunt Yang claimed that the man was a child student, and she was exceptionally superior at home. Since Xue Qingshan passed the child student examination, she never touched housework again. The key is that Mrs. Zhao is also looking towards her, so it''s not easy for others to question her.


    At first, it was Xue Gouzi''s mother, Mrs. Qiu, who finally came in, the third-bedroom Mrs. Zhou, and the two sisters-in-law finally shared the burden. Afterwards, Mrs. Qiu followed her deceased husband, and Mrs. Zhou was left alone. It was not until Mrs. Sun of the fourth room entered the door that she would be able to catch her breath again.


    It''s a pity that Mrs. Sun is lazy and playful. In fact, Mrs. Zhou still does most of the work.


    In the past, when Mrs. Qiu was still alive, Zhao''er also helped Mrs. Qiu to do it. After Mrs. Qiu passed away, Zhao''er was busy with the housework of the second room and had to do the work in the office. In addition, Zhao''er was still young at that time, Mr. Xue told her to take good care of Xue Gouzi and not to take care of the work at work.


    Zhao''er now has free time to go around and get some money, but she is a person who looks at her conscience and will help out as much as she can in her spare time. As for those who used words to squeeze her like Sun, her sharp tongue was not forgiving.


    Seeing Xue Taoer struggling to fetch water from the well, Zhao''er rubbed his face and went up to help her.


    Thirteen-year-old Xue Taoer is like a small flower in bud. Although she is not very beautiful, she is very delicate. Seeing Zhao''er coming to help her, she couldn''t help showing a smile and talking to her: "Sister Zhao''er, is the second brother better?" Xue Gouzi is the second grandson of the Xue family, so Xue Taoer called him the second brother .


    "I had a fever again last night, and it got better in the second half of the night." Zhao''er looked around curiously, and asked, "Why isn''t Third Uncle here?"


    Although Xue Qingbai is a bit honest and reticent, he always loves his wife and daughter. Whenever he meets the third room to cook, he will get up early to fill the water tank.


    The Xue family has its own well, but the well is too deep, and there is no pulley on the well, so it is really exhausting to draw water with the strength of the daughter''s family alone. That is to say, Zhao''er was naturally as strong as an ox, and his strength was no worse than that of ordinary middle-aged men, so he could pull the bucket out of the deep well very easily.


    "My father went to the field and said he would work for a while and return after breakfast."


    Xue Qingbai is an honest farmer. Unlike other brothers in the family who have other skills, he only knows how to farm, so he puts all his heart on the ground. The Xue family has a total of more than 30 mu of land, and now he, Mr. Xue and the fourth son Xue Qinghuai are all planted.


    Although the women of the Xue family also went to the fields, it was only during the busy farming season, and besides, the women only had so little strength, so how could they help. Fortunately, the three men from Xue''s family are all good hands in the field, and they are really too busy, so they hired part-time workers to help out for a few days, so they don''t have to worry about not being able to finish the work in the field.


    Just as he was talking, the door of the fourth room opened, and Xue Qinghuai walked out from inside.


    The men in the Xue family are all big, so Xue Qinghuai also inherited a tall body.


    He was born with thick eyebrows, tiger eyes and a high nose bridge. He was dressed in dark blue coarse cloth and short brown, and looked very heroic. In fact, the men of the Xue family are not bad looking, but the women of the Xue family are a little mediocre, but all the grandchildren are born well, and they are all top-notch in the village.


    "Zhaoer Taoer, you wake up so early." Xue Qinghuai walked over in a few strides, took the wooden bucket in Zhaoer''s hand, walked to the water tank, and poured water into the tank.


    "How can you two little girls do this kind of rough work? You go to do other things, and the fourth uncle is here to fetch water."


    Zhao''er and Tao''er didn''t refuse either, one went to the kitchen to help her mother cook, and the other took a basin to scoop up water for washing.


    As time passed, the rest of the Xue family got up one after another, and there were more and more voices in the yard. On the other side of the kitchen, Mrs. Zhou yelled to eat. Generally, country people don''t pay much attention to breakfast, and they have to set a table or something. They always serve a bowl with a bowl, and eat it at any place.


    Breakfast is two rice porridge, the so-called two rice porridge is porridge cooked from two kinds of rice. Yuqing Village does not grow rice, but only wheat, sorghum, millet, corn and other crops. Although farmers grow wheat, they seldom use it for their own food. They sell it for other grains.


    Even a well-to-do family like Xue''s family with surplus food did not eat fine grains all at once, but a mixture of coarse grains and fine grains. For example, today''s breakfast is two-rice porridge, which is a porridge cooked with millet, that is, yellow rice, and sorghum rice.


    Because it was a busy time of farming, it was cooked quite thickly. Although it didn''t hold up with chopsticks inserted, it was much better than the usual thin soup with little water.


    There is no way, the Xue family seems to have a decent family background in the village, but there are three scholars in the family. Not to mention Xue Gouzi, Guangda Fang and his son spend a lot of money every month, and it''s no wonder that Mrs. Zhao usually can pick up fleas to get a little blood.


    Zhao''er filled two bowls of porridge, put a few cornbreads on a thick porcelain plate, and put some pickles on the side, and took them back to the second room''s room.


    As soon as he entered the door, he saw Xue Gouzi sitting up from the kang.


    She hurriedly put the wooden tray on the square table, and came up to see him: "But he''s better? Are you hungry? Sister will bring you some porridge."


    Xue Gouzi looked at her with complicated eyes.


    After experiencing such a dream, he now doesn''t know how to face Zhao''er. As long as he saw her, he couldn''t help but think of him in his dream, those words scolded by others before he died. He also tried to find the cause of Zhao''er''s death in his memory, but it seemed that that memory was Xue Tingxiang''s most unbearable past, and he had no memory at all.


    In fact, Xue Gouzi was burned in a daze last night, and Xue Gouzi thought for a long time. He couldn''t figure out whether he was Xue Gouzi or Xue Tingxiang, whether that dream was true or not, whether he was thinking about it every day and dreaming at night , to have such an absurd dream.


    However, he also had an idea in his heart. If everything in that dream was true, several things should happen in succession. If these things happen, it means that his dreams are real.


    Thinking about something in his heart, he reached out to catch the bowl, only to realize that he didn''t even have the strength to hold the bowl. Luckily, Zhao''er caught the bowl quickly, so he didn''t spill it all over him.


    Xue Gouzi was a little embarrassed and anxious. It was very strange, obviously he would not have this kind of reaction in front of Zhao''er before, but I don''t know if it was a dream, and his state of mind had a strange change.


    Zhao''er laughed at him: "Why are you being polite with my sister? I forgot that when you were a child, you peed on the kang, and it was my sister who washed it for you."


    Zhao''er came to Xue''s house when he was seven years old, and Gouzi was only five years old at that time. It is very inexplicable for a child to pee on the kang. It is obvious that he has not urinated for a long time. I don''t know if he drank too much water before going to bed or what, but he actually peed on the kang.


    Since Qiu gave birth to the dog, her bones were not good, and it was winter again. In order to repay the kindness of the second wife, Zhao''er volunteered to wash the dirty clothes and pants for the dog. Since then, she started her career as a child bride.


    What Xue Gouzi hates the most is Zhao''er. He always likes to say inconspicuous things in front of him. You must know that as you get older, boys will lose face, how can you still be willing to listen to people mentioning such things, especially dogs are naturally sensitive. But today for some reason, he didn''t feel annoyed, only a little embarrassed.


    He was surprised by his own reaction, but Zhao''er had already fed him porridge with a wooden spoon. He subconsciously opened his mouth, and waited until the warm porridge blown by her was fed into his mouth, and he saw the smiling eyes of the other party.


    Those eyes were big and bright, as if there were stars hidden in them, and he couldn''t help but blush.


    Zhao''er smiled even more happily, and stuffed him with a tortilla: "Eat quickly, sister will cook eggs for you at noon."


    She was coaxing him like a child, Gouzi suddenly had this understanding.


    He was eating porridge from Zhao''er, thinking wildly in his mind, it was very chaotic.


    Just then, someone came to the door.


    It was Xue Qingshan.


    Exactly the same as in the dream.


    Xue Qingshan''s fair face was full of sighs and worries, he sighed and said a lot of words, the main idea was to let the dog recover well, don''t worry too much, there are grandparents and uncles at home, he can''t lose him.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Qingshan also followed the appearance and height of the man from the Xue family. He was also a weed in Yuqing Village in his early years, but unfortunately he got a little fatter as he got older.


    "Uncle still has to go to the private school, dog, take care of your illness, you are a child with a lot of thoughts." Sighing and patting his nephew on the shoulder, Xue Qingshan lifted the curtain and left.


    What is he doing?


    Zhao''er thought suspiciously. After thinking about it for a while, she couldn''t figure out why, so she stopped thinking about it and concentrated on feeding the dog porridge, but Xue Gouzi looked thoughtful.


    *


    In the main room, Mrs. Zhao is chatting with Mr. Xue about what happened yesterday.


    Mrs. Zhao was sewing an old dress in her hand, and said, "Let me tell you, you just like to spoil that little thing. You love him, but he doesn''t love you. Our family''s money doesn''t come from the river, just Because he didn''t want to show his illness to the whole family, he made a fuss after another, which is to make the family upside down."


    Mr. Xue was in his fifties, tall and tall, and his skin was black and red like that of a countryman who had been exposed to the sun for a long time. He was wearing dark blue coarse cloth pants, sitting cross-legged on the Kang, smoking a dry cigarette.


    Every time after dinner or before work, Mr. Xue always smoked for a while, otherwise he would feel exhausted.


    "Okay, Gouwazi is sick, who doesn''t have three illnesses and four pains." After a while, he said hoarsely.


    The patter, patter sounded again, and the lingering blue smoke swirled in the air, and then scattered in all directions. Behind it, the old face of Mr. Xue was hidden, looming.


    "But look how long he has been in trouble? Yesterday, more than one hundred coins were lost. How long will it take you to work hard in the field to earn more than one hundred coins! Boss has to leave another two hundred coins. It is said that someone in a classmate¡¯s family had a birthday, and there was a disaster just last year, and the tax was not exempted, but increased. Seeing that the boss said that he wanted to send Juncai to the town to study, it was another expense. How much money do you have? Withstood such a toss!"


    Seeing that his wife was so distressed, Mr. Xue sat up straight, tapped the cigarette pot on the kang table, and gave her a sideways look: "Your heart will be distressed if you spend a hundred yuan for a dog, and you will give it if the boss asks you for it? Not me Speaking of you, you are a parent and grandmother, so don''t be too biased, you don''t have to make the following little ones have conflicts."


    Upon hearing this, Mrs. Zhao didn''t want to. She slapped him across the kang table and said, "I''m biased? Don''t you?"


    He is also biased, but the boss is the most promising in the family, and the handsome is also the most outstanding among the grandchildren. It''s different to have a scholar in the family. No one will say that Xue Lianxing''s family is a decent person when they go out. If Dafang can produce a scholar, his Xue family will be honored.


    Just thinking of Xue Gouzi, Mr. Xue couldn''t help frowning.


    Of course he knew that the mother-in-law was very annoyed, Gou''er was too ignorant, the eldest owed the life to the second, but Xue''s family was in such a family situation, naturally they had to pay attention to their future.


    It''s not that Mr. Xue looks down on his grandson, but that Gou''er is really not comparable to a handsome boy, nor can he. It''s good to be strong, but you always have to look at the situation.


    "The boss''s daughter-in-law has already said several times that the school in the town cannot be delayed. The delay is half a year. The boss still wants to let Juncai try next year." Zhao added.


    "Back then, I promised my second child!" Old Master Xue sighed deeply, took two puffs of dry cigarettes, and coughed twice when he was choked.

 Chapter 152

    Because of Zheng Lizheng''s words, the eyes of He Qiao and the two scholars were all on Xue Tingxiang''s face.


    Naturally, they didn''t understand the clues of this, and they only thought that Zheng Lizheng suddenly mentioned whether there was something hidden in it. After all, they all knew before coming that this was a competition between two descendants of the same family.


    What is compared is knowledge, and what is compared is also future.


    They were all from humble backgrounds, and of course they knew how difficult it was to study in a farming family, so before Xue Tingxiang said that the Xue family never forgot to cultivate their children and grandchildren while they settled down, Qiao Xiucai praised them greatly.


    Because he knew that this matter seemed insignificant, but it was actually too difficult for farmers. How many families had the idea of ??changing their own destiny by reading books.


    It can be said that those who are born in a poor family in the countryside and can achieve great fame have all experienced great hardships. The starting point is much lower than others. It takes countless efforts to catch up with others, and at the same time they have to face all kinds of cruel competition.


    This kind of competition is not only between classmates and exams, but also between the same clan, and even one''s own brothers.


    If you succeed, the sea and the sky will be bright, and you will not be an ordinary person since then. If you fail, you will put down the book and pick up the hoe, and face the loess and the sky for the rest of your life.


    It is because they understand this kind of cruelty that the two of them can''t help but wonder whether this son deliberately said that his knowledge is weak, or he just wants to pull his brother to reduce the difficulty of the question. But this is a double-edged sword. After all, it is a disadvantage to oneself to lose one''s studies to others.


    These thoughts only happened in an instant, and because of the sudden attention of He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai, Xue Qingshan''s eyebrows jumped wildly, for fear that Xue Tingxiang would say something amazing again. At this moment, he couldn''t care less about why Xue Tingxiang knew the explanation of the scriptures, and he completely forgot that his previous idea was that Xue Tingshan didn''t understand the scriptures, and it would be easy for his son to beat him.


    This is also true for Patriarch Xue. If something happens in the clan that cannot be seen by others, it is limited to the clan. If it happens in public, it will be a bit ugly.


    The eyes of the two seemed to have needles, and they were anxiously focused on Xue Tingxiang''s face. Unexpectedly, he smiled shyly and said: "The boy was weak and sick when he was young, so he inevitably fell behind."


    Xue Qingshan hurriedly laughed and said: "That''s exactly the case. Don''t be afraid that the two seniors will laugh at me. My nephew is talented and intelligent, but his weak body hinders his studies."


    Patriarch Xue also nodded in agreement.


    Others didn''t know what was going on, they just opened their eyes and watched. Only Zheng Lizheng seemed to realize that there was something wrong, but he couldn''t tell the details, so he could only keep silent.


    After He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai gave in to each other again, He Xiucai was the main one in the end. Sitting at the top, he said to Xue Tingxiang: "Since you don''t understand the scriptures, it''s a bit unfair to go beyond the scope of what you have learned. You two are still young, and it''s time to lay down the foundation, so I will test your two. Human base."


    Hearing this, although Xue Juncai was a little disappointed that he was overqualified and missed his opportunity to perform, he also felt disdainful.


    If you don''t test the scriptures, then Xue Tingxiang is not his opponent!


    He Xiucai squeezed his beard with his hands, and after pondering for a while, said: "Zhu Zi said: the size of learning is inherently different, but it is the way, it is only one. It is also suitable for young people. If you don''t learn it in elementary school, you will have nothing to learn. Its heart, to cultivate its virtue, is the foundation of the university. The two of you will each silently write a "Disciple Regulations."


    Neither of them expected that the first question would be Mo''s "Disciple Regulations". You must know that "Disciples Regulations" was learned at the beginning of elementary school, and the whole article is only about a thousand words. In addition to the general narrative, it is divided into seven chapters: filial piety when you enter, brotherhood when you go out, sincerity, faith, universal love for all, kindness and benevolence, and Yu Liwen.


    Each chapter is not long, with three words and one sentence, rhyming in the same pattern, and catchy. It lists the various norms that disciples should abide by at home, when going out, and when dealing with people. It also just proves what He Xiucai said before, the size of learning is inherently different, but it is the truth that it is only one.


    Someone has already prepared a square table and pens and inks, and each person has a table and table in front of the hall, and even the ink has been sharpened.


    When the two came to the table, they picked up a pen and wrote without any hesitation.


    As the two rushed to write and write, the noise gradually faded away. Even if the country people don''t understand the basic principles, they also know that scholars should not be disturbed when they are doing their studies.


    This is not a problem for Xue Tingxiang, because he only has one book, so he has spent too much effort to memorize the things he has learned.


    Not only memorizing, but also keeping in mind, so that when asked in school, he can answer fluently, because he has no reference at all.


    It is better to have no books than to have books, because these are all engraved in the mind. Especially since having that dream, in order not to affect his memory, he has silently recited the book he had memorized countless times in his mind.


    While Xue Tingxiang was writing vigorously, he also had a slight change in his opinion of He Xiucai.


    He could see that the other party asked such an unexpected question, not because the other party deliberately released the water, but because the other party wanted to make a surprise. Because this discipline is too simple for scholars, they have learned it when they were just learning, but they just throw it away after learning it.


    Except for the beginning of learning, my husband will not take these things in the future. It may be to test the Three Character Classic, or even a hundred surnames, and a thousand character prose, but it will not be the rules of this disciple.


    Xue Tingxiang even couldn''t wait to see Xue Juncai''s reaction. Maybe the other party can roughly write down this article, but can you write down all the thousands of words, and the words are correct and the order is good? And He Xiucai''s request to silence this disciple''s rule is probably not just silent, but also one of the "books" in elementary school.


    Just relying on your own words is enough to beat the opponent.


    As Xue Tingxiang thought, at first Xue Juncai really felt contemptuous. He even wondered if this He Xiucai was out of his mind to take the "Disciple Regulations" test.


    Who wouldn''t know this disciple? It is something to learn at the beginning of school. But after he fell silent, he realized that he really wasn''t as good as he thought.


    After you leave, do you love me, or are you hurt? You must know that this Disciple Rules is not like other articles, it can connect the past and the future, confirming each other, if the first sentence is wrong, the latter paragraph will be wrong.


    The more Xue Juncai became silent, the more annoyed he felt, and he always felt that he was wrong in being silent. If someone asks a question, he can naturally answer it fluently. Ke Mo, Mo is still a good word!


    At first, he wrote like flying, but then it became slower and slower, and even reached the point where he couldn''t write, obviously he was not sure if his memory was wrong.


    On the contrary, Xue Tingxiang has been calm from the beginning, and he is still writing at a leisurely pace at this time, but it can be seen that his writing is very coherent, with almost no pause.


    At the first place, Qiao Xiucai glanced at He Xiucai with exclamation, and did not hide her surprise at all. He naturally had a panoramic view of the following situation, and he had to admire He Xiucai''s ingenuity.


    He Xiucai smiled slightly. In fact, he would ask this kind of question, but he just wanted people to make mistakes. I was very proud of my inspiration.


    He stroked his beard and said with a faint smile, "You two little friends, don''t worry, there is a stick of incense time, enough to write it down."


    Yizhuxiang wrote more than a thousand characters, which seemed a bit hasty, but it is not impossible to write something as simple as the disciple''s rules silently, as long as you pay close attention to it.


    But that was before, Xue Juncai couldn''t help but feel even more anxious when he heard someone mention the time.


    In the following time, he kept looking at the stick of incense, because he looked at it too frequently, which made his speed even slower.


    "Okay, time is up."


    As the words fell, Xue Tingxiang made a big stroke and put down the brush in his hand.


    Xue Juncai didn''t move, until someone went in front of him, only to find that his whole body was as stiff as a stone, and he was dripping with sweat, and the paper in front of him was only half full.


    Because the two were behind the gate, and Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong were sitting at the end, they didn''t notice anything strange about it. In their minds, a "Regulations for Disciples" couldn''t be simpler, and Xue Juncai''s strange appearance also attracted the attention of the two of them, but they still didn''t expect that Xue Juncai could not finish writing it.


    It wasn''t until He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai looked at each other''s papers that they looked at each other, and He Xiucai announced that Xue Tingxiang won this match.


    Xue Qingshan stood up from the chair in surprise: "How is it possible?"


    At the same time, there was a lot of discussion below and outside the door, and it seemed that Xue Juncai couldn''t believe that Xue Juncai had lost. Insiders look at the doorway, while laymen watch the excitement. The villagers who didn''t know a single word didn''t know what the test was about, they only knew that Master Xiucai said that Xue Juncai lost to the Xue family dog.


    Xue Juncai lost to Xue Gouzi?


    This, this is really surprising. You must know that Xue Juncai has always been the most outstanding young man among the younger generation in Yuqing Village. Whoever mentions him does not give a thumbs up.


    "Senior He, Senior Qiao, did you make a mistake, a disciple''s regulation..."


    He Xiucai gestured with his gaze, and two people stepped forward to unfold Xue Juncai''s and Xue Tingxiang''s papers, held them up, and showed them to everyone.


    I saw that on one of the rice papers, the handwriting was full of strength, correct and beautiful. On the other piece of rice paper, the handwriting was not bad, but it was anticlimactic, and it became more and more scribbled as it went to the back, and there were even spots of ink on it.


    "Xue Tingxiang''s words are not bad, and there is no ink on the scroll, which is a good appearance. And Xue Juncai didn''t finish his silence, and there were mistakes and omissions, so Xue Tingxiang won this round."


    "Brilliant!" Xue Qingshan said in surprise, his eyes were full of disbelief, he wanted to say something, but was pulled by Yang Zhong.


    Xue Juncai didn''t raise his head until now, he raised his head stiffly and looked at Xue Tingxiang with red eyes.


    ...


    Next is the second round, and this round will return to the normal school exam homework.


    He Xiucai asked the question, and the two answered.


    "Seeking the ancients to seek the theory, how can you solve it if you let go of your worries?"


    "Search for the ancients and the ancient things, and read more wise and famous sayings, so that you can get rid of distracting thoughts and be at ease." Xue Juncai took a step forward and replied.


    "Meng Ke is dunsu, Shi Yu is upright. What''s the explanation for Lao Qian''s edict?" This sentence was asked by Xue Tingxiang.


    He pondered for a while, and said: "Mencius advocates simplicity, while Ziyu, the official historian, is upright. What he said is that a person should conform to the standard of the mean as much as possible. He must be hardworking and humble, be cautious, and know how to advise himself."


    "Saying the warning, what''s the next sentence?" When He Xiucai asked this sentence, he didn''t look at any of the two of them.


    Xue Juncai was still in a daze, but Xue Tingxiang had already replied: "I''m almost ashamed, Lin Gao is lucky."


    "Don''t talk about each other''s weaknesses, what''s the solution to relying on your own strengths?"


    This time Xue Juncai didn''t let up, and hurriedly said: "Don''t talk about other people''s shortcomings, and don''t rely on your own strengths to make progress." Before he finished speaking, his cheeks were hot, and he didn''t know whether it was embarrassment or self-ashamed.


    "Okay!" He Xiucai clapped his hands together, "All the answers are pretty good."


    Suddenly, he said again: "Shuixie."


    Xue Juncai was stunned for a moment, Xue Tingxiang''s eyes flashed, and he replied: "Shanzhai."


    Hearing this, Xue Juncai realized that He Xiucai was taking a pair test.


    Before schoolchildren enter university, in addition to the basic three hundred and thousand thousand, they also need to learn "Enlightenment of Rhythm", "Longwen Whip Shadow", "Children''s Learning Qionglin", "Zengguang Xianwen" and so on.


    Among them, "Enlightenment of Rhythm" and "Longwen Whip Shadow" teach children to understand the rules of rhythm and parallelism. In the process of learning Pingzheqie rhyme, at the same time begin to understand and master poetry rhyme, and acquire a large number of vocabulary and ancient allusions.


    Nowadays there is a saying that few schoolchildren who have been taught can''t match the right pair.


    Especially this simple pair and couplet.


    After suffering two losses in a row, Xue Juncai was obviously smarter. It was almost He Xiucai who asked the question. Answered successfully.


    It can be seen that Xue Juncai is doing well in his studies, and there are almost no pairs that He Xiucai can''t answer.


    "Recently, the old man sighed in his heart. He occasionally got something. He came up with an upper couplet, but so far he has not been able to get a suitable second couplet. This time I will test you two. It may be too difficult for you now, but give it a try. It doesn''t matter." He Xiucai withdrew his gaze and looked at Qiao Xiucai: "Brother Qiao, if you are interested, you can also try it, so as to relieve the pain of brooding for many days."


    Qiao Xiucai smiled slightly, knowing that this was He Xiucai''s desire to compete.


    As the saying goes, there is no first in writing, and there is no second in martial arts. In the nearby villages, he and He Xiucai were the only ones who passed the entrance examination. He Xiucai''s reputation in the outside world has never been prominent, and he can understand that he will compare.


    "Brother He, it''s okay to say."


    He Xiucai stroked his beard and said: "One person is great, and two are heaven. Heaven is greater than human affection, and human affection is greater than heaven."


    Xue Tingxiang''s eyes flashed, his eyes flicked across the faces of the first two people, and then fell on Xue Juncai''s face. Seeing him bow his head in thought, he also lowered his head.


    There was silence in the hall, no one dared to make a sound, and couldn''t figure it out that there were two juniors in the examination school, so how could these two match up.


    Suddenly, a clear high-five sounded.


    Qiao Xiucai clapped his hands and said, "Two trees make a forest, three trees make a forest. The forest is luxuriant, and the forest is luxuriant."


    Xue Tingxiang thought to himself: In fact, this pair is difficult to say, and it is not difficult to say that it is not difficult.


    He Xiucai''s one person turns into a big man, and two people turn into a sky, and the two lines of confrontation afterwards have the finishing touch. And Qiao Xiucai used two trees to form a forest, and three trees to form a forest, which is perfect.


    In fact, he was also right. Before Qiao Xiucai, he only knew that this question was not mainly about him and Xue Juncai, so he kept silent. Now that Qiao Xiucai has matched up, he naturally doesn''t have to be afraid of Zhuanmei, after all, he and Xue Juncai are the two who got the most out of the test.


    He raised his head and said, "The kid has it too."


    Xue Tingxiang was not ambiguous either, and cupped his hands and said: "Thank you, Uncle Chen, for your suggestion, but there are still trivial matters at home that have not been dealt with. When everything is settled, I will go to the Qingyuan Academy to study."


    "You are straightforward, so you are not afraid of being implicated and hindering your fame?" Boss Chen asked curiously.


    "The kid hasn''t entered school yet, so why talk about fame? Besides, the imperial court has always attached great importance to the selection of talents. If they are really talented, presumably the magistrate Hu will not dare to stop them too much."


    "I can''t see that you have high ambitions. Well, since you dare to go, I will recommend you one or two. Although my classmate is rigid and dull, he is not good at words, but his knowledge is first-rate. Don''t dare It is no problem to teach a person to become a Jinshi, but a scholar is fine."


    "Then thank Uncle Chen first."


    *


    For several days, Xue Tingxiang and Zhao''er left early and returned late.


    Someone from Xue''s family asked twice, and Zhao''er said to take Xue Tingxiang out to get some fresh air, so as not to be overwhelmed. The people in the big room showed contempt, and Mr. Xue couldn''t help shaking his head. After that, no one asked any more questions, and most of them knew in their hearts that Xue Tingxiang was doomed. Maybe the two children in Erfang also have a lot of mentality, so they broke the cans and didn''t read books, but ran around playing.


    You must know that even if you are as qualified as Xue Juncai, you have to read books at home for many days to prepare.


    In the blink of an eye, it was five days.


    This day is no different from ordinary days.


    The farmhouse is always busy in the morning, and after a night, the family''s livestock have to be waited on, and the whole family has to be tossed about to eat. After breakfast, the men will go to the fields, and the women will do housework at home.


    If there is some difference, Xue Juncai had two more poached eggs in his bowl than others for breakfast.


    Because of Mr. Xue''s beating some time ago, Mrs. Zhao didn''t dare to openly fight against the big family members these days. Today, seeing that life is not normal, she couldn''t hold back.


    Originally, Xue Tingxiang didn''t have any, but Yang Shi saw that her father-in-law looked bad, so she took the initiative to ask Zhao Shi to ask for two eggs, and put them in the bowl for him.


    Xue Tingxiang wants to recruit one of them separately, but he doesn''t want to be recruited, but it''s a pity that he can''t be persuaded.


    For the sake of one egg, the two of you whispered one sentence at a time, while Mr. Xue''s expression on the top was particularly serious.


    But life in the country is like this, no matter how heavy your heart is, you can''t lose your livelihood. Especially when rushing for spring plowing, Mr. Xue still took his two sons to work in the fields for a while, and didn''t come back until the sun was high.


    The news about the competition between the two children of Xue''s family has spread throughout Yuqing Village.


    It''s not that there are people who say strange things, but most people can still understand what old man Xue did. It''s not easy for rural people to earn a little money, and no one''s money comes from the big river. If there is a way, no one will do this.


    Knowing that today is the day, let the children of the family watch in the village. Seeing a stranger go to Zheng Lizheng''s house, these hairy kids ran into the field, shouting from a long distance, "Someone is coming from Lizheng''s house". The adults stopped planting the land, so they picked up the hoes and rushed back.


    Not long after, the big courtyard of Zheng Lizheng''s house was full of people, and more villagers kept coming here.


    There was a lot of commotion in the yard, everyone was gossiping and discussing today''s matter at the same time.


    In the room, Zheng Li was talking with a middle-aged man in a scholar''s shirt and a flat scarf on his head.


    This man had a thin and long face, his complexion was a little pale, and his eyes were slightly swollen. She doesn''t look good, but her identity seems to be extraordinary, and she actually sits in the main seat.


    And Zheng Lizheng could only sit on the sidelines.


    His Gu Pan has a different temperament from ordinary people. This person is Qiao Xiucai, who has a reputation in the surrounding ten miles and eight villages.


    Long before, Zheng Lizheng had thought about it. Xue Qingshan came forward to invite someone from the Xue family, if he didn''t expect, it should be his father-in-law Yang Zhong, Yang Zhong is just a boy, so he will invite a scholar.


    On the one hand, it seemed that he was impartial, and on the other hand, it was a good time to show his prestige.


    "Qiao Xianggong, you drink tea, I will order someone to remind you."


    Qiao Xiucai waved his hand indifferently: "Don''t worry."


    Just as he was talking, there was a commotion outside, but it was patriarch Xue who came with someone.


    However, it was not Patriarch Xue who took the lead, but an old man over fifty years old. This old man is of medium stature, dressed the same as Qiao Xiucai, also wearing a scholar''s shirt and a flat scarf, obviously even if he is not a scholar, he is still a child.


    Sure enough, when Qiao Xiucai saw the old man, he quickly stood up from his chair and bowed to him.


    "I never thought it would be Senior He, late born is so polite."


    "Don''t be too polite, just sit down."


    This He Xiucai was the person invited by patriarch Xue to preside over this competition.


    Zheng Lizheng was right, at first Xue Qingshan really planned to invite his father-in-law, but it was a pity that this matter was rejected by Patriarch Xue.


    Patriarch Xue also only knew that Xue Qingshan was so stupid. They all said that he should not avoid relatives when he was a virtuous person, but this is not the way. Since he felt that the chances of winning were more than guaranteed, there was no need for people to make mistakes, so he took care of this matter.


    He knew in his heart that the surname Zheng would not let go of the opportunity to show off, and if he came forward to invite someone, he must be a scholar. He originally planned to invite Qiao Xiucai, but he was a step late, so he had to delay the relationship and invite He Xiucai.


    After courteously giving way to each other, the two scholars sat down on the main seat.


    Zheng Lizheng and Patriarch Xue sat beside him.


    "Let Brother Lizheng worry about it."


    "Don''t bother, don''t worry, I''m the leader here, so I can''t show up if something happens in the village."


    A lot of back and forth, seemingly amiable, but there is a hint of wit hidden in the words. During this period, a few old people walked in from the outside, but they were a few old people from Yuqing Village, Mr. Xue, Xue Qingshan and others also came.


    Another uninvited guest was Xue Qingshan''s father-in-law Yang Zhong.


    Yang Zhong was in his fifties, with a chubby body. He didn''t look like a scholar, but a landlord with a fat brain. As soon as he came in, he joined Qiao Xiucai and He Xiucai, but unfortunately, these two scholars were not willing to talk to him, they said a few words with him, and then went to sit aside awkwardly.


    Xue Qingshan sat at the end.


    The Weng and the son-in-law are considered pretty people, and those who can sit here are all respectable people in the village, but because of the identity of this boy, they can also sit in the hall. You know, even Mr. Xue doesn''t have a seat, so he can only stand aside.


    "I don''t know the real master, but he''s here?" He Xiucai asked when he saw that almost everyone had come.


    Patriarch Xue looked at Mr. Xue, and Xue Qinghuai hurriedly said, "Here we come."


    Just as he was speaking, the villagers surrounding the door made way, and two teenagers walked out from the crowd.


    These two teenagers are all dressed in short brown, and they can be seen from humble backgrounds at a glance.


    The one in the lead looks gentle and handsome, with a slender figure. Although the clothes are simple, he is quite personable. The one in the back is half a head shorter than the one in the front, his body seems a little weak, and he seems a little introverted, his eyelids are always half down, and he seems a little afraid of strangers.


    But when the two came to the hall and accepted the scrutiny of the crowd, they had some clues.


    The elder''s appearance is not bad, but he always pulls his sleeves intentionally or unintentionally, as if the clothes don''t fit well. But the young one has been standing neither humble nor overbearing, the half-drooped eyelids not only do not make people feel contemptuous, but it feels like the respect that the younger generation should have for the elders.


    Therefore, it seemed that the older one looked directly into the eyes of everyone, which was a bit too abrupt. It is good to have self-confidence, but when the younger generation faces the elders, a humble and respectful attitude is indispensable.


    All this happened in an instant, and Qiao Xiucai and He Xiucai, who were seated in the main seats, had the initial judgment on these two young people.


    "Student Xue Juncai, student Xue Tingxiang, I have met all the elders."


    He Xiucai nodded, Qiao Xiucai nodded, and asked curiously, "Tingxiang? Does this name have a meaning?"


    Xue Tingxiang was taken aback, and Fang Zuoyi said: "Hey, I mean to follow suit. The student''s great-great-grandfather was also a student, and the biggest regret in his life was that he failed to pass the exam. Although my Xue family was born in a poor family, there are many generations. Forgetting the last wish of the ancestors, while settling down to live and work, he has been working hard to let the children of the clan read and write, and be able to understand the principles of life.


    "It should be noted that if you read a lot, you will have hills and valleys in your heart, and you will have a poetic spirit in your stomach. The younger generation will follow the last wish of the ancestors. Although they are not very knowledgeable at a young age, they have great ambitions. They hope that one day they can continue the path that their ancestors walked, and continue to do so. go down."


    These words are very well-chosen, and the words are too polite, or they say something to study and become an official to serve the court, to establish a life for the people, and to bring peace to all generations. They are all suspected of deliberately showing off, which makes people laugh. After all, they are still brats, not even children.


    And Xue Tingxiang''s words just echoed his age and knowledge, and even because of the ancestor''s last wish, it added a bit of filial piety.


    After listening to Qiao Xiucai, he stroked his beard and said, "Okay! What a big ambition!"


    With this praise, everyone''s eyes were on Xue Tingxiang.


    Most people don''t understand what it means, they only think that Qiao Xiucai is exaggerating the dog of Xue''s second room, but they can understand but they have different thoughts.


    Shocked and complicated like patriarch Xue, the look in Xue Tingxiang''s eyes implied excitement and admiration. He is the head of the clan, and he always regards the glory of the clan as his great responsibility. Xue Tingxiang''s words not only praised his ancestors in front of others, but also inadvertently showed the unusualness of the Xue clan, which made his face extraordinarily honored. Unconsciously, he straightened his back.


    Some secretly scolded this son for being cunning, and even used the occasion to grandstanding.


    Still upholding the last wish of his ancestors, whoever asked him to uphold it was just bragging! Why didn''t I see that this son was so eloquent earlier.


    "The elders in your family took this name for you, and they have high hopes for you."


    When Qiao Xiucai said this, he was embarrassed again, but it was the Xue family who were embarrassed.


    Just when Patriarch Xue and the others were afraid that Xue Tingxiang would be ignorant to tell the reason, he saluted again and said: "This junior will definitely study hard and live up to the expectations of his family."


    Xue Qingshan couldn''t sit still.


    Today''s book is for the examination of Xue Juncai and Xue Tingxiang, who is eligible to enter the school. The exam hadn''t even started yet, but Qiao Xiucai''s words were intended to encourage and agree with the other party. The so-called failure before the battle was nothing more than that.


    He couldn''t help but interjected: "Seniors, can we start?"


    Only then did Qiao Xiucai realize that he had spoken too much, but once he said it, he would naturally not take it back, and Xue Qingshan''s words obviously made him feel embarrassed. There was a slight displeasure in his heart, so instead of avoiding it, he nodded appreciatively to Xue Tingxiang, and then went to take a sip of tea on the table.


    Between the actions, there was a sense of treating Xue Qingshan as nothing, which made his face darken immediately. But he didn''t dare to have any doubts at all, he just smiled and sat back.


    Qiao Xiucai put down the teacup, cupped his hands and said to He Xiucai: "Senior He, look at this¡ª"


    "Let''s begin then."


    "Are you a senior, or you are the main one."


    Qiao Xiucai is a polite word. He is only in his thirties, he is already a scholar, he may be able to raise a scholar in the future, but He Xiucai is already an old man, the possibility of being selected is very slim. That''s why it was obvious that He Xiucai was the main one, but when Qiao Xiucai spoke, He Xiucai didn''t interrupt him, and didn''t even blame him for taking the lead.


    This is the way of the imperial examination, which pays attention to qualifications and seniority, but also pays attention to potential.


    Talents like Yang Zhong who fail the exam all their lives will be old boys when they grow old. However, if one can pass the examination as a scholar, even if one is over half a hundred years old and the other is a young man with a weak crown, they can still be on equal footing and be friends with each other as peers.


    It''s like Xue Qingshan is about to call himself a junior in front of Qiao Xiucai, and he can only accept Qiao Xiucai''s embarrassment to him. Although Qiao Xiucai gave He Xiucai too much courtesy, He Xiucai put him first in words and deeds.


    Few of the people present understood these principles, but Xue Tingxiang did, which made him even more determined to be a scholar.


    "Where are you two in your studies now?"


    "I have finished studying the Four Books, and now I am diligently reading the "Book of Songs" among the Five Classics." Xue Juncai answered first.

 Chapter 153

    Seeing that she was really in a bad shape, Mrs. Zhao came out of the room and said a few words. Mrs. Sun was even more anxious, and knew that she was really ashamed in front of the patriarch, but the chicken had wings, but she didn''t. It was only when the chicken lost its strength that Mrs. Sun grabbed it and cursed, "Run, run, it''s destined to be a dish in the pot. Where are you going?"


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t look any further, and looked back.


    He knew why his uncle was so generous and asked him to compete with Xue Juncai, because if there were no accidents, Xue Juncai would definitely win this match.


    In that dream, he had suffered such a loss, but it was not compared with Xue Juncai, but Zhao''er worked so hard to get money and sent him to Qinghe Academy. At that time, he was so stupid that he always blamed his own failure on the harshness of fate, thinking that it was not that he was not good, but that everyone did not give him a chance.


    When he first entered the Qinghe Academy, he was full of ambition. He thought that he would definitely surpass Xue Juncai and prove that he was the most outstanding member of the Xue family, but the reality slapped him hard in the face. It was also at that time that he, who had never seen the world, understood the sinister intentions of his uncle. He did teach him to read, and he did ''read'' a lot of books, but he just read and didn''t understand the meaning of the scriptures.


    It was later learned that after schoolchildren learn to read, they use reading scriptures as the basis.


    First learn "Three Character Classic", "Hundred Surnames", "Thousand Characters", and then "Thousand Family Poems", "Children''s Learning Qionglin", "Longwenbianying", etc. After reading these, you can enter university and start Study and read the Four Books and Five Classics, etc.


    But at this stage, the teacher does not explain the meaning of the scriptures, that is to say, he just memorizes them by rote, clarifying the meaning of the words but not the meaning of the scriptures. Because people nowadays are used to thinking that children are just learning, it doesn¡¯t matter whether they understand it or not, as long as they remember it, and when they read a lot or for a long time, they will understand what it means.


    This is the so-called reading a thousand times, and its meaning is self-evident.


    When you can recite all these books fluently, and when you can learn to interpret the scriptures, you will get twice the result with half the effort.


    This time-saving, labor-saving and effective teaching mode is popular throughout Dachang, ranging from famous families to low-level sociology and village studies, and many of them are like this. This is especially popular in rural private schools, because there is only one teacher in the school, but it is not realistic to teach several or even dozens of people to explain the scriptures.


    But in fact, aristocratic families with some background would never teach their children this way. Because this teaching mode blindly emphasizes rote memorization, but ignores the truth that the classics are natural and logical.


    This is the pros and cons that ''he'' analyzed from the perspective of the overall situation after standing in the position of chief assistant.


    But at that time, he had just entered the library, because his uncle delayed explaining the meaning of the scriptures for him, and he didn''t understand that there was still a theory of explaining the scriptures. So when he first entered school, the teacher asked him if he had read it, and he replied that he had read it, but he couldn''t understand the scriptures.


    But now, it seems that the uncle is also aware of his own shortcomings, so he deliberately proposes this match, but in fact, he has already planned it, and he is destined to lose.


    Unfortunately, there was an accident.


    *


    Because there were guests at home, except for Mr. Xue and Xue Qingshan and his son, everyone was busy.


    After eating in the main room, the kitchen will start cooking other people''s lunch.


    During the period, Xue Taoer was also ordered to drink. There was wine and meat at the banquet in the main room, and the men exchanged glasses, and there was no way to see that there was any cleverness in the usual times. Especially Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng, the two drank very affectionately, and in the end they both got a little drunk.


    "Okay, don''t send it off, you''ll be there soon." Patriarch Xue waved his hand.


    After sending everyone out of the courtyard, this side started to clear the table and prepare meals. Mrs. Zhao originally wanted to take away the leftover meat and vegetables, but was stopped by Mr. Xue, saying that he was adding vegetables to everyone. People in the country are not rich, and it is commonplace for distinguished guests to leave and eat leftovers.


    The adults are all fine, Shuanzi and Maodan are eating deliciously.


    Zhao''er wanted to take the meal back to the house to eat, but was stopped by Xue Tingxiang, the two just kept their heads down and ate as before, without saying anything.


    Xue Juncai gave Xue Tingxiang a disdainful look.


    He had just accompanied Xue Qingshan to the table, and naturally he ate a lot of good food on the table, seeing that Xue Tingxiang could only eat leftovers, he was naturally full of sarcasm.


    He remembered what his father said to him before, Xue Gouzi would never win him.


    Thinking in his heart, he looked away, and said to Mr. Xue who was on the kang, "Grandpa, I''m going back to the house to read."


    Mr. Xue nodded. He also drank a little too much before, and now he is leaning on the kang smoking a cigarette to hangover.


    "Dog, eat more, brother is still waiting for you to beat me in five days." Xue Juncai suddenly said this when passing by Xue Tingxiang.


    Zhao''er immediately stood up and stared at him: "Can you talk? You''ve read the dog''s stomach after so many years of reading."


    Xue Juncai didn''t expect Zhao''er to show him such shame, his gentle face flushed red, but for some reason, he glanced at Zhao''er and held back.


    Mr. Xue shouted: "Juncai go back to the house!"


    Mrs. Zhou also hurriedly stood up to persuade Zhao''er, that''s all.


    After dinner, the two went back to the second room, and Zhao''er was still angry: "Don''t be angry, dog. When sister earns money, I will take you to the house and won''t be with them anymore."


    Xue Tingxiang was a little moved, but at the same time a little helpless: "You called me a dog again."


    Zhao''er groaned, then smiled and said: "I forgot, it won''t be like this in the future."


    Naturally, he couldn''t be angry with her, and then Zhao''er took the two clothes she changed yesterday and went out to wash, while Xue Tingxiang turned over the "Children''s Learning Qionglin" again.


    Looking at the book in his hand, which was transcribed on the worst bamboo paper and the footers were worn away, Xue Tingxiang felt a little worried. He actually didn''t want to read books, but Zhao''er couldn''t help but think that he should read more books now, and only by reading more books can he win against Xue Juncai more confidently.


    Little did he know that this book was different from the book, and it was useless to just read this book, but he would not tell her about it.


    He dug out the bamboo paper that Zhao''er bought for him from the kang cabinet. The cheapest bamboo paper cost 40 cents a knife. Such ''expensive'' paper was barely enough for practicing calligraphy. Even so, he is very precious at ordinary times, and he is reluctant to use it at all. If he can write on the sand, he will write on the sand, and if he can''t use the sand, he will write on the desk with water.


    Xue Tingxiang touched the stack of yellowed bamboo paper and sighed in his heart.


    ''Xue Tingxiang'' usually uses the highest quality Chengxin paper, so at this time he feels a little disgusted with the things that are usually precious.


    He spread out the papers on the kang table, stacked several sheets, and then cut them into the size of a book with a bamboo knife. In order to make room for the edge seam, he left some leeway and cut a thick stack before he found the inkstone with a corner missing and the ink ingot that had been used up and only a small piece remained.


    These are treasures that he is reluctant to use at ordinary times, but Xue Tingxiang doesn''t feel this way at all today. He added water to the inkstone, and then took the ink ingot to grind the ink, while grinding, he was thinking about something.


    After grinding the ink, he put the bald hair brush in the water bowl and wet it to clean it. After dipping in enough ink, he picked up the pen and wrote something on the paper.


    After writing a few words, he suddenly put down the pen, lifted the paper to look at it, and suddenly crumpled it.


    Mingming''s handwriting is fairly neat. Although he usually saves paper and ink, but because of years of hard work, his handwriting is not bad, but for some reason he just doesn''t like it.


    He closed his eyes slowly, calmed down for a while, and opened them again after a while. At this time, there was no one in the room, and anyone who was there could see a gleam of light flashing in Xue Tingxiang''s eyes. At the same time, his movement of grasping the pen was fast and steady, and with the help of a god, he wrote a series of small characters on the paper in a short time.


    These small characters suddenly became Yan style, then turned into pavilion style, and then turned into thin gold style again. At first, they were both tangible and boneless, but as they were written, their taste changed.


    The face and body are square and dense, the brushwork is thick, straight, open and full of vigor. That pavilion is physically strong and graceful, as if it was carved out of a block. And the thin gold body, the gold hook and iron painting, is full of arrogance, and the strokes are as sharp as cutting gold and jade.


    These three characters represent the whole life of ''Xue Tingxiang'', from the Yan style learned at the beginning of school, to the Guange style studied painstakingly for the imperial examination, to the thin gold style of the official residence.


    And so he wrote, oblivious to himself. Zhao''er came in during the period, but he didn''t dare to disturb him, so he quietly sat down on the edge of the kang.


    After writing for an unknown amount of time, he suddenly let out a long breath and put down his pen.


    He wrote two full sheets of paper.


    At this time, Xue Tingxiang had to admit that the magic of heaven was just a dream, and he actually possessed some of the things that he had in the dream.


    From the moment this dream appeared, Xue Tingxiang had been thinking about why he had such a dream. Now he understands, maybe he just wants him to make up for all the unsatisfactory dreams.


    And possessing everything of the "him" in the dream, he suddenly had great ambitions, and a surge of arrogance lingered in his heart.


    "I''m tired of writing, drink some water."


    Zhao''er brought water, Xue Tingxiang took it, and drank it in one gulp, it was very sweet.


    Only then did he lower his head to look at what he had written, and he actually spent two sheets of bamboo paper. Probably because Zhao''er was by his side, he suddenly remembered that she used to save money to buy paper for him, and felt a little distressed and guilty. He glanced at her and said in a low voice, "I actually wrote so much."


    How could Zhao''er not understand what he was thinking, so he chuckled and said, "Not much, not much, only two sheets. Paper is for use. I told you not to save paper a long time ago. It is used up. Let''s just buy it again."


    "I want to transcribe this book, so I try to write first, so as not to waste paper."


    "What book do you want to copy? Can you copy books too? Don''t you buy them?" Zhao''er was puzzled.


    Xue Tingxiang sighed in his heart. He really felt that he was really stupid before. He would rather borrow books from his uncle every time, or memorize them by rote, and never thought of copying books.


    Nowadays, the books sold in bookstores are rarely printed and expensive, so an industry of copying books has emerged. In this way, not only some poor scholars can get some money in exchange, but also those who want to buy books but suffer from poor pockets can get cheap.


    Of course, this copying is not something that can be done casually, it needs to be written very well.


    Xue Tingxiang boasted that his handwriting was not bad. Back then, many people begged for his calligraphy. Now that he needs a book, why can''t he copy it himself.


    the most important is--


    He glanced at Zhao''er.


    Zhao''er took the cloth towel, went back to the edge of the Kang, took off the cloth towel on his head and wiped his hair.


    Her hair was black and dense, reaching to her waist. She brushed her long hair to the side of her neck, and sat on the edge of the Kang with her head slightly tilted, letting her long hair hang down, and combed it with a comb.


    The girl was wearing a lilac-colored floral jacket and maroon wide-leg pants. She had to straighten her back and tilt her neck so that the water from her wet hair wouldn''t wet her clothes. These were all subconscious actions, but in Xue Tingxiang''s eyes, his heartbeat accelerated inexplicably, and he felt a sense of tension in his blood.


    Without him, it is because of this posture that the girl''s figure is vividly displayed. High/chest/upturned/hip, slender waist, Xue Tingxiang has never seen such a scene before, a very strange feeling of dryness and heat climbed up in his body.


    But at the same time, he was familiar with it, and a picture appeared in his mind, which was the time of the two people''s bridal chamber.


    In the dream, he didn''t like her at that time, but he felt that marrying her was a matter of course.


    It was a deep-rooted thought that she should be his wife.


    It''s just that this hidden deepest emotion was covered up by his awkwardness and ignorance, especially when he went to the school to study and let his classmates know that he had a child bride in the country, which caused a lot of ridicule.


    But in fact, he liked her deep down in his heart, so she was tortured badly by him that night in the bridal chamber.


    Originally, he was just ignorant, and she was a newcomer, so he hurt her and also hurt her. But he still thought about the pain, and she cried with tears and snot running down her nose. That was the first time she showed weakness in front of him, and he liked this way of bullying her ever since.


    At that time, he was studying in the academy, and he would only come back once every ten days. Every time he came back, she was so afraid that she would hide. But he had to rely on him and let him do whatever he wanted. He obviously liked it, but pretended not to like it.


    Now that I think about it, he was really an asshole at that time.


    Thinking about these messes in his heart, he suddenly said, "I''ll wipe it for you."


    Zhao''er looked at him sideways in surprise, and subconsciously refused: "I still can''t, I''ll do it myself." After these days of corrections, she has gradually learned not to call herself sister.


    Before her words fell, Xue Tingxiang had already snatched the cloth towel, and pulled her to turn her back, Zhao''er could only freeze there, letting him wipe it.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Tingxiang is still half-headed now, so he can only half-kneel and sit up to wipe her hair. The two were very close, Zhao''er didn''t notice it, but Xue Tingxiang felt his blood was surging.


    Zhao''er''s hair is very black, dense and smooth, like a piece of fine satin. He was clumsy, and Fang began to pull and hurt her several times, until he heard her involuntarily inhaling, he slowed down his movements.


    Feeling that it was a bit difficult for him to reach, Zhao''er was a little distressed, he kept stretching his arms: "If I don''t lie here?"


    As she said that, she went to try it, and it was more convenient for him to lie on the kang, and both of them would not be tired. What she didn''t know was that her posture looked even more seductive from behind, especially for a young man with a fresh blood.


    Xue Tingxiang immediately regretted accepting this matter. It felt like a kind of torture. He needed to work hard to stabilize himself so as not to look randomly.


    "If not, why don''t you sit up?" he asked.


    But got no answer from her.


    When I went to see it, I found that she had fallen asleep.


    The girl seemed very tired and slept soundly. She lay prone on the long-folded quilt, her thick long hair was scattered behind her back and down to her waist. Because the quilt was covering her face, her face was squeezed out of shape, but her pink lips were pouty.


    Zhao''er, who had just taken a bath, still had water vapor on her face. Her plump and delicate cheeks looked young and tender at first glance. Her pink lips had a watery glow, which was attractive to pick.


    Something in his heart was clamoring, and he leaned on him unconsciously. The cheeks of the two were getting closer and closer, so close that he could see and smell the sweet smell.


    Suddenly, she moved, and he quickly backed away, pretending to be nonchalant, muttering in his mouth why he fell asleep, but actually watching her reaction nervously.


    Fortunately, she just moved, and there was no sign of waking up, so he was relieved.


    But the impulse in his heart was gone, he glanced at her several times, reached out and took the thin quilt to cover her, and continued to wipe her wet hair with a cloth towel.


    *


    Yuqing Village was originally a village established by a group of victims who fled during the war in the previous dynasty.


    At first it was not called Yuqing Village, but Zhengjiazhuang. The village is full of people with the surname Zheng, but the number of people is not large, only a dozen or so families. Many years later, there was a famine one year, and the government arranged for a group of people who fled the disaster to settle here. These people are the ancestors of the Xue family.


    There are not many people surnamed Zheng, and there are also many people surnamed Xue. At first, people surnamed Zheng took the lead.


    The Dachang Dynasty implemented the Lilao system, where one hundred households constituted one li, and Jiachang was set up, which is commonly known as Lizheng. There are also several old people, who are commonly known as village elders.


    Within the jurisdiction of Yuqing Village, everything in the village, such as adjudicating civil lawsuits, arbitrating right and wrong, guiding folk customs, persuading farming and mulberry, issuing sentiments, etc., and even urging taxes, military service, etc., are all handled by the local people. Li Zheng and the villagers co-hosted the completion.


    Li Lao''s power can be said to be quite large, and anyone who can be Li Lao is a person of high moral and respect in the local area.


    In fact, this kind of system is equivalent to a local people governing a local people.


    Nowadays there is such a saying that the so-called imperial power does not come down to the county, but only the clan under the county, and the clan is self-governing, self-government depends on ethics, and ethics creates squires, that''s how it is.


    Over the years, the two surnames of Xue and Zheng seem to be harmonious on the surface, but they have been at odds with each other, and what they are fighting for is the right to speak in the village. Although it was because there was a scholar among the people surnamed Xue before, the Xue family changed its previous decline and several village elders appeared in the clan, but the position of Lizheng has always been in the hands of the people surnamed Zheng.


    Now Yuqing Village has one Lizheng and four village elders. Three of these four elders have the surname Xue, that is to say, two pairs of three. But because Zheng Lizheng is here, it is still not an advantage.


    Patriarch Xue is confident that if there is another scholar in the clan, he will be able to completely overwhelm the Zheng family, so when he heard the rumors that had been raging in the village for the past two days, he immediately exploded.


    Mr. Xue was still in the field, so he was called to Patriarch Xue''s house.


    Seeing Patriarch Xue''s face as dark as the bottom of a pot, Old Master Xue was puzzled by Monk Zhang Er: "Brother Haizi, what''s the matter?" In terms of seniority, Patriarch Xue is considered Old Master Xue''s cousin.


    "You still ask me what''s wrong? Don''t you know what''s going on outside recently?"


    Mr. Xue really doesn''t know.


    Seeing this, Patriarch Xue gave a rough account of the matter with a dark face.


    I don''t know when, things about the Xue family have spread outside.


    The source is that someone saw Xue Gouzi, the only son of Xue''s second wife, crying in front of Xue''s second son''s grave.


    The specific content of the cry is untestable, and it is possible for a half-grown boy to express his grievances in this way, which is enough to prove that the child must have been wronged at home. Later, someone familiar with the situation revealed the truth, and everyone knew that the boss of the Xue family planned to send his son to study in the town, but left his nephew alone.


    Few people in the village did not know how the second child of the Xue family died. And when Xue Qingsong was dying, many people in the village were there, so they naturally held Xue Qingshan''s hand and made him promise to treat his son well.


    When he came back from the Xue family, many people discussed it in private, saying that the second son of the Xue family was really miserable, leaving behind a sick wife and a young son.


    Now that such rumors spread, the scene before the death of Xue Lao Er was repeated by people in various ways. Some elderly people shook their heads and sighed, saying that people''s hearts are unpredictable, and it is impossible to entrust their wives and children to anyone. Take care of yourself. You treated him like your big brother and threw your life on him, but he didn''t treat your son as his own son.


    Even Xue Tingxiang''s situation in Xue''s family in the past few years has caused some women to talk about it.


    For example, although the dog from the second room seldom shows up in front of people, he always wears old clothes every time he sees him, while the handsome man from the first room has never seen him in old clothes. Even some things in the private school were told by the ignorant children to the adults. Xue Juncai had everything in his pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and he had the most books in the school. As for Xue Gouzi, he was seen writing on the desk with water on him several times.


    Being eccentric, everyone is eccentric, and no one can say anything about his own son, but Boss Xue also took the life of his own brother on his back. This kind of eccentricity is a bit chilling.


    "You are very old, and the juniors in the family can''t teach well? You are biased towards the elders, but why did you make this matter out of people''s faces? What do you think about this matter now!"


    Mr. Xue was quite old, and his face was flushed with embarrassment, but he also knew that this matter was serious, and his family''s reputation would be ruined if he was not careful.


    It doesn''t matter if you finish your own reputation, but the boss''s reputation can''t be finished. If he gets the name of the only son of the dead brother who is mean, the boss will be ruined for life. Don''t talk about the examination of any scholar, maybe the private school will not be able to open.


    "Brother Haizi..." He looked at Patriarch Xue begging for help, and he didn''t have any rules in his mind for a moment.


    "Now, only by sending both children away can people have nothing to choose."


    Mr. Xue''s old face turned even redder, and he rubbed his big rough hands: "Brother Haizi, you know that our family has been wiped out all these years in order to provide for the boss. It''s not that I don''t want to send two children, but I really can''t." rise."


    Hearing this, Patriarch Xue also frowned.


    When Xue Qingshan went to the Qinghe Academy to study, he knew the inside story very well. That place is desperate for money, and the key is not to have any objections, because most people are willing to pay to go in. One year''s expenses cost at least twenty taels, but Xue Qingshan has been there for five years.


    Patriarch Xue originally planned to make up one or two if it wasn''t enough, but now he doesn''t open his mouth. That''s all for Xue Qingshan, Xue Juncai is still young, and he doesn''t know what the future will be like. The key point is that his two grandchildren are also studying, and neither family is rich.


    "If you don''t, you don''t even want to go, can you do it?" Mr. Xue muttered.


    Patriarch Xue sneered: "That''s not what the outsiders said, your family''s mean and fatherless son. If you don''t want the boss''s reputation to be ruined, you can either give two of them, or you can only give one to the kid from the second room."


    *


    When Mr. Xue came out of Patriarch Xue''s house, he was in a daze.


    He trembled and touched his waist a few times before taking off the cigarette pouch. He didn''t go any further, so he squatted under a tree beside the road and lit the tobacco. He smoked the whole pot of tobacco without stopping before he stood up.


    He walked slowly towards home, and people greeted him from time to time along the way.


    Normally, Mr. Xue would only feel that his face is bright, not that person, who would like to say hello to you, but now he always has the illusion that others are smiling at him, but actually laughing at him in his heart.


    He tried his best to walk back all the way, when another person walked up to him, he was still an acquaintance. The other party smiled and told him why he came back from the field so early today, he couldn''t bear it anymore, and pulled the man under a tree aside to talk.


    "Old man Zhou, tell me the truth, why are people talking about our family behind our backs in the village?"


    The old man this week is also an old man with black and red skin, but he is a head shorter than Mr. Xue, and his back is a bit rickety. Hearing this, he subconsciously glanced at Mr. Xue, and sighed after a long time: "I thought you knew, but you don''t."


    "What do I know? How could I know!" The first sentence almost came out from between the teeth, but the latter sentence was full of wry smiles.


    Having lived most of his life, old man Zhou naturally understands the old man''s mood at this time. But he didn''t know what to say, so he could only say sincerely: "Don''t be too troublesome, these people in the village are just busy and like to talk about right and wrong. But don''t blame me for talking too much, you The family did this..." He sucked between his teeth, as if smacking his lips, but it wasn''t: "It''s really a bit inappropriate."

 Chapter 154

    As for the headache, even the doctor couldn''t tell what the cause was.


    After sending the doctor away, grandmother Zhao slapped her face on the spot.


    She looks like she is in her fifties, with her gray hair neatly tied behind her head. With a long face, the eyelids are a little sunken, and when the face is pulled, it becomes a triangular eye, which looks particularly unfriendly.


    Without Mrs. Zhao''s words, Mrs. Sun said: "Zhao''er, it''s not the fourth aunt talking about you, you girl likes to make a fuss. Could it be that you deliberately torment us all, even if you don''t like it..."


    Before she finished speaking, she was pulled by the man Xue Qinghuai.


    "Okay, let''s say a few words less, Zhao''er is not ignorant, besides, the dog is already sick, so it''s better to find a doctor to take a look, and the family can rest assured."


    "I said less and said less, and I didn''t say anything..."


    "You also said..."


    The couple went out while chatting and tugging. The eldest aunt Yang smiled at Zhao''er before saying to the mother-in-law: "Mother, let''s go too, let the dog rest well."


    Mrs. Zhao glanced at the dog on the kang, snorted coldly, turned her head and left. It can be seen from her posture that she is very angry.


    In fact, it is true. The Xue family can''t be called a rich family. It costs at least one or two hundred dollars to invite a doctor from the town. ! In particular, the doctor''s pulse just now confirmed Zhao''s guess that Xue Gouzi was deliberately pretending to be ill, and it was only strange that she was happy.


    Let Mrs. Zhao see that the two little boys in the second room are deliberately torturing the family, but since the eldest daughter-in-law has come forward to persuade her, Mrs. Zhao will naturally not say more.


    Generally speaking, among the three daughters-in-law of the Xue family, Yang is the one who wins Zhao''s heart the most. The eldest has an unusual status, and Zhao is willing to show the eldest daughter-in-law some face.


    After Mrs. Zhao and Mrs. Yang left, only the third uncle Xue Qingbai and the third aunt Zhou were left in the house. The two were not used to talking much, and they didn''t stay long, Zhao''er thought that the third uncle had worked hard just now, so he sent the two of them out with a smile.


    When he turned his head and came back, he saw Xue Gouzi lying on the kang with his eyes open, his eyes staring blankly, as if he had lost his mind.


    She didn''t think much about it, she came to the side of the kang and patted his head: "Dog, don''t think too much, they don''t believe that you are sick and have a headache, sister believes you. Take care of your illness and don''t think about it anymore. "


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her, his mouth was dry and his throat was tight: "Zhaoer..."


    "What''s wrong? Is there something uncomfortable?"


    Feeling these undelicate but very warm hands touching his head and face, Xue Gouzi had a sense of reality and gratitude that he had never had before.


    She wasn''t dead, and neither was he.


    Although he didn''t like some of her daily actions, and even hated her as his child bride-in-law, but he never thought of letting her die, so how could he be the one who killed his wife and son.


    But Xue Gouzi was still very flustered, because that dream was too real. After going through that dream for more than seventy years, it seemed that he had also experienced that life. But after waking up from the dream, the vicissitudes of life have changed, and he dare not look back.


    "Zhaoer..."


    "Why!"


    "Zhaoer..."


    "Um."


    "Zhaoer..."


    A hot stream suddenly flowed out unconsciously from the dry eye sockets.


    This scared Zhao''er quite a bit, and he didn''t care to think that the little man would never call her that, let alone let himself get close to him. He hugged his head into his arms and asked him anxiously up.


    Seeing that he didn''t speak, but just buried himself in his arms and cried, Zhao''er couldn''t help but wonder if those people made him think too much just now. According to Zhao''er, the little man has a lot of things on his mind, and he never speaks out, otherwise he wouldn''t have this serious illness.


    She patted him on the back, hugged him like she did when she was a child, and comforted him: "Don''t be afraid, dog, even if they don''t send you to study, sister will send you there, and sister will send you even if she sells everything." go."


    *


    After all, Xue Gouzi had just recovered from a serious illness, and after experiencing such an incident, he fell asleep after drinking some porridge for dinner.


    Zhao''er covered him with a quilt before tidying up the basket she had just brought back.


    The back basket is full of needlework and cloth, which are rags that Zhao''er bought in the embroidery workshop in the town. The reason why I started this business was because I used to recruit children to carry the finished purses for the women in the village to sell in the embroidery workshop.


    There is no adult in the second room. Although the family is in charge of eating, after all, the pen, ink, paper and inkstone used by Xue Gouzi to study, as well as the clothes, bedding and some odds and ends of the two people on weekdays, etc., all need money.


    Wanting to ask for money from Mrs. Zhao is more expensive than ascending to the sky, and although the uncle Xue Qingshan is determined to treat his nephew as if he were his own, but Zhao''er usually only sees the big family''s child with greasy lips, and Xue Juncai never Lack of pens, ink, paper and inkstones. In contrast, the little man was as thin as a bamboo pole, and he picked up a bald pen that Xue Qingshan didn''t use back then.


    Zhao''er has always been a strong one, she couldn''t bear to wrong the little man, so she could only find money everywhere by herself. There was no opportunity to make money in the countryside, so she went to the town to look around, as long as it was within her power and did not require capital, she would try to do it.


    In the past few years, she has collected vegetables from the village and sold them in the town, picked up work from the embroidery workshop and assigned them to women with good craftsmanship in the village, and usually went to the mountains to find mountain products to sell.


    And now this business has been done several times, Zhao''er has a sweet mouth and a thick face, the boss of the embroidery workshop can''t hold her back, so he sells the unwanted rags to her in bags. She took it back, sorted and cut it, and then asked the women in the village to help make purses and other things, and she could earn a lot of money by reselling them in the embroidery workshop. It is much better than before just receiving the purses made by others, and earning a penny for a few purses.


    If he hadn''t made some money by doing this business, he didn''t know when Xue Gouzi would recover from his serious illness. Mrs. Zhao would have given up the money to get the medicine for a long time ago, and Zhao''er used his own money to catch the medicines later. I still have to hide it, for fear that other members of the Xue family will find out.


    Thinking of this, the corners of Zhao''er''s mouth tightened.


    She has always been agile in her hands and feet, and seeing that she picked out some usable cloth heads, she stopped tossing about. I chose clean ones and spread them out on a square table, and cut these strangely shaped cloth heads into a uniform shape with scissors.


    This is Zhao''er''s own calculation based on how much fabric is needed to make a purse, no more and no less, she will not take out these rags for people to see.


    It is not easy for country people to earn a penny. If someone finds out, the designated way to earn money will be robbed within a few days.


    Zhao''er also wants to use this to make money for the little man to go to the town to study, so that she can only go to see Xue Jun, and her little man can also go. Zhao''er has always been prepared with both hands when doing things, and she knows in her heart that the big house will never let such a good thing happen to the little man.


    It is better to ask for others than to ask for yourself, and it is better to rely on yourself than to rely on mountains and rivers.


    Zhao''er has understood this truth since she was seven years old when she was going to be exchanged for money by her grandmother and father.


    After Zhao''er finished what she was doing, seeing the little man was fast asleep, and seeing that it was already dark outside, she wrapped the tidy cloth in something, and hurried out with it.


    Under the night, Yuqing Village was exceptionally peaceful, and the light silver moonlight shone on the trails in the village. Although the road was still unclear, it was not completely dark after all.


    Zhao''er walked all the way and didn''t even startle a dog.


    This is not an ability that ordinary people can have. You must know that in places like the countryside, almost every household has a dog. Dogs are very alert at night, and whenever someone walks past the door, they bark wildly. Even if a petty thief came to the door, he would have been scared away by the dog long ago.


    Zhao''er also developed this ability after walking a lot at night.


    Of course, it was also related to the sunspot following her legs.


    Heizi is a country dog, but it is stronger and bigger than ordinary dogs. There are not many dogs in Yuqing Village that can beat Heizi, and it is because of Heizi that Zhao''er dares to walk alone at night.


    She went all the way to a family''s house with ease, and it was strange that the other party knew that she would come at this time and left the door open for her. As soon as she entered the door, the family''s dog rushed over. Before she could reach her, a black shadow rushed over and threw the other person to the ground. The dog was so frightened that it fell on the ground and stopped barking.


    Zhao''er gloated at the side: "I don''t have a long memory!"


    At this time, a person came out of the house, and he smiled as he walked up to the front: "This black man is here to bully our family Wangcai again, Zhao''er, come in and sit down."


    "Aunt Osmanthus, I won''t go in, I''m still rushing back."


    Zhao''er handed over the things in his hands to the visitor, took some things from the other person, wrapped them in cloth, and then went to the next household.


    Zhao''er went to five families.


    She is anxious to make money, but there are few women in the village who are good at needlework, and she needs to find someone who is tight-lipped and reliable. shit money.


    The reason why she said that was because when she collected vegetables from the village and sold them in the town, she was publicized by people who didn''t know the door, causing her to be pointed at all day long. She was not afraid of being pointed out, but these things finally reached the ears of the little man, and some villagers made fun of him, which caused a lot of conflicts between her and the little man. And after that, she won''t receive any vegetables in the village, even if someone sells them to her, it will be at a high price.


    In the end, she had no choice but to go to other villages to collect vegetables. It was not a waste of time. Since then, Zhaoer has developed a memory.


    When Zhao''er came home, Xue Gouzi on the kang was still sleeping soundly.


    She went to get some water to wash her face and wipe her hands before getting on the kang. The second room only had this kang, and she had slept with Xue Gouzi since she was a child, and she was used to it.


    Heizi slept under the kang, just now when he invited his son into the house, he slid in at his feet and chose a random place to lie down. It seems that the dog''s eyes have been closed, but in fact the two ears are standing up, and they move from time to time.


    Before Zhao''er lay down, she bullied herself over to look at the little man, and touched his forehead, before falling asleep in peace.


    *


    Compared with the second room because of the sparse population, there are only two rooms and one kang, the treatment of the first room is obviously much better. The entire three east rooms were occupied by the big room, and at this time in the east room, Mrs. Yang was talking to Xue Qingshan.


    Yang narrated what happened during the day, Xue Qingshan immediately frowned after listening.


    He was not at home during the day, so naturally he didn''t know what happened at home. Nowadays, some respectable families will invite scholars to preside over their weddings and funerals, but where rural families can afford to hire scholars, some will invite children to make up the number.


    No matter how they are all scholars, they are different from ordinary people.


    Today, Xue Qingshan was invited by a family in a nearby village to have a wedding. It doesn''t matter what the etiquette is.


    But the people in the countryside are poor, so the happy money will not be too much, at most a few tens of pennies.


    Xue Qingshan likes this kind of work the most. Every time at this time, he will randomly assign articles to memorize for the students in the school, and then go out for a whole day, and no one will say anything. What he likes is not only having money to take, but also when this time is his happiest time.


    He was sitting in the position of the guest of honor, and the men who came to have a wedding banquet were all proud to have a conversation with him.


    He is the master of Tongsheng!


    Of course, it would be even better if Tongsheng could be replaced by a scholar, Xue Qingshan would have dreamed of it. But for so many years, he has more or less self-knowledge, so he can''t help pinning his hopes on his son.


    It''s a pity that someone is blocking this way now.


    Xue Qingshan drank a lot of wine, his chubby face was flushed, and he was holding his breath in his heart, so he spit and scolded: "What kind of moth is this son of a bitch, I really want to open a dyeing workshop just to give him some color. !"


    Yang sighed faintly: "Who told you that you agreed to the second child so easily at the beginning, but now it''s hard to get off the tiger because of our talents."


    "In that situation back then, the second child seemed to be honest, and he wanted to accompany his elder brother when he was about to die. If I knew that he was paying attention that day, I would have found a way to shut him up, but so many people I was present, and the accident happened because of me, if I don''t even agree to this matter, how can I gain a foothold in front of others."


    Of course, Mrs. Yang knew this truth, but she couldn''t calm down. Just because of that bullshit promise, Da Fang kept her hands tied. Her son wanted to go to the library to study, but he had to hide and beg the other party to show his respect.


    She was always proud and arrogant, so naturally the more she thought about it, the more annoyed she became, her eyes sparkled, but she sneered on her face: "Because he fell ill suddenly, originally Dad planned to make decisions for us, so we can only endure it. But he has been sick for these days, and today he has such a scene, and my mother is already annoyed. I asked the fourth daughter-in-law to tell my mother that the dog is probably pretending to be sick. I think my mother has already decided that he is pretending. sick."


    Xue Qingshan''s eyes lit up: "That''s good, I''ll go talk to my parents tomorrow and let them put this matter into practice." He put his arms around Yang''s shoulders with a smile, and said: "My wife is smarter. , Prepared a backhand early."


    Yang gave him an angry look, and the two of them rested together, without speaking for a whole night.


    "Dog, where is this going?"


    Xue Tingxiang looked at the woman who was talking to him, and said with a smile: "Auntie, I''ll just walk around."


    It was just a casual sentence, the woman didn''t say anything more to him, she turned to get something in the room, the mother-in-law in the room asked her: "Third daughter-in-law, who were you talking to just now?"


    "The dog from the second bedroom of Xue Lianxing''s family. Hey, mother, it''s strange to say that I didn''t recognize him when he knocked on the door just now. I always feel like a different person."


    Her mother-in-law didn''t take it seriously: "What can you become, but you can''t change your body, I remember that kid has been ill recently."


    The daughter-in-law said: "I see, maybe I plan to go to the back mountain." There is a mountain behind Yuqing Village, where all the dead villagers in the village are buried, and the Xue family''s ancestral grave is also there.


    Hearing this, her mother-in-law sighed: "Don''t even mention it, it''s a pity for the second child of the Xing family. Both of them are gone. It''s a pity to leave a baby."


    This is just gossip between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and while they were talking, Xue Tingxiang had already brought Heizi into the back mountain.


    *


    Houshan is called Houshan, the mountain behind Yuqing Village.


    This mountain has no name, and the mountain is not high, but it is extremely deep. Anyway, so far, no villager has been able to walk back and forth from this deep mountain and old forest, most of them are activities outside the mountain.


    The Xue family''s ancestral grave was built on a small hill not far from the village. This Xue family is not only Xue Tingxiang''s family, but the ancestors of the entire Xue clan are buried here.


    On such a big hill, the lineage of the patriarch is in the middle, and the branches of the various families spread out. The lineage of Mr. Xue is at a place near the foot of the southwest mountain.


    Because the couple in the second room died young, and Xue Qingsong died in an accident, they were buried at the edge.


    When Xue Tingxiang arrived at the place, he began to pull the grass around the grave mound casually.


    There were not many weeds, they had just been cleared during the Chinese New Year, so he gathered the grass at random and placed it on the ground, taking advantage of the opportunity and sat down in front of the grave.


    A piece of mountainous land, two small graves, in front of each of the graves stood a small bluestone stele, on which the names of the second family and the couple were crudely written.


    This monument was originally recruited to find someone to make it and set it up.


    Nowadays, there are three kinds of people who cannot erect monuments after they die, those who die suddenly, die young, and have no heirs. Xue Qingsong belongs to violent death.


    Although everyone doesn''t say it, people who feel that they died suddenly have resentment after death, which is not conducive to the feng shui of the ancestor''s grave, so no monument is erected. I also want him to forget who he is, so as not to cause trouble if he is ignorant.


    But at the same time, there is another saying that after death without a monument, you will be a lonely ghost, who cannot stand the incense of future generations.


    At the beginning, the funeral of the second wife was arranged by the Xue family, and they acquiesced to follow the old customs. At that time, Xue Tingxiang was still young and didn''t understand these things at all, but Zhao''er understood.


    She talked to Xue''s family about erecting a monument, but was blocked, and Xue''s family took turns to persuade her. Later, Zhao''er didn''t tell anyone about it, and took the money to ask someone to make these two simple monuments and put them in front of the grave.


    It was too late when Xue''s family found out, and they couldn''t tear down the stele in front of the villagers.


    The villagers were also surprised when they saw the stele, but after thinking about how the Xue family''s second child died, they could understand it.


    Therefore, Xue Qingshan also gained a good reputation. He would rather risk his family''s feng shui to erect a monument for his brother.


    With various thoughts spinning in his mind, Xue Tingxiang took out a piece of cloth from his arms and slowly wiped the tombstone.


    The words on it were still written by him, and the strokes are immature, but after all, people can still tell what is written on it.


    ...


    Today is the anniversary of Mr. Zheng''s death. Zheng Hu brought his two sons to the grave to worship.


    The country people are not so particular, they just prepared some steamed buns, wine and meat, and the father and son burned the paper money in front of the grave, so let''s forget about it.


    Zheng Hu had always had a deep relationship with his father, so he was inevitably depressed, so he let his two sons go back first, while he sat in front of the grave, smoking a pipe and talking to his father.


    After talking for a while, he stood up and planned to go back.


    There was still work waiting to be done in the field, and Zheng Hu didn''t want to waste time, so he decided to take a shortcut. When he passed near Xue Lianxing''s ancestral grave, he suddenly heard someone crying.


    There are graves on the two nearby hills, one is of the surname Xue, and the other is of the surname Zheng. This kind of festive day is not like Zheng Hu''s on the anniversary of the death of an elder in the family, but no one would come to this kind of place.


    In particular, there may be a lot of dead people buried here, the trees are dense, and sometimes the sky and day are gloomy. Hearing this strange sound under such circumstances, Zheng Hu was so frightened that his hair stood on end and his legs went limp.


    After all, he had lived for decades. He listened intently and calmly, and it took him a while to understand that it was a boy''s voice.


    Thinking about who''s grave was here, he bravely walked closer, bypassed a big tree, and saw a young man in blue clothes sitting in front of the grave from a distance.


    Next to it was a big black dog wagging its tail.


    It''s the dog of the second room of Xue Lianxing''s family.


    Only then did Zheng Hu heave a sigh of relief, and the voice came into his ears again: "...Father, what do you think I should do? Uncle wants to send brother Juncai to the school in town, I thought I could do the same." Go... But my aunt came to the house a few days ago, but she told me to let Brother Juncai, before..."


    The young man''s voice was full of hesitation and bewilderment, Zheng Hu did not expect to hear the secret affairs of the Xue family in such a place. He was so surprised that the pipe in his hand dropped without realizing it. He didn''t realize it until his foot was hit by the pipe, picked up the pipe in a hurry and left.


    He didn''t know that after he left, the lonely and helpless boy in his eyes stopped crying.


    In the past few days, Xue Tingxiang has been thinking hard, trying to find a suitable opportunity, and somehow he thought of Zheng Hu.


    Zheng Hu''s father, Mr. Zheng, died during the spring plowing. It was not a happy funeral, but an accident. He was accidentally squeezed to the foot of the field by his own cattle and fell to his death.


    The ridge was not very tall, and countless villagers fell off the ridge every year, and Mr. Zheng died unluckily. At the beginning, this incident was widely circulated in the village, so Xue Tingxiang remembered it very clearly.


    Since it was the anniversary of the father''s death, the son Zheng Hu would definitely come to visit the grave, and Zheng Hu used to like to take shortcuts, so he would definitely pass by this area, so who else is more suitable than him.


    The most important thing is that Yuqing Village doesn''t seem big, but Xue and Zheng''s surnames have always been different from each other. Zheng Hu''s uncle is Li Zheng, and if he knows it, Zheng Lizheng will know it too.


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t stay any longer, and quickly returned home with Heizi the same way.


    The yard was still silent, he found a twig and put it in front of the door, and sat there quietly basking in the sun, thinking about Zhao''er who went to the town.


    *


    Zheng Hu hurried all the way, without even returning home, he went to Zheng Lizheng''s house.


    Zheng Li is the Lizheng of Yuqing Village and the head of the Zheng clan. Naturally, the family''s house is the only one in Yuqing Village. If it can be compared with it, it is the house of Patriarch Xue''s family.


    Yishui''s green brick and tile-roofed house, and the courtyard walls are also made of green bricks. The most conspicuous thing is the ancestral hall of the Zheng family on the front, but this ancestral hall will not be opened until a certain time. The two black doors The paulownia gate is closed all year round.


    Going around to the side is the courtyard of Zheng Lizheng''s family.


    The yard is huge, unlike other houses where the barn, barn, kitchen, etc. are all in the front yard, the front yard of Zheng Lizheng''s house is just a big empty yard, only two sycamore trees are planted in the yard. Whenever there is any major event in the village, the courtyard will always be densely packed with people.


    There are three main rooms facing the face, and east and west wing rooms on the left and right, all of which are blue bricks and black tiles, which are extraordinarily magnificent.


    When Zheng Hu arrived, only Zheng Lizheng and his wife Tian Shi were at home.


    As soon as Tian saw his nephew coming, he greeted him: "Huzi, why are you here at this time? Do you have something to do with your uncle?"


    "Hey, there''s something wrong."


    With that said, Zheng Hu hurried into the house. Tian shook her head, thinking that there must be something wrong, since Zheng Hu is usually very steady.


    After Zheng Hu entered, he turned to the east room.


    Sure enough, his uncle Zheng Li was sitting cross-legged on the big kang in the east room, smoking dry cigarettes.

 Chapter 155

    Without Mrs. Zhao''s words, Mrs. Sun said: "Zhao''er, it''s not the fourth aunt talking about you, you girl likes to make a fuss. Could it be that you deliberately torment us all, even if you don''t like it..."


    Before she finished speaking, she was pulled by the man Xue Qinghuai.


    "Okay, let''s say a few words less, Zhao''er is not ignorant, and besides, the dog is already sick, so it''s better to find a doctor to take a look, so the family can rest assured."


    "I said less and said less, and I didn''t say anything..."


    "You also said..."


    The couple went out while chatting and tugging. The eldest aunt Yang smiled at Zhao''er, and then said to the mother-in-law: "Mother, let''s go too, let the dog rest well."


    Mrs. Zhao glanced at the dog on the kang, snorted coldly, turned her head and left. Just from her posture, it can be seen that she is very angry.


    In fact, it is true. The Xue family can''t be called a rich family. It costs at least one or two hundred dollars to invite a doctor from the town. How many troubles can the Xue family have today? ! In particular, the doctor''s pulse-taking words just confirmed Zhao''s guess that Xue Gouzi was suspected of deliberately pretending to be ill, and it was only strange that she was happy.


    Let Mrs. Zhao see that the two little boys in the second room are deliberately torturing the family, but since the eldest daughter-in-law has come forward to persuade her, Mrs. Zhao will naturally not say more.


    Generally speaking, among the three daughters-in-law of the Xue family, Yang is the one who wins Zhao''s heart the most. The eldest has an unusual status, and Zhao is willing to show the eldest daughter-in-law some face.


    After Mrs. Zhao and Mrs. Yang left, only the third uncle Xue Qingbai and the third aunt Zhou were left in the house. The two were not used to talking much, and they didn''t stay long, Zhao''er thought that the third uncle had worked hard just now, so he sent the two of them out with a smile.


    When he turned his head and came back, he saw Xue Gouzi lying on the kang with his eyes open, his eyes staring blankly, as if he had lost his mind.


    She didn''t think much about it, she came to the side of the kang and patted his head: "Dog, don''t think too much, they don''t believe that you are sick and have a headache, sister believes you. Take care of your illness and don''t think about it anymore. "


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her, his mouth was dry and his throat was tight: "Zhaoer..."


    "What''s wrong? Is there something uncomfortable?"


    Feeling these undelicate but very warm hands touching his head and face, Xue Gouzi had a sense of reality and gratitude that he had never had before.


    She wasn''t dead, and neither was he.


    Although he didn''t like some of her daily actions, and even hated her as his child bride-in-law, but he never thought of letting her die, so how could he be the one who killed his wife and son.


    But Xue Gouzi was still very flustered, because that dream was too real. After going through that dream for more than seventy years, it seemed that he had also experienced that life. But after waking up from the dream, the vicissitudes of life have changed, and he dare not look back.


    "Zhaoer..."


    "Why!"


    "Zhaoer..."


    "Um."


    "Zhaoer..."


    A hot stream suddenly flowed out unconsciously from the dry eye sockets.


    This scared Zhao''er quite a bit, and he didn''t care to think that the little man would never call her that, let alone let himself get close to him. He hugged his head into his arms and asked him anxiously up.


    Seeing that he didn''t speak, but just buried himself in his arms and cried, Zhao''er couldn''t help but wonder if those people made him think too much just now. According to Zhao''er, the little man has a lot of things on his mind, and he never speaks out, otherwise he wouldn''t have this serious illness.


    She patted him on the back, hugged him like she did when she was a child, and comforted him: "Don''t be afraid, dog, even if they don''t send you to study, sister will send you there, and sister will send you even if she sells everything." go."


    *


    After all, Xue Gouzi had just recovered from a serious illness, and after experiencing such an incident, he fell asleep after drinking some porridge for dinner.


    Zhao''er covered him with a quilt before tidying up the basket she had just brought back.


    The back basket is full of needlework and cloth, which are rags that Zhao''er bought in the embroidery workshop in the town. The reason why I started this business was because I used to recruit children to carry the finished purses for the women in the village to sell in the embroidery workshop.


    There is no adult in the second room. Although the family is in charge of eating, after all, the pen, ink, paper and inkstone used by Xue Gouzi to study, as well as the clothes, bedding and some odds and ends of the two people on weekdays, etc., all need money.


    Wanting to ask for money from Mrs. Zhao is more expensive than ascending to the sky, and although the uncle Xue Qingshan is determined to treat his nephew as if he were his own, but Zhao''er usually only sees the big family''s child with greasy lips, and Xue Juncai never Lack of pens, ink, paper and inkstones. In contrast, the little man was as thin as a bamboo pole, and he picked up a bald pen that Xue Qingshan didn''t use back then.


    Zhao''er has always been a strong one, she couldn''t bear to wrong the little man, so she could only find money everywhere by herself. There was no opportunity to make money in the countryside, so she went to the town to look around, as long as it was within her power and did not require capital, she would try to do it.


    In the past few years, she has collected vegetables from the village and sold them in the town, picked up work from the embroidery workshop and assigned them to women with good craftsmanship in the village, and usually went to the mountains to find mountain products to sell.


    And now this business has been done several times, Zhao''er has a sweet mouth and a thick face, the boss of the embroidery workshop can''t hold her back, so he sells the unwanted rags to her in bags. She took it back, sorted and cut it, and then asked the women in the village to help make purses and other things, and she could earn a lot of money by reselling them in the embroidery workshop. It is much better than before just receiving the purses made by others, and earning a penny for a few purses.


    If he hadn''t made some money by doing this business, he didn''t know when Xue Gouzi would recover from his serious illness. Mrs. Zhao would have given up the money to get the medicine for a long time ago, and Zhao''er used his own money to catch the medicines later. I still have to hide it, for fear that other members of the Xue family will find out.


    Thinking of this, the corners of Zhao''er''s mouth tightened.


    She has always been agile in her hands and feet, and seeing that she picked out some usable cloth heads, she stopped tossing about. I chose clean ones and spread them out on a square table, and cut these strangely shaped cloth heads into a uniform shape with scissors.


    This is Zhao''er''s own calculation based on how much fabric is needed to make a purse, no more and no less, she will not take out these rags for people to see.


    It is not easy for country people to earn a penny. If someone finds out, the designated way to earn money will be robbed within a few days.


    Zhao''er also wants to use this to make money for the little man to go to the town to study, so that she can only go to see Xue Jun, and her little man can also go. Zhao''er has always been prepared with both hands when doing things, and she knows in her heart that the big house will never let such a good thing happen to the little man.


    It is better to ask for others than to ask for yourself, and it is better to rely on yourself than to rely on mountains and rivers.


    Zhao''er has understood this truth since she was seven years old when she was going to be exchanged for money by her grandmother and father.


    After Zhao''er finished what she was doing, seeing the little man was fast asleep, and seeing that it was already dark outside, she wrapped the tidy cloth in something, and hurried out with it.


    Under the night, Yuqing Village was exceptionally peaceful, and the light silver moonlight shone on the trails in the village. Although the road was still unclear, it was not completely dark after all.


    Zhao''er walked all the way and didn''t even startle a dog.


    This is not an ability that ordinary people can have. You must know that in places like the countryside, almost every household has a dog. Dogs are very alert at night, and whenever someone walks past the door, they bark wildly. Even if a petty thief came to the door, he would have been scared away by the dog long ago.


    Zhao''er also developed this ability after walking a lot at night.


    Of course, it was also related to the sunspot following her legs.


    Heizi is a country dog, but it is stronger and bigger than ordinary dogs. There are not many dogs in Yuqing Village that can beat Heizi, and it is because of Heizi that Zhao''er dares to walk alone at night.


    She went all the way to a family''s house with ease, and it was strange that the other party knew that she would come at this time and left the door open for her. As soon as she entered the door, the family''s dog rushed over. Before she could reach her, a black shadow rushed over and threw the other person to the ground. The dog was so frightened that it fell on the ground and stopped barking.


    Zhao''er gloated at the side: "I don''t have a long memory!"


    At this time, a person came out of the house, and he smiled as he walked up to the front: "This black man is here to bully our family Wangcai again, Zhao''er, come in and sit down."


    "Aunt Osmanthus, I won''t go in, I''m still rushing back."


    Zhao''er handed over the things in his hands to the visitor, took some things from the other person, wrapped them in cloth, and then went to the next household.


    Zhao''er went to five families.


    She is anxious to make money, but there are few women in the village who are good at needlework, and she needs to find someone who is tight-lipped and reliable. shit money.


    The reason why she said that was because when she collected vegetables from the village and sold them in the town, she was publicized by people who didn''t know the door, causing her to be pointed at all day long. She was not afraid of being pointed out, but these things finally reached the ears of the little man, and some villagers made fun of him, which caused a lot of conflicts between her and the little man. And after that, she won''t receive any vegetables in the village, even if someone sells them to her, it will be at a high price.


    In the end, she had no choice but to go to other villages to collect vegetables. It was not a waste of time. Since then, Zhaoer has developed a memory.


    When Zhao''er came home, Xue Gouzi on the kang was still sleeping soundly.


    She went to get some water to wash her face and wipe her hands before getting on the kang. The second room only had this kang, and she had slept with Xue Gouzi since she was a child, and she was used to it.


    Heizi slept under the kang, just now when he invited his son into the house, he slid in at his feet and chose a random place to lie down. It seems that the dog''s eyes have been closed, but in fact the two ears are standing up, and they move from time to time.


    Before Zhao''er lay down, she bullied herself over to look at the little man, and touched his forehead, before falling asleep in peace.


    *


    Compared with the second room because of the sparse population, there are only two rooms and one kang, the treatment of the first room is obviously much better. The entire three east rooms were occupied by the big room, and at this time in the east room, Mrs. Yang was talking to Xue Qingshan.


    Yang narrated what happened during the day, Xue Qingshan immediately frowned after listening.


    He was not at home during the day, so naturally he didn''t know what happened at home. Nowadays, some respectable families will invite scholars to preside over their weddings and funerals, but where rural families can afford to hire scholars, some will invite children to make up the number.


    No matter how they are all scholars, they are different from ordinary people.


    Today, Xue Qingshan was invited by a family in a nearby village to have a wedding. It doesn''t matter what the etiquette is.


    But the people in the countryside are poor, so the happy money will not be too much, at most a few tens of pennies.


    Xue Qingshan likes this kind of work the most. Every time at this time, he will randomly assign articles to memorize for the students in the school, and then go out for a whole day, and no one will say anything. What he likes is not only having money to take, but also when this time is his happiest time.


    He was sitting in the position of the guest of honor, and the men who came to have a wedding banquet were all proud to have a conversation with him.


    He is the master of Tongsheng!


    Of course, it would be even better if Tongsheng could be replaced by a scholar, Xue Qingshan would have dreamed of it. But for so many years, he has more or less self-knowledge, so he can''t help pinning his hopes on his son.


    It''s a pity that someone is blocking this way now.


    Xue Qingshan drank a lot of wine, his chubby face was flushed, and he was holding his breath in his heart, so he spit and scolded: "What kind of moth is this son of a bitch, I really want to open a dyeing workshop just to give him some color. !"


    Yang sighed faintly: "Who told you that you agreed to the second child so easily at the beginning, but now it''s hard to get off the tiger because of our talents."


    "In that situation back then, the second child seemed to be honest, and he wanted to accompany his elder brother when he was about to die. If I knew that he was paying attention that day, I would have found a way to shut him up, but so many people I was present, and the accident happened because of me, if I don''t even agree to this matter, how can I gain a foothold in front of others."


    Of course, Mrs. Yang knew this truth, but she couldn''t calm down. Just because of that bullshit promise, Da Fang kept her hands tied. Her son wanted to go to the library to study, but he had to hide and beg the other party to show his respect.


    She was always proud and arrogant, so naturally the more she thought about it, the more annoyed she became, her eyes sparkled, but she sneered on her face: "Because he fell ill suddenly, originally Dad planned to make decisions for us, so we can only endure it. But he has been sick for these days, and today he has such a scene, and my mother is already annoyed. I asked the fourth daughter-in-law to tell my mother that the dog is probably pretending to be sick. I think my mother has already decided that he is pretending. sick."


    Xue Qingshan''s eyes lit up: "That''s good, I''ll go talk to my parents tomorrow and let them put this matter into practice." He put his arms around Yang''s shoulders with a smile, and said: "My wife is smarter. , Prepared a backhand early."


    Yang gave him an angry look, and the two of them rested together, without speaking for a whole night.


    "Why do you say you are so stubborn! You say you are so stubborn, who are you showing your stubbornness to?!"


    "I know you don''t like me, but I''ve been like this for many years, and I can''t change it! I don''t plan to change it either!"


    "Look at Hong''er, does he look like you?"


    ...


    Xue Tingxiang suddenly felt that someone was shaking him, opened his tired eyes, and saw the dark inner room, Hu San''s face was no longer young, even the lines on the curtain were so familiar, he knew He was just dreaming.

 Chapter 156

    Generally speaking, Xue Tingxiang is happy to see the success of this matter.


    It is better to harm others than harm yourself.


    Only Wu Wanqiong, who still went to work in the flower shop every day, gave him some headaches. He hoped that this girl would retreat in the face of difficulties, instead of making a fuss, after all, he probably didn''t know the eldest girl of the Wu family.


    Seeing Shen Shi, Xue Tingxiang tidied up the duty room and planned to go down.


    When he walked to the entrance of the Hanlin Academy, he happened to meet a group of people, these newcomers who were in the same discipline as him.


    Surrounded in the middle was a very handsome young man, who was the center of this rumor, Tao Yitong. I saw that he was very energetic, and he seemed to be talking about something with the people around him.


    Seeing Xue Tingxiang walking out, these people immediately fell silent.


    Tao Yitong turned his back, seeing that the people around him were abnormal, so he turned around. Seeing Xue Tingxiang, he froze for a moment, then raised his chin and nodded: "Xue Xiuzhuan."


    "I met Xue Xiuzhuan."


    Everyone else saluted one after another, but Tao Yi remained the same. Xue Tingxiang took a look at Tao Yitong, then nodded, and walked past the group of people without saying anything.


    After he left, Tao Yi and Tongfang snorted disdainfully.


    There was a person who was trying to curry favor, and he came closer and said: "Brother Tao, why bother with this kind of people, don''t look at him with six yuan and a title of editor, but who doesn''t know that he is just a sitter?" It''s a cold bench. This cold bench will probably be sitting for a lifetime, how can it compare with Brother Tao."


    Tao Yitong''s young face was full of arrogance, he just smiled and said nothing.


    This "don''t say anything" was learned by Tao Yitong recently. In fact, he already knew this before, but given his family background, how could he be qualified to share it with others. But today is different from the past, and he is not the same as before.


    A wave of high spirits filled his chest, he looked around, and said loudly: "It''s better to hit the sun than to choose the day, how about I invite you all to drink?"


    "How can I ask Brother Tao to invite me, so naturally I am the one who invites Brother Tao."


    The group of Hanlin people left while talking.


    On the street not far from here, there was a carriage parked.


    In the carriage, Wu Wanqiong covered her face with a handkerchief and cried, and said to Amber who was sitting opposite her: "Amber, look, such a person who is so powerful and rampant, my father actually wants me to marry such a person .¡±


    Mrs. Wu Ge''s original partner, Mrs. Wu, died early. The current Mrs. Wu is a continuation, but she is quiet and cowardly, at least in front of Mr. Wu Ge and Wu Wanqiong. And Wu Wanqiong didn''t have any close female elders since she was a child, Wu Ge was always busy with affairs in the court, and many times Amber was like another elder of hers.


    So this time, Wu Wanqiong turned to Amber for help.


    Amber naturally watched the scene just now from the beginning to the end. Seeing this, he sighed and persuaded: "Girl, if you really don''t want to, just talk to the master, presumably the master will not say anything."


    "But my father..."


    "Girl, if it''s really hard for you to tell, the old slave told the master about it, the master will definitely not know that it''s a fire pit, and force the girl to jump into it. It''s because the master is impatient, girl, don''t blame the master."


    "How could I complain about my father? I know he''s doing it for my own good. But he really is!" Wu Wanqiong didn''t say the rest, but she could see the contempt on her face.


    "Miss Tao Yitong is still young, young people are bound to be arrogant, and it is only natural that they can''t hold back their anger once they are proud."


    "But why didn''t that person just now?" Wu Wanqiong said subconsciously in a moment of impatience.


    Amber paused for a moment: "Miss, are you talking about the young man from before?" His eyes became meaningful, and he looked at Wu Wanqiong and said: "Miss, how do you know this boy, do you know who he is?"


    Wu Wanqiong smiled covertly, and lowered her head to wipe her tears with a handkerchief: "How could I know this person, I just saw that he reacted like that when he clearly heard what those people said."


    "Is that so?"


    The meaning in Amber''s words was too obvious, Wu Wanqiong was stunned for a moment, and hurriedly said: "Amber, have you misunderstood, how could I know him..." After seeing Amber''s eyes, It finally died down.


    After a while, she asked in a low voice, "Amber, do you know something?"


    Amber sighed heavily: "Girl, do you know who he is?"


    Wu Wanqiong didn''t speak.


    "He is that Xue Tingxiang, the one who almost ruined the master''s face and ruined our Wu family''s reputation for the rest of his life. How could you be involved with this kind of person? If the master knows¡ª" Amber said The appearance was very distressed: "Girl, you are really confused."


    "Amber, did Yingge tell you something?"


    "Girl, do you still use Yingge to tell the old slave about this?"


    Yes, is there anything in the Wu Mansion that Amber doesn''t know about? Even if he didn''t know, as the chief manager of the Wu residence, he was also the confidant of Mr. Wu Ge. If he asked, Yingge and even Ah Wu wouldn''t dare to say nothing.


    Wu Wanqiong''s face became stiff: "Amber, did you tell my father about this?"


    Amber shook his head: "The master asked, but the slave didn''t say anything. Girl, you can''t continue to make mistakes."


    Wu Wanqiong''s face became even more rigid, and her mouth was tightly pursed. Although she didn''t say a word, the expressions on her face all showed the resistance deep in her heart.


    "Girl, you should know that this son has caused the master a lot of losses. He is definitely not a good match."


    "Even if it''s not a good match, it''s more than a thousand times better than that person!" After saying that, Wu Wanqiong realized what she said, but it was too late to take it back, so she could only continue to maintain a stubborn silence.


    Amber looked at her with some helplessness: "Girl, the old slave has already said what he should say, you should think about it for yourself. The old slave watched you grow up, how could he harm you. Not to mention this son and Wu Jianai It''s the enemy, he has a wife and son, girl, why don''t you make friends with others?"


    For the sake of this, Wu Wanqiong couldn''t keep silent, so she could only whisper: "Amber, I understand everything you said, don''t tell my father about this, I won''t continue."


    Amber glanced at her with some concern, but could only nod.


    *


    Xue Tingxiang returned home, changed into his official uniform as before, and went to the shop in front.


    Surprisingly, Wu Wanqiong was not here today.


    Could it be that he finally gave up?


    He asked nonchalantly and found out that Wu Wanqiong''s family had something to do, so he asked for a day''s leave.


    Zhao''er glanced at him and asked curiously, "You''ve been acting strange recently, why are you so interested in Wan Qiong?"


    Xue Tingxiang''s heart tightened, and he acted as if nothing had happened: "Is there?"


    Zhao''er nodded: "Of course, you have never been like this before, even when Yanran and Tao''er were still there, you never saw you asking so often. Could it be that¡ª" Zhao''er narrowed his eyes, and asked again. He stared wide-eyed and looked him up and down: "Could it be that you have any thoughts about Wan Qiong?"


    These words were just jokes, but after finishing speaking, not only Xue Tingshan felt uncomfortable, but even Zhao''er felt a little uncomfortable. Because of this, her eyes gradually became a little strange, and she couldn''t help but look at Xue Tingxiang again.


    Xue Tingxiang pulled her over: "Where did you go, I am this kind of person?"


    "Are you this kind of person? How do I know? You don''t often act in big dramas. After some people become officials and masters, they take concubines to beg concubines, and even touch the maids at home. The little widow who lives in this street. Wan Qiong is a widow, she is beautiful and virtuous, maybe you have taken a fancy to her."


    Xue Tingxiang was very speechless by Zhao''er''s words, and couldn''t help but said: "What kind of big dramas are you seeing here? Why do you play everything? I don''t remember hearing you say that you love watching theaters. Where did you watch big dramas?"


    "It''s not the kind of big plays performed by grass-roots theater troupes in the market or in the village. I often watched them when I was young."


    Xue Tingxiang knew that this kind of big dramas were all wild troupes who couldn''t get along in the city and could only set up stages and sing around to make a living. There are few people, and the costumes are simple and very vulgar. They are all about bullies oppressing women from good families, officials beating mandarin ducks with clubs and taking women from the common people, or some bitter scenes close to rural life.


    The beginning and the process must be miserable, but the ending must be that evil will be rewarded with evil, and good will be rewarded with good.


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t like to watch this kind of drama when he was very young, but he couldn''t help the majority of ordinary people at the bottom to like it. Especially the country people, men, women and children alike love to watch it. They know where there is a big show, and they can walk ten miles in groups to watch it.


    "You''ve watched too many big dramas!" Xue Tingxiang patted her butt resentfully, and Zhao''er quickly went to pinch his hand, and said that this was in the shop, not at home, so don''t mess around.


    After talking, Xue Tingxiang asked Zhao''er if he was jealous, but Zhao''er refused to admit it.


    The two of you come and go, and this topic naturally goes to the horizon. After the trouble was over, and seeing the sky outside, the two quickly tidied up and closed the shop door, but Zhao''er''s suspicion disappeared without a trace before it arose.


    Xue Tingxiang, on the other hand, had nothing to do to find trouble, and asked about it after a rest at night, and asked Zhao''er what she would do if one day she really begged for his concubine.


    Zhao''er replied straightforwardly: "It''s not easy. I''ll take Hong''er with me, and we two can live our own lives. As for you, just hug your little wife Mei and go."


    "Don''t even think about it." Xue Da Zhuangyuan, who had nothing to do to abuse him, could only calm down the embarrassment deep in his heart by pressing his wife under him angrily.


    *


    Not to mention this, Wu Wanqiong came to work the next day after a day off.


    Zhao''er treats her as before, but the previous things still exist, so he can''t help but pay attention to her.


    Women are always good at finding imaginary enemies for themselves. Zhao''er compares herself with Wu Wanqiong, compares them with the past, and finds that she is really inferior to others except that she can make money.


    For this reason, Zhao''er, who has never been negligent in dressing himself up, finally began to face up to this matter.


    It''s a pity that it was only three days of excitement, and soon she left it behind.


    One day, Zhao''er was eating a handful of melon seeds while gossiping with Wu Wanqiong.


    Just talking about what Xue Tingxiang told her before, the incident circulated by the Imperial Academy.


    "Tell me about this, isn''t it unusual? It''s because we weren''t born rich enough. If we have enough status, we can be like that girl from the Wu family and pick any man in the world."


    She didn''t notice Wu Wanqiong''s strange expression, and continued without winking: "Fortunately, Miss Wu is not interested in Hong''er''s father, otherwise I would have made a decision to quarrel with him."


    "Then what if the girl from the Wu family takes a fancy to Hong''er''s father? Zhao''er, what will you do?"


    Zhao''er looked at her with a broken smile: "Wan Qiong, don''t you take it seriously? I''m just kidding. The Wu family girl is such a precious old girl, can she take a fancy to our Hong''er''s father? Although Hong''er''s father is young He''s not that old, but he''s the child''s father and his wife, and the girls of the Wu family will only look at Hong''er''s father if their heads are caught by the door."


    "There is always a contingency in everything."


    Zhao''er blinked: "What if Miss Wu''s head is caught by the door?"


    Wu Wanqiong took a deep breath, and said with a forced smile, "In case it''s fancy."


    "Then she is shameless."


    "Ah!" Wu Wanqiong was not prepared for Zhao''er''s curse.


    Seeing her frightened look, Zhao''er smiled a little embarrassedly: "If this matter is left in our country, it would be shameless. Anyone who knows about it will have to pooh her, call her shameless, and steal other people''s men , how radiant your face is!"


    Wu Wanqiong couldn''t sit still anymore, stood up hastily, and said to Zhao''er: "Zhao''er, please look at the store for a while, I''ll go to Gongfang."


    "you go."


    When Wu Wanqiong''s figure was hidden behind the door, a thoughtful look flashed in Zhao''er''s eyes.

 Chapter 157

    After sending the doctor away, grandmother Zhao slapped her face on the spot.


    She looked like she was in her fifties, with her gray hair neatly pulled back behind her head. She has a long face, her eyelids are slightly sunken, and when she pulls her face, her eyes become triangular.


    Without Mrs. Zhao''s words, Mrs. Sun said: "Zhao''er, it''s not my aunt talking about you, you girl likes to make a fuss. Could it be that you deliberately torment us all, even if you don''t like it..."


    Before she finished speaking, she was pulled by the man Xue Qinghuai.


    "Okay, let''s say a few words, Zhao''er is not ignorant, besides, the dog is already sick, so it''s better to find a doctor to take a look, so the family can rest assured."


    "I said less and said less, and I didn''t say anything..."


    "You also said..."


    The couple went out while chatting and tugging. The eldest aunt Yang smiled at Zhao''er before saying to the mother-in-law: "Mother, let''s go too, let the dog have a good rest."


    Mrs. Zhao glanced at the dog on the kang, snorted coldly, turned her head and left. Just from her posture, it can be seen that she is very angry.


    In fact, it is true. The Xue family can''t be called a rich family. It costs at least one or two hundred dollars to invite a doctor from the town. ! In particular, the doctor''s pulse just now confirmed Zhao''s guess that Xue Gouzi was deliberately pretending to be ill, and it was only strange that she was happy.


    Let Mrs. Zhao see that the two little boys in the second room are deliberately torturing the family, but since the eldest daughter-in-law has come forward to persuade her, Mrs. Zhao will naturally not say more.


    Generally speaking, among the three daughters-in-law of the Xue family, Yang is the one who wins Zhao''s heart the most. The eldest has an unusual status, and Zhao is willing to show the eldest daughter-in-law some face.


    After Mrs. Zhao and Mrs. Yang left, only the third uncle Xue Qingbai and the third aunt Zhou were left in the house. The two were not used to talking much, and they didn''t stay long, Zhao''er thought that the third uncle had worked hard just now, so he sent the two of them out with a smile.


    When he turned his head and came back, he saw Xue Gouzi lying on the kang with his eyes open, his eyes staring blankly, as if he had lost his mind.


    She didn''t think much about it, she came to the side of the kang and patted his head: "Dog, don''t think too much, they don''t believe that you are sick and have a headache, sister believes you. Take care of your illness and don''t think about it anymore. "


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her, his mouth was dry and his throat was tight: "Zhaoer..."


    "What''s wrong? Is there something uncomfortable?"


    Feeling these undelicate but very warm hands touching his head and face, Xue Gouzi had a sense of reality and gratitude that he had never had before.


    She wasn''t dead, and neither was he.


    Although he didn''t like some of her daily actions, and even hated her as his child bride-in-law, but he never thought of letting her die, so how could he be the one who killed his wife and son.


    But Xue Gouzi was still very flustered, because that dream was too real. After going through that dream for more than seventy years, it seemed that he had also experienced that life. But after waking up from the dream, the vicissitudes of life have changed, and he dare not look back.


    "Zhaoer..."


    "Why!"


    "Zhaoer..."


    "Um."


    "Zhaoer..."


    A hot stream suddenly flowed out unconsciously from the dry eye sockets.


    This scared Zhao''er quite a bit, and he didn''t care to think that the little man would never call her that, let alone let himself get close to him. He hugged his head into his arms and asked him anxiously up.


    Seeing that he didn''t speak, but just buried himself in his arms and cried, Zhao''er couldn''t help but wonder if those people made him think too much just now. According to Zhao''er, the little man has a lot of things on his mind, and he never speaks out, otherwise he wouldn''t have this serious illness.


    She patted him on the back, hugged him like she did when she was a child, and comforted him: "Don''t be afraid, dog, even if they don''t send you to study, sister will send you there, and sister will send you even if she sells everything." go."


    *


    After all, Xue Gouzi had just recovered from a serious illness, and after experiencing such an incident, he fell asleep after drinking some porridge for dinner.


    Zhao''er covered him with a quilt before tidying up the basket she had just brought back.


    The back basket is full of needlework and cloth, which are rags that Zhao''er bought in the embroidery workshop in the town. The reason why I started this business was because I used to recruit children to carry the finished purses for the women in the village to sell in the embroidery workshop.


    There is no adult in the second room. Although the family is in charge of eating, after all, the pen, ink, paper and inkstone used by Xue Gouzi to study, as well as the clothes, bedding and some odds and ends of the two people on weekdays, etc., all need money.


    Wanting to ask for money from Mrs. Zhao is more expensive than ascending to the sky, and although the uncle Xue Qingshan is determined to treat his nephew as if he were his own, but Zhao''er usually only sees the big family''s child with greasy lips, and Xue Juncai never Lack of pens, ink, paper and inkstones. In contrast, the little man was as thin as a bamboo pole, and he picked up a bald pen that Xue Qingshan didn''t use back then.


    Zhao''er has always been a strong one, she couldn''t bear to wrong the little man, so she could only find money everywhere by herself. There was no opportunity to make money in the countryside, so she went to the town to look around, as long as it was within her power and did not require capital, she would try to do it.


    In the past few years, she has collected vegetables from the village and sold them in the town, picked up work from the embroidery workshop and assigned them to women with good craftsmanship in the village, and usually went to the mountains to find mountain products to sell.


    And now this business has been done several times, Zhao''er has a sweet mouth and a thick face, the boss of the embroidery workshop can''t hold her back, so he sells the unwanted rags to her in bags. She took it back, sorted and cut it, and then asked the women in the village to help make purses and other things, and she could earn a lot of money by reselling them in the embroidery workshop. It is much better than before just receiving the purses made by others, and earning a penny for a few purses.


    If he hadn''t made some money by doing this business, he didn''t know when Xue Gouzi would recover from his serious illness. Mrs. Zhao would have given up the money to get the medicine for a long time ago, and Zhao''er used his own money to catch the medicines later. I still have to hide it, for fear that other members of the Xue family will find out.


    Thinking of this, the corners of Zhao''er''s mouth tightened.


    She has always been agile in her hands and feet, and seeing that she picked out some usable cloth heads, she stopped tossing about. I chose clean ones and spread them out on a square table, and cut these strangely shaped cloth heads into a uniform shape with scissors.


    This is Zhao''er''s own calculation based on how much fabric is needed to make a purse, no more and no less, she will not take out these rags for people to see.


    It is not easy for country people to earn a penny. If someone finds out, the designated way to earn money will be robbed within a few days.


    Zhao''er also wants to use this to make money for the little man to go to the town to study, so that she can only go to see Xue Jun, and her little man can also go. Zhao''er has always been prepared with both hands when doing things, and she knows in her heart that the big house will never let such a good thing happen to the little man.


    It is better to ask for others than to ask for yourself, and it is better to rely on yourself than to rely on mountains and rivers.


    Zhao''er has understood this truth since she was seven years old when she was going to be exchanged for money by her grandmother and father.


    After Zhao''er finished what she was doing, seeing the little man was fast asleep, and seeing that it was already dark outside, she wrapped the tidy cloth in something, and hurried out with it.


    Under the night, Yuqing Village was exceptionally peaceful, and the light silver moonlight shone on the trails in the village. Although the road was still unclear, it was not completely dark after all.


    Zhao''er walked all the way and didn''t even startle a dog.


    This is not an ability that ordinary people can have. You must know that in places like the countryside, almost every household has a dog. Dogs are very alert at night, and whenever someone walks past the door, they bark wildly. Even if a petty thief came to the door, he would have been scared away by the dog long ago.


    Zhao''er also developed this ability after walking a lot at night.


    Of course, it was also related to the sunspot following her legs.


    Heizi is a country dog, but it is stronger and bigger than ordinary dogs. There are not many dogs in Yuqing Village that can beat Heizi, and it is because of Heizi that Zhao''er dares to walk alone at night.


    She went all the way to a family''s house with ease, and it was strange that the other party knew that she would come at this time and left the door open for her. As soon as she entered the door, the family''s dog rushed over. Before she could reach her, a black shadow rushed over and threw the other person to the ground. The dog was so frightened that it fell on the ground and stopped barking.


    Zhao''er gloated at the side: "I don''t have a long memory!"


    At this time, a person came out of the house, and he smiled as he walked up to the front: "This black man is here to bully our family Wangcai again, Zhao''er, come in and sit down."


    "Aunt Osmanthus, I won''t go in, I''m still rushing back."


    Zhao''er handed over the things in his hands to the visitor, took some things from the other person, wrapped them in cloth, and then went to the next household.


    Zhao''er went to five families.


    She is anxious to make money, but there are few women in the village who are good at needlework, and she needs to find someone who is tight-lipped and reliable. shit money.


    The reason why she said that was because when she collected vegetables from the village and sold them in the town, she was publicized by people who didn''t know the door, causing her to be pointed at all day long. She was not afraid of being pointed out, but these things finally reached the ears of the little man, and some villagers made fun of him, which caused a lot of conflicts between her and the little man. And after that, she won''t receive any vegetables in the village, even if someone sells them to her, it will be at a high price.


    In the end, she had no choice but to go to other villages to collect vegetables. It was not a waste of time. Since then, Zhaoer has developed a memory.


    When Zhao''er came home, Xue Gouzi on the kang was still sleeping soundly.


    She went to get some water to wash her face and wipe her hands before getting on the kang. The second room only had this kang, and she had slept with Xue Gouzi since she was a child, and she was used to it.


    Heizi slept under the kang, just now when he invited his son into the house, he slid in at his feet and chose a random place to lie down. It seems that the dog''s eyes have been closed, but in fact the two ears are standing up, and they move from time to time.


    Before Zhao''er lay down, she bullied herself over to look at the little man, and touched his forehead, before falling asleep in peace.


    *


    Compared with the second room because of the sparse population, there are only two rooms and one kang, the treatment of the first room is obviously much better. The entire three east rooms were occupied by the big room, and at this time in the east room, Mrs. Yang was talking to Xue Qingshan.


    Yang narrated what happened during the day, Xue Qingshan immediately frowned after listening.


    He was not at home during the day, so naturally he didn''t know what happened at home. Nowadays, some respectable families will invite scholars to preside over their weddings and funerals, but where rural families can afford to hire scholars, some will invite children to make up the number.


    No matter how they are all scholars, they are different from ordinary people.


    Today, Xue Qingshan was invited by a family in a nearby village to have a wedding. It doesn''t matter what the etiquette is.


    But the people in the countryside are poor, so the happy money will not be too much, at most a few tens of pennies.


    Xue Qingshan likes this kind of work the most. Every time at this time, he will randomly assign articles to memorize for the students in the school, and then go out for a whole day, and no one will say anything. What he likes is not only having money to take, but also when this time is his happiest time.


    He was sitting in the position of the guest of honor, and the men who came to have a wedding banquet were all proud to have a conversation with him.


    He is the master of Tongsheng!


    Of course, it would be even better if Tongsheng could be replaced by a scholar, Xue Qingshan would have dreamed of it. But for so many years, he has more or less self-knowledge, so he can''t help pinning his hopes on his son.


    It''s a pity that someone is blocking this way now.


    Xue Qingshan drank a lot of wine, his chubby face was flushed, and he was holding his breath in his heart, so he spit and scolded: "What kind of moth is this son of a bitch, I really want to open a dyeing workshop just to give him some color. !"


    Yang sighed faintly: "Who told you that you agreed to the second child so easily at the beginning, but now it''s hard to get off the tiger because of our talents."


    "In that situation back then, the second child seemed to be honest, and he wanted to accompany his elder brother when he was about to die. If I knew that he was paying attention that day, I would have found a way to shut him up, but so many people I was present, and the accident happened because of me, if I don''t even agree to this matter, how can I gain a foothold in front of others."


    Of course, Mrs. Yang knew this truth, but she couldn''t calm down. Just because of that bullshit promise, Da Fang kept her hands tied. Her son wanted to go to the library to study, but he had to hide and beg the other party to show his respect.


    She was always proud and arrogant, so naturally the more she thought about it, the more annoyed she became, her eyes sparkled, but she sneered on her face: "Because he fell ill suddenly, originally Dad planned to make decisions for us, so we can only endure it. But he has been sick for these days, and today he has such a scene, and my mother is already annoyed. I asked the fourth daughter-in-law to tell my mother that the dog is probably pretending to be sick. I think my mother has already decided that he is pretending. sick."


    Xue Qingshan''s eyes lit up: "That''s good, I''ll go talk to my parents tomorrow and let them put this matter into practice." He put his arms around Yang''s shoulders with a smile, and said: "My wife is smarter. , Prepared a backhand early."


    Yang gave him an angry look, and the two of them rested together, without speaking for a whole night.


    Zhao''er was not annoyed, but said aggrievedly: "Then how can the eldest aunt stay, she is not a woman? Besides, the dog can''t talk, I don''t look at it, I am afraid that what he said will anger me Lord."


    In fact, her subtext was just to say that she was afraid that others would bully Xue Tingxiang, and no one present could hear it.


    Mr. Xue stared at her. Now he really doubts that all this was made by this girl. He knew that Gou''er child was a bored gourd, why didn''t he go to the grave early and complained that he would not go later, but why did he go at this time.


    Thinking of all the disobedient things this girl did in the past, Mr. Xue felt disgusted in his heart. But he also knew that now was not the time to vent his anger, but to settle the matter.


    "Since you want to listen, then listen." The tone was the same as before, but anyone could hear the dissatisfaction in his voice.


    Zhao''er couldn''t hear it, so he stood aside.


    Seeing this, Mrs. Sun hurriedly dragged Xue Qinghuai to stay.


    "Since Zhao''er has stayed, let''s stay and listen too." She laughed along with her.


    Mr. Xue was immediately furious: "Since you want to listen, stay and listen."


    So everyone stayed, including the four-year-old Mao Dan, and even Mrs. Zhou, who was busy in the kitchen, stayed behind under the guise of cleaning the table.


    In the huge main room, only an oil lamp was lit on the square table. The wick was jumping and shadowy, and everyone''s eyes were on Mr. Xue. But he suddenly didn''t know where to start. He looked around everyone''s faces with heavy eyes, and finally fell on Xue Tingxiang''s face.


    "Actually, it''s nothing. I just want to talk about what the boss said a while ago that he wants to send the child to the school in the town."


    Zhao''er was inexplicably nervous, and couldn''t help but glance at Xue Tingxiang, and then went to see Mr. Xue.

 Chapter 158

    Zhao''er was familiar with the boss, and greeted her with a smile as soon as she entered the door. The strange thing was that the boss recognized her, and when he saw her, he smiled and asked her if she came to buy paper for her brother.


    Bringing this up is old stuff.


    At the beginning, Zhao''er felt sorry for Xue Tingxiang, so she saved some money to buy paper for him to practice calligraphy. Who would have thought that this paper was much more expensive than she imagined. Even the worst yellow bamboo paper costs 40 Wen a knife, but that day Zhaoer collected all the money on his body, but only 30 Wen.


    In order to get the boss to sell the paper to her at a lower price, Zhao''er worked with the boss for a long time. He even made up the pretense that he had a hard-working younger brother. Later, she came to buy it a few times, all at the previous price, but she became acquainted with Boss Chen.


    Boss Chen praised her for her noble character, earning hard money, but still supporting her younger brother''s education. Usually, when she comes to buy paper, she almost always buys half and gives half away.


    Normally, Zhao''er would accept this kind of talk with a cheeky face, but today with Xue Tingxiang here, she was inevitably a little embarrassed, for fear that Boss Chen would slip up and make the little man look down on her for lying.


    Zhao''er has suffered, so she knows the skills of survival, but the little man doesn''t, especially the scholar is very pedantic, so every time she encounters such a situation where the two people''s ideas conflict, she will always subconsciously go away. Avoid these.


    Within a day, two people said that they were his younger brothers, which made Xue Tingxiang very unhappy. Naturally, he didn''t notice Zhao''er''s hidden thoughts. When he came back to his senses, Zhao''er had already talked with the boss, and even showed him the copy of "Hundred Surnames" that he had copied overnight.


    "This is your brother? He looks handsome, but a little thinner." Boss Chen is a middle-aged man in his forties, with a goatee and elegant body. Wearing a scholar''s shirt, he doesn''t look like a business boss, but a scholar.


    "He was sick for a while a while ago, and he got better recently."


    "No wonder I haven''t seen you here for a long time." While talking, Boss Chen took the manuscript that Zhao''er handed over, whether it was bound or paper quality, it was very poor.


    He knew in his heart that this kind of peasant boy could not write very good characters, but he admired this young man named Zhao''er, so he planned not to criticize too much even if he really did not do well, just say some mild words and refuse it. up.


    If the level is not bad and the words can still be read, it is not impossible to give him some casual work, just as a help.


    But when Boss Chen saw the writing on the yellow bamboo paper, he was still taken aback.


    "He wrote this word?" Boss Chen looked at Xue Tingxiang in surprise, and went to flip through the manuscript in his hand.


    His expression was so weird that Zhao''er had a bad feeling in his heart. She couldn''t help wondering if the little man''s handwriting was not good, after all, no one had ever praised the little man''s handwriting, even Xue Qingshan said that his handwriting was like a spring worm and autumn snake.


    Although Zhao''er doesn''t know what spring worms and autumn snakes are, she understands the sad look on the little man''s face, and she knows it means poor writing.


    But she didn''t think it was the little man''s fault. He even had to pick and use the paper that could practice calligraphy. Can he write well? It was that time that she lost her temper, collected vegetables and sold them in the town, and saved a sum of money to buy Xue Tingxiang''s first piece of paper in her life.


    It was a whole knife, not a few pieces given as a charity from Xue Qingshan or Xue Juncai.


    Zhao''er''s head felt cold for a while, and she couldn''t help wondering if she was too blind to the little man at ordinary times, or if she flattered her too much. She was not afraid of anything else, but she was afraid that if Boss Chen said something unpleasant later, the little man would not be able to stand the blow.


    Thinking of this, she hurriedly turned her back and made a gesture to Boss Chen, leading him aside, then said to him in a low voice: "Uncle Chen, if my younger brother''s handwriting is really bad, can you..."


    "Can you do something?" Immediately, Boss Chen understood and said with a smile: "You kid too, even if you have a heart of love and affection, you should not deceive him, but point out his shortcomings, so that he will to make progress.¡±


    His voice was a bit loud, Xue Tingxiang over there must have heard it, Zhao''er blushed, but Na Na didn''t know what to say.


    Boss Chen said again: "But your brother''s handwriting is really good, he must be a famous teacher."


    He walked up to Xue Tingxiang in a few steps, and saluted with cupped fists: "I don''t know who my little friend is your teacher?" He said hesitantly in his eyes, because the poor boy in front of him, who was dressed in coarse cloth and short brown, really didn''t seem to be able to learn from anyone. Famous teachers.


    Just his words...


    Since Boss Chen runs a book shop, he is either a hobby or a ancestral business. In fact, Boss Chen has both, which can be regarded as the origin of family education. He also passed the exam several times when he was young, but he stopped at being a scholar. However, he was not interested in being an official, so he turned around and took care of his ancestral business. It is also a great thing in life to meet a few literary friends, play chess, drink tea, taste calligraphy and painting together.


    From his point of view, although this son''s handwriting is immature, he already has a strong character.


    We must know that the shape is easy to get, but the spirit is hard to find. Master Yan and Master Liu have always been collectively called "Yan Jin Liu Gu", which is enough to show the characteristics of Yan body. However, Xue Tingxiang''s calligraphy has already possessed its fundamentals. As long as it does not go astray, in time, he will definitely be a great calligrapher of a generation.


    How did he know that Xue Tingxiang deliberately hid the edge of his pen in order to hide himself, and it took most of the night to finish copying the book that could have been copied in half an hour at most. Otherwise, if the word is taken out, Boss Chen will definitely think it is someone''s calligraphy.


    Just when Boss Chen was thinking about it, Xue Tingxiang had already answered: "I don''t have a teacher."


    "Just copying?"


    "I''ve been to "Yan Qinli Monument" before."


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t lie, he did only copy "Yan Qinli Monument", this set of copybooks is Xue Qingshan''s favorite treasure, and he never let people touch it. And the reason why he was lucky enough to see and touch it once was that Xue Jun, who was still young at that time, was shown off in front of him.


    Because of this incident, he was extremely impressed with "Yan Qinli Monument", and even became obsessed with it. Later, after some money at home, Zhao''er bought a set with him, and the first font he learned was Yanti.


    "Just came across "Yan Qin Li Monument"?"


    Xue Tingxiang nodded.


    Boss Chen''s eyes became brighter, and he sighed after a long time: "Perhaps you have a talent in this field that is difficult for others to surpass. I hope you practice hard and don''t slack off. That''s all, let''s talk about business. Your handwriting is very good. In my opinion It''s passed here."


    He walked inside the counter, took a book and handed it to Xue Tingxiang.


    "I have a copy of "University Chapters and Sentences" here. You can take it back and try it out. I will provide the pen and ink. After copying, if the finished product is not inferior to the standard of this book, I will pay you a tael of silver."


    "One tael of silver? Uncle Chen, isn''t that too much?" Zhao''er asked in surprise.


    Uncle Chen laughed: "Do you know how many characters are in this book? And do you know how much money I will resell this book for?"


    After finishing speaking, he continued to say to Xue Tingxiang: "It is reasonable to say that it is to be copied in my book shop. If you take the book back and copy it, you need to pay some pledged money or things. I know your brother well, so forget it." Well, how long do you think it will take to finish copying?"


    Xue Tingxiang hesitated for a moment, and said: "Since Boss Chen has rules here, how about the boy copying here? I just hope that Boss Chen will be more flexible. Can you let the boy read a few books here in his spare time?"


    Boss Chen was taken aback for a moment, and then he understood. He took a deep look at this thin but neither humble nor overbearing boy.


    "Can!"


    "Then thank you Boss Chen first, don''t worry, the boy will definitely not damage the books here."


    Zhao''er kept silent until the end of the conversation, and then pulled Xue Tingxiang aside to speak.


    "Do you really want to copy books here? It would be nice to take it home. If you are afraid that Boss Chen won''t allow it, I still have some money to pledge."


    "You don''t think this is a good place."


    Xue Tingxiang looked back at the room full of books, he himself had only read a limited number of books, and in the memory of ''Xue Tingxiang'', many memories about this aspect were blurred.


    But life is his, and he wants to move forward step by step. It doesn''t mean that he has a dream, and he will definitely be the chief assistant in the future, and he will definitely be able to pass the Jinshi examination. After all, even Xue Tingxiang in the dream had to put in a lot of hard work and go through many detours before he could reach the first rank of official residence step by step.


    Of course Zhao''er understood what he meant, but she was very worried about suddenly leaving the little man outside alone. She was thinking about finding an excuse to stay here with him, but Boss Chen said from the side: "Okay, you don''t have to worry about your brother, can you lose it with me? You don''t have to sell vegetables to work today? Hurry up. "


    In the eyes of Boss Chen, Zhao''er is a hard-working brother who supports his younger brother by selling vegetables in the town.


    "Uncle Chen, I''m leaving now."


    She hurriedly took out a dozen or so copper coins from her pocket and handed them to Xue Tingxiang: "I should come to find you for lunch at noon, if not, you can buy it yourself, right here..."


    "Copy books here, and you can have a light meal at noon." Boss Chen interrupted again.


    Zhao''er was still rambling: "You still have the money, you can buy whatever you want, and I will pick you up in the afternoon."


    "You''d better pick up your work and finish it first, don''t worry your brother won''t lose it."


    This Uncle Chen!


    Zhao''er couldn''t go on talking anymore, and ran out of the bookstore almost in despair.


    After the person had left, Boss Chen teased with a smile: "Your brother treats you very well."


    Xue Tingxiang smirked, "It''s pretty good, like a little hen who doesn''t care about her chicks. For some reason, he actually thought of this sentence.


    After that, under the guidance of the shop assistant, he went to a room behind the shop.


    The layout of this room is simple, but it is elegant. It can be seen that Boss Chen is an elegant person. The best thing about this house is that there is a large window facing the outside yard, and there is a set of tables and chairs, which is completely different from Xue Tingxiang''s imagination of being hidden in a dark room without light.


    The clerk even brought a basin of water for him to wash his hands, prepared pens, ink, paper and inkstone, etc., and said he could call him if he had anything to do, so he went down.


    Xue Tingxiang came to the water basin, dipped his hands in the water, rubbed them gently a few times, and wiped them dry with a cloth towel beside him, before going to the desk and sitting down.


    He grinds the ink first. Grinding ink can well adjust people''s emotions and achieve a ''quiet'' state.


    After the ink was polished, his mind was empty at this moment. He rolled up his sleeves to write, and his hands were empty, only to realize that he was wearing a short brown at this time, where there were no sleeves, so naturally he was not afraid of staining the sleeves.


    All this was just for a moment, he didn''t care about it, and wrote quietly.


    But Boss Chen, who was standing outside the door, was a little skeptical, and couldn''t help but wonder if this son was from a famous family, but it''s a pity that his family has fallen, rather than a poor kid. His words and deeds, and even his demeanor, don''t look like those from a poor family at all.


    After thinking for a while, but unable to figure out why, Boss Chen shook his head and went back to the front.


    The next words were interrupted by Xue Gouzi again.


    He showed a shy smile, as if he breathed a sigh of relief: "It''s not that uncle asked you to come. Auntie, you almost scared me to death. I thought that uncle only loves brother Juncai and not me. Obviously uncle said the best It hurts me."

 Chapter 159

    She rolled over and over again.


    "You do not sleep?"


    It is reasonable to say that they would not rest so early, but today both of them have been busy all day, so they turned off the lights after recruiting children to go to the kang. But with the moon outside, you can still see clearly in the room.


    Zhao''er sat up halfway, and moved to Xue Tingxiang''s side.


    "Dog, tell me what you meant when you scolded that old killer just now?"


    Zhao''er knows how to swear, and has sweared before, but he has never seen such a method of swearing. Yang Zhong was furious when he just sweared, and Xue''s family didn''t even know how to persuade him. From Zhao''er''s point of view, isn''t this the culmination of swearing, can you swear without uttering dirty words?


    She wants to learn this method, it will come in handy sometime.


    Xue Tingxiang turned over and gave her a backbone.


    Zhao''er poked his shoulder with her finger: "What''s wrong? Why are you angry again?"


    He didn''t move, and she moved closer.


    The two of them were only separated by one person, and they wore thin clothes when they slept. Zhao''er leaned over, and even though Xue Tingshan had his back on his back, he could feel a wave of hot air rushing towards him, mixed with a wisp of faint fragrance.


    There was a strange softness slightly attached to his shoulders, Xue Tingshan stiffened his back, and heard her say on top of his head: "Don''t take that old killer''s words to heart, it''s not that I said uncle and aunt are too narrow-minded." It¡¯s too much, to make such a fuss, do you really think that Grandpa will regret it? Even if the family doesn¡¯t say anything, there are still so many people watching outside, so don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll go to the school to make a decision.¡±


    She was very close to him, and the heat of her words sprayed on the tips of his ears, making him shiver again and again. At the same time, a hot numbness rushed from the tips of his ears to his neck, causing waves of unconscious trembling.


    His breathing was a little tight, and he couldn''t help turning over.


    Zhao''er was still talking, and she didn''t expect that he would turn over suddenly, and his face just crashed into her arms.


    Xue Tingxiang''s brain went blank for a moment, and he subconsciously fell backwards. It is obvious that it is about to leave at the touch of a touch, but it clearly feels a suffocating softness, and there is something faintly raised.


    He recalled some situations in the dream, and he only felt his nose was hot, as if something flowed out.


    "Are you alright?" Zhao''er heard a thud, saw him motionless, thought that something was wrong with him being bumped, hurriedly leaned over to look at his face.


    "Why are you panicking! Really. Come on, let me rub it for you."


    He covered his nose with one hand and pushed her with the other: "I''m fine, it doesn''t hurt." He quickly turned over and said falteringly: "It''s getting late, go to sleep."


    "You haven''t told me what you mean by that!"


    "It doesn''t mean anything, just let him take a pee and take a picture of himself!"


    "Ah?!" Zhao''er was stunned, and said after a while, "So that''s what he meant, then you just let him take a pee and take a picture of yourself, and you said so much."


    Seeing that he didn''t answer himself, Zhao''er sat for a while and then lay down.


    "Okay, go to bed now, I won''t disturb you anymore."


    *


    Yang Zhong stayed at Xue''s house for one night and left the next day.


    Because it was rushing to the busy farming season, the Xue family resumed their usual work, and no one mentioned the previous incident, as if nothing happened that night.


    Everything is so busy yet full of peace.


    On this day, Xue Tingxiang and Zhao''er went to town early in the morning.


    Different from the past, today Xue Tingxiang wore new clothes.


    The clothes were brought out overnight by Zhao''er, because Boss Chen said that he would take Xue Tingxiang to Qingyuan Academy. This trip is very meaningful, so naturally it can''t be as casual as before.


    The gray-blue cotton gown was made by Zhao''er after imitating those school shirts in the town. Although the style is simple, it looks extraordinarily straight and docile after being washed with starch. Although Xue Tingxiang is thin and thin, his shoulders are flat and his back is straight. Wearing this student shirt, he has a particularly graceful temperament.


    When they arrived at the place, Boss Chen took Xue Tingxiang out, while Zhao''er stayed at Dongliju.


    The two of them went all the way to the east of the town, the more secluded they became as they went outside, and after walking for almost a cup of tea, they saw a building with white walls and black tiles standing at the end of their line of sight.


    Seeing Xue Tingxiang''s gaze resting on the building, Boss Chen said: "That is the Qinghe Academy." After a pause, he raised his hand and pointed to a building not far behind the Qinghe Academy: "That is the Qinghe Academy. Academy."


    The two walked forward and passed Qinghe Academy, and saw that this academy was really extraordinary. The whole building exudes a magnificent temperament, the gate tower stands majestically, with a few golden characters "Qinghe Academy" written on the door plaque, and the two black-painted gates are closed tightly, with a look of repelling people thousands of miles away. momentum.


    "It''s too late for you to regret it now." Boss Chen said.


    Following the sound of talking, the two of them crossed the Qinghe Academy, only to see the obviously much dilapidated small courtyard not far away.


    The small courtyard is rigorous and simple, with clear water and white walls, and gray and black tiles. Even the door plaque is much smaller than that of the Qinghe Academy, with a few simple big-character books on it¡ª¡ª


    Qingyuan Academy.


    Obviously, no matter where you look at it, it is not as good as the Qinghe Academy, but standing under the square door plaque and looking at the words on it, Xue Tingxiang felt a peaceful and peaceful atmosphere.


    "Since the kid is here, I don''t intend to regret it."


    Boss Chen glanced at him appreciatively, and went to call the door.


    Not long after, an elderly Zhaifu opened the door from the inside.


    He seemed to know Boss Chen, and he led the two of them in without asking too much.


    This school may not seem big, but it is actually small but well-equipped. It is the same as a general school. After passing the screen wall, there is a lecture hall on the central axis. There are two houses on the left and right sides. The temple on the left is built to worship the saint Confucius, and the house on the right is the place where the gentleman sits and rests and collects books.


    After the lecture hall, there must be a shooting garden, a hall, a kitchen, etc. Xue Tingxiang knew the layout without looking. Because in his dream, he studied in Qinghe Academy for several years, but Qinghe Academy is much more spacious and grand than Qingyuan Academy.


    Boss Chen led Xue Tingxiang to the right side of the house with ease, and when he reached a wing room, he straightened his clothes and sleeves, and then brought Xue Tingxiang in.


    This wing room is furnished in a simple and elegant way, and there is a large painting on the central hall facing it, on which are written the words ''peace and distance''. Standing in front of the words was a thin middle-aged man, wearing a dark blue scribe shirt and a square scarf.


    When he heard the movement, he turned around, and saw that he had long eyebrows, a thin face, and a few strands of beard. Judging from his appearance, he is a very serious and rigid person, but his eyes are calm and deep, obviously a person of great wisdom.


    This person is Lin Miao, the owner of Qingyuan Academy.


    "Brother Anqi, I''m here to bother you again." Boss Chen cupped his hands with a smile.


    "The good brother of Mo."


    Lin Miao smiled, obviously he had a good relationship with Boss Chen. After the two exchanged pleasantries, Boss Chen pointed to Xue Tingxiang and said, "This is the young man I told you about."


    Lin Miao looked over.


    Obviously Xue Tingxiang has extensive knowledge, and he has never seen any kind of person in that dream, even the Ninth Five-Year Master, he has seen several, but there is an inexplicable sense of awe.


    "Boy Xue Tingxiang, I have met you." He clasped his hands together and bowed in salute.


    Lin Miao nodded: "Since you''re here, stay here. The school will open in ten days, so you can just come here when it''s time."


    "Mr. Xie."


    Boss Chen glanced at Lin Miao, as if he wanted to say something, seeing this, Xue Tingxiang tactfully said that he was going out for a walk, so he avoided going out.


    After Xue Tingxiang went out, Boss Chen said: "Brother An Qi, don''t you believe in the eyes of a younger brother? I have observed these days, and this son has a calm mind, is diligent and hardworking, and is quite talented in reading. He only needs one A good teacher, if there is a good teacher to guide, I think the future will be limitless in the future."


    The reason why Boss Chen said that was because Lin Miao''s performance was too plain. He originally thought that Lin Miao loves calligraphy, and after reading Xue Tingxiang''s calligraphy, and his lobbying, he should accept him as a student no matter what.


    This student is different from the students in the academy, and can be regarded as a student entering the room. As the saying goes, a teacher for a day is a father for life. A young child has more than one teacher from the beginning of school until he passes the exam/fame.


    When you start learning, you are called a teacher, that is, a teacher of enlightenment. The karma teacher is the teacher who teaches the karma, also known as the scripture teacher. Those who teach their work must pass on their scriptures, and those who pass on their scriptures must educate their people, so a teacher is extremely important to a student. There are also human teachers and seat teachers, which will not be mentioned here.


    As for what Boss Chen said about "accepting students", the teacher is more like a combination of a professional teacher and a human teacher to students. He not only needs to teach them, but also teaches them the principles of life, which is different from treating ordinary students. The teacher has to cultivate it carefully, and it can be regarded as inheriting his mantle.


    Of course, students have to pay relatively, and they must truly be teachers for one day and fathers for life. This kind of relationship is not father and son, but victory is father and son, which is very popular among scholars today. The intertwined relationship among scholars in Shilin was laid on this basis, and gradually developed into a towering tree.


    Lin Miao laughed: "You really value him very much."


    Boss Chen sneered: "If I didn''t miss you, you would think that I have the time to meddle in your business. Don''t forget the October competition, if Qingyuan Academy loses again this year..."


    Boss Chen didn''t say what he said next, but Lin Miao understood what it meant.


    He sighed softly: "Everything is determined by God, if it is the case in reality, you can''t force it."


    Boss Chen repeatedly shook his head and stomped his feet and said, "Oh, I''m not talking about you. Your temperament is the most troublesome. You talk about the way of a gentleman with others, but others never follow you. Year after year They were all defeated by that villain, and now there are no good seedlings who are willing to come here to study, what should we do in the long run."


    "Brother Mo Zhi, you don''t understand."


    "Yes, yes, I don''t understand, I just know that if this continues, the reputation of the Qingyuan Academy will be lost in your hands."


    After finishing speaking, both of them were silent.


    Lin Miao looked tired, and Boss Chen seemed to know that he had made a slip of the tongue. He slowed down his tone, and said, "I can''t do anything about you. Anyway, I brought him for you. I''m really optimistic about this child. As for the rest, you can figure it out yourself."


    Lin Miao nodded: "Brother Mo Zhi, thank you in advance for my brother, but the matter of accepting apprentices will be discussed later. Don''t worry, he has entered the Qingyuan Academy, and I will teach him carefully."


    Boss Chen also understood where his heart knot was, and he didn''t force it. The two chatted for a while, and Boss Chen said goodbye.


    When Boss Chen came out of the wing, Xue Tingxiang had just returned.


    He was taken by Zhaifu to wander around the school, and he could see that the school was a bit old, and the paint on many buildings was peeling off, but every flower, plant and tree could be seen to be elegant.


    It''s like a place to study, unlike the Qinghe Academy, where there is a smell of copper everywhere.


    The two left hand in hand, Xue Tingxiang asked Boss Chen about Shu Xiu on the way.


    After asking about it, I found out that the repairs at Qingyuan Academy are very cheap, apart from the usual six rites of apprenticeship, only one tael of silver is needed a year.


    As for the usual etiquette of filial piety, it only depends on family background and intentions, and it doesn''t matter whether you give it or not. In addition, regarding the dormitory study, you can choose to do the dormitory study or not, but you must come to the morning study every day. As for meals, you can choose to bring your own rice, or you can choose to pay a certain amount of money every month and have it supplied by the school, both of which are debatable.


    It''s not like the Qinghe Academy that requires students to live in dormitories, just to charge the expensive accommodation and meals.


    According to Boss Chen, in the past, when the Qingyuan Academy had court subsidies, the annual tael of silver was not collected. It was only later that the subsidies were lost, and the gentlemen and handymen in the academy had to support their families before they were charged. Silver taels.


    Boss Chen sighed in his tone, and Xue Tingxiang also sighed in his heart.


    In his dream, ''Xue Tingxiang'' had been studying in the Qinghe Academy for three years. If he had known about the existence of this Qingyuan Academy, Zhao''er would not have been so busy for his training. It would not be so desperate to give up, and he would not waste three years in Qinghe Academy.


    Fortunately, the reality and the dream finally deviated, and the inexplicable Xue Tingxiang felt relieved.


    Without him, it is because of this posture that the girl''s figure is vividly displayed. High/chest/upturned/hip, slender waist, Xue Tingxiang has never seen such a scene before, a very strange feeling of dryness and heat climbed up in his body.


    But at the same time, he was familiar with it, and a picture appeared in his mind, which was the time of the two people''s bridal chamber.


    In the dream, he didn''t like her at that time, but he felt that marrying her was a matter of course.


    It was a deep-rooted thought that she should be his wife.


    It''s just that this hidden deepest emotion was covered up by his awkwardness and ignorance, especially when he went to the school to study and let his classmates know that he had a child bride in the country, which caused a lot of ridicule.


    But in fact, he liked her deep down in his heart, so she was tortured badly by him that night in the bridal chamber.


    Originally, he was just ignorant, and she was a newcomer, so he hurt her and also hurt her. But he still thought about the pain, and she cried with tears and snot running down her nose. That was the first time she showed weakness in front of him, and he liked this way of bullying her ever since.


    At that time, he was studying in the academy, and he would only come back once every ten days. Every time he came back, she was so afraid that she would hide. But he had to rely on him and let him do whatever he wanted. He obviously liked it, but pretended not to like it.


    Now that I think about it, he was really an asshole at that time.


    Thinking about these messes in his heart, he suddenly said, "I''ll wipe it for you."


    Zhao''er looked at him sideways in surprise, and subconsciously refused: "I still can''t, I''ll do it myself." After these days of corrections, she has gradually learned not to call herself sister.


    Before her words fell, Xue Tingxiang had already snatched the cloth towel, and pulled her to turn her back, Zhao''er could only freeze there, letting him wipe it.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Tingxiang is still half-headed now, so he can only half-kneel and sit up to wipe her hair. The two were very close, Zhao''er didn''t notice it, but Xue Tingxiang felt his blood was surging.


    Zhao''er''s hair is very black, dense and smooth, like a piece of fine satin. He was clumsy, and Fang began to pull and hurt her several times, until he heard her involuntarily inhaling, he slowed down his movements.


    Feeling that it was a bit difficult for him to reach, Zhao''er was a little distressed, he kept stretching his arms: "If I don''t lie here?"


    As she said that, she went to try it, and it was more convenient for him to lie on the kang, and both of them would not be tired. What she didn''t know was that her posture looked even more seductive from behind, especially for a young man with a fresh blood.

 Chapter 160

    He knew he was dreaming again.


    This dream appeared in his life for decades, day and night, entangled, it seems to be deep into the bone marrow, but also like flesh and blood. I can''t throw it away, I can''t dig it away, and if I don''t come for a day, it seems that something is missing.


    But he had never had such a clear dream, so clear as if it was real.


    "Dog, why do you think you are so stubborn? Isn''t my money your money? What do you think I earn money for? Isn''t it just to support your studies and make you feel proud?"


    "Why do you say you are so stubborn! You say you are so stubborn, who are you showing your stubbornness to?!"


    "I know you don''t like me, but I''ve been like this for many years, and I can''t change it! I don''t plan to change it either!"


    "Look at Hong''er, does he look like you?"


    ...


    Xue Tingxiang suddenly felt that someone was shaking him. He opened his tired eyes and saw the dark inner room. Hu San''s face was no longer young, and even the lines on the curtain were so familiar. He was just dreaming.


    It''s just that the dream was too clear, the sorghum fragrance in the air, and the curve of her stubbornly pursed lips made him feel like he was actually there. There are also her tears from being angry, crystal clear and shining with colorful light, he wanted to reach out to touch it, but someone woke him up.


    "My lord, it''s time to drink the medicine."


    Xue Tingxiang was propped up and given medicine. He was dying of illness, and he had to be served by someone even to drink medicine. How could he look like that extremely human minister Xue Shoufu who had ruled the court for decades.


    Oh no, he is not the chief assistant now.


    He has already written a letter to beg for the bones, intending to return to his hometown for the elderly, and the Holy Majesty has already agreed, but he has no home to return to, no relatives to rely on.


    In fact, he didn''t intend to go back.


    "Master Zhang, Mr. Wang, and Mr. Li and Mr. Cao all came to visit you, but they obeyed your orders and blocked the door. They come every day, and they are here again today. Would you like to see me?"


    What can they do? Didn''t they think that his illness was an expedient measure, waiting for him to stand up and continue to lead them to fight against the emperor, but he was really ill, terminally ill, and the medicine was useless.


    "not see."


    "My lord, please sleep a little longer."


    The room became quiet again, Xue Tingxiang''s eyelids began to get heavy again, he blinked again and again, and fell into sleep again.


    ...


    "How come Mr. Wang is free to visit this old man?"


    Wang Mingcheng''s eyes were a bit complicated, but he smiled on his face: "After all, I am a minister of the same court, and I should come to visit Mr. Shoufu because of emotion and reason."


    "I didn''t expect you, Wang Mingcheng, to say such hypocritical things, but to see if the old man is dying on behalf of the emperor?" Xue Tingxiang sarcastically said.


    He is obviously a haggard old man who is obviously dying, but just because of his calm, indifferent eyes that seem somewhat unpredictable, people dare not ignore him in the slightest.


    After all, this is Xue Shoufu, and the name alone is enough to intimidate everyone. That was Xue Tingxiang''s deep-rooted roots left by him after going through three dynasties and dozens of years, just like a towering ancient tree with intertwined roots, without him doing anything, just standing there is enough to make everyone daunting.


    If not, why would the new emperor have to exhaust all means, but still dare not act rashly, only dare to take that roundabout strategy.


    "It seems that my lord has misunderstood His Majesty a lot."


    Xue Tingxiang snorted and laughed, half closed his eyes, did not speak, and looked obviously too lazy to talk to him.


    "Actually, I''m here for myself. I just came to see how lonely and miserable the villain who abandoned his wife and son was now. I''m afraid Mr. Xue is dead now, and even a descendant in mourning None, in fact, Mr. Xue is too hard to see, it is just a show, just listen to it and watch it, how can you take the fake show as real and make yourself like this? Is it because of a disturbed conscience or fear? His true face is known by the world, he is reviled by others, and he will be stigmatized for thousands of years?"


    "you¡­¡­"


    "To say that you abandoned your wife and son is too much to save your face. It should be killing your wife and son, isn''t it, Mr. Xue?"


    No one knows about all this. The world only knows that Xue Shoufu had a first wife before Mrs. Xue, but they don''t know what happened to that first wife. After all, the time is too long, Xue Tingxiang has stood in the court hall for dozens of years, and his former, former and current opponents have all been trampled under his feet.


    People in the world only know that Mr. Shoufu is friendly and respectful to the corporals, but they don''t know that Mr. Shoufu also has a vicious side. In recent years, anyone who wanted to make a fuss about his past events all became lonely ghosts. No one knows how many ghosts have been added to it, and the only one who can know is Wang Mingsheng, the "bitter master".


    "You, you are..."


    Wang Mingcheng leaned closer to his face: "It''s a pity that my mother''s life is so bad, and so is my life. The sinking ship didn''t kill us, but was saved by others. Do you know that for so many years, day and night, I I want to see this scene every night. It''s a pity that your life is too long, and the power is in the hands of the people. I can only climb up step by step, to the position where I can step on you..."


    "You are... Hong''er..." Xue Tingxiang struggled to say this.


    Wang Mingsheng stood up straight and smiled heartily: "My name is not Hong''er, nor is my surname Xue, but my surname is Wang. My mother remarried, to the person who saved us...don''t get excited, even if You are dead now, and I am not your son..."


    Wang Mingsheng has always been known for being calm and introverted, hiding his secrets, and it was probably the first time he laughed so freely in front of people.


    "By the way, you don''t have to think that even if my official surname is Wang, I can still pass on the family lineage to your Xue family. Let me think about it. Yao Ji released the rumor that my official is as good as Long Yang back then, as if you ordered someone to do it. You really hit the mark, I don¡¯t like women, that¡¯s why I haven¡¯t married for many years..."


    He smiled and looked at the old man on the bed, seeing how shocked, disappointed and remorseful he was.


    But so what?


    He suddenly found that he was not as happy as he had imagined, and even this smile seemed too fake. He suddenly lost interest, flattened the corners of his mouth, brushed off his sleeves, and said, "Since Mr. Xue is fine, I will take my leave."


    ...


    "I didn''t, I didn''t..."


    "My lord, what are you talking about?"


    Hearing this voice, the fog in front of Xue Tingxiang suddenly dissipated, and he woke up suddenly from his dream. In front of the eyes is this dark inner room again, Hu San''s unattractive or even ugly face, the air is filled with a bitter smell of medicine, and there seems to be a decadent smell floating gently.


    Xue Tingxiang moved his lips, but no sound came out.


    "My lord, what did you say?"


    Hu San was very anxious, and kept asking, but Xue Tingxiang couldn''t speak at all. Hu San could only ask based on his own guess: "Are you thinking about the past? Don''t worry, your words have been passed on to Mr. Zhang , he already knows that Lord Wang is your only son, and will follow your instructions."

 Chapter 161

    A big Kang, two quilts, one for each person.


    But Zhao''er couldn''t sleep today, and when she came back from the main room, she was a little excited.


    She rolled over and over again.


    "You do not sleep?"


    It is reasonable to say that they would not rest so early, but today both of them have been busy all day, so they turned off the lights after recruiting children to go to the kang. However, there is a moon outside, and you can still see clearly in the room.


    Zhao''er sat up halfway, and moved to Xue Tingxiang''s side.


    "Dog, tell me what you meant when you scolded that old killer just now?"


    Zhao''er knows how to swear, and has sweared before, but he has never seen such a method of swearing. Yang Zhong was furious when he just sweared, and Xue''s family didn''t even know how to persuade him. From Zhao''er''s point of view, isn''t this the culmination of swearing, can you swear without uttering dirty words?


    She wants to learn this method, it will come in handy sometime.


    Xue Tingxiang turned over and gave her a backbone.


    Zhao''er poked his shoulder with her finger: "What''s wrong? Why are you angry again?"


    He didn''t move, and she moved closer.


    The two of them were only separated by one person, and they wore thin clothes when they slept. Zhao''er leaned over, even though Xue Tingshan had his back on his back, he could still feel a wave of hot air rushing towards him, mixed with a wisp of faint fragrance.


    There was a strange softness slightly attached to his shoulders, Xue Tingshan''s back was stiff, and she heard her say on top of her head: "Don''t take that old killer''s words to heart, it''s not that I said uncle and aunt are too narrow-minded." It¡¯s too much, and even made such a fuss, do you really think that grandpa will regret it? Even if the family doesn¡¯t say anything, there are still so many people watching outside, so don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll go to the school to make a decision.¡±


    She was very close to him, and the heat of her words sprayed on the tips of his ears, making him shiver again and again. At the same time, a hot numbness rushed from the tips of his ears to his neck, causing waves of unconscious trembling.


    His breathing was a little tight, and he couldn''t help turning over.


    Zhao''er was still talking, and she didn''t expect that he would turn over suddenly, and his face just crashed into her arms.


    Xue Tingxiang''s brain went blank for a moment, and he subconsciously fell backwards. It is obvious that it is about to leave at the touch of a touch, but it clearly feels a suffocating softness, and there is something faintly raised.


    He recalled some situations in the dream, and he only felt his nose was hot, as if something flowed out.


    "Are you alright?" Zhao''er heard a thud, saw him motionless, thought that something was wrong with him being bumped, hurriedly leaned over to look at his face.


    "Why are you panicking! Really. Come on, let me rub it for you."


    He covered his nose with one hand and pushed her with the other: "I''m fine, it doesn''t hurt." He quickly turned over and said falteringly: "It''s getting late, go to sleep."


    "You haven''t told me what you mean by that!"


    "It doesn''t mean anything, just let him take a pee and take a picture of himself!"


    "Ah?!" Zhao''er was stunned, and said after a while, "So that''s what he meant, then you just let him take a pee and take a picture of yourself, and you said so much."


    Seeing that he didn''t answer himself, Zhao''er sat for a while and then lay down.


    "Okay, go to bed now, I won''t disturb you anymore."


    *


    Yang Zhong stayed at Xue''s house for one night and left the next day.


    Because it was rushing to the busy farming season, the Xue family resumed their usual work, and no one mentioned the previous incident, as if nothing happened that night.


    Everything is so busy yet full of peace.


    On this day, Xue Tingxiang and Zhao''er went to town early in the morning.


    Different from the past, today Xue Tingxiang wore new clothes.


    The clothes were brought out overnight by Zhao''er, because Boss Chen said that he would take Xue Tingxiang to Qingyuan Academy. This trip is very meaningful, so naturally it can''t be as casual as before.


    The gray-blue cotton gown was made by Zhao''er after imitating those school shirts in the town. Although the style is simple, it looks extraordinarily straight and docile after being washed with starch. Although Xue Tingxiang is thin and thin, his shoulders are flat and his back is straight. Wearing this student shirt, he has a particularly graceful temperament.


    When they arrived at the place, Boss Chen took Xue Tingxiang out, while Zhao''er stayed at Dongliju.


    The two of them went all the way to the east of the town, the more secluded they became as they went outside, and after walking for almost a cup of tea, they saw a building with white walls and black tiles standing at the end of their line of sight.


    Seeing Xue Tingxiang''s gaze resting on the building, Boss Chen said: "That is the Qinghe Academy." After a pause, he raised his hand and pointed to a building not far behind the Qinghe Academy: "That is the Qinghe Academy. Academy."


    The two walked forward and passed Qinghe Academy, and saw that this academy was really extraordinary. The whole building exudes a magnificent temperament, the gate tower stands majestically, with a few golden characters "Qinghe Academy" written on the door plaque, and the two black-painted gates are closed tightly, with a look of repelling people thousands of miles away. momentum.


    "It''s too late for you to regret it now." Boss Chen said.


    Following the sound of talking, the two of them crossed the Qinghe Academy, only to see the obviously much dilapidated small courtyard not far away.


    The small courtyard is rigorous and simple, with clear water and white walls, and gray and black tiles. Even the door plaque is much smaller than that of the Qinghe Academy, with a few simple big-character books on it¡ª¡ª


    Qingyuan Academy.


    Obviously, no matter where you look at it, it is not as good as the Qinghe Academy, but standing under the square door plaque and looking at the words on it, Xue Tingxiang felt a peaceful and peaceful atmosphere.


    "Since the kid is here, I don''t intend to regret it."


    Boss Chen glanced at him appreciatively, and went to call the door.


    Not long after, an elderly Zhaifu opened the door from the inside.


    He seemed to know Boss Chen, and he led the two of them in without asking too much.


    This school may not seem big, but it is actually small but well-equipped. It is the same as a general school. After passing the screen wall, there is a lecture hall on the central axis. There are two houses on the left and right sides. The temple on the left is built to worship the saint Confucius, and the house on the right is the place where the gentleman sits and rests and collects books.


    After the lecture hall, there must be a shooting garden, a hall, a kitchen, etc. Xue Tingxiang knew the layout without looking. Because in his dream, he studied in Qinghe Academy for several years, but Qinghe Academy is much more spacious and grand than Qingyuan Academy.


    Boss Chen led Xue Tingxiang to the right side of the house with ease, and when he reached a wing room, he straightened his clothes and sleeves, and then brought Xue Tingxiang in.


    This wing room is furnished in a simple and elegant way, and there is a large painting on the central hall facing it, on which are written the words ''peace and distance''. Standing in front of the words was a thin middle-aged man, wearing a dark blue scribe shirt and a square scarf.


    When he heard the movement, he turned around, and saw that he had long eyebrows, a thin face, and a few strands of beard. Judging from his appearance, he is a very serious and rigid person, but his eyes are calm and deep, obviously a person of great wisdom.


    This person is Lin Miao, the owner of Qingyuan Academy.


    "Brother Anqi, I''m here to bother you again." Boss Chen cupped his hands with a smile.


    "The good brother of Mo."


    Lin Miao smiled, obviously he had a good relationship with Boss Chen. After the two exchanged pleasantries, Boss Chen pointed to Xue Tingxiang and said, "This is the young man I told you about."


    Lin Miao looked over.


    Obviously Xue Tingxiang has extensive knowledge, and he has never seen any kind of person in that dream, even the Ninth Five-Year Master, he has seen several, but there is an inexplicable sense of awe.


    "Boy Xue Tingxiang, I have met you." He clasped his hands together and bowed in salute.


    Lin Miao nodded: "Since you''re here, stay here. The school will open in ten days, so you can just come here when it''s time."


    "Mr. Xie."


    Boss Chen glanced at Lin Miao, as if he wanted to say something, seeing this, Xue Tingxiang tactfully said that he was going out for a walk, so he avoided going out.


    After Xue Tingxiang went out, Boss Chen said: "Brother An Qi, don''t you believe in the eyes of a younger brother? I have observed these days, and this son has a calm mind, is diligent and hardworking, and is quite talented in reading. He only needs one A good teacher, if there is a good teacher to guide, I think the future will be limitless in the future."


    The reason why Boss Chen said that was because Lin Miao''s performance was too plain. He originally thought that Lin Miao loves calligraphy, and after reading Xue Tingxiang''s calligraphy, and his lobbying, he should accept him as a student no matter what.


    This student is different from the students in the academy, and can be regarded as a student entering the room. As the saying goes, a teacher for a day is a father for life. A young child has more than one teacher from the beginning of school until he passes the exam/fame.


    When you start learning, you are called a teacher, that is, a teacher of enlightenment. The karma teacher is the teacher who teaches the karma, also known as the scripture teacher. Those who teach their work must pass on their scriptures, and those who pass on their scriptures must educate their people, so a teacher is extremely important to a student. There are also human teachers and seat teachers, which will not be mentioned here.


    As for what Boss Chen said about "accepting students", the teacher is more like a combination of a professional teacher and a human teacher to students. He not only needs to teach them, but also teaches them the principles of life, which is different from treating ordinary students. The teacher has to cultivate it carefully, and it can be regarded as inheriting his mantle.


    Of course, students have to pay relatively, and they must truly be teachers for one day and fathers for life. This kind of relationship is not father and son, but victory is father and son, which is very popular among scholars today. The intertwined relationship among scholars in Shilin was laid on this basis, and gradually developed into a towering tree.


    Lin Miao laughed: "You really value him very much."


    Boss Chen sneered: "If I didn''t miss you, you would think that I have the time to meddle in your business. Don''t forget the October competition, if Qingyuan Academy loses again this year..."


    Boss Chen didn''t say what he said next, but Lin Miao understood what it meant.


    He sighed softly: "Everything is determined by God, if it is the case in reality, you can''t force it."


    Boss Chen repeatedly shook his head and stomped his feet and said, "Oh, I''m not talking about you. Your temperament is the most troublesome. You talk about the way of a gentleman with others, but others never follow you. Year after year They were all defeated by that villain, and now there are no good seedlings who are willing to come here to study, what should we do in the long run."


    "Brother Mo Zhi, you don''t understand."


    "Yes, yes, I don''t understand, I just know that if this continues, the reputation of the Qingyuan Academy will be lost in your hands."


    After finishing speaking, both of them were silent.


    Lin Miao looked tired, and Boss Chen seemed to know that he had made a slip of the tongue. He slowed down his tone, and said, "I can''t do anything about you. Anyway, I brought him for you. I''m really optimistic about this child. As for the rest, you can figure it out yourself."


    Lin Miao nodded: "Brother Mo Zhi, thank you in advance for my brother, but the matter of accepting apprentices will be discussed later. Don''t worry, he has entered the Qingyuan Academy, and I will teach him carefully."


    Boss Chen also understood where his heart knot was, and he didn''t force it. The two chatted for a while, and Boss Chen said goodbye.


    When Boss Chen came out of the wing, Xue Tingxiang had just returned.


    He was taken by Zhaifu to wander around the school, and he could see that the school was a bit old, and the paint on many buildings was peeling off, but every flower, plant and tree could be seen to be elegant.


    It''s like a place to study, unlike the Qinghe Academy, where there is a smell of copper everywhere.


    The two left hand in hand, Xue Tingxiang asked Boss Chen about Shu Xiu on the way.


    After asking about it, I found out that the repairs at Qingyuan Academy are very cheap, apart from the usual six rites of apprenticeship, only one tael of silver is needed a year.


    As for the usual etiquette of filial piety, it only depends on family background and intentions, and it doesn''t matter whether you give it or not. In addition, regarding the dormitory study, you can choose to do the dormitory study or not, but you must come to the morning study every day. As for meals, you can choose to bring your own rice, or you can choose to pay a certain amount of money every month and have it supplied by the school, both of which are debatable.


    It''s not like the Qinghe Academy that requires students to live in dormitories, just to charge the expensive accommodation and meals.


    According to Boss Chen, in the past, when the Qingyuan Academy had court subsidies, the annual tael of silver was not collected. It was only later that the subsidies were lost, and the gentlemen and handymen in the academy had to support their families before they were charged. Silver taels.


    Boss Chen sighed in his tone, and Xue Tingxiang also sighed in his heart.


    In his dream, ''Xue Tingxiang'' had been studying in the Qinghe Academy for three years. If he had known about the existence of this Qingyuan Academy, Zhao''er would not have been so busy for his training. It would not be so desperate to give up, and he would not waste three years in Qinghe Academy.


    Fortunately, the reality and the dream finally deviated, and the inexplicable Xue Tingxiang felt relieved.


    Without him, it is because of this posture that the girl''s figure is vividly displayed. High/chest/upturned/hip, slender waist, Xue Tingxiang has never seen such a scene before, a very strange feeling of dryness and heat climbed up in his body.


    But at the same time, he was familiar with it, and a picture appeared in his mind, which was the time of the two people''s bridal chamber.


    In the dream, he didn''t like her at that time, but he felt that marrying her was a matter of course.


    It was a deep-rooted thought that she should be his wife.


    It''s just that this hidden deepest emotion was covered up by his awkwardness and ignorance, especially when he went to the school to study and let his classmates know that he had a child bride in the country, which caused a lot of ridicule.


    But in fact, he liked her deep down in his heart, so she was tortured badly by him that night in the bridal chamber.


    Originally, he was just ignorant, and she was a newcomer, so he hurt her and also hurt her. But he still thought about the pain, and she cried with tears and snot running down her nose. That was the first time she showed weakness in front of him, and he liked this way of bullying her ever since.

 Chapter 162

    This bookstore called "Dongliju" is not big, it only has two doors, one is used to sell the four treasures of the study, and the other is full of bookcases next to the wall.


    The books in the bookcase are new and old, some are hardcover, which are worth a lot of money at first glance, and some are thread bound, which looks a little rough. Most of them are transcripts of various kinds. Generally, it is not sure that the book will be a good seller. The boss of the bookstore always asks someone to copy it, because if it is opened, thousands of copies will be printed.


    Zhao''er was familiar with the boss, and greeted her with a smile as soon as she entered the door. The strange thing was that the boss recognized her, and when he saw her, he smiled and asked her if she came to buy paper for her brother.


    Bringing this up is old stuff.


    At the beginning, Zhao''er felt sorry for Xue Tingxiang, so she saved some money to buy paper for him to practice calligraphy. Who would have thought that this paper was much more expensive than she imagined. Even the worst yellow bamboo paper costs 40 Wen a knife, but that day Zhaoer collected all the money on his body, but only 30 Wen.


    In order to get the boss to sell the paper to her at a lower price, Zhao''er worked with the boss for a long time. He even made up the pretense that he has a hard-working younger brother, but unfortunately both parents died and his family was poor, so the boss agreed to sell it to her cheaply. Later, she came to buy it several times, all at the previous price, but she became acquainted with Boss Chen.


    Boss Chen praised her for her noble character, earning hard money, but still supporting her younger brother''s education. Usually, when she comes to buy paper, she almost always buys half and gives half away.


    Normally, Zhao''er would accept this kind of talk with a cheeky face, but today with Xue Tingxiang around, she was inevitably a little embarrassed, for fear that Boss Chen would slip up and make the little man look down on her for lying.


    Zhao''er has suffered, so she knows the skills of survival, but the little man doesn''t, especially the scholar is very pedantic, so every time she encounters such a situation where the two people''s ideas conflict, she will always subconsciously go away. Avoid these.


    Within a day, two people said that they were his younger brothers, which made Xue Tingxiang very unhappy. Naturally, he didn''t notice Zhao''er''s hidden thoughts. When he came back to his senses, Zhao''er had already talked with the boss, and even showed him the copy of "Hundred Surnames" that he had copied overnight.


    "This is your brother? He looks handsome, but a little thinner." Boss Chen is a middle-aged man in his forties, with a goatee and elegant body. Wearing a scholar''s shirt, he doesn''t look like a business boss, but a scholar.


    "He was sick for a while a while ago, and he got better recently."


    "No wonder I haven''t seen you here for a long time." While talking, Boss Chen took the manuscript that Zhao''er handed over, whether it was bound or paper quality, it was very poor.


    He knew in his heart that this kind of peasant boy could not write very good characters, but he admired this young man named Zhao''er, so he planned not to criticize too much even if he really did not do well, just say some mild words and refuse it. up.


    If the level is not bad and the words can still be read, it is not impossible to give him some casual work, just as a help.


    But when Boss Chen saw the writing on the yellow bamboo paper, he was still taken aback.


    "He wrote this word?" Boss Chen looked at Xue Tingxiang in surprise, and went to flip through the manuscript in his hand.


    His expression was so weird that Zhao''er had a bad feeling in his heart. She couldn''t help wondering if the little man''s handwriting was not good, after all, no one had ever praised the little man''s handwriting, even Xue Qingshan said that his handwriting was like a spring worm and autumn snake.


    Although Zhao''er doesn''t know what spring worms and autumn snakes are, she understands the sad look on the little man''s face, and she knows it means poor writing.


    But she didn''t think it was the little man''s fault. He even had to pick and use the paper that could practice calligraphy. Can he write well? It was that time that she lost her temper, collected vegetables and sold them in the town, and saved a sum of money to buy Xue Tingxiang''s first piece of paper in her life.


    It was a whole knife, not a few pieces given as a charity from Xue Qingshan or Xue Juncai.


    Zhao''er''s head felt cold for a while, and she couldn''t help wondering if she was too blind to the little man at ordinary times, or if she flattered her too much. She was not afraid of anything else, but she was afraid that if Boss Chen said something unpleasant later, the little man would not be able to stand the blow.


    Thinking of this, she hurriedly turned her back and made a gesture to Boss Chen, leading him aside, then said to him in a low voice: "Uncle Chen, if my younger brother''s handwriting is really bad, can you..."


    "Can you do something?" Immediately, Boss Chen understood and said with a smile: "You kid too, even if you have a heart of love and affection, you should not deceive him, but point out his shortcomings, so that he will to make progress.¡±


    His voice was a bit loud, Xue Tingxiang over there must have heard it, Zhao''er blushed, but Na Na didn''t know what to say.


    Boss Chen said again: "But your brother''s handwriting is really good, he must be a famous teacher."


    He walked up to Xue Tingxiang in a few steps, and saluted with cupped fists: "I don''t know who my little friend is your teacher?" He said hesitantly in his eyes, because the poor boy in front of him, who was dressed in coarse cloth and short brown, really didn''t seem to be able to learn from anyone. Famous teachers.


    Just his words...


    Since Boss Chen runs a book shop, he is either a hobby or a ancestral business. In fact, Boss Chen has both, which can be regarded as the origin of family education. He also passed the exam several times when he was young, but he stopped at being a scholar. However, he was not interested in being an official, so he turned around and took care of his ancestral business. It is also a great thing in life to meet a few literary friends, play chess, drink tea, taste calligraphy and painting together.


    From his point of view, although this son''s handwriting is immature, he already has a strong character.


    We must know that the shape is easy to get, but the spirit is hard to find. Master Yan and Master Liu have always been collectively called "Yan Jin Liu Gu", which is enough to show the characteristics of Yan body. However, Xue Tingxiang''s calligraphy has already possessed its fundamentals. As long as it does not go astray, in time, he will definitely be a great calligrapher of a generation.


    How did he know that Xue Tingxiang deliberately hid the edge of his pen in order to hide himself, and it took most of the night to finish copying the book that could have been copied in half an hour at most. Otherwise, if the word is taken out, Boss Chen will definitely think it is someone''s calligraphy.


    Just when Boss Chen was thinking about it, Xue Tingxiang had already answered: "I don''t have a teacher."


    "Just copying?"


    "I''ve been to "Yan Qinli Monument" before."


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t lie, he did only copy "Yan Qinli Monument", this set of copybooks is Xue Qingshan''s favorite treasure, and he never let people touch it. And the reason why he was lucky enough to see and touch it once was that Xue Jun, who was still young at that time, was shown off in front of him.


    Because of this incident, he was extremely impressed with "Yan Qinli Monument", and even became obsessed with it. Later, after some money at home, Zhao''er bought a set with him, and the first font he learned was Yanti.


    "Just came across "Yan Qin Li Monument"?"


    Xue Tingxiang nodded.


    Boss Chen''s eyes became brighter, and he sighed after a long time: "Perhaps you have a talent in this field that is difficult for others to surpass. I hope you practice hard and don''t slack off. That''s all, let''s talk about business. Your handwriting is very good. In my opinion It''s passed here."


    He walked inside the counter, took a book and handed it to Xue Tingxiang.


    "I have a copy of "University Chapters and Sentences" here. You can take it back and try it out. I will provide the pen and ink. After copying, if the finished product is not inferior to the standard of this book, I will pay you a tael of silver."


    "One tael of silver? Uncle Chen, isn''t that too much?" Zhao''er asked in surprise.


    Uncle Chen laughed: "Do you know how many characters are in this book? And do you know how much money I will resell this book for?"


    After finishing speaking, he continued to say to Xue Tingxiang: "It is reasonable to say that it is to be copied in my book shop. If you take the book back and copy it, you need to pay some pledged money or things. I know your brother well, so forget it." Well, how long do you think it will take to finish copying?"


    Xue Tingxiang hesitated for a moment, and said: "Since Boss Chen has rules here, how about the boy copying here? I just hope that Boss Chen will be more flexible. Can you let the boy read a few books here in his spare time?"


    Boss Chen was taken aback for a moment, and then he understood. He took a deep look at this thin but neither humble nor overbearing boy.


    "Can!"


    "Then thank you Boss Chen first, don''t worry, the boy will definitely not damage the books here."


    Zhao''er kept silent until the end of the conversation, and then pulled Xue Tingxiang aside to speak.


    "Do you really want to copy books here? It would be nice to take it home. If you are afraid that Boss Chen won''t allow it, I still have some money to pledge."


    "You don''t think this is a good place."


    Xue Tingxiang looked back at the room full of books, he himself had only read a limited number of books, and in the memory of ''Xue Tingxiang'', many memories about this aspect were blurred.


    But life is his, and he wants to move forward step by step. It doesn''t mean that he has a dream, and he will definitely be the chief assistant in the future, and he will definitely be able to pass the Jinshi examination. After all, even Xue Tingxiang in the dream had to put in a lot of hard work and go through many detours before he could reach the first rank of official residence step by step.


    Of course Zhao''er understood what he meant, but she was very worried about suddenly leaving the little man outside alone. She was thinking about finding an excuse to stay here with him, but Boss Chen said from the side: "Okay, you don''t have to worry about your brother, can you lose it with me? You don''t have to sell vegetables to work today? Hurry up. "


    In the eyes of Boss Chen, Zhao''er is a hard-working brother who supports his younger brother by selling vegetables in the town.


    "Uncle Chen, I''m leaving now."


    She hurriedly took out a dozen or so copper coins from her pocket and handed them to Xue Tingxiang: "I should come to find you for lunch at noon, if not, you can buy it yourself, right here..."


    "Copy books here, and you can have a light meal at noon." Boss Chen interrupted again.


    Zhao''er was still rambling: "You still have the money, you can buy whatever you want, and I will pick you up in the afternoon."


    "You''d better pick up your work and finish it first, don''t worry your brother won''t lose it."


    This Uncle Chen!


    Zhao''er couldn''t go on talking anymore, and ran out of the bookstore almost in despair.


    After the person had left, Boss Chen teased with a smile: "Your brother treats you very well."


    Xue Tingxiang smirked, "It''s pretty good, like a little hen who doesn''t care about her chicks. For some reason, he actually thought of this sentence.


    After that, under the guidance of the shop assistant, he went to a room behind the shop.


    The layout of this room is simple, but it is elegant. It can be seen that Boss Chen is an elegant person. The best thing about this house is that there is a large window facing the outside yard, and there is a set of tables and chairs, which is completely different from Xue Tingxiang''s imagination of being hidden in a dark room without light.


    The clerk even brought a basin of water for him to wash his hands, prepared pens, ink, paper and inkstone, etc., and said he could call him if he had anything to do, so he went down.


    Xue Tingxiang came to the water basin, dipped his hands in the water, rubbed them gently a few times, and wiped them dry with a cloth towel beside him, before going to the desk and sitting down.


    He grinds the ink first. Grinding ink can well adjust people''s emotions and achieve a ''quiet'' state.


    After the ink was polished, his mind was empty at this moment. He rolled up his sleeves to write, and his hands were empty, only to realize that he was wearing a short brown at this time, where there were no sleeves, so naturally he was not afraid of staining the sleeves.


    All this was just for a moment, he didn''t care about it, and wrote quietly.


    But Boss Chen, who was standing outside the door, was a little skeptical, and couldn''t help but wonder if this son was from a famous family, but it''s a pity that his family has fallen, rather than a poor kid. His words and deeds, and even his demeanor, don''t look like those from a poor family at all.


    After thinking for a while, but unable to figure out why, Boss Chen shook his head and went back to the front.


    The mule named Daqing shook its head and snorted, which seemed to mean that if he dared to deduct my rations, I would slow down and let him carry it by himself.


    Zhao''er laughed loudly, pointed at Daqing and said, "Look, even Daqing protested."


    Jiang Wu looked sideways at the girl who was smiling wantonly, with a strange gleam in her eyes. Fortunately, Daqing knew the way and was docile, otherwise he would have ordered all three people in the car into the ditch beside the road.


    Seeing this scene, Xue Tingxiang''s face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.


    He was both annoyed and angry, he actually forgot about Jiang Wu.


    In that dream, Jiang Wu has been coveting Zhao''er.


    Jiang Wu was two years older than Zhao''er, but he never married. If Zhao''er hadn''t been his child bride-in-law, the Jiang family would have come to propose marriage a long time ago.


    Even so, Jiang Wu never gave up, and once even approached him and told him that he wanted to marry Zhao''er, telling him not to be so selfish, and letting Zhao''er go free. She also said that she and Zhao''er would support him to study together and treat him like a younger brother, that''s how he knew about it.


    Shocked and annoyed, he also remembered Zhao''er''s reluctance to marry him. He mistakenly thought that Zhao''er had an affair with Jiang Wu, so he borrowed his parents'' orders to forcefully marry her. Later, by chance, Only then did he realize that he had wronged her.


    This matter has always been a scar between the two, even though it was never mentioned again, there is a gap between them. Afterwards, he was busy starting his career, while Zhao''er was busy running business. The two met only once in a long time, and even when they met, they seldom talked again until he went to Beijing to rush for the exam after winning the exam.


    The he in the dream once thought after Zhao''er died, if he hadn''t been so despicable back then and forced Zhao''er by his parents'' orders, Zhao''er wouldn''t have died.


    But this kind of thought is like a superficial thought, it just passed by in a flash. At this time, thinking about it, he is probably despicable in his bones. Even if he is not the Xue Tingxiang in his dream, he never thought of letting him go.


    She was supposed to be his, and when he still half understood, someone would always point to her and say, this is his future wife, isn''t it?


    "Brother Jiang Wu, you''d better look at some roads, this road is uneven, don''t lead us all into a ditch."


    Xue Tingxiang''s voice successfully interrupted the chatting and laughing of Jiang Wu and Zhao''er, as if a very ignorant person suddenly appeared, making the already warm atmosphere suddenly cool down.


    Zhao''er laughed dryly: "Look at me, I was so focused on talking to you about the business that I forgot that you were still driving the car. Fortunately, Daqing is smart, otherwise I would have fallen."


    Da Qing called out, looking very complacent.


    Jiang Wu looked back subconsciously, just in time to meet the young man''s dark eyes. Those eyes made him inexplicably guilty, but soon he regained his confidence.


    He knew that the dogs of the Xue family didn''t like to recruit children, and he also knew that the second bedroom couple of the Xue family originally recruited children as daughters, not child brides. The child bride-in-law was only passed on from the villagers to the villagers, and it became true because of the entrustment of the second wife of the Xue family at the end of their lives.


    Not only that, but he also knew that Zhao''er only regarded the other party as a younger brother, and had no intention of marrying the other party.


    The young man was undoubtedly thin and thin, although he was handsome, there was still a bit of childishness on his face. Such a young man made the strong and powerful Jiang Wu inexplicably feel condescending. He smiled heartily and said indifferently: "Don''t be afraid, you dog, Brother Jiang Wu drives the car every day, and you can walk back with your eyes closed."


    Xue Tingxiang did not speak, but lowered his head with the corners of his lips pursed.


    Seeing this, Zhao''er immediately understood whether the title Gouzi made the little man feel uncomfortable again. But facing Jiang Wu, she couldn''t show a cold face, she could only smile and say: "Brother Jiang Wu, let me tell you that the dog has a name, it''s called Tingxiang, Xue Tingxiang."


    "It''s an elegant name."


    "Yeah, so don''t call me Gouzi Gouzi in the future, it''s weird."


    While speaking, the car had arrived at Yuqing Village.


    Jiang Wu inertially circled to the end of the village before stopping, Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang got out of the car.


    "When will the business be done? Tell me a time, and I will pick you up when the time comes."


    "Aren''t you going to be busy in the town tomorrow, and those clothes have to be tidied up. When I''m ready, I''ll go to your house and give you a letter."


    Zhao''er also thought that two days later would be the day when Xue Tingxiang and Xue Juncai competed, and she would not be in the mood to do business until this matter was over.


    "OK."


    *


    Now that the matter was settled, they said goodbye to each other.


    Jiang Wu drove the car home, while Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang went home together.


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t say anything along the way, but just walked silently.


    Zhao''er glanced at him: "What''s the matter? You seem a little unhappy. Did Brother Jiang Wu call you angry just now? He didn''t know you were famous. I told him that he would never That''s what it''s called."

 Chapter 163

    Xue Gouzi has been ill for several days, his face is thin and out of shape, and his eyes are getting bigger and bigger.


    Zhao''er has always thought that the little man''s eyes are the most beautiful eyes in the world, although these eyes are always disgusted and resistant when facing her.


    In fact, Xue Gouzi''s eyes are the only ones that look good. He has been weak since he was a child, and the second wife and his wife managed to support him, and they are always spoiled. The boys of his age in the village are all dark-skinned and strong like a calf, but he is pale, emaciated, silent and taciturn.


    But Zhao''er has always been domineering, and never allowed anyone to talk about a little man, and whoever said she was in a hurry. Because of this incident, she had fought with many girls and boys in the village, although some people still said behind their backs, no one dared to point fingers in front of others.


    Zhao''er always felt that the little man''s eyes were weird today, and he avoided them uncomfortably.


    She knew that the little man must be angry again, and he didn''t like her saying "the dog is my man" the most. Every time he heard her say such words, he would ignore her for a few days. In fact, recruiting children is also shameful, but she is the child bride-in-law of the Xue family''s second room. If she didn''t claim to be like this, she would not be qualified to challenge the fourth aunt Sun.


    "Are you hungry? Look what I brought back for you?"


    Zhao''er turned her head and put all these troubles behind her mind, and took out a paper bag from her pocket. Opening the paper bag, there are two steamed buns inside. They are white and plump, and people like it when they look at them.


    "Eat quickly, while it''s still warm." She smiled and stuffed the paper bag into the little man''s hand, while putting the pannier on her shoulders in the corner.


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her.


    The girl in front of her was in her twenties and eighth year, and her skin was the wheat color that is common among girls in the country, but Zhao''er''s complexion was very different from others, it was smooth and radiant, as if she had been smeared with honey. He has a tall nose bridge, a pair of medium-sized eyes, and swarthy pupils. When he smiles, there is a flash of inspiration in him, and he looks lively.


    Zhao''er''s stature is taller than ordinary girls, and she is well-developed, front/convex/backward, full of youthful vigor.


    It was so vivid, as vivid as in his dream.


    He unconsciously took the steamed stuffed bun and gnawed on it. Seeing this trick, he smiled even more happily. He went to the kitchen and poured him a bowl of water, which he placed next to his hand. On the other hand, he bent down to tidy up the scattered quilts on the kang, thinking about what to cook for him at night to nourish his body.


    Finally, the little man got better, so he had to continue to drink the medicine, and he had to drink a few more to strengthen it. From this, he naturally began to calculate the little money left in his hand, and think of a way to get some money, so as to solve the urgent need.


    "Have you eaten yet?" Xue Gouzi asked.


    This kind of behavior rarely happens to him, so Zhao''er can''t help but look up at the little man sitting on the kang.


    In fact, the little man has a handsome appearance, which is different from the fair skin of the countrymen. The corners of his eyes are slightly raised, and the curvature makes his face a little more delicate and handsome. It''s just that the little man always hangs his head halfway on weekdays, with a gloomy and silent temperament, and is too thin, so he is not conspicuous in front of others.


    Zhao''er''s eyes warmed up, her smile widened, and she said cracklingly, "Eat, I ate it outside, this is for you."


    After she finished speaking, she realized that she had slipped her mouth. She waited for the little man to show a disgusted expression, or to condemn her daughter''s family for running around, but he didn''t say anything, as if he had something on his mind. Head eating buns.


    Zhao''er couldn''t help heaving a sigh of relief, but at the same time felt a pain in his heart, and couldn''t help but said: "Dog, don''t worry too much. After all, you heard the words. Since you didn''t say it face-to-face, you can''t take it seriously. Even if it is true Don''t be afraid, sister earns money for your education."


    Xue Gouzi''s head still hurts a little, and he was dizzy. Zhao''er thought he had something on his mind, but in fact he was just thinking about that dream. Hearing Zhao''er''s words at this time, he suddenly remembered why he had this serious illness.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Gouzi''s serious illness came in a hurry due to stagnation of liver qi.


    Speaking of this, I have to talk about the general situation of the Xue family.


    Yuqing Village is a village located under Huyang Town, Xia County, Pingyang Prefecture. There are only more than 200 households in the village.


    The Xue family is one of them.


    However, the Xue family is different from other ordinary farmers, and it can be regarded as having some origins.


    The ancestor of the Xue family, that is, the grandfather of Mr. Xue, was a scholar. In a poor mountain depression like Yuqing Village, it is a great event for the ancestors to have a scholar.


    Because of this talented gentleman, the generation of the Xue family produced the head of the Xue clan, and there were several village elders in the clan, and finally had some say in Yuqing Village. At the same time, it is also a blessing for the younger generation. Mr. Xue''s father is hardworking and willing to work. With the help of the elders, he also slowly built up a family business.


    By the time of Mr. Xue''s generation, the Xue family already had more than 30 acres of fertile land, and several sons also had their own livelihoods. Their lives were enviably prosperous, and they could be regarded as a well-to-do family in the village.


    Mr. Xue and his mother-in-law Zhao have four sons and two daughters. The eldest son Xue Qingshan married his wife Yang, and they have two sons and a daughter. The eldest son Xue Juncai is fifteen years old, the second son Xue Youcai is ten years old, and the eldest daughter Xue Maner is married.


    The second child, Xue Qingsong, is a carpenter. He married his wife Qiu Shi and gave birth to a son, Xue Gouzi, who is fourteen years old. The third child, Xue Qingbai, is a farmer, married his wife Zhou, and gave birth to a son and a daughter. The eldest daughter, Xue Taoer, is thirteen years old this year, and the youngest son, Xue Shuanzi, is eight years old now. The fourth son, Xue Qinghuai, is a shopkeeper. He married his wife, Sun, and gave birth to a son named Xue Maodan, who is only four years old this year.


    As for the two daughters, the eldest daughter, Xue Cuiping, is already married, and the youngest daughter, Xue Cuie, is fourteen this year and is still in her boudoir.


    It is worth mentioning that nowadays there are parents who say that they do not separate their families. In addition, families in the countryside are ruled by clans, so Xue''s family has no separation.


    The Xue family has tasted the benefits of reading, so they have more vision than ordinary farmers. Xue Qingshan is smart since he was a child, and he is the eldest son. Mr. Xue has high hopes for him, and when he reaches the age of enlightenment, he spends money to send him to a private school.


    Xue Qingshan also strives for success. At the age of twenty, he passed the Tongsheng examination. Although he is still a scholar, he can be counted as a scholar who can be counted in ten miles and eight villages.


    Don''t underestimate Tongsheng! As the saying goes, scholars, farmers, businessmen, and scholars are the highest class of people in the current society. If ordinary people want to turn ordinary people into scholars, there is only one way to take the imperial examination. As for the imperial examination, it is only a matter of going to the west to learn Buddhist scriptures, and you have to go through various checkpoints and go through hardships before you can get it.


    If you want to embark on this path, you must first have the qualifications, and Tong Sheng is a person with this qualification. It is necessary to pass the county and government examinations to be called Tongsheng. As for the next step is to be a scholar, to become a scholar is to enter school, and it is also the first step to embark on the road of imperial examinations.


    It can be seen from this that Tong Sheng is not an ordinary person, so Xue Qingshan''s status in the Xue family can be imagined.


    But as I said before, the Xue family''s family background can only be regarded as a middle-level family in the countryside. If a family like this wants to support a scholar, it will almost exhaust all the human and financial resources of the family. Because the eldest son is the eldest son, who will set up a family in the future, and is talented and intelligent, the next few sons naturally have to give in.


    As for why Xue Gouzi became seriously ill, it has to be related to another old matter of the Xue family.


    Back then when Xue Qingshan was selected as a child student, he was considered a success at a young age. He was full of ambitions and wanted to pass the college examination in one fell swoop, and he could also be a scholar, but it was a pity that God did not follow his wishes.


    It was only a close call, and no one would be reconciled to it. Xue Qingshan could only calm down, work hard, and hope to win next time.


    After so many years of rushing away, the original smugness was completely devastated by the impact of reality. Xue Qingshan failed many exams, so he couldn''t stay at home and eat free food all the time. In desperation, he set up a private school in the village, which specializes in taking children from the village and several nearby villages to read and write, and they can more or less earn a living.


    With such convenient conditions, several children of Xue''s family naturally followed suit. The next few children are still young, and among the grandchildren, Xue Juncai, the eldest son of the big house, and Xue Gouzi of the second house have studied the longest.


    However, compared to his cousin Xue Juncai, Xue Gouzi is obviously not as good as he is because he is too weak. When he was young, he was always sick every day, which delayed a lot of homework.


    The time was stretched back to five years ago, this year the academic officer held a college examination in Fucheng, Xue Qingshan naturally would not miss it, he stopped his private school classes early and went to Fucheng to take the exam.


    It''s not easy to go out at this time, and besides, Mr. Xue was worried about his eldest son going out alone, so he asked his second son Xue Qingsong to accompany him. He always took care of him when he was usually on a business trip.


    That is to say, something happened on this trip, Xue Qingshan offended someone in Fucheng, Xue Qingsong was beaten all over his body in order to protect his eldest brother. In the end, the man was pulled back, but he died within a few days after he came back. Before he died, Xue Qingsong asked Xue Qingshan to promise himself that he would do everything in his power to confess Xue Gouzi.


    In fact, after giving way for others all his life, how could Xue Qingsong have no complaints in his heart, but he has a simple and honest nature, and he knows that his talent is not as good as that of his elder brother, so he has been making contributions in obscurity.


    But when it came to his own son, especially Xue Gouzi, who was weak since he was a child, he was not a farmer in any way, and he was dying, so Xue Qingsong took the opportunity to force his elder brother to make a promise.


    Xue Qingsong would do this, but he wanted to break the status quo that the Xue family''s resources had been leaning towards Dafang. The Xue family only had two scholars in the first room, and now there is a Xue Gouzi. The children in the third room were still young at that time, and the fourth child was not married yet. As long as Xue Qingshan agrees, others will naturally have nothing to say, and Xue Qingsong will do his best for his son Brown.


    Xue Qingshan agreed to the matter on the spot, crying blood, saying that he would treat Xue Gouzi as his own son, Xue Qingsong closed his eyes.


    Not long after that, Qiu Shi, who was already in poor health, became depressed and fell ill, and then passed away. Since then, Xue Gouzi has become a poor child without father and mother. Fortunately, there are grandparents and uncles, and Zhaoer, a child bride-in-law, so he doesn''t have to worry about food and clothing.


    In the following years, Xue Qingshan really treated Xue Gouzi like his own son. No one in the village would say that the boss of the Xue family raised his nephew as his own son. But as the saying goes, the human heart is the most fickle, and selfishness is the nature of human beings. As time passed, Da Fang gradually changed his attitude. Although he was in front of others, he was still the same as before, but only the person concerned would know what happened to him afterwards.


    This year, seeing that he had nothing to teach his son, Xue Qingshan decided to send Xue Juncai to the town school to study for two years.


    But it costs a lot of money to go to the school to study, not to mention the one-year study that costs two silver, the three festivals and six rituals of the husband, and the pen, ink, paper and inkstone used in daily life, all of which cost money. The Xue family has already been seriously injured because they confessed to Xue Qingshan, and how can they have money for the two children to go together.


    You can only take out one piece of money, that is to say, Xue Juncai and Xue Gouzi can only go to one.


    Xue Qingshan told the matter in front of the whole family, but Xue Gouzi didn''t say what he couldn''t say tactfully, but chose to remain silent.

 Chapter 164

    It was the time of spring plowing, and everyone was busy plowing the fields at the moment, and there were hardly any people on the road in the village. Occasionally, a woman who is doing work in the yard sees the person walking on the road from a distance, and only after a few fixed eyes does she recognize who it is.


    "Dog, where is this going?"


    Xue Tingxiang looked at the woman who was talking to him, and said with a smile: "Auntie, I''ll just walk around."


    It was just a casual sentence, the woman didn''t say anything more to him, she turned to get something in the room, the mother-in-law in the room asked her: "Old third daughter-in-law, who were you talking to just now?"


    "The dog of the second room of Xue Lianxing''s family. Hey, mother, you are surprised. I didn''t recognize him just now when he knocked on the door. I always feel like a different person."


    Her mother-in-law didn''t take it seriously: "What can I become, but I can''t change my body, I remember that kid has been ill recently."


    The daughter-in-law said: "I see, maybe I plan to go to the back mountain." There is a mountain behind Yuqing Village, where the dead villagers in the village are buried, and the Xue family''s ancestral grave is also there.


    Hearing this, her mother-in-law sighed: "Don''t even mention it, it''s a pity for the second child of the Xing family. Both of them have left. It''s a pity to leave a baby."


    This is just gossip between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and while they were talking, Xue Tingxiang had already brought Heizi into the back mountain.


    *


    Houshan is called Houshan, the mountain behind Yuqing Village.


    This mountain has no name, and the mountain is not high, but it is extremely deep. Anyway, so far, no villager has been able to walk back and forth from this deep mountain and old forest, most of them are activities outside the mountain.


    The Xue family''s ancestral grave was built on a small hill not far from the village. This Xue family is not only Xue Tingxiang''s family, but the ancestors of the entire Xue clan are buried here.


    On such a big hill, the lineage of the patriarch is in the middle, and the branches of the various families spread out. The lineage of Mr. Xue is at a place near the foot of the southwest mountain.


    Because the couple in the second room died young, and Xue Qingsong died in an accident, they were buried at the edge.


    When Xue Tingxiang arrived at the place, he began to pull the grass around the grave mound casually.


    There were not many weeds, they had just been cleared during the Chinese New Year, so he gathered the grass at random and placed it on the ground, taking advantage of the opportunity and sat down in front of the grave.


    A piece of mountainous land, two small graves, in front of each of the graves stood a small bluestone stele, on which the names of the second family and the couple were crudely written.


    This monument was originally recruited to find someone to make it and set it up.


    Nowadays, there are three kinds of people who cannot erect monuments after they die, those who die suddenly, die young, and have no heirs. Xue Qingsong belongs to violent death.


    Although everyone doesn''t say it, people who feel that they died suddenly have resentment after death, which is not conducive to the feng shui of the ancestor''s grave, so no monument is erected. I also want him to forget who he is, so as not to cause trouble if he is ignorant.


    But at the same time, there is another saying that after death without a monument, you will be a lonely ghost, who cannot stand the incense of future generations.


    At the beginning, the funeral of the second wife was arranged by the Xue family, and they acquiesced to follow the old customs. At that time, Xue Tingxiang was still young and didn''t understand these things at all, but Zhao''er understood.


    She talked to Xue''s family about erecting a monument, but was blocked, and Xue''s family took turns to persuade her. Later, Zhao''er didn''t tell anyone about it, and took the money to ask someone to make these two simple monuments and put them in front of the grave.


    It was too late when Xue''s family found out, and they couldn''t tear down the stele in front of the villagers.


    The villagers were also surprised when they saw the stele, but after thinking about how the Xue family''s second child died, they could understand it.


    Therefore, Xue Qingshan also gained a good reputation. He would rather risk his family''s feng shui to erect a monument for his brother.


    With various thoughts spinning in his mind, Xue Tingxiang took out a piece of cloth from his arms and slowly wiped the tombstone.


    The words on it were still written by him, and the strokes are immature, but after all, people can still tell what is written on it.


    ...


    Today is the anniversary of Mr. Zheng''s death. Zheng Hu brought his two sons to the grave to worship.


    The country people are not so particular, they just prepared some steamed buns, wine and meat, and the father and son burned the paper money in front of the grave, so let''s forget about it.


    Zheng Hu had always had a deep relationship with his father, so he was inevitably depressed, so he let his two sons go back first, while he sat in front of the grave, smoking a pipe and talking to his father.


    After talking for a while, he stood up and planned to go back.


    There was still work waiting to be done in the field, and Zheng Hu didn''t want to waste time, so he decided to take a shortcut. When he passed near Xue Lianxing''s ancestral grave, he suddenly heard someone crying.


    There are graves on the two nearby hills, one is of the surname Xue, and the other is of the surname Zheng. This kind of festive day is not like Zheng Hu''s on the anniversary of the death of an elder in the family, but no one would come to this kind of place.


    In particular, there may be a lot of dead people buried here, the trees are dense, and sometimes the sky and day are gloomy. Hearing this strange sound under such circumstances, Zheng Hu was so frightened that his hair stood on end and his legs went limp.


    After all, he had lived for decades. He listened intently and calmly, and it took him a while to understand that it was a boy''s voice.


    Thinking about who''s grave was here, he bravely walked closer, bypassed a big tree, and saw a young man in blue clothes sitting in front of the grave from a distance.


    Next to it was a big black dog wagging its tail.


    It''s the dog of the second room of Xue Lianxing''s family.


    Only then did Zheng Hu heave a sigh of relief, and the voice came into his ears again: "...Father, what do you think I should do? Uncle wants to send brother Juncai to the school in town, I thought I could do the same." Go... But my aunt came to the house a few days ago, but she told me to let Brother Juncai, before..."


    The young man''s voice was full of hesitation and bewilderment, Zheng Hu did not expect to hear the secret affairs of the Xue family in such a place. He was so surprised that the pipe in his hand dropped without realizing it. He didn''t realize it until his foot was hit by the pipe, picked up the pipe in a hurry and left.


    He didn''t know that after he left, the lonely and helpless boy in his eyes stopped crying.


    In the past few days, Xue Tingxiang has been thinking hard, trying to find a suitable opportunity, and somehow he thought of Zheng Hu.


    Zheng Hu''s father, Mr. Zheng, died during the spring plowing. It was not a happy funeral, but an accident. He was accidentally squeezed to the foot of the field by his own cattle and fell to his death.


    The ridge was not very tall, and countless villagers fell off the ridge every year, and Mr. Zheng died unluckily. At the beginning, this incident was widely circulated in the village, so Xue Tingxiang remembered it very clearly.


    Since it was the anniversary of the father''s death, the son Zheng Hu would definitely come to visit the grave, and Zheng Hu used to like to take shortcuts, so he would definitely pass by this area, so who else is more suitable than him.


    The most important thing is that Yuqing Village doesn''t seem big, but Xue and Zheng''s surnames have always been different from each other. Zheng Hu''s uncle is Li Zheng, and if he knows it, Zheng Lizheng will know it too.


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t stay any longer, and quickly returned home with Heizi the same way.


    The yard was still silent, he found a twig and put it in front of the door, and sat there quietly basking in the sun, thinking about Zhao''er who went to the town.


    *


    Zheng Hu hurried all the way, without even returning home, he went to Zheng Lizheng''s house.


    Zheng Li is the Lizheng of Yuqing Village and the head of the Zheng clan. Naturally, the family''s house is the only one in Yuqing Village. If it can be compared with it, it is the house of Patriarch Xue''s family.


    Yishui''s green brick and tile-roofed house, and the courtyard walls are also made of green bricks. The most conspicuous thing is the ancestral hall of the Zheng family on the front, but this ancestral hall will not be opened until a certain time. The two black doors The paulownia gate is closed all year round.


    Going around to the side is the courtyard of Zheng Lizheng''s family.


    The yard is huge, unlike other houses where the barn, barn, kitchen, etc. are all in the front yard, the front yard of Zheng Lizheng''s house is just a big empty yard, only two sycamore trees are planted in the yard. Whenever there is any major event in the village, the courtyard will always be densely packed with people.


    There are three main rooms facing the face, and east and west wing rooms on the left and right, all of which are blue bricks and black tiles, which are extraordinarily magnificent.


    When Zheng Hu arrived, only Zheng Lizheng and his wife Tian Shi were at home.


    As soon as Tian saw his nephew coming, he greeted him: "Huzi, why are you here at this time? Do you have something to do with your uncle?"


    "Hey, there''s something wrong."


    With that said, Zheng Hu hurried into the house. Tian shook her head, thinking that there must be something wrong, since Zheng Hu is usually very steady.


    After Zheng Hu entered, he turned to the east room.


    Sure enough, his uncle Zheng Li was sitting cross-legged on the big kang in the east room, smoking dry cigarettes.


    "Why, in a hurry."


    Zheng Hu sat down on a pier under the kang, panting heavily, unable to speak for a while.


    Zheng Lizheng looked to be in his sixties, with a long face and a pair of medium-sized eyes. From the appearance, he is just an ordinary farmer''s old man, even the clothes he wears are ordinary. There is only that unmoving calmness, which can be seen as a person who has been around the world for a long time.


    With the cigarette holder in his mouth, he pushed the teapot on the kang table forward, Zheng Hu was not polite, stood up and poured a bowl of tea, and drank it down.


    "Uncle, let me tell you, something happened to me today."


    "What''s the matter?"


    "Today is not the anniversary of my father''s death. I took it with me early in the morning..."


    Halfway through Zheng Hu''s speech, Zheng Lizheng sat up from the kang, as if listening seriously.


    Seeing his uncle like this, Zheng Hu knew he had come to the right place. After hearing what the only son of Xue Lianxing''s family cried, he realized that this was an opportunity, an opportunity to suppress the prestige of Xue in Yuqing Village.


    He spoke in more detail, almost repeating every word, while Zheng Li was smoking a pipe, his eyes narrowed.


    *


    Zhao''er didn''t come back until the second half of the afternoon, and when he came back, he looked a little unhappy.


    Xue Tingxiang looked at the basket behind her, every time Zhao''er came back before, the basket was always full, but today he knew that there was nothing in it.


    "What''s wrong?"


    Zhao''er was thinking about it, when the little man asked him, he was taken aback for a moment, and then said: "It''s nothing, I brought you meat buns from the town, and I''ll heat them up for you to eat later."


    How could there be nothing, obviously there is something.


    Xue Tingxiang glanced at her face, but since she didn''t want to say more, he didn''t want to press her.


    Zhao''er went back and forth to the town, covered in dust, she went to the kitchen to boil water, and took a bath in the bathroom. The Xue family has a special room for bathing, in the vegetable field in the backyard. The house is not big, three meters square, the floor is paved with bluestone slabs, and there is a drain in the corner, through which the bath water can flow directly into the vegetable field.


    Taking off her clothes, Zhao''er rubbed the soap horns on her body, but a burst of melancholy came to her heart.


    In fact, something really happened, but she didn''t say it because she was afraid that the little man would worry.


    The way she finally found to get money was robbed.


    The person who robbed was none other than the owner of the embroidery workshop who took her finished product and pocketed the embroidered shoes.


    In fact, Zhao''er is quite clever. He bought rags from the owner of this embroidery workshop, but the finished product was not sold to this one, but to another one. It''s just that she didn''t expect that the two bosses were actually relatives, and she didn''t know how the other party knew. When she went again this time, the other party was unwilling to sell her rags.


    Not only does this embroidery workshop have no rags, but the owner of this embroidery workshop ordered people to buy all the rags from other embroidery workshops. Zhao''er didn''t know about this until after visiting several embroidery workshops.


    She has already made plans to pay for the little man to study in the town. She has asked about the Qinghe Academy, and the beam repair will cost five taels of silver every year. Among them, because many students live too far away, they can choose to study in dormitories. If it is a place to study, the monthly meals, accommodation, etc. are added together, and another one or two taels of silver will be needed.


    In Zhao''er''s heart, she wanted Xue Ting to study overnight. She felt that Xue''s house was not a good place to study, and there were too many messes in the family, which meant that she had to prepare six taels of silver before sending the little man to school.


    She originally thought that she could make enough money by doing this business twice, but who would have thought that such a thing would happen.


    In the middle of her thoughts, Zhao''er had already taken a shower, she wrapped her hair in a handkerchief, put on her clothes, and went back to the house.


    Xue Tingxiang was sitting on the kang reading a book, and it was his only book "Children Learning Qionglin". Seeing her coming in, he looked up at her and said, "It''s still cold, dry your hair quickly."


    Hearing this, Zhao''er''s heart warmed up.


    These days the little man has changed a lot compared to before, and this change is naturally good, so she couldn''t help showing a smile even though she was worried.


    She climbed onto the kang and took a cloth towel out of the kang cabinet. Xue Tingxiang was sitting on the side, inevitably he had to make room for her. When she passed by, a scent mixed with soap locust penetrated into the tip of his nose, he couldn''t help moving his nose, and his eyes fell on her who was close at hand.

 Chapter 165

    They were all from humble backgrounds, and of course they knew how difficult it was to study in a farming family, so before Xue Tingxiang said that the Xue family never forgot to cultivate their children and grandchildren while they settled down, Qiao Xiucai praised them greatly.


    Because he knew that this matter seemed insignificant, but it was actually too difficult for farmers. How many families had the idea of ??changing their own destiny by reading books.


    It can be said that those who are born in a poor family in the countryside and can achieve great fame have all experienced great hardships. The starting point is much lower than others. It takes countless efforts to catch up with others, and at the same time they have to face all kinds of cruel competition.


    This kind of competition is not only between classmates, but also between the same clan, and even one''s own brothers.


    If you succeed, the sea and the sky will be bright, and you will not be an ordinary person since then. If you fail, you will put down the book and pick up the hoe, and face the loess and the sky for the rest of your life.


    It is because they understand this kind of cruelty that the two of them can''t help but wonder whether this son deliberately said that his knowledge is weak, or he just wants to pull his brother to reduce the difficulty of the question. But this is a double-edged sword. After all, it is a disadvantage to oneself to lose one''s studies to others.


    These thoughts only happened in an instant, and because of the sudden attention of He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai, Xue Qingshan''s eyebrows jumped wildly, for fear that Xue Tingxiang would say something amazing again. At this moment, he couldn''t care less about why Xue Tingxiang knew the explanation of the scriptures, and he completely forgot that his previous idea was that Xue Tingshan didn''t understand the scriptures, and it would be easy for his son to beat him.


    This is also true for Patriarch Xue. If something happens in the clan that cannot be seen by others, it is limited to the clan. If it happens in public, it will be a bit ugly.


    The eyes of the two seemed to have needles, and they were anxiously focused on Xue Tingxiang''s face. Unexpectedly, he smiled shyly and said: "The boy was weak and sick when he was young, so he inevitably fell behind."


    Xue Qingshan hurriedly laughed and said: "That''s exactly the case. Don''t be afraid that the two seniors will laugh at me. My nephew is talented and intelligent, but his weak body hinders his studies."


    Patriarch Xue also nodded in agreement.


    Others didn''t know what was going on, they just opened their eyes and watched. Only Zheng Lizheng seemed to realize that there was something wrong, but he couldn''t tell the details, so he could only keep silent.


    After He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai gave in to each other again, He Xiucai was the main one in the end. Sitting at the top, he said to Xue Tingxiang: "Since you don''t understand the scriptures, it''s a bit unfair to go beyond the scope of what you have learned. You two are still young, and it''s time to lay down the foundation, so I will test your two. Human base."


    Hearing this, although Xue Juncai was a little disappointed that he was overqualified and missed his opportunity to perform, he also felt disdainful.


    If you don''t test the scriptures, then Xue Tingxiang is not his opponent!


    He Xiucai squeezed his beard with his hands, and after pondering for a while, said: "Zhu Zi said: the size of learning is inherently different, but it is the way, it is only one. It is also suitable for young people. If you don''t learn it in elementary school, you will have nothing to learn. Its heart, to cultivate its virtue, is the foundation of the university. The two of you will each silently write a "Disciple Regulations."


    Neither of them expected that the first question would be Mo''s "Disciple Regulations". You must know that "Disciples Regulations" was learned at the beginning of elementary school, and the whole article is only about a thousand words. In addition to the general narrative, it is divided into seven chapters: filial piety when you enter, brotherhood when you go out, sincerity, faith, universal love for all, kindness and benevolence, and Yu Liwen.


    Each chapter is not long, with three words and one sentence, rhyming in the same pattern, and catchy. It lists the various norms that disciples should abide by at home, when going out, and when dealing with people. It also just proves what He Xiucai said before, the size of learning is inherently different, but it is the truth that it is only one.


    Someone has already prepared a square table and pens and inks, and each person has a table and table in front of the hall, and even the ink has been sharpened.


    When the two came to the table, they picked up a pen and wrote without any hesitation.


    As the two rushed to write and write, the noise gradually faded away. Even if the country people don''t understand the basic principles, they also know that scholars should not be disturbed when they are doing their studies.


    This is not a problem for Xue Tingxiang, because he only has one book, so he has spent too much effort to memorize the things he has learned.


    Not only memorizing, but also keeping in mind, so that when asked in school, he can answer fluently, because he has no reference at all.


    It is better to have no books than to have books, because these are all engraved in the mind. Especially since having that dream, in order not to affect his memory, he has silently recited the book he had memorized countless times in his mind.


    While Xue Tingxiang was writing vigorously, he also had a slight change in his opinion of He Xiucai.


    He could see that the other party asked such an unexpected question, not because the other party deliberately released the water, but because the other party wanted to make a surprise. Because this discipline is too simple for scholars, they have learned it when they were just learning, but they just throw it away after learning it.


    Except for the beginning of learning, my husband will not take these things in the future. It may be to test the Three Character Classic, or even a hundred surnames, and a thousand character prose, but it will not be the rules of this disciple.


    Xue Tingxiang even couldn''t wait to see Xue Juncai''s reaction. Maybe the other party can roughly write down this article, but can you write down all the thousands of words, and the words are correct and the order is good? And He Xiucai''s request to silence this disciple''s rule is probably not just silent, but also one of the "books" in elementary school.


    Just relying on your own words is enough to beat the opponent.


    As Xue Tingxiang thought, at first Xue Juncai really felt contemptuous. He even wondered if this He Xiucai was out of his mind to take the "Disciple Regulations" test.


    Who wouldn''t know this disciple? It is something to learn at the beginning of school. But after he fell silent, he realized that he really wasn''t as good as he thought.


    After you leave, do you love me, or are you hurt? You must know that this Disciple Rules is not like other articles, it can connect the past and the future, confirming each other, if the first sentence is wrong, the latter paragraph will be wrong.


    The more Xue Juncai became silent, the more annoyed he felt, and he always felt that he was wrong in being silent. If someone asks a question, he can naturally answer it fluently. Ke Mo, Mo is still a good word!


    At first, he wrote like flying, but then it became slower and slower, and even reached the point where he couldn''t write, obviously he was not sure if his memory was wrong.


    On the contrary, Xue Tingxiang has been calm from the beginning, and he is still writing at a leisurely pace at this time, but it can be seen that his writing is very coherent, with almost no pause.


    At the first place, Qiao Xiucai glanced at He Xiucai with exclamation, and did not hide her surprise at all. He naturally had a panoramic view of the following situation, and he had to admire He Xiucai''s ingenuity.


    He Xiucai smiled slightly. In fact, he would ask this kind of question, but he just wanted people to make mistakes. I was very proud of my inspiration.


    He stroked his beard and said with a faint smile, "You two little friends, don''t worry, there is a stick of incense time, enough to write it down."


    Yizhuxiang wrote more than a thousand characters, which seemed a bit hasty, but it is not impossible to write something as simple as the disciple''s rules silently, as long as you pay close attention to it.


    But that was before, Xue Juncai couldn''t help but feel even more anxious when he heard someone mention the time.


    In the following time, he kept looking at the stick of incense, because he looked at it too frequently, which made his speed even slower.


    "Okay, time is up."


    As the words fell, Xue Tingxiang made a big stroke and put down the brush in his hand.


    Xue Juncai didn''t move, until someone went in front of him, only to find that his whole body was as stiff as a stone, and he was dripping with sweat, and the paper in front of him was only half full.


    Because the two were behind the gate, and Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong were sitting at the end, they didn''t notice anything strange about it. In their minds, a "Regulations for Disciples" couldn''t be simpler, and Xue Juncai''s strange appearance also attracted the attention of the two of them, but they still didn''t expect that Xue Juncai could not finish writing it.


    It wasn''t until He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai looked at each other''s papers that they looked at each other, and He Xiucai announced that Xue Tingxiang won this match.


    Xue Qingshan stood up from the chair in surprise: "How is it possible?"


    At the same time, there was a lot of discussion below and outside the door, and it seemed that Xue Juncai couldn''t believe that Xue Juncai had lost. Insiders look at the doorway, while laymen watch the excitement. The villagers who didn''t know a single word didn''t know what the test was about, they only knew that Master Xiucai said that Xue Juncai lost to the Xue family dog.


    Xue Juncai lost to Xue Gouzi?


    This, this is really surprising. You must know that Xue Juncai has always been the most outstanding young man among the younger generation in Yuqing Village. Whoever mentions him does not give a thumbs up.


    "Senior He, Senior Qiao, did you make a mistake, a disciple''s regulation..."


    He Xiucai gestured with his gaze, and two people stepped forward to unfold Xue Juncai''s and Xue Tingxiang''s papers, held them up, and showed them to everyone.


    I saw that on one of the rice papers, the handwriting was full of strength, correct and beautiful. On the other piece of rice paper, the handwriting was not bad, but it was anticlimactic, and it became more and more scribbled as it went to the back, and there were even spots of ink on it.


    "Xue Tingxiang''s words are not bad, and there is no ink on the scroll, which is a good appearance. And Xue Juncai didn''t finish his silence, and there were mistakes and omissions, so Xue Tingxiang won this round."


    "Brilliant!" Xue Qingshan said in surprise, his eyes were full of disbelief, he wanted to say something, but was pulled by Yang Zhong.


    Xue Juncai didn''t raise his head until now, he raised his head stiffly and looked at Xue Tingxiang with red eyes.


    ...


    Next is the second round, and this round will return to the normal school exam homework.


    He Xiucai asked the question, and the two answered.


    "Seeking the ancients to seek the theory, how can you solve it if you let go of your worries?"


    "Search for the ancients and the ancient things, and read more wise and famous sayings, so that you can get rid of distracting thoughts and be at ease." Xue Juncai took a step forward and replied.


    "Meng Ke is dunsu, Shi Yu is upright. What''s the explanation for Lao Qian''s edict?" This sentence was asked by Xue Tingxiang.


    He pondered for a while, and said: "Mencius advocates simplicity, while Ziyu, the official historian, is upright. What he said is that a person should conform to the standard of the mean as much as possible. He must be hardworking and humble, be cautious, and know how to advise himself."


    "Saying the warning, what''s the next sentence?" When He Xiucai asked this sentence, he didn''t look at any of the two of them.


    Xue Juncai was still in a daze, but Xue Tingxiang had already replied: "I''m almost ashamed, Lin Gao is lucky."


    "Don''t talk about each other''s weaknesses, what''s the solution to relying on your own strengths?"


    This time Xue Juncai didn''t let up, and hurriedly said: "Don''t talk about other people''s shortcomings, and don''t rely on your own strengths to make progress." Before he finished speaking, his cheeks were hot, and he didn''t know whether it was embarrassment or self-ashamed.


    "Okay!" He Xiucai clapped his hands together, "All the answers are pretty good."


    Suddenly, he said again: "Shuixie."


    Xue Juncai was stunned for a moment, Xue Tingxiang''s eyes flashed, and he replied: "Shanzhai."


    Hearing this, Xue Juncai realized that He Xiucai was taking a pair test.


    Before schoolchildren enter university, in addition to the basic three hundred and thousand thousand, they also need to learn "Enlightenment of Rhythm", "Longwen Whip Shadow", "Children''s Learning Qionglin", "Zengguang Xianwen" and so on.


    Among them, "Enlightenment of Rhythm" and "Longwen Whip Shadow" teach children to understand the rules of rhythm and parallelism. In the process of learning Pingzheqie rhyme, at the same time begin to understand and master poetry rhyme, and acquire a large number of vocabulary and ancient allusions.


    Nowadays there is a saying that few schoolchildren who have been taught can''t match the right pair.


    Especially this simple pair and couplet.


    After suffering two losses in a row, Xue Juncai was obviously smarter. It was almost He Xiucai who asked the question. Answered successfully.


    It can be seen that Xue Juncai is doing well in his studies, and there are almost no pairs that He Xiucai can''t answer.


    "Recently, the old man sighed in his heart. He occasionally got something. He came up with an upper couplet, but so far he has not been able to get a suitable second couplet. This time I will test you two. It may be too difficult for you now, but give it a try. It doesn''t matter." He Xiucai withdrew his gaze and looked at Qiao Xiucai: "Brother Qiao, if you are interested, you can also try it, so as to relieve the pain of brooding for many days."


    Qiao Xiucai smiled slightly, knowing that this was He Xiucai''s desire to compete.


    As the saying goes, there is no first in writing, and there is no second in martial arts. In the nearby villages, he and He Xiucai were the only ones who passed the entrance examination. He Xiucai''s reputation in the outside world has never been prominent, and he can understand that he will compare.


    "Brother He, it''s okay to say."


    He Xiucai stroked his beard and said: "One person is great, and two are heaven. Heaven is greater than human affection, and human affection is greater than heaven."


    Xue Tingxiang''s eyes flashed, his eyes flicked across the faces of the first two people, and then fell on Xue Juncai''s face. Seeing him bow his head in thought, he also lowered his head.

 Chapter 166

    "Why do you say you are so stubborn! You say you are so stubborn, who are you showing your stubbornness to?!"


    "I know you don''t like me, but I''ve been like this for many years, and I can''t change it! I don''t plan to change it either!"


    "Look at Hong''er, does he look like you?"


    ...


    Xue Tingxiang suddenly felt that someone was shaking him, opened his tired eyes, and saw the dark inner room, Hu San''s face that was no longer young, even the lines on the curtains were so familiar, he knew He was just dreaming.


    It''s just that the dream was too clear, the sorghum fragrance in the air, the curve of her stubbornly pursed mouth, all made him feel like he was actually there. There were also her tears from being angry, crystal clear and shining with colorful light, he wanted to reach out to touch it, but someone woke him up.


    "My lord, it''s time to drink the medicine."


    Xue Tingxiang was propped up and given medicine. He was so ill that he had to be taken care of even to drink medicine. How could he look like that extremely human minister Xue Shoufu who had ruled the court for decades.


    Oh no, he is not the chief assistant now.


    He has already written a letter to beg for the bones, intending to return to his hometown for the elderly, and the Holy Majesty has already agreed, but he has no home to return to and no relatives to rely on.


    In fact, he didn''t intend to go back.


    "Master Zhang, Mr. Wang, and Mr. Li and Mr. Cao all came to visit you, but they obeyed your orders and blocked the door. They come every day, and they are here again today. Would you like to see me?"


    What can they do? Didn''t they think that his illness was an expedient measure, waiting for him to stand up and continue to lead them to fight against the emperor, but he was really ill, terminally ill, and the medicine was useless.


    "not see."


    "My lord, please sleep a little longer."


    The room became quiet again, Xue Tingxiang''s eyelids began to get heavy again, he blinked again and again, and fell into sleep again.


    ...


    "How come Mr. Wang is free to visit this old man?"


    Wang Mingcheng''s eyes were a bit complicated, but he smiled on his face: "After all, I am a minister of the same court, and I should come to visit Mr. Shoufu because of emotion and reason."


    "I didn''t expect you, Wang Mingcheng, to say such hypocritical things, but to see if the old man is dying on behalf of the emperor?" Xue Tingxiang sarcastically said.


    He is obviously a haggard old man who is obviously dying, but just because of his calm, indifferent eyes that seem somewhat unpredictable, people dare not ignore him in the slightest.


    After all, this is Xue Shoufu, and the name alone is enough to intimidate everyone. That was Xue Tingxiang''s deep-rooted roots left by him after going through three dynasties and dozens of years, just like a towering ancient tree with intertwined roots, without him doing anything, just standing there is enough to make everyone daunting.


    If not, why would the new emperor have to exhaust all means, but still dare not act rashly, only dare to take that roundabout strategy.


    "It seems that my lord has misunderstood His Majesty a lot."


    Xue Tingxiang snorted and laughed, half closed his eyes, did not speak, and looked obviously too lazy to talk to him.


    "Actually, I''m here for myself. I just came to see how lonely and miserable the villain who abandoned his wife and son was now. I''m afraid Mr. Xue is dead now, and even a descendant in mourning None, in fact, Mr. Xue is too hard to see, it is just a show, just listen to it and watch it, how can you take the fake show as real and make yourself like this? Is it because of a disturbed conscience or fear? His true face is known by the world, he is reviled by others, and he will be stigmatized for thousands of years?"


    "you¡­¡­"


    "To say that you abandoned your wife and son is too much to save your face. It should be killing your wife and son, isn''t it, Mr. Xue?"


    No one knows about all this. The world only knows that Xue Shoufu had a first wife before Mrs. Xue, but they don''t know what happened to that first wife. After all, the time is too long, Xue Tingxiang has stood in the court hall for dozens of years, and his former, former and current opponents have all been trampled under his feet.


    People in the world only know that Mr. Shoufu is friendly and respectful to the corporals, but they don''t know that Mr. Shoufu also has a vicious side. In recent years, anyone who wanted to make a fuss about his past events all became lonely ghosts. No one knows how many ghosts have been added to it, and the only one who can know is Wang Mingsheng, the "bitter master".


    "You, you are..."


    Wang Mingcheng leaned closer to his face: "It''s a pity that my mother''s life is so bad, and so is my life. The sinking ship didn''t kill us, but was saved by others. Do you know that for so many years, day and night, I I want to see this scene every night. It''s a pity that your life is too long, and the power is in the hands of the people. I can only climb up step by step, to the position where I can step on you..."


    "You are... Hong''er..." Xue Tingxiang struggled to say this.


    Wang Mingsheng stood up straight and smiled heartily: "My name is not Hong''er, nor is my surname Xue, but my surname is Wang. My mother remarried, to the person who saved us...don''t get excited, even if You are dead now, and I am not your son..."


    Wang Mingsheng has always been known for being calm and introverted, hiding his secrets, and it was probably the first time he laughed so freely in front of people.


    "By the way, you don''t have to think that even if my official surname is Wang, I can still pass on the family lineage to your Xue family. Let me think about it. Yao Ji released the rumor that my official is as good as Long Yang back then, as if you ordered someone to do it. You really hit the mark, I don¡¯t like women, that¡¯s why I haven¡¯t married for many years..."


    He smiled and looked at the old man on the bed, seeing how shocked, disappointed and remorseful he was.


    But so what?


    He suddenly found that he was not as happy as he had imagined, and even this smile seemed too fake. He suddenly lost interest, flattened the corners of his mouth, brushed off his sleeves, and said, "Since Mr. Xue is fine, I will take my leave."


    ...


    "I didn''t, I didn''t..."


    "My lord, what are you talking about?"


    Hearing this voice, the fog in front of Xue Tingxiang suddenly dissipated, and he woke up suddenly from his dream. In front of the eyes is this dark inner room again, Hu San''s unattractive or even ugly face, the air is filled with a bitter smell of medicine, and there seems to be a decadent smell floating gently.


    Xue Tingxiang moved his lips, but no sound came out.


    "My lord, what did you say?"


    Hu San was very anxious, and kept asking, but Xue Tingxiang couldn''t speak at all. Hu San could only ask based on his own guess: "Are you thinking about the past? Don''t worry, your words have been passed on to Mr. Zhang , he already knows that Lord Wang is your only son, and will follow your instructions."


    Xue Tingxiang blinked his eyelids. Hu San thought he still had something to say, so he put his ear next to his mouth, but only heard one sentence: "I didn''t..."


    After that there is no text.


    When Hu San anxiously looked up, he saw Xue Tingxiang''s wide-open eyes and gray-blue face.


    He moved forward to touch the other person''s breath with shaking hands, but was so startled that he sat down on the ground.


    *


    The cold wind came in through the holed window paper, blowing Xue Gouzi''s face coldly.


    Shocked, he opened his eyes.


    What imprinted in my eyes was a small room with blue brick walls and black tile roof. The walls were plastered with white ash, but it looked gray. The beams of the house are log-colored, and because there is no dust, they are bare/exposed. There are several bamboo baskets hanging on them. There seems to be something in the baskets, and they are covered with blue cloth.


    He was lying on a kang with a half-new quilt covering his body. The quilt looked clean and tidy, but in fact the cotton wadding inside had hardened.


    Facing his kang feet, there is a row of dark brown kang cabinets, with brass bare nails inlaid with hinged leaves and copper tassel handles, and simple patterns of auspicious clouds and flowing water carved on them, which look thick and generous. . Although it is nothing in a rich family, it is already a piece of furniture that can be sold in a peasant family.


    There is no problem passing it down for generations!


    This is what his father said back then, and his father was the best carpenter in the village.


    Xue Gouzi felt his head hurt, as if he had been hit hard with a hoe. He wanted to support himself to sit up, but he was exhausted and fell back onto the kang again.


    It was only then that he realized that he was Xue Gouzi, the eldest son of the second room of the Xue family. Because of something that happened, he couldn''t think about it for a while, and he was so angry that he became ill for a while, and he had been sick for many days.


    He is not Xue Tingxiang, that Xue Tingxiang is the person in his dream.


    How could he be like that?


    In order to prove that all that was just a dream, he raised his hand to look at it.


    really! The hand in front of him was slender and fair, and he hadn''t developed the muscles and bones that a man should have. He was only fourteen this year, how could he live to be over seventy years old, and die in the end.


    Xue Gouzi let out a heavy breath, looked around again, and finally felt more at ease.


    Someone was talking outside, and the voice came in through the cracks in the window.


    "I''m talking about recruiting, it''s not my aunt talking about you, look at what you are now, a girl who stays at home all day, and learns from those small traders to do business. That business is what you can do. Did it? Look at your fourth uncle, you can¡¯t save a lot of money by running around outside every day, so don¡¯t worry about it, and if you have that little time, you can help fourth aunt with some work!¡±


    The voice sounded like a young woman, but the sarcasm in the words was too strong. It is said that appearance is born from the heart, and it is no wonder that Mrs. Sun has a mean face.


    This thought flashed subconsciously in Xue Gouzi''s mind, and then he was stunned. It''s true that he hated Fourth Aunt, but why would he miss her so much?


    Before he could figure out why, he heard the voice in his dream.


    "Fourth aunt, I would like to help you with some work, but you also know that the dog has been ill for a few days, and the family gave a few pennies for the medicine at first, but after taking it for half a month, grandma said that the family The money is not in hand, so I stopped the medicine. Gouzi is my man, I can''t just watch him be so sick, it''s not impossible for the fourth aunt to want me to help with the work, or you can lend me some money to buy medicine, I Can I pay you back slowly in the future?"


    The owner of the voice was a young girl, and the tone revealed a capable and crisp taste, mixed with a bit of teasing.


    That''s right, Zhao''er deliberately ran on the Sun family.


    Mrs. Sun has always had a temperament of only getting in and out, and it is more difficult to ask her to give out a penny, let alone lending it to the two half-children of the second room.


    Now there are only these two people left in the second room, the top door is only fourteen, but there is an older one, only sixteen, and it is still a girl''s family. Every time Mrs. Sun heard the rumors from the villagers that Zhao''er, a dead girl, had made some money by doing some business, she would be full of disbelief.


    What kind of business can this dead girl do to make money, but she digs three melons and two dates from the wild, and takes them out to trick the people in the city into exchanging a few pennies.


    "Your fourth aunt has no money to lend you. Our family''s money is all in mother''s place. You don''t care about mother''s going!" Sun patted her buttocks, stood up and went into the house, too lazy to talk nonsense with Zhao''er.


    "Since the fourth aunt has no money to lend me, and I don''t dare to take care of grandma, I can only figure out where to get some money to get some medicine for the dog!"


    Zhao''er''s voice was very loud, so naturally she was speaking not only to Mrs. Sun, but also to Mrs. Zhao who was sitting in the main room.


    Sure enough, Zhao''er entered the house with his front foot, and Mrs. Zhao stood at the door behind him and scolded Mrs. Sun: "You haven''t cleaned the pigsty, so you''re going back to the house to hold a corpse?"


    Zhao''er curled her lips, lifted the door curtain and walked in, bumping head-on into Xue Gouzi''s eyes looking at her.


    In the second room, Zhao''er went to pour some hot water, and after washing their feet, they went to rest on the kang.


    A big Kang, two quilts, one for each person.


    But Zhao''er couldn''t sleep today, and when she came back from the main room, she was a little excited.


    She rolled over and over again.


    "You do not sleep?"


    It is reasonable to say that they would not rest so early, but today both of them have been busy all day, so they turned off the lights after recruiting children to go to the kang. However, there is a moon outside, and you can still see clearly in the room.


    Zhao''er sat up halfway, and moved to Xue Tingxiang''s side.


    "Dog, tell me what you meant when you scolded that old killer just now?"


    Zhao''er knows how to swear, and has sweared before, but she has never seen such a method of swearing, and Yang Zhong is so annoyed by the swearing, and Xue''s family doesn''t even know how to persuade him. From Zhao''er''s point of view, isn''t this the culmination of swearing, can you swear without uttering dirty words?


    She wanted to learn this method, and it would come in handy.


    Xue Tingxiang turned over and gave her a backbone.


    Zhao''er poked his shoulder with her finger: "What''s wrong? Why are you angry again?"


    He didn''t move, and she moved closer.


    The two of them were only separated by one person, and they wore thin clothes when they slept. Zhao''er leaned over, and even though Xue Tingshan had his back on his back, he could feel a wave of hot air rushing towards him, mixed with a wisp of faint fragrance.


    There was a strange softness slightly attached to his shoulders, Xue Tingshan''s back was stiff, and she heard her say on top of her head: "Don''t take that old killer''s words to heart, it''s not that I said uncle and aunt are too narrow-minded." It¡¯s too much, and even made such a fuss, do you really think that grandpa will regret it? Even if the family doesn¡¯t say anything, there are still so many people watching outside, so don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll go to the school to make a decision.¡±


    She was very close to him, and the heat of her words sprayed on the tips of his ears, making him shiver again and again. At the same time, a hot numbness rushed from the tips of his ears to his neck, causing waves of unconscious trembling.


    His breathing was a little tight, and he couldn''t help turning over.


    Zhao''er was still talking, and she didn''t expect that he would turn over suddenly, and his face just crashed into her arms.


    Xue Tingxiang''s brain went blank for a moment, and he subconsciously fell backwards. It is obvious that it is about to leave at the touch of a touch, but it clearly feels a suffocating softness, and there is something faintly raised.


    He recalled some situations in the dream, and he only felt his nose was hot, as if something flowed out.


    "Are you alright?" Zhao''er heard a thud, saw him motionless, thought that something was wrong with him being bumped, hurriedly leaned over to look at his face.


    "Why are you panicking! Really. Come on, let me rub it for you."


    He covered his nose with one hand and pushed her with the other: "I''m fine, it doesn''t hurt." He quickly turned over and said falteringly: "It''s getting late, go to sleep."

 Chapter 167

    Especially all the books he has learned since he was a child. He had flipped through the memory of that dream before, and he had memorized some of these elementary school and even university bibliographies, but his memory was extremely vague, and he had forgotten many of the more detailed things.


    He thought about the reason, and felt that "he" seemed to be very disgusted with the memory of studying hard in the cold window, so he always adopted an evasive attitude. In addition, the Xue Tingxiang in the dream has lived for more than seventy years. Since he passed the Jinshi examination, he has been obsessed with officialdom battles, but he doesn''t care about his own knowledge.


    After many years, his memory is more about the ups and downs of the officialdom, the various forces in the party struggle, and the speculation of the people, rather than the original essence of a scholar.


    Seriously speaking, ''Xue Tingxiang'' is not a real scholar, he is just a politician.


    But obviously he doesn''t need these things now, as if a young child has a sword, he knows the significance of these things to his future. But today a young child needs nothing more than a piece of clothing, or just food and clothing.


    But these memories have already begun to affect his own memory. He doesn''t want to forget what he has learned. What he needs to do now is to consolidate the memory and combine with ''Xue Tingxiang''''s advanced cognition of many things. This is the right way.


    And the best way to master it is nothing more than copying books.


    Obviously this yellow bamboo paper was of very low quality, the brush strokes should not be light or heavy, the ink would be uneven if it was light, and it would smudge if it was heavy, but Xue Tingxiang wrote on it like flowing clouds and flowing water as if there was nothing there. The handwriting on it is full and round, and it is extraordinarily majestic.


    Zhao''er held his breath and didn''t even dare to make a sound. His eyes fell on Xue Tingxiang, who was writing vigorously. Suddenly, he had the illusion that a little man had grown up.


    Xue Tingxiang quickly wrote a sheet, and he was about to take it away to dry, Zhao''er quickly took it, and spread it carefully on the kang. Her eyes were attracted by those words. She couldn''t tell how beautiful they were, but felt like a painting.


    And during this period, Xue Tingxiang wrote another one.


    In this way, Xue Tingxiang wrote and asked children to dry it. After a while, the kang was covered with paper.


    A book of the Three Character Classic does not contain more than a thousand characters, and Xue Tingxiang finished it very quickly.


    He put down the pen, took a deep breath, and moved his wrist a few times. He hadn''t written at such a high density for a long time, and it was a challenge to his wrist strength.


    "Actually, I can copy books to subsidize my family." He said suddenly.


    He had been thinking about this for a long time. In his dream, he only read books blindly. He really managed to "keep his ears off the outside world and read only the books of sages and sages".


    The former "he" was helpless and emotional about this situation, but he had more than enough energy, and Zhao''er was really capable, and he had a talent that no one else had in business, and he answered everything in every detail, and never let him go. He worries about money, so he doesn''t think about it anymore.


    Looking back, he realized that ''he'' cared more about this matter than he imagined. Now that he can earn one or two silver coins to support his family, why not give it a try.


    How can a man be raised by a woman, he should be the one who shelters her from the wind and rain. He didn''t understand at this time in the dream, but fortunately he understands now.


    "Copy books to make money?" Zhao''er shook her head again and again: "How can I do that? It''s hard work and hurts my eyes."


    "How can you say so exaggeratedly? Look, I just copied a book in a short while." He organized all the pages of the book into a pile, and gave it to Zhao''er for her to bind.


    "Copying books can not only earn money, but also read books. Why not do it. I remember that there are bookstores in the town that will find some poor scholars to help copy books and sell them. You go to the town tomorrow and bring this book to the bookstore. Look at the shop owner, if it¡¯s feasible, you can help me pick up a book and try it when you come back.¡±


    Having said that, he paused for a moment: "Well, I''ll go with you, and we''ll go to town together tomorrow."


    "Is this really possible?" Zhao''er always hesitates when it comes to matters involving little men.


    "There''s nothing wrong with it."


    *


    Now that the matter was settled, the two of them woke up early the next day and went out without even having breakfast at home.


    Yuqing Village is a small village located under Huyang Town. In fact, Huyang Town is also Huyang Township, just named after the town. There are dozens of villages like this in Huyang Township, and Yuqing Village is one of the larger villages.


    From Yuqing Village to the town, if walking, it takes nearly an hour. If you take an ox cart or a mule cart, it will be faster, and there are carts from the village below to the town every day. Bullock carts are slow and cheap, and you can take one ride for two pennies. Mule carts are expensive, and one person gets four renminbi, but the speed is not comparable to that of ox carts.


    Going out of Yuqing Village, walked to a fork in the road, and walked west for a while, Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang stopped and stood under the big tree by the roadside to wait for the bus.


    Although their clothes were simple, they were both neat and tidy, especially Zhao''er, who was wearing a man''s clothes.


    "It turns out that every time you go out, you have to walk through the vegetable field behind, just to change into this clothes?"


    Zhao''er nodded, feeling a little guilty. But now that she has made a decision, she has prepared for the worst. Fortunately, Xue Tingxiang only showed a trace of surprise when he saw it, but he didn''t show much disgust.


    "It''s more convenient to go out in this way. You can''t recognize me as a girl."


    Xue Tingxiang pursed his lips and glanced at her.


    The young man in front of him looks handsome. From a man''s point of view, he looks a little thinner, but there is really no sign of a daughter''s family. He observed carefully, only to find that Zhao''er had thickened his eyebrows, and he did not know how to do it on his chest, but it became flat.


    She also seemed to find that the little man''s eyes stayed on her chest for too long, Zhao''er explained: "This is too inconvenient, so I wrapped it with a cloth."


    She spoke very disapprovingly, as if she was talking about what we have for lunch, but Xue Tingxiang felt like he was reckless.


    He recalled the dream in which Zhao''er''s breasts were very plump, and he suddenly felt afraid that she would be crushed, so he couldn''t help but ask, "Won''t she be crushed?"


    Zhao''er was a little surprised when she heard that, but she didn''t think too much about it, so she said, "It''s useless anyway."


    Just as she was talking, she saw a mule cart approaching not far away, so she waved there. Naturally, she didn''t notice that Xue Tingxiang''s expression was very strange.


    Seeing that he was riding in a mule cart instead of an ox cart, Xue Tingxiang couldn''t help being a little surprised. He only knew that the mule cart was much more valuable than the ox cart. Zhao''er gave the money for the car, and pulled him into the car: "This car is faster, and it will be here in a while." In fact, Zhao''er was afraid that he would not be able to stand the bumps of the bullock cart after recovering from a serious illness, so he took the mule cart if he had one.


    The middle-aged man driving the car smiled and said, "My little brother is insightful. This car is not only fast, but also stable. It is not comparable to a bullock cart. By the way, this is your brother?"


    Xue Tingxiang, who was called his younger brother, turned dark.


    It''s not surprising that people say that he is Zhao''er''s younger brother, and he is also dressed as a man. He is obviously thinner than Zhao''er, and he is half a head shorter.


    Zhao''er was stunned for a moment, then nodded with a smile: "Yes, it''s my younger brother."


    While speaking, the middle-aged man had already driven the mule cart forward.


    This car is indeed much faster than the bullock cart, and it runs without bumps. The car will stop at intervals to pick up one or two people. This special extended car can seat twelve people. The roof of the car is specially customized, and some not-too-heavy things can be placed on it.


    By the way, the biggest advantage of taking this mule cart is that there is a carriage to keep out the dust, so you don''t have to find a place to pack yourself when you arrive in the town.


    "When I have money in the future, I will also buy this car." Zhao''er couldn''t help but said to Xue Tingxiang, finally showing a little childishness.


    "Will you rush?"


    She froze for a moment, then said: "I can''t rush, I can learn."


    The problem is that you have done everything, even drive the car by yourself, so why do you need a man? Xue Tingxiang thought silently in his heart, and then realized that in his dream, it seemed that he was really useless as a man.


    It seems that he will learn to drive in the future. Xue Tingxiang made a secret decision.


    *


    After the mule cart was full of people, it finally stopped halfway to pick up people.


    After about a quarter of an hour, the city wall of Huyang Town could be seen in the distance.


    The mule cart stopped not far from the city gate, and everyone in the cart got off, Zhao''er took Xue Tingxiang to the town.


    This Huyang Town is neither big nor small. Zhao''er used to go to Dongshi mostly, and Dongshi sells the most groceries, but this time he mainly went to the bookstore, so he was going to Nanshi.


    The former dynasty emphasized civility over military affairs. This kind of folk custom did not die out after the war at the end of the previous dynasty. On the contrary, it was because the Tai/Zu Emperor of Dachang came to power at the beginning because he was a supporter of the civil servants in the previous dynasty. It is popular.


    Even illiterate ordinary people can say that everything is inferior, only reading is high, which is evident.


    Even in a small place like Huyang Town, any family with some spare money would send their children to a private school for two years. It is best to be able to test for fame and fame. If you can''t test for merit and fame, you can get a few words, and the workmanship is cheaper.


    This kind of folk custom has led to quite a few bookstores and book shops in the town. For example, there is a street in Nanshi that sells pens, ink, paper and inkstones, as well as other supporting facilities, all of which are business for scholars.


    Although Zhao''er is not a scholar, she has bought bamboo paper for Xue Tingxiang a few times, so she is familiar with the place. However, she did not lead Xue Tingxiang to go immediately, but went around to a place with a lot of food stalls, found a noodle stall, and planned to go there after breakfast.


    "The meal in the morning is the most important. We missed breakfast because we were in a hurry. Sharpening knives is not a mistake for woodcutters. Let''s go when we are full."


    The owner of the Zhaoerguan noodle stall ordered two bowls of sliced ??noodles.


    This noodle is a unique food in Pingyang Prefecture. It is made of buckwheat noodles and sorghum noodles. It is black and red in color.


    "The sliced ??slices here are very delicious, try it."


    Xue Tingxiang tasted it, and it was really delicious.


    Not to mention the craftsmanship, at least the portion is large, and the ingredients are sufficient, unlike Xue''s food, which is reluctant to put oil and salt, and tastes bland.


    But the price is also expensive, Xue Tingxiang finished a large bowl of jerky slices, and gave eight Wen when he asked his son to settle the bill, which means that this bowl of jerky slices is almost enough to buy half a catty of meat. .


    "Is it delicious?" Zhao''er was still asking him when he was walking towards Nanshi.


    "It''s just a bit expensive."


    It is indeed a little expensive for Xue Tingxiang. He has no pocket money since he was a child, and the only chance to have some money in his hands is the few pennies given by Mr. Xue every year.


    In his dream, these few pennies were really nothing, but it was these two weird thoughts mixed together that made Xue Tingxiang feel weird.


    "Why is it expensive? It''s not expensive. You don''t come to the town often, but you come here once after all. Naturally, I will take you to have a good meal."


    It''s really a good meal, don''t look at Zhao''er''s face without changing her face, but in fact, when she came to the town alone before, she would buy a steamed bun at most when she was hungry.


    She has never been reluctant to bear with herself, and always wants to save more, but she is very willing to bear with Xue Tingxiang, and she is at her wit''s end. So every time Xue Tingxiang thought of everything in his dream, he couldn''t believe that he would be the one who killed his wife and children.


    "When I earn money by copying books, I will bring you to eat every day." He couldn''t help but said.


    The sun had already come out, and the pale golden sunlight shone on the boy''s still immature face. His fair face was like the finest white jade, with fine fluff on it. The slightly pale lips were pursed lightly at this moment, and it could be seen that the young man was a little uncomfortable. He didn''t dare to look directly at her, but looked aside.


    Zhao''er''s smile got bigger and bigger, and he couldn''t help stretching out his hand to rub his head: "Silly dog, you can only make a few money by copying books, how can you come to eat that every day." There was a pampering expression in his expression.


    But the voice was silenced in his dark pupils, and Zhao''er finally realized what he said and did.


    She was a little guilty, and it was strange, she had never been afraid of a little man before, but since he recovered from his illness this time, she has become a little afraid of him occasionally.


    It must be her illusion!


    She withdrew her hand, looked left and right, suddenly her eyes lit up, and said: "Look, we''re here." As she spoke, she walked into the bookstore first.


    Zhao''er was familiar with the boss, and greeted her with a smile as soon as she entered the door. The strange thing was that the boss recognized her, and when he saw her, he smiled and asked her if she came to buy paper for her brother.


    Bringing this up is a bit old.


    Back then, Zhao''er felt sorry for Xue Tingxiang, so she saved some money to buy paper for him to practice calligraphy. Who would have thought that this paper was much more expensive than she imagined. Even the worst yellow bamboo paper costs 40 Wen a knife, but that day Zhaoer collected all the money on his body, but only 30 Wen.


    In order to get the boss to sell the paper to her at a lower price, Zhao''er worked with the boss for a long time. He even made up the pretense of having a hard-working younger brother, but unfortunately both parents died and his family was poor, so the boss agreed to sell it to her cheaply. Later, she came to buy it several times, all at the previous price, but she became acquainted with Boss Chen.


    Boss Chen praised her for her noble character, earning hard money, but still supporting her younger brother''s education. Usually, when she comes to buy paper, she almost always buys half and gives half away.


    Normally, Zhao''er would accept this kind of talk with a cheeky face, but today with Xue Tingxiang around, she was inevitably a little embarrassed, for fear that Boss Chen would slip up and make the little man look down on her for lying.


    Zhao''er has suffered, so she knows the skills of survival, but the little man doesn''t, especially the scholar is very pedantic, so every time she encounters such a situation where the two people''s ideas conflict, she will always subconsciously go away. Avoid these.


    Within a day, two people said that they were his younger brothers, which made Xue Tingxiang very unhappy. Naturally, he didn''t notice Zhao''er''s hidden thoughts. When he came back to his senses, Zhao''er had already talked with the boss, and even showed him the copy of "Hundred Surnames" that he had copied overnight.


    "This is your brother? He looks handsome, but a little thinner." Boss Chen is a middle-aged man in his forties, with a goatee and elegant body. Wearing a scholar''s shirt, he doesn''t look like a business boss, but a scholar.


    "He was sick for a while a while ago, and he got better recently."


    "No wonder I haven''t seen you here for a long time." While talking, Boss Chen took the manuscript that Zhao''er handed over, whether it was bound or paper quality, it was very poor.


    He knew in his heart that this kind of peasant boy could not write very good characters, but he admired this young man named Zhao''er, so he planned not to criticize too much even if he really did not do well, just say some mild words and refuse it. up.


    If the level is not bad and the words can still be read, it is not impossible to give him some casual work, just as a help.


    But when Boss Chen saw the writing on the yellow bamboo paper, he was still taken aback.


    "He wrote this word?" Boss Chen looked at Xue Tingxiang in surprise, and went to flip through the manuscript in his hand.


    His expression was so weird that Zhao''er had a bad feeling in his heart. She couldn''t help wondering if the little man''s handwriting was not good, after all, no one had ever praised the little man''s handwriting, even Xue Qingshan said that his handwriting was like a spring worm and autumn snake.


    Although Zhao''er doesn''t know what spring worms and autumn snakes are, she understands the sad look on the little man''s face, and she knows it means poor writing.


    But she didn''t think it was the little man''s fault. He even had to pick and use the paper that could practice calligraphy. Can he write well? It was that time that she lost her temper, collected vegetables and sold them in the town, and saved a sum of money to buy Xue Tingxiang''s first piece of paper in her life.

 Chapter 168

    After Zhao''er laid out the paper for him, she went to find a suitable needle and thread, planning to bind it for him after he finished writing.


    Xue Tingxiang laughed a little, but didn''t say anything. He picked up a pen and began to write seriously on the paper.


    He planned to copy all the books he had memorized, because he found a problem. Since he had that dream, ''Xue Tingxiang'' had a deeper and deeper influence on him, including the influence on his own memory.


    Especially all the books he has learned since he was a child. He had looked through the memory of that dream before, and he had memorized some of the books in elementary school and even university, but his memory was extremely vague, and he had forgotten many of the more detailed things.


    He thought about the reason, and felt that ''he'' seemed to be very disgusted with the memory of studying hard in the cold window, so he always adopted an evasive attitude. In addition, the Xue Tingxiang in the dream has lived for more than seventy years. Since he passed the Jinshi examination, he has been obsessed with officialdom battles, but he doesn''t care about his own knowledge.


    After many years, his memory is more about the ups and downs of the officialdom, the various forces in the party struggle, and the speculation of the people, rather than the original essence of a scholar.


    Seriously speaking, ''Xue Tingxiang'' is not a real scholar, he is just a politician.


    But obviously he doesn''t need these things now, it''s like a young child has a sword, he knows the meaning of these things to his future. But today a young child needs nothing more than a piece of clothing, or just food and clothing.


    But these memories have already begun to affect his own memory. He doesn''t want to forget what he has learned. What he needs to do now is to consolidate his memory and combine with ''Xue Tingxiang''''s advanced understanding of many things. This is the right way.


    And the best way to master it is nothing more than copying books.


    Obviously this yellow bamboo paper is of very low quality, the brush strokes should not be light or heavy, the ink will be uneven if it is light, and it will smudge if it is heavy, but Xue Tingxiang writes on it like flowing clouds and flowing water as if there is nothing. The handwriting on it is full and round, and it is extraordinarily majestic.


    Zhao''er held his breath and didn''t even dare to make a sound. His eyes fell on Xue Tingxiang, who was writing vigorously. Suddenly, he had the illusion that a little man had grown up.


    Xue Tingxiang quickly wrote a sheet, and he was about to take it away to dry, Zhao''er quickly took it, and spread it carefully on the kang. Her eyes were attracted by those words. She couldn''t tell how beautiful they were, but felt like a painting.


    And during this period, Xue Tingxiang wrote another one.


    In this way, Xue Tingxiang wrote and asked children to dry it. After a while, the kang was covered with paper.


    A book of the Three Character Classic does not contain more than a thousand characters, and Xue Tingxiang finished it very quickly.


    He put down the pen, took a deep breath, and moved his wrist a few times. He hadn''t written at such a high density for a long time, and it was a challenge to his wrist strength.


    "Actually, I can copy books to subsidize my family." He said suddenly.


    He had been thinking about this for a long time. In his dream, he only read books blindly. He really managed to "keep his ears off the outside world and read only the books of sages and sages".


    The former "he" was helpless and emotional about this situation, but he had more than enough energy, and Zhao''er was really capable, and he had a talent that no one else had in business, and he answered everything in every detail, and never let him go. He worries about money, so he doesn''t think about it anymore.


    Looking back, he realized that ''he'' cared more about this matter than he imagined. Now that he can earn one or two silver coins to support his family, why not give it a try.


    How can a man be raised by a woman, he should be the one who shelters her from the wind and rain. He didn''t understand at this time in the dream, but fortunately he understands now.


    "Copy books to make money?" Zhao''er shook her head again and again: "How can I do that? It''s hard work and hurts my eyes."


    "How can you say so exaggeratedly? Look, I just copied a book in a short while." He organized all the pages of the book into a pile, and gave it to Zhao''er for her to bind.


    "Copying books can not only earn money, but also read books. Why not do it. I remember that there are bookstores in the town that will find some poor scholars to help copy books and sell them. You go to the town tomorrow and bring this book to the bookstore. Look at the shop owner, if it¡¯s feasible, you can help me pick up a book and try it when you come back.¡±


    Having said that, he paused for a moment: "Well, I''ll go with you, and we''ll go to town together tomorrow."


    "Is this really possible?" Zhao''er always hesitates when it comes to matters involving little men.


    "There''s nothing wrong with it."


    *


    Now that the matter was settled, the two of them woke up early the next day and went out without even having breakfast at home.


    Yuqing Village is a small village located under Huyang Town. In fact, Huyang Town is also Huyang Township, just named after the town. There are dozens of villages like this in Huyang Township, and Yuqing Village is one of the larger villages.


    From Yuqing Village to the town, if walking, it takes nearly an hour. If you take an ox cart or a mule cart, it will be faster, and there are carts from the village below to the town every day. Bullock carts are slow and cheap, and you can take one ride for two pennies. Mule carts are expensive, and one person gets four renminbi, but the speed is not comparable to that of ox carts.


    Going out of Yuqing Village, walked to a fork in the road, and walked west for a while, Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang stopped and stood under the big tree by the roadside to wait for the bus.


    Although their clothes were simple, they were both neat and tidy, especially Zhao''er, who was wearing a man''s clothes.


    "It turns out that every time you go out, you have to walk through the vegetable field behind, just to change into this clothes?"


    Zhao''er nodded, feeling a little guilty. But now that she has made a decision, she has prepared for the worst. Fortunately, Xue Tingxiang only showed a trace of surprise when he saw it, but he didn''t show much disgust.


    "It''s more convenient to go out in this way. You can''t recognize me as a girl."


    Xue Tingxiang pursed his lips and glanced at her.


    The young man in front of him looks handsome. From a man''s point of view, he looks a little thinner, but there is really no sign of a daughter''s family. He observed carefully, only to find that Zhao''er had thickened his eyebrows, and he did not know how to do it on his chest, but it became flat.


    She also seemed to find that the little man''s eyes stayed on her chest for too long, Zhao''er explained: "This is too inconvenient, so I wrapped it with a cloth."


    She spoke very disapprovingly, as if she was talking about what we have for lunch, but Xue Tingxiang felt like he was reckless.


    He recalled the dream in which Zhao''er''s breasts were very plump, and he suddenly felt afraid that she would be crushed, so he couldn''t help but ask, "Won''t she be crushed?"


    Zhao''er was a little surprised when she heard that, but she didn''t think too much about it, so she said, "It''s useless anyway."


    Just as she was talking, she saw a mule cart approaching not far away, so she waved there. Naturally, she didn''t notice that Xue Tingxiang''s expression was very strange.


    Seeing that he was riding in a mule cart instead of an ox cart, Xue Tingxiang couldn''t help being a little surprised. He only knew that the mule cart was much more valuable than the ox cart. Zhao''er gave the money for the car, and pulled him into the car: "This car is faster, and it will be here in a while." In fact, Zhao''er was afraid that he would not be able to stand the bumps of the bullock cart after recovering from a serious illness, so he took the mule cart if he had one.


    The middle-aged man driving the car smiled and said, "My little brother is insightful. This car is not only fast, but also stable. It is not comparable to a bullock cart. By the way, this is your brother?"


    Xue Tingxiang, who was called his younger brother, turned dark.


    It''s not surprising that people say that he is Zhao''er''s younger brother, and he is also dressed as a man. He is obviously thinner than Zhao''er, and he is half a head shorter.


    Zhao''er was stunned for a moment, then nodded with a smile: "Yes, it''s my younger brother."


    While speaking, the middle-aged man had already driven the mule cart forward.


    This car is indeed much faster than the bullock cart, and it runs without bumps. The car will stop at intervals to pick up one or two people. This special extended car can seat twelve people. The roof of the car is specially customized, and some not-too-heavy things can be placed on it.


    By the way, the biggest advantage of taking this mule cart is that there is a carriage to keep out the dust, so you don''t have to find a place to pack yourself when you arrive in the town.


    "When I have money in the future, I will also buy this car." Zhao''er couldn''t help but said to Xue Tingxiang, finally showing a little childishness.


    "Will you rush?"


    She froze for a moment, then said: "I can''t rush, I can learn."


    The problem is that you have done everything, even drive the car by yourself, so why do you need a man? Xue Tingxiang thought silently in his heart, and then realized that in his dream, it seemed that he was really useless as a man.


    It seems that he will learn to drive in the future. Xue Tingxiang made a secret decision.


    *


    After the mule cart was full of people, it finally stopped halfway to pick up people.


    After about a quarter of an hour, the city wall of Huyang Town could be seen in the distance.


    The mule cart stopped not far from the city gate, and everyone in the cart got off, Zhao''er took Xue Tingxiang to the town.


    This Huyang Town is neither big nor small. Zhao''er used to go to Dongshi mostly, and Dongshi sells the most groceries, but this time he mainly went to the bookstore, so he was going to Nanshi.


    The former dynasty emphasized civility over military affairs. This kind of folk custom did not die out after the war at the end of the previous dynasty. On the contrary, it was because the Tai/Zu Emperor of Dachang came to power at the beginning because he was a supporter of the civil servants in the previous dynasty. It is popular.


    Even illiterate ordinary people can say that everything is inferior, only reading is high, which is evident.


    Even in a small place like Huyang Town, any family with some spare money would send their children to a private school for two years. It is best to be able to test for fame and fame. If you can''t test for merit and fame, you can get a few words, and the workmanship is cheaper.


    This kind of folk custom has led to quite a few bookstores and book shops in the town. For example, there is a street in Nanshi that sells pens, ink, paper and inkstones, as well as other supporting facilities, all of which are business for scholars.


    Although Zhao''er is not a scholar, she has bought bamboo paper for Xue Tingxiang a few times, so she is familiar with the place. However, she did not lead Xue Tingxiang to go immediately, but went around to a place with a lot of food stalls, found a noodle stall, and planned to go there after breakfast.


    "The meal in the morning is the most important. We missed breakfast because we were in a hurry. Sharpening knives is not a mistake for woodcutters. Let''s go when we are full."


    The owner of the Zhaoerguan noodle stall ordered two bowls of sliced ??noodles.


    This noodle is a unique food in Pingyang Prefecture. It is made of buckwheat noodles and sorghum noodles. It is black and red in color.


    "The sliced ??slices here are very delicious, try it."


    Xue Tingxiang tasted it, and it was really delicious.


    Not to mention the craftsmanship, at least the portion is large, and the ingredients are sufficient, unlike Xue''s food, which is reluctant to put oil and salt, and tastes bland.


    But the price is also expensive, Xue Tingxiang finished a large bowl of jerky slices, and gave eight Wen when he asked his son to settle the bill, which means that this bowl of jerky slices is almost enough to buy half a catty of meat. .


    "Is it delicious?" Zhao''er was still asking him when he was walking towards Nanshi.


    "It''s just a bit expensive."


    It is indeed a little expensive for Xue Tingxiang. He has no pocket money since he was a child, and the only chance to have some money in his hands is the few pennies given by Mr. Xue every year.


    In his dream, these few pennies were really nothing, but it was these two weird thoughts mixed together that made Xue Tingxiang feel weird.


    "Why is it expensive? It''s not expensive. You don''t come to the town often, but you come here once after all. Naturally, I will take you to have a good meal."


    It''s really a good meal, don''t look at Zhao''er''s face without changing her face, but in fact, when she came to the town alone before, she would buy a steamed bun at most when she was hungry.


    She has never been reluctant to bear with herself, and always wants to save more, but she is very willing to bear with Xue Tingxiang, and she is at her wit''s end. So every time Xue Tingxiang thought of everything in his dream, he couldn''t believe that he would be the one who killed his wife and children.


    "When I earn money by copying books, I will bring you to eat every day." He couldn''t help but said.


    The sun had already come out, and the pale golden sunlight shone on the boy''s still immature face. His fair face was like the finest white jade, with fine fluff on it. The slightly pale lips were pursed lightly at this moment, and it could be seen that the young man was a little uncomfortable. He didn''t dare to look directly at her, but looked aside.


    Zhao''er''s smile got bigger and bigger, and he couldn''t help stretching out his hand to rub his head: "Silly dog, you can only make a few money by copying books, how can you come to eat that every day." There was a pampering expression in his expression.


    But the voice was silenced in his dark pupils, and Zhao''er finally realized what he said and did.


    She was a little guilty, and it was strange, she had never been afraid of a little man before, but since he recovered from his illness this time, she has become a little afraid of him occasionally.


    It must be her illusion!


    She withdrew her hand, looked left and right, suddenly her eyes lit up, and said: "Look, we''re here." As she spoke, she walked into the bookstore first.


    Zhao''er left the street where the book shop was located, only to realize that she had nowhere to go.


    She was accompanying the little man to the book shop today, and the work in the embroidery workshop was already too much, and she hadn''t picked up the vegetables for many days, so it would be too much trouble to go back to the village and wait for the afternoon.


    She calculated in her mind what day it was today, and decided to visit her second sister.


    Zhao''er''s second sister, Wang Zhaodi, is not in Huyang Town, but works as a girl in Shen''s Mansion in Xia County. From Huyang Town to Xia County, it only took half an hour to take a mule cart, but it was a little expensive, 15 cents.


    By the time Zhao''er arrived at the county seat, it was three o''clock. It was just right to meet someone at this time, her second sister might not have time to see her if it was too early or too late, and she would have to wait for a long time.


    Zhao''er came all the way to the south of the city, before entering the archway where Shen''s house was located, he saw the two large flags more than five feet high erected in front of Shen''s residence.


    This is the Jinshi Jidi Banner, which can be set up only if someone in the family has won the Jinshi.


    This fame flagpole is divided into two structures, the flagpole sandwich stone and the flagpole.


    The flag buckets on the flagpoles are also exquisite. If you come from a serious imperial examination, you can stand up two flagpoles if you have passed the Jinshi in the palace examination. If it is the number one scholar, it will be the flagpole of three fights, and if there are members of the third rank or above in the clan, four fights can be set up.


    There are two large flags in front of the Shen family''s gate, one is three buckets and the other is four buckets. In other words, the Shen family once had a number one scholar, and had an important minister in the court.


    Zhao''er, a country girl, knows this because her second sister told her when she came to visit her.


    The main entrance, side entrance, and even the corner entrance were not accessible by Zhao''er''s identity, so she made a long detour before arriving at the back entrance of Shen''s residence.


    The back door was ajar, and Zhao''er didn''t dare to rush in, so he knocked on the door respectfully.


    The door opened with a creak, and a round woman came out from inside, and asked her, "Who are you looking for?"


    This old lady is just a doorkeeper, but she is also wearing satin gowns and jewelry on her ears and hands, which is enough to show the wealth of the Shen family.


    The Shen family is indeed rich, and in this Xia County, it can be said that they are stomping their feet, and the county is about to tremble three times. The Shen Mansion here is the ancestral home of the Shen family, except for the Shen family''s uncle and second master who are officials outside, the rest of the Shen family live here.


    "Mother-in-law, I''m looking for Sulan. I''m her younger brother. I''m here to see her."


    This woman''s attitude is not warm, but she is not as inferior as a dog''s eye. At least from this trick, it can be seen that the rules of the Shen family must be very strict. She asked Zhao''er to wait, then closed the door and went inside.


    Zhao''er waited for a long time before the back door opened again, and a very beautiful woman came out from inside. I saw her radiant skin, phoenix eyes and vermilion lips, wearing a water-red jacket and a moon-white pleated skirt. A head of black and thick long hair was simply tied up in a bun, with a golden hairpin inserted into it.


    Obviously the clothes are ordinary, and the hair accessories are also ordinary, but wearing all these on her body gives her a sense of beauty that no one else has. Her chest is bulging, but her waist is very thin, she has a good figure.


    This person is Zhao''er''s second sister Wang Zhaodi, but she changed her name to Su Lan in Shen''s residence.


    Zhao''er couldn''t help frowning, since the last time she saw her second sister, her second sister has changed a lot. Not only the material of the clothes, but also the jewelry on his body, his complexion and even his figure have changed a lot.


    She was a little panicked, grabbed Su Lan, and went to the corner where no one was around.


    "Sister, did you really do it?"


    Seeing her younger sister frivolously wrinkling her sleeves, Su Lan asked impatiently, "What can I do or not?"


    "It''s that, that..." Zhao''er hesitated for a while, and then said with a blushing face: "You can''t really be the housekeeper for the sixth young master, right?"


    The corners of Su Lan''s eyes twitched, and the corners of her mouth twitched: "Why do you care about these things?"


    "Sister!" Zhao''er couldn''t help stamping her feet.


    Su Lan looked at her younger sister and remembered that she was sold by her family back then. Only younger sister Zhao''er found out her whereabouts from the matchmaker and walked all day and night to see her by herself. At that time, she was full of panic, Zhao''er''s appearance made her know that she was not alone, and that no one would know that she would not die in this mansion, and she immediately softened her heart.

 Chapter 169

    They were all from humble backgrounds, and of course they knew how difficult it was to study in a farming family, so before Xue Tingshan said that the Xue family never forgot to cultivate their children and grandchildren while they settled down, Qiao Xiucai praised them greatly.


    Because he knew that this matter seemed insignificant, but it was actually too difficult for farmers. How many families had the idea of ??changing their own destiny by reading books.


    It can be said that those who are born in a poor family in the countryside and can achieve great fame have all experienced great hardships. The starting point is much lower than others. It takes countless efforts to catch up with others, and at the same time they have to face all kinds of cruel competition.


    This kind of competition is not only between classmates, but also between the same exams, but also between the same clan, and even one''s own brothers.


    If you succeed, the sea and the sky will be bright, and you will not be an ordinary person since then. If you fail, you will put down the book and pick up the hoe, and face the loess and the sky for the rest of your life.


    It is precisely because they understand this kind of cruelty that the two of them can''t help but wonder whether this son deliberately said that his knowledge is weak, or he just wants to pull his brother to reduce the difficulty of the question. But this is a double-edged sword. After all, it is a disadvantage to oneself to lose one''s studies to others.


    These thoughts only happened in an instant, and because of the sudden attention of He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai, Xue Qingshan''s eyebrows jumped wildly, for fear that Xue Tingxiang would say something amazing again. At this moment, he couldn''t care less about why Xue Tingxiang knew the explanation of the scriptures, and he completely forgot that his previous idea was that Xue Tingshan didn''t understand the scriptures, and it would be easy for his son to beat him.


    This is also true for Patriarch Xue. If something happens in the clan that cannot be seen by others, it is limited to the clan. If it happens in public, it will be a bit ugly.


    The eyes of the two seemed to have needles, and they were anxiously focused on Xue Tingxiang''s face. Unexpectedly, he smiled shyly and said: "The boy was weak and sick when he was young, so he inevitably fell behind."


    Xue Qingshan hurriedly laughed and said: "That''s exactly the case. Don''t be afraid that the two seniors will laugh at me. My nephew is talented and intelligent, but his weak body hinders his studies."


    Patriarch Xue also nodded in agreement.


    Others didn''t know what was going on, they just opened their eyes and watched. Only Zheng Lizheng seemed to realize that there was something wrong, but he couldn''t tell the details, so he could only keep silent.


    After He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai gave in to each other again, He Xiucai was the main one in the end. Sitting at the top, he said to Xue Tingxiang: "Since you don''t understand the scriptures, it''s a bit unfair to go beyond the scope of what you have learned. You two are still young, and it''s time to lay down the foundation, so I will test your two. Human base."


    Hearing this, although Xue Juncai was a little disappointed that he was overqualified and missed his opportunity to perform, he also felt disdainful.


    If you don''t test the scriptures, then Xue Tingxiang is not his opponent!


    He Xiucai squeezed his beard with his hands, and after pondering for a while, said: "Zhu Zi said: the size of learning is inherently different, but it is the way, it is only one. It is also suitable for young people. If you don''t learn it in elementary school, you will have nothing to learn. Its heart, to cultivate its virtue, is the foundation of the university. The two of you will each silently write a "Disciple Regulations."


    Neither of them expected that the first question would be Mo''s "Disciple Regulations". You must know that "Disciples Regulations" was learned at the beginning of elementary school, and the whole article is only about a thousand words. In addition to the general narrative, it is divided into seven chapters: filial piety when you enter, brotherhood when you go out, sincerity, faith, universal love for all, kindness and benevolence, and Yu Liwen.


    Each chapter is not long, with three words and one sentence, rhyming in the same pattern, and catchy. It lists the various norms that disciples should abide by at home, when going out, and when dealing with people. It also just proves what He Xiucai said before, the size of learning is inherently different, but it is the truth that it is only one.


    Someone has already prepared a square table and pens and inks, and each person has a table and table in front of the hall, and even the ink has been sharpened.


    When the two came to the table, they picked up a pen and wrote without any hesitation.


    As the two rushed to write and write, the noise gradually faded away. Even if the country people don''t understand the basic principles, they also know that scholars should not be disturbed when they are doing their studies.


    This is not a problem for Xue Tingxiang, because he only has one book, so he has spent too much effort to memorize the things he has learned.


    Not only memorizing, but also keeping in mind, so that when asked in school, he can answer fluently, because he has no reference at all.


    It is better to have no books than to have books, because these are all engraved in the mind. Especially since having that dream, in order not to affect his memory, he has silently recited the book he had memorized countless times in his mind.


    While Xue Tingxiang was writing vigorously, he also had a slight change in his opinion of He Xiucai.


    He could see that the other party asked such an unexpected question, not because the other party deliberately released the water, but because the other party wanted to make a surprise. Because this discipline is too simple for scholars, they have learned it when they were just learning, but they just throw it away after learning it.


    Except for the beginning of learning, my husband will not take these things in the future. It may be to test the Three Character Classic, or even a hundred surnames, and a thousand character prose, but it will not be the rules of this disciple.


    Xue Tingxiang even couldn''t wait to see Xue Juncai''s reaction. Maybe the other party can roughly write down this article, but can you write down all the thousands of words, and the words are correct and the order is good? And He Xiucai''s request to silence this disciple''s rule is probably not just silent, but also one of the "books" in elementary school.


    Just relying on your own words is enough to beat the opponent.


    As Xue Tingxiang thought, at first Xue Juncai really felt contemptuous. He even wondered if this He Xiucai was out of his mind to take the "Disciple Regulations" test.


    Who wouldn''t know this disciple? It is something to learn at the beginning of school. But after he fell silent, he realized that he really wasn''t as good as he thought.


    After you leave, do you love me, or are you hurt? You must know that this Disciple Rules is not like other articles, it can connect the past and the future, confirming each other, if the first sentence is wrong, the latter paragraph will be wrong.


    The more Xue Juncai became silent, the more annoyed he felt, and he always felt that he was wrong in being silent. If someone asks a question, he can naturally answer it fluently. Ke Mo, Mo is still a good word!


    At first, he wrote like flying, but then it became slower and slower, and even reached the point where he couldn''t write, obviously he was not sure if his memory was wrong.


    On the contrary, Xue Tingxiang has been calm from the beginning, and he is still writing at a leisurely pace at this time, but it can be seen that his writing is very coherent, with almost no pause.


    At the first place, Qiao Xiucai glanced at He Xiucai with exclamation, and did not hide her surprise at all. He naturally had a panoramic view of the following situation, and he had to admire He Xiucai''s ingenuity.


    He Xiucai smiled slightly. In fact, he would ask this kind of question, but he just wanted people to make mistakes. I was very proud of my inspiration.


    He stroked his beard and said with a faint smile, "You two little friends, don''t worry, there is a stick of incense time, enough to write it down."


    Yizhuxiang wrote more than a thousand characters, which seemed a bit hasty, but it is not impossible to write something as simple as the disciple''s rules silently, as long as you pay close attention to it.


    But that was before, Xue Juncai couldn''t help but feel even more anxious when he heard someone mention the time.


    In the following time, he kept looking at the stick of incense, because he looked at it too frequently, which made his speed even slower.


    "Okay, time is up."


    As the words fell, Xue Tingxiang made a big stroke and put down the brush in his hand.


    Xue Juncai didn''t move, until someone went in front of him, only to find that his whole body was as stiff as a stone, and he was dripping with sweat, and the paper in front of him was only half full.


    Because the two were behind the gate, and Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong were sitting at the end, they didn''t notice anything strange about it. In their minds, a "Regulations for Disciples" couldn''t be simpler, and Xue Juncai''s strange appearance also attracted the attention of the two of them, but they still didn''t expect that Xue Juncai could not finish writing it.


    It wasn''t until He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai looked at each other''s papers that they looked at each other, and He Xiucai announced that Xue Tingxiang won this match.


    Xue Qingshan stood up from the chair in surprise: "How is it possible?"


    At the same time, there was a lot of discussion below and outside the door, and it seemed that Xue Juncai couldn''t believe that Xue Juncai had lost. Insiders look at the doorway, while laymen watch the excitement. The villagers who didn''t know a single word didn''t know what the test was about, they only knew that Master Xiucai said that Xue Juncai lost to the Xue family dog.


    Xue Juncai lost to Xue Gouzi?


    This, this is really surprising. You must know that Xue Juncai has always been the most outstanding young man among the younger generation in Yuqing Village. Whoever mentions him does not give a thumbs up.


    "Senior He, Senior Qiao, did you make a mistake, a disciple''s regulation..."


    He Xiucai gestured with his gaze, and two people stepped forward to unfold Xue Juncai''s and Xue Tingxiang''s papers, held them up, and showed them to everyone.


    I saw that on one of the rice papers, the handwriting was full of strength, correct and beautiful. On the other piece of rice paper, the handwriting was not bad, but it was anticlimactic, and it became more and more scribbled as it went to the back, and there were even spots of ink on it.


    "Xue Tingxiang''s words are not bad, and there is no ink on the scroll, which is a good appearance. And Xue Juncai didn''t finish his silence, and there were mistakes and omissions, so Xue Tingxiang won this round."


    "Brilliant!" Xue Qingshan said in surprise, his eyes were full of disbelief, he wanted to say something, but was pulled by Yang Zhong.


    Xue Juncai didn''t raise his head until now, he raised his head stiffly and looked at Xue Tingxiang with red eyes.


    ...


    Next is the second round, and this round will return to the normal school exam homework.


    He Xiucai asked the question, and the two answered.


    "Seeking the ancients to seek the theory, how can you solve it if you let go of your worries?"


    "Search for the ancients and the ancient things, and read more wise and famous sayings, so that you can get rid of distracting thoughts and be at ease." Xue Juncai took a step forward and replied.


    "Meng Ke is dunsu, Shi Yu is upright. What''s the explanation for Lao Qian''s edict?" This sentence was asked by Xue Tingxiang.


    He pondered for a while, and said: "Mencius advocates simplicity, while Ziyu, the official historian, is upright. What he said is that a person should conform to the standard of the mean as much as possible. He must be hardworking and humble, be cautious, and know how to advise himself."


    "Saying the warning, what''s the next sentence?" When He Xiucai asked this sentence, he didn''t look at any of the two of them.


    Xue Juncai was still in a daze, but Xue Tingxiang had already replied: "I''m almost ashamed, Lin Gao is lucky."


    "Don''t talk about each other''s weaknesses, what''s the solution to relying on your own strengths?"


    This time Xue Juncai didn''t let up, and hurriedly said: "Don''t talk about other people''s shortcomings, and don''t rely on your own strengths to make progress." Before he finished speaking, his cheeks were hot, and he didn''t know whether it was embarrassment or self-ashamed.


    "Okay!" He Xiucai clapped his hands together, "All the answers are pretty good."


    Suddenly, he said again: "Shuixie."


    Xue Juncai was stunned for a moment, Xue Tingxiang''s eyes flashed, and he replied: "Shanzhai."


    Hearing this, Xue Juncai realized that He Xiucai was taking a pair test.


    Before schoolchildren enter university, in addition to the basic three hundred and thousand thousand, they also need to learn "Enlightenment of Rhythm", "Longwen Whip Shadow", "Children''s Learning Qionglin", "Zengguang Xianwen" and so on.


    Among them, "Enlightenment of Rhythm" and "Longwen Whip Shadow" teach children to understand the rules of rhythm and parallelism. In the process of learning Pingzheqie rhyme, at the same time begin to understand and master poetry rhyme, and acquire a large number of vocabulary and ancient allusions.


    Nowadays there is a saying that few schoolchildren who have been taught can''t match the right pair.


    Especially this simple pair and couplet.


    After suffering two losses in a row, Xue Juncai was obviously smarter. It was almost He Xiucai who asked the question. Answered successfully.


    It can be seen that Xue Juncai is doing well in his studies, and there are almost no pairs that He Xiucai can''t answer.


    "Recently, the old man sighed in his heart. He occasionally got something. He came up with an upper couplet, but so far he has not been able to get a suitable second couplet. This time I will test you two. It may be too difficult for you now, but give it a try. It doesn''t matter." He Xiucai withdrew his gaze and looked at Qiao Xiucai: "Brother Qiao, if you are interested, you can also try it, so as to relieve the pain of brooding for many days."


    Qiao Xiucai smiled slightly, knowing that this was He Xiucai''s desire to compete.


    As the saying goes, there is no first in writing, and there is no second in martial arts. In the nearby villages, he and He Xiucai were the only ones who passed the entrance examination. He Xiucai''s reputation in the outside world has never been prominent, and he can understand that he will compare.


    "Brother He, it''s okay to say."


    He Xiucai stroked his beard and said: "One person is great, and two are heaven. Heaven is greater than human affection, and human affection is greater than heaven."


    Xue Tingxiang''s eyes flashed, his eyes flicked across the faces of the first two people, and then fell on Xue Juncai''s face. Seeing him bow his head in thought, he also lowered his head.


    There was silence in the hall, no one dared to make a sound, and couldn''t figure it out that there were two juniors in the examination school, so how could these two match up.


    Suddenly, a clear high-five sounded.


    Qiao Xiucai clapped his hands and said, "Two trees make a forest, three trees make a forest. The forest is luxuriant, and the forest is luxuriant."


    Xue Tingxiang thought to himself: In fact, this pair is difficult to say, and it is not difficult to say that it is not difficult.


    He Xiucai''s one person turns into a big man, and two people turn into a sky, and the two lines of confrontation afterwards have the finishing touch. And Qiao Xiucai used two trees to form a forest, and three trees to form a forest, which is perfect.


    In fact, he was also right. Before Qiao Xiucai, he only knew that this question was not mainly about him and Xue Juncai, so he kept silent. Now that Qiao Xiucai has matched up, he naturally doesn''t have to be afraid of Zhuanmei, after all, he and Xue Juncai are the two who got the most out of the test.


    He raised his head and said, "The kid has it too."


    Xue Gouzi has been ill for several days, his face is thin and out of shape, and his eyes are getting bigger and bigger.


    Zhao''er has always thought that the little man''s eyes are the most beautiful eyes in the world, although these eyes are always disgusted and resistant when facing her.


    In fact, Xue Gouzi''s eyes are the only ones that look good. He has been weak since he was born, and the second wife and his wife managed to support him, and they are usually spoiled. The boys of his age in the village were all dark-skinned and as strong as a calf, but he was pale, emaciated, silent and taciturn.


    But Zhao''er has always been domineering, and never allowed anyone to talk about a little man, and whoever said she was in a hurry. Because of this incident, she had fought with many girls and boys in the village, although some people still said it behind their backs, no one dared to point fingers in front of others.

 Chapter 170

    The morning light was twilight, and the sky was just breaking. Most of the villagers in Yuqing Village got up very early.


    Smoke rose from the chimneys of many houses, and villagers walking in twos and threes on the village trails, either carrying hoes or pulling cattle, seemed to be going to the fields.


    It''s the time of spring plowing, and the plan of the year lies in spring. If you are lazy at this time, you will cry when the grain is harvested in autumn.


    Zhao''er woke up at this hour on time, and opened his eyes to find that the little man was still asleep.


    Not long after she fell asleep yesterday, the little man developed a fever again. After working for most of the night, luckily the fever subsided in the middle of the night.


    She sat up, raised her hand to touch the little man''s forehead, and made sure that her hands were not hot, then put on her clothes lightly and got off the kang.


    The first thing to do was to open the door, and Heizi, who had been restless for a long time, got out with a swish. Zhao''er also walked out of the room, and seeing Heizi rushing out of the courtyard to pee, she shook her head with a grin.


    At this time, someone had already woken up in the courtyard, it was the Zhou family of the third bedroom and his eldest daughter Xue Tao''er.


    Today it''s the third room''s turn to cook. The Xue family''s rule is that apart from the housework of each room, the work in the office is shared equally. One day per room, in rotation.


    The room responsible for cooking is not only responsible for the food and drink of the whole family, but also takes care of the livestock in the family. The Xue family raised two big fat pigs, and it was not an easy job to just serve these two ancestors every day. Not to mention feeding chickens, carrying water, and chopping firewood, so the female family members who do housework on this day do not have to go to the fields to work.


    It seems to be fair and just, but in fact everyone inside knows how.


    The eldest aunt Yang claimed that the man was a child student, and she was exceptionally superior at home. Since Xue Qingshan passed the child student examination, she never touched housework again. The key is that Mrs. Zhao is also looking towards her, so it''s not easy for others to question her.


    At first, it was Xue Gouzi''s mother, Mrs. Qiu, who finally came in, the third-bedroom Mrs. Zhou, and the two sisters-in-law finally shared the burden. Afterwards, Mrs. Qiu followed her deceased husband, and Mrs. Zhou was left alone. It was not until Mrs. Sun of the fourth room entered the door that she would be able to catch her breath again.


    It''s a pity that Mrs. Sun is lazy and playful. In fact, Mrs. Zhou still does most of the work.


    In the past, when Mrs. Qiu was still alive, Zhao''er also helped Mrs. Qiu to do it. After Mrs. Qiu passed away, Zhao''er was busy with the housework of the second room and had to do the work in the office. In addition, Zhao''er was still young at that time, Mr. Xue told her to take good care of Xue Gouzi and not to take care of the work at work.


    Zhao''er now has free time to go around and get some money, but she is a person who looks at her conscience and will help out as much as she can in her spare time. As for those who used words to squeeze her like Sun, her sharp tongue was not forgiving.


    Seeing Xue Taoer struggling to fetch water from the well, Zhao''er rubbed his face and went up to help her.


    Thirteen-year-old Xue Taoer is like a small flower in bud. Although she is not very beautiful, she is very delicate. Seeing Zhao''er coming to help her, she couldn''t help showing a smile and talking to her: "Sister Zhao''er, is the second brother better?" Xue Gouzi is the second grandson of the Xue family, so Xue Taoer called him the second brother .


    "I had a fever again last night, and it got better in the second half of the night." Zhao''er looked around curiously, and asked, "Why isn''t Third Uncle here?"


    Although Xue Qingbai is a bit honest and reticent, he always loves his wife and daughter. Whenever he meets the third room to cook, he will get up early to fill the water tank.


    The Xue family has its own well, but the well is too deep, and there is no pulley on the well, so it is really exhausting to draw water with the strength of the daughter''s family alone. That is to say, Zhao''er was naturally as strong as an ox, and his strength was no worse than that of ordinary middle-aged men, so he could pull the bucket out of the deep well very easily.


    "My father went to the field and said he would work for a while and return after breakfast."


    Xue Qingbai is an honest farmer. Unlike other brothers in the family who have other skills, he only knows how to farm, so he puts all his heart on the ground. The Xue family has a total of more than 30 mu of land, and now he, Mr. Xue and the fourth son Xue Qinghuai are all planted.


    Although the women of the Xue family also went to the fields, it was only during the busy farming season, and besides, the women only had so little strength, so how could they help. Fortunately, the three men from Xue''s family are all good hands in the field, and they are really too busy, so they hired part-time workers to help out for a few days, so they don''t have to worry about not being able to finish the work in the field.


    Just as he was talking, the door of the fourth room opened, and Xue Qinghuai walked out from inside.


    The men in the Xue family are all big, so Xue Qinghuai also inherited a tall body.


    He was born with thick eyebrows, tiger eyes and a high nose bridge. He was dressed in dark blue coarse cloth and short brown, and looked very heroic. In fact, the men of the Xue family are not bad looking, but the women of the Xue family are a little mediocre, but all the grandchildren are born well, and they are all top-notch in the village.


    "Zhaoer Taoer, you wake up so early." Xue Qinghuai walked over in a few strides, took the wooden bucket in Zhaoer''s hand, walked to the water tank, and poured water into the tank.


    "How can you two little girls do this kind of rough work? You go to do other things, and the fourth uncle is here to fetch water."


    Zhao''er and Tao''er didn''t refuse either, one went to the kitchen to help her mother cook, and the other took a basin to scoop up water for washing.


    As time passed, the rest of the Xue family got up one after another, and there were more and more voices in the yard. On the other side of the kitchen, Mrs. Zhou yelled to eat. Generally, country people don''t pay much attention to breakfast, and they have to set a table or something. They always serve a bowl with a bowl, and eat it at any place.


    Breakfast is two rice porridge, the so-called two rice porridge is porridge cooked from two kinds of rice. Yuqing Village does not grow rice, but only wheat, sorghum, millet, corn and other crops. Although farmers grow wheat, they seldom use it for their own food. They sell it for other grains.


    Even a well-to-do family like Xue''s family with surplus food did not eat fine grains all at once, but a mixture of coarse grains and fine grains. For example, today''s breakfast is two-rice porridge, which is a porridge cooked with millet, that is, yellow rice, and sorghum rice.


    Because it was a busy time of farming, it was cooked quite thickly. Although it didn''t hold up with chopsticks inserted, it was much better than the usual thin soup with little water.


    There is no way, the Xue family seems to have a decent family background in the village, but there are three scholars in the family. Not to mention Xue Gouzi, Guangda Fang and his son spend a lot of money every month, and it''s no wonder that Mrs. Zhao usually can pick up fleas to get a little blood.


    Zhao''er filled two bowls of porridge, put a few cornbreads on a thick porcelain plate, and put some pickles on the side, and took them back to the second room''s room.


    As soon as he entered the door, he saw Xue Gouzi sitting up from the kang.


    She hurriedly put the wooden tray on the square table, and came up to see him: "But he''s better? Are you hungry? Sister will bring you some porridge."


    Xue Gouzi looked at her with complicated eyes.


    After experiencing such a dream, he now doesn''t know how to face Zhao''er. As long as he saw her, he couldn''t help but think of him in his dream, those words scolded by others before he died. He also tried to find the cause of Zhao''er''s death in his memory, but it seemed that that memory was Xue Tingxiang''s most unbearable past, and he had no memory at all.


    In fact, Xue Gouzi was burned in a daze last night, and Xue Gouzi thought for a long time. He couldn''t figure out whether he was Xue Gouzi or Xue Tingxiang, whether that dream was true or not, whether he was thinking about it every day and dreaming at night , to have such an absurd dream.


    However, he also had an idea in his heart. If everything in that dream was true, several things should happen in succession. If these things happen, it means that his dreams are real.


    Thinking about something in his heart, he reached out to catch the bowl, only to realize that he didn''t even have the strength to hold the bowl. Luckily, Zhao''er caught the bowl quickly, so he didn''t spill it all over him.


    Xue Gouzi was a little embarrassed and anxious. It was very strange, obviously he would not have this kind of reaction in front of Zhao''er before, but I don''t know if it was a dream, and his state of mind had a strange change.


    Zhao''er laughed at him: "Why are you being polite with my sister? I forgot that when you were a child, you peed on the kang, and it was my sister who washed it for you."


    Zhao''er came to Xue''s house when he was seven years old, and Gouzi was only five years old at that time. It is very inexplicable for a child to pee on the kang. It is obvious that he has not urinated for a long time. I don''t know if he drank too much water before going to bed or what, but he actually peed on the kang.


    Since Qiu gave birth to the dog, her bones were not good, and it was winter again. In order to repay the kindness of the second wife, Zhao''er volunteered to wash the dirty clothes and pants for the dog. Since then, she started her career as a child bride.


    What Xue Gouzi hates the most is Zhao''er. He always likes to say inconspicuous things in front of him. You must know that as you get older, boys will lose face, how can you still be willing to listen to people mentioning such things, especially dogs are naturally sensitive. But today for some reason, he didn''t feel annoyed, only a little embarrassed.


    He was surprised by his own reaction, but Zhao''er had already fed him porridge with a wooden spoon. He subconsciously opened his mouth, and waited until the warm porridge blown by her was fed into his mouth, and he saw the smiling eyes of the other party.


    Those eyes were big and bright, as if there were stars hidden in them, and he couldn''t help but blush.


    Zhao''er smiled even more happily, and stuffed him with a tortilla: "Eat quickly, sister will cook eggs for you at noon."


    She was coaxing him like a child, Gouzi suddenly had this understanding.


    He was eating porridge from Zhao''er, thinking wildly in his mind, it was very chaotic.


    Just then, someone came to the door.


    It was Xue Qingshan.


    Exactly the same as in the dream.


    Xue Qingshan''s fair face was full of sighs and worries, he sighed and said a lot of words, the main idea was to let the dog recover well, don''t worry too much, there are grandparents and uncles at home, he can''t lose him.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Qingshan also followed the appearance and height of the man from the Xue family. He was also a weed in Yuqing Village in his early years, but unfortunately he got a little fatter as he got older.


    "Uncle still has to go to the private school, dog, take care of your illness, you are a child with a lot of thoughts." Sighing and patting his nephew on the shoulder, Xue Qingshan lifted the curtain and left.


    What is he doing?


    Zhao''er thought suspiciously. After thinking about it for a while, she couldn''t figure out why, so she stopped thinking about it and concentrated on feeding the dog porridge, but Xue Gouzi looked thoughtful.


    *


    In the main room, Mrs. Zhao is chatting with Mr. Xue about what happened yesterday.


    Mrs. Zhao was sewing an old dress in her hand, and said, "Let me tell you, you just like to spoil that little thing. You love him, but he doesn''t love you. Our family''s money doesn''t come from the river, just Because he didn''t want to show his illness to the whole family, he made a fuss after another, which is to make the family upside down."


    Mr. Xue was in his fifties, tall and tall, and his skin was black and red like that of a countryman who had been exposed to the sun for a long time. He was wearing dark blue coarse cloth pants, sitting cross-legged on the Kang, smoking a dry cigarette.


    Every time after dinner or before work, Mr. Xue always smoked for a while, otherwise he would feel exhausted.


    "Okay, Gouwazi is sick, who doesn''t have three illnesses and four pains." After a while, he said hoarsely.


    The patter, patter sounded again, and the lingering blue smoke swirled in the air, and then scattered in all directions. Behind it, the old face of Mr. Xue was hidden, looming.


    "But look how long he has been in trouble? Yesterday, more than one hundred coins were lost. How long will it take you to work hard in the field to earn more than one hundred coins! Boss has to leave another two hundred coins. It is said that someone in a classmate¡¯s family had a birthday, and there was a disaster just last year, and the tax was not exempted, but increased. Seeing that the boss said that he wanted to send Juncai to the town to study, it was another expense. How much money do you have? Withstood such a toss!"


    Seeing that his wife was so distressed, Mr. Xue sat up straight, tapped the cigarette pot on the kang table, and gave her a sideways look: "Your heart will be distressed if you spend a hundred yuan for a dog, and you will give it if the boss asks you for it? Not me Speaking of you, you are a parent and grandmother, so don''t be too biased, you don''t have to make the following little ones have conflicts."


    Upon hearing this, Mrs. Zhao didn''t want to. She slapped him across the kang table and said, "I''m biased? Don''t you?"


    He is also biased, but the boss is the most promising in the family, and the handsome is also the most outstanding among the grandchildren. It''s different to have a scholar in the family. No one will say that Xue Lianxing''s family is a decent person when they go out. If Dafang can produce a scholar, his Xue family will be honored.


    Just thinking of Xue Gouzi, Mr. Xue couldn''t help frowning.


    Of course he knew that the mother-in-law was very annoyed, Gou''er was too ignorant, the eldest owed the life to the second, but Xue''s family was in such a family situation, naturally they had to pay attention to their future.


    It''s not that Mr. Xue looks down on his grandson, but that Gou''er is really not comparable to a handsome boy, nor can he. It''s good to be strong, but you always have to look at the situation.


    "The boss''s daughter-in-law has already said several times that the school in the town cannot be delayed. The delay is half a year. The boss still wants to let Juncai try next year." Zhao added.


    "Back then, I promised my second child!" Old Master Xue sighed deeply, took two puffs of dry cigarettes, and coughed twice when he was choked.


    "Anyway, you can figure it out!" Zhao Shi was so angry that she threw the clothes aside, turned her head and leaned back on the kang, giving the man a backbone.


    Old man Xue slapped his mouth several times, and the gully on his face deepened: "You too, old woman, don''t you think that if outsiders know about this, we can still have face in the village?"

 Chapter 171

    That''s right, it''s a big deal to lose, she just needs to find money for him to study. Wasn''t that the plan? !


    Thinking of this, Zhao''er suddenly thought about it, and said: "Then prepare well, win if you can, don''t be afraid if you can''t win, at worst, sister will find money for you to study."


    Zhao''er has never been a person who likes to ask for trouble. She turned her head and saw that the cow dung in the house hadn''t been cleaned up, so she went to find a brush to clean the kang, and then went out to get a broom and a dustpan to sweep the floor.


    Chickens clucked and clucked outside, but it was Mrs. Sun who slaughtered the chicken and made it run away.


    Xue Tingxiang looked out the window, and saw that the chicken''s neck was still bleeding, but it was flying around the yard, and Mrs. Sun followed behind in a panic.


    Seeing that she was really in a bad shape, Mrs. Zhao came out of the room and said a few words. Mrs. Sun was even more anxious, and knew that she was really ashamed in front of the patriarch, but the chicken had wings, but she didn''t. It was only when the chicken lost its strength that Mrs. Sun grabbed it and cursed: "Run, run, run, it''s destined to be a dish in the pot, where are you going?"


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t look any further, and turned his gaze away.


    He knew why his uncle was so generous, and proposed to let him compete with Xue Juncai, because if there were no accidents, Xue Juncai would definitely win this match.


    In that dream, he had suffered such a loss, but it was not compared with Xue Juncai, but Zhao''er worked so hard to get money and sent him to Qinghe Academy. At that time, he was so stupid that he always blamed his own failure on the harshness of fate, thinking that it was not that he could not do it, but that everyone did not give him a chance.


    When he first entered the Qinghe Academy, he was full of ambition. He thought that he would definitely surpass Xue Juncai and prove that he was the most outstanding person in the Xue family, but the reality slapped him hard in the face. It was also at that time that he, who had never seen the world, understood the sinister intentions of his uncle. He did teach him to read, and he did ''read'' a lot of books, but he just read and didn''t understand the meaning of the scriptures.


    It was later learned that after schoolchildren learn to read, they use reading scriptures as the basis.


    First learn "Three Character Classic", "Hundred Surnames", "Thousand Characters", and then "Thousand Family Poems", "Children''s Learning Qionglin", "Longwenbianying", etc. After reading these, you can enter university and start Study and read the Four Books and Five Classics, etc.


    But at this stage, the teacher does not explain the meaning of the scriptures, that is to say, he just memorizes them by rote, clarifying the meaning of the words but not the meaning of the scriptures. Because people nowadays are used to thinking that children are just learning, it doesn¡¯t matter whether they understand it or not, as long as they remember it, and when they read a lot or for a long time, they will understand what it means.


    This is the so-called reading a thousand times, and its meaning is self-evident.


    When you can recite all these books fluently, and when you can learn to interpret the scriptures, you will get twice the result with half the effort.


    This time-saving, labor-saving and effective teaching mode is popular throughout Dachang, ranging from famous families to low-level sociology and village studies, and many of them are like this. This is especially popular in rural private schools, because there is only one teacher in the school, but it is not realistic to teach several or even dozens of people to explain the scriptures.


    But in fact, aristocratic families with some background would never teach their children this way. Because this teaching mode blindly emphasizes rote memorization, but ignores the truth that the classics are natural and logical.


    This is the pros and cons that ''he'' analyzed from the perspective of the overall situation after standing in the position of chief assistant.


    But at that time, he had just entered the library, because his uncle delayed explaining the meaning of the scriptures for him, and he didn''t understand that there was still a theory of explaining the scriptures. So when he first entered school, the teacher asked him if he had read it, and he replied that he had read it, but he couldn''t understand the scriptures.


    But now, it seems that the uncle is also aware of his own shortcomings, so he deliberately proposes this match, but in fact, he has already planned it, and he is destined to lose.


    Unfortunately, there was an accident.


    *


    Because there were guests at home, except for Mr. Xue and Xue Qingshan and his son, everyone was busy.


    After eating in the main room, the kitchen will start cooking other people''s lunch.


    During the period, Xue Taoer was also ordered to drink. There was wine and meat at the banquet in the main room, and the men exchanged glasses, and there was no way to see that there was any cleverness in the usual times. Especially Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng, the two drank very affectionately, and in the end they both got a little drunk.


    "Okay, don''t send it off, you''ll be there soon." Patriarch Xue waved his hand.


    After sending everyone out of the courtyard, this side started to clear the table and prepare meals. Mrs. Zhao originally wanted to take away the leftover meat and vegetables, but was stopped by Mr. Xue, saying that he was adding vegetables to everyone. People in the country are not rich, and it is commonplace for distinguished guests to leave and eat leftovers.


    The adults are all fine, Shuanzi and Maodan are eating deliciously.


    Zhao''er wanted to take the meal back to the house to eat, but was stopped by Xue Tingxiang, the two just kept their heads down and ate as before, without saying anything.


    Xue Juncai gave Xue Tingxiang a disdainful look.


    He had just accompanied Xue Qingshan to the table, and naturally he ate a lot of good food on the table, seeing that Xue Tingxiang could only eat leftovers, he was naturally full of sarcasm.


    He remembered what his father said to him before, Xue Gouzi would never win him.


    Thinking in his heart, he looked away, and said to Mr. Xue who was on the kang, "Grandpa, I''m going back to the house to read."


    Mr. Xue nodded. He also drank a little too much before, and now he is leaning on the kang smoking a cigarette to hangover.


    "Dog, eat more, brother is still waiting for you to beat me in five days." Xue Juncai suddenly said this when passing by Xue Tingxiang.


    Zhao''er immediately stood up and stared at him: "Can you talk? You''ve read the dog''s stomach after so many years of reading."


    Xue Juncai didn''t expect Zhao''er to show him such shame, his gentle face flushed red, but for some reason, he glanced at Zhao''er and held back.


    Mr. Xue shouted: "Juncai go back to the house!"


    Mrs. Zhou also hurriedly stood up to persuade Zhao''er, that''s all.


    After dinner, the two went back to the second room, and Zhao''er was still angry: "Don''t be angry, dog. When sister earns money, I will take you to the house and won''t be with them anymore."


    Xue Tingxiang was a little moved, but at the same time a little helpless: "You called me a dog again."


    Zhao''er groaned, then smiled and said: "I forgot, it won''t be like this in the future."


    Naturally, he couldn''t be angry with her, and then Zhao''er took the two clothes she changed yesterday and went out to wash, while Xue Tingxiang turned over the "Children''s Learning Qionglin" again.


    Looking at the book in his hand, which was transcribed on the worst bamboo paper and the footers were worn away, Xue Tingxiang felt a little worried. He actually didn''t want to read books, but Zhao''er couldn''t help but think that he should read more books now, and only by reading more books can he win against Xue Juncai more confidently.


    Little did he know that this book was different from the book, and it was useless to just read this book, but he would not tell her about it.


    He dug out the bamboo paper that Zhao''er bought for him from the kang cabinet. The cheapest bamboo paper cost 40 cents a knife. Such ''expensive'' paper was barely enough for practicing calligraphy. Even so, he is very precious at ordinary times, and he is reluctant to use it at all. If he can write on the sand, he will write on the sand, and if he can''t use the sand, he will write on the desk with water.


    Xue Tingxiang touched the stack of yellowed bamboo paper and sighed in his heart.


    ''Xue Tingxiang'' usually uses the highest quality Chengxin paper, so at this time he feels a little disgusted with the things that are usually precious.


    He spread out the papers on the kang table, stacked several sheets, and then cut them into the size of a book with a bamboo knife. In order to make room for the edge seam, he left some leeway and cut a thick stack before he found the inkstone with a corner missing and the ink ingot that had been used up and only a small piece remained.


    These are treasures that he is reluctant to use at ordinary times, but Xue Tingxiang doesn''t feel this way at all today. He added water to the inkstone, and then took the ink ingot to grind the ink, while grinding, he was thinking about something.


    After grinding the ink, he put the bald hair brush in the water bowl and wet it to clean it. After dipping in enough ink, he picked up the pen and wrote something on the paper.


    After writing a few words, he suddenly put down the pen, lifted the paper to look at it, and suddenly crumpled it.


    Mingming''s handwriting is fairly neat. Although he usually saves paper and ink, but because of years of hard work, his handwriting is not bad, but for some reason he just doesn''t like it.


    He closed his eyes slowly, calmed down for a while, and opened them again after a while. At this time, there was no one in the room, and anyone who was there could see a gleam of light flashing in Xue Tingxiang''s eyes. At the same time, his movement of grasping the pen was fast and steady, and with the help of a god, he wrote a series of small characters on the paper in a short time.


    These small characters suddenly became Yan style, then turned into pavilion style, and then turned into thin gold style again. At first, they were both tangible and boneless, but as they were written, their taste changed.


    The face and body are square and dense, the brushwork is thick, straight, open and full of vigor. That pavilion is physically strong and graceful, as if it was carved out of a block. And the thin gold body, the gold hook and iron painting, is full of arrogance, and the strokes are as sharp as cutting gold and jade.


    These three characters represent the whole life of ''Xue Tingxiang'', from the Yan style learned at the beginning of school, to the Guange style studied painstakingly for the imperial examination, to the thin gold style of the official residence.


    And so he wrote, oblivious to himself. Zhao''er came in during the period, but he didn''t dare to disturb him, so he quietly sat down on the edge of the kang.


    After writing for an unknown amount of time, he suddenly let out a long breath and put down his pen.


    He wrote two full sheets of paper.


    At this time, Xue Tingxiang had to admit that the magic of heaven was just a dream, and he actually possessed some of the things that he had in the dream.


    From the moment this dream appeared, Xue Tingxiang had been thinking about why he had such a dream. Now he understands, maybe he just wants him to make up for all the unsatisfactory dreams.


    And possessing everything of the "him" in the dream, he suddenly had great ambitions, and a surge of arrogance lingered in his heart.


    "I''m tired of writing, drink some water."


    Zhao''er brought water, Xue Tingxiang took it, and drank it in one gulp, it was very sweet.


    Only then did he lower his head to look at what he had written, and he actually spent two sheets of bamboo paper. Probably because Zhao''er was by his side, he suddenly remembered that she used to save money to buy paper for him, and felt a little distressed and guilty. He glanced at her and said in a low voice, "I actually wrote so much."


    How could Zhao''er not understand what he was thinking, so he chuckled and said, "Not much, not much, only two sheets. Paper is for use. I told you not to save paper a long time ago. It is used up. Let''s just buy it again."


    "I want to transcribe this book, so I try to write first, so as not to waste paper."


    "What book do you want to copy? Can you copy books too? Don''t you buy them?" Zhao''er was puzzled.


    Xue Tingxiang sighed in his heart. He really felt that he was really stupid before. He would rather borrow books from his uncle every time, or memorize them by rote, and never thought of copying books.


    Nowadays, the books sold in bookstores are rarely printed and expensive, so an industry of copying books has emerged. In this way, not only some poor scholars can get some money in exchange, but also those who want to buy books but suffer from poor pockets can get cheap.


    Of course, this copying is not something that can be done casually, it needs to be written very well.


    Xue Tingxiang boasted that his handwriting was not bad. Back then, many people begged for his calligraphy. Now that he needs a book, why can''t he copy it himself.


    the most important is--


    He glanced at Zhao''er.


    Xue Qingshan''s face was a little ugly, and at the same time he was a little surprised.


    His nephew has always been reticent, and he can''t make a fart with three sticks. He only acted out this way because he counted on Erfang''s two petty tempers.


    But after all, he lived older than Xue Tingxiang, so naturally he would not forget to do superficial work.


    He sighed: "The boy was spoiled by his mother, and it''s also my uncle who can''t discipline well. Uncle is here to accompany you."


    Xue Tingxiang hurriedly backed away and said: "Uncle, don''t say that, Ting''er is a junior, he can''t bear it."


    "Ting''er? I didn''t expect you to give yourself a name." Xue Qingshan laughed, and also wanted to point out that Xue Tingxiang''s name was not correct, and he was not as sensible and polite as he appeared on the surface.


    Usually names are bestowed by the elders, not just chosen by the younger generation. It¡¯s okay for ordinary villagers, but Xue Tingxiang is a scholar, and a scholar should know how to be polite. Read.


    Xue Tingxiang was very clear in his heart, and understood what uncle meant. He smiled and said: "When my father was still alive, I asked my grandfather and uncle to help me choose one. Uncle refused because of his humble name. Now the court My son is also fourteen, so I can¡¯t keep using her baby name, so I randomly picked one.¡±


    As soon as this remark came out, Xue Qingshan''s face turned ugly again. Xue Tingxiang was obviously saying that he, as an uncle, did not want to name him, and deliberately belittled him. After all, since I have been educated, I should definitely not have a name,

 Chapter 172

    Now is the busy season, and there are not many schoolchildren in the school. The private schools in the countryside are like this. Every two seasons when the farming season is busy, the schoolchildren will be given holidays, so Xue Qingshan has been quite free recently. But no one cares about where he goes or not. When the school is on vacation, he is often not seen for several days.


    Zhao''er washed the dishes and chopsticks used by himself and the little man, and took them back to the kitchen. Mrs. Zhou was cooking pig food, while Tao''er was sweeping the yard. Seeing that she had nothing to do, Zhao''er found Heizi''s food bowl, and took a bowl from the leftover rice that was going to be mixed with pig grass to feed pigs later. , carrying it and walking out the door.


    Mrs. Zhou glanced at her back, but didn''t speak.


    The leftovers are for Heizi. Dogs in the country are like this. The owner eats dry food, and the dog drinks water. When the owner eats water, the dog usually starves. Country dogs in the countryside are used to starvation, but Zhao''er usually pays little attention to sunspots, no matter good or bad, he always feeds him.


    Occasionally there are additional meals, of course, these are invisible to the human face.


    Anyway, Mrs. Zhao saw Zhao''er picking food out of her pig''s mouth and feeding it to the dog!


    She stepped out of the main room and saw this scene, the old face immediately pulled down, and she didn''t see her scolding Zhao''er, so she stood in front of the door and shouted at the direction of the kitchen: "Let you feed the pigs!" It¡¯s good for you, feed the food into the dog¡¯s mouth, such a big person is useless, and eating for nothing is not enough.¡±


    This clearly refers to Sang scolding Huai.


    In the kitchen, Mrs. Zhou didn''t speak. Tao''er, who was sweeping the yard, looked up at Grandma, endured it and continued to sweep the yard. Mrs. Zhao didn''t mention her name, who knows who she was scolding, if she stepped forward to intervene, she would only change the target and be scolded bloody.


    These are lessons learned.


    As soon as Zhao''er walked to the gate of the courtyard, she heard such scolding. She didn''t show any weakness, and turned her head to look at Zhao with a smile: "Grandma, are you scolding Third Aunt? If you scold Third Aunt, Third Aunt But it¡¯s too unfair. If you want to scold you, you should scold me. I scooped up the leftovers and planned to give Heizi to eat. Didn¡¯t I just think that Heizi would not be easy, so I would bring a rabbit to the house every now and then. You said we You can¡¯t do something that wants the cows to work without giving them grass, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Mrs. Zhao glared at Zhao''er angrily. She knew that this girl was not a cheap girl, so she scolded Mrs. Zhou, but she found her by herself. Just as he was about to say something, some of the women who passed by the gate of the courtyard smiled and said, "I saw Lian Xing''s family so energetic early in the morning."


    Someone next to him interjected: "Don''t talk about it, Ren Zhao''er is right. How can there be a cow that works without giving it grass?"


    "That''s right, Lian Xing''s family, it''s almost enough. Everyone in the village doesn''t like your big black dog. At this time when there is a rabbit shortage in the wild, it can fetch rabbits. What a smart beast. Usually In summer and autumn, voles, wild rabbits, and pheasants were often picked up at home, and they would be brought back if they didn¡¯t eat them. If you don¡¯t like Heizi, give it to our family, and your Uncle Shouxin has already taken a fancy to Heizi.¡±


    This is a Lianxing family, Mr. Xue and his aunt, known as Aunt Shouxin. Although he is ten years younger than Mrs. Zhao, but he is of a higher seniority.


    There are more than 200 households in Yuqing Village, with Xue and Zheng as the main surnames, and there are more than a dozen other households with mixed surnames. Since they all have the same surname, it is inevitable that every family is related, and some relationships can be pulled out of Wufu. But relatives are relatives, and when one is younger than others, one has to respect one another, so when this aunt Shouxin spoke, she sounded like an elder giving advice to younger generations.


    Mrs. Zhao was terribly blocked by these words, even though she was scolding, she was really reluctant to let her give Heizi to others. Just like what these people said, Heizi did bring some wild animals to his house at ordinary times, regardless of size, fat or thin, he always eats meat, and it is not easy for country people to eat meat.


    She kept a straight face and said nothing, but the trick in front of the door was on point: "Grandma Seven, this is not acceptable, Heizi is my lifeblood, you have made my lifeblood run away, I can''t live anymore."


    She smiled as soon as she said it, and said witty words in her mouth, and immediately made Aunt Shouxin laugh, pointing at her bit by bit, and said to others: "Look at this naughty girl, but she is not at all. You''re welcome. Please, please, Seventh Grandma doesn''t want you dog, so she won''t take away my son''s life."


    After talking and joking, Zhao''er sent the women away with a smile, and then turned around to feed Heizi.


    Mrs. Zhao glared at her, turned around and was about to enter the room, but just as she lifted her foot, she heard someone calling her from behind.


    "Mom, why are you standing here?"


    But Xue Cuiping, the eldest daughter of the Zhao family, came back.


    Xue Cuiping''s appearance is 60% similar to Zhao''s, but she has a pair of big almond eyes. She looked like she was in her twenties, and she was wearing a washed-out blue floral jacket with a pair of red-coloured wide-leg trousers underneath. She was holding a bamboo basket in her hand, which was covered with a layer of cloth, and she couldn''t see what was in it, and she was looking at Mrs. Zhao suspiciously.


    This really means that Cao Cao and Cao Cao will be here soon. The old man said before that the Zhao family is planning to get someone to report to Shangshui Village. This will save trouble.


    The mother and daughter walked into the house while talking, and soon disappeared behind the curtain of the main room door.


    Zhao''er squatted there watching Heizi eat, stroking its big head with her hand, but she was a little curious about how her aunt came back in time for the busy farming season.


    *


    "This can''t be done, mother, you are letting someone poke my spine!" In the main room, Xue Cuiping stood up after listening to Mrs. Zhao''s words.


    Mrs. Zhao hurriedly reached out to pull her, and at the same time gestured for her to keep her voice down so that no one could hear her.


    "Why not? You are Gouzi''s aunt, and you beat the younger brother and the second child. If this family says who the child wants to listen to, they will probably listen to you."


    Mrs. Zhao''s words are true. Xue Cuiping has been friends with her second child, Xue Qingsong since she was a child, and she and Mrs. Qiu also got along well when she was not married. When Xue Gouzi was born, she often hugged him.


    Xue Gouzi has been shy and introverted since he was a child, and since his second wife left, he has become more silent and gloomy. He often doesn''t see him say a word for ten days and a half months, and the members of the Xue family are only close to aunt Xue Cuiping.


    "But..." Xue Cuiping was full of embarrassment, and secretly said in her heart that she shouldn''t be coming back this trip. She never thought that she hadn''t finished her business before going back to her mother''s house, but this kind of thing would happen.


    "Don''t forget, your family Xingzi came to our private school, and your elder brother didn''t care about you. Now your elder brother needs your help, why don''t you want to ignore it, you are good, your elder brother is fine, The big house is promising, can it still make you suffer?"


    "Why don''t you tell the dog yourself, mother!"


    Mrs. Zhao has never been a patient person. She can speak so softly because Xue Cuiping is her daughter. Seeing her daughter pushing back and forth like this, and poking her heart with words, she immediately exploded: "If your mother can go and tell him, is it still necessary for you? Your mother can say this, can you say it? If you let outsiders You know, what has become of this?"


    Xue Cuiping was already irritated by her in-laws'' affairs, and when she saw her mother scolding herself, she immediately became annoyed: "Hey, the whole family will not go, and I am an outsider who asked me to be this villain? Even if an outsider finds out, it''s okay It¡¯s no use for me to be an aunt, and the second elder brother¡¯s family and adults are all dead, so why not force a child?!¡±


    Seeing her daughter''s voice getting louder, Mrs. Zhao was afraid that people would hear her, so she gave her a firm hand and scolded: "You are afraid that people will not hear you, right?"


    Naturally, Xue Cuiping didn''t want to have a falling out with her mother, so she muttered reluctantly: "Let me say, it''s not your mother''s business to be in charge of this matter, let the elder brother or sister-in-law handle the affairs of the elder brother''s house by himself. Let others do all the bad things." , their family is innocent, there is such a thing!"


    "Why are you talking about your elder brother? Your elder brother is a scholar, he wants to face and respect. Besides, he is ashamed of his second son, and he can''t do such a thing."


    Xue Cuiping''s lips parted, and she pressed down her full stomach.


    If he really felt ashamed of his second brother, would he still make such a fuss? In fact, over the years, Xue Cuiping has also seen through the behavior of this elder brother. If the elder sister-in-law is a smiley face, the elder brother is not a good person. Bad things have been done by others. It is obvious that their family has benefited, but they still pretend to be innocent.


    But so what if she knew, she was a married woman after all, she couldn''t shake the deep-rooted respect her parents had for her elder brother. As long as this kind of value is not broken for a day, the big house will always be the first in the family. In particular, she also has her own selfishness and her own reasons, so even if she knows what happened at home in the past two years, she can only ignore it against her conscience.


    She brushed back the hair that fell on her cheeks, and said: "Mother, let''s not talk about it, I came back this trip to borrow some wheat seeds, you also know my mother-in-law''s disease, because I was in a hurry to raise money last year The money for the medicine, and no seeds left..."


    Before she finished speaking, she was interrupted by Mrs. Zhao.


    Mrs. Zhao patted her hard twice: "Borrowing wheat seeds again, do you think your mother''s family has gold and silver, don''t you? With so many sons in the Liu family, let you, a daughter-in-law, come back to dig out her mother''s family!?"


    "mother¡­¡­"


    "Those head-cutting things in the Liu family, a house full of losers, a bunch of incompetent bastards, who can''t even support their mothers..." Mrs. Zhao scolded, and seeing Xue Cuiping crying, she beat her again. She said twice: "Go and deal with Gouzi, and mother will give you wheat seeds."


    "mother¡­¡­"


    "Go, don''t ink."


    *


    When he heard that his aunt had returned, Xue Gouzi felt a sense of fate in his heart.


    Afterwards, when Xue Cuiping opened the door curtain and walked in with a smile, he surprisingly didn''t feel sad at all.


    When Xue Cuiping was talking, Xue Gouzi was not actually listening, he was just thinking about all the strange things in and out of the dream.


    Xue Tingxiang also experienced such a thing back then, since his parents passed away one after another, he felt resentful towards Xue''s family in his heart. And these grievances accumulated little by little under Dafang''s hypocrisy and the acquiescence of his family members. Until this time, he still had the last bit of hope in his heart, but when even his closest aunt was standing on the opposite side, he completely collapsed in despair. Instead of being silent earlier, he chose to explode.


    In fact, what Dafang and even the Xue family were waiting for was his outburst. As long as he raises this matter himself, countless big hats will be put on his head. He had no ability to resist at all, and these people were all his elders, so his anger and unwillingness were all strangled to death in his infancy.


    This time, what happened in the dream happened again, what should he do?


    Xue Cuiping''s mouth was still opening and closing, it could be seen that she was a little guilty in front of this pale and frail nephew. But these guilty consciences were hidden behind her constantly opening and closing mouth. Xue Gouzi''s eyes were indifferent, but someone beside him couldn''t help it.


    Zhao''er''s face was ugly, but he still forced a smile: "Auntie, you see that the dog has been sick for a few days, and he just got better. He is not in good spirits. If there is anything to say, let''s talk about it later."

 Chapter 173

    Jiang Wu looked sideways at the girl who was smiling wantonly, with a strange gleam in her eyes. Fortunately, Daqing knew the way and was docile, otherwise the three people in the car would have been taken into the ditch beside the road.


    Seeing this scene, Xue Tingxiang''s face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.


    He was both annoyed and angry, and he actually forgot about Jiang Wu.


    In that dream, Jiang Wu has been coveting Zhao''er.


    Jiang Wu is two years older than Zhao''er, but he has never married. If Zhao''er hadn''t been his child bride-in-law, the Jiang family would have come to propose marriage a long time ago.


    Even so, Jiang Wu never gave up, and once even approached him and told him that he wanted to marry Zhao''er, telling him not to be so selfish, and letting Zhao''er go free. He also said that he would study with Zhao''er and treat him like a younger brother, that''s how he knew about it.


    Shocked and annoyed, he also remembered Zhao''er''s reluctance to marry him. He mistakenly thought that Zhao''er was having an affair with Jiang Wu, so he borrowed his parents'' orders to forcefully marry her. Later, by chance, Only then did he realize that he had wronged her.


    This incident has always been a scar between the two, even though it was never mentioned again, it was a gap. Afterwards, he was busy starting his career, while Zhao''er was busy with business. The two met only once in a long time, and even if they met, they seldom talked again until he went to Beijing to catch the exam after winning the exam.


    The he in the dream once thought after Zhao''er died, if he hadn''t been so despicable back then and forced Zhao''er by his parents'' orders, Zhao''er wouldn''t have died.


    But this kind of thought is like a superficial thought, it just passed by in a flash. At this time, thinking about it, he is probably despicable in his bones. Even if he is not the Xue Tingxiang in his dream, he never thought of letting him go.


    She was supposed to be his, and when he still half understood, someone would always point to her and say, this is his future wife, isn''t it?


    "Brother Jiang Wu, you''d better look at some roads, this road is uneven, don''t lead us all into a ditch."


    Xue Tingxiang''s voice successfully interrupted the chatting and laughing of Jiang Wu and Zhao''er, as if a very ignorant person suddenly appeared, making the already warm atmosphere suddenly cool down.


    Zhao''er laughed dryly: "Look at me, I was so focused on talking to you about the business that I forgot that you were still driving the car. Fortunately, Daqing is smart, otherwise I would have fallen."


    Da Qing called out, looking very complacent.


    Jiang Wu looked back subconsciously, just in time to meet the young man''s dark eyes. Those eyes made him inexplicably guilty, but soon he regained his confidence.


    He knew that the dogs of the Xue family didn''t like to recruit children, and he also knew that the second bedroom couple of the Xue family originally recruited children as daughters, not child brides. The child bride-in-law was only passed on from the villagers to the villagers, and it became true because of the entrustment of the second wife of the Xue family at the end of their lives.


    Not only that, but he also knew that Zhao''er only regarded the other party as a younger brother, and had no intention of marrying the other party.


    The young man was undoubtedly thin and thin, although he was handsome, there was still a bit of childishness on his face. Such a young man made the strong and powerful Jiang Wu inexplicably feel condescending. He smiled heartily and said indifferently: "Don''t be afraid, you dog, Brother Jiang Wu drives the car every day, and you can walk back with your eyes closed."


    Xue Tingxiang did not speak, but lowered his head with the corners of his lips pursed.


    Seeing this, Zhao''er immediately understood whether the title Gouzi made the little man feel uncomfortable again. But facing Jiang Wu, she couldn''t show a cold face, she could only smile and say: "Brother Jiang Wu, let me tell you that the dog has a name, it''s called Tingxiang, Xue Tingxiang."


    "It''s an elegant name."


    "Yeah, so don''t call me Gouzi Gouzi in the future, it''s weird."


    While speaking, the car had arrived at Yuqing Village.


    Jiang Wu inertially circled to the end of the village before stopping, Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang got out of the car.


    "When will the business be done? Tell me a time, and I will pick you up when the time comes."


    "Aren''t you going to be busy in the town tomorrow, and those clothes have to be tidied up. When I''m ready, I''ll go to your house and give you a letter."


    Zhao''er also thought that two days later would be the day when Xue Tingxiang and Xue Juncai competed, and she would not be in the mood to do business until this matter was over.


    "OK."


    *


    Now that the matter was settled, they said goodbye to each other.


    Jiang Wu drove the car home, while Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang went home together.


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t say anything along the way, but just walked silently.


    Zhao''er glanced at him: "What''s the matter? You seem a little unhappy. Did Brother Jiang Wu call you angry just now? He didn''t know you were famous. I told him that he would never That''s what it''s called."


    He suppressed the jealousy in his heart, and said in a muffled voice, "Why do you know him so well?"


    "Brother Jiang Wu, we''ve known each other since we were young. You forgot that Heizi was brought back by his dog after he gave birth to a cub. Brother Jiang Wu is a very nice person and has helped me a lot."


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t speak, but stopped.


    Zhao''er walked forward for a while, only to realize that he hadn''t followed.


    She came back in a few steps, and asked suspiciously: "What''s wrong with you, why are you so weird?"


    He held his breath: "Don''t forget, you are a man."


    Zhao''er was taken aback for a moment, then looked at him and laughed. But he just smiled and didn''t speak, which made Xue Tingxiang angry and annoyed.


    Don''t think about it, she must have thought of something good.


    Seeing his fair face flushed with anger, Zhao''er hurriedly said: "Okay, don''t be angry, I know I have a man."


    There was a teasing taste in her voice, knowing that she was coaxing him, his heart still jumped several times.


    With the experience in the dream, Xue Tingxiang knew that this was not the time to be awkward, besides, there was Jiang Wu watching over him, so he didn''t want to repeat the experience in the dream again.


    He couldn''t help but reiterated: "I''m also doing it for your own good, lest people in the village see and make irresponsible remarks." He didn''t dare to look at her, but stared at the ground beside him, with some confidence in his heart. Distracted.


    Seeing him confessing himself like an adult, with a fair face and a slightly childish face, I don''t know how to trick him and want to rub his head.


    She did the same, and said at the same time: "Well, well, you are right, I will listen to you."


    He suddenly became more angry, and a sense of powerlessness and discouragement came to his heart.


    Why does she always treat herself like a child!


    *


    Early the next morning, Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang went out.


    When I arrived, Dongliju had just opened, Xue Tingxiang went to the clean room yesterday to continue copying books, but Zhao''er went to the yard behind the shop.


    She discussed with Boss Chen and borrowed this place to pack her clothes. Zhao''er had seen those clothes before, they were all old clothes, since she wanted to make money, she couldn''t afford to sell them poorly, so she came here today mainly to do this job.


    She borrowed the bamboo mat used for drying books from the shop, poured out the big bag of clothes, first sorted them into men''s and women''s styles, and then divided them into several piles according to texture and thickness, and then began to check the clothes one by one for damage. The place.


    If there was a hole somewhere, she would sew it up with the needle and thread she brought. Zhao''er''s needlework is pretty good, but she can''t do embroidery or something, and she''s fine with sewing and making clothes.


    She managed to clean up a pile, and seeing that the sun was shining outside, she went to fetch water from the well in the courtyard. There is a pulley in the well, so it is very convenient to fetch water. Zhao''er fetched a basin of water, soaked the clothes in the big wooden basin, wiped the soap locust water and scrubbed it.


    After washing and rinsing, the rice soup in the kitchen is also ready.


    Although Boss Chen and the others don''t cook in the shop, they always need a place to boil water for tea and so on, so the shop also turned on the fire, and Zhao''er borrowed the stove to cook a big pot of rice soup.


    She brought out the boiled rice soup, poured it into the wooden basin, and added some water into it, it is most suitable if it is slightly hot. Fang poured all the washed clothes into it and kept stirring with a stick.


    Stir well, put half a cup of tea, pick up the clothes from the wooden basin, fetch water and rinse again.


    This is the so-called starched clothes. The clothes that have been washed are sticky and sticky. As long as they don''t fade, they look like new ones. Some people who are fastidious will iron it with an iron, but since there is no such condition, Zhao''er does not intend to do so.


    During this period, Boss Chen came in. Seeing that Zhao''er was in full swing, he pointed to the various clothes hanging out in the yard and said with a smile, "It''s good for you, you take my place as your own. You make it look like a laundry room."


    Nowadays, there are places like starch washing rooms. Some people don''t want to wash their clothes at home, so they will send their clothes to the starch washing room for washing. Inexpensive and saves time and effort.


    Knowing that Boss Chen was joking with himself, Zhao''er also joked: "After what Uncle Chen said, it opened my eyes again. When I don''t have any business to do, I will buy a laundry room. When the time comes Uncle Chen will bring you the clothes, and I will wash them for you without charge."


    "You girl, you are really a good businessman." Boss Chen shook his head and laughed, and went back to the front.


    The room where Xue Tingxiang copied the books was in this yard, and the big window happened to be facing the yard, so Zhao''er''s every word and deed could be seen by him.


    Usually he can concentrate on nothing else, but today he is always going to see her intentionally or unintentionally.


    Seeing her tossing around in the yard, seeing her very lively face under the sun, seeing the beads of sweat on her forehead, she had no intention of copying the book at all, and only copied less than two pages in one morning.


    Boss Chen walked in to take a look, and followed his gaze to Zhao''er: "You are lucky to have such a woman at the booth."


    Xue Tingxiang did not speak.


    Boss Chen said again: "By the way, how far have you reached in your studies?"


    "I have finished studying the four books, but I can only read them, but I can''t understand them."


    "It''s okay to be able to read but not understand. Now that you have entered the university, you should start to learn Mingjing. However, in that kind of country school, many teachers themselves have only a half-knowledge, and they can''t teach anything. You can read more when you have nothing to do. Reading books like "Four Books Chapters" and "Zhu Zi Ji Zhu" can''t help you fully understand the scriptures, but they are somewhat helpful. The most important thing is to find a good school with good teachers to guide you. "Boss Chen pointed out.


    After a pause, he said again: "I heard from Zhao''er that he wanted to send you to the Qinghe Academy. Instead of spending a lot of money to go to that kind of place, I suggest that you go to the Qingyuan Academy."


    "Qingyuan Academy?" Xue Tingxiang asked in a daze.


    Boss Chen thought he didn''t know, or was deceived by rumors like those ordinary people, and said: "This Qingyuan Academy is one of the oldest schools in Huyang Township, and it used to be famous throughout Xia County. In our township, half of the people who pass the county examination every year come from the Qingyuan Academy, and there are not a few of them who pass the exam. It¡¯s just that the Qinghe Academy has risen suddenly in the past few years, and it seems to have declined.¡±


    Boss Chen''s voice was low, as if he was sighing infinitely, and suddenly turned high, quite angry: "Everyone in the world values ??fame and fortune, and is easily deceived by false appearances. They don''t know that the Qinghe Academy is using opportunism. The owner Gao Relying on his relationship with County Magistrate Hu, Youzhi became attached to him, and all the money allocated by the imperial court to the county to support local social studies and village studies flowed into the Qinghe Academy, and the two of them made a lot of money and filled their own pockets.


    "And the owner of the Qingyuan Academy is an upright person, and he doesn''t want to be with him. In addition, the Qingyuan Academy has a lot of preferential treatment for the children of poor families. Without this silver subsidy, we can only encourage and support it. The county that presides over the county examination Lingdu looked at Qinghe Academy differently, and even the students who wanted to enroll flocked there. This has changed, and the reputation of Qingyuan Academy has gradually declined in recent years."


    Because of Xue Gouzi''s sudden fainting, the Xue family was turned upside down.


    For this reason, the third uncle Xue Qingbai borrowed an ox cart from his uncle''s house and invited a doctor back from the town. The doctor came to check the pulse, and Xue Gouzi didn''t have any symptoms, and the previous illness was almost cured. Although he is a little weak now, he just needs to take care of it slowly.


    As for the headache, even the doctor couldn''t tell what the cause was.


    After sending the doctor away, grandmother Zhao slapped her face on the spot.


    She looked like she was in her fifties, with her gray hair neatly pulled back behind her head. With a long face, the eyelids are a little sunken, and when the face is pulled, it becomes a triangular eye, which looks particularly unfriendly.


    Without Mrs. Zhao''s words, Mrs. Sun said: "Zhao''er, it''s not the fourth aunt talking about you, you girl likes to make a fuss. Could it be that you deliberately torment us all, even if you don''t like it..."


    Before she finished speaking, she was pulled by the man Xue Qinghuai.


    "Okay, let''s say a few words less, Zhao''er is not ignorant, and besides, the dog is already sick, so it''s better to find a doctor to take a look, so the family can rest assured."


    "I said less and said less, and I didn''t say anything..."


    "You also said..."


    The couple went out while chatting and tugging. The eldest aunt Yang smiled at Zhao''er, and then said to the mother-in-law: "Mother, let''s go too, let the dog have a good rest."


    Mrs. Zhao glanced at the dog on the kang, snorted coldly, turned her head and left. It can be seen from her posture that she is very angry.


    In fact, it is true. The Xue family can''t be called a rich family. It costs at least one or two hundred dollars to invite a doctor from the town. ! In particular, the doctor''s pulse just now confirmed Zhao''s guess that Xue Gouzi was deliberately pretending to be ill, and it was only strange that she was happy.


    Let Mrs. Zhao see that the two little boys in the second room are deliberately torturing the family, but since the eldest daughter-in-law has come forward to persuade her, Mrs. Zhao will naturally not say more.


    Generally speaking, among the three daughters-in-law of the Xue family, Yang is the one who wins Zhao''s heart the most. The eldest has an unusual status, and Zhao is willing to show the eldest daughter-in-law some face.


    After Mrs. Zhao and Mrs. Yang left, only the third uncle Xue Qingbai and the third aunt Zhou were left in the house. The two were not used to talking much, and they didn''t stay long, Zhao''er thought that the third uncle had worked hard just now, so he sent the two of them out with a smile.


    When he turned his head and came back, he saw Xue Gouzi lying on the kang with his eyes open, his eyes staring blankly, as if he had lost his mind.


    She didn''t think much about it, she came to the side of the kang and patted his head: "Dog, don''t think too much, they don''t believe that you are sick and have a headache, sister believes you. Take care of your illness and don''t think about it anymore. "


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her, his mouth was dry and his throat was tight: "Zhaoer..."


    "What''s wrong? Is there something uncomfortable?"


    Feeling these undelicate but very warm hands touching his head and face, Xue Gouzi had a sense of reality and gratitude that he had never had before.


    She wasn''t dead, and neither was he.


    Although he didn''t like some of her daily actions, and even hated her as his child bride-in-law, but he never thought of letting her die, so how could he be the one who killed his wife and son.

 Chapter 174

    In the second room, Zhao''er went to pour some hot water, and after washing their feet, they went to the kang to rest.


    A big Kang, two quilts, one for each person.


    But Zhao''er couldn''t sleep today, and when she came back from the main room, she was a little excited.


    She rolled over and over again.


    "You do not sleep?"


    It is reasonable to say that they would not rest so early, but today both of them have been busy all day, so they turned off the lights after recruiting children to go to the kang. But with the moon outside, you can still see clearly in the room.


    Zhao''er sat up halfway, and moved to Xue Tingxiang''s side.


    "Dog, tell me what you meant when you scolded that old killer just now?"


    Zhao''er knows how to swear, and has sweared before, but he has never seen such a method of swearing. Yang Zhong was furious because of the swearing, and Xue''s family didn''t even know how to persuade him. From Zhao''er''s point of view, isn''t this the culmination of swearing, can you swear without uttering dirty words?


    She wants to learn this method, it will come in handy sometime.


    Xue Tingxiang turned over and gave her a backbone.


    Zhao''er poked his shoulder with her finger: "What''s wrong? Why are you angry again?"


    He didn''t move, and she moved closer.


    The two of them were only separated by one person, and they wore thin clothes when they slept. Zhao''er leaned over, and even though Xue Tingshan had his back on his back, he could still feel a wave of heat rushing towards him, mixed with a faint fragrance.


    There was a strange softness slightly attached to his shoulders, Xue Tingshan''s back was stiff, and she heard her say on top of her head: "Don''t take that old killer''s words to heart, it''s not that I said uncle and aunt are too narrow-minded." It¡¯s too much, and even made such a fuss, do you really think that grandpa will regret it? Even if the family doesn¡¯t say anything, there are still so many people watching outside, so don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll go to the school to make a decision.¡±


    She was very close to him, and the heat of her words sprayed on the tips of his ears, making him shiver again and again. At the same time, a hot numbness rushed from the tips of his ears to his neck, causing waves of unconscious trembling.


    His breathing was a little tight, and he couldn''t help turning over.


    Zhao''er was still talking, and she didn''t expect that he would turn over suddenly, and his face just crashed into her arms.


    Xue Tingxiang''s brain went blank for a moment, and he subconsciously fell backwards. It is obvious that it is about to leave at the touch of a touch, but it clearly feels a suffocating softness, and there is something faintly raised.


    He recalled some situations in the dream, and he only felt his nose was hot, as if something flowed out.


    "Are you alright?" Zhao''er heard a thud, saw him motionless, thought that something was wrong with him being bumped, hurriedly leaned over to look at his face.


    "Why are you panicking! Really. Come on, let me rub it for you."


    He covered his nose with one hand and pushed her with the other: "I''m fine, it doesn''t hurt." He quickly turned over and said falteringly: "It''s getting late, go to sleep."


    "You haven''t told me what you mean by that!"


    "It doesn''t mean anything, just let him take a pee and take a picture of himself!"


    "Ah?!" Zhao''er was stunned, and said after a while, "So that''s what he meant, then you just let him take a pee and take a picture of yourself, and you said so much."


    Seeing that he didn''t answer himself, Zhao''er sat for a while and then lay down.


    "Okay, go to bed now, I won''t disturb you anymore."


    *


    Yang Zhong stayed at Xue''s house for one night and left the next day.


    Because it was rushing to the busy farming season, the Xue family resumed their usual work, and no one mentioned the previous incident, as if nothing happened that night.


    Everything is so busy yet full of peace.


    On this day, Xue Tingxiang and Zhao''er went to town early in the morning.


    Different from the past, today Xue Tingxiang wore new clothes.


    The clothes were brought out overnight by Zhao''er, because Boss Chen said that he would take Xue Tingxiang to Qingyuan Academy. This trip is very meaningful, so naturally it can''t be as casual as before.


    The gray-blue cotton gown was made by Zhao''er after imitating those school shirts in the town. Although the style is simple, it looks extraordinarily straight and docile after being washed with starch. Although Xue Tingxiang is thin and thin, his shoulders are flat and his back is straight. Wearing this student shirt, he has a particularly graceful temperament.


    When they arrived at the place, Boss Chen took Xue Tingxiang out, while Zhao''er stayed at Dongliju.


    The two of them went all the way to the east of the town, the more secluded they became as they went outside, and after walking for almost a cup of tea, they saw a building with white walls and black tiles standing at the end of their line of sight.


    Seeing Xue Tingxiang''s gaze resting on the building, Boss Chen said: "That is the Qinghe Academy." After a pause, he raised his hand and pointed to a building not far behind the Qinghe Academy: "That is the Qinghe Academy. Academy."


    The two walked forward and passed Qinghe Academy, and saw that this academy was really extraordinary. The whole building exudes a magnificent temperament, the gate tower stands majestically, with a few golden characters "Qinghe Academy" written on the door plaque, and the two black-painted gates are closed tightly, with a look of repelling people thousands of miles away. momentum.


    "It''s too late for you to regret it now." Boss Chen said.


    Following the sound of talking, the two of them crossed the Qinghe Academy, only to see the obviously much dilapidated small courtyard not far away.


    The small courtyard is rigorous and simple, with clear water and white walls, and gray and black tiles. Even the door plaque is much smaller than that of the Qinghe Academy, with a few simple big-character books on it¡ª¡ª


    Qingyuan Academy.


    Obviously, no matter where you look at it, it is not as good as the Qinghe Academy, but standing under the square door plaque and looking at the words on it, Xue Tingxiang felt a peaceful and peaceful atmosphere.


    "Since the kid is here, I don''t intend to regret it."


    Boss Chen glanced at him appreciatively, and went to call the door.


    Not long after, an elderly Zhaifu opened the door from the inside.


    He seemed to know Boss Chen, and he led the two of them in without asking too much.


    This school may not seem big, but it is actually small but well-equipped. It is the same as a general school. After passing the screen wall, there is a lecture hall on the central axis. There are two houses on the left and right sides. The temple on the left is built to worship the saint Confucius, and the house on the right is the place where the gentleman sits and rests and collects books.


    After the lecture hall, there must be a shooting garden, a hall, a kitchen, etc. Xue Tingxiang knew the layout without looking. Because in his dream, he studied in Qinghe Academy for several years, but Qinghe Academy is much more spacious and grand than Qingyuan Academy.


    Boss Chen led Xue Tingxiang to the right side of the house with ease, and when he reached a wing room, he straightened his clothes and sleeves, and then brought Xue Tingxiang in.


    This wing room is furnished in a simple and elegant way, and there is a large painting on the central hall facing it, on which are written the words ''peace and distance''. Standing in front of the words was a thin middle-aged man, wearing a dark blue scribe shirt and a square scarf.


    When he heard the movement, he turned around, and saw that he had long eyebrows, a thin face, and a few strands of beard. Judging from his appearance, he is a very serious and rigid person, but his eyes are calm and deep, obviously a person of great wisdom.


    This person is Lin Miao, the owner of Qingyuan Academy.


    "Brother Anqi, I''m here to bother you again." Boss Chen cupped his hands with a smile.


    "The good brother of Mo."


    Lin Miao smiled, obviously he had a good relationship with Boss Chen. After the two exchanged pleasantries, Boss Chen pointed to Xue Tingxiang and said, "This is the young man I told you about."


    Lin Miao looked over.


    Obviously Xue Tingxiang has extensive knowledge, and he has never seen any kind of person in that dream, even the Ninth Five-Year Master, he has seen several, but there is an inexplicable sense of awe.


    "Boy Xue Tingxiang, I have met you." He clasped his hands together and bowed in salute.


    Lin Miao nodded: "Since you''re here, stay here. The school will open in ten days, so you can just come here when it''s time."


    "Mr. Xie."


    Boss Chen glanced at Lin Miao, as if he wanted to say something, seeing this, Xue Tingxiang tactfully said that he was going out for a walk, so he avoided going out.


    After Xue Tingxiang went out, Boss Chen said: "Brother An Qi, don''t you believe in the eyes of a younger brother? I have observed these days, and this son has a calm mind, is diligent and hardworking, and is quite talented in reading. He only needs one A good teacher, if there is a good teacher to guide, I think the future will be limitless in the future."


    The reason why Boss Chen said that was because Lin Miao''s performance was too plain. He originally thought that Lin Miao loves calligraphy, and after reading Xue Tingxiang''s calligraphy, and his lobbying, he should accept him as a student no matter what.


    This student is different from the students in the academy, and can be regarded as a student entering the room. As the saying goes, a teacher for a day is a father for life. A young child has more than one teacher from the beginning of school until he passes the exam/fame.


    When you start learning, you are called a teacher, that is, a teacher of enlightenment. The karma teacher is the teacher who teaches the karma, also known as the scripture teacher. Those who teach their work must pass on their scriptures, and those who pass on their scriptures must educate their people, so a teacher is extremely important to a student. There are also human teachers and seat teachers, which will not be mentioned here.


    As for what Boss Chen said about "accepting students", the teacher is more like a combination of a professional teacher and a human teacher to students. He not only needs to teach them, but also teaches them the principles of life, which is different from treating ordinary students. The teacher has to cultivate it carefully, and it can be regarded as inheriting his mantle.


    Of course, students have to pay relatively, and they must truly be teachers for one day and fathers for life. This kind of relationship is not father and son, but victory is father and son, which is very popular among scholars today. The intertwined relationship among scholars in Shilin was laid on this basis, and gradually developed into a towering tree.


    Lin Miao laughed: "You really value him very much."


    Boss Chen sneered: "If I didn''t miss you, you would think that I have the time to meddle in your business. Don''t forget the October competition, if Qingyuan Academy loses again this year..."


    Boss Chen didn''t say what he said next, but Lin Miao understood what it meant.


    He sighed softly: "Everything is determined by God, if it is the case in reality, you can''t force it."


    Boss Chen repeatedly shook his head and stomped his feet and said, "Oh, I''m not talking about you. Your temperament is the most troublesome. You talk about the way of a gentleman with others, but others never follow you. Year after year They were all defeated by that villain, and now there are no good seedlings who are willing to come here to study, what should we do in the long run."


    "Brother Mo Zhi, you don''t understand."


    "Yes, yes, I don''t understand, I just know that if this continues, the reputation of the Qingyuan Academy will be lost in your hands."


    After finishing speaking, both of them were silent.


    Lin Miao looked tired, and Boss Chen seemed to know that he had made a slip of the tongue. He slowed down his tone, and said, "I can''t do anything about you. Anyway, I brought him for you. I''m really optimistic about this child. As for the rest, you can figure it out yourself."


    Lin Miao nodded: "Brother Mo Zhi, thank you in advance for my brother, but the matter of accepting apprentices will be discussed later. Don''t worry, he has entered the Qingyuan Academy, and I will teach him carefully."


    Boss Chen also understood where his heart knot was, and he didn''t force it. The two chatted for a while, and Boss Chen said goodbye.


    When Boss Chen came out of the wing, Xue Tingxiang had just returned.


    He was taken by Zhaifu to wander around the school, and he could see that the school was a bit old, and the paint on many buildings was peeling off, but every flower, plant and tree could be seen to be elegant.


    It''s like a place to study, unlike the Qinghe Academy, where there is a smell of copper everywhere.


    The two left hand in hand, Xue Tingxiang asked Boss Chen about Shu Xiu on the way.


    After asking about it, I found out that the repairs at Qingyuan Academy are very cheap, apart from the usual six rites of apprenticeship, only one tael of silver is needed a year.


    As for the usual etiquette of filial piety, it only depends on family background and intentions, and it doesn''t matter whether you give it or not. In addition, regarding the dormitory study, you can choose to do the dormitory study or not, but you must come to the morning study every day. As for meals, you can choose to bring your own rice, or you can choose to pay a certain amount of money every month and have it supplied by the school, both of which are debatable.


    It''s not like the Qinghe Academy that requires students to live in dormitories, just to charge the expensive accommodation and meals.


    According to Boss Chen, in the past, when the Qingyuan Academy had court subsidies, the annual tael of silver was not collected. It was only later that the subsidies were lost, and the gentlemen and handymen in the academy had to support their families before they were charged. Silver taels.


    Boss Chen sighed in his tone, and Xue Tingxiang also sighed in his heart.


    In his dream, ''Xue Tingxiang'' had been studying in the Qinghe Academy for three years. If he had known about the existence of this Qingyuan Academy, Zhao''er would not have been so busy for his training. It would not be so desperate to give up, and he would not waste three years in Qinghe Academy.


    Fortunately, the reality and the dream finally deviated, and the inexplicable Xue Tingxiang felt relieved.


    Zhao''er took the cloth towel, went back to the edge of the Kang, took off the cloth towel on his head and wiped his hair.


    Her hair was black and dense, reaching to her waist. She brushed her long hair to the side of her neck, and sat on the edge of the Kang with her head slightly tilted, letting her long hair hang down, and combed it with a comb.


    The girl was wearing a lilac-colored floral jacket and maroon wide-leg pants. She had to straighten her back and tilt her neck so that the water from her wet hair wouldn''t wet her clothes. These were all subconscious actions, but in Xue Tingxiang''s eyes, his heartbeat accelerated inexplicably, and he felt a sense of tension in his blood.


    Without him, it is because of this posture that the girl''s figure is vividly displayed. High/chest/upturned/hip, slender waist, Xue Tingxiang has never seen such a scene before, a very strange feeling of dryness and heat climbed up in his body.


    But at the same time, he was familiar with it, and a picture appeared in his mind, which was the time of the two people''s bridal chamber.


    In the dream, he didn''t like her at that time, but he felt that marrying her was a matter of course.


    It was a deep-rooted thought that she should be his wife.


    It''s just that this hidden deepest emotion was covered up by his awkwardness and ignorance, especially when he went to the school to study and let his classmates know that he had a child bride in the country, which caused a lot of ridicule.


    But in fact, he liked her deep down in his heart, so she was tortured badly by him that night in the bridal chamber.


    Originally, he was just ignorant, and she was a newcomer, so he hurt her and also hurt her. But he still thought about the pain, and she cried with tears and snot running down her nose. That was the first time she showed weakness in front of him, and he liked this way of bullying her ever since.

 Chapter 175

    Zhao''er didn''t finish the rest of the sentence, Shen Ping also understood.


    He laughed for a while, but he appreciated Zhao''er''s frankness of not wanting to take advantage of others: "These were sold to a clothing store or an embroidery workshop, and the price was the same. Regardless of the large quantity, there are not many good ones that can be sold at a reasonable price." The ones have already been picked away."


    Zhao''er thinks about it too, the eyes of the county people are naturally different from those of the country people, let alone this kind of big pawn shop, what is bad in their eyes is actually good for the country people to see.


    She breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "I want the bag of clothes from shopkeeper Shen, and I''ll give you the money right now."


    "Are you rich now?"


    Of course she is rich, Zhao''er now has more than two taels of silver in total, and just now Sulan gave her another five taels, which is naturally enough.


    At the same time, Shen Ping laughed a bit, "Well, I forgot that you have visited her before, so I came here, and she won''t take advantage of me." The voice was very small, almost like a murmur, and the caller only cares about it. I had to look at the clothes, but I didn''t hear clearly.


    "I''ll find a guy to call a car for you, and you, a little girl, can''t transport these things."


    "Thank you, Shopkeeper Shen."


    After seeing Zhao''er off, Shen Ping turned around and went into the pawn shop.


    Although he is called the third shopkeeper, he is not the third shopkeeper of this store, but the third shopkeeper of the entire ''Herongsheng'', and he will only stay in Xia County permanently under his deliberate request.


    Shen Ping is the son of the Shen family, his father is the chief manager of the Shen residence, and he has been a servant with the third young master Shen Fu since he was a child. It was not until he became an adult that he was released to become a shopkeeper.


    "If she comes again next time, just do as I told you before."


    "Yes, shopkeeper."


    *


    Just after noon, the clerk Ah Cai came to deliver meals to Xue Tingxiang.


    Boss Chen said it was simple food, but in fact the food was not bad, with one meat and one vegetable, and one soup. Xue Tingxiang knew very well that Boss Chen was taking care of him deliberately. How could anyone hire someone to copy books, take care of tea and food, and the wages they paid were not low.


    It was because he knew it in his heart that he didn''t say no. In this case, the refusal retained his character, but it seemed too petty and hypocritical.


    It can only be repaid in the future, Xue Tingxiang thought lightly in his heart.


    After eating, when the man came to clean up the dishes, he said that he could rest for an hour. There is a chaise longue available in this room, and of course you can go to the front to read a book to pass the time.


    In fact, the latter sentence is the key point, Xue Tingxiang was not pretentious, after cleaning his hands, he went forward.


    This store may not seem big, but it has a lot of books of all kinds, ranging from rural tales to books about the imperial examination, and there are many books about the imperial examination.


    Since the former dynasty, the imperial examination has used eight-legged essays as the standard style, with strict regulations, and even restrictions on the length of sentences, the number of words, the level of rhymes, and even the scope of questions.


    Stereotype essays take questions from the Four Books and Five Classics, and are composed of eight parts: breaking the title, inheriting the title, starting the lecture, starting, starting the essay, middle section, back section, and binding the section. It seems rigid and rigid, but in fact it is not easy to do a good stereotyped essay. If you really think that only reading the Four Books and Five Classics is enough, you are wrong. Not to mention astronomy and geography, at least you have to be involved in all aspects, so that you can write a good article full of flowers and content.


    In that dream, Xue Tingxiang won the Jinshi with the 21st place in the second class, and was admitted to the Hanlin Academy after passing through the hall. He should have been on a steady rise since then, but because he offended someone, a majestic Hanlin was sent down. The kind of place where the birds don''t shit is an official.


    Xue Tingxiang pursed his lips slightly, feeling that he was thinking too much, after all, he is not even a child now, let''s think about the present.


    So, without thinking too much, he took out a book from the bookcase and read it quietly.


    During this period, customers from the bookstore came to sell some pens, ink, paper and inkstones, or came to buy books, always interrupting Xue Tingxiang''s reading.


    Seeing this, Boss Chen said: "Brother Xue, you can take the book to the back and read."


    Xue Tingxiang looked at him in surprise: "This..."


    "It''s okay, it''s not bad for your book."


    Xue Tingxiang was silent, bowed deeply in salute, and then went back.


    When Xue Tingxiang woke up, he heard Boss Chen talking outside and Zhao''er''s voice at the same time.


    "Where did you get this big bag?" Boss Chen looked at Zhao''er in surprise, and asked for the bag at her feet that was much bigger than her.


    Zhao''er was sweating profusely and said: "Uncle Chen, I got it from the county, and so did the man from the car dealership. They only helped me to the intersection and left me behind. I wanted to be dragged to the car dealership. But thinking that my brother is still here..."


    Boss Chen laughed, and called his assistant: "Ah Cai, come and help little brother Zhao''er carry the things in." Then he said to Zhao''er: "Come in and have a drink and rest before leaving."


    "Uncle Chen, what a shame."


    "When you were bargaining with me, you were never polite, but now you are more polite." Boss Chen pretended to stare.


    Generally speaking, Boss Chen is an elegant and humorous person.


    Xue Tingxiang also came out to help, and asked, "What''s in it? Why is it so heavy? Where did you get it?"


    Not to mention it was really heavy, Ah Cai tried a few times but couldn''t lift it, only three people could lift it.


    "I got it from a pawn shop. If I can sell this package, my sister will have enough money to send you to the Qinghe Academy."


    Zhao''er hadn''t realized that he had slipped up, but Xue Tingxiang had. He glanced at Boss Chen, and Zhao''er understood what he said at this moment, and looked at Boss Chen with some guilt: "Uncle Chen, I will explain to you later."


    She was a little anxious, and without asking the two of them to help, she lifted the big bag and carried it on her shoulders. The big bag pushed her to one side, but she still stopped, and she quickly carried the things inside.


    Ah Cai praised: "It doesn''t look like she is strong, she is so strong."


    Here, Xue Tingxiang looked at the back and pursed the corners of his mouth, while Boss Chen''s eyes darkened.


    Xue Tingxiang looked up at Boss Chen, and walked towards him.


    ...


    Zhao''er found a place to put down the big bag, then went to wash his hands and face to clean up his body, and then A Cai led him to see Boss Chen.


    Seeing Boss Chen, Zhao''er felt a little guilty. But she didn''t intend to continue to lie to Boss Chen, because Boss Chen is a good person. Not to mention the benefits he gave her before, just because he asked the little man to copy books for such a high price, let him read books here, and take care of the lunch at noon, Zhao''er can no longer continue to deceive.


    In fact, Zhao''er is not a liar, it''s just that she concealed her gender, and then the so-called workmanship is just collecting some vegetables and selling them to make some purses or something.


    "Uncle Chen..."


    Boss Chen sighed and waved his hands: "Okay, you don''t need to say anymore, you are a girl, and you are really embarrassing."


    Zhao''er looked surprised, her round eyes widened.


    Boss Chen laughed a little and said, "Your little husband has already told me everything."


    "He, what did he say..." Zhao''er stammered, still in disbelief. Because she knows that the little man always pays attention to face and has a lot of thoughts, and she doesn''t like to mention her as his child bride-in-law in front of outsiders, and the Xue family''s bad things.


    "I''ve said everything that needs to be said." After a pause, Boss Chen asked, "Look at how surprised you are, isn''t it still a secret?"


    Zhao''er laughed awkwardly, and faltered: "That''s not true, it''s just that he''s young, and people in our village hate him. People always think that I''m older than him, and my daughter-in-law teases men and laughs at him."


    The same sentence sounds different to different people.


    Boss Chen couldn''t help but want to laugh, but Xue Tingxiang outside had mixed feelings in his heart.


    That''s why she always called herself sister, so in the dream he was old, but she didn''t want to marry him. Or he ignored her wishes and insisted on marrying him with his parents'' orders.


    She actually understood her awkward state of mind. He told himself not to be surprised by what other people said, but he cared about it in his heart, so even if the two got married, they couldn''t do it together.


    She actually knew everything, yet she relied on him for everything! Follow him!


    While the mood was churning, the topic was changed inside.


    "I just heard from you that you plan to save money to send him to Qinghe Academy?"


    Zhao''er nodded, seeing the strange expression on Boss Chen''s face, she couldn''t help but ask, "Is that school bad?"


    "Take the road of opportunism, and it won''t last long."


    Zhao''er didn''t quite understand what he heard, but he also knew that it was not a good word.


    "If you want to help him find a good book academy, I have something to recommend. It''s just..." Boss Chen sighed suddenly: "Well, let me tell you that you don''t understand either. Let''s talk about it later."


    Zhao''er nodded in a daze.


    It was not too early to meet later, and the two planned to return to Yuqing Village.


    Because the big bag of clothes was too much, and it would be eye-catching to bring back, Boss Chen asked Zhao''er to put the things in his shop temporarily. Anyway, there are still a few vacant rooms behind the shop, so just find a place to put them.


    The two went back to the village by car, because after time, only the ox cart could be used, so the two sat on the ox cart and walked back bumping back and forth.


    Halfway along the road, a mule cart came head-on.


    The driver was a man, dark and tall. When he got closer, he could see his appearance clearly. He had thick eyebrows and tiger eyes, a high nose bridge, and he was very heroic. His sleeves were half rolled up above his elbows, and his arms seemed to be full of muscles. He looked like a powerful man.


    Xue Tingxiang saw the person coming at a glance, and his pupils shrank immediately.


    He glanced at Zhao''er next to him, saw her with her head half down, and he was relieved.


    But the visitor still saw them, his eyes lit up, and he raised his voice and shouted: "Zhaoer."


    Zhao''er looked over and immediately smiled: "Brother Jiang Wu, where are you going?"


    Jiang Wu tightened the reins and stopped the mule cart.


    "I''m going to town, are you going back? Get out of the car, and I''ll see you off."


    Zhao''er hesitated and said, "Don''t you still want to go to town? Anyway, we''ve already got in the car, so you should do your own work."


    "I don''t have anything to do. I just went to Lao Li''s place to have a look. Originally, my father said that I would go tomorrow and buy some things on the way back. It doesn''t matter whether I go or not. Come on, this car is slow and bumpy. My car is still faster." Jiang Wu said to Zhao''er with a smile, completely unaware that the face of the owner of the bullock cart turned black.


    Seeing this, Zhao''er didn''t let the owner of the ox cart stop, and jumped off from above. After taking two steps over there, I realized that I had forgotten the person.


    While letting the owner of the bullock cart stop, she said to Xue Tingxiang: "Come on down, let''s go back in Brother Jiang Wu''s car." With her beaming face, she was in a good mood.


    Xue Tingxiang''s face was a bit ugly, he glanced at Zhao''er, and then slowly got out of the car.

 Chapter 176

    Chickens clucked and clucked outside, but it was Mrs. Sun who slaughtered the chicken and made it run away.


    Xue Tingxiang looked out the window, and saw that the chicken''s neck was still bleeding, but it was flying around the yard, and Mrs. Sun followed behind chasing after him in a panic.


    Seeing that she was really in a bad shape, Mrs. Zhao came out of the room and said a few words. Mrs. Sun was even more anxious, and knew that she was really ashamed in front of the patriarch, but the chicken had wings, but she didn''t. It was only when the chicken lost its strength that Mrs. Sun grabbed it and cursed, "Run, run, it''s destined to be a dish in the pot, where are you going?"


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t look any further, and turned his gaze away.


    He knew why his uncle was so generous, and proposed to let him compete with Xue Juncai, because if there were no accidents, Xue Juncai would definitely win this match.


    In that dream, he had suffered such a loss, but it was not compared with Xue Juncai, but Zhao''er worked so hard to get money and sent him to Qinghe Academy. At that time, he was so stupid that he always blamed his own failures on the harshness of fate, thinking that it was not that he was not good enough, but that everyone did not give him a chance.


    When he first entered the Qinghe Academy, he was full of ambition. He thought that he would definitely surpass Xue Juncai and prove that he was the most outstanding person in the Xue family, but the reality slapped him hard in the face. It was also at that time that he, who had never seen the world, understood the sinister intentions of his uncle. He did teach him to read, and he did ''read'' a lot of books, but he just read and didn''t understand the meaning of the scriptures.


    It was later learned that after schoolchildren learn to read, they use reading scriptures as the basis.


    First learn "Three Character Classic", "Hundred Surnames", "Thousand Characters", and then "Thousand Family Poems", "Children''s Learning Qionglin", "Longwenbianying", etc. After reading these, you can enter university and start Study and read the Four Books and Five Classics, etc.


    But at this stage, the teacher does not explain the meaning of the scriptures, that is to say, he just memorizes them by rote, clarifying the meaning of the words but not the meaning of the scriptures. Because people nowadays are used to thinking that children are just learning, it doesn¡¯t matter whether they understand it or not, as long as they remember it, and when they read a lot or for a long time, they will understand what it means.


    This is the so-called reading a thousand times, and its meaning is self-evident.


    When you can recite all these books fluently, and when you can learn to interpret the scriptures, you will get twice the result with half the effort.


    This time-saving, labor-saving and effective teaching mode is popular throughout Dachang, ranging from famous families to low-level sociology and village studies, and many of them are like this. This is especially popular in rural private schools, because there is only one teacher in the school, but it is not realistic to teach several or even dozens of people to explain the scriptures.


    But in fact, aristocratic families with some background would never teach their children this way. Because this teaching mode blindly emphasizes rote memorization, but ignores the truth that the classics are natural and logical.


    This is the pros and cons that ''he'' analyzed from the perspective of the overall situation after standing in the position of chief assistant.


    But at that time, he had just entered the library, because his uncle delayed explaining the meaning of the scriptures for him, and he didn''t understand that there was still a theory of explaining the scriptures. So when he first entered school, the teacher asked him if he had read it, and he replied that he had read it, but he couldn''t understand the scriptures.


    But now, it seems that the uncle is also aware of his own shortcomings, so he deliberately proposes this match, but in fact, he has already planned it, and he is destined to lose.


    Unfortunately, there was an accident.


    *


    Because there were guests at home, except for Mr. Xue and Xue Qingshan and his son, everyone was busy.


    After eating in the main room, the kitchen will start cooking other people''s lunch.


    During the period, Xue Taoer was also ordered to drink. There was wine and meat at the banquet in the main room, and the men exchanged glasses, and there was no way to see that there was any cleverness in the usual times. Especially Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng, the two drank very affectionately, and in the end they both got a little drunk.


    "Okay, don''t send it off, you''ll be there soon." Patriarch Xue waved his hand.


    After sending everyone out of the courtyard, this side started to clear the table and prepare meals. Mrs. Zhao originally wanted to take away the leftover meat and vegetables, but was stopped by Mr. Xue, saying that he was adding vegetables to everyone. People in the country are not rich, and it is commonplace for distinguished guests to leave and eat leftovers.


    The adults are all fine, Shuanzi and Maodan are eating deliciously.


    Zhao''er wanted to take the meal back to the house to eat, but was stopped by Xue Tingxiang, the two just kept their heads down and ate as before, without saying anything.


    Xue Juncai gave Xue Tingxiang a disdainful look.


    He had just accompanied Xue Qingshan to the table, and naturally he ate a lot of good food on the table, seeing that Xue Tingxiang could only eat leftovers, he was naturally full of sarcasm.


    He remembered what his father said to him before, Xue Gouzi would never win him.


    Thinking in his heart, he looked away, and said to Mr. Xue who was on the kang, "Grandpa, I''m going back to the house to read."


    Mr. Xue nodded. He also drank a little too much before, and now he is leaning on the kang smoking a cigarette to hangover.


    "Dog, eat more, brother is still waiting for you to beat me in five days." Xue Juncai suddenly said this when passing by Xue Tingxiang.


    Zhao''er immediately stood up and stared at him: "Can you talk? You''ve read the dog''s stomach after so many years of reading."


    Xue Juncai didn''t expect Zhao''er to show him such shame, his gentle face flushed red, but for some reason, he glanced at Zhao''er and held back.


    Mr. Xue shouted: "Juncai go back to the house!"


    Mrs. Zhou also hurriedly stood up to persuade Zhao''er, that''s all.


    After dinner, the two went back to the second room, and Zhao''er was still angry: "Don''t be angry, dog. When sister earns money, I will take you to the house and won''t be with them anymore."


    Xue Tingxiang was a little moved, but at the same time a little helpless: "You called me a dog again."


    Zhao''er groaned, then smiled and said: "I forgot, it won''t be like this in the future."


    Naturally, he couldn''t be angry with her, and then Zhao''er took the two clothes she changed yesterday and went out to wash, while Xue Tingxiang turned over the "Children''s Learning Qionglin" again.


    Looking at the book in his hand, which was transcribed on the worst bamboo paper and the footers were worn away, Xue Tingxiang felt a little worried. He actually didn''t want to read books, but Zhao''er couldn''t help but think that he should read more books now, and only by reading more books can he win against Xue Juncai more confidently.


    Little did he know that this book was different from the book, and it was useless to just read this book, but he would not tell her about it.


    He dug out the bamboo paper that Zhao''er bought for him from the kang cabinet. The cheapest bamboo paper cost 40 cents a knife. Such ''expensive'' paper was barely enough for practicing calligraphy. Even so, he is very precious at ordinary times, and he is reluctant to use it at all. If he can write on the sand, he will write on the sand, and if he can''t use the sand, he will write on the desk with water.


    Xue Tingxiang touched the stack of yellowed bamboo paper and sighed in his heart.


    ''Xue Tingxiang'' usually uses the highest quality Chengxin paper, so at this time he feels a little disgusted with the things that are usually precious.


    He spread out the papers on the kang table, stacked several sheets, and then cut them into the size of a book with a bamboo knife. In order to make room for the edge seam, he left some leeway and cut a thick stack before he found the inkstone with a corner missing and the ink ingot that had been used up and only a small piece remained.


    These are treasures that he is reluctant to use at ordinary times, but Xue Tingxiang doesn''t feel this way at all today. He added water to the inkstone, and then took the ink ingot to grind the ink, while grinding, he was thinking about something.


    After grinding the ink, he put the bald hair brush in the water bowl and wet it to clean it. After dipping in enough ink, he picked up the pen and wrote something on the paper.


    After writing a few words, he suddenly put down the pen, lifted the paper to look at it, and suddenly crumpled it.


    Mingming''s handwriting is fairly neat. Although he usually saves paper and ink, but because of years of hard work, his handwriting is not bad, but for some reason he just doesn''t like it.


    He closed his eyes slowly, calmed down for a while, and opened them again after a while. At this time, there was no one in the room, and anyone who was there could see a gleam of light flashing in Xue Tingxiang''s eyes. At the same time, his movement of grasping the pen was fast and steady, and with the help of a god, he wrote a series of small characters on the paper in a short time.


    These small characters suddenly became Yan style, then turned into pavilion style, and then turned into thin gold style again. At first, they were both tangible and boneless, but as they were written, their taste changed.


    The face and body are square and dense, the brushwork is thick, straight, open and full of vigor. That pavilion is physically strong and graceful, as if it was carved out of a block. And the thin gold body, the gold hook and iron painting, is full of arrogance, and the strokes are as sharp as cutting gold and jade.


    These three characters represent the whole life of ''Xue Tingxiang'', from the Yan style learned at the beginning of school, to the Guange style studied painstakingly for the imperial examination, to the thin gold style of the official residence.


    And so he wrote, oblivious to himself. Zhao''er came in during the period, but he didn''t dare to disturb him, so he quietly sat down on the edge of the kang.


    After writing for an unknown amount of time, he suddenly let out a long breath and put down his pen.


    He wrote two full sheets of paper.


    At this time, Xue Tingxiang had to admit that the magic of heaven was just a dream, and he actually possessed some of the things that he had in the dream.


    From the moment this dream appeared, Xue Tingxiang had been thinking about why he had such a dream. Now he understands, maybe he just wants him to make up for all the unsatisfactory dreams.


    And possessing everything of the "him" in the dream, he suddenly had great ambitions, and a surge of arrogance lingered in his heart.

 Chapter 177

    Zhao''er came all the way to the south of the city, before he entered the archway where Shen''s house was located, he saw the two large flags more than five feet high erected in front of Shen''s residence.


    This is the banner of Jinshi Jidi, and only someone in the family who has won the Jinshi can set up this banner.


    This fame flagpole is divided into two structures, the flagpole sandwich stone and the flagpole.


    The flag buckets on the flagpoles are also exquisite. If you come from a serious imperial examination, you can stand two flagpoles if you have passed the Jinshi in the imperial examination. If it is the number one scholar, it will be a three-dou flagpole, and if there are members of the third rank or higher in the clan, four dou can be set up.


    The two big flags in front of Shen''s house, one is three buckets, the other is four buckets. In other words, the Shen family once had a number one scholar, and had an important minister in the court.


    Zhao''er, a country girl, knows this because her second sister told her when she came to visit her.


    The main entrance, the side entrance, and even the corner entrance were not accessible to Zhao''er with her status. She made a long detour before arriving at the back entrance of Shen''s residence.


    The back door was ajar, and Zhao''er didn''t dare to rush in, so he knocked on the door respectfully.


    The door opened with a creak, and a round woman came out from inside, and asked her, "Who are you looking for?"


    This woman is just a gatekeeper, but she also wears satin gowns and jewelry on her ears and hands, which is enough to show the wealth of the Shen family.


    The Shen family is indeed rich, and in this Xia County, it can be said that they are stomping their feet, and the county is about to tremble three times. The Shen Mansion here is the ancestral home of the Shen family, except for the Shen family''s uncle and second master who are officials outside, the rest of the Shen family live here.


    "Mother-in-law, I''m looking for Sulan. I''m her younger brother. I''m here to see her."


    This woman''s attitude is not warm, but she is not as inferior as a dog''s eye. At least from this trick, it can be seen that the rules of the Shen family must be very strict. She asked Zhao''er to wait, then closed the door and went inside.


    Zhao''er waited for a long time before the back door opened again, and a very beautiful woman came out from inside. I saw her radiant skin, phoenix eyes and vermilion lips, wearing a water-red jacket and a moon-white pleated skirt. A head of black and thick long hair was simply tied up in a bun, with a golden hairpin inserted into it.


    Obviously the clothes are ordinary, and the hair accessories are also ordinary, but wearing all these on her body gives her a sense of beauty that no one else has. Her chest is bulging, but her waist is very thin, she has a good figure.


    This person is Zhao''er''s second sister Wang Zhaodi, but she changed her name to Su Lan in Shen''s residence.


    Zhao''er couldn''t help frowning, since the last time she saw her second sister, her second sister has changed a lot. Not only the material of the clothes, but also the jewelry on his body, his complexion and even his figure have changed a lot.


    She was a little panicked, grabbed Su Lan, and went to the corner where there was no one nearby.


    "Sister, did you really do it?"


    Seeing her younger sister frivolously wrinkling her sleeves, Su Lan asked impatiently, "What can I do or not?"


    "It''s that, that..." Zhao''er hesitated for a while, and then said with a blushing face: "You can''t really be the housekeeper for the sixth young master, right?"


    The corners of Su Lan''s eyes twitched, and the corners of her mouth twitched: "Why do you care about these things?"


    "Sister!" Zhao''er couldn''t help stamping her feet.


    Su Lan looked at her younger sister, and remembered that she was sold by her family back then. Only younger sister Zhao''er found out her whereabouts from the matchmaker, and walked all day and night to see her by herself. At that time, she was full of panic, Zhao''er''s appearance made her know that she was not alone, and that no one would know that she would not die in this mansion, and she immediately softened her heart.


    She sighed lightly: "Didn''t I tell you before, I won''t go out of the house to go through that kind of hard life. Although I am a housekeeper now, but the sixth young master promised me that when grandma came in, I would give it to me." An aunt will do it."


    Zhao''er was so surprised that she couldn''t believe it. She knew it already, but she was still shocked when she learned from the second sister that she really did such a thing.


    For the first time in her life, she didn''t know what to say, so she hesitated for a while and said, "That''s it? If you treat someone like a child, you will be bullied by the big wife."


    Zhao''er''s only cognition told her that when she was young, she had few days to live comfortably.


    What the younger sister said made Su Lan feel extremely uncomfortable, and she waved her hand nonchalantly. On the snow-white and slender jade fingers, there is a golden opal ring on it, which exudes a faint light and is dazzling in the sun.


    "You don''t understand, and you don''t have to be afraid of me being bullied. As long as the sixth young master is on my side, even if the sixth grandma comes in later, she won''t dare to bully me."


    "Can¡­¡­"


    "Okay, don''t talk about me, your little husband is healed? I''m not talking about you. It''s better for you to come into the mansion to be a girl to be my company than to stay in that house and work hard." .Which woman is looking for a man who is not looking for someone who can protect herself. You are fine, but you are working outside to earn money to support your family.¡±


    "Isn''t he still young? Besides, sister, it''s not like you don''t know. If it weren''t for my mother and father, I''m afraid I would have been sold to nowhere. You were lucky enough to be sold into Shen''s residence. But there are also those who are unlucky and sold into that dirty place."


    Su Lan pressed her bright red lips tightly and did not speak.


    She was sold into Shen''s residence back then, it was not explained by good luck.


    In the sparkling eyes of the phoenix, all kinds of light returned to silence. She let out a breath and scolded: "That''s why I don''t want to see you the most. Every time you come, you make me angry and make me troubled."


    Zhao''er kicked the pebbles under his feet: "I just thought I haven''t seen you for a long time, so I came here to have a look at you."


    "How are you doing? The Xue family didn''t make things difficult for you, right? Just wait, when my sister becomes the sixth young master''s aunt, whoever bullies you in the future, I will help you deal with him."


    Zhao''er heard it warmly in her heart, and couldn''t help leaning over, hugging Su Lan''s slender waist coquettishly: "Sister, don''t worry, I''m so aggressive, who dares to bully me. You don''t know that the Xue family is such a moth." too much¡­¡­"


    She recounted what happened to Xue''s family recently.


    The corners of Su Lan''s mouth curled up when she heard this, and she said sarcastically: "So this is the human heart. Don''t try to test the human heart, it will usually disappoint you. Don''t rely on others, what you hold in your hands is the truth."


    Su Lan is a bit extreme, but Zhao''er knows why the second sister is like this. In fact, occasionally she will be extreme, but she rarely speaks out.


    "Then what do you do now? If your little man really loses, then he won''t be able to go to school? Have you ever thought about this matter, if you win, if you lose, it will be hard for the two of you The Xue family has a foothold."


    Of course Zhao''er understood this truth. She stood up straight and smiled: "Sister, I know. Don''t worry, I plan to find another way to do business. At worst, the two of us will be alone. Dog likes to learn, so let him learn." , until I can''t afford it anymore."


    Su Lan poked her forehead with her jade finger, hating iron and steel: "You still can''t confess, how old are you? After a day of good life, I think I can''t confess. Come on, don''t tell me The second sister doesn''t feel sorry for you, I have someone I know who is the third shopkeeper in ''He Rongsheng'', if you go to him, he can at least find a way for you to make some money."


    ''Herongsheng'' is the name of the pawn shop, there are many branches in Binh Duong Province, and there is one in Huyang Township. Zhao''er usually comes and goes in the town, so he has naturally heard of this name.


    "This is the Shen family''s business with Rongsheng? Sister, how do you know the three shopkeepers?"


    Su Lan''s eyes flashed a hint of complexity, and she said impatiently: "Don''t worry about it, you can go directly to a man named Shen Ping. Well, I won''t tell you anymore, the sixth young master will have lunch later Now, I have to go and wait, lest those little hoofs rush to the front to show courteousness again."


    After a pause, she took out something from her sleeve and stuffed it into Zhao''er''s hand: "Take it, it doesn''t matter if you really lose, let''s do it by ourselves first. The Shen family''s genealogy is famous in the whole Pingyang Mansion. Sister will become an aunt in the future, and see if I can ask the Sixth Young Master to let your little man come in as a companion or something. I really owe you in my previous life, and I have to worry about everything."


    Su Lan''s figure quickly disappeared through the door.


    Zhao''er stood where he was, looking down at the silver ingot in his hand. After a long time, Fang grabbed it tightly and left.


    *


    Zhao''er didn''t know where He Rongsheng in the county was, she had inquired along the way.


    When we got there, it was a coincidence that the third shopkeeper named Shen Ping was there.


    Shen Ping is a very young boy with a good appearance, very mature and stable. He was wearing a dark blue straight gown, and looked about twenty years old, but he did not expect to be the shopkeeper of a pawnshop.


    When he heard about Zhao''er''s purpose, his eyes flashed: "You are Zhao''er, I heard your sister said about you."


    Zhao''er didn''t expect that the second sister would tell Shen Ping her name, and she smelled something unusual. While speaking, Shen Ping had already led her in.


    "When your sister told me about you before, I was thinking about what kind of business would allow you to do it for a long time. After thinking about it, I think selling old clothes is quite suitable for a girl like you."


    The second sister even told her gender to the other party''s surprise, it didn''t last long, Zhao''er''s attention was attracted by Shen Ping''s words.


    "What is selling used clothes?"


    "You should know what a pawnshop is for. This pawnshop accepts everything, and you can pawn anything. The current period is divided into dead pawns and live pawns. If it is a live pawn, it means that the other party will come to redeem it. If it is a dead pawn, it means that the things are not needed. Of course, there are also those who do not redeem their living debts within the time limit, and naturally they become death debts.


    "These things are accepted by the pawn shop and exchanged for money to the owner. Naturally, they will be resold. For example, some old clothes that come from pawns are directly sold to embroidery workshops or clothing shops. If you are willing to do this business, you can buy them from Take some old clothes here and sell them back."


    Following Shen Ping''s narration, Zhao''er''s eyes flickered again and again, and he asked, "Then I don''t know what the price is? Is it calculated on a piece-by-piece basis, or what? Since it''s an old clothes, surely it won''t be as expensive as a new one, right?"


    Shen Ping glanced at her: "You are very smart." He turned around and went to the layman: "Come with me, I will take you to have a look."


    Zhao''er followed him all the way back, the yard behind the pawn shop was huge, it looked like it was a warehouse.


    On the way, he met a lot of people in pawnshops, and they were all respectful when they saw Shen Ping. Zhao''er followed him to a warehouse, but neither of them went in. A man who looked like a buddy dragged a large bag of things out, and opened the door in front of it.


    This big bag is full of clothes, some are worn out, some are 80% or 90% new, and some are even brand new. It seems that they have not been worn twice. The texture of the clothes is also various, some are made of cotton, some are made of silk, some are made of silk, but they are all of good quality, anyway, they are better than the coarse cloth clothes Zhao''er is wearing.


    "These are usually mixed together, because they are collected at a low price, so the asking price is not high. If you give me two taels of such a bag of clothes, it will be yours."


    Zhao''er couldn''t see through her eyes. In order to make sure that the business could be done, she went up to check it out.


    Such a package of clothes, at least a hundred pieces.


    Even if a piece of clothing sells for 20 Wen, it is enough for her to pay back. And some clothes are sold for more than twenty yuan just based on her visual inspection. What can be done with twenty renminbi, at least six or seven feet of cloth is needed to make a suit of clothes, and the worst cotton cloth is seven or eight renminbi.


    Not to mention that there are some good fabrics in it, and even some cotton clothes, even if you don''t sell them, you won''t lose money if you wear them yourself.


    The mule named Daqing shook its head and snorted, which seemed to mean that if he dared to deduct my rations, I would slow down and let him carry it by himself.


    Zhao''er laughed loudly, pointed at Daqing and said, "Look, even Daqing protested."


    Jiang Wu looked sideways at the girl who was smiling wantonly, with a strange gleam in her eyes. Fortunately, Daqing knew the way and was docile, otherwise he would have ordered all three people in the car into the ditch beside the road.


    Seeing this scene, Xue Tingxiang''s face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.


    He was both annoyed and angry, he actually forgot about Jiang Wu.


    In that dream, Jiang Wu has been coveting Zhao''er.


    Jiang Wu was two years older than Zhao''er, but he never married. If Zhao''er hadn''t been his child bride-in-law, the Jiang family would have come to propose marriage a long time ago.


    Even so, Jiang Wu never gave up, and once even approached him and told him that he wanted to marry Zhao''er, telling him not to be so selfish, and letting Zhao''er go free. She also said that she and Zhao''er would support him to study together and treat him like a younger brother, that''s how he knew about it.


    Shocked and annoyed, he also remembered Zhao''er''s reluctance to marry him. He mistakenly thought that Zhao''er was having an affair with Jiang Wu, so he borrowed his parents'' orders to forcefully marry her. Later, by chance, Only then did he realize that he had wronged her.


    This matter has always been a scar between the two, even though it was never mentioned again, there is a gap between them. Afterwards, he was busy starting his career, while Zhao''er was busy running business. The two met only once in a long time, and even when they met, they seldom talked again until he went to Beijing to rush for the exam after winning the exam.


    The he in the dream once thought after Zhao''er died, if he hadn''t been so despicable back then and forced Zhao''er by his parents'' orders, Zhao''er wouldn''t have died.


    But this kind of thought is like a superficial thought, it just passed by in a flash. At this time, thinking about it, he is probably despicable in his bones. Even if he is not the Xue Tingxiang in his dream, he never thought of letting him go.

 Chapter 178

    From then on, Xue Cuiping couldn''t continue her words, she could only say a few words in a hurry without knowing why, then lifted the curtain and went out.


    The room was very quiet, the eyes of the young man on the kang darkened, and there was a trace of vicissitudes that did not match his age.


    Looking at such a little man, Zhao''er was afraid to go forward. It took a while to come over, sitting on the edge of the kang, hesitantly said: "Dog, are you okay?"


    Looking at the worried face of the other party, Xue Gouzi smiled: "I''m fine."


    Zhao''er pursed her lips tightly, and patted his head: "Believe me, sister, one day we won''t have to ask for anyone."


    *


    Xue Cuiping left without even eating lunch, and when she left, she took a bag of wheat seeds Mrs. Zhao gave her.


    No one knew what she had said to Mrs. Zhao, and what Mrs. Zhao had said to her. All in all, when eating lunch at noon, Zhao''s and Yang''s faces were so ugly that Sun and Zhou were all cautious.


    Zhao''er never looked at these things. After the rice was put on the table, she took two bowls to serve the rice first and then add the vegetables. Lunch can''t be called rich, it''s just millet rice, and the dishes are stuffed white rice and radish, as well as some homemade pickles. There is also meat, all big fat meat, a small plate, placed in front of the men.


    Men have to work in the fields and eat meat to gain strength.


    Zhao''er didn''t want to eat meat either, the meat cooked by Zhou''s was greasy and greasy, which made people feel unappetizing. She put some hot dishes and pickles into the bowl as usual, but she didn''t put much, but Mrs. Zhao suddenly dropped her chopsticks.


    "Just such a little food, the two of you can eat this? Hungry ghost reincarnation or something?"


    This is very hurtful and slaps face, but anyone with some self-esteem can''t stand it, but Zhao''er is used to it. Zhao Shi is like this, whoever makes her dissatisfied, she can use various methods to get back sick.


    She was not annoyed, and continued to pick up vegetables. She originally planned to pick up only those, but because of Mrs. Zhao''s words, she deliberately picked up two more chopsticks.


    "I can''t help Grandma, the dog needs to take care of himself, if there''s nothing good to feed him, he has to be full to eat." As she spoke, she suddenly turned her head and said to Mrs. Zhou: "Third Aunt, wash the vegetables next time." You call me Caicai, our family is not a family that is too poor to eat, but there are scholars in the family, and there is a master who is a child. Although grandma lives carefully on weekdays, she is not a person who does not let people eat food. "


    When it comes to pointing at Sang and scolding Huai, Zhao''er thinks she can''t lose to anyone, especially since she is holding her breath in her heart.


    Sure enough, Mrs. Zhao was immediately annoyed: "No matter how rich a family is, they can''t afford you to eat so much. You can eat more than anyone else if you don''t work every day. A stupid girl like you, if it wasn''t for our family, He was kicked out a long time ago."


    Zhao''er immediately put away her smile: "Grandma, you are wrong to say that. I came to the house when I was seven years old, and I didn''t do any work inside and out? When my father died, I wore a filial piety and kept my spirit. When my mother died, I waited on her bed day and night for more than half a year. I was the daughter-in-law of the second room, and I paid the end of my life for the second wife.


    "But grandma, don''t dislike me as a granddaughter-in-law who is talkative. People are divided into three or six grades according to how much they eat. Some people don''t know how to wipe the oil on their mouths when they eat delicious food. They can be replaced by others. If you eat some rotten white song, it will become a waste of food. There are more than a dozen chickens in this house, and there are no fewer eggs. Taoer and I feed them every day, and I don¡¯t know where the eggs have gone. Gouzi¡¯s disease I ate one egg so far, don¡¯t let me raise the chicken next time, anyway, I can¡¯t eat it, whoever eats it will raise it.¡±


    These words made everyone''s faces look ugly, among them Dafang''s mother and son had the most wonderful complexions, red and white, just like a dyeing workshop.


    This person who steals food without rubbing oil on his mouth is exactly what Dafang said. Mrs. Zhao is picky, but she doesn''t pick on her elder son and grandson. Mrs. Yang and her youngest son naturally follow suit. The seven-year-old boy looked annoyed, and seemed to want to say something, but was pulled by Yang severely.


    Sifang''s hairy egg is still young, and his mouth is also greedy, and he has long been tired of eating Baisong. As soon as I heard the egg, I couldn''t help it, and shouted to Mrs. Sun: "Mom, I want to eat eggs, I want to eat eggs..."


    In the silent main room, I heard the sharp cry of a child, which made my forehead throb.


    Mrs. Sun was so annoyed by crying, she couldn''t help but slap her on the face: "What''s the trouble, what kind of eggs are you eating, how can there be any eggs for you!" His tone was also a little offended.


    To put it bluntly, who doesn''t complain in his heart, but just endures it all the time.


    Maodan was slapped and cried even louder. Mrs. Zhao was already furious, but seeing this, she immediately shifted her target: "Mr. Sun, you are doing well, and you beat my grandson."


    Mrs. Sun was always afraid of Mrs. Zhao, so she smiled awkwardly and said, "Mother, Mao Dan is making a fuss about eating eggs. How can there be eggs for him?" The mother and son went to look at it three times.


    Mr. Xue has always ignored the affairs of his daughters-in-law, so he couldn''t help it now.


    With a dark face, he patted the table: "What a fuss, what a fuss!" The legs of the square table were swayed, and the bowls and plates bounced up and down, making crisp noises.


    Zhao''er didn''t pretend to be dead, and complained to him: "Grandfather, it''s not that grandma dislikes me and Gouzi for eating hazelnuts."


    As soon as she put the bowl on the table, she covered her face and began to cry: "I just ate such a mouth-watering meal, and I didn''t even see any traces of oil, so I called it Hu Chi Hai Sai, and I served it to others." Look, people will die laughing when they see it. If grandma really dislikes Gouzi and me, why don''t we separate our second room, and we will never eat and drink at home again."


    Hearing the word ''separation'', Mr. Xue twitched his brows subconsciously, and scolded: "What kind of family is divided, no one is allowed to mention the separation!" He seemed to feel that his tone was too harsh, and he slowed down his tone: "Your grandmother is angry with you because of your aunt''s family troubles, but you are a junior, how can you talk back to your elders."


    He turned his head and scolded Zhao again: "I said every day that you don''t have a long memory, and you have lived your whole life in the belly of a dog. Why are those eggs stored there? They are so stinky that you can''t bear to eat them! Third daughter-in-law, go get some Let¡¯s fry this one up, let¡¯s add a dish for everyone.¡±


    Just like that, Mr. Xue''s words successfully silenced everyone.


    Zhao''er''s eyes flickered, she was not lying when she said that she wanted to separate, but it was a pity that she was stillborn the first time she said it. But it''s true, how could Mr. Xue allow the second bedroom to separate the family? If the news spread, it would become a whole family bullying the two children. Besides, Mr. Xue still wants to twist the whole family into one rope so that the Xue family can provide another scholar.


    Putting these things aside, even though there was a commotion, the entire Xue family had a meal.


    Zhou scrambled a large bowl of eggs and reserved a bowl for Zhao''er.


    This behavior is a bit intriguing, you must know that the third wife and his wife are usually taciturn, they are old scalpers in Xue''s family, and they rarely help the two children of the second room to talk.


    But Zhao''er didn''t think much about it, everyone in this big family has their own thoughts, and she can''t control anyone''s thoughts, just don''t make her anxious.


    She returned to the house with the food, and smiled at Xue Gouzi when she entered the door: "Look, dog, there are eggs for lunch."


    *


    Looking at the bright smile on the girl''s face, Xue Gouzi''s eyes flashed with complexity.


    Although he was in the house, the movements in the main room were not missed.


    Zhao''er is like this, aggressive and hot, and he never cares what others think of him when he does things. In the past, he cared very much, and always felt that she was embarrassing him and doing him a disservice. He failed to dissuade him many times, and because of some other things, he hid his hatred for her in his heart.


    Little did he know that he was the one who was hypocritical and stupid, but it was a pity that by the time he understood it, it was already too late.


    "In order to eat an egg, you quarrel with Grandma."


    It wasn''t until he said it that he realized that he hadn''t changed his awkward speech pattern before, so she must have misunderstood him. Sure enough, a dark color flashed across Zhao''er''s face, and he smiled again: "He Xue Jun can eat it, and my dog ??can eat it too. Come and eat, make up your body, and you will recover soon."


    Look, that''s how she is, she always treats him like a child, saying "my dog", but in fact he is no longer a child. But the teenager''s mentality is sensitive and worrying, ''he'' doesn''t like all this, but he doesn''t know how to express it, so his discomfort slowly ferments into disgust and subconscious avoidance.


    Xue Gouzi didn''t know why he thought of this, he just felt that he had become very strange now, as if he had become two people, one was Xue Gouzi and the other was Xue Tingxiang. And every time something about Zhao''er came up, a voice murmured in his mind, as if telling him his true thoughts deep in his heart.


    While thinking, something was fed to his mouth, and he looked down to see that it was a fried yellow, crispy and soft egg.


    "Third aunt also scrambled the eggs well. The dog took a big bite and grew taller and stronger after eating it."


    As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Zhao''er regretted it.


    It''s also the fact that the little man is very good today, and she couldn''t help but imagine the scene where she coaxed him to eat when the little man was still young. When she was a child, she always coaxed the dog like this, but suddenly, at some point, the dog began to resist her, and she hated her like this the most.


    When she was worried, seeing him looking down, she smiled dryly, and was about to take back the spoon she handed over.


    Suddenly, he leaned over, took a big bite, and swallowed a spoonful of rice.


    "Delicious."


    Seeing him munching on his meal with drooping eyelids, Zhao''er suddenly smiled: "Eat more if it tastes good. In the future, my sister will work hard to make money and feed the dog scrambled eggs every day."


    After finishing speaking, she secretly glanced at Xue Gouzi from under her eyelids. Seeing that he didn''t show any displeasure, he couldn''t help but breathe a sigh of relief.


    In fact, Zhao''er said this on purpose, the little man has always hated her for running around and learning to do business with others. Because of this matter, the two had a lot of unhappiness, but she couldn''t stop going out to make money just because he didn''t like it.


    She wants to be rich, she wants to be rich for the little man to study, and not to fight with this group of people like black-eyed chickens. She thought a lot, and all of this required his support. After all, they were a family, and there were only the two of them left in the second room.


    But Zhao''er also thought about it, even if he objected, she would still do it.


    Of course it is best not to object.


    Under such circumstances, she couldn''t help but say something more: "I just talked to my grandma about the separation, but I was blocked by my grandpa." Seeing what the little man wanted to say, she interrupted: "Listen, sister!" After finishing speaking, I didn''t want to tell you too much about some things. I always felt that you were still young and didn''t want to disturb your studies. But what happened today, my sister can also see that you have your own ideas.


    "At home, let''s fight if we can. It''s supposed to be ours. We can''t just give it up to others. Even if we want to let it go, we have to give it a clear explanation. We don''t have to bully people like this! If we can''t fight Don¡¯t be afraid to go to school. My sister has recently found a business to do, and I can also collect the money that will send you to study. Having said so much, it is actually to let you relax and don¡¯t be afraid. The sky is falling, and there is still sister to support you There is not only one way for people, there are many ways for us to walk, and it is a fool''s thing to compete with ourselves."


    In fact, Zhao''er wanted to tell Xue Gouzi about this for a long time, but she also knew that the little man was a thoughtful person, and she was afraid that he would think too much. But who ever thought that he still thought too much, and even worried became a disease. Today is such a good opportunity, she simply said it clearly.


    Xue Gouzi looked at her.


    This scene in his dream was not like this, because of his sudden outburst, the Xue family was in turmoil, and the family scolded him, saying that he was ignorant, not thinking about the family, and that he was not filial, which made Grandma dizzy. In order to protect him, Zhao''er quarreled with Xue''s family, and finally even alarmed the patriarch.


    Zhao''er was beaten five times in public in Xue''s ancestral hall for disrespecting her elders and offending her tongue, as a warning to everyone else. And this matter was also suppressed by the patriarch. He didn''t even have the ability to resist, so he was robbed of what belonged to him.


    Later, Xue Juncai went to the school in the town, enjoying himself. And because of this incident, Erfang completely aroused the disgust of the family members, especially with the big house as a hindrance, so life in Xue''s house was not easy.


    No one at home spoke for them, and no one in the village turned to them. He couldn''t even go to the private school, because his uncle said that he was a wolf-hearted dog and couldn''t teach him, and that Zhao''er beat up his aunt.


    He was only fourteen at that time, even though he knew that some people were not good people, he couldn''t understand the malice in them. Maybe he can understand it, but the inferiority of human nature made him subconsciously push the responsibility out. He blamed Zhao''er for all his dissatisfaction, unsatisfaction and even the harshness of fate.


    Even though he knew in his heart that he was blaming her wrong, that he was very wrong, but the misunderstanding was too deep, the two of them were drifting away, and he had no face to explain all this to her.


    "Uncle Chen is acquainted with the owner of the Qingyuan Academy?" Seeing that Boss Chen was so indignant, Xue Tingxiang asked curiously.


    Boss Chen stroked his beard and said, "I''m ashamed to say that I was a classmate with him when I was young, but I was not good at studies and only passed the entrance examination as a boy student, but he was selected as a scholar in one fell swoop, and he was still a boy student. It''s a pity that the luck was bad, and he has not been able to pass the exam. It took him many years to pass the exam, and he had no intention of pursuing a career, so he returned to his hometown to inherit his father''s career in teaching and educating people."


    "It won''t be bad luck all the time." Xue Tingxiang said.


    If he remembers correctly, the whole town was a sensation when Director Lin of the Qingyuan Academy finally passed the exam three years later, and Gao Youzhi, the owner of the Qinghe Academy, was so angry that he almost vomited blood. At that time, he was planning to leave the Qinghe Academy to study at the Shen family''s ethnology, and happened to hear something about it.


    Boss Chen thought the young man was just comforting him, and smiled, "Thank you for your good words."


    Xue Tingxiang was not ambiguous either, and cupped his hands and said: "Thank you, Uncle Chen, for your suggestion, but there are still trivial matters at home that have not been dealt with. When everything is settled, I will go to the Qingyuan Academy to study."

 Chapter 179

    "Uncle Chen is acquainted with the owner of the Qingyuan Academy?" Seeing that Boss Chen was so indignant, Xue Tingxiang asked curiously.


    Boss Chen stroked his beard and said, "I''m ashamed to say that I was a classmate with him when I was young, but I was not good at studies and only passed the exam as a boy student, but he was selected as a scholar in one fell swoop, and he was still a boy student. It''s a pity that luck was bad, and he has never been able to pass the exam." It took many years to pass the exam, and he had no intention of pursuing a career, so he returned to his hometown to inherit his father''s career in teaching and educating people."


    "It won''t be bad luck all the time." Xue Tingxiang said.


    If he remembers correctly, the whole town was a sensation when Director Lin of the Qingyuan Academy finally passed the exam three years later, and Gao Youzhi, the owner of the Qinghe Academy, was so angry that he almost vomited blood. At that time, he was planning to leave the Qinghe Academy to study at the Shen family''s ethnology, and happened to hear something about it.


    Boss Chen thought the young man was just comforting him, and smiled, "Thank you for your good words."


    Xue Tingxiang was not ambiguous either, and cupped his hands and said: "Thank you, Uncle Chen, for your suggestion, but there are still trivial matters at home that have not been dealt with. When everything is settled, I will go to the Qingyuan Academy to study."


    "You are straightforward, so you are not afraid of being implicated and hindering your fame?" Boss Chen asked curiously.


    "The kid hasn''t entered school yet, so what are you talking about? Besides, the imperial court has always attached great importance to the selection of talents. If there are really talented people, presumably the magistrate Hu will not dare to stop him too much."


    "I can''t see that you have high ambitions. Well, since you dare to go, I will recommend you one or two. Although my classmate is rigid and dull, he is not good at words, but his knowledge is first-rate. Don''t dare It is no problem to teach a person to become a Jinshi, but a scholar is fine."


    "Then thank Uncle Chen first."


    *


    For several days, Xue Tingxiang and Zhao''er left early and returned late.


    Someone from Xue''s family asked twice, and Zhao''er said to take Xue Tingxiang out to get some fresh air, so as not to be overwhelmed. The people in the big room showed contempt, and Mr. Xue couldn''t help shaking his head. After that, no one asked any more questions, and most of them knew in their hearts that Xue Tingxiang was doomed. Maybe the two children in Erfang also have a lot of mentality, so they broke the cans and didn''t read books, but ran around playing.


    You must know that even if you are as qualified as Xue Juncai, you have to read books at home for many days to prepare.


    In the blink of an eye, it was five days.


    This day is no different from ordinary days.


    The farmhouse is always busy in the morning, and after a night, the family''s livestock have to be waited on, and the whole family has to be tossed about to eat. After breakfast, the men will go to the fields, and the women will do housework at home.


    If there is some difference, Xue Juncai had two more poached eggs in his bowl than others for breakfast.


    Because of Mr. Xue''s beating some time ago, Mrs. Zhao didn''t dare to openly fight against the big family members these days. Today, seeing that life is not normal, she couldn''t hold back.


    Originally, Xue Tingxiang didn''t have any, but Yang Shi saw that her father-in-law looked bad, so she took the initiative to ask Zhao Shi to ask for two eggs, and put them in the bowl for him.


    Xue Tingxiang wants to recruit one of them separately, but he doesn''t want to be recruited, but it''s a pity that he can''t be persuaded.


    For the sake of one egg, the two of you whispered one sentence at a time, while Mr. Xue''s expression on the top was particularly serious.


    But life in the country is like this, no matter how heavy your heart is, you can''t lose your livelihood. Especially when rushing for spring plowing, Mr. Xue still took his two sons to work in the fields for a while, and didn''t come back until the sun was high.


    The news about the competition between the two children of Xue''s family has spread throughout Yuqing Village.


    It''s not that there are people who say strange things, but most people can still understand what old man Xue did. It''s not easy for rural people to earn a little money, and no one''s money comes from the big river. If there is a way, no one will do this.


    Knowing that today is the day, let the children of the family watch in the village. Seeing a stranger go to Zheng Lizheng''s house, these hairy kids ran into the field, shouting from a long distance, "Someone is coming from Lizheng''s house". The adults stopped planting the land, so they picked up the hoes and rushed back.


    Not long after, the big courtyard of Zheng Lizheng''s house was full of people, and more villagers kept coming here.


    There was a lot of commotion in the yard, everyone was gossiping and discussing today''s matter at the same time.


    In the room, Zheng Li was talking with a middle-aged man in a scholar''s shirt and a flat scarf on his head.


    This man had a thin and long face, his complexion was a little pale, and his eyes were slightly swollen. She doesn''t look good, but her identity seems to be extraordinary, and she actually sits in the main seat.


    And Zheng Lizheng could only sit on the sidelines.


    His Gu Pan has a different temperament from ordinary people. This person is Qiao Xiucai, who has a reputation in the surrounding ten miles and eight villages.


    Long before, Zheng Lizheng had thought about it. Xue Qingshan came forward to invite someone from the Xue family, if he didn''t expect, it should be his father-in-law Yang Zhong, Yang Zhong is just a boy, so he will invite a scholar.


    On the one hand, it seemed that he was impartial, and on the other hand, it was a good time to show his prestige.


    "Qiao Xianggong, you drink tea, I will order someone to remind you."


    Qiao Xiucai waved his hand indifferently: "Don''t worry."


    Just as he was talking, there was a commotion outside, but it was patriarch Xue who came with someone.


    However, it was not Patriarch Xue who took the lead, but an old man over fifty years old. This old man is of medium stature, dressed the same as Qiao Xiucai, also wearing a scholar''s shirt and a flat scarf, obviously even if he is not a scholar, he is still a child.


    Sure enough, when Qiao Xiucai saw the old man, he quickly stood up from his chair and bowed to him.


    "I never thought it would be Senior He, late born is so polite."


    "Don''t be too polite, just sit down."


    This He Xiucai was the person invited by patriarch Xue to preside over this competition.


    Zheng Lizheng was right, at first Xue Qingshan really planned to invite his father-in-law, but it was a pity that this matter was rejected by Patriarch Xue.


    Patriarch Xue also only knew that Xue Qingshan was so stupid. They all said that he should not avoid relatives when he was a virtuous person, but this is not the way. Since he felt that the chances of winning were more than guaranteed, there was no need for people to make mistakes, so he took care of this matter.


    He knew in his heart that the surname Zheng would not let go of the opportunity to show off, and if he came forward to invite someone, he must be a scholar. He originally planned to invite Qiao Xiucai, but he was a step late, so he had to delay the relationship and invite He Xiucai.


    After courteously giving way to each other, the two scholars sat down on the main seat.


    Zheng Lizheng and Patriarch Xue sat beside him.


    "Let Brother Lizheng worry about it."


    "Don''t bother, don''t worry, I''m the leader here, so I can''t show up if something happens in the village."


    A lot of back and forth, seemingly amiable, but there is a hint of wit hidden in the words. During this period, a few old people walked in from the outside, but they were a few old people from Yuqing Village, Mr. Xue, Xue Qingshan and others also came.


    Another uninvited guest was Xue Qingshan''s father-in-law Yang Zhong.


    Yang Zhong was in his fifties, with a chubby body. He didn''t look like a scholar, but a landlord with a fat brain. As soon as he came in, he joined Qiao Xiucai and He Xiucai, but unfortunately, these two scholars were not willing to talk to him, they said a few words with him, and then went to sit aside awkwardly.


    Xue Qingshan sat at the end.


    The Weng and the son-in-law are considered pretty people, and those who can sit here are all respectable people in the village, but because of the identity of this boy, they can also sit in the hall. You know, even Mr. Xue doesn''t have a seat, so he can only stand aside.


    "I don''t know the real master, but he''s here?" He Xiucai asked when he saw that almost everyone had come.


    Patriarch Xue looked at Mr. Xue, and Xue Qinghuai hurriedly said, "Here we come."


    Just as he was speaking, the villagers surrounding the door made way, and two teenagers walked out from the crowd.


    These two teenagers are all dressed in short brown, and they can be seen from humble backgrounds at a glance.


    The one in the lead looks gentle and handsome, with a slender figure. Although the clothes are simple, he is quite personable. The one in the back is half a head shorter than the one in the front, his body seems a little weak, and he seems a little introverted, his eyelids are always half down, and he seems a little afraid of strangers.


    But when the two came to the hall and accepted the scrutiny of the crowd, they had some clues.


    The elder''s appearance is not bad, but he always pulls his sleeves intentionally or unintentionally, as if the clothes don''t fit well. But the young one has been standing neither humble nor overbearing, the half-drooped eyelids not only do not make people feel contemptuous, but it feels like the respect that the younger generation should have for the elders.


    Therefore, it seemed that the older one looked directly into the eyes of everyone, which was a bit too abrupt. It is good to have self-confidence, but when the younger generation faces the elders, a humble and respectful attitude is indispensable.


    All this happened in an instant, and Qiao Xiucai and He Xiucai, who were seated in the main seats, had the initial judgment on these two young people.


    "Student Xue Juncai, student Xue Tingxiang, I have met all the elders."


    He Xiucai nodded, Qiao Xiucai nodded, and asked curiously, "Tingxiang? Does this name have a meaning?"


    Xue Tingxiang was taken aback, and Fang Zuoyi said: "Hey, I mean to follow suit. The student''s great-great-grandfather was also a student, and the biggest regret in his life was that he failed to pass the exam. Although my Xue family was born in a poor family, there are many generations. Forgetting the last wish of the ancestors, while settling down to live and work, he has been working hard to let the children of the clan read and write, and be able to understand the principles of life.


    "It should be noted that if you read a lot, you will have hills and valleys in your heart, and you will have a poetic spirit in your stomach. The younger generation will follow the last wish of the ancestors. Although they are not very knowledgeable at a young age, they have great ambitions. They hope that one day they can continue the path that their ancestors walked, and continue to do so. go down."


    These words are very well-chosen, and the words are too polite, or they say something to study and become an official to serve the court, to establish a life for the people, and to bring peace to all generations. They are all suspected of deliberately showing off, which makes people laugh. After all, they are still brats, not even children.


    And Xue Tingxiang''s words just echoed his age and knowledge, and even because of the ancestor''s last wish, it added a bit of filial piety.


    After listening to Qiao Xiucai, he stroked his beard and said, "Okay! What a big ambition!"


    With this praise, everyone''s eyes were on Xue Tingxiang.


    Most people don''t understand what it means, they only think that Qiao Xiucai is exaggerating the dog of Xue''s second room, but they can understand but they have different thoughts.


    Shocked and complicated like patriarch Xue, the look in Xue Tingxiang''s eyes implied excitement and admiration. He is the head of the clan, and he always regards the glory of the clan as his great responsibility. Xue Tingxiang''s words not only praised his ancestors in front of others, but also inadvertently showed the unusualness of the Xue clan, which made his face extraordinarily honored. Unconsciously, he straightened his back.


    Some secretly scolded this son for being cunning, and even used the occasion to grandstanding.


    Still upholding the last wish of his ancestors, whoever asked him to uphold it was just bragging! Why didn''t I see that this son was so eloquent earlier.


    "The elders in your family took this name for you, and they have high hopes for you."


    When Qiao Xiucai said this, he was embarrassed again, but it was the Xue family who were embarrassed.


    Just when Patriarch Xue and the others were afraid that Xue Tingxiang would be ignorant to tell the reason, he saluted again and said: "This junior will definitely study hard and live up to the expectations of his family."


    Xue Qingshan couldn''t sit still.


    Today''s book is for the examination of Xue Juncai and Xue Tingxiang, who is eligible to enter the school. The exam hadn''t even started yet, but Qiao Xiucai''s words were intended to encourage and agree with the other party. The so-called failure before the battle was nothing more than that.


    He couldn''t help but interjected: "Seniors, can we start?"


    Only then did Qiao Xiucai realize that he had spoken too much, but once he said it, he would naturally not take it back, and Xue Qingshan''s words obviously made him feel embarrassed. There was a slight displeasure in his heart, so instead of avoiding it, he nodded appreciatively to Xue Tingxiang, and then went to take a sip of tea on the table.


    Between the actions, there was a sense of treating Xue Qingshan as nothing, which made his face darken immediately. But he didn''t dare to have any doubts at all, he just smiled and sat back.


    Qiao Xiucai put down the teacup, cupped his hands and said to He Xiucai: "Senior He, look at this¡ª"


    "Let''s begin then."


    "Are you a senior, or you are the main one."


    Qiao Xiucai is a polite word. He is only in his thirties, he is already a scholar, he may be able to raise a scholar in the future, but He Xiucai is already an old man, the possibility of being selected is very slim. That''s why it was obvious that He Xiucai was the main one, but when Qiao Xiucai spoke, He Xiucai didn''t interrupt him, and didn''t even blame him for taking the lead.


    This is the way of the imperial examination, which pays attention to qualifications and seniority, but also pays attention to potential.


    Talents like Yang Zhong who fail the exam all their lives will be old boys when they grow old. However, if one can pass the examination as a scholar, even if one is over half a hundred years old and the other is a young man with a weak crown, they can still be on equal footing and be friends with each other as peers.


    It''s like Xue Qingshan is about to call himself a junior in front of Qiao Xiucai, and he can only accept Qiao Xiucai''s embarrassment to him. Although Qiao Xiucai gave He Xiucai too much courtesy, He Xiucai put him first in words and deeds.


    Few of the people present understood these principles, but Xue Tingxiang did, which made him even more determined to be a scholar.


    "Where are you two in your studies now?"


    "I have finished studying the Four Books, and now I am diligently reading the "Book of Songs" among the Five Classics." Xue Juncai answered first.


    He Xiucai set his sights on Xue Tingxiang.


    He pondered for a while, and said: "After studying the four books, I can only read them, but I can''t understand them."


    He Xiucai didn''t say anything, but Zheng Lizheng said in confusion, "If I remember correctly, you and the talented boy Kaimeng came one after another. How could you have fallen behind so much in your studies?"


    Xue Tingxiang remained silent, but Xue Qingshan''s eyebrows twitched.


    Without Mrs. Zhao''s words, Mrs. Sun said: "Zhao''er, it''s not the fourth aunt talking about you, you girl likes to make a fuss. Could it be that you deliberately torment us all, even if you don''t like it..."


    Before she finished speaking, she was pulled by the man Xue Qinghuai.


    "Okay, let''s say a few words less, Zhao''er is not ignorant, and besides, the dog is already sick, so it''s better to find a doctor to take a look, so the family can rest assured."

 Chapter 180

    "It won''t be bad luck all the time." Xue Tingxiang said.


    If he remembers correctly, the Qingyuan School''s Director Lin finally passed the Juren examination three years later. At that time, the whole town was a sensation, and the Qinghe School''s director Gao Youzhi was so angry that he almost vomited blood. At that time, he was planning to leave the Qinghe Academy and go to the Shen family''s ethnology to study, and happened to hear something about it.


    Boss Chen thought the young man was just comforting him, and smiled, "Thank you for your good words."


    Xue Tingxiang was not ambiguous either, and cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Uncle Chen, for your suggestion, but there are still trivial matters at home that have not been dealt with. When everything is settled, I will go to the Qingyuan Academy to study."


    "You are straightforward, so you are not afraid of being implicated and hindering your fame?" Boss Chen asked curiously.


    "The kid hasn''t entered school yet, so why talk about fame? Besides, the imperial court has always attached great importance to the selection of talents. If there are really talented people, presumably the county magistrate Hu would not dare to stop him too much."


    "I can''t see that you have high ambitions. Well, since you dare to go, I will recommend you one or two. Although my classmate is rigid and dull, he is not good at words, but his knowledge is first-rate. Don''t dare It¡¯s okay to teach a person to become a Jinshi, but a scholar is fine.¡±


    "Then thank Uncle Chen first."


    *


    For several days, Xue Tingxiang and Zhao''er left early and returned late.


    Someone from Xue''s family asked twice, and Zhao''er told him to take Xue Tingxiang out to get some fresh air, so as not to be overwhelmed. The people in the big room showed contempt, and Mr. Xue couldn''t help shaking his head. After that, no one asked any more questions, and most of them knew in their hearts that Xue Tingxiang was doomed. Maybe the two children in Erfang also have a lot of mentality, so they broke the cans and didn''t read books, but ran around playing.


    You must know that even if you are as qualified as Xue Juncai, you have to read books at home for many days to prepare.


    In the blink of an eye, it was five days.


    This day is no different from ordinary days.


    The farmhouse is always busy in the morning, and after a night, the family''s livestock have to be waited on, and the whole family has to be tossed about to eat. After breakfast, the men will go to the fields, and the women will do housework at home.


    If there is some difference, Xue Juncai had two more poached eggs in his bowl than others for breakfast.


    Because of Mr. Xue''s beating some time ago, Mrs. Zhao didn''t dare to openly fight against the big family members these days. Today, seeing that life is not normal, she couldn''t hold back.


    Originally, Xue Tingxiang didn''t have any, but Yang Shi saw that her father-in-law looked bad, so she took the initiative to ask Zhao Shi to ask for two eggs, and put them in the bowl for him.


    Xue Tingxiang wants to recruit one of them separately, but he doesn''t want to be recruited, but it''s a pity that he can''t be persuaded.


    For the sake of one egg, the two of you whispered one sentence at a time, while Mr. Xue''s expression on the top was particularly serious.


    But life in the country is like this, no matter how heavy your heart is, you can''t lose your livelihood. Especially when rushing for spring plowing, Mr. Xue still took his two sons to work in the fields for a while, and didn''t come back until the sun was high.


    The news about the competition between the two children of Xue''s family has spread throughout Yuqing Village.


    It''s not that there are people who say strange things, but most people can still understand what old man Xue did. It''s not easy for rural people to earn a little money, and no one''s money comes from the big river. If there is a way, no one will do this.


    Knowing that today is the day, let the children of the family watch in the village. Seeing a stranger go to Zheng Lizheng''s house, these hairy kids ran into the field, shouting from a long distance, "Someone is coming from Lizheng''s house". The adults stopped planting the land, so they picked up the hoes and rushed back.


    Not long after, the big courtyard of Zheng Lizheng''s house was full of people, and more villagers kept coming here.


    There was a lot of commotion in the yard, everyone was gossiping and discussing today''s matter at the same time.


    In the room, Zheng Li was talking with a middle-aged man in a scholar''s shirt and a flat scarf on his head.


    This man had a thin and long face, his complexion was a little pale, and his eyes were slightly swollen. She doesn''t look good, but her identity seems to be extraordinary, and she actually sits in the main seat.


    And Zheng Lizheng could only sit on the sidelines.


    His Gu Pan has a different temperament from ordinary people. This person is Qiao Xiucai, who has a reputation in the surrounding ten miles and eight villages.


    Long before, Zheng Lizheng had thought about it. Xue Qingshan came forward to invite someone from the Xue family, if he didn''t expect, it should be his father-in-law Yang Zhong, Yang Zhong is just a boy, so he will invite a scholar.


    On the one hand, it seemed that he was impartial, and on the other hand, it was a good time to show his prestige.


    "Qiao Xianggong, you drink tea, I will order someone to remind you."


    Qiao Xiucai waved his hand indifferently: "Don''t worry."


    Just as he was talking, there was a commotion outside, but it was patriarch Xue who came with someone.


    However, it was not Patriarch Xue who took the lead, but an old man over fifty years old. This old man is of medium stature, dressed the same as Qiao Xiucai, also wearing a scholar''s shirt and a flat scarf, obviously even if he is not a scholar, he is still a child.


    Sure enough, when Qiao Xiucai saw the old man, he quickly stood up from his chair and bowed to him.


    "I never thought it would be Senior He, late born is so polite."


    "Don''t be too polite, just sit down."


    This He Xiucai was the person invited by patriarch Xue to preside over this competition.


    Zheng Lizheng was right, at first Xue Qingshan really planned to invite his father-in-law, but it was a pity that this matter was rejected by Patriarch Xue.


    Patriarch Xue also only knew that Xue Qingshan was so stupid. They all said that he should not avoid relatives when he was a virtuous person, but this is not the way. Since he felt that the chances of winning were more than guaranteed, there was no need for people to make mistakes, so he took care of this matter.


    He knew in his heart that the surname Zheng would not let go of the opportunity to show off, and if he came forward to invite someone, he must be a scholar. He originally planned to invite Qiao Xiucai, but he was a step late, so he had to delay the relationship and invite He Xiucai.


    After courteously giving way to each other, the two scholars sat down on the main seat.


    Zheng Lizheng and Patriarch Xue sat beside him.


    "Let Brother Lizheng worry about it."


    "Don''t bother, don''t worry, I''m the leader here, so I can''t show up if something happens in the village."


    A lot of back and forth, seemingly amiable, but there is a hint of wit hidden in the words. During this period, a few old people walked in from the outside, but they were a few old people from Yuqing Village, Mr. Xue, Xue Qingshan and others also came.


    Another uninvited guest was Xue Qingshan''s father-in-law Yang Zhong.


    Yang Zhong was in his fifties, with a chubby body. He didn''t look like a scholar, but a landlord with a fat brain. As soon as he came in, he joined Qiao Xiucai and He Xiucai, but unfortunately, these two scholars were not willing to talk to him, they said a few words with him, and then went to sit aside awkwardly.


    Xue Qingshan sat at the end.


    The Weng and the son-in-law are considered pretty people, and those who can sit here are all respectable people in the village, but because of the identity of this boy, they can also sit in the hall. You know, even Mr. Xue doesn''t have a seat, so he can only stand aside.


    "I don''t know the real master, but he''s here?" He Xiucai asked when he saw that almost everyone had come.


    Patriarch Xue looked at Mr. Xue, and Xue Qinghuai hurriedly said, "Here we come."


    Just as he was speaking, the villagers surrounding the door made way, and two teenagers walked out from the crowd.


    These two teenagers are all dressed in short brown, and they can be seen from humble backgrounds at a glance.


    The one in the lead looks gentle and handsome, with a slender figure. Although the clothes are simple, he is quite personable. The one in the back is half a head shorter than the one in the front, his body seems a little weak, and he seems a little introverted, his eyelids are always half down, and he seems a little afraid of strangers.


    But when the two came to the hall and accepted the scrutiny of the crowd, they had some clues.


    The elder''s appearance is not bad, but he always pulls his sleeves intentionally or unintentionally, as if the clothes don''t fit well. But the young one has been standing neither humble nor overbearing, the half-drooped eyelids not only do not make people feel contemptuous, but it feels like the respect that the younger generation should have for the elders.


    Therefore, it seemed that the older one looked directly into the eyes of everyone, which was a bit too abrupt. It is good to have self-confidence, but when the younger generation faces the elders, a humble and respectful attitude is indispensable.


    All this happened in an instant, and Qiao Xiucai and He Xiucai, who were seated in the main seats, had the initial judgment on these two young people.


    "Student Xue Juncai, student Xue Tingxiang, I have met all the elders."


    He Xiucai nodded, Qiao Xiucai nodded, and asked curiously, "Tingxiang? Does this name have a meaning?"


    Xue Tingxiang was taken aback, and Fang Zuoyi said: "Hey, I mean to follow suit. The student''s great-great-grandfather was also a student, and the biggest regret in his life was that he failed to pass the exam. Although my Xue family was born in a poor family, there are many generations. Forgetting the last wish of the ancestors, while settling down to live and work, he has been working hard to let the children of the clan read and write, and be able to understand the principles of life.


    "It should be noted that if you read a lot, you will have hills and valleys in your heart, and you will have a poetic spirit in your stomach. The younger generation will follow the last wish of the ancestors. Although they are not very knowledgeable at a young age, they have great ambitions. They hope that one day they can continue the path that their ancestors walked, and continue to do so. go down."


    These words are very well-chosen, and the words are too polite, or they say something to study and become an official to serve the court, to establish a life for the people, and to bring peace to all generations. They are all suspected of deliberately showing off, which makes people laugh. After all, they are still brats, not even children.


    And Xue Tingxiang''s words just echoed his age and knowledge, and even because of the ancestor''s last wish, it added a bit of filial piety.


    After listening to Qiao Xiucai, he stroked his beard and said, "Okay! What a big ambition!"


    With this praise, everyone''s eyes were on Xue Tingxiang.


    Most people don''t understand what it means, they only think that Qiao Xiucai is exaggerating the dog of Xue''s second room, but they can understand but they have different thoughts.


    Shocked and complicated like patriarch Xue, the look in Xue Tingxiang''s eyes implied excitement and admiration. He is the head of the clan, and he always regards the glory of the clan as his great responsibility. Xue Tingxiang''s words not only praised his ancestors in front of others, but also inadvertently showed the unusualness of the Xue clan, which made his face extraordinarily honored. Unconsciously, he straightened his back.


    Some secretly scolded this son for being cunning, and even used the occasion to grandstanding.


    Still upholding the last wish of his ancestors, whoever asked him to uphold it was just bragging! Why didn''t I see that this son was so eloquent earlier.


    "The elders in your family took this name for you, and they have high hopes for you."


    When Qiao Xiucai said this, he was embarrassed again, but it was the Xue family who were embarrassed.


    Just when Patriarch Xue and the others were afraid that Xue Tingxiang would be ignorant to tell the reason, he saluted again and said: "This junior will definitely study hard and live up to the expectations of his family."


    Xue Qingshan couldn''t sit still.


    Today''s book is for the examination of Xue Juncai and Xue Tingxiang, who is eligible to enter the school. The exam hadn''t even started yet, but Qiao Xiucai''s words were intended to encourage and agree with the other party. The so-called failure before the battle was nothing more than that.


    He couldn''t help but interjected: "Seniors, can we start?"


    Only then did Qiao Xiucai realize that he had spoken too much, but once he said it, he would naturally not take it back, and Xue Qingshan''s words obviously made him feel embarrassed. There was a slight displeasure in his heart, so instead of avoiding it, he nodded appreciatively to Xue Tingxiang, and then went to take a sip of tea on the table.


    Between the actions, there was a sense of treating Xue Qingshan as nothing, which made his face darken immediately. But he didn''t dare to have any doubts at all, he just smiled and sat back.


    Qiao Xiucai put down the teacup, cupped his hands and said to He Xiucai: "Senior He, look at this¡ª"


    "Let''s begin then."


    "Are you a senior, or you are the main one."


    Qiao Xiucai is a polite word. He is only in his thirties, he is already a scholar, he may be able to raise a scholar in the future, but He Xiucai is already an old man, the possibility of being selected is very slim. That''s why it was obvious that He Xiucai was the main one, but when Qiao Xiucai spoke, He Xiucai didn''t interrupt him, and didn''t even blame him for taking the lead.


    This is the way of the imperial examination, which pays attention to qualifications and seniority, but also pays attention to potential.


    Talents like Yang Zhong who fail the exam all their lives will be old boys when they grow old. However, if one can pass the examination as a scholar, even if one is over half a hundred years old and the other is a young man with a weak crown, they can still be on equal footing and be friends with each other as peers.


    It''s like Xue Qingshan is about to call himself a junior in front of Qiao Xiucai, and he can only accept Qiao Xiucai''s embarrassment to him. Although Qiao Xiucai gave He Xiucai too much courtesy, He Xiucai put him first in words and deeds.


    Few of the people present understood these principles, but Xue Tingxiang did, which made him even more determined to be a scholar.


    "Where are you two in your studies now?"


    "I have finished studying the Four Books, and now I am diligently reading the "Book of Songs" among the Five Classics." Xue Juncai answered first.


    He Xiucai set his sights on Xue Tingxiang.


    He pondered for a while, and said: "After studying the four books, I can only read them, but I can''t understand them."


    He Xiucai didn''t say anything, but Zheng Lizheng said in confusion, "If I remember correctly, you and the talented boy Kaimeng came one after another. How could you have fallen behind so much in your studies?"


    Xue Tingxiang remained silent, but Xue Qingshan''s eyebrows twitched.


    Xue Qingshan''s face was a little ugly, and at the same time he was a little surprised.


    His nephew has always been reticent, and he can''t make a fart with three sticks. He only acted out this way because he counted on Erfang''s two petty tempers.


    But after all, he lived older than Xue Tingxiang, so naturally he would not forget to do superficial work.


    He sighed: "The boy was spoiled by his mother, and it''s also my uncle who can''t discipline well. Uncle is here to accompany you."

 Chapter 181

    Not long after she fell asleep yesterday, the little man developed a fever again. After working for most of the night, luckily the fever subsided in the middle of the night.


    She sat up, raised her hand to touch the little man''s forehead, made sure that her hands were not hot, then put on her clothes lightly, and got off the kang.


    The first thing to do was to open the door, and Heizi, who had been restless for a long time, got out with a swish. Zhao''er also walked out of the room, and seeing Heizi rushing out of the courtyard to pee, she shook her head with a grin.


    At this time, someone has already got up in the courtyard, it is the Zhou family of the third bedroom and his eldest daughter Xue Tao''er.


    Today it''s the third room''s turn to cook. The Xue family''s rule is that apart from the housework of each room, the work in the office is shared equally. One day per room, in rotation.


    The room responsible for cooking is not only responsible for the food and drink of the whole family, but also takes care of the livestock in the family. The Xue family raised two big fat pigs, and it was not an easy job to serve these two ancestors every day. Not to mention feeding chickens, carrying water, and chopping firewood, so the female family members who do housework on this day do not have to work in the fields.


    It seems to be fair and just, but in fact everyone inside knows how.


    The eldest aunt Yang claimed that the man was a child student, and she was exceptionally superior at home. Since Xue Qingshan passed the child student examination, she never touched housework again. The key is that Mrs. Zhao is also looking towards her, so it''s not easy for others to question her.


    At first, it was Xue Gouzi''s mother, Mrs. Qiu, who finally came in, the third-bedroom Mrs. Zhou, and the two sisters-in-law finally shared the burden. Afterwards, Mrs. Qiu followed her deceased husband, and Mrs. Zhou was left alone. It was not until Mrs. Sun of the fourth room entered the door that she would be able to catch her breath again.


    It''s a pity that Mrs. Sun is lazy and playful. In fact, Mrs. Zhou still does most of the work.


    In the past, when Mrs. Qiu was still alive, Zhao''er also helped Mrs. Qiu to do it. After Mrs. Qiu passed away, Zhao''er was busy with the housework of the second room and had to do the work in the office. In addition, Zhao''er was still young at that time, Mr. Xue told her to take good care of Xue Gouzi and not to take care of the work at work.


    Zhao''er now has free time to go around and get some money, but she is a person who looks at her conscience and will help out as much as she can in her spare time. As for those who used words to squeeze her like Sun, her sharp tongue was not forgiving.


    Seeing Xue Taoer struggling to fetch water from the well, Zhao''er rubbed his face and went up to help her.


    Thirteen-year-old Xue Taoer is like a small flower in bud. Although she is not very beautiful, she is very delicate. Seeing Zhao''er coming to help her, she couldn''t help showing a smile and talking to her: "Sister Zhao''er, is the second brother better?" Xue Gouzi is the second grandson of the Xue family, so Xue Taoer called him the second brother .


    "I had a fever again last night, and it got better in the second half of the night." Zhao''er looked around curiously, and asked, "Why isn''t Third Uncle here?"


    Although Xue Qingbai is a bit honest and reticent, he always loves his wife and daughter. Whenever he meets the third room to cook, he will get up early to fill the water tank.


    The Xue family has its own well, but the well is too deep, and there is no pulley on the well, so it is really exhausting to draw water with the strength of the daughter''s family alone. That is to say, Zhao''er was naturally as strong as an ox, and his strength was no worse than that of ordinary middle-aged men, so he could pull the bucket out of the deep well very easily.


    "My father went to the field and said he would work for a while and return after breakfast."


    Xue Qingbai is an honest farmer. Unlike other brothers in the family who have other skills, he only knows how to farm, so he puts all his heart on the ground. The Xue family has a total of more than 30 mu of land, and now he, Mr. Xue and the fourth son Xue Qinghuai are all planted.


    Although the women of the Xue family also went to the fields, it was only during the busy farming season, and besides, the women only had so little strength, so how could they help. Fortunately, the three men from Xue''s family are all good hands in the field, and they are really too busy, so they hired part-time workers to help out for a few days, so they don''t have to worry about not being able to finish the work in the field.


    Just as he was talking, the door of the fourth room opened, and Xue Qinghuai walked out from inside.


    The men in the Xue family are all big, so Xue Qinghuai also inherited a tall body.


    He was born with thick eyebrows, tiger eyes and a high nose bridge. He was dressed in dark blue coarse cloth and short brown, and looked very heroic. In fact, the men of the Xue family are not bad looking, but the women of the Xue family are a little mediocre, but all the grandchildren are born well, and they are all top-notch in the village.


    "Zhaoer Taoer, you wake up so early." Xue Qinghuai walked over in a few strides, took the wooden bucket in Zhaoer''s hand, walked to the water tank, and poured water into the tank.


    "How can you two little girls do this kind of rough work? You go to do other things, and the fourth uncle is here to fetch water."


    Zhao''er and Tao''er didn''t refuse either, one went to the kitchen to help her mother cook, and the other took a basin to scoop up water for washing.


    As time passed, the rest of the Xue family got up one after another, and there were more and more voices in the yard. On the other side of the kitchen, Mrs. Zhou yelled to eat. Generally, country people don''t pay much attention to breakfast, and they have to set a table or something. They always serve a bowl with a bowl, and eat it at any place.


    Breakfast is two rice porridge, the so-called two rice porridge is porridge cooked from two kinds of rice. Yuqing Village does not grow rice, but only wheat, sorghum, millet, corn and other crops. Although farmers grow wheat, they seldom use it for their own food. They sell it for other grains.


    Even a well-to-do family like Xue''s family with surplus food did not eat fine grains all at once, but a mixture of coarse grains and fine grains. For example, today''s breakfast is two-rice porridge, which is a porridge cooked with millet, that is, yellow rice, and sorghum rice.


    Because it was a busy time of farming, it was cooked quite thickly. Although it didn''t hold up with chopsticks inserted, it was much better than the usual thin soup with little water.


    There is no way, the Xue family seems to have a decent family background in the village, but there are three scholars in the family. Not to mention Xue Gouzi, Guangda Fang and his son spend a lot of money every month, and it''s no wonder that Mrs. Zhao usually can pick up fleas to get a little blood.


    Zhao''er filled two bowls of porridge, put a few cornbreads on a thick porcelain plate, and put some pickles on the side, and took them back to the second room''s room.


    As soon as he entered the door, he saw Xue Gouzi sitting up from the kang.


    She hurriedly put the wooden tray on the square table, and came up to see him: "But he''s better? Are you hungry? Sister will bring you some porridge."


    Xue Gouzi looked at her with complicated eyes.


    After experiencing such a dream, he now doesn''t know how to face Zhao''er. As long as he saw her, he couldn''t help but think of him in his dream, those words scolded by others before he died. He also tried to find the cause of Zhao''er''s death in his memory, but it seemed that that memory was Xue Tingxiang''s most unbearable past, and he had no memory at all.


    In fact, Xue Gouzi was burned in a daze last night, and Xue Gouzi thought for a long time. He couldn''t figure out whether he was Xue Gouzi or Xue Tingxiang, whether that dream was true or not, whether he was thinking about it every day and dreaming at night , to have such an absurd dream.


    However, he also had an idea in his heart. If everything in that dream was true, several things should happen in succession. If these things happen, it means that his dreams are real.


    Thinking about something in his heart, he reached out to catch the bowl, only to realize that he didn''t even have the strength to hold the bowl. Luckily, Zhao''er caught the bowl quickly, so he didn''t spill it all over him.


    Xue Gouzi was a little embarrassed and anxious. It was very strange, obviously he would not have this kind of reaction in front of Zhao''er before, but I don''t know if it was a dream, and his state of mind had a strange change.


    Zhao''er laughed at him: "Why are you being polite with my sister? I forgot that when you were a child, you peed on the kang, and it was my sister who washed it for you."


    Zhao''er came to Xue''s house when he was seven years old, and Gouzi was only five years old at that time. It is very inexplicable for a child to pee on the kang. It is obvious that he has not urinated for a long time. I don''t know if he drank too much water before going to bed or what, but he actually peed on the kang.


    Since Qiu gave birth to the dog, her bones were not good, and it was winter again. In order to repay the kindness of the second wife, Zhao''er volunteered to wash the dirty clothes and pants for the dog. Since then, she started her career as a child bride.


    What Xue Gouzi hates the most is Zhao''er. He always likes to say inconspicuous things in front of him. You must know that as you get older, boys will lose face, how can you still be willing to listen to people mentioning such things, especially dogs are naturally sensitive. But today for some reason, he didn''t feel annoyed, only a little embarrassed.


    He was surprised by his own reaction, but Zhao''er had already fed him porridge with a wooden spoon. He subconsciously opened his mouth, and waited until the warm porridge blown by her was fed into his mouth, and he saw the smiling eyes of the other party.


    Those eyes were big and bright, as if there were stars hidden in them, and he couldn''t help but blush.


    Zhao''er smiled even more happily, and stuffed him with a tortilla: "Eat quickly, sister will cook eggs for you at noon."


    She was coaxing him like a child, Gouzi suddenly had this understanding.


    He was eating porridge from Zhao''er, thinking wildly in his mind, it was very chaotic.


    Just then, someone came to the door.


    It was Xue Qingshan.


    Exactly the same as in the dream.


    Xue Qingshan''s fair face was full of sighs and worries, he sighed and said a lot of words, the main idea was to let the dog recover well, don''t worry too much, there are grandparents and uncles at home, he can''t lose him.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Qingshan also followed the appearance and height of the man from the Xue family. He was also a weed in Yuqing Village in his early years, but unfortunately he got a little fatter as he got older.


    "Uncle still has to go to the private school, dog, take care of your illness, you are a child with a lot of thoughts." Sighing and patting his nephew on the shoulder, Xue Qingshan lifted the curtain and left.


    What is he doing?


    Zhao''er thought suspiciously. After thinking about it for a while, she couldn''t figure out why, so she stopped thinking about it and concentrated on feeding the dog porridge, but Xue Gouzi looked thoughtful.


    *


    In the main room, Mrs. Zhao is chatting with Mr. Xue about what happened yesterday.


    Mrs. Zhao was sewing an old dress in her hand, and said, "Let me tell you, you just like to spoil that little thing. You love him, but he doesn''t love you. Our family''s money doesn''t come from the river, just Because he didn''t want to show his illness to the whole family, he made a fuss after another, which is to make the family upside down."


    Mr. Xue was in his fifties, tall and tall, and his skin was black and red like that of a countryman who had been exposed to the sun for a long time. He was wearing dark blue coarse cloth pants, sitting cross-legged on the Kang, smoking a dry cigarette.


    Every time after dinner or before work, Mr. Xue always smoked for a while, otherwise he would feel exhausted.


    "Okay, Gouwazi is sick, who doesn''t have three illnesses and four pains." After a while, he said hoarsely.


    The patter, patter sounded again, and the lingering blue smoke swirled in the air, and then scattered in all directions. Behind it, the old face of Mr. Xue was hidden, looming.


    "But look how long he has been in trouble? Yesterday, more than one hundred coins were lost. How long will it take you to work hard in the field to earn more than one hundred coins! Boss has to leave another two hundred coins. It is said that someone in a classmate¡¯s family had a birthday, and there was a disaster just last year, and the tax was not exempted, but increased. Seeing that the boss said that he wanted to send Juncai to the town to study, it was another expense. How much money do you have? Withstood such a toss!"


    Seeing that his wife was so distressed, Mr. Xue sat up straight, tapped the cigarette pot on the kang table, and gave her a sideways look: "Your heart will be distressed if you spend a hundred yuan for a dog, and you will give it if the boss asks you for it? Not me Speaking of you, you are a parent and grandmother, so don''t be too biased, you don''t have to make the following little ones have conflicts."


    Upon hearing this, Mrs. Zhao didn''t want to. She slapped him across the kang table and said, "I''m biased? Don''t you?"


    He is also biased, but the boss is the most promising in the family, and the handsome is also the most outstanding among the grandchildren. It''s different to have a scholar in the family. No one will say that Xue Lianxing''s family is a decent person when they go out. If Dafang can produce a scholar, his Xue family will be honored.


    Just thinking of Xue Gouzi, Mr. Xue couldn''t help frowning.


    Of course he knew that the mother-in-law was very annoyed, Gou''er was too ignorant, the eldest owed the life to the second, but Xue''s family was in such a family situation, naturally they had to pay attention to their future.


    It''s not that Mr. Xue looks down on his grandson, but that Gou''er is really not comparable to a handsome boy, nor can he. It''s good to be strong, but you always have to look at the situation.


    "The boss''s daughter-in-law has already said several times that the school in the town cannot be delayed. The delay is half a year. The boss still wants to let Juncai try next year." Zhao added.


    "Back then, I promised my second child!" Old Master Xue sighed deeply, took two puffs of dry cigarettes, and coughed twice when he was choked.


    "Anyway, you can figure it out!" Zhao Shi was so angry that she threw the clothes aside, turned her head and leaned back on the kang, giving the man a backbone.


    Old man Xue slapped his mouth several times, and the gully on his face deepened: "You too, old woman, don''t you think that if outsiders know about this, we can still have face in the village?"


    "Then what do you think we should do? Let''s not do it?" Mrs. Zhao rolled over and sat up again, staring at Mr. Xue.


    "Of course it has to be done, it depends on how to do it. How about this, you ask Cuiping to come back tomorrow, and she has to do this matter."


    She sat up, raised her hand to touch the little man''s forehead, and made sure that her hands were not hot, then put on her clothes lightly and got off the kang.


    The first thing to do was to open the door, and Heizi, who had been restless for a long time, got out with a swish. Zhao''er also walked out of the room, seeing Heizi hurriedly running out of the courtyard to pee, she shook her head with a broken smile.


    At this time, someone has already got up in the courtyard, it is the Zhou family of the third bedroom and his eldest daughter Xue Tao''er.


    Today it''s the third room''s turn to cook. The Xue family''s rule is that apart from the housework of each room, the work in the office is shared equally. One day per room, in rotation.


    The room responsible for cooking is not only responsible for the food and drink of the whole family, but also takes care of the livestock in the family. The Xue family raised two big fat pigs, and it was not an easy job to just serve these two ancestors every day. Not to mention feeding chickens, carrying water, and chopping firewood, so the female family members who do housework on this day do not have to go to the fields to work.


    It seems to be fair and just, but in fact everyone inside knows how.


    The eldest aunt Yang claimed that the man was a child student, and she was exceptionally superior at home. Since Xue Qingshan passed the child student examination, she never touched housework again. The key is that Mrs. Zhao is also looking towards her, so it''s not easy for others to question her.


    At first, it was Xue Gouzi''s mother, Mrs. Qiu, who finally came in, the third-bedroom Mrs. Zhou, and the two sisters-in-law finally shared the burden. Afterwards, Mrs. Qiu followed her deceased husband, and Mrs. Zhou was left alone. It was not until Mrs. Sun of the fourth room entered the door that she would be able to catch her breath again.


    It''s a pity that Mrs. Sun is lazy and playful. In fact, Mrs. Zhou still does most of the work.


    In the past, when Mrs. Qiu was still alive, Zhao''er also helped Mrs. Qiu to do it. After Mrs. Qiu passed away, Zhao''er was busy with the housework of the second room and had to do the work in the office. In addition, Zhao''er was still young at that time, Mr. Xue told her to take good care of Xue Gouzi and not to take care of the work at work.


    Zhao''er now has free time to go around and get some money, but she is a person who looks at her conscience and will help out as much as she can in her spare time. As for those who used words to squeeze her like Sun, her sharp tongue was not forgiving.


    Seeing Xue Taoer struggling to fetch water from the well, Zhao''er rubbed his face and went up to help her.


    Thirteen-year-old Xue Taoer is like a small flower in bud. Although she is not very beautiful, she is very delicate. Seeing Zhao''er coming to help her, she couldn''t help showing a smile and talking to her: "Sister Zhao''er, is the second brother better?" Xue Gouzi is the second grandson of the Xue family, so Xue Taoer called him the second brother .


    "I had a fever again last night, and it got better in the second half of the night." Zhao''er looked around curiously, and asked, "Why isn''t Third Uncle here?"


    Although Xue Qingbai is a bit honest and reticent, he always loves his wife and daughter. Whenever he meets the third room to cook, he will get up early to fill the water tank.

 Chapter 182

    "Uncle Chen is acquainted with the owner of the Qingyuan Academy?" Seeing that Boss Chen was so indignant, Xue Tingxiang asked curiously.


    Boss Chen stroked his beard and said, "I''m ashamed to say that I was a classmate with him when I was young, but I was not good at studies and only passed the exam as a boy student, but he was selected as a scholar in one fell swoop, and he was still a boy student. It''s a pity that luck was bad, and he has never been able to pass the exam. It took many years to pass the exam, and he had no intention of pursuing a career, so he returned to his hometown to inherit his father''s career in teaching and educating people."


    "It won''t be bad luck all the time." Xue Tingxiang said.


    If he remembered correctly, the Qingyuan School''s Director Lin finally passed the Juren examination three years later, the whole town was a sensation at that time, and the Qinghe School''s director Gao Youzhi was so angry that he almost vomited blood. At that time, he was planning to leave the Qinghe Academy to study at the Shen family''s ethnology, and happened to hear something about it.


    Boss Chen thought the young man was just comforting him, and smiled, "Thank you for your good words."


    Xue Tingxiang was not ambiguous, and cupped his hands and said: "Thank you, Uncle Chen, for the suggestion, but there are still trivial matters at home that have not been dealt with. When everything is settled, the boy will go to the Qingyuan Academy to study."


    "You are straightforward, so you are not afraid of being implicated and hindering your fame?" Boss Chen asked curiously.


    "The kid hasn''t entered school yet, so what are you talking about? Besides, the imperial court has always attached great importance to the selection of talents. If there are really talented people, presumably the magistrate Hu will not dare to stop him too much."


    "I can''t see that you have high ambitions. Well, since you dare to go, I will recommend you one or two. Although my classmate is rigid and dull, he is not good at words, but his knowledge is first-rate. Don''t dare It is no problem to teach a person to become a Jinshi, but a scholar is fine."


    "Then thank Uncle Chen first."


    *


    For several days, Xue Tingxiang and Zhao''er left early and returned late.


    Someone from Xue''s family asked twice, and Zhao''er said to take Xue Tingxiang out to get some fresh air, so as not to be overwhelmed. The people in the big room showed contempt, and Mr. Xue couldn''t help shaking his head. After that, no one asked any more questions, and most of them knew in their hearts that Xue Tingxiang was doomed. Maybe the two children in Erfang also have a lot of mentality, so they broke the cans and didn''t read books, but ran around playing.


    You must know that even if you are as qualified as Xue Juncai, you have to read books at home for many days to prepare.


    In the blink of an eye, it was five days.


    This day is no different from ordinary days.


    The farmhouse is always busy in the morning, and after a night, the family''s livestock have to be waited on, and the whole family has to be tossed about to eat. After breakfast, the men will go to the fields, and the women will do housework at home.


    If there is some difference, Xue Juncai had two more poached eggs in his bowl than others for breakfast.


    Because of Mr. Xue''s beating some time ago, Mrs. Zhao didn''t dare to openly fight against the big family members these days. Today, seeing that life is not normal, she couldn''t hold back.


    Originally, Xue Tingxiang didn''t have any, but Yang Shi saw that her father-in-law looked bad, so she took the initiative to ask Zhao Shi to ask for two eggs, and put them in the bowl for him.


    Xue Tingxiang wants to recruit one of them separately, but he doesn''t want to be recruited, but it''s a pity that he can''t be persuaded.


    For the sake of one egg, the two of you whispered one sentence at a time, while Mr. Xue''s expression on the top was particularly serious.


    But life in the country is like this, no matter how heavy your heart is, you can''t lose your livelihood. Especially when rushing for spring plowing, Mr. Xue still took his two sons to work in the fields for a while, and didn''t come back until the sun was high.


    The news about the competition between the two children of Xue''s family has spread throughout Yuqing Village.


    It''s not that there are people who say strange things, but most people can still understand what old man Xue did. It''s not easy for rural people to earn a little money, and no one''s money comes from the big river. If there is a way, no one will do this.


    Knowing that today is the day, let the children of the family watch in the village. Seeing a stranger go to Zheng Lizheng''s house, these hairy kids ran into the field, shouting from a long distance, "Someone is coming from Lizheng''s house". The adults stopped planting the land, so they picked up the hoes and rushed back.


    Not long after, the big courtyard of Zheng Lizheng''s house was full of people, and more villagers kept coming here.


    There was a lot of commotion in the yard, everyone was gossiping and discussing today''s matter at the same time.


    In the room, Zheng Li was talking with a middle-aged man in a scholar''s shirt and a flat scarf on his head.


    This man had a thin and long face, his complexion was a little pale, and his eyes were slightly swollen. She doesn''t look good, but her identity seems to be extraordinary, and she actually sits in the main seat.


    And Zheng Lizheng could only sit on the sidelines.


    His Gu Pan has a different temperament from ordinary people. This person is Qiao Xiucai, who has a reputation in the surrounding ten miles and eight villages.


    Long before, Zheng Lizheng had thought about it. Xue Qingshan came forward to invite someone from the Xue family, if he didn''t expect, it should be his father-in-law Yang Zhong, Yang Zhong is just a boy, so he will invite a scholar.


    On the one hand, it seemed that he was impartial, and on the other hand, it was a good time to show his prestige.


    "Qiao Xianggong, you drink tea, I will order someone to remind you."


    Qiao Xiucai waved his hand indifferently: "Don''t worry."


    Just as he was talking, there was a commotion outside, but it was patriarch Xue who came with someone.


    However, it was not Patriarch Xue who took the lead, but an old man over fifty years old. This old man is of medium stature, dressed the same as Qiao Xiucai, also wearing a scholar''s shirt and a flat scarf, obviously even if he is not a scholar, he is still a child.


    Sure enough, when Qiao Xiucai saw the old man, he quickly stood up from his chair and bowed to him.


    "I never thought it would be Senior He, late born is so polite."


    "Don''t be too polite, just sit down."


    This He Xiucai was the person invited by patriarch Xue to preside over this competition.


    Zheng Lizheng was right, at first Xue Qingshan really planned to invite his father-in-law, but it was a pity that this matter was rejected by Patriarch Xue.


    Patriarch Xue also only knew that Xue Qingshan was so stupid. They all said that he should not avoid relatives when he was a virtuous person, but this is not the way. Since he felt that the chances of winning were more than guaranteed, there was no need for people to make mistakes, so he took care of this matter.


    He knew in his heart that the surname Zheng would not let go of the opportunity to show off, and if he came forward to invite someone, he must be a scholar. He originally planned to invite Qiao Xiucai, but he was a step late, so he had to delay the relationship and invite He Xiucai.


    After courteously giving way to each other, the two scholars sat down on the main seat.


    Zheng Lizheng and Patriarch Xue sat beside him.


    "Let Brother Lizheng worry about it."


    "Don''t bother, don''t worry, I''m the leader here, so I can''t show up if something happens in the village."


    A lot of back and forth, seemingly amiable, but there is a hint of wit hidden in the words. During this period, a few old people walked in from the outside, but they were a few old people from Yuqing Village, Mr. Xue, Xue Qingshan and others also came.


    Another uninvited guest was Xue Qingshan''s father-in-law Yang Zhong.


    Yang Zhong was in his fifties, with a chubby body. He didn''t look like a scholar, but a landlord with a fat brain. As soon as he came in, he joined Qiao Xiucai and He Xiucai, but unfortunately, these two scholars were not willing to talk to him, they said a few words with him, and then went to sit aside awkwardly.


    Xue Qingshan sat at the end.


    The Weng and the son-in-law are considered pretty people, and those who can sit here are all respectable people in the village, but because of the identity of this boy, they can also sit in the hall. You know, even Mr. Xue doesn''t have a seat, so he can only stand aside.


    "I don''t know the real master, but he''s here?" He Xiucai asked when he saw that almost everyone had come.


    Patriarch Xue looked at Mr. Xue, and Xue Qinghuai hurriedly said, "Here we come."


    Just as he was speaking, the villagers surrounding the door made way, and two teenagers walked out from the crowd.


    These two teenagers are all dressed in short brown, and they can be seen from humble backgrounds at a glance.


    The one in the lead looks gentle and handsome, with a slender figure. Although the clothes are simple, he is quite personable. The one in the back is half a head shorter than the one in the front, his body seems a little weak, and he seems a little introverted, his eyelids are always half down, and he seems a little afraid of strangers.


    But when the two came to the hall and accepted the scrutiny of the crowd, they had some clues.


    The elder''s appearance is not bad, but he always pulls his sleeves intentionally or unintentionally, as if the clothes don''t fit well. But the young one has been standing neither humble nor overbearing, the half-drooped eyelids not only do not make people feel contemptuous, but it feels like the respect that the younger generation should have for the elders.


    Therefore, it seemed that the older one looked directly into the eyes of everyone, which was a bit too abrupt. It is good to have self-confidence, but when the younger generation faces the elders, a humble and respectful attitude is indispensable.


    All this happened in an instant, and Qiao Xiucai and He Xiucai, who were seated in the main seats, had the initial judgment on these two young people.


    "Student Xue Juncai, student Xue Tingxiang, I have met all the elders."


    He Xiucai nodded, Qiao Xiucai nodded, and asked curiously, "Tingxiang? Does this name have a meaning?"


    Xue Tingxiang was taken aback, and Fang Zuoyi said: "Hey, I mean to follow suit. The student''s great-great-grandfather was also a student, and the biggest regret in his life was that he failed to pass the exam. Although my Xue family was born in a poor family, there are many generations. Forgetting the last wish of the ancestors, while settling down to live and work, he has been working hard to let the children of the clan read and write, and be able to understand the principles of life.


    "It should be noted that if you read a lot, you will have hills and valleys in your heart, and you will have a poetic spirit in your stomach. The younger generation will follow the last wish of the ancestors. Although they are not very knowledgeable at a young age, they have great ambitions. They hope that one day they can continue the path that their ancestors walked, and continue to do so. go down."


    These words are very well-chosen, and the words are too polite, or they say something to study and become an official to serve the court, to establish a life for the people, and to bring peace to all generations. They are all suspected of deliberately showing off, which makes people laugh. After all, they are still brats, not even children.


    And Xue Tingxiang''s words just echoed his age and knowledge, and even because of the ancestor''s last wish, it added a bit of filial piety.


    After listening to Qiao Xiucai, he stroked his beard and said, "Okay! What a big ambition!"


    With this praise, everyone''s eyes were on Xue Tingxiang.


    Most people don''t understand what it means, they only think that Qiao Xiucai is exaggerating the dog of Xue''s second room, but they can understand but they have different thoughts.


    Shocked and complicated like patriarch Xue, the look in Xue Tingxiang''s eyes implied excitement and admiration. He is the head of the clan, and he always regards the glory of the clan as his great responsibility. Xue Tingxiang''s words not only praised his ancestors in front of others, but also inadvertently showed the unusualness of the Xue clan, which made his face extraordinarily honored. Unconsciously, he straightened his back.


    Some secretly scolded this son for being cunning, and even used the occasion to grandstanding.


    Still upholding the last wish of his ancestors, whoever asked him to uphold it was just bragging! Why didn''t I see that this son was so eloquent earlier.


    "The elders in your family took this name for you, and they have high hopes for you."


    When Qiao Xiucai said this, he was embarrassed again, but it was the Xue family who were embarrassed.


    Just when Patriarch Xue and the others were afraid that Xue Tingxiang would be ignorant to tell the reason, he saluted again and said: "This junior will definitely study hard and live up to the expectations of his family."


    Xue Qingshan couldn''t sit still.


    Today''s book is for the examination of Xue Juncai and Xue Tingxiang, who is eligible to enter the school. The exam hadn''t even started yet, but Qiao Xiucai''s words were intended to encourage and agree with the other party. The so-called failure before the battle was nothing more than that.


    He couldn''t help but interjected: "Seniors, can we start?"


    Only then did Qiao Xiucai realize that he had spoken too much, but once he said it, he would naturally not take it back, and Xue Qingshan''s words obviously made him feel embarrassed. There was a slight displeasure in his heart, so instead of avoiding it, he nodded appreciatively to Xue Tingxiang, and then went to take a sip of tea on the table.


    Between the actions, there was a sense of treating Xue Qingshan as nothing, which made his face darken immediately. But he didn''t dare to have any doubts at all, he just smiled and sat back.


    Qiao Xiucai put down the teacup, cupped his hands and said to He Xiucai: "Senior He, look at this¡ª"


    "Let''s begin then."


    "Are you a senior, or you are the main one."


    Qiao Xiucai is a polite word. He is only in his thirties, he is already a scholar, he may be able to raise a scholar in the future, but He Xiucai is already an old man, the possibility of being selected is very slim. That''s why it was obvious that He Xiucai was the main one, but when Qiao Xiucai spoke, He Xiucai didn''t interrupt him, and didn''t even blame him for taking the lead.


    This is the way of the imperial examination, which pays attention to qualifications and seniority, but also pays attention to potential.


    Talents like Yang Zhong who fail the exam all their lives will be old boys when they grow old. However, if one can pass the examination as a scholar, even if one is over half a hundred years old and the other is a young man with a weak crown, they can still be on equal footing and be friends with each other as peers.


    It''s like Xue Qingshan is about to call himself a junior in front of Qiao Xiucai, and he can only accept Qiao Xiucai''s embarrassment to him. Although Qiao Xiucai gave He Xiucai too much courtesy, He Xiucai put him first in words and deeds.


    Few of the people present understood these principles, but Xue Tingxiang did, which made him even more determined to be a scholar.


    "Where are you two in your studies now?"


    "I have finished studying the Four Books, and now I am diligently reading the "Book of Songs" among the Five Classics." Xue Juncai answered first.


    He Xiucai set his sights on Xue Tingxiang.


    He pondered for a while, and said: "After studying the four books, I can only read them, but I can''t understand them."


    He Xiucai didn''t say anything, but Zheng Lizheng said in confusion, "If I remember correctly, you and the talented boy Kaimeng came one after another. How could you have fallen behind so much in your studies?"


    Xue Tingxiang remained silent, but Xue Qingshan''s eyebrows twitched.


    As for the headache, even the doctor couldn''t tell what the cause was.


    After sending the doctor away, grandmother Zhao slapped her face on the spot.


    She looked like she was in her fifties, with her gray hair neatly pulled back behind her head. With a long face, the eyelids are a little sunken, and when the face is pulled, it becomes a triangular eye, which looks particularly unfriendly.


    Without Mrs. Zhao''s words, Mrs. Sun said: "Zhao''er, it''s not the fourth aunt talking about you, you girl likes to make a fuss. Could it be that you deliberately torment us all, even if you don''t like it..."


    Before she finished speaking, she was pulled by the man Xue Qinghuai.


    "Okay, let''s say a few words less, Zhao''er is not ignorant, and besides, the dog is already sick, so it''s better to find a doctor to take a look, so the family can rest assured."


    "I said less and said less, and I didn''t say anything..."


    "You also said..."


    The couple went out while chatting and tugging. The eldest aunt Yang smiled at Zhao''er, and then said to the mother-in-law: "Mother, let''s go too, let the dog have a good rest."


    Mrs. Zhao glanced at the dog on the kang, snorted coldly, turned her head and left. It can be seen from her posture that she is very angry.


    In fact, it is true. The Xue family can''t be called a rich family. It costs at least one or two hundred dollars to invite a doctor from the town. ! In particular, the doctor''s pulse just now confirmed Zhao''s guess that Xue Gouzi was deliberately pretending to be ill, and it was only strange that she was happy.

 Chapter 183

    Because he knew that this matter seemed insignificant, but it was actually too difficult for farmers. How many families had the idea of ??changing their own destiny by reading books.


    It can be said that those who are born in a poor family in the countryside and can achieve great fame have all experienced great hardships. The starting point is much lower than others. It takes countless efforts to catch up with others, and at the same time they have to face all kinds of cruel competition.


    This kind of competition is not only between classmates, but also between the same exams, but also between the same clan, and even one''s own brothers.


    If you succeed, the sea and the sky will be bright with fishes, and you will not be an ordinary person since then. If you fail, you will put down your books and pick up a hoe, and you will face the loess and the sky for the rest of your life.


    It is because they understand this kind of cruelty that the two of them can''t help but wonder whether this son deliberately said that his knowledge is weak, or he just wants to pull his brother to reduce the difficulty of the question. But this is a double-edged sword. After all, it is a disadvantage to oneself to lose one''s studies to others.


    These thoughts only happened in an instant, and because of the sudden attention of He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai, Xue Qingshan''s eyebrows jumped wildly, for fear that Xue Tingxiang would say something amazing again. At this moment, he couldn''t care less about why Xue Tingshan knew the explanation of the scriptures, and he completely forgot that his previous idea was that Xue Tingshan didn''t understand the scriptures, and it would be effortless for his son to beat him.


    This is also true for Patriarch Xue. If something happens in the clan that cannot be seen by others, it is limited to the clan. If it happens in public, it will be a bit ugly.


    The eyes of the two seemed to have needles, and they were anxiously focused on Xue Tingxiang''s face. Unexpectedly, he smiled shyly and said: "The boy was weak and sick when he was young, so he inevitably fell behind."


    Xue Qingshan hurriedly laughed and said: "That''s exactly the case. Don''t be afraid that the two seniors will laugh at me. My nephew is talented and intelligent, but his weak body hinders his studies."


    Patriarch Xue also nodded in agreement.


    Others didn''t know what was going on, they just opened their eyes and watched. Only Zheng Lizheng seemed to realize that there was something wrong, but he couldn''t tell the details, so he could only keep silent.


    After He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai gave in to each other again, He Xiucai was the main one in the end. Sitting at the top, he said to Xue Tingxiang: "Since you don''t understand the scriptures, it''s a bit unfair to go beyond the scope of what you have learned. You two are still young, and it''s time to lay down the foundation, so I will test your two. Human base."


    Hearing this, although Xue Juncai was a little disappointed that he was overqualified and missed his opportunity to perform, he also felt disdainful.


    If you don''t test the scriptures, then Xue Tingxiang is not his opponent!


    He Xiucai squeezed his beard with his hands, and after pondering for a while, said: "Zhu Zi said: the size of learning is inherently different, but it is the way, it is only one. It is also suitable for young people. If you don''t learn it in elementary school, you will have nothing to learn. Its heart, to cultivate its virtue, is the foundation of the university. The two of you will each silently write a "Disciple Regulations."


    Neither of them expected that the first question would be Mo''s "Disciple Regulations". You must know that "Disciples Regulations" was learned at the beginning of elementary school, and the whole article is only about a thousand words. In addition to the general narrative, it is divided into seven chapters: filial piety when you enter, brotherhood when you go out, sincerity, faith, universal love for all, kindness and benevolence, and Yu Liwen.


    Each chapter is not long, with three words and one sentence, rhyming in the same pattern, and catchy. It lists the various norms that disciples should abide by at home, when going out, and when dealing with people. It also just proves what He Xiucai said before, the size of learning is inherently different, but it is the truth that it is only one.


    Someone has already prepared a square table and pens and inks, and each person has a table and table in front of the hall, and even the ink has been sharpened.


    When the two came to the table, they picked up a pen and wrote without any hesitation.


    As the two rushed to write and write, the noise gradually faded away. Even if the country people don''t understand the basic principles, they also know that scholars should not be disturbed when they are doing their studies.


    This is not a problem for Xue Tingxiang, because he only has one book, so he has spent too much effort to memorize the things he has learned.


    Not only memorizing, but also keeping in mind, so that when asked in school, he can answer fluently, because he has no reference at all.


    It is better to have no books than to have books, because these are all engraved in the mind. Especially since having that dream, in order not to affect his memory, he has silently recited the book he had memorized countless times in his mind.


    While Xue Tingxiang was writing vigorously, he also had a slight change in his opinion of He Xiucai.


    He could see that the other party asked such an unexpected question, not because the other party deliberately released the water, but because the other party wanted to make a surprise. Because this discipline is too simple for scholars, they have learned it when they were just learning, but they just throw it away after learning it.


    Except for the beginning of learning, my husband will not take these things in the future. It may be to test the Three Character Classic, or even a hundred surnames, and a thousand character prose, but it will not be the rules of this disciple.


    Xue Tingxiang even couldn''t wait to see Xue Juncai''s reaction. Maybe the other party can roughly write down this article, but can you write down all the thousands of words, and the words are correct and the order is good? And He Xiucai''s request to silence this disciple''s rule is probably not just silent, but also one of the "books" in elementary school.


    Just relying on your own words is enough to beat the opponent.


    As Xue Tingxiang thought, at first Xue Juncai really felt contemptuous. He even wondered if this He Xiucai was out of his mind to take the "Disciple Regulations" test.


    Who wouldn''t know this disciple? It is something to learn at the beginning of school. But after he fell silent, he realized that he really wasn''t as good as he thought.


    After you leave, do you love me, or are you hurt? You must know that this Disciple Rules is not like other articles, it can connect the past and the future, confirming each other, if the first sentence is wrong, the latter paragraph will be wrong.


    The more Xue Juncai became silent, the more annoyed he felt, and he always felt that he was wrong in being silent. If someone asks a question, he can naturally answer it fluently. Ke Mo, Mo is still a good word!


    At first, he wrote like flying, but then it became slower and slower, and even reached the point where he couldn''t write, obviously he was not sure if his memory was wrong.


    On the contrary, Xue Tingxiang has been calm from the beginning, and he is still writing at a leisurely pace at this time, but it can be seen that his writing is very coherent, with almost no pause.


    At the first place, Qiao Xiucai glanced at He Xiucai with exclamation, and did not hide her surprise at all. He naturally had a panoramic view of the following situation, and he had to admire He Xiucai''s ingenuity.


    He Xiucai smiled slightly. In fact, he would ask this kind of question, but he just wanted people to make mistakes. I was very proud of my inspiration.


    He stroked his beard and said with a faint smile, "You two little friends, don''t worry, there is a stick of incense time, enough to write it down."


    Yizhuxiang wrote more than a thousand characters, which seemed a bit hasty, but it is not impossible to write something as simple as the disciple''s rules silently, as long as you pay close attention to it.


    But that was before, Xue Juncai couldn''t help but feel even more anxious when he heard someone mention the time.


    In the following time, he kept looking at the stick of incense, because he looked at it too frequently, which made his speed even slower.


    "Okay, time is up."


    As the words fell, Xue Tingxiang made a big stroke and put down the brush in his hand.


    Xue Juncai didn''t move, until someone went in front of him, only to find that his whole body was as stiff as a stone, and he was dripping with sweat, and the paper in front of him was only half full.


    Because the two were behind the gate, and Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong were sitting at the end, they didn''t notice anything strange about it. In their minds, a "Regulations for Disciples" couldn''t be simpler, and Xue Juncai''s strange appearance also attracted the attention of the two of them, but they still didn''t expect that Xue Juncai could not finish writing it.


    It wasn''t until He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai looked at each other''s papers that they looked at each other, and He Xiucai announced that Xue Tingxiang won this match.


    Xue Qingshan stood up from the chair in surprise: "How is it possible?"


    At the same time, there was a lot of discussion below and outside the door, and it seemed that Xue Juncai couldn''t believe that Xue Juncai had lost. Insiders look at the doorway, while laymen watch the excitement. The villagers who didn''t know a single word didn''t know what the test was about, they only knew that Master Xiucai said that Xue Juncai lost to the Xue family dog.


    Xue Juncai lost to Xue Gouzi?


    This, this is really surprising. You must know that Xue Juncai has always been the most outstanding young man among the younger generation in Yuqing Village. Whoever mentions him does not give a thumbs up.


    "Senior He, Senior Qiao, did you make a mistake, a disciple''s regulation..."


    He Xiucai gestured with his gaze, and two people stepped forward to unfold Xue Juncai''s and Xue Tingxiang''s papers, held them up, and showed them to everyone.


    I saw that on one of the rice papers, the handwriting was full of strength, correct and beautiful. On the other piece of rice paper, the handwriting was not bad, but it was anticlimactic, and it became more and more scribbled as it went to the back, and there were even spots of ink on it.


    "Xue Tingxiang''s words are not bad, and there is no ink on the scroll, which is a good appearance. And Xue Juncai didn''t finish his silence, and there were mistakes and omissions, so Xue Tingxiang won this round."


    "Brilliant!" Xue Qingshan said in surprise, his eyes were full of disbelief, he wanted to say something, but was pulled by Yang Zhong.


    Xue Juncai didn''t raise his head until now, he raised his head stiffly and looked at Xue Tingxiang with red eyes.


    ...


    Next is the second round, and this round will return to the normal school exam homework.


    He Xiucai asked the question, and the two answered.


    "Seeking the ancients to seek the theory, how can you solve it if you let go of your worries?"


    "Search for the ancients and the ancient things, and read more wise and famous sayings, so that you can get rid of distracting thoughts and be at ease." Xue Juncai took a step forward and replied.


    "Meng Ke is dunsu, Shi Yu is upright. What''s the explanation for Lao Qian''s edict?" This sentence was asked by Xue Tingxiang.


    He pondered for a while, and said: "Mencius advocates simplicity, while Ziyu, the official historian, is upright. What he said is that a person should conform to the standard of the mean as much as possible. He must be hardworking and humble, be cautious, and know how to advise himself."


    "Saying the warning, what''s the next sentence?" When He Xiucai asked this sentence, he didn''t look at any of the two of them.


    Xue Juncai was still in a daze, but Xue Tingxiang had already replied: "I''m almost ashamed, Lin Gao is lucky."


    "Don''t talk about each other''s weaknesses, what''s the solution to relying on your own strengths?"


    This time Xue Juncai didn''t let up, and hurriedly said: "Don''t talk about other people''s shortcomings, and don''t rely on your own strengths to make progress." Before he finished speaking, his cheeks were hot, and he didn''t know whether it was embarrassment or self-ashamed.


    "Okay!" He Xiucai clapped his hands together, "All the answers are pretty good."


    Suddenly, he said again: "Shuixie."


    Xue Juncai was stunned for a moment, Xue Tingxiang''s eyes flashed, and he replied: "Shanzhai."


    Hearing this, Xue Juncai realized that He Xiucai was taking a pair test.


    Before schoolchildren enter university, in addition to the basic three hundred and thousand thousand, they also need to learn "Enlightenment of Rhythm", "Longwen Whip Shadow", "Children''s Learning Qionglin", "Zengguang Xianwen" and so on.


    Among them, "Enlightenment of Rhythm" and "Longwen Whip Shadow" teach children to understand the rules of rhythm and parallelism. In the process of learning Pingzheqie rhyme, at the same time begin to understand and master poetry rhyme, and acquire a large number of vocabulary and ancient allusions.


    Nowadays there is a saying that few schoolchildren who have been taught can''t match the right pair.


    Especially this simple pair and couplet.


    After suffering two losses in a row, Xue Juncai was obviously smarter. It was almost He Xiucai who asked the question. Answered successfully.

 Chapter 184

    Boss Chen thought the young man was just comforting him, and smiled, "Thank you for your good words."


    Xue Tingxiang was not ambiguous either, and cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Uncle Chen, for your suggestion, but there are still trivial matters at home that have not been dealt with. When everything is settled, I will go to the Qingyuan Academy to study."


    "You are straightforward, so you are not afraid of being implicated and hindering your fame?" Boss Chen asked curiously.


    "The kid hasn''t entered school yet, so what are you talking about? Besides, the imperial court has always attached great importance to the selection of talents. If they are really talented people, presumably the magistrate Hu will not dare to stop them too much."


    "I can''t see that you have high ambitions. Well, since you dare to go, I will recommend you one or two. Although my classmate is rigid and not good at words, his knowledge is first-rate. Don''t dare It¡¯s okay to teach a person to become a Jinshi, but a scholar is fine.¡±


    "Then thank Uncle Chen first."


    *


    For several days, Xue Tingxiang and Zhao''er left early and returned late.


    Someone from Xue''s family asked twice, and Zhao''er told him to take Xue Tingxiang out to get some fresh air, so as not to be overwhelmed. The people in the big room showed contempt, and Mr. Xue couldn''t help shaking his head. After that, no one asked any more questions, and most of them knew in their hearts that Xue Tingxiang was doomed. Maybe the two children of Erfang also have a lot of mentality, so they broke the cans and didn''t read books, but ran around to play.


    You must know that even if you are as talented as Xue Juncai, you have to read books at home for many days to prepare.


    In the blink of an eye, it was five days.


    This day is no different from ordinary days.


    The farmhouse is always busy in the morning, and after a night, the family''s livestock have to be waited on, and the whole family has to be tossed about to eat. After breakfast, the men will go to the fields, and the women will do housework at home.


    If there is some difference, Xue Juncai had two more poached eggs in his bowl than others for breakfast.


    Because of Mr. Xue''s beating some time ago, Mrs. Zhao didn''t dare to openly fight against the big family members these days. Today, seeing that life is not normal, she couldn''t hold back.


    Originally, Xue Tingxiang didn''t have any, but Yang Shi saw that her father-in-law looked bad, so she took the initiative to ask Zhao Shi to ask for two eggs, and put them in the bowl for him.


    Xue Tingxiang wants to recruit one of them separately, but he doesn''t want to be recruited, but it''s a pity that he can''t be persuaded.


    For the sake of one egg, the two of you whispered one sentence at a time, while Mr. Xue''s expression on the top was particularly serious.


    But life in the country is like this, no matter how heavy your heart is, you can''t lose your livelihood. Especially when rushing for spring plowing, Mr. Xue still took his two sons to work in the fields for a while, and didn''t come back until the sun was high.


    The news about the competition between the two children of Xue''s family has spread throughout Yuqing Village.


    It''s not that there are people who say strange things, but most people can still understand what old man Xue did. It''s not easy for rural people to earn a little money, and no one''s money comes from the big river. If there is a way, no one will do this.


    Knowing that today is the day, let the children of the family watch in the village. Seeing a stranger go to Zheng Lizheng''s house, these hairy kids ran into the field, shouting from a long distance, "Someone is coming from Lizheng''s house". The adults stopped planting the land, so they picked up the hoes and rushed back.


    Not long after, the big courtyard of Zheng Lizheng''s house was full of people, and more villagers kept coming here.


    There was a lot of commotion in the yard, everyone was gossiping and discussing today''s matter at the same time.


    In the room, Zheng Li was talking with a middle-aged man in a scholar''s shirt and a flat scarf on his head.


    This man had a thin and long face, his complexion was a little pale, and his eyes were slightly swollen. She doesn''t look good, but her identity seems to be extraordinary, and she actually sits in the main seat.


    And Zheng Lizheng could only sit on the sidelines.


    His Gu Pan has a different temperament from ordinary people. This person is Qiao Xiucai, who has a reputation in the surrounding ten miles and eight villages.


    Long before, Zheng Lizheng had thought about it. Xue Qingshan came forward to invite someone from the Xue family, if he didn''t expect, it should be his father-in-law Yang Zhong, Yang Zhong is just a boy, so he will invite a scholar.


    On the one hand, it seemed that he was impartial, and on the other hand, it was a good time to show his prestige.


    "Qiao Xianggong, you drink tea, I will order someone to remind you."


    Qiao Xiucai waved his hand indifferently: "Don''t worry."


    Just as he was talking, there was a commotion outside, but it was patriarch Xue who came with someone.


    However, it was not Patriarch Xue who took the lead, but an old man over fifty years old. This old man is of medium stature, dressed the same as Qiao Xiucai, also wearing a scholar''s shirt and a flat scarf, obviously even if he is not a scholar, he is still a child.


    Sure enough, when Qiao Xiucai saw the old man, he quickly stood up from his chair and bowed to him.


    "I never thought it would be Senior He, late born is so polite."


    "Don''t be too polite, just sit down."


    This He Xiucai was the person invited by patriarch Xue to preside over this competition.


    Zheng Lizheng was right, at first Xue Qingshan really planned to invite his father-in-law, but it was a pity that this matter was rejected by Patriarch Xue.


    Patriarch Xue also only knew that Xue Qingshan was so stupid. They all said that he should not avoid relatives when he was a virtuous person, but this is not the way. Since he felt that the chances of winning were more than guaranteed, there was no need for people to make mistakes, so he took care of this matter.


    He knew in his heart that the surname Zheng would not let go of the opportunity to show off, and if he came forward to invite someone, he must be a scholar. He originally planned to invite Qiao Xiucai, but he was a step late, so he had to delay the relationship and invite He Xiucai.


    After courteously giving way to each other, the two scholars sat down on the main seat.


    Zheng Lizheng and Patriarch Xue sat beside him.


    "Let Brother Lizheng worry about it."


    "Don''t bother, don''t worry, I''m the leader here, so I can''t show up if something happens in the village."


    A lot of back and forth, seemingly amiable, but there is a hint of wit hidden in the words. During this period, a few old people walked in from the outside, but they were a few old people from Yuqing Village, Mr. Xue, Xue Qingshan and others also came.


    Another uninvited guest was Xue Qingshan''s father-in-law Yang Zhong.


    Yang Zhong was in his fifties, with a chubby body. He didn''t look like a scholar, but a landlord with a fat brain. As soon as he came in, he joined Qiao Xiucai and He Xiucai, but unfortunately, these two scholars were not willing to talk to him, they said a few words with him, and then went to sit aside awkwardly.


    Xue Qingshan sat at the end.


    The Weng and the son-in-law are considered pretty people, and those who can sit here are all respectable people in the village, but because of the identity of this boy, they can also sit in the hall. You know, even Mr. Xue doesn''t have a seat, so he can only stand aside.


    "I don''t know the real master, but he''s here?" He Xiucai asked when he saw that almost everyone had come.


    Patriarch Xue looked at Mr. Xue, and Xue Qinghuai hurriedly said, "Here we come."


    Just as he was speaking, the villagers surrounding the door made way, and two teenagers walked out from the crowd.


    These two teenagers are all dressed in short brown, and they can be seen from humble backgrounds at a glance.


    The one in the lead looks gentle and handsome, with a slender figure. Although the clothes are simple, he is quite personable. The one in the back is half a head shorter than the one in the front, his body seems a little weak, and he seems a little introverted, his eyelids are always half down, and he seems a little afraid of strangers.


    But when the two came to the hall and accepted the scrutiny of the crowd, they had some clues.


    The elder''s appearance is not bad, but he always pulls his sleeves intentionally or unintentionally, as if the clothes don''t fit well. But the young one has been standing neither humble nor overbearing, the half-drooped eyelids not only do not make people feel contemptuous, but it feels like the respect that the younger generation should have for the elders.


    Therefore, it seemed that the older one looked directly into the eyes of everyone, which was a bit too abrupt. It is good to have self-confidence, but when the younger generation faces the elders, a humble and respectful attitude is indispensable.


    All this happened in an instant, and Qiao Xiucai and He Xiucai, who were seated in the main seats, had the initial judgment on these two young people.


    "Student Xue Juncai, student Xue Tingxiang, I have met all the elders."


    He Xiucai nodded, Qiao Xiucai nodded, and asked curiously, "Tingxiang? Does this name have a meaning?"


    Xue Tingxiang was taken aback, and Fang Zuoyi said: "Hey, I mean to follow suit. The student''s great-great-grandfather was also a student, and the biggest regret in his life was that he failed to pass the exam. Although my Xue family was born in a poor family, there are many generations. Forgetting the last wish of the ancestors, while settling down to live and work, he has been working hard to let the children of the clan read and write, and be able to understand the principles of life.


    "It should be noted that if you read a lot, you will have hills and valleys in your heart, and you will have a poetic spirit in your stomach. The younger generation will follow the last wish of the ancestors. Although they are not very knowledgeable at a young age, they have great ambitions. They hope that one day they can continue the path that their ancestors walked, and continue to do so. go down."


    These words are very well-chosen, and the words are too polite, or they say something to study and become an official to serve the court, to establish a life for the people, and to bring peace to all generations. They are all suspected of deliberately showing off, which makes people laugh. After all, they are still brats, not even children.


    And Xue Tingxiang''s words just echoed his age and knowledge, and even because of the ancestor''s last wish, it added a bit of filial piety.


    After listening to Qiao Xiucai, he stroked his beard and said, "Okay! What a big ambition!"


    With this praise, everyone''s eyes were on Xue Tingxiang.


    Most people don''t understand what it means, they only think that Qiao Xiucai is exaggerating the dog of Xue''s second room, but they can understand but they have different thoughts.


    Shocked and complicated like patriarch Xue, the look in Xue Tingxiang''s eyes implied excitement and admiration. He is the head of the clan, and he always regards the glory of the clan as his great responsibility. Xue Tingxiang''s words not only praised his ancestors in front of others, but also inadvertently showed the unusualness of the Xue clan, which made his face extraordinarily honored. Unconsciously, he straightened his back.


    Some secretly scolded this son for being cunning, and even used the occasion to grandstanding.


    Still upholding the last wish of his ancestors, whoever asked him to uphold it was just bragging! Why didn''t I see that this son was so eloquent earlier.


    "The elders in your family took this name for you, and they have high hopes for you."


    When Qiao Xiucai said this, he was embarrassed again, but it was the Xue family who were embarrassed.


    Just when Patriarch Xue and the others were afraid that Xue Tingxiang would be ignorant to tell the reason, he saluted again and said: "This junior will definitely study hard and live up to the expectations of his family."


    Xue Qingshan couldn''t sit still.


    Today''s book is for the examination of Xue Juncai and Xue Tingxiang, who is eligible to enter the school. The exam hadn''t even started yet, but Qiao Xiucai''s words were intended to encourage and agree with the other party. The so-called failure before the battle was nothing more than that.


    He couldn''t help but interjected: "Seniors, can we start?"


    Only then did Qiao Xiucai realize that he had spoken too much, but once he said it, he would naturally not take it back, and Xue Qingshan''s words obviously made him feel embarrassed. There was a slight displeasure in his heart, so instead of avoiding it, he nodded appreciatively to Xue Tingxiang, and then went to take a sip of tea on the table.


    Between the actions, there was a sense of treating Xue Qingshan as nothing, which made his face darken immediately. But he didn''t dare to have any doubts at all, he just smiled and sat back.


    Qiao Xiucai put down the teacup, cupped his hands and said to He Xiucai: "Senior He, look at this¡ª"


    "Let''s begin then."


    "Are you a senior, or you are the main one."


    Qiao Xiucai is a polite word. He is only in his thirties, he is already a scholar, he may be able to raise a scholar in the future, but He Xiucai is already an old man, the possibility of being selected is very slim. That''s why it was obvious that He Xiucai was the main one, but when Qiao Xiucai spoke, He Xiucai didn''t interrupt him, and didn''t even blame him for taking the lead.


    This is the way of the imperial examination, which pays attention to qualifications and seniority, but also pays attention to potential.


    Talents like Yang Zhong who fail the exam all their lives will be old boys when they grow old. However, if one can pass the examination as a scholar, even if one is over half a hundred years old and the other is a young man with a weak crown, they can still be on equal footing and be friends with each other as peers.


    It''s like Xue Qingshan is about to call himself a junior in front of Qiao Xiucai, and he can only accept Qiao Xiucai''s embarrassment to him. Although Qiao Xiucai gave He Xiucai too much courtesy, He Xiucai put him first in words and deeds.


    Few of the people present understood these principles, but Xue Tingxiang did, which made him even more determined to be a scholar.


    "Where are you two in your studies now?"


    "I have finished studying the Four Books, and now I am diligently reading the "Book of Songs" among the Five Classics." Xue Juncai answered first.


    He Xiucai set his sights on Xue Tingxiang.


    He pondered for a while, and said: "After studying the four books, I can only read them, but I can''t understand them."


    He Xiucai didn''t say anything, but Zheng Lizheng said in confusion, "If I remember correctly, you and the talented boy Kaimeng came one after another. How could you have fallen behind so much in your studies?"


    Xue Tingxiang remained silent, but Xue Qingshan''s eyebrows twitched.


    Xue Qingshan also went out, but instead of going to the field, he went to the town. It is said that some classmate in the town had an elder in his family celebrating a birthday.


    Now is the busy season, and there are not many schoolchildren in the school. The private schools in the countryside are like this. Every two seasons when the farming season is busy, the schoolchildren will be given holidays, so Xue Qingshan has been quite free recently. But no one cares about where he goes or not. When the school is on vacation, he is often not seen for several days.


    Zhao''er washed the dishes and chopsticks used by herself and the little man, and took them back to the kitchen. Mrs. Zhou was cooking pig food, while Tao''er was sweeping the yard. Seeing that she had nothing to do, Zhao''er found Heizi''s food bowl, and took a bowl from the leftover rice that was going to be mixed in pig grass to feed pigs later. , carrying it and walking out the door.

 Chapter 185

    Her hair was black and dense, reaching to her waist. She brushed her long hair to the side of her neck, and sat on the edge of the Kang with her head slightly tilted, letting her long hair hang down, and combing it with a comb.


    The girl was wearing a lilac-colored floral jacket and maroon wide-leg pants. She had to straighten her back and tilt her neck so that the water from her wet hair wouldn''t wet her clothes. These were all subconscious movements, but in Xue Tingxiang''s eyes, they made his heart beat faster inexplicably, and he felt a sense of tension in his blood.


    Without him, it is because of this posture that the girl''s figure is vividly displayed. High/chest/upturned/hips, slender waist, Xue Tingxiang has never seen such a scene before, a very strange feeling of dryness and heat climbed up in his body.


    But at the same time, he was familiar with it, and a picture appeared in his mind, which was the time of the two people''s bridal chamber.


    In the dream, he didn''t like her at that time, but he felt that marrying her was a matter of course.


    It was a deep-rooted thought that she should be his wife.


    It''s just that this hidden deepest emotion was concealed by his awkwardness and ignorance, especially when he went to the school to study and let his classmates know that he had a child bride in the country, which caused a lot of ridicule.


    But in fact, he liked her deep down in his heart, so she was tortured badly by him that night in the bridal chamber.


    Originally, he was just ignorant, and she was a newcomer, so he hurt her and also hurt her. But he still thought about the pain, and she cried with tears and snot running down her nose. That was the first time she showed weakness in front of him, and he liked this way of bullying her ever since.


    At that time, he was studying in the academy, and he would only come back once every ten days. Every time he came back, she was so afraid that she would hide. But he had to rely on him and let him do whatever he wanted. He obviously liked it, but pretended not to like it.


    Now that I think about it, he was really an asshole at that time.


    Thinking about these messes in his heart, he suddenly said, "I''ll wipe it for you."


    Zhao''er looked at him sideways in surprise, and subconsciously refused: "I still can''t, I''ll do it myself." After these days of corrections, she has gradually learned not to call herself sister.


    Before her words fell, Xue Tingxiang had already snatched the cloth towel, and pulled her to turn her back, Zhao''er could only freeze there, letting him wipe it.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Tingxiang is still half-headed now, so he can only half-kneel and sit up to wipe her hair. The two were very close, Zhao''er didn''t notice it, but Xue Tingxiang felt his blood was surging.


    Zhao''er''s hair is very black, dense and smooth, like a piece of fine satin. He was clumsy, and Fang began to pull and hurt her several times, until he heard her involuntarily inhaling, he slowed down his movements.


    Feeling that it was a bit difficult for him to reach, Zhao''er was a little distressed, he kept stretching his arms: "If I don''t lie here?"


    As she said that, she went to try it, and it was more convenient for him to lie on the kang, and both of them would not be tired. What she didn''t know was that her posture looked even more seductive from behind, especially for a young man with a fresh blood.


    Xue Tingxiang immediately regretted accepting this matter. It felt like a kind of torture. He needed to work hard to stabilize himself so as not to look randomly.


    "If not, why don''t you sit up?" he asked.


    But got no answer from her.


    When I went to see it, I found that she had fallen asleep.


    The girl seemed very tired and slept soundly. She lay prone on the long-folded quilt, her thick long hair was scattered behind her back and down to her waist. Because the quilt was covering her face, her face was squeezed out of shape, but her pink lips were pouty.


    Zhao''er, who had just taken a bath, still had water vapor on her face. Her plump and delicate cheeks looked young and tender at first glance. Her pink lips had a watery glow, which was attractive to pick.


    Something in his heart was clamoring, and he leaned on him unconsciously. The cheeks of the two were getting closer and closer, so close that he could see and smell the sweet smell.


    Suddenly, she moved, and he quickly backed away, pretending to be nonchalant, muttering in his mouth why he fell asleep, but actually watching her reaction nervously.


    Fortunately, she just moved, and there was no sign of waking up, so he was relieved.


    But the impulse in his heart was gone, he glanced at her several times, reached out and took the thin quilt to cover her, and continued to wipe her wet hair with a cloth towel.


    *


    Yuqing Village was originally a village established by a group of victims who fled during the war in the previous dynasty.


    At first it was not called Yuqing Village, but Zhengjiazhuang. The village is full of people with the surname Zheng, but the number of people is not large, only a dozen or so families. Many years later, there was a famine one year, and the government arranged for a group of people who fled the disaster to settle here. These people are the ancestors of the Xue family.


    There are not many people surnamed Zheng, and there are also many people surnamed Xue. At first, people surnamed Zheng took the lead.


    The Dachang Dynasty implemented the Lilao system, where one hundred households constituted one li, and Jiachang was set up, which is commonly known as Lizheng. There are also several old people, who are commonly known as village elders.


    Within the jurisdiction of Yuqing Village, everything in the village, such as adjudicating civil lawsuits, arbitrating right and wrong, guiding folk customs, persuading farming and mulberry, issuing sentiments, etc., and even urging taxes, military service, etc., are all handled by the local people. Li Zheng and the villagers co-hosted the completion.


    Li Lao''s power can be said to be quite large, and anyone who can be Li Lao is a person of high moral and respect in the local area.


    In fact, this kind of system is equivalent to a local people governing a local people.


    Nowadays there is such a saying that the so-called imperial power does not come down to the county, but only the clan under the county, and the clan is self-governing, self-government depends on ethics, and ethics creates squires, that''s how it is.


    Over the years, the two surnames of Xue and Zheng seem to be harmonious on the surface, but they have been at odds with each other, and what they are fighting for is the right to speak in the village. Although it was because there was a scholar among the people surnamed Xue before, the Xue family changed its previous decline and several village elders appeared in the clan, but the position of Lizheng has always been in the hands of the people surnamed Zheng.


    Now Yuqing Village has one Lizheng and four village elders. Three of these four elders have the surname Xue, that is to say, two pairs of three. But because Zheng Lizheng is here, it is still not an advantage.


    Patriarch Xue is confident that if there is another scholar in the clan, he will be able to completely overwhelm the Zheng family, so when he heard the rumors that had been raging in the village for the past two days, he immediately exploded.


    Mr. Xue was still in the field, so he was called to Patriarch Xue''s house.


    Seeing Patriarch Xue''s face as dark as the bottom of a pot, Old Master Xue was puzzled by Monk Zhang Er: "Brother Haizi, what''s the matter?" In terms of seniority, Patriarch Xue is considered Old Master Xue''s cousin.


    "You still ask me what''s wrong? Don''t you know what''s going on outside recently?"


    Mr. Xue really doesn''t know.


    Seeing this, Patriarch Xue gave a rough account of the matter with a dark face.


    I don''t know when, things about the Xue family have spread outside.


    The source is that someone saw Xue Gouzi, the only son of Xue''s second wife, crying in front of Xue''s second son''s grave.


    The specific content of the cry is untestable, and it is possible for a half-grown boy to express his grievances in this way, which is enough to prove that the child must have been wronged at home. Later, someone familiar with the situation revealed the truth, and everyone knew that the boss of the Xue family planned to send his son to study in the town, but left his nephew alone.


    Few people in the village did not know how the second child of the Xue family died. And when Xue Qingsong was dying, many people in the village were there, so they naturally held Xue Qingshan''s hand and made him promise to treat his son well.


    When he came back from the Xue family, many people discussed it in private, saying that the second son of the Xue family was really miserable, leaving behind a sick wife and a young son.


    Now that such rumors spread, the scene before the death of Xue Lao Er was repeated by people in various ways. Some elderly people shook their heads and sighed, saying that people''s hearts are unpredictable, and it is impossible to entrust their wives and children to anyone. Take care of yourself. You treated him like your big brother and threw your life on him, but he didn''t treat your son as his own son.


    Even Xue Tingxiang''s situation in Xue''s family in the past few years has caused some women to talk about it.


    For example, although the dog from the second room seldom shows up in front of people, he always wears old clothes every time he sees him, while the handsome man from the first room has never seen him in old clothes. Even some things in the private school were told by the ignorant children to the adults. Xue Juncai had everything in his pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and he had the most books in the school. As for Xue Gouzi, he was seen writing on the desk with water on him several times.


    Being eccentric, everyone is eccentric, and no one can say anything about his own son, but Boss Xue also took the life of his own brother on his back. This kind of eccentricity is a bit chilling.


    "You are very old, and the juniors in the family can''t teach well? You are biased towards the elders, but why did you make this matter out of people''s faces? What do you think about this matter now!"


    Mr. Xue was quite old, and his face was flushed with embarrassment, but he also knew that this matter was serious, and his family''s reputation would be ruined if he was not careful.


    It doesn''t matter if you finish your own reputation, but the boss''s reputation can''t be finished. If he gets the name of the only son of the dead brother who is mean, the boss will be ruined for life. Don''t talk about the examination of any scholar, maybe the private school will not be able to open.


    "Brother Haizi..." He looked at Patriarch Xue begging for help, and he didn''t have any rules in his mind for a moment.


    "Now, only by sending both children away can people have nothing to choose."


    Mr. Xue''s old face turned even redder, and he rubbed his big rough hands: "Brother Haizi, you know that our family has been wiped out all these years in order to provide for the boss. It''s not that I don''t want to send two children, but I really can''t." rise."


    Hearing this, Patriarch Xue also frowned.


    When Xue Qingshan went to the Qinghe Academy to study, he knew the inside story very well. That place is desperate for money, and the key is not to have any objections, because most people are willing to pay to go in. One year''s expenses cost at least twenty taels, but Xue Qingshan has been there for five years.


    Patriarch Xue originally planned to make up one or two if it wasn''t enough, but now he doesn''t open his mouth. That''s all for Xue Qingshan, Xue Juncai is still young, and he doesn''t know what the future will be like. The key point is that his two grandchildren are also studying, and neither family is rich.


    "If you don''t, you don''t even want to go, can you do it?" Mr. Xue muttered.


    Patriarch Xue sneered: "That''s not what the outsiders said, your family''s mean and fatherless son. If you don''t want the boss''s reputation to be ruined, you can either give two of them, or you can only give one to the kid from the second room."


    *


    When Mr. Xue came out of Patriarch Xue''s house, he was in a daze.


    He trembled and touched his waist a few times before taking off the cigarette pouch. He didn''t go any further, so he squatted under a tree beside the road and lit the tobacco. He smoked the whole pot of tobacco without stopping before he stood up.


    He walked slowly towards home, and people greeted him from time to time along the way.


    Normally, Mr. Xue would only feel that his face is bright, not that person, who would like to say hello to you, but now he always has the illusion that others are smiling at him, but actually laughing at him in his heart.


    He tried his best to walk back all the way, when another person walked up to him, he was still an acquaintance. The other party smiled and told him why he came back from the field so early today, he couldn''t bear it anymore, and pulled the man under a tree aside to talk.


    "Old man Zhou, tell me the truth, why are people talking about our family behind our backs in the village?"


    The old man this week is also an old man with black and red skin, but he is a head shorter than Mr. Xue, and his back is a bit rickety. Hearing this, he subconsciously glanced at Mr. Xue, and sighed after a long time: "I thought you knew, but you don''t."


    "What do I know? How could I know!" The first sentence almost came out from between the teeth, but the latter sentence was full of wry smiles.


    Having lived most of his life, old man Zhou naturally understands the old man''s mood at this time. But he didn''t know what to say, so he could only say sincerely: "Don''t be too troublesome, these people in the village are just busy and like to talk about right and wrong. But don''t blame me for talking too much, you The family did this..." He sucked between his teeth, as if smacking his lips, but it wasn''t: "It''s really a bit inappropriate."


    inappropriate?


    This is probably because the old man Zhou said this because of his relationship with him, and he didn''t know how others scolded him behind his back. Fangcai''s patriarch only told him that the publicity was bad, but he didn''t tell him how bad it was.


    Mr. Xue asked: "What are you talking about, tell me."


    The old man Zhou sighed before saying what he knew. Now that the words are out of the way, he doesn''t think there is anything he can''t say, "I''m not talking about you, you are the father, so don''t worry about this matter, don''t forget how your second child died, Such an approach will inevitably poke people''s spines."


    Old Master Xue''s complexion was pale, and he mumbled: "It has nothing to do with the boss, it''s because my wife and I discussed this."


    Old man Zhou raised his eyelids and glanced at the old man, and he didn''t plan to say anything that hurt his heart. Once he said this, the friendship between the two of them would be ruined in the future.


    "Anyway, you have to think about this matter. I won''t chat with you anymore. I have to go home. If you don''t come to my place at night, I''ll accompany you for a drink or two?"


    "No, there are still things at home."


    After Old Man Zhou left, Mr. Xue stood there for a while, and then went home.


    As soon as he entered the house, Xue Qingshan, who was standing in the yard, asked, "Father, what did my cousin ask you to do?"


    Mr. Xue glanced at his son, and entered the main room without saying a word.


    Xue Qingshan felt a little puzzled by the second monk, and wanted to ask the third brother what happened. At this time, Mrs. Zhou in the kitchen was yelling to eat, and everyone in the room came out, so of course it didn''t come true.


    During dinner, Mr. Xue''s complexion was always bad.


    Since Xue Tingxiang was able to get out of bed, he didn''t eat in his own room, but ate with everyone. The atmosphere at the dinner table was not very good, and even Mao Dan, who used to like to make a fuss at the dinner table, did not dare to make a fuss today.


    After dinner, Mrs. Zhou and Xue Taoer cleared the table and went to wash the dishes.


    The others were about to leave, but they were stopped by Mr. Xue.


    "Boss and eldest daughter-in-law stay here, I have something to tell you, the dog also stays, and everyone else goes back to the house."


    She rolled over and over again.


    "You do not sleep?"


    It is reasonable to say that they would not rest so early, but today both of them have been busy all day, so they turned off the lights after recruiting children to go to the kang. However, there is a moon outside, and you can still see clearly in the room.

 Chapter 186

    He knew he was dreaming again.


    This dream appeared in his life for decades, day and night, entangled, it seems to be deep into the bone marrow, but also like flesh and blood. I can''t throw it away, I can''t dig it away, and if I don''t come for a day, it seems that something is missing.


    But he had never had such a clear dream, so clear as if it was real.


    "Dog, why do you think you are so stubborn? Isn''t my money your money? What do you think I earn money for? Isn''t it just for you to study and make you feel proud?"


    "Why do you say you are so stubborn! You say you are so stubborn, who are you showing your stubbornness to?!"


    "I know you don''t like me, but I''ve been like this for many years, and I can''t change it! I don''t plan to change it either!"


    "Look at Hong''er, does he look like you?"


    ...


    Xue Tingxiang suddenly felt that someone was shaking him. He opened his tired eyes and saw the dark inner room. Hu San''s face was no longer young, and even the lines on the curtain were so familiar. He was just dreaming.


    It''s just that the dream was too clear, the sorghum fragrance in the air, and the curve of her stubbornly pursed lips made him feel like he was actually there. There are also her tears from being angry, crystal clear and shining with colorful light, he wanted to reach out to touch it, but someone woke him up.


    "My lord, it''s time to drink the medicine."


    Xue Tingxiang was propped up and given medicine. He was dying of illness, and he had to be served by someone even to drink medicine. How could he look like that extremely human minister Xue Shoufu who had ruled the court for decades.


    Oh no, he is not the chief assistant now.


    He has already written a letter to beg for the bones, intending to return to his hometown for the elderly, and the Holy Majesty has already agreed, but he has no home to return to, no relatives to rely on.


    In fact, he didn''t intend to go back.


    "Master Zhang, Mr. Wang, and Mr. Li and Mr. Cao all came to visit you, but they obeyed your orders and blocked the door. They come every day, and they are here again today. Would you like to see me?"


    What can they do? Didn''t they think that his illness was an expedient measure, waiting for him to stand up and continue to lead them to fight against the emperor, but he was really ill, terminally ill, and the medicine was useless.


    "not see."


    "My lord, please sleep a little longer."


    The room became quiet again, Xue Tingxiang''s eyelids began to get heavy again, he blinked again and again, and fell into sleep again.


    ...


    "How come Mr. Wang is free to visit this old man?"


    Wang Mingcheng''s eyes were a bit complicated, but he smiled on his face: "After all, I am a minister of the same court, and I should come to visit Mr. Shoufu because of emotion and reason."


    "I didn''t expect you, Wang Mingcheng, to say such hypocritical things, but to see if the old man is dying on behalf of the emperor?" Xue Tingxiang sarcastically said.


    He is obviously a haggard old man who is obviously dying, but just because of his calm, indifferent eyes that seem somewhat unpredictable, people dare not ignore him in the slightest.


    After all, this is Xue Shoufu, and the name alone is enough to intimidate everyone. That was Xue Tingxiang''s deep-rooted roots left by him after going through three dynasties and dozens of years, just like a towering ancient tree with intertwined roots, without him doing anything, just standing there is enough to make everyone daunting.


    If not, why would the new emperor have to exhaust all means, but still dare not act rashly, only dare to take that roundabout strategy.


    "It seems that my lord has misunderstood His Majesty a lot."


    Xue Tingxiang snorted and laughed, half closed his eyes, did not speak, and looked obviously too lazy to talk to him.


    "Actually, I''m here for myself. I just came to see how lonely and miserable the villain who abandoned his wife and son was now. I''m afraid Mr. Xue is dead now, and even a descendant in mourning None, in fact, Mr. Xue is too hard to see, it is just a show, just listen to it and watch it, how can you take the fake show as real and make yourself like this? Is it because of a disturbed conscience or fear? His true face is known by the world, he is reviled by others, and he will be stigmatized for thousands of years?"


    "you¡­¡­"


    "To say that you abandoned your wife and son is too much to save your face. It should be killing your wife and son, isn''t it, Mr. Xue?"


    No one knows about all this. The world only knows that Xue Shoufu had a first wife before Mrs. Xue, but they don''t know what happened to that first wife. After all, the time is too long, Xue Tingxiang has stood in the court hall for dozens of years, and his former, former and current opponents have all been trampled under his feet.


    People in the world only know that Mr. Shoufu is friendly and respectful to the corporals, but they don''t know that Mr. Shoufu also has a vicious side. In recent years, anyone who wanted to make a fuss about his past events all became lonely ghosts. No one knows how many ghosts have been added to it, and the only one who can know is Wang Mingsheng, the "bitter master".


    "You, you are..."


    Wang Mingcheng leaned closer to his face: "It''s a pity that my mother''s life is so bad, and so is my life. The sinking ship didn''t kill us, but was saved by others. Do you know that for so many years, day and night, I I want to see this scene every night. It''s a pity that your life is too long, and the power is in the hands of the people. I can only climb up step by step, to the position where I can step on you..."


    "You are... Hong''er..." Xue Tingxiang struggled to say this.


    Wang Mingsheng stood up straight and smiled heartily: "My name is not Hong''er, nor is my surname Xue, but my surname is Wang. My mother remarried, to the person who saved us...don''t get excited, even if You are dead now, and I am not your son..."


    Wang Mingsheng has always been known for being calm and introverted, hiding his secrets, and it was probably the first time he laughed so freely in front of people.


    "By the way, you don''t have to think that even if my official surname is Wang, I can still pass on the family lineage to your Xue family. Let me think about it. Yao Ji released the rumor that my official is as good as Long Yang back then, as if you ordered someone to do it. You really hit the mark, I don¡¯t like women, that¡¯s why I haven¡¯t married for many years..."


    He smiled and looked at the old man on the bed, seeing how shocked, disappointed and remorseful he was.


    But so what?


    He suddenly found that he was not as happy as he had imagined, and even this smile seemed too fake. He suddenly lost interest, flattened the corners of his mouth, brushed off his sleeves, and said, "Since Mr. Xue is fine, I will take my leave."


    ...


    "I didn''t, I didn''t..."


    "My lord, what are you talking about?"


    Hearing this voice, the fog in front of Xue Tingxiang suddenly dissipated, and he woke up suddenly from his dream. In front of the eyes is this dark inner room again, Hu San''s unattractive or even ugly face, the air is filled with a bitter smell of medicine, and there seems to be a decadent smell floating gently.


    Xue Tingxiang moved his lips, but no sound came out.


    "My lord, what did you say?"


    Hu San was very anxious, and kept asking, but Xue Tingxiang couldn''t speak at all. Hu San could only ask based on his own guess: "Are you thinking about the past? Don''t worry, your words have been passed on to Mr. Zhang , he already knows that Lord Wang is your only son, and will follow your instructions."


    Xue Tingxiang blinked his eyelids. Hu San thought he still had something to say, so he put his ear next to his mouth, but only heard one sentence: "I didn''t..."


    After that there is no text.


    When Hu San anxiously looked up, he saw Xue Tingxiang''s wide-open eyes and gray-blue face.


    He moved forward to touch the other person''s breath with shaking hands, but was so startled that he sat down on the ground.


    *


    The cold wind came in through the holed window paper, blowing Xue Gouzi''s face coldly.


    Shocked, he opened his eyes.


    What imprinted in my eyes was a small room with blue brick walls and black tile roof. The walls were plastered with white ash, but it looked gray. The beams of the house are log-colored, and because there is no dust, they are bare/exposed. There are several bamboo baskets hanging on them. There seems to be something in the baskets, and they are covered with blue cloth.


    He was lying on a kang with a half-new quilt covering his body. The quilt looked clean and tidy, but in fact the cotton wadding inside had hardened.


    Facing his kang feet, there is a row of dark brown kang cabinets, with brass bare nails inlaid with hinged leaves and copper tassel handles, and simple patterns of auspicious clouds and flowing water carved on them, which look thick and generous. . Although it is nothing in a rich family, it is already a piece of furniture that can be sold in a peasant family.


    There is no problem passing it down for generations!


    This is what his father said back then, and his father was the best carpenter in the village.


    Xue Gouzi felt his head hurt, as if he had been hit hard with a hoe. He wanted to support himself to sit up, but he was exhausted and fell back onto the kang again.


    It was only then that he realized that he was Xue Gouzi, the eldest son of the second room of the Xue family. Because of something that happened, he couldn''t think about it for a while, and he was so angry that he became ill for a while, and he had been sick for many days.


    He is not Xue Tingxiang, that Xue Tingxiang is the person in his dream.


    How could he be like that?


    In order to prove that all that was just a dream, he raised his hand to look at it.


    really! The hand in front of him was slender and fair, and he hadn''t developed the muscles and bones that a man should have. He was only fourteen this year, how could he live to be over seventy years old, and die in the end.


    Xue Gouzi let out a heavy breath, looked around again, and finally felt more at ease.


    Someone was talking outside, and the voice came in through the cracks in the window.


    "I''m talking about recruiting, it''s not my aunt talking about you, look at what you are now, a girl who stays at home all day, and learns from those small traders to do business. That business is what you can do. Did it? Look at your fourth uncle, you can¡¯t save a lot of money by running around outside every day, so don¡¯t worry about it, and if you have that little time, you can help fourth aunt with some work!¡±


    The voice sounded like a young woman, but the sarcasm in the words was too strong. It is said that appearance is born from the heart, and it is no wonder that Mrs. Sun has a mean face.


    This thought flashed subconsciously in Xue Gouzi''s mind, and then he was stunned. It''s true that he hated Fourth Aunt, but why would he miss her so much?


    Before he could figure out why, he heard the voice in his dream.


    "Fourth aunt, I would like to help you with some work, but you also know that the dog has been ill for a few days, and the family gave a few pennies for the medicine at first, but after taking it for half a month, grandma said that the family The money is not in hand, so I stopped the medicine. Gouzi is my man, I can''t just watch him be so sick, it''s not impossible for the fourth aunt to want me to help with the work, or you can lend me some money to buy medicine, I Can I pay you back slowly in the future?"


    The owner of the voice was a young girl, and the tone revealed a capable and crisp taste, mixed with a bit of teasing.


    That''s right, Zhao''er deliberately ran on the Sun family.


    Mrs. Sun has always had a temperament of only getting in and out, and it is more difficult to ask her to give out a penny, let alone lending it to the two half-children of the second room.


    Now there are only these two people left in the second room, the top door is only fourteen, but there is an older one, only sixteen, and it is still a girl''s family. Every time Mrs. Sun heard the rumors from the villagers that Zhao''er, a dead girl, had made some money by doing some business, she would be full of disbelief.


    What kind of business can this dead girl do to make money, but she digs three melons and two dates from the wild, and takes them out to trick the people in the city into exchanging a few pennies.


    "Your fourth aunt has no money to lend you. Our family''s money is all in mother''s place. You don''t care about mother''s going!" Sun patted her buttocks, stood up and went into the house, too lazy to talk nonsense with Zhao''er.


    "Since the fourth aunt has no money to lend me, and I don''t dare to take care of grandma, I can only figure out where to get some money to get some medicine for the dog!"


    Zhao''er''s voice was very loud, so naturally she was speaking not only to Mrs. Sun, but also to Mrs. Zhao who was sitting in the main room.


    Sure enough, Zhao''er entered the house with his front foot, and Mrs. Zhao stood at the door behind him and scolded Mrs. Sun: "You haven''t cleaned the pigsty, so you''re going back to the house to hold a corpse?"


    Zhao''er curled her lips, lifted the door curtain and walked in, bumping head-on into Xue Gouzi''s eyes looking at her.


    However, she even made a big wish that she would earn a lot of money in the future and not let him worry about a book, not to mention here.


    After Zhao''er helped him lay out the paper, he went to find a suitable needle and thread, planning to bind it for him after he finished writing.


    Xue Tingxiang laughed a little, but didn''t say anything, and started to write seriously on the paper.


    He planned to copy all the books he had memorized, because he found a problem. Since he had that dream, ''Xue Tingxiang'' had more and more influence on him, including the impact on his own memory.


    Especially all the books he has learned since he was a child. He had flipped through the memory of that dream before, and he had memories of some bibliographies in elementary school and even college, but his memory was extremely vague, and many of the more detailed things had been forgotten.


    He thought about the reason, and felt that "he" seemed to be very disgusted with the memory of studying hard in the cold window, so he always adopted an evasive attitude. In addition, the Xue Tingxiang in the dream has lived for more than seventy years. Since he passed the Jinshi examination, he has been obsessed with officialdom battles, but he doesn''t care about his own knowledge.


    After so many years, his memory is more about the ups and downs of the officialdom, the various forces in the party struggle, and the speculation of the people, rather than the original essence of a scholar.


    Seriously speaking, ''Xue Tingxiang'' is not a real scholar, he is just a politician.


    But obviously he doesn''t need these things now, as if a young child has a sword, he knows the significance of these things to his future. But today a young child needs nothing more than a piece of clothing, or just food and clothing.

 Chapter 187

    Now is the busy season, and there are not many schoolchildren in the school. The private schools in the countryside are like this. Every two seasons when the farming season is busy, the students will be given holidays, so Xue Qingshan has been quite free recently. But no one cares about where he goes or not. When the school is on vacation, he is often not seen for several days.


    Zhao''er washed the dishes and chopsticks used by himself and the little man, and took them back to the kitchen. Mrs. Zhou was cooking pig food, while Tao''er was sweeping the yard. Seeing that she had nothing to do, Zhao''er found Heizi''s food bowl, and took a bowl from the leftover rice that was going to be mixed with pig grass to feed pigs later. , carrying it and walking out the door.


    Mrs. Zhou glanced at her back, but said nothing.


    The leftovers are for Heizi. Dogs in the country are like this. The owner eats dry food, and the dog drinks water. When the owner eats water, the dog usually starves. The country dogs are used to starvation, but Zhao''er usually pays little attention to sunspots, no matter good or bad, he always wants to feed him.


    Occasionally there are additional meals, of course, these are invisible to the human face.


    Anyway, Mrs. Zhao saw Zhao''er picking food out of her pig''s mouth and feeding it to the dog!


    She stepped out of the main room and saw this scene, the old face immediately pulled down, and she didn''t see her scolding Zhao''er, so she stood in front of the door and shouted at the direction of the kitchen: "Let you feed the pigs!" It¡¯s good for you, feed the food into the dog¡¯s mouth, such a big person is useless, and eating for nothing is not enough.¡±


    This clearly refers to Sang scolding Huai.


    In the kitchen, Mrs. Zhou didn''t speak. Tao''er, who was sweeping the yard, looked up at Grandma, endured it and continued to sweep the yard. Mrs. Zhao didn''t mention her name, who knows who she was scolding, if she stepped forward to intervene, she would only change the target and be scolded bloody.


    These are lessons learned.


    As soon as Zhao''er walked to the gate of the courtyard, she heard such scolding. She didn''t show any weakness, and turned her head to look at Zhao with a smile: "Grandma, are you scolding Third Aunt? If you scold Third Aunt, Third Aunt But it¡¯s too unfair. If you want to scold you, you should scold me. I scooped up the leftovers and planned to give Heizi to eat. Didn¡¯t I just think that Heizi would not be easy, so I would bring a rabbit to the house every now and then. You said we You can¡¯t do something that wants the cows to work without giving them grass, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Mrs. Zhao glared at Zhao''er angrily. She knew that this girl was not a cheap girl, so she scolded Mrs. Zhou, but she found her by herself. Just as he was about to say something, some of the women who passed by the gate of the courtyard smiled and said, "I saw Lian Xing''s family so energetic early in the morning."


    Someone next to him interjected: "Don''t talk about it, Ren Zhao''er is right. How can there be a cow that works without giving it grass?"


    "That''s right, Lian Xing''s family, it''s almost enough. Everyone in the village doesn''t like your big black dog. At this time when there is a rabbit shortage in the wild, it can fetch rabbits. What a smart beast. Usually In summer and autumn, voles, wild rabbits, and pheasants were often picked up at home, and they would be brought back if they didn¡¯t eat them. If you don¡¯t like Heizi, give it to our family, and your Uncle Shouxin has already taken a fancy to Heizi.¡±


    This is a Lianxing family, Mr. Xue and his aunt, known as Aunt Shouxin. Although he is ten years younger than Mrs. Zhao, but he is of a higher seniority.


    There are more than 200 households in Yuqing Village, with Xue and Zheng as the main surnames, and there are more than a dozen other households with mixed surnames. Since they all have the same surname, it is inevitable that every family is related, and some relationships can be pulled out of Wufu. But relatives are relatives, and when one is younger than others, one has to respect one another, so when this aunt Shouxin spoke, she sounded like an elder giving advice to younger generations.


    Mrs. Zhao was terribly blocked by these words, even though she was scolding, she was really reluctant to let her give Heizi to others. Just like what these people said, Heizi did bring some wild animals to his house at ordinary times, regardless of size, fat or thin, he always eats meat, and it is not easy for country people to eat meat.


    She kept a straight face and said nothing, but the trick in front of the door was on point: "Grandma Seven, this is not acceptable, Heizi is my lifeblood, you have made my lifeblood run away, I can''t live anymore."


    She smiled as soon as she said it, and said witty words in her mouth, and immediately made Aunt Shouxin laugh, pointing at her bit by bit, and said to others: "Look at this naughty girl, but she is not at all. You''re welcome. Please, please, Seventh Grandma doesn''t want you dog, so she won''t take away my son''s life."


    After talking and joking, Zhao''er sent the women away with a smile, and then turned around to feed Heizi.


    Mrs. Zhao glared at her, turned around and was about to enter the room, but just as she lifted her foot, she heard someone calling her from behind.


    "Mom, why are you standing here?"


    But Xue Cuiping, the eldest daughter of the Zhao family, came back.


    Xue Cuiping''s appearance is 60% similar to Zhao''s, but she has a pair of big almond eyes. She looked like she was in her twenties, and she was wearing a washed-out blue floral jacket with a pair of red-coloured wide-leg trousers underneath. She was holding a bamboo basket in her hand, which was covered with a layer of cloth, and she couldn''t see what was in it, and she was looking at Mrs. Zhao suspiciously.


    This really means that Cao Cao and Cao Cao will be here soon. The old man said before that the Zhao family is planning to get someone to report to Shangshui Village. This will save trouble.


    The mother and daughter walked into the house while talking, and soon disappeared behind the curtain of the main room door.


    Zhao''er squatted there watching Heizi eat, stroking its big head with her hand, but she was a little curious about how her aunt came back in time for the busy farming season.


    *


    "This can''t be done, mother, you are letting someone poke my spine!" In the main room, Xue Cuiping stood up after listening to Mrs. Zhao''s words.


    Mrs. Zhao hurriedly reached out to pull her, and at the same time gestured for her to keep her voice down so that no one could hear her.


    "Why not? You are Gouzi''s aunt, and you beat the younger brother and the second child. If this family says who the child wants to listen to, they will probably listen to you."


    Mrs. Zhao''s words are true. Xue Cuiping has been friends with her second child, Xue Qingsong since she was a child, and she and Mrs. Qiu also got along well when she was not married. When Xue Gouzi was born, she often hugged him.


    Xue Gouzi has been shy and introverted since he was a child, and since his second wife left, he has become more silent and gloomy. He often doesn''t see him say a word for ten days and a half months, and the members of the Xue family are only close to aunt Xue Cuiping.


    "But..." Xue Cuiping was full of embarrassment, and secretly said in her heart that she shouldn''t be coming back this trip. She never thought that she hadn''t finished her business before going back to her mother''s house, but this kind of thing would happen.


    "Don''t forget, your family Xingzi came to our private school, and your elder brother didn''t care about you. Now your elder brother needs your help, why don''t you want to ignore it, you are good, your elder brother is fine, The big house is promising, can it still make you suffer?"


    "Why don''t you tell the dog yourself, mother!"


    Mrs. Zhao has never been a patient person. She can speak so softly because Xue Cuiping is her daughter. Seeing her daughter pushing back and forth like this, and poking her heart with words, she immediately exploded: "If your mother can go and tell him, is it still necessary for you? Your mother can say this, can you say it? If you let outsiders You know, what has become of this?"


    Xue Cuiping was already irritated by her in-laws'' affairs, and when she saw her mother scolding herself, she immediately became annoyed: "Hey, the whole family will not go, and I am an outsider who asked me to be this villain? Even if an outsider finds out, it''s okay It¡¯s no use for me to be an aunt, and the second elder brother¡¯s family and adults are all dead, so why not force a child?!¡±


    Seeing her daughter''s voice getting louder, Mrs. Zhao was afraid that people would hear her, so she gave her a firm hand and scolded: "You are afraid that people will not hear you, right?"


    Naturally, Xue Cuiping didn''t want to have a falling out with her mother, so she muttered reluctantly: "Let me say, it''s not your mother''s business to be in charge of this matter, let the elder brother or sister-in-law handle the affairs of the elder brother''s house by himself. Let others do all the bad things." , their family is innocent, there is such a thing!"


    "Why are you talking about your elder brother? Your elder brother is a scholar, he wants to face and respect. Besides, he is ashamed of his second son, and he can''t do such a thing."


    Xue Cuiping''s lips parted, and she pressed down her full stomach.


    If he really felt ashamed of his second brother, would he still make such a fuss? In fact, over the years, Xue Cuiping has also seen through the behavior of this elder brother. If the elder sister-in-law is a smiley face, the elder brother is not a good person. Bad things have been done by others. It is obvious that their family has benefited, but they still pretend to be innocent.


    But so what if she knew, she was a married woman after all, she couldn''t shake the deep-rooted respect her parents had for her elder brother. As long as this kind of value is not broken for a day, the big house will always be the first in the family. In particular, she also has her own selfishness and her own reasons, so even if she knows what happened at home in the past two years, she can only ignore it against her conscience.


    She brushed back the hair that fell on her cheeks, and said: "Mother, let''s not talk about it, I came back this trip to borrow some wheat seeds, you also know my mother-in-law''s disease, because I was in a hurry to raise money last year The money for the medicine, and no seeds left..."


    Before she finished speaking, she was interrupted by Mrs. Zhao.


    Mrs. Zhao patted her hard twice: "Borrowing wheat seeds again, do you think your mother''s family has gold and silver, don''t you? With so many sons in the Liu family, let you, a daughter-in-law, come back to dig out her mother''s family!?"


    "mother¡­¡­"


    "Those head-cutting things in the Liu family, a house full of losers, a bunch of incompetent bastards, who can''t even support their mothers..." Mrs. Zhao scolded, and seeing Xue Cuiping crying, she beat her again. She said twice: "Go and deal with Gouzi, and mother will give you wheat seeds."


    "mother¡­¡­"


    "Go, don''t ink."


    *


    When he heard that his aunt had returned, Xue Gouzi felt a sense of fate in his heart.


    Afterwards, when Xue Cuiping opened the door curtain and walked in with a smile, he surprisingly didn''t feel sad at all.


    When Xue Cuiping was talking, Xue Gouzi was not actually listening, he was just thinking about all the strange things in and out of the dream.


    Xue Tingxiang also experienced such a thing back then, since his parents passed away one after another, he felt resentful towards Xue''s family in his heart. And these grievances accumulated little by little under Dafang''s hypocrisy and the acquiescence of his family members. Until this time, he still had the last bit of hope in his heart, but when even his closest aunt was standing on the opposite side, he completely collapsed in despair. Instead of being silent earlier, he chose to explode.


    In fact, what Dafang and even the Xue family were waiting for was his outburst. As long as he raises this matter himself, countless big hats will be put on his head. He had no ability to resist at all, and these people were all his elders, so his anger and unwillingness were all strangled to death in his infancy.


    This time, what happened in the dream happened again, what should he do?


    Xue Cuiping''s mouth was still opening and closing, it could be seen that she was a little guilty in front of this pale and frail nephew. But these guilty consciences were hidden behind her constantly opening and closing mouth. Xue Gouzi''s eyes were indifferent, but someone beside him couldn''t help it.


    Zhao''er''s face was ugly, but he still forced a smile: "Auntie, you see that the dog has been sick for a few days, and he just got better. He is not in good spirits. If there is anything to say, let''s talk about it later."


    In fact, Zhao''er knew that this day would come sooner or later, otherwise she wouldn''t be desperately trying to make money recently. But when the malice between relatives approached a little bit, and it was her little man who forced it, Zhao''er couldn''t ignore it.


    She knew that it was the relatives who hurt people the most, and she had suffered this kind of pain. When mother left, she promised her that she would take good care of the little man, she made an oath.


    At this moment, Zhao''er''s eyes were stern, which was a sign that the female beast was going crazy.


    Xue Cuiping was frightened by what Zhaoer saw in her eyes, she shook her head subconsciously, and smiled uncomfortably, she couldn''t believe that a girl''s eyes could be so scary.


    "Zhao''er, Auntie is here to enlighten the dog. Auntie is also doing it for the good of the dog, and for the good of the family..."


    "Auntie." Suddenly, Xue Gouzi spoke.


    Interrupting Xue Cuiping''s words also interrupted Zhao''er''s explosion at a critical point.


    Xue Cuiping hurriedly turned her head to look at him: "Dog, Auntie told you..."


    "Auntie, I didn''t understand what you said for a long time. What should the meaning of the family come first? Why does Kong Rong give up pears? What does elder brother need from me? Auntie, you don''t know that elder brother has everything, grandma Uncles and aunts love him too, and they bought good pens, inks, papers and inkstones. Every time he uses paper for calligraphy practice, I can only practice calligraphy with branches and write on the sand. The paper I occasionally use is the worst quality Zhaoer bought. The rice paper, the ink drops on it and it is printed.


    "Brother has a lot of books, but I only have a copy of "Children Learning Qionglin", which I bought when my father worked as a carpenter for a few months. I know that my reading is not as good as that of my elder brother, and my handwriting is not as good as that of my elder brother. So I dare not ask to be like him. I don¡¯t have anything, I really don¡¯t know what I can give up to my elder brother.¡±


    Xue Gouzi''s eyes were bright and moist, with a kind of bewilderment and doubt that was ignorant of the world. The envy in his expression implied inferiority, and there was also some sadness in the inferiority complex.


    In particular, he had just recovered from a serious illness, his face was pale, and he was so thin that only a bone remained. He said such words that really made the sad witnesses cry.


    These words left Xue Cuiping speechless, feeling distressed and ashamed of herself, feeling that she would have no face to see her second brother and sister-in-law if she died. But the situation at home is imminent. There are no seeds during the spring plowing, and the wheat seedlings are not cultivated in time. If this season is missed, the whole family will suffer from famine this year.


    She suddenly hardened her heart, licked her lips and said, "Auntie is talking about going to the school in the town. You see, your handsome elder brother is better at studying than you. He is at the critical moment. You should give up as a younger brother. Anyway, you are one year younger than him, so it won''t be too late to go again next year."


    Zhao''er turned around abruptly, and picked up the stick behind the door.


    At this moment, Xue Gouzi said again: "Why did you let me go? Didn''t I have to go? Uncle asked you to come? Did he forget what he promised my father before he died? It turns out that uncle said Treating me like my own son is all fake..."


    "You''re right, I won''t think about it anymore." He paused, and then said, "I just want to say one thing, can you stop calling me a dog?"


    Zhao''er was puzzled and said, "But I didn''t call you that all the time. If you don''t call me a dog, what would you call it?"


    Xue Gouzi pondered for a moment, "Call me Ting Xiang."


    "Tingxiang? This is your own name? Gou''er, why did you give yourself such a name?" Soon she understood, remembering that the talented boy in Dafang always carried his own name because of his young age. People laugh at the same name as Gou''er and Heizi.


    A look of distress flashed in her eyes, and she nodded repeatedly: "Gou''er, no, Ting''er is a different scholar, and the name is so nice. From now on, my sister won''t call you Gou''er, and I won''t let outsiders call you that. It''s called Tingxiang." Anyway, in her heart, whatever the dog says is good,


    Xue Gouzi, no, he should be called Xue Tingxiang now, and he feels a little depressed. He is only less than two years younger than Zhao''er, but he is a deep ravine that he will not be able to cross in his entire life. Having said that, he said again: "Also, can you stop calling yourself sister to me in the future?"


    This time, Zhao''er was even more surprised, and even reached out to touch his forehead: "Ting''er, what''s wrong with you? Did you have some evil? You didn''t call me sister since you were a child."


    Xue Tingxiang took a deep breath and smiled: "But you are not my sister, you will be my wife in the future, how can a man call his wife a sister."


    He was originally pale, half leaning on the quilt at the top of the kang, suddenly smiled like this, his brows and eyes were clear and handsome, which gave people a feeling that they dare not look directly at him.


    Zhao''er''s face turned red all of a sudden, and he couldn''t make sense of what he said: "Dog, you, what are you talking about, I, I..."


    "Don''t you want to be my daughter-in-law and have a baby for me?" He moved closer.


    She stood up abruptly, and reprimanded: "You little kid, why are you talking about this? Your hair hasn''t grown fully yet!" She said a foul language that Xue Tingxiang didn''t like to hear the most, and she didn''t realize it: "You want to The thing to do is to take care of your body, as for these things, we will talk about them later!"

 Chapter 188

    Zhao''er was in a turbulent mood, and it took him a while to regain his composure.


    After she calmed down, she asked Shen Ping: "Shopkeeper Shen, these clothes only cost two taels in total. Will the pawnshop lose money? Are you doing it just to take care of me..."


    Zhao''er didn''t finish the rest of the sentence, Shen Ping also understood.


    He laughed for a while, but he appreciated Zhao''er''s frankness of not wanting to take advantage of others: "These were sold to a clothing store or an embroidery workshop, and the price was the same. Regardless of the large quantity, there are not many good ones that can be sold at a reasonable price." The ones have already been picked away."


    Zhao''er thinks about it too, the eyes of the county people are naturally different from those of the country people, let alone this kind of big pawn shop, what is bad in their eyes is actually good for the country people to see.


    She breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "I want the bag of clothes from Shopkeeper Shen, and I''ll give you the money right now."


    "Are you rich now?"


    Of course she is rich, Zhao''er now has more than two taels of silver in total, and just now Sulan gave her another five taels, which is naturally enough.


    At the same time, Shen Ping laughed a bit, "Well, I forgot that you have visited her before, so I came here, and she won''t take advantage of me." The voice was very small, almost like a murmur, Zhao''er only cares about it. I had to look at the clothes, but I didn''t hear clearly.


    "I''ll find a guy to call a car for you, and you, a little girl, can''t transport these things."


    "Thank you, Shopkeeper Shen."


    After seeing Zhao''er off, Shen Ping turned around and went into the pawn shop.


    Although he is called the third shopkeeper, he is not the third shopkeeper of this store, but the third shopkeeper of the entire ''Herongsheng'', and he will only stay in Xia County permanently under his deliberate request.


    Shen Ping is the son of the Shen family, his father is the chief manager of the Shen residence, and he has been a servant with the third young master Shen Fu since he was a child. It was not until he became an adult that he was released to become a shopkeeper.


    "If she comes again next time, just do as I told you before."


    "Yes, shopkeeper."


    *


    Just after noon, the clerk Ah Cai came to deliver meals to Xue Tingxiang.


    Boss Chen said it was simple food, but in fact the food was not bad, with one meat and one vegetable, and one soup. Xue Tingxiang knew very well that Boss Chen was taking care of him deliberately. How could anyone hire someone to copy books, take care of tea and food, and the wages they paid were not low.


    It was because he knew it in his heart that he didn''t say no. In this case, the refusal retained his character, but it seemed too petty and hypocritical.


    It can only be repaid in the future, Xue Tingxiang thought lightly in his heart.


    After eating, when the man came to clean up the dishes, he said that he could rest for an hour. There is a chaise longue available in this room, and of course you can go to the front to read a book to pass the time.


    In fact, the latter sentence is the key point, Xue Tingxiang was not pretentious, after cleaning his hands, he went forward.


    This store may not seem big, but it has a lot of books of all kinds, ranging from rural tales to books about the imperial examination, and there are many books about the imperial examination.


    Since the former dynasty, the imperial examination has used eight-legged essays as the standard style, with strict regulations, and even restrictions on the length of sentences, the number of words, the level of rhymes, and even the scope of questions.


    Stereotype essays take questions from the Four Books and Five Classics, and are composed of eight parts: breaking the title, inheriting the title, starting the lecture, starting, starting the essay, middle section, back section, and binding the section. It seems rigid and rigid, but in fact it is not easy to do a good stereotyped essay. If you really think that only reading the Four Books and Five Classics is enough, you are wrong. Not to mention astronomy and geography, at least you have to be involved in all aspects, so that you can write a good article full of flowers and content.


    In that dream, Xue Tingxiang won the Jinshi with the 21st place in the second class, and was admitted to the Hanlin Academy after passing through the hall. He should have been on a steady rise since then, but because he offended someone, a majestic Hanlin was sent down. The kind of place where the birds don''t shit is an official.


    Xue Tingxiang pursed his lips slightly, feeling that he was thinking too much, after all, he is not even a child now, let''s think about the present.


    So, without thinking too much, he took out a book from the bookcase and read it quietly.


    During this period, customers from the bookstore came to sell some pens, ink, paper and inkstones, or came to buy books, always interrupting Xue Tingxiang''s reading.


    Seeing this, Boss Chen said: "Brother Xue, you can take the book to the back and read."


    Xue Tingxiang looked at him in surprise: "This..."


    "It''s okay, it''s not bad for your book."


    Xue Tingxiang was silent, bowed deeply in salute, and then went back.


    When Xue Tingxiang woke up, he heard Boss Chen talking outside and Zhao''er''s voice at the same time.


    "Where did you get this big bag?" Boss Chen looked at Zhao''er in surprise, and asked for the bag at her feet that was much bigger than her.


    Zhao''er was sweating profusely and said: "Uncle Chen, I got it from the county, and so did the man from the car dealership. They only helped me to the intersection and left me behind. I wanted to be dragged to the car dealership. But thinking that my brother is still here..."


    Boss Chen laughed, and called his assistant: "Ah Cai, come and help little brother Zhao''er carry the things in." Then he said to Zhao''er: "Come in and have a drink and rest before leaving."


    "Uncle Chen, what a shame."


    "When you were bargaining with me, you were never polite, but now you are more polite." Boss Chen pretended to stare.


    Generally speaking, Boss Chen is an elegant and humorous person.


    Xue Tingxiang also came out to help, and asked, "What''s in it? Why is it so heavy? Where did you get it?"


    Not to mention it was really heavy, Ah Cai tried a few times but couldn''t lift it, only three people could lift it.


    "I got it from a pawn shop. If I can sell this package, my sister will have enough money to send you to the Qinghe Academy."


    Zhao''er hadn''t realized that he had slipped up, but Xue Tingxiang had. He glanced at Boss Chen, and Zhao''er understood what he said at this moment, and looked at Boss Chen with some guilt: "Uncle Chen, I will explain to you later."


    She was a little anxious, and without asking the two of them to help, she lifted the big bag and carried it on her shoulders. The big bag pushed her to one side, but she still stopped, and she quickly carried the things inside.


    Ah Cai praised: "It doesn''t look like she is strong, she is so strong."


    Here, Xue Tingxiang looked at the back and pursed the corners of his mouth, while Boss Chen''s eyes darkened.


    Xue Tingxiang looked up at Boss Chen, and walked towards him.


    ...


    Zhao''er found a place to put down the big bag, then went to wash his hands and face to clean up his body, and then A Cai led him to see Boss Chen.


    Seeing Boss Chen, Zhao''er felt a little guilty. But she didn''t intend to continue to lie to Boss Chen, because Boss Chen is a good person. Not to mention the benefits he gave her before, just because he asked the little man to copy books for such a high price, let him read books here, and take care of the lunch at noon, Zhao''er can no longer continue to deceive.


    In fact, Zhao''er is not a liar, it''s just that she concealed her gender, and then the so-called workmanship is just collecting some vegetables and selling them to make some purses or something.


    "Uncle Chen..."


    Boss Chen sighed and waved his hands: "Okay, you don''t need to say anymore, you are a girl, and you are really embarrassing."


    Zhao''er looked surprised, her round eyes widened.


    Boss Chen laughed a little and said, "Your little husband has already told me everything."


    "He, what did he say..." Zhao''er stammered, still in disbelief. Because she knows that the little man always pays attention to face and has a lot of thoughts, and she doesn''t like to mention her as his child bride-in-law in front of outsiders, and the Xue family''s bad things.


    "I''ve said everything that needs to be said." After a pause, Boss Chen asked, "Look at how surprised you are, isn''t it still a secret?"


    Zhao''er laughed awkwardly, and faltered: "That''s not true, it''s just that he''s young, and people in our village hate him. People always think that I''m older than him, and my daughter-in-law teases men and laughs at him."


    The same sentence sounds different to different people.


    Boss Chen couldn''t help but want to laugh, but Xue Tingxiang outside had mixed feelings in his heart.


    That''s why she always called herself sister, so in the dream he was old, but she didn''t want to marry him. Or he ignored her wishes and insisted on marrying him with his parents'' orders.


    She actually understood her awkward state of mind. He told himself not to be surprised by what other people said, but he cared about it in his heart, so even if the two got married, they couldn''t do it together.


    She actually knew everything, yet she relied on him for everything! Follow him!


    While the mood was churning, the topic was changed inside.


    "I just heard from you that you plan to save money to send him to Qinghe Academy?"


    Zhao''er nodded, seeing the strange expression on Boss Chen''s face, she couldn''t help but ask, "Is that school bad?"


    "Take the road of opportunism, and it won''t last long."


    Zhao''er didn''t quite understand what he heard, but he also knew that it was not a good word.


    "If you want to help him find a good book academy, I have something to recommend. It''s just..." Boss Chen sighed suddenly: "Well, let me tell you that you don''t understand either. Let''s talk about it later."


    Zhao''er nodded in a daze.


    It was not too early to meet later, and the two planned to return to Yuqing Village.


    Because the big bag of clothes was too much, and it would be eye-catching to bring back, Boss Chen asked Zhao''er to put the things in his shop temporarily. Anyway, there are still a few vacant rooms behind the shop, so just find a place to put them.


    The two went back to the village by car, because after time, only the ox cart could be used, so the two sat on the ox cart and walked back bumping back and forth.


    Halfway along the road, a mule cart came head-on.


    The driver was a man, dark and tall. When he got closer, he could see his appearance clearly. He had thick eyebrows and tiger eyes, a high nose bridge, and he was very heroic. His sleeves were half rolled up above his elbows, and his arms seemed to be full of muscles. He looked like a powerful man.


    Xue Tingxiang saw the person coming at a glance, and his pupils shrank immediately.


    He glanced at Zhao''er next to him, saw her with her head half down, and he was relieved.


    But the visitor still saw them, his eyes lit up, and he raised his voice and shouted: "Zhaoer."


    Zhao''er looked over and immediately smiled: "Brother Jiang Wu, where are you going?"


    Jiang Wu tightened the reins and stopped the mule cart.


    "I''m going to town, are you going back? Get out of the car, and I''ll see you off."


    Zhao''er hesitated and said, "Don''t you still want to go to town? Anyway, we''ve already got in the car, so you should do your own work."


    "I don''t have anything to do. I just went to Lao Li''s place to have a look. Originally, my father said that I would go tomorrow and buy some things on the way back. It doesn''t matter whether I go or not. Come on, this car is slow and bumpy. My car is still faster." Jiang Wu said to Zhao''er with a smile, completely unaware that the face of the owner of the bullock cart turned black.


    Seeing this, Zhao''er didn''t let the owner of the ox cart stop, and jumped off from above. After taking two steps over there, I realized that I had forgotten the person.


    While letting the owner of the bullock cart stop, she said to Xue Tingxiang: "Come on down, let''s go back in Brother Jiang Wu''s car." With her beaming face, she was in a good mood.


    Xue Tingxiang''s face was a bit ugly, he glanced at Zhao''er, and then slowly got out of the car.


    The two got into the mule cart, and Jiang Wu drove the cart to Yuqing Village.


    "If I knew you were coming to the county today, I would have asked you to help me get my things back. Brother Jiang Wu, let me tell you, I found a business to do, and this business can make a lot of money. I definitely can''t do it alone. Why don''t we partner up and pay half a penny?"


    It wasn''t Jiang Wu''s first time doing business with Zhao''er. To be honest, before Zhao''er came to collect vegetables and sell them in the town, Jiang Wu helped her a lot.


    How much food can Zhao''er collect in other villages by herself, and besides, she doesn''t have a car, so it''s not convenient to go back and forth. But the Jiang family has a car, and the ancestors of the Jiang family were hunters. With this unique skill, the life of the Jiang family is very comfortable.


    The men of Jiang''s family don''t usually farm land, and the family''s more than 20 acres of land are rented out, and they only earn money by collecting rent and hunting with the men in the family. But hunting is not every day, so Jiang Wu is very free when he is not in the mountains, so he helps recruits to collect vegetables and so on, saying that the two share half and half, but Jiang Wu does not want the money every time .


    "But let me tell you first, if you don''t want to split the money, I won''t do this business with you."


    Because he knew that this matter seemed insignificant, but it was actually too difficult for farmers. How many families had the idea of ??changing their own destiny by reading books.


    It can be said that those who are born in a poor family in the countryside and can achieve great fame have all experienced great hardships. The starting point is much lower than others. It takes countless efforts to catch up with others, and at the same time they have to face all kinds of cruel competition.


    This kind of competition is not only between classmates, but also between the same clan, and even one''s own brothers.


    If you succeed, the sea and the sky will be bright, and you will not be an ordinary person since then. If you fail, you will put down the book and pick up the hoe, and face the loess and the sky for the rest of your life.


    It is because they understand this kind of cruelty that the two of them can''t help but wonder whether this son deliberately said that his knowledge is weak, or he just wants to pull his brother to reduce the difficulty of the question. But this is a double-edged sword. After all, it is a disadvantage to oneself to lose one''s studies to others.


    These thoughts only happened in an instant, and because of the sudden attention of He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai, Xue Qingshan''s eyebrows jumped wildly, for fear that Xue Tingxiang would say something amazing again. At this moment, he couldn''t care less about why Xue Tingshan knew the explanation of the scriptures, and he completely forgot that his previous idea was that Xue Tingshan didn''t understand the scriptures, and it would be easy for his son to beat him.


    This is also true for Patriarch Xue. If something happens in the clan that cannot be seen by others, it is limited to the clan. If it happens in public, it will be a bit ugly.


    The eyes of the two seemed to have needles, and they were anxiously focused on Xue Tingxiang''s face. Unexpectedly, he smiled shyly and said: "The boy was weak and sick when he was young, so he inevitably fell behind."

 Chapter 189

    She rolled over and over again.


    "You do not sleep?"


    It is reasonable to say that they would not rest so early, but today both of them have been busy all day, so they turned off the lights after recruiting children to go to the kang. But with the moon outside, you can still see clearly in the room.


    Zhao''er sat up halfway, and moved to Xue Tingxiang''s side.


    "Dog, tell me what you meant when you scolded that old killer just now?"


    Zhao''er knows how to swear, and has sweared before, but she has never seen such a method of swearing. Yang Zhong was furious because of the swearing, and Xue''s family didn''t even know how to persuade him. From Zhao''er''s point of view, isn''t this the culmination of swearing, can you swear without uttering dirty words?


    She wanted to learn this method, and it would come in handy.


    Xue Tingxiang turned over and gave her a backbone.


    Zhao''er poked his shoulder with her finger: "What''s wrong? Why are you angry again?"


    He didn''t move, and she moved closer.


    The two of them were only separated by one person, and they wore thin clothes when they slept. Zhao''er leaned over, and even though Xue Tingshan had his back on his back, he could feel a wave of hot air rushing towards him, mixed with a wisp of faint fragrance.


    There was a strange softness slightly attached to his shoulders, Xue Tingshan''s back was stiff, and she heard her say on top of her head: "Don''t take that old killer''s words to heart, it''s not that I said uncle and aunt are too narrow-minded." It¡¯s too much, even if there¡¯s such a fuss, do you really think that Grandpa will regret it? Even if the family doesn¡¯t say anything, there are still so many people watching outside, so don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll go to the school to make a decision.¡±


    She was very close to him, and the heat of her words sprayed on the tips of his ears, making him shiver again and again. At the same time, a hot numbness rushed from the tips of his ears to his neck, causing waves of unconscious trembling.


    His breathing was a little tight, and he couldn''t help turning over.


    Zhao''er was still talking, and she didn''t expect that he would turn over suddenly, and his face just crashed into her arms.


    Xue Tingxiang''s brain went blank for a moment, and he subconsciously fell backwards. It is obvious that it is about to leave at the touch of a touch, but it clearly feels a suffocating softness, and there is something faintly raised.


    He recalled some situations in the dream, and he only felt his nose was hot, as if something flowed out.


    "Are you alright?" Zhao''er heard a thud, saw him motionless, thought that something was wrong with him being bumped, hurriedly leaned over to look at his face.


    "Why are you panicking! Really. Come on, let me rub it for you."


    He covered his nose with one hand and pushed her with the other: "I''m fine, it doesn''t hurt." He quickly turned over and said falteringly: "It''s getting late, go to sleep."


    "You haven''t told me what you mean by that!"


    "It doesn''t mean anything, just let him take a pee and take a picture of himself!"


    "Ah?!" Zhao''er was stunned, and said after a while, "So that''s what he meant, then you just let him take a pee and take a picture of yourself, and you said so much."


    Seeing that he didn''t answer himself, Zhao''er sat for a while and then lay down.


    "Okay, go to bed now, I won''t disturb you anymore."


    *


    Yang Zhong stayed at Xue''s house for one night and left the next day.


    Because it was rushing to the busy farming season, the Xue family resumed their usual work, and no one mentioned the previous incident, as if nothing happened that night.


    Everything is so busy yet full of peace.


    On this day, Xue Tingxiang and Zhao''er went to town early in the morning.


    Different from the past, today Xue Tingxiang wore new clothes.


    The clothes were brought out overnight by Zhao''er, because Boss Chen said that he would take Xue Tingxiang to Qingyuan Academy. This trip is very meaningful, so naturally it can''t be as casual as before.


    The gray-blue cotton gown was made by Zhao''er after imitating those school shirts in the town. Although the style is simple, it looks extraordinarily straight and docile after being washed with starch. Although Xue Tingxiang is thin and thin, his shoulders are flat and his back is straight. Wearing this student shirt, he has a particularly graceful temperament.


    When they arrived at the place, Boss Chen took Xue Tingxiang out, while Zhao''er stayed at Dongliju.


    The two of them went all the way to the east of the town, the more secluded they became as they went outside, and after walking for almost a cup of tea, they saw a building with white walls and black tiles standing at the end of their line of sight.


    Seeing Xue Tingxiang''s gaze resting on the building, Boss Chen said: "That is the Qinghe Academy." After a pause, he raised his hand and pointed to a building not far behind the Qinghe Academy: "That is the Qinghe Academy. Academy."


    The two walked forward and passed Qinghe Academy, and saw that this academy was really extraordinary. The whole building exudes a magnificent temperament, the gate tower stands majestically, with a few golden characters "Qinghe Academy" written on the door plaque, and the two black-painted gates are closed tightly, with a look of repelling people thousands of miles away. momentum.


    "It''s too late for you to regret it now." Boss Chen said.


    Following the sound of talking, the two of them crossed the Qinghe Academy, only to see the obviously much dilapidated small courtyard not far away.


    The small courtyard is rigorous and simple, with clear water and white walls, and gray and black tiles. Even the door plaque is much smaller than that of the Qinghe Academy, with a few simple big-character books on it¡ª¡ª


    Qingyuan Academy.


    Obviously, no matter where you look at it, it is not as good as the Qinghe Academy, but standing under the square door plaque and looking at the words on it, Xue Tingxiang felt a peaceful and peaceful atmosphere.


    "Since the kid is here, I don''t intend to regret it."


    Boss Chen glanced at him appreciatively, and went to call the door.


    Not long after, an elderly Zhaifu opened the door from the inside.


    He seemed to know Boss Chen, and he led the two of them in without asking too much.


    This school may not seem big, but it is actually small but well-equipped. It is the same as a general school. After passing the screen wall, there is a lecture hall on the central axis. There are two houses on the left and right sides. The temple on the left is built to worship the saint Confucius, and the house on the right is the place where the gentleman sits and rests and collects books.


    After the lecture hall, there must be a shooting garden, a hall, a kitchen, etc. Xue Tingxiang knew the layout without looking. Because in his dream, he studied in Qinghe Academy for several years, but Qinghe Academy is much more spacious and grand than Qingyuan Academy.


    Boss Chen led Xue Tingxiang to the right side of the house with ease, and when he reached a wing room, he straightened his clothes and sleeves, and then brought Xue Tingxiang in.


    This wing room is furnished in a simple and elegant way, and there is a large painting on the central hall facing it, on which are written the words ''peace and distance''. Standing in front of the words was a thin middle-aged man, wearing a dark blue scribe shirt and a square scarf.


    When he heard the movement, he turned around, and saw that he had long eyebrows, a thin face, and a few strands of beard. Judging from his appearance, he is a very serious and rigid person, but his eyes are calm and deep, obviously a person of great wisdom.


    This person is Lin Miao, the owner of Qingyuan Academy.


    "Brother Anqi, I''m here to bother you again." Boss Chen cupped his hands with a smile.


    "The good brother of Mo."


    Lin Miao smiled, obviously he had a good relationship with Boss Chen. After the two exchanged pleasantries, Boss Chen pointed to Xue Tingxiang and said, "This is the young man I told you about."


    Lin Miao looked over.


    Obviously Xue Tingxiang has extensive knowledge, and he has never seen any kind of person in that dream, even the Ninth Five-Year Master, he has seen several, but there is an inexplicable sense of awe.


    "Boy Xue Tingxiang, I have met you." He clasped his hands together and bowed in salute.


    Lin Miao nodded: "Since you''re here, stay here. The school will open in ten days, so you can just come here when it''s time."


    "Mr. Xie."


    Boss Chen glanced at Lin Miao, as if he wanted to say something, seeing this, Xue Tingxiang tactfully said that he was going out for a walk, so he avoided going out.


    After Xue Tingxiang went out, Boss Chen said: "Brother An Qi, don''t you believe in the eyes of a younger brother? I have observed these days, and this son has a calm mind, is diligent and hardworking, and is quite talented in reading. He only needs one A good teacher, if there is a good teacher to guide, I think the future will be limitless in the future."


    The reason why Boss Chen said that was because Lin Miao''s performance was too plain. He originally thought that Lin Miao loves calligraphy, and after reading Xue Tingxiang''s calligraphy, and his lobbying, he should accept him as a student no matter what.


    This student is different from the students in the academy, and can be regarded as a student entering the room. As the saying goes, a teacher for a day is a father for life. A young child has more than one teacher from the beginning of school until he passes the exam/fame.


    When you start learning, you are called a teacher, that is, a teacher of enlightenment. The karma teacher is the teacher who teaches the karma, also known as the scripture teacher. Those who teach their work must pass on their scriptures, and those who pass on their scriptures must educate their people, so a teacher is extremely important to a student. There are also human teachers and seat teachers, which will not be mentioned here.


    As for what Boss Chen said about "accepting students", the teacher is more like a combination of a professional teacher and a human teacher to students. He not only needs to teach them, but also teaches them the principles of life, which is different from treating ordinary students. The teacher has to cultivate it carefully, and it can be regarded as inheriting his mantle.


    Of course, students have to pay relatively, and they must truly be teachers for one day and fathers for life. This kind of relationship is not father and son, but victory is father and son, which is very popular among scholars today. The intertwined relationship among scholars in Shilin was laid on this basis, and gradually developed into a towering tree.


    Lin Miao laughed: "You really value him very much."


    Boss Chen sneered: "If I didn''t miss you, you would think that I have the time to meddle in your business. Don''t forget the October competition, if Qingyuan Academy loses again this year..."


    Boss Chen didn''t say what he said next, but Lin Miao understood what it meant.


    He sighed softly: "Everything is determined by God, if it is the case in reality, you can''t force it."


    Boss Chen repeatedly shook his head and stomped his feet and said, "Oh, I''m not talking about you. Your temperament is the most troublesome. You talk about the way of a gentleman with others, but others never follow you. Year after year They were all defeated by that villain, and now there are no good seedlings who are willing to come here to study, what should we do in the long run."


    "Brother Mo Zhi, you don''t understand."


    "Yes, yes, I don''t understand, I just know that if this continues, the reputation of the Qingyuan Academy will be lost in your hands."


    After finishing speaking, both of them were silent.


    Lin Miao looked tired, and Boss Chen seemed to know that he had made a slip of the tongue. He slowed down his tone, and said, "I can''t do anything about you. Anyway, I brought him for you. I''m really optimistic about this child. As for the rest, you can figure it out yourself."


    Lin Miao nodded: "Brother Mo Zhi, thank you in advance for my brother, but the matter of accepting apprentices will be discussed later. Don''t worry, he has entered the Qingyuan Academy, and I will teach him carefully."


    Boss Chen also understood where his heart knot was, and he didn''t force it. The two chatted for a while, and Boss Chen said goodbye.


    When Boss Chen came out of the wing, Xue Tingxiang had just returned.


    He was taken by Zhaifu to wander around the school, and he could see that the school was a bit old, and the paint on many buildings was peeling off, but every flower, plant and tree could be seen to be elegant.


    It''s like a place to study, unlike the Qinghe Academy, where there is a smell of copper everywhere.


    The two left hand in hand, Xue Tingxiang asked Boss Chen about Shu Xiu on the way.


    After asking about it, I found out that the repairs at Qingyuan Academy are very cheap, apart from the usual six rites of apprenticeship, only one tael of silver is needed a year.


    As for the usual etiquette of filial piety, it only depends on family background and intentions, and it doesn''t matter whether you give it or not. In addition, regarding the dormitory study, you can choose to do the dormitory study or not, but you must come to the morning study every day. As for meals, you can choose to bring your own rice, or you can choose to pay a certain amount of money every month and have it supplied by the school, both of which are debatable.


    It''s not like the Qinghe Academy that requires students to live in dormitories, just to charge the expensive accommodation and meals.


    According to Boss Chen, in the past, when the Qingyuan Academy had court subsidies, the annual tael of silver was not collected. It was only later that the subsidies were lost, and the gentlemen and handymen in the academy had to support their families before they were charged. Silver taels.


    Boss Chen sighed in his tone, and Xue Tingxiang also sighed in his heart.


    In his dream, ''Xue Tingxiang'' had been studying in the Qinghe Academy for three years. If he had known about the existence of this Qingyuan Academy, Zhao''er would not have been so busy for his training. It would not be so desperate to give up, and he would not waste three years in Qinghe Academy.


    Fortunately, the reality and the dream finally deviated, and the inexplicable Xue Tingxiang felt relieved.


    Xue Tingxiang looked out the window, and saw that the chicken''s neck was still bleeding, but it was flying around the yard, and Mrs. Sun followed behind chasing after him in a panic.


    Seeing that she was really in a bad shape, Mrs. Zhao came out of the room and said a few words. Mrs. Sun was even more anxious, and knew that she was really ashamed in front of the patriarch, but the chicken had wings, but she didn''t. It was only when the chicken lost its strength that Mrs. Sun grabbed it and cursed, "Run, run, it''s destined to be a dish in the pot. Where are you going?"


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t look any further, and looked back.


    He knew why his uncle was so generous, and proposed to let him compete with Xue Juncai, because if there were no accidents, Xue Juncai would definitely win this match.


    In that dream, he had suffered such a loss, but it was not compared with Xue Juncai, but Zhao''er worked so hard to get money and sent him to Qinghe Academy. At that time, he was so stupid that he always blamed his own failure on the harshness of fate, thinking that it was not that he could not do it, but that everyone did not give him a chance.


    When he first entered the Qinghe Academy, he was full of ambition. He thought that he would definitely surpass Xue Juncai and prove that he was the most outstanding person in the Xue family, but the reality slapped him hard in the face. It was also at that time that he, who had never seen the world, understood the sinister intentions of his uncle. He did teach him to read, and he did ''read'' a lot of books, but he just read and didn''t understand the meaning of the scriptures.

 Chapter 190

    "Dog, dog..."


    Xue Gouzi came back to his senses and looked at the face in front of him that had been entwined in his dreams for many years.


    "You''re right, I won''t think about it anymore." He paused, and then said, "I just want to say one thing, can you stop calling me a dog?"


    Zhao''er was puzzled and said, "But I didn''t call you that all the time. If you don''t call me a dog, what would you call it?"


    Xue Gouzi pondered for a moment, "Call me Ting Xiang."


    "Tingxiang? This is your own name? Gou''er, why did you give yourself such a name?" Soon she understood, remembering that the talented boy in Dafang always carried his own name because of his young age. People laugh at the same name as Gou''er and Heizi.


    A look of distress flashed in her eyes, and she nodded repeatedly: "Gou''er, no, Ting''er scholars are different, and the name is so nice. From now on, my sister won''t call you Gou''er, and I won''t let outsiders call you that. It''s called Tingxiang." Anyway, in her heart, whatever the dog says is good,


    Xue Gouzi, no, he should be called Xue Tingxiang now, and he feels a little depressed. He is only less than two years younger than Zhao''er, but he is a deep ravine that he will not be able to cross in his entire life. Having said that, he said again: "Also, can you stop calling yourself sister to me in the future?"


    This time, Zhao''er was even more surprised, and even reached out to touch his forehead: "Ting''er, what''s wrong with you? Did you have some evil? You didn''t call me sister since you were a child."


    Xue Tingxiang took a deep breath and smiled: "But you are not my sister, you will be my wife in the future, how can a man call his wife a sister."


    He was originally pale, half leaning on the quilt at the top of the kang, suddenly smiled like this, his brows and eyes were clear and handsome, which gave people a feeling that they dare not look directly at him.


    Zhao''er''s face turned red all of a sudden, and he couldn''t make sense of what he said: "Dog, you, what are you talking about, I, I..."


    "Don''t you want to be my daughter-in-law and have a baby for me?" He moved closer.


    She stood up abruptly, and reprimanded: "You little kid, why are you talking about this? Your hair hasn''t grown fully yet!" She said a foul language that Xue Tingxiang didn''t like to hear the most, and she didn''t realize it: "You want to The thing to do is to take care of your body, as for these things, we will talk about them later!"


    Her eyes were fierce, and her tone was also fierce. After she finished speaking, she lowered her head and scooped rice from the bowl to Xue Tingshan''s mouth. He glanced at her, ate honestly, and suddenly became in a good mood.


    Maybe the two of them can change the way they get along in the future, and change it if they don''t like it, there is no need to wait for her to understand.


    *


    Zhao''er threw away the mess, turned around and went back to the house, leaving the whole family to finish their lunch in a depressing atmosphere.


    During this period, Sun had nothing to say to her, but no one paid any attention to her.


    Yang couldn''t eat, if it wasn''t for her parents-in-law, if she didn''t want to embarrass herself in front of the two younger siblings, she would have thrown her chopsticks and left. But now he can only suppress the aggrieved stomach, and eat the food in front of him like chewing wax.


    After dinner, Mrs. Sun took Mao Dan away, knowing that her son got into trouble today, and she was afraid that she would be angered later. Mrs. Zhou took Xue Taoer to clean up the table, and took the dishes and chopsticks to the kitchen to wash. Xue Qingbai helped her, Zhou could not carry such a pot of dishes by himself, usually when Xue Qingbai was not at home, she and her daughter could only carry them.


    Only Dafang, mother and son were left in the room, along with Mr. Xue and Mrs. Zhao.


    Yang stood up and wanted to go back to the East Chamber, but was stopped by Mr. Xue.


    Mr. Xue took out his dry pipe, took out some shredded tobacco grown by himself from the dark blue tobacco pouch, rolled it into a ball, pressed it into the tobacco pot, and then lit it with a torch.


    His movements are very slow, neither fast nor slow. Anyone who is familiar with Mr. Xue''s character knows that he has something on his mind.


    It''s true that there is something wrong, and if it''s not something, he won''t call his daughter-in-law to stop.


    "The handsome boy and the talented boy go back to the house first. Grandpa has something to say to your mother."


    Xue Youcai glanced at his mother and wanted to say something, but was dragged away by his elder brother Xue Juncai.


    "Father, just tell me if you have anything to say."


    Mrs. Yang is thirty-four this year. In the countryside, a woman in her thirties is no longer considered young. Here, the wind blows and the sun shines and eats, so the women look old.


    But Yang''s maintenance is very good, her face is like a disc, her skin is fair, and there are a few fine lines at the corners of her eyes. She was wearing a worn-out stone blue satin gown with make-up, her shiny black hair was pulled into a bun behind her head, a gilt hairpin was inserted into it, and a pair of old silver earrings were on her ears. It can''t be called onion tip, but it is also white and soft, wearing a gold ring.


    It is not an exaggeration to say that she is the grandma of the landlord''s family in this dress and bearing, even the Zhao family is not as good as her.


    With his old eyes, Mr. Xue moved Yang back and forth a few times, making her stand uneasy.


    Just as I was about to say something, my father-in-law said suddenly: "Boss daughter-in-law, how long have you been married to our family?"


    Yang was startled, and replied: "Seventeen years, my daughter-in-law married into the Xue family in the seventeenth year."


    "Then how will your mother and I treat you?"


    Yang''s heart skipped a beat: "Father and mother treat their daughter-in-law like their own daughters."


    Mr. Xue nodded, took a puff of the dry cigarette, and the light blue smoke began to linger on his old face again, making it difficult to see the expression on his face clearly.


    "You are the eldest daughter-in-law of our family, and your mother has always loved you. You and the boss have the same heart as your mother and I. I only wish that you can become a talent."


    Yang''s heart relaxed, and she couldn''t help laughing: "Juncai is serious about his studies, even my father said that he is a rare and good seedling, and it is no problem to be a scholar."


    Speaking of Xue Juncai who is the most proud, even Mr. Xue couldn''t help showing a smile.


    Seeing that the father-in-law''s face softened, Yang took advantage of the situation and said: "It''s just that you know, father, that when it''s time to end, you don''t have to just sit at home and study. Thinking back then, Juncai''s father also listened to my father''s words, I went to Qinghe Academy to study for two years, met some classmates, and registered in front of my husband. I took the opportunity to impress the county magistrate, and I passed the county exam. The ranking of the county exam As long as it is not bad, the government examination is not to say that it is sure, but it is half sure. It''s just that you have to rely on luck when you get to the hospital examination, and Juncai''s father is unlucky, so he will fail repeatedly."


    This is the real reason why Yang Shi is valued by the old couple in the Xue family, not only because her father is a child, but also because her father was kind to Xue Qingshan in the past.


    And Yang''s statement seems absurd, but it is true. The two county examinations are not as strictly controlled as the hospital examination, especially the county examination, which is presided over by the magistrate of the county.


    There are five county exams in total, and the results of the first exam are mainly to be judged. And this time, there are two stereotyped essays and one poem. As long as there are no typos and fluent essays, you can pass them all.


    Compared with people he doesn''t know well at all, the magistrate is still willing to pick people who are somewhat familiar.


    And going to a good school to study is to provide an opportunity to stand out in front of the county magistrate. Dachang has always attached great importance to the selection of talents. How many scholars can be produced in this county, and even a son can be a Jinshi, which is considered a political achievement. No matter how fatuous and incompetent the county magistrate, this kind of cutscene must go.


    And being able to enter a good school will not only increase your contacts, but also your vision.


    For example, the county examinations are nothing more than the Four Books and Five Classics and the sacred edicts. How to write and what taboos should not be violated all need guidance. No matter how wonderful your article is, if you violate taboos such as temple taboos, royal names, and holy taboos, you will not take it.


    And in places like the countryside, many private schools are opened by old children for the sake of making a living, and I still want to be a scholar to change my fortune, so how can I teach middle school children in every detail.


    Xue Qingshan himself was like this, that''s why he put all his energy into sending Xue Juncai to Qinghe Academy.


    Yang thought that her father-in-law wanted to tell her about sending Xue Juncai to the school, so she said this. Little did they know that her words really touched Mr. Xue''s mind, but Mr. Xue didn''t intend to tell her these things.


    Mr. Xue took a deep breath of dry cigarettes, and said: "The boss you said has been told to me, and we will talk about this matter later. You are Juncai''s mother, and there is nothing wrong with planning for your son, but you have to know that our family It¡¯s not just Dafang¡¯s family.¡±


    The father-in-law''s tone was a bit meaningful, Yang was startled for a moment, and forced a smile: "Father, of course my daughter-in-law knows that the Xue family is not just ours, but don''t worry, if Juncai''s father and Juncai are promising, they will never forget to be filial to you My mother." Seeing her father-in-law''s complexion was gloomy, she hurriedly added: "There are other people in the family, Juncai always remembers that he can study, thanks to a few uncles and aunts."


    Mr. Xue nodded: "If you understand, you should know that the other three families have been sacrificing for the eldest house. I won''t mention the far ones, just talk about the third and fourth children. The land in the house refers to the third and fourth children Kindly, your father is getting old, and his hands and feet are not as sharp as before. The fourth child has to pick up goods and sell them when he is busy with the house. I don¡¯t know how many pairs of shoes he has to wear out in a year, but all the money he earns is handed over to the public. , I haven¡¯t paid a penny. What is everyone working so hard for? It¡¯s not for our family, but for Dafang.¡±


    Yang''s complexion became forced: "Father, why is this all for our eldest family? Juncai''s father is promising, isn''t it because the Xue family has a good face? Because Juncai''s father was born in Tongsheng, no one in the village would look at us highly, even that The Zheng family, don¡¯t you also give us three points of courtesy to the Xue family. This is for the overall situation, for the future generations of our Xue family..."


    Old Master Xue sighed and interrupted: "Father understands what you said, and so does your mother. But as the saying goes, if the board is not on your body, of course you don''t feel pain. You put yourself in the position of the third and fourth child , What do you think? I have done the most work, and I can¡¯t even put my good words into my mouth, and it¡¯s all in other people¡¯s mouths.¡±


    These words were in line with what Zhao''er said just now, Yang''s face turned red immediately, her round face flushed red.


    "Father, why did you call this into my mouth, I..."


    Mr. Xue ignored her, and went to scold Mrs. Zhao again: "There is also you, who is biased in front of people. You just continue to do it, so that the third and fourth are chilled, and they make a fuss about separating from the family. You go there Planted for the boss and talented people to take the imperial examination!"


    At the end, his tone was full of sighs of hatred for iron.


    Mrs. Zhao didn''t want to listen to this anymore, and muttered: "What do you mean I am biased? Why am I biased? Didn''t I think that the boss and Juncai want to study, and studying is a waste of brain, so I should give them more supplements. Don''t those who are good? It fell into my mouth."


    The more she spoke, the angrier she became, and she couldn''t help cursing: "Separate the family, don''t they want to turn the world upside down, if the parents don''t separate, even if I can spare them, the ancestors'' family law can''t forgive them."


    Old Master Xue smiled wryly. If it wasn''t for these two old things and the family law of the ancestors, the family would not be like this a long time ago.


    He shifted his gaze to Mrs. Yang: "You also understand the situation at home. Can your mother and I manage it for a while, or for a lifetime? Since you want to send Juncai to study in the school in the town, you should win over the third and fourth bedroom. "


    "Father, I..."


    "In the past, your mother doted on you. I never said it. You can tell which is right and which is wrong. But from tomorrow onwards, you and the third and fourth families will share the work at home. "


    After Mr. Xue finished speaking, he stopped talking and just smoked his own cigarette with a sullen head. Yang couldn''t stand here either, and hurried out of the main room with her head down.


    *


    As soon as Mrs. Zhou cleaned up the kitchen and came out, she saw her sister-in-law returning to the east chamber with her head down, her expression was not very good.


    Her eyes flickered, and she glanced towards the south end of the west wing, which was a four-bedroom house.


    There was a faint person behind the window facing the courtyard in the fourth room, and Mrs. Zhou knew that Mrs. Sun had been watching the movement. She pretended not to notice, wiped her hands on the apron, and went back to the house.


    When it was time to cook in the evening, Mrs. Yang was wearing coarse clothes, which was rare, and came to the kitchen to compete with Mrs. Zhou for work.


    Mrs. Zhou couldn''t even refuse, so Mrs. Yang smiled and said that Mrs. Zhou had worked hard, so she just let her rest.

 Chapter 191

    "You do not sleep?"


    It is reasonable to say that they would not rest so early, but today both of them have been busy all day, so they turned off the lights after recruiting children to go to the kang. However, there is a moon outside, and you can still see clearly in the room.


    Zhao''er sat up halfway, and moved to Xue Tingxiang''s side.


    "Dog, tell me what you meant when you scolded that old killer just now?"


    Zhao''er knows how to swear, and she has sweared before, but she has never seen such a method of swearing. Yang Zhong was furious because of the swearing, and Xue''s family didn''t even know how to persuade him. From Zhao''er''s point of view, isn''t this the culmination of swearing, can you swear without uttering dirty words?


    She wants to learn this method, it will come in handy sometime.


    Xue Tingxiang turned over and gave her a backbone.


    Zhao''er poked his shoulder with her finger: "What''s wrong? Why are you angry again?"


    He didn''t move, and she moved closer.


    The two of them were only separated by one person, and they wore thin clothes when they slept. Zhao''er leaned over, and even though Xue Tingshan had his back on his back, he could still feel a wave of heat rushing towards him, mixed with a faint fragrance.


    There was a strange softness slightly attached to his shoulders, Xue Tingshan stiffened her back, and she heard her say on top of her head: "Don''t take that old killer''s words to heart, it''s not that I said uncle and aunt are too narrow-minded." It¡¯s too much, to make such a fuss, do you really think that grandpa will regret it? Even if the family doesn¡¯t say anything, there are still so many people watching outside, so don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll go to the school to make a decision.¡±


    She was very close to him, and the heat of her words sprayed on the tips of his ears, making him shiver again and again. At the same time, a hot numbness rushed from the tips of his ears to his neck, causing waves of unconscious trembling.


    His breathing was a little tight, and he couldn''t help turning over.


    Zhao''er was still talking, and she didn''t expect that he would turn over suddenly, and his face just crashed into her arms.


    Xue Tingxiang''s brain went blank for a moment, and he subconsciously fell backwards. It is obvious that it is about to leave at the touch of a touch, but it clearly feels a suffocating softness, and there is something faintly raised.


    He recalled some situations in the dream, and he only felt his nose was hot, as if something flowed out.


    "Are you alright?" Zhao''er heard a thud, saw him motionless, thought that something was wrong with him being bumped, hurriedly leaned over to look at his face.


    "Why are you panicking! Really. Come on, let me rub it for you."


    He covered his nose with one hand and pushed her with the other: "I''m fine, it doesn''t hurt." He quickly turned over and said falteringly: "It''s getting late, go to sleep."


    "You haven''t told me what you mean by that!"


    "It doesn''t mean anything, just let him take a pee and take a picture of himself!"


    "Ah?!" Zhao''er was stunned, and said after a while, "So that''s what he meant, then you just let him take a pee and take a picture of yourself, and you said so much."


    Seeing that he didn''t answer himself, Zhao''er sat for a while and then lay down.


    "Okay, go to bed now, I won''t disturb you anymore."


    *


    Yang Zhong stayed at Xue''s house for one night and left the next day.


    Because it was rushing to the busy farming season, the Xue family resumed their usual work, and no one mentioned the previous incident, as if nothing happened that night.


    Everything is so busy yet full of peace.


    On this day, Xue Tingxiang and Zhao''er went to town early in the morning.


    Different from the past, today Xue Tingxiang wore new clothes.


    The clothes were brought out overnight by Zhao''er, because Boss Chen said that he would take Xue Tingxiang to Qingyuan Academy. This trip is very meaningful, so naturally it can''t be as casual as before.


    The gray-blue cotton gown was made by Zhao''er after imitating those school shirts in the town. Although the style is simple, it looks extraordinarily straight and docile after being washed with starch. Although Xue Tingxiang is thin and thin, his shoulders are flat and his back is straight. Wearing this student shirt, he has a particularly graceful temperament.


    When they arrived at the place, Boss Chen took Xue Tingxiang out, while Zhao''er stayed at Dongliju.


    The two of them went all the way to the east of the town, the more secluded they became as they went outside, and after walking for almost a cup of tea, they saw a building with white walls and black tiles standing at the end of their line of sight.


    Seeing Xue Tingxiang''s gaze resting on the building, Boss Chen said: "That is the Qinghe Academy." After a pause, he raised his hand and pointed to a building not far behind the Qinghe Academy: "That is the Qinghe Academy. Academy."


    The two walked forward and passed Qinghe Academy, and saw that this academy was really extraordinary. The whole building exudes a magnificent temperament, the gate tower stands majestically, with a few golden characters "Qinghe Academy" written on the door plaque, and the two black-painted gates are closed tightly, with a look of repelling people thousands of miles away. momentum.


    "It''s too late for you to regret it now." Boss Chen said.


    Following the sound of talking, the two of them crossed the Qinghe Academy, only to see the obviously much dilapidated small courtyard not far away.


    The small courtyard is rigorous and simple, with clear water and white walls, and gray and black tiles. Even the door plaque is much smaller than that of the Qinghe Academy, with a few simple big-character books on it¡ª¡ª


    Qingyuan Academy.


    Obviously, no matter where you look at it, it is not as good as the Qinghe Academy, but standing under the square door plaque and looking at the words on it, Xue Tingxiang felt a peaceful and peaceful atmosphere.


    "Since the kid is here, I don''t intend to regret it."


    Boss Chen glanced at him appreciatively, and went to call the door.


    Not long after, an elderly Zhaifu opened the door from the inside.


    He seemed to know Boss Chen, and he led the two of them in without asking too much.


    This school may not seem big, but it is actually small but well-equipped. It is the same as a general school. After passing the screen wall, there is a lecture hall on the central axis. There are two houses on the left and right sides. The temple on the left is built to worship the saint Confucius, and the house on the right is the place where the gentleman sits and rests and collects books.


    After the lecture hall, there must be a shooting garden, a hall, a kitchen, etc. Xue Tingxiang knew the layout without looking. Because in his dream, he studied in Qinghe Academy for several years, but Qinghe Academy is much more spacious and grand than Qingyuan Academy.


    Boss Chen led Xue Tingxiang to the right side of the house with ease, and when he reached a wing room, he straightened his clothes and sleeves, and then brought Xue Tingxiang in.


    This wing room is furnished in a simple and elegant way, and there is a large painting on the central hall facing it, on which are written the words ''peace and distance''. Standing in front of the words was a thin middle-aged man, wearing a dark blue scribe shirt and a square scarf.


    When he heard the movement, he turned around, and saw that he had long eyebrows, a thin face, and a few strands of beard. Judging from his appearance, he is a very serious and rigid person, but his eyes are calm and deep, obviously a person of great wisdom.


    This person is Lin Miao, the owner of Qingyuan Academy.


    "Brother Anqi, I''m here to bother you again." Boss Chen cupped his hands with a smile.


    "The good brother of Mo."


    Lin Miao smiled, obviously he had a good relationship with Boss Chen. After the two exchanged pleasantries, Boss Chen pointed to Xue Tingxiang and said, "This is the young man I told you about."


    Lin Miao looked over.


    Obviously Xue Tingxiang has extensive knowledge, and he has never seen any kind of person in that dream, even the Ninth Five-Year Master, he has seen several, but there is an inexplicable sense of awe.


    "Boy Xue Tingxiang, I have met you." He clasped his hands together and bowed in salute.


    Lin Miao nodded: "Since you''re here, stay here. The school will open in ten days, so you can just come here when it''s time."


    "Mr. Xie."


    Boss Chen glanced at Lin Miao, as if he wanted to say something, seeing this, Xue Tingxiang tactfully said that he was going out for a walk, so he avoided going out.


    After Xue Tingxiang went out, Boss Chen said: "Brother An Qi, don''t you believe in the eyes of a younger brother? I have observed these days, and this son has a calm mind, is diligent and hardworking, and is quite talented in reading. He only needs one A good teacher, if there is a good teacher to guide, I think the future will be limitless in the future."


    The reason why Boss Chen said that was because Lin Miao''s performance was too plain. He originally thought that Lin Miao loves calligraphy, and after reading Xue Tingxiang''s calligraphy, and his lobbying, he should accept him as a student no matter what.


    This student is different from the students in the academy, and can be regarded as a student entering the room. As the saying goes, a teacher for a day is a father for life. A young child has more than one teacher from the beginning of school until he passes the exam/fame.


    When you start learning, you are called a teacher, that is, a teacher of enlightenment. The karma teacher is the teacher who teaches the karma, also known as the scripture teacher. Those who teach their work must pass on their scriptures, and those who pass on their scriptures must educate their people, so a teacher is extremely important to a student. There are also human teachers and seat teachers, which will not be mentioned here.


    As for what Boss Chen said about "accepting students", the teacher is more like a combination of a professional teacher and a human teacher to students. He not only needs to teach them, but also teaches them the principles of life, which is different from treating ordinary students. The teacher has to cultivate it carefully, and it can be regarded as inheriting his mantle.


    Of course, students have to pay relatively, and they must truly be teachers for one day and fathers for life. This kind of relationship is not father and son, but victory is father and son, which is very popular among scholars today. The intertwined relationship among scholars in Shilin was laid on this basis, and gradually developed into a towering tree.


    Lin Miao laughed: "You really value him very much."


    Boss Chen sneered: "If I didn''t miss you, you would think that I have the time to meddle in your business. Don''t forget the October competition, if Qingyuan Academy loses again this year..."


    Boss Chen didn''t say what he said next, but Lin Miao understood what it meant.


    He sighed softly: "Everything is determined by God, if it is the case in reality, you can''t force it."


    Boss Chen repeatedly shook his head and stomped his feet and said, "Oh, I''m not talking about you. Your temperament is the most troublesome. You talk about the way of a gentleman with others, but others never follow you. Year after year They were all defeated by that villain, and now there are no good seedlings who are willing to come here to study, what should we do in the long run."


    "Brother Mo Zhi, you don''t understand."


    "Yes, yes, I don''t understand, I just know that if this continues, the reputation of the Qingyuan Academy will be lost in your hands."


    After finishing speaking, both of them were silent.


    Lin Miao looked tired, and Boss Chen seemed to know that he had made a slip of the tongue. He slowed down his tone, and said, "I can''t do anything about you. Anyway, I brought him for you. I''m really optimistic about this child. As for the rest, you can figure it out yourself."


    Lin Miao nodded: "Brother Mo Zhi, thank you in advance for my brother, but the matter of accepting apprentices will be discussed later. Don''t worry, he has entered the Qingyuan Academy, and I will teach him carefully."


    Boss Chen also understood where his heart knot was, and he didn''t force it. The two chatted for a while, and Boss Chen said goodbye.


    When Boss Chen came out of the wing, Xue Tingxiang had just returned.


    He was taken by Zhaifu to wander around the school, and he could see that the school was a bit old, and the paint on many buildings was peeling off, but every flower, plant and tree could be seen to be elegant.


    It''s like a place to study, unlike the Qinghe Academy, where there is a smell of copper everywhere.


    The two left hand in hand, Xue Tingxiang asked Boss Chen about Shu Xiu on the way.


    After asking about it, I found out that the repairs at Qingyuan Academy are very cheap, apart from the usual six rites of apprenticeship, only one tael of silver is needed a year.


    As for the usual etiquette of filial piety, it only depends on family background and intentions, and it doesn''t matter whether you give it or not. In addition, regarding the dormitory study, you can choose to do the dormitory study or not, but you must come to the morning study every day. As for meals, you can choose to bring your own rice, or you can choose to pay a certain amount of money every month and have it supplied by the school, both of which are debatable.

 Chapter 192

    Zhao''er washed the dishes and chopsticks used by himself and the little man, and took them back to the kitchen. Mrs. Zhou was cooking pig food, while Tao''er was sweeping the yard. Seeing that she had nothing to do, Zhao''er found Heizi''s food bowl and took a bowl from the leftover rice that was going to be mixed with pig grass to feed pigs later. , carrying it and walking out the door.


    Mrs. Zhou glanced at her back, but didn''t speak.


    The leftovers are for Heizi. Dogs in the country are like this. The owner eats dry food, and the dog drinks water. When the owner eats water, the dog usually starves. The country dogs are used to starvation, but Zhao''er usually pays little attention to sunspots, no matter good or bad, he always feeds him.


    Occasionally there are additional meals, of course, these are invisible to the human face.


    Anyway, Mrs. Zhao saw Zhao''er picking food out of her pig''s mouth and feeding it to the dog!


    She stepped out of the main room and saw this scene, the old face immediately pulled down, and she didn''t see her scolding Zhao''er, so she stood in front of the door and shouted at the direction of the kitchen: "Let you feed the pigs!" It¡¯s good for you, feed the food into the dog¡¯s mouth, such a big person is not worth the fart, and it¡¯s not enough to eat for nothing.¡±


    This clearly refers to Sang scolding Huai.


    In the kitchen, Mrs. Zhou didn''t speak. Tao''er, who was sweeping the yard, looked up at Grandma, endured it and continued to sweep the yard. Mrs. Zhao didn''t mention her name, who knows who she was scolding, if she stepped forward to intervene, she would only change the target and be scolded bloody.


    These are lessons learned.


    As soon as Zhao''er walked to the gate of the courtyard, she heard such scolding. She didn''t show any weakness, and turned her head to look at Zhao with a smile: "Grandma, are you scolding Third Aunt? If you scold Third Aunt, Third Aunt But it¡¯s too unfair. If you want to scold you, you should scold me. I scooped up the leftovers and planned to give Heizi to eat. Didn¡¯t I just think that Heizi would not be easy, so I would bring a rabbit to the house every now and then. You said we You can¡¯t do something that wants the cows to work without giving them grass, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Mrs. Zhao glared at Zhao''er angrily. She knew that this girl was not a cheap girl, so she scolded Mrs. Zhou, but she found her by herself. Just as he was about to say something, some of the women who passed by the gate of the courtyard smiled and said, "I saw Lian Xing''s family so energetic early in the morning."


    Someone next to him interjected: "Don''t talk about it, Ren Zhao''er is right. How can there be a cow that works without giving it grass?"


    "That''s right, Lian Xing''s family, it''s almost enough. Everyone in the village doesn''t like your big black dog. At this time when there is a rabbit shortage in the wild, it can fetch rabbits. What a smart beast. Usually In summer and autumn, voles, wild rabbits, and pheasants were often picked up at home, and they would be brought back if they didn¡¯t eat them. If you don¡¯t like Heizi, give it to our family, and your Uncle Shouxin has already taken a fancy to Heizi.¡±


    This is a Lianxing family, Mr. Xue and his aunt, known as Aunt Shouxin. Although he is ten years younger than Mrs. Zhao, but he is of a higher seniority.


    There are more than 200 households in Yuqing Village, with Xue and Zheng as the main surnames, and there are more than a dozen other households with mixed surnames. Since they all have the same surname, it is inevitable that every family is related, and some relationships can be pulled out of Wufu. But relatives are relatives, and when one is younger than others, one has to respect one another, so when this aunt Shouxin spoke, she sounded like an elder giving advice to younger generations.


    Mrs. Zhao was terribly blocked by these words, even though she was scolding, she was really reluctant to let her give Heizi to others. Just like what these people said, Heizi did bring some wild animals to his house at ordinary times, regardless of size, fat or thin, he always eats meat, and it is not easy for country people to eat meat.


    She kept a straight face and said nothing, but the trick in front of the door was on point: "Grandma Seven, this is not acceptable, Heizi is my lifeblood, you have made my lifeblood run away, I can''t live anymore."


    She smiled as soon as she said it, and said witty words in her mouth, and immediately made Aunt Shouxin laugh, pointing at her bit by bit, and said to others: "Look at this naughty girl, but she is not at all. You''re welcome. Please, please, Seventh Grandma doesn''t want you dog, so she won''t take away my son''s life."


    After talking and joking, Zhao''er sent the women away with a smile, and then turned around to feed Heizi.


    Mrs. Zhao glared at her, turned around and was about to enter the room, but just as she lifted her foot, she heard someone calling her from behind.


    "Mom, why are you standing here?"


    But Xue Cuiping, the eldest daughter of the Zhao family, came back.


    Xue Cuiping''s appearance is 60% similar to Zhao''s, but she has a pair of big almond eyes. She looked like she was in her twenties, and she was wearing a washed-out blue floral jacket with a pair of red-coloured wide-leg trousers underneath. She was holding a bamboo basket in her hand, which was covered with a layer of cloth, and she couldn''t see what was in it, and she was looking at Mrs. Zhao suspiciously.


    This really means that Cao Cao and Cao Cao will be here soon. The old man said before that the Zhao family is planning to get someone to report to Shangshui Village. This will save trouble.


    The mother and daughter walked into the house while talking, and soon disappeared behind the curtain of the main room door.


    Zhao''er squatted there watching Heizi eat, stroking its big head with her hand, but she was a little curious about how her aunt came back in time for the busy farming season.


    *


    "This can''t be done, mother, you are letting someone poke my spine!" In the main room, Xue Cuiping stood up after listening to Mrs. Zhao''s words.


    Mrs. Zhao hurriedly reached out to pull her, and at the same time gestured for her to keep her voice down so that no one could hear her.


    "Why not? You are Gouzi''s aunt, and you beat the younger brother and the second child. If this family says who the child wants to listen to, they will probably listen to you."


    Mrs. Zhao''s words are true. Xue Cuiping has been friends with her second child, Xue Qingsong since she was a child, and she and Mrs. Qiu also got along well when she was not married. When Xue Gouzi was born, she often hugged him.


    Xue Gouzi has been shy and introverted since he was a child, and since his second wife left, he has become more silent and gloomy. He often doesn''t see him say a word for ten days and a half months, and the members of the Xue family are only close to aunt Xue Cuiping.


    "But..." Xue Cuiping was full of embarrassment, and secretly said in her heart that she shouldn''t be coming back this trip. She never thought that she hadn''t finished her business before going back to her mother''s house, but this kind of thing would happen.


    "Don''t forget, your family Xingzi came to our private school, and your elder brother didn''t care about you. Now your elder brother needs your help, why don''t you want to ignore it, you are good, your elder brother is fine, The big house is promising, can it still make you suffer?"


    "Why don''t you tell the dog yourself, mother!"


    Mrs. Zhao has never been a patient person. She can speak so softly because Xue Cuiping is her daughter. Seeing her daughter pushing back and forth like this, and poking her heart with words, she immediately exploded: "If your mother can go and tell him, is it still necessary for you? Your mother can say this, can you say it? If you let outsiders You know, what has become of this?"


    Xue Cuiping was already irritated by her in-laws'' affairs, and when she saw her mother scolding herself, she immediately became annoyed: "Hey, the whole family will not go, and I am an outsider who asked me to be this villain? Even if an outsider finds out, it''s okay It¡¯s no use for me to be an aunt, and the second elder brother¡¯s family and adults are all dead, so why not force a child?!¡±


    Seeing her daughter''s voice getting louder, Mrs. Zhao was afraid that people would hear her, so she gave her a firm hand and scolded: "You are afraid that people will not hear you, right?"


    Naturally, Xue Cuiping didn''t want to have a falling out with her mother, so she muttered reluctantly: "Let me say, it''s not your mother''s business to be in charge of this matter, let the elder brother or sister-in-law handle the affairs of the elder brother''s house by himself. Let others do all the bad things." , their family is innocent, there is such a thing!"


    "Why are you talking about your elder brother? Your elder brother is a scholar, he wants to face and respect. Besides, he is ashamed of his second son, and he can''t do such a thing."


    Xue Cuiping''s lips parted, and she pressed down her full stomach.


    If he really felt ashamed of his second brother, would he still make such a fuss? In fact, over the years, Xue Cuiping has also seen through the behavior of this elder brother. If the elder sister-in-law is a smiley face, the elder brother is not a good person. Bad things have been done by others. It is obvious that their family has benefited, but they still pretend to be innocent.


    But so what if she knew, she was a married woman after all, she couldn''t shake the deep-rooted respect her parents had for her elder brother. As long as this kind of value is not broken for a day, the big house will always be the first in the family. In particular, she also has her own selfishness and her own reasons, so even if she knows what happened at home in the past two years, she can only ignore it against her conscience.


    She brushed back the hair that fell on her cheeks, and said: "Mother, let''s not talk about it, I came back this trip to borrow some wheat seeds, you also know my mother-in-law''s disease, because I was in a hurry to raise money last year The money for the medicine, and no seeds left..."


    Before she finished speaking, she was interrupted by Mrs. Zhao.


    Mrs. Zhao patted her hard twice: "Borrowing wheat seeds again, do you think your mother''s family has gold and silver, don''t you? With so many sons in the Liu family, let you, a daughter-in-law, come back to dig out her mother''s family!?"


    "mother¡­¡­"


    "Those head-cutting things in the Liu family, a house full of losers, a bunch of incompetent bastards, who can''t even support their mothers..." Mrs. Zhao scolded, and seeing Xue Cuiping crying, she beat her again. She said twice: "Go and deal with Gouzi, and mother will give you wheat seeds."


    "mother¡­¡­"


    "Go, don''t ink."


    *


    When he heard that his aunt had returned, Xue Gouzi felt a sense of fate in his heart.


    Afterwards, when Xue Cuiping opened the door curtain and walked in with a smile, he surprisingly didn''t feel sad at all.


    When Xue Cuiping was talking, Xue Gouzi was not actually listening, he was just thinking about all the strange things in and out of the dream.


    Xue Tingxiang also experienced such a thing back then, since his parents passed away one after another, he felt resentful towards Xue''s family in his heart. And these grievances accumulated little by little under Dafang''s hypocrisy and the acquiescence of his family members. Until this time, he still had the last bit of hope in his heart, but when even his closest aunt was standing on the opposite side, he completely collapsed in despair. Instead of being silent earlier, he chose to explode.


    In fact, what Dafang and even the Xue family were waiting for was his outburst. As long as he raises this matter himself, countless big hats will be put on his head. He had no ability to resist at all, and these people were all his elders, so his anger and unwillingness were all strangled to death in his infancy.


    This time, what happened in the dream happened again, what should he do?


    Xue Cuiping''s mouth was still opening and closing, it could be seen that she was a little guilty in front of this pale and frail nephew. But these guilty consciences were hidden behind her constantly opening and closing mouth. Xue Gouzi''s eyes were indifferent, but someone beside him couldn''t help it.


    Zhao''er''s face was ugly, but he still forced a smile: "Auntie, you see that the dog has been sick for a few days, and he just got better. He is not in good spirits. If there is anything to say, let''s talk about it later."


    In fact, Zhao''er knew that this day would come sooner or later, otherwise she wouldn''t be desperately trying to make money recently. But when the malice between relatives approached a little bit, and it was her little man who forced it, Zhao''er couldn''t ignore it.


    She knew that it was the relatives who hurt people the most, and she had suffered this kind of pain. When mother left, she promised her that she would take good care of the little man, she made an oath.


    At this moment, Zhao''er''s eyes were stern, which was a sign that the female beast was going crazy.


    Xue Cuiping was frightened by what Zhaoer saw in her eyes, she shook her head subconsciously, and smiled uncomfortably, she couldn''t believe that a girl''s eyes could be so scary.

 Chapter 193

    It is the time of spring plowing, and the plan of the year lies in spring. If you are lazy at this time, you will cry when the grain is harvested in autumn.


    Zhao''er woke up at this hour on time, and opened his eyes to find that the little man was still asleep.


    Not long after she fell asleep yesterday, the little man developed a fever again. After working for most of the night, luckily the fever subsided by midnight.


    She sat up, raised her hand to touch the little man''s forehead, and made sure that her hands were not hot, then put on her clothes lightly and got off the kang.


    The first thing he did was to open the door, and Heizi, who had been restless for a long time, got out with a swish. Zhao''er also walked out of the room, and seeing Heizi rushing out of the courtyard to pee, she shook her head with a grin.


    At this time, someone had already woken up in the courtyard, it was the Zhou family of the third bedroom and his eldest daughter Xue Tao''er.


    Today it''s the third room''s turn to cook. The Xue family''s rule is that apart from the housework of each room, the work in the office is shared equally. One day per room, in rotation.


    The room responsible for cooking is not only responsible for the food and drink of the whole family, but also takes care of the livestock in the family. The Xue family raised two big fat pigs, and it was not an easy job to serve these two ancestors every day. Not to mention feeding chickens, carrying water, and chopping firewood, so the female family members who do housework on this day do not have to go to the fields to work.


    It seems to be fair and just, but in fact everyone inside knows how.


    The eldest aunt Yang claimed that the man was a child student, and she was exceptionally superior at home. Since Xue Qingshan passed the child student examination, she never touched housework again. The key is that Mrs. Zhao is also looking towards her, so it''s not easy for others to question her.


    At first, it was Xue Gouzi''s mother, Mrs. Qiu, who finally came in, the third-bedroom Mrs. Zhou, and the two sisters-in-law finally shared the burden. Afterwards, Mrs. Qiu followed her deceased husband, and Mrs. Zhou was left alone. It was not until Mrs. Sun of the fourth room entered the door that she would be able to catch her breath again.


    It''s a pity that Mrs. Sun is lazy and playful. In fact, Mrs. Zhou still does most of the work.


    In the past, when Mrs. Qiu was still alive, Zhao''er also helped Mrs. Qiu to do it. After Mrs. Qiu passed away, Zhao''er was busy with the housework of the second room and had to do the work in the office. In addition, Zhao''er was still young at that time, Mr. Xue told her to take good care of Xue Gouzi and not to take care of the work at work.


    Zhao''er now has free time to go around and get some money, but she is a person who looks at her conscience and will help out as much as she can in her spare time. As for those who used words to squeeze her like Sun, her sharp tongue was not forgiving.


    Seeing Xue Taoer struggling to fetch water from the well, Zhao''er rubbed his face and went up to help her.


    Thirteen-year-old Xue Taoer is like a small flower in bud. Although she is not very beautiful, she is very delicate. Seeing Zhao''er coming to help her, she couldn''t help showing a smile and talking to her: "Sister Zhao''er, is the second brother better?" Xue Gouzi is the second grandson of the Xue family, so Xue Taoer called him the second brother .


    "I had a fever again last night, and it got better in the second half of the night." Zhao''er looked around curiously, and asked, "Why isn''t Third Uncle here?"


    Although Xue Qingbai is a bit honest and reticent, he always loves his wife and daughter. Whenever he meets the third room to cook, he will get up early to fill the water tank.


    The Xue family has its own well, but the well is too deep, and there is no pulley on the well, so it is really exhausting to draw water with the strength of the daughter''s family alone. That is to say, Zhao''er was naturally as strong as an ox, and his strength was no worse than that of ordinary middle-aged men, so he could pull the bucket out of the deep well very easily.


    "My father went to the field and said he would work for a while and return after breakfast."


    Xue Qingbai is an honest farmer. Unlike other brothers in the family who have other skills, he only knows how to farm, so he puts all his heart on the ground. The Xue family has a total of more than 30 mu of land, and now he, Mr. Xue and the fourth son Xue Qinghuai are all planted.


    Although the women of the Xue family also went to the fields, it was only during the busy farming season, and besides, the women only had so little strength, so how could they help. Fortunately, the three men from Xue''s family are all good hands in the field, and they are really too busy, so they hired part-time workers to help out for a few days, so they don''t have to worry about not being able to finish the work in the field.


    Just as he was talking, the door of the fourth room opened, and Xue Qinghuai walked out from inside.


    The men in the Xue family are all big, so Xue Qinghuai also inherited a tall body.


    He was born with thick eyebrows, tiger eyes and a high nose bridge. He was dressed in dark blue coarse cloth and short brown, and looked very heroic. In fact, the men of the Xue family are not bad looking, but the women of the Xue family are a little mediocre, but all the grandchildren are born well, and they are all top-notch in the village.


    "Zhaoer Taoer, you wake up so early." Xue Qinghuai walked over in a few strides, took the wooden bucket in Zhaoer''s hand, walked to the water tank, and poured water into the tank.


    "How can you two little girls do this kind of rough work? You go to do other things, and the fourth uncle is here to fetch water."


    Zhao''er and Tao''er didn''t refuse either, one went to the kitchen to help her mother cook, and the other took a basin to scoop up water for washing.


    As time passed, the rest of the Xue family got up one after another, and there were more and more voices in the yard. On the other side of the kitchen, Mrs. Zhou yelled to eat. Generally, country people don''t pay much attention to breakfast, and they have to set a table or something. They always serve a bowl with a bowl, and eat it at any place.


    Breakfast is two rice porridge, the so-called two rice porridge is porridge cooked from two kinds of rice. Yuqing Village does not grow rice, but only wheat, sorghum, millet, corn and other crops. Although farmers grow wheat, they seldom use it for their own food. They sell it for other grains.


    Even a well-to-do family like Xue''s family with surplus food did not eat fine grains all at once, but a mixture of coarse grains and fine grains. For example, today''s breakfast is two-rice porridge, which is a porridge cooked with millet, that is, yellow rice, and sorghum rice.


    Because it was a busy time of farming, it was cooked quite thickly. Although it didn''t hold up with chopsticks inserted, it was much better than the usual thin soup with little water.


    There is no way, the Xue family seems to have a decent family background in the village, but there are three scholars in the family. Not to mention Xue Gouzi, Guangda Fang and his son spend a lot of money every month, and it''s no wonder that Mrs. Zhao usually can pick up fleas to get a little blood.


    Zhao''er filled two bowls of porridge, put a few cornbreads on a thick porcelain plate, and put some pickles on the side, and took them back to the second room''s room.


    As soon as he entered the door, he saw Xue Gouzi sitting up from the kang.


    She hurriedly put the wooden tray on the square table, and came up to see him: "But he''s better? Are you hungry? Sister will bring you some porridge."


    Xue Gouzi looked at her with complicated eyes.


    After experiencing such a dream, he now doesn''t know how to face Zhao''er. As long as he saw her, he couldn''t help but think of him in his dream, those words scolded by others before he died. He also tried to find the cause of Zhao''er''s death in his memory, but it seemed that that memory was Xue Tingxiang''s most unbearable past, and he had no memory at all.


    In fact, Xue Gouzi was burned in a daze last night, and Xue Gouzi thought for a long time. He couldn''t figure out whether he was Xue Gouzi or Xue Tingxiang, whether that dream was true or not, whether he was thinking about it every day and dreaming at night , to have such an absurd dream.


    However, he also had an idea in his heart. If everything in that dream was true, several things should happen in succession. If these things happen, it means that his dreams are real.


    Thinking about something in his heart, he reached out to catch the bowl, only to realize that he didn''t even have the strength to hold the bowl. Luckily, Zhao''er caught the bowl quickly, so he didn''t spill it all over him.


    Xue Gouzi was a little embarrassed and anxious. It was very strange, obviously he would not have this kind of reaction in front of Zhao''er before, but I don''t know if it was a dream, and his state of mind had a strange change.


    Zhao''er laughed at him: "Why are you being polite with my sister? I forgot that when you were a child, you peed on the kang, and it was my sister who washed it for you."


    Zhao''er came to Xue''s house when he was seven years old, and Gouzi was only five years old at that time. It is very inexplicable for a child to pee on the kang. It is obvious that he has not urinated for a long time. I don''t know if he drank too much water before going to bed or what, but he actually peed on the kang.


    Since Qiu gave birth to the dog, her bones were not good, and it was winter again. In order to repay the kindness of the second wife, Zhao''er volunteered to wash the dirty clothes and pants for the dog. Since then, she started her career as a child bride.


    What Xue Gouzi hates the most is Zhao''er. He always likes to say inconspicuous things in front of him. You must know that as you get older, boys will lose face, how can you still be willing to listen to people mentioning such things, especially dogs are naturally sensitive. But today for some reason, he didn''t feel annoyed, only a little embarrassed.


    He was surprised by his own reaction, but Zhao''er had already fed him porridge with a wooden spoon. He subconsciously opened his mouth, and waited until the warm porridge blown by her was fed into his mouth, and he saw the smiling eyes of the other party.


    Those eyes were big and bright, as if there were stars hidden in them, and he couldn''t help but blush.


    Zhao''er smiled even more happily, and stuffed him with a tortilla: "Eat quickly, sister will cook eggs for you at noon."


    She was coaxing him like a child, Gouzi suddenly had this understanding.


    He was eating porridge from Zhao''er, thinking wildly in his mind, it was very chaotic.


    Just then, someone came to the door.


    It was Xue Qingshan.


    Exactly the same as in the dream.


    Xue Qingshan''s fair face was full of sighs and worries, he sighed and said a lot of words, the main idea was to let the dog recover well, don''t worry too much, there are grandparents and uncles at home, he can''t lose him.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Qingshan also followed the appearance and height of the man from the Xue family. He was also a weed in Yuqing Village in his early years, but unfortunately he got a little fatter as he got older.


    "Uncle still has to go to the private school, dog, take care of your illness, you are a child with a lot of thoughts." Sighing and patting his nephew on the shoulder, Xue Qingshan lifted the curtain and left.


    What is he doing?


    Zhao''er thought suspiciously. After thinking about it for a while, she couldn''t figure out why, so she stopped thinking about it and concentrated on feeding the dog porridge, but Xue Gouzi looked thoughtful.


    *


    In the main room, Mrs. Zhao is chatting with Mr. Xue about what happened yesterday.


    Mrs. Zhao was sewing an old dress in her hand, and said, "Let me tell you, you just like to spoil that little thing. You love him, but he doesn''t love you. Our family''s money doesn''t come from the river, just Because he didn''t want to show his illness to the whole family, he made a fuss after another, which is to make the family upside down."


    Mr. Xue was in his fifties, tall and tall, and his skin was black and red like that of a countryman who had been exposed to the sun for a long time. He was wearing dark blue coarse cloth pants, sitting cross-legged on the Kang, smoking a dry cigarette.


    Every time after dinner or before work, Mr. Xue always smoked for a while, otherwise he would feel exhausted.


    "Okay, Gouwazi is sick, who doesn''t have three illnesses and four pains." After a while, he said hoarsely.


    The patter, patter sounded again, and the lingering blue smoke swirled in the air, and then scattered in all directions. Behind it, the old face of Mr. Xue was hidden, looming.


    "But look how long he has been in trouble? Yesterday, more than one hundred coins were lost. How long will it take you to work hard in the field to earn more than one hundred coins! Boss has to leave another two hundred coins. It is said that someone in a classmate¡¯s family had a birthday, and there was a disaster just last year, and the tax was not exempted, but increased. Seeing that the boss said that he wanted to send Juncai to the town to study, it was another expense. How much money do you have? Withstood such a toss!"


    Seeing that his wife was so distressed, Mr. Xue sat up straight, tapped the cigarette pot on the kang table, and gave her a sideways look: "Your heart will be distressed if you spend a hundred yuan for a dog, and you will give it if the boss asks you for it? Not me Speaking of you, you are a parent and grandmother, so don''t be too biased, you don''t have to make the following little ones have conflicts."


    Upon hearing this, Mrs. Zhao didn''t want to. She slapped him across the kang table and said, "I''m biased? Don''t you?"


    He is also biased, but the boss is the most promising in the family, and the handsome is also the most outstanding among the grandchildren. It''s different to have a scholar in the family. No one will say that Xue Lianxing''s family is a decent person when they go out. If Dafang can produce a scholar, his Xue family will be honored.


    Just thinking of Xue Gouzi, Mr. Xue couldn''t help frowning.


    Of course he knew that the mother-in-law was very annoyed, Gou''er was too ignorant, the eldest owed the life to the second, but Xue''s family was in such a family situation, naturally they had to pay attention to their future.


    It''s not that Mr. Xue looks down on his grandson, but that Gou''er is really not comparable to a handsome boy, nor can he. It''s good to be strong, but you always have to look at the situation.


    "The boss''s daughter-in-law has already said several times that the school in the town cannot be delayed. The delay is half a year. The boss still wants to let Juncai try next year." Zhao added.


    "Back then, I promised my second child!" Old Master Xue sighed deeply, took two puffs of dry cigarettes, and coughed twice when he was choked.


    "Anyway, you can figure it out!" Zhao Shi was so angry that she threw the clothes aside, turned her head and leaned back on the kang, giving the man a backbone.


    Old man Xue slapped his mouth several times, and the gully on his face deepened: "You too, old woman, don''t you think that if outsiders know about this, we can still have face in the village?"


    "Then what do you think we should do? Let''s not do it?" Mrs. Zhao rolled over and sat up again, staring at Mr. Xue.


    "Of course it has to be done, it depends on how to do it. How about this, you ask Cuiping to come back tomorrow, and she has to do this matter."


    "Uncle Chen is acquainted with the owner of the Qingyuan Academy?" Seeing that Boss Chen was so indignant, Xue Tingxiang asked curiously.


    Boss Chen stroked his beard and said, "I''m ashamed to say that I was a classmate with him when I was young, but I was not good at studies and only passed the exam as a boy student, but he was selected as a scholar in one fell swoop, and he was still a boy student. Unfortunately, bad luck, has not It took him many years to pass the exam, and he had no intention of pursuing a career, so he returned to his hometown to inherit his father''s career in teaching and educating people."


    "It won''t be bad luck all the time." Xue Tingxiang said.


    If he remembers correctly, the whole town was a sensation when Director Lin of the Qingyuan Academy finally passed the exam three years later, and Gao Youzhi, the owner of the Qinghe Academy, was so angry that he almost vomited blood. At that time, he was planning to leave the Qinghe Academy to study at the Shen family''s ethnology, and happened to hear something about it.


    Boss Chen thought the young man was just comforting him, and smiled, "Thank you for your good words."


    Xue Tingxiang was not ambiguous either, and cupped his hands and said: "Thank you, Uncle Chen, for your suggestion, but there are still trivial matters at home that have not been dealt with. When everything is settled, I will go to the Qingyuan Academy to study."

 Chapter 194

    She sat up, raised her hand to touch the little man''s forehead, made sure that her hands were not hot, then put on her clothes lightly, and got off the kang.


    The first thing to do was to open the door, and Heizi, who had been restless for a long time, got out with a swish. Zhao''er also walked out of the room, seeing Heizi hurriedly running out of the courtyard to pee, she shook her head with a broken smile.


    At this time, someone had already woken up in the courtyard, it was the Zhou family of the third bedroom and his eldest daughter Xue Tao''er.


    Today it''s the third room''s turn to cook. The Xue family''s rule is that apart from the housework of each room, the work in the office is shared equally. One day per room, in rotation.


    The room responsible for cooking is not only responsible for eating and drinking for the whole family, but also takes care of the livestock in the family. The Xue family raised two big fat pigs, and it was not an easy job to serve these two ancestors every day. Not to mention feeding chickens, carrying water, and chopping firewood, so the female family members who do housework on this day do not have to work in the fields.


    It seems to be fair and just, but in fact everyone inside knows how.


    The eldest aunt Yang claimed that the man was a child student, and she was exceptionally superior at home. Since Xue Qingshan passed the child student examination, she never touched housework again. The key is that Mrs. Zhao is also looking towards her, so it''s not easy for others to question her.


    At first, it was Xue Gouzi''s mother, Mrs. Qiu, who finally came in, the third-bedroom Mrs. Zhou, and the two sisters-in-law finally shared the burden. Afterwards, Mrs. Qiu followed her deceased husband, and Mrs. Zhou was left alone. It was not until Mrs. Sun of the fourth room entered the door that she would be able to catch her breath again.


    It''s a pity that Mrs. Sun is lazy and playful. In fact, Mrs. Zhou still does most of the work.


    In the past, when Mrs. Qiu was still alive, Zhao''er also helped Mrs. Qiu to do it. After Mrs. Qiu passed away, Zhao''er was busy with the housework of the second room and had to do the work in the office. In addition, Zhao''er was still young at that time, Mr. Xue told her to take good care of Xue Gouzi and not to take care of the work at work.


    Zhao''er now has free time to go around and get some money, but she is a person who looks at her conscience and will help out as much as she can in her spare time. As for those who used words to squeeze her like Sun, her sharp tongue was not forgiving.


    Seeing Xue Taoer struggling to fetch water from the well, Zhao''er rubbed his face and went up to help her.


    Thirteen-year-old Xue Taoer is like a small flower in bud. Although she is not very beautiful, she is very delicate. Seeing Zhao''er coming to help her, she couldn''t help showing a smile and talking to her: "Sister Zhao''er, is the second brother better?" Xue Gouzi is the second grandson of the Xue family, so Xue Taoer called him the second brother .


    "I had a fever again last night, and it got better in the second half of the night." Zhao''er looked around curiously, and asked, "Why isn''t Third Uncle here?"


    Although Xue Qingbai is a bit honest and reticent, he always loves his wife and daughter. Whenever he meets the third room to cook, he will get up early to fill the water tank.


    The Xue family has its own well, but the well is too deep, and there is no pulley on the well, so it is really exhausting to draw water with the strength of the daughter''s family alone. That is to say, Zhao''er was naturally as strong as an ox, and his strength was no worse than that of ordinary middle-aged men, so he could pull the bucket out of the deep well very easily.


    "My father went to the field and said he would work for a while and return after breakfast."


    Xue Qingbai is an honest farmer. Unlike other brothers in the family who have other skills, he only knows how to farm, so he puts all his heart on the ground. The Xue family has a total of more than 30 mu of land, and now he, Mr. Xue and the fourth son Xue Qinghuai are all planted.


    Although the women of the Xue family also went to the fields, it was only during the busy farming season, and besides, the women only had so little strength, so how could they help. Fortunately, the three men from Xue''s family are all good hands in the field, and they are really too busy, so they hired part-time workers to help out for a few days, so they don''t have to worry about not being able to finish the work in the field.


    Just as he was talking, the door of the fourth room opened, and Xue Qinghuai walked out from inside.


    The men in the Xue family are all big, so Xue Qinghuai also inherited a tall body.


    He was born with thick eyebrows, tiger eyes and a high nose bridge. He was dressed in dark blue coarse cloth and short brown, and looked very heroic. In fact, the men of the Xue family are not bad looking, but the women of the Xue family are a little mediocre, but all the grandchildren are born well, and they are all top-notch in the village.


    "Zhaoer Taoer, you wake up so early." Xue Qinghuai walked over in a few strides, took the wooden bucket in Zhaoer''s hand, walked to the water tank, and poured water into the tank.


    "How can you two little girls do this kind of rough work? You go to do other things, and the fourth uncle is here to fetch water."


    Zhao''er and Tao''er didn''t refuse either, one went to the kitchen to help her mother cook, and the other took a basin to scoop up water for washing.


    As time passed, the rest of the Xue family got up one after another, and there were more and more voices in the yard. On the other side of the kitchen, Mrs. Zhou yelled to eat. Generally, country people don''t pay much attention to breakfast, and they have to set a table or something. They always serve a bowl with a bowl, and eat it at any place.


    Breakfast is two rice porridge, the so-called two rice porridge is porridge cooked from two kinds of rice. Yuqing Village does not grow rice, but only wheat, sorghum, millet, corn and other crops. Although farmers grow wheat, they seldom use it for their own food. They sell it for other grains.


    Even a well-to-do family like Xue''s family with surplus food did not eat fine grains all at once, but a mixture of coarse grains and fine grains. For example, today''s breakfast is two-rice porridge, which is a porridge cooked with millet, that is, yellow rice, and sorghum rice.


    Because it was a busy time of farming, it was cooked quite thickly. Although it didn''t hold up with chopsticks inserted, it was much better than the usual thin soup with little water.


    There is no way, the Xue family seems to have a decent family background in the village, but there are three scholars in the family. Not to mention Xue Gouzi, Guangda Fang and his son spend a lot of money every month, and it''s no wonder that Mrs. Zhao usually can pick up fleas to get a little blood.


    Zhao''er filled two bowls of porridge, put a few cornbreads on a thick porcelain plate, and put some pickles on the side, and took them back to the second room''s room.


    As soon as he entered the door, he saw Xue Gouzi sitting up from the kang.


    She hurriedly put the wooden tray on the square table, and came up to see him: "But he''s better? Are you hungry? Sister will bring you some porridge."


    Xue Gouzi looked at her with complicated eyes.


    After experiencing such a dream, he now doesn''t know how to face Zhao''er. As long as he saw her, he couldn''t help but think of him in his dream, those words scolded by others before he died. He also tried to find the cause of Zhao''er''s death in his memory, but it seemed that that memory was Xue Tingxiang''s most unbearable past, and he had no memory at all.


    In fact, Xue Gouzi was burned in a daze last night, and Xue Gouzi thought for a long time. He couldn''t figure out whether he was Xue Gouzi or Xue Tingxiang, whether that dream was true or not, whether he was thinking about it every day and dreaming at night , to have such an absurd dream.


    However, he also had an idea in his heart. If everything in that dream was true, several things should happen in succession. If these things happen, it means that his dreams are real.


    Thinking about something in his heart, he reached out to catch the bowl, only to realize that he didn''t even have the strength to hold the bowl. Luckily, Zhao''er caught the bowl quickly, so he didn''t spill it all over him.


    Xue Gouzi was a little embarrassed and anxious. It was very strange, obviously he would not have this kind of reaction in front of Zhao''er before, but I don''t know if it was a dream, and his state of mind had a strange change.


    Zhao''er laughed at him: "Why are you being polite with my sister? I forgot that when you were a child, you peed on the kang, and it was my sister who washed it for you."


    Zhao''er came to Xue''s house when he was seven years old, and Gouzi was only five years old at that time. It is very inexplicable for a child to pee on the kang. It is obvious that he has not urinated for a long time. I don''t know if he drank too much water before going to bed or what, but he actually peed on the kang.


    Since Qiu gave birth to the dog, her bones were not good, and it was winter again. In order to repay the kindness of the second wife, Zhao''er volunteered to wash the dirty clothes and pants for the dog. Since then, she started her career as a child bride.


    What Xue Gouzi hates the most is Zhao''er. He always likes to say inconspicuous things in front of him. You must know that as you get older, boys will lose face, how can you still be willing to listen to people mentioning such things, especially dogs are naturally sensitive. But today for some reason, he didn''t feel annoyed, only a little embarrassed.


    He was surprised by his own reaction, but Zhao''er had already fed him porridge with a wooden spoon. He subconsciously opened his mouth, and waited until the warm porridge blown by her was fed into his mouth, and he saw the smiling eyes of the other party.


    Those eyes were big and bright, as if there were stars hidden in them, and he couldn''t help but blush.


    Zhao''er smiled even more happily, and stuffed him with a tortilla: "Eat quickly, sister will cook eggs for you at noon."


    She was coaxing him like a child, Gouzi suddenly had this understanding.


    He was eating porridge from Zhao''er, thinking wildly in his mind, it was very chaotic.


    Just then, someone came to the door.


    It was Xue Qingshan.


    Exactly the same as in the dream.


    Xue Qingshan''s fair face was full of sighs and worries, he sighed and said a lot of words, the main idea was to let the dog recover well, don''t worry too much, there are grandparents and uncles at home, he can''t lose him.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Qingshan also followed the appearance and height of the man from the Xue family. He was also a weed in Yuqing Village in his early years, but unfortunately he got a little fatter as he got older.


    "Uncle still has to go to the private school, dog, take care of your illness, you are a child with a lot of thoughts." Sighing and patting his nephew on the shoulder, Xue Qingshan lifted the curtain and left.


    What is he doing?


    Zhao''er thought suspiciously. After thinking about it for a while, she couldn''t figure out why, so she stopped thinking about it and concentrated on feeding the dog porridge, but Xue Gouzi looked thoughtful.


    *


    In the main room, Mrs. Zhao is chatting with Mr. Xue about what happened yesterday.


    Mrs. Zhao was sewing an old dress in her hand, and said, "Let me tell you, you just like to spoil that little thing. You love him, but he doesn''t love you. Our family''s money doesn''t come from the river, just Because he didn''t want to show his illness to the whole family, he made a fuss after another, which is to make the family upside down."

 Chapter 195

    But Zhao''er has always been domineering, and never allowed anyone to call him a little man, and she would be anxious with anyone who said that. Because of this incident, she had fought with many girls and boys in the village, although some people still said behind their backs, after all no one dared to point fingers in front of others.


    Zhao''er always felt that the little man''s eyes were weird today, and he avoided them uncomfortably.


    She knew that the little man must be angry again, and he didn''t like her saying "the dog is my man" the most. Every time he heard her say such words, he would ignore her for a few days. In fact, recruiting children is also shameful, but she is the child bride-in-law of the Xue family''s second room. If she didn''t claim to be like this, she would not be qualified to challenge the fourth aunt Sun.


    "Are you hungry? Look what I brought back for you?"


    Zhao''er turned her head and put all these troubles behind her mind, and took out a paper bag from her pocket. Opening the paper bag, there were two steamed steamed buns inside. They were white and plump, and people liked it just looking at them.


    "Eat it quickly, while it''s still warm." She smiled, stuffed the paper bag into the little man''s hand, and put the pannier on her shoulders in the corner.


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her.


    The girl in front of her was in her twenties and eighth year, and her skin was the wheat color common to girls in the country, but Zhao''er''s complexion was exceptionally different from others'', smooth and radiant, as if she had been smeared with honey. He has a tall nose bridge, a pair of medium-sized eyes, and swarthy pupils. When he smiles, there is a flash of inspiration in him, and he looks lively.


    Zhao''er''s stature is taller than ordinary girls, and she is well-developed, front/convex/backward, full of youthful vigor.


    It was so vivid, as vivid as in his dream.


    He unconsciously took the steamed stuffed bun and gnawed on it. Seeing this trick, he smiled even more happily. He went to the kitchen and poured him a bowl of water, which he placed next to his hand. On the other hand, he bent down to tidy up the scattered quilts on the kang, thinking about what to cook for him at night to nourish his body.


    Finally, the little man got better, so he had to continue to drink the medicine, and he had to drink a few more to strengthen it. From this, he naturally began to calculate the little money left in his hand, and think of a way to get some money, so as to solve the urgent need.


    "Have you eaten yet?" Xue Gouzi asked.


    This kind of behavior rarely happens to him, so Zhao''er can''t help but look up at the little man sitting on the kang.


    In fact, the little man has a handsome appearance, which is different from the fair skin of the countrymen. The corners of his eyes are slightly raised, and the curvature makes his face a little more delicate and handsome. It''s just that the little man always hangs his head halfway on weekdays, with a gloomy and silent temperament, and is too thin, so he is not conspicuous in front of others.


    Zhao''er''s eyes warmed up, her smile widened, and she said cracklingly, "Eat, I ate it outside, this is for you."


    After she finished speaking, she realized that she had slipped her mouth. She waited for the little man to show a disgusted expression, or to condemn her daughter''s family for running around, but he didn''t say anything, as if he had something on his mind. Head eating buns.


    Zhao''er couldn''t help heaving a sigh of relief, but at the same time felt a pain in his heart, and couldn''t help but said: "Dog, don''t worry too much. After all, you heard the words. Since you didn''t say it face-to-face, you can''t take it seriously. Even if it is true Don''t be afraid, sister earns money for your education."


    Xue Gouzi''s head still hurts a little, and he was dizzy. Zhao''er thought he had something on his mind, but in fact he was just thinking about that dream. Hearing Zhao''er''s words at this time, he suddenly remembered why he had this serious illness.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Gouzi''s serious illness came in a hurry due to stagnation of liver qi.


    Speaking of this, I have to talk about the general situation of the Xue family.


    Yuqing Village is a village located under Huyang Town, Xia County, Pingyang Prefecture. There are only more than 200 households in the village.


    The Xue family is one of them.


    However, the Xue family is different from other ordinary farmers, and it can be regarded as having some origins.


    The ancestor of the Xue family, that is, the grandfather of Mr. Xue, was a scholar. In a poor mountain depression like Yuqing Village, it is a great event for the ancestors to have a scholar.


    Because of this talented gentleman, the generation of the Xue family produced the head of the Xue clan, and there were several village elders in the clan, and finally had some say in Yuqing Village. At the same time, it is also a blessing for the younger generation. Mr. Xue''s father is hardworking and willing to work. With the help of the elders, he also slowly built up a family business.


    By the time of Mr. Xue''s generation, the Xue family already had more than 30 acres of fertile land, and several sons also had their own livelihoods. Their lives were enviably prosperous, and they could be regarded as a well-to-do family in the village.


    Mr. Xue and his mother-in-law Zhao have four sons and two daughters. The eldest son Xue Qingshan married his wife Yang, and they have two sons and a daughter. The eldest son Xue Juncai is fifteen years old, the second son Xue Youcai is ten years old, and the eldest daughter Xue Maner is married.


    The second child, Xue Qingsong, is a carpenter. He married his wife Qiu Shi and gave birth to a son, Xue Gouzi, who is fourteen years old. The third child, Xue Qingbai, is a farmer, married his wife Zhou, and gave birth to a son and a daughter. The eldest daughter, Xue Taoer, is thirteen years old this year, and the youngest son, Xue Shuanzi, is eight years old now. The fourth son, Xue Qinghuai, is a shopkeeper. He married his wife, Sun, and gave birth to a son named Xue Maodan, who is only four years old this year.


    As for the two daughters, the eldest daughter, Xue Cuiping, is already married, and the youngest daughter, Xue Cuie, is fourteen this year and is still in her boudoir.


    It is worth mentioning that nowadays there are parents who say that they do not separate their families. In addition, families in the countryside are ruled by clans, so Xue''s family has no separation.


    The Xue family has tasted the benefits of reading, so they have more vision than ordinary farmers. Xue Qingshan is smart since he was a child, and he is the eldest son. Mr. Xue has high hopes for him, and when he reaches the age of enlightenment, he spends money to send him to a private school.


    Xue Qingshan also strives for success. At the age of twenty, he passed the Tongsheng examination. Although he is still a scholar, he can be counted as a scholar who can be counted in ten miles and eight villages.


    Don''t underestimate Tongsheng! As the saying goes, scholars, farmers, businessmen, and scholars are the highest class of people in the current society. If ordinary people want to turn ordinary people into scholars, there is only one way to take the imperial examination. As for the imperial examination, it is only a matter of going to the west to learn Buddhist scriptures, and you have to go through various checkpoints and go through hardships before you can get it.


    If you want to embark on this path, you must first have the qualifications, and Tong Sheng is a person with this qualification. It is necessary to pass the county and government examinations to be called Tongsheng. As for the next step is to be a scholar, to become a scholar is to enter school, and it is also the first step to embark on the road of imperial examinations.


    It can be seen from this that Tong Sheng is not an ordinary person, so Xue Qingshan''s status in the Xue family can be imagined.


    But as I said before, the Xue family''s family background can only be regarded as a middle-level family in the countryside. If a family like this wants to support a scholar, it will almost exhaust all the human and financial resources of the family. Because the eldest son is the eldest son, who will set up a family in the future, and is talented and intelligent, the next few sons naturally have to give in.


    As for why Xue Gouzi became seriously ill, it has to be related to another old matter of the Xue family.


    Back then when Xue Qingshan was selected as a child student, he was considered a success at a young age. He was full of ambitions and wanted to pass the college examination in one fell swoop, and he could also be a scholar, but it was a pity that God did not follow his wishes.


    It was only a close call, and no one would be reconciled to it. Xue Qingshan could only calm down, work hard, and hope to win next time.


    After so many years of rushing away, the original smugness was completely devastated by the impact of reality. Xue Qingshan failed many exams, so he couldn''t stay at home and eat free food all the time. In desperation, he set up a private school in the village, which specializes in taking children from the village and several nearby villages to read and write, and they can more or less earn a living.


    With such convenient conditions, several children of Xue''s family naturally followed suit. The next few children are still young, and among the grandchildren, Xue Juncai, the eldest son of the big house, and Xue Gouzi of the second house have studied the longest.


    However, compared to his cousin Xue Juncai, Xue Gouzi is obviously not as good as he is because he is too weak. When he was young, he was always sick every day, which delayed a lot of homework.


    The time was stretched back to five years ago, this year the academic officer held a college examination in Fucheng, Xue Qingshan naturally would not miss it, he stopped his private school classes early and went to Fucheng to take the exam.


    It''s not easy to go out at this time, and besides, Mr. Xue was worried about his eldest son going out alone, so he asked his second son Xue Qingsong to accompany him. He always took care of him when he was usually on a business trip.


    That is to say, something happened on this trip, Xue Qingshan offended someone in Fucheng, Xue Qingsong was beaten all over his body in order to protect his eldest brother. In the end, the man was pulled back, but he died within a few days after he came back. Before he died, Xue Qingsong asked Xue Qingshan to promise himself that he would do everything in his power to confess Xue Gouzi.


    In fact, after giving way for others all his life, how could Xue Qingsong have no complaints in his heart, but he has a simple and honest nature, and he knows that his talent is not as good as that of his elder brother, so he has been making contributions in obscurity.


    But when it came to his own son, especially Xue Gouzi, who was weak since he was a child, he was not a farmer in any way, and he was dying, so Xue Qingsong took the opportunity to force his elder brother to make a promise.


    Xue Qingsong would do this, but he wanted to break the status quo that the Xue family''s resources had been leaning towards Dafang. The Xue family only had two scholars in the first room, and now there is a Xue Gouzi. The children in the third room were still young at that time, and the fourth child was not married yet. As long as Xue Qingshan agrees, others will naturally have nothing to say, and Xue Qingsong will do his best for his son Brown.


    Xue Qingshan agreed to the matter on the spot, crying blood, saying that he would treat Xue Gouzi as his own son, Xue Qingsong closed his eyes.


    Not long after that, Qiu Shi, who was already in poor health, became depressed and fell ill, and then passed away. Since then, Xue Gouzi has become a poor child without father and mother. Fortunately, there are grandparents and uncles, and Zhaoer, a child bride-in-law, so he doesn''t have to worry about food and clothing.


    In the following years, Xue Qingshan really treated Xue Gouzi like his own son. No one in the village would say that the boss of the Xue family raised his nephew as his own son. But as the saying goes, the human heart is the most fickle, and selfishness is the nature of human beings. As time passed, Da Fang gradually changed his attitude. Although he was in front of others, he was still the same as before, but only the person concerned would know what happened to him afterwards.

 Chapter 196

    Seeing this scene, Xue Tingxiang''s face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.


    He was both annoyed and angry, and he actually forgot about Jiang Wu.


    In that dream, Jiang Wu has been coveting Zhao''er.


    Jiang Wu was two years older than Zhao''er, but he never married. If Zhao''er hadn''t been his child bride-in-law, the Jiang family would have come to propose marriage a long time ago.


    Even so, Jiang Wu never gave up, and once even approached him and told him that he wanted to marry Zhao''er, telling him not to be so selfish, and letting Zhao''er go free. He also said that he would study with Zhao''er and treat him like his own brother, that''s how he knew about it.


    Shocked and annoyed, he also remembered Zhao''er''s reluctance to marry him. He mistakenly thought that Zhao''er had an affair with Jiang Wu, so he borrowed his parents'' orders to forcefully marry her. Later, by chance, Only then did he realize that he had wronged her.


    This incident has always been a scar between the two, even though it was never mentioned again, it was a gap. Afterwards, he was busy starting his career, while Zhao''er was busy with business. The two met only once in a long time, and even if they met, they seldom talked again until he went to Beijing to catch the exam after winning the exam.


    The he in the dream once thought after Zhao''er died, if he hadn''t been so despicable back then and forced Zhao''er by his parents'' orders, Zhao''er wouldn''t have died.


    But this kind of thought is like a superficial thought, it just passed by in a flash. At this time, thinking about it, he is probably despicable in his bones. Even if he is not the Xue Tingxiang in his dream, he never thought of letting him go.


    She was supposed to be his, and when he still half understood, someone would always point to her and say, this is his future wife, isn''t it?


    "Brother Jiang Wu, you''d better look at some roads, this road is uneven, don''t lead us all into a ditch."


    Xue Tingxiang''s voice successfully interrupted the chatting and laughing of Jiang Wu and Zhao''er, as if a very ignorant person suddenly appeared, making the already warm atmosphere suddenly cool down.


    Zhao''er laughed dryly: "Look at me, I was so focused on talking to you about the business that I forgot that you were still driving the car. Fortunately, Daqing is smart, otherwise I would have fallen."


    Da Qing called out, looking very complacent.


    Jiang Wu looked back subconsciously, just in time to meet the young man''s dark eyes. Those eyes made him inexplicably guilty, but soon he regained his confidence.


    He knew that the dogs of the Xue family didn''t like to recruit children, and he also knew that the second bedroom couple of the Xue family originally recruited children as daughters, not child brides. The child bride-in-law was only passed on from the villagers to the villagers, and it became true because of the entrustment of the second wife of the Xue family at the end of their lives.


    Not only that, but he also knew that Zhao''er only regarded the other party as a younger brother, and had no intention of marrying the other party.


    The young man was undoubtedly thin and thin, although he was handsome, there was still a bit of childishness on his face. Such a young man made the strong and powerful Jiang Wu inexplicably feel condescending. He smiled heartily and said indifferently: "Don''t be afraid, you dog, Brother Jiang Wu drives the car every day, and you can walk back with your eyes closed."


    Xue Tingxiang did not speak, but lowered his head with the corners of his lips pursed.


    Seeing this, Zhao''er immediately understood whether the title Gouzi made the little man feel uncomfortable again. But facing Jiang Wu, she couldn''t show a cold face, she could only smile and say: "Brother Jiang Wu, let me tell you that the dog has a name, it''s called Tingxiang, Xue Tingxiang."


    "It''s an elegant name."


    "Yeah, so don''t call me Gouzi Gouzi in the future, it''s weird."


    While speaking, the car had arrived at Yuqing Village.


    Jiang Wu inertially circled to the end of the village before stopping, Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang got out of the car.


    "When will the business be done? Tell me a time, and I will pick you up when the time comes."


    "Aren''t you going to be busy in the town tomorrow, and those clothes have to be tidied up. When I''m ready, I''ll go to your house and give you a letter."


    Zhao''er also thought that two days later would be the day when Xue Tingxiang and Xue Juncai competed, and she would not be in the mood to do business until this matter was over.


    "OK."


    *


    Now that the matter was settled, they said goodbye to each other.


    Jiang Wu drove the car home, while Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang went home together.


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t say anything along the way, but just walked silently.


    Zhao''er glanced at him: "What''s the matter? You seem a little unhappy. Did Brother Jiang Wu call you angry just now? He didn''t know you were famous. I told him that he would never That''s what it''s called."


    He suppressed the jealousy in his heart, and said in a muffled voice, "Why do you know him so well?"


    "Brother Jiang Wu, we''ve known each other since we were young. You forgot that Heizi was brought back by his dog after he gave birth to a cub. Brother Jiang Wu is a very nice person and has helped me a lot."


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t speak, but stopped.


    Zhao''er walked forward for a while, only to realize that he hadn''t followed.


    She came back in a few steps, and asked suspiciously: "What''s wrong with you, why are you so weird?"


    He held his breath: "Don''t forget, you are a man."


    Zhao''er was taken aback for a moment, then looked at him and laughed. But he just smiled and didn''t speak, which made Xue Tingxiang angry and annoyed.


    Don''t think about it, she must have thought of something good.


    Seeing his fair face flushed with anger, Zhao''er hurriedly said: "Okay, don''t be angry, I know I have a man."


    There was a teasing taste in her voice, knowing that she was coaxing him, his heart still jumped several times.


    With the experience in the dream, Xue Tingxiang knew that this was not the time to be awkward, besides, there was Jiang Wu watching over him, so he didn''t want to repeat the experience in the dream again.


    He couldn''t help but reiterated: "I''m also doing it for your own good, lest people in the village see and make irresponsible remarks." He didn''t dare to look at her, but stared at the ground beside him, with some confidence in his heart. Distracted.


    Seeing him confessing himself like an adult, with a fair face and a slightly childish face, I don''t know how to trick him and want to rub his head.


    She did the same, and said at the same time: "Well, well, you are right, I will listen to you."


    He suddenly became more angry, and a sense of powerlessness and discouragement came to his heart.


    Why does she always treat herself like a child!


    *


    Early the next morning, Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang went out.


    When I arrived, Dongliju had just opened, Xue Tingxiang went to the clean room yesterday to continue copying books, but Zhao''er went to the yard behind the shop.


    She discussed with Boss Chen and borrowed this place to pack her clothes. Zhao''er had seen those clothes before, they were all old clothes, since she wanted to make money, she couldn''t afford to sell them poorly, so she came here today mainly to do this job.


    She borrowed the bamboo mat used for drying books from the shop, poured out the big bag of clothes, first sorted them into men''s and women''s styles, and then divided them into several piles according to texture and thickness, and then began to check the clothes one by one for damage. The place.


    If there was a hole somewhere, she would sew it up with the needle and thread she brought. Zhao''er''s needlework is pretty good, but she can''t do embroidery or something, and she''s fine with sewing and making clothes.


    She managed to clean up a pile, and seeing that the sun was shining outside, she went to fetch water from the well in the courtyard. There is a pulley in the well, so it is very convenient to fetch water. Zhao''er fetched a basin of water, soaked the clothes in the big wooden basin, wiped the soap locust water and scrubbed it.


    After washing and rinsing, the rice soup in the kitchen is also ready.


    Although Boss Chen and the others don''t cook in the shop, they always need a place to boil water for tea and so on, so the shop also turned on the fire, and Zhao''er borrowed the stove to cook a big pot of rice soup.


    She brought out the boiled rice soup, poured it into the wooden basin, and added some water into it, it is most suitable if it is slightly hot. Fang poured all the washed clothes into it and kept stirring with a stick.


    Stir well, put half a cup of tea, pick up the clothes from the wooden basin, fetch water and rinse again.


    This is the so-called starched clothes. The clothes that have been washed are sticky and sticky. As long as they don''t fade, they look like new ones. Some people who are fastidious will iron it with an iron, but since there is no such condition, Zhao''er does not intend to do so.


    During this period, Boss Chen came in. Seeing that Zhao''er was in full swing, he pointed to the various clothes hanging out in the yard and said with a smile, "It''s good for you, you take my place as your own. You make it look like a laundry room."


    Nowadays, there are places like starch washing rooms. Some people don''t want to wash their clothes at home, so they will send their clothes to the starch washing room for washing. Inexpensive and saves time and effort.


    Knowing that Boss Chen was joking with himself, Zhao''er also joked: "After what Uncle Chen said, it opened my eyes again. When I don''t have any business to do, I will buy a laundry room. When the time comes Uncle Chen will bring you the clothes, and I will wash them for you without charge."


    "You girl, you are really a good businessman." Boss Chen shook his head and laughed, and went back to the front.


    The room where Xue Tingxiang copied the books was in this yard, and the big window happened to be facing the yard, so Zhao''er''s every word and deed could be seen by him.


    Usually he can concentrate on nothing else, but today he is always going to see her intentionally or unintentionally.


    Seeing her tossing around in the yard, seeing her very lively face under the sun, seeing the beads of sweat on her forehead, she had no intention of copying the book at all, and only copied less than two pages in one morning.


    Boss Chen walked in to take a look, and followed his gaze to Zhao''er: "You are lucky to have such a woman at the booth."


    Xue Tingxiang did not speak.


    Boss Chen said again: "By the way, how far have you reached in your studies?"


    "I have finished studying the four books, but I can only read them, but I can''t understand them."


    "It''s okay to be able to read but not understand. Now that you have entered the university, you should start to learn Mingjing. However, in that kind of country school, many teachers themselves have only a half-knowledge, and they can''t teach anything. You can read more when you have nothing to do. Reading books like "Four Books Chapters" and "Zhu Zi Ji Zhu" can''t help you fully understand the scriptures, but they are somewhat helpful. The most important thing is to find a good school with good teachers to guide you. "Boss Chen pointed out.


    After a pause, he said again: "I heard from Zhao''er that he wanted to send you to the Qinghe Academy. Instead of spending a lot of money to go to that kind of place, I suggest that you go to the Qingyuan Academy."


    "Qingyuan Academy?" Xue Tingxiang asked in a daze.


    Boss Chen thought he didn''t know, or was deceived by rumors like those ordinary people, and said: "This Qingyuan Academy is one of the oldest schools in Huyang Township, and it used to be famous throughout Xia County. In our township, half of the people who pass the county examination every year come from the Qingyuan Academy, and there are not a few of them who pass the exam. It¡¯s just that the Qinghe Academy has risen suddenly in the past few years, and it seems to have declined.¡±


    Boss Chen''s voice was low, as if he was sighing infinitely, and suddenly turned high, quite angry: "Everyone in the world values ??fame and fortune, and is easily deceived by false appearances. They don''t know that the Qinghe Academy is using opportunism. The owner Gao Relying on his relationship with County Magistrate Hu, Youzhi became attached to him, and all the money allocated by the imperial court to the county to support local social studies and village studies flowed into the Qinghe Academy, and the two of them made a lot of money and filled their own pockets.


    "And the owner of the Qingyuan Academy is an upright person, and he doesn''t want to be with him. In addition, the Qingyuan Academy has a lot of preferential treatment for the children of poor families. Without this silver subsidy, we can only encourage and support it. The county that presides over the county examination Lingdu looked at Qinghe Academy differently, and even the students who wanted to enroll flocked there. This has changed, and the reputation of Qingyuan Academy has gradually declined in recent years."


    If he remembers correctly, the whole town was a sensation when Director Lin of the Qingyuan Academy finally passed the exam three years later, and Gao Youzhi, the owner of the Qinghe Academy, was so angry that he almost vomited blood. At that time, he was planning to leave the Qinghe Academy to study at the Shen family''s ethnology, and happened to hear something about it.


    Boss Chen thought the young man was just comforting him, and smiled, "Thank you for your good words."


    Xue Tingxiang was not ambiguous either, and cupped his hands and said: "Thank you, Uncle Chen, for your suggestion, but there are still trivial matters at home that have not been dealt with. When everything is settled, I will go to the Qingyuan Academy to study."


    "You are straightforward, so you are not afraid of being implicated and hindering your fame?" Boss Chen asked curiously.


    "The kid hasn''t entered school yet, so why talk about fame? Besides, the imperial court has always attached great importance to the selection of talents. If they are really talented, presumably the magistrate Hu will not dare to stop them too much."


    "I can''t see that you have high ambitions. Well, since you dare to go, I will recommend you one or two. Although my classmate is rigid and dull, he is not good at words, but his knowledge is first-rate. Don''t dare It is no problem to teach a person to become a Jinshi, but a scholar is fine."


    "Then thank Uncle Chen first."


    *


    For several days, Xue Tingxiang and Zhao''er left early and returned late.


    Someone from Xue''s family asked twice, and Zhao''er said to take Xue Tingxiang out to get some fresh air, so as not to be overwhelmed. The people in the big room showed contempt, and Mr. Xue couldn''t help shaking his head. After that, no one asked any more questions, and most of them knew in their hearts that Xue Tingxiang was doomed. Maybe the two children in Erfang also have a lot of mentality, so they broke the cans and didn''t read books, but ran around playing.


    You must know that even if you are as qualified as Xue Juncai, you have to read books at home for many days to prepare.


    In the blink of an eye, it was five days.


    This day is no different from ordinary days.


    The farmhouse is always busy in the morning, and after a night, the family''s livestock have to be waited on, and the whole family has to be tossed about to eat. After breakfast, the men will go to the fields, and the women will do housework at home.


    If there is some difference, Xue Juncai had two more poached eggs in his bowl than others for breakfast.


    Because of Mr. Xue''s beating some time ago, Mrs. Zhao didn''t dare to openly fight against the big family members these days. Today, seeing that life is not normal, she couldn''t hold back.


    Originally, Xue Tingxiang didn''t have any, but Yang Shi saw that her father-in-law looked bad, so she took the initiative to ask Zhao Shi to ask for two eggs, and put them in the bowl for him.


    Xue Tingxiang wants to recruit one of them separately, but he doesn''t want to be recruited, but it''s a pity that he can''t be persuaded.

 Chapter 197

    In fact, her subtext was just to say that she was afraid that others would bully Xue Tingxiang, and no one present could hear it.


    Mr. Xue stared at her. Now he really doubts that all this was made by this girl. He knew that Gou''er was a boring gourd, why didn''t he go to the grave early and complained that he would not go later, and why did he go at this time.


    Thinking of all the disobedient things this girl did in the past, Mr. Xue felt disgusted in his heart. But he also knew that now was not the time to vent his anger, but to settle the matter.


    "Since you want to listen, then listen." The tone was the same as before, but anyone could hear the dissatisfaction in his voice.


    Zhao''er couldn''t hear it, so he stood aside.


    Seeing this, Mrs. Sun hurriedly dragged Xue Qinghuai to stay.


    "Since Zhao''er has stayed, let''s stay and listen too." She laughed along with her.


    Mr. Xue was immediately furious: "Since you want to listen, stay and listen."


    So everyone stayed, including the four-year-old Mao Dan, and even Mrs. Zhou, who was busy in the kitchen, stayed behind under the guise of cleaning the table.


    In the huge main room, only an oil lamp was lit on the square table. The wick was jumping, and the shadows were faint, and everyone''s eyes were on Mr. Xue. But he suddenly didn''t know where to start. He looked around everyone''s faces with heavy eyes, and finally fell on Xue Tingxiang''s face.


    "Actually, it''s nothing. I just want to talk about what the boss said a while ago that he wants to send the child to the school in the town."


    Zhao''er was inexplicably nervous, and couldn''t help but glance at Xue Tingxiang, and then went to see Mr. Xue.


    Dafang and his wife were overjoyed, they knew this would happen, and it was not in vain for them to swallow their anger for many days.


    Xue Qingshan couldn''t hide the joy on his face, he looked at Xue Tingxiang with pity and compassion, then looked at other people, and finally fell on Xue Tingxiang.


    "Dog, don''t be discouraged. You are still much worse than your talented brother. You will study with uncle for another two years, and then the family will send you to the town to study."


    This kind of tone was too stinging at this time, Zhao''er had a sneer on the corner of his mouth, and wanted to say something, but was pulled by Xue Tingxiang.


    Xue Qingshan took all of this into his eyes, and satirized in his heart, no matter how difficult this girl''s film is, she can only embarrass others on these trivial things, and it still doesn''t work when it comes to big things. He smiled, and said to Zhao''er: "Zhao''er, don''t be angry, uncle knows that you are high-minded, but high-mindedness can''t be eaten, don''t you?"


    No one in the room said anything.


    At this moment, Mr. Xue suddenly said angrily: "Boss, what are you talking about!"


    Xue Qingshan didn''t take it seriously: "Father, I''m not trying to persuade the dog not to be discouraged..."


    Old man Xue''s beard was shaking with anger, and he pointed at him with a cigarette pot: "You need to persuade, the one who is going to study in the town is not a handsome man, but a dog!"


    As soon as these words came out, one stone really stirred up a thousand waves.


    The room was silent for a moment, and soon Zhao''s slightly shrill voice broke the silence.


    "Old man, what are you talking about? What do you mean a person who is going to study in the town is not a talented person?"


    Xue Qingshan also said: "Father, did you say the wrong person in a muddle?"


    "Your father is not ignorant, and he didn''t say anything wrong. The one who goes to study in the town is a dog, not a genius!"


    After saying this, Mr. Xue seemed to have lost all his energy, and stopped talking. The eyes of the whole room kept looking back and forth at Xue Tingxiang and Xue Juncai, full of surprise.


    Xue Qingshan''s smile cracked, and Yang''s face was full of surprise.


    Xue Juncai''s handsome face flushed red, "Grandfather..."


    Mr. Xue waved his hand wearily: "Okay, let''s all go back to the house."


    With everything said like this, everyone had no choice but to leave, but Dafang''s family still stayed behind.


    As soon as everyone walked out of the main room, they heard a commotion inside.


    "Old man, please speak clearly, what do you mean it is a dog who is going to study in the town, not my handsome talent!"


    It was Zhao''s voice.


    There is also Xue Qingshan, mixed with Yang''s aggrieved and sharp cries, and Mr. Xue''s exhausted explanation.


    No secrets can be hidden under one roof, so everyone knows what''s going on.


    *


    Early the next morning, everyone got up.


    But the spirit is not very good, it can be seen that he didn''t sleep much at night. Especially Yang''s eyes were a little red and swollen, and she looked like she was crying.


    Xue Qingshan''s eyes were also full of bloodshot eyes, he looked at Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang with sinister eyes from time to time, but for some reason he didn''t say anything.


    The atmosphere was very depressing, no one spoke, everyone was there and doing what they were doing in an orderly manner, but the yard was surprisingly quiet.


    After breakfast, Mr. Xue took his hoe and planned to go to the field. Xue Qingbai and Xue Qinghuai didn''t dare to delay, one went to lead the cow out, the other picked up the iron plow, and followed him out the door.


    Xue Qingshan didn''t stay at home anymore, and then went out, but he didn''t know where he went.


    Unlike the rest of the Xue family, Zhao''er was very happy.


    Since she learned the ins and outs of the matter from Xue Tingxiang last night, she has fallen into uncontrollable excitement. Don''t say that she gloats, in her heart she should be a little man, and she is worrying about having no money in her hands. This news is tantamount to great joy for her.


    Knowing that the schoolchildren who go to the academy are very particular, she purposely found a piece of blue cloth that had been kept at the bottom of the box for a long time. This is Qiu''s dowry back then, and Qiu gave Zhao''er to make clothes, but unfortunately she has been reluctant to part with it, and now it is just right to use it as a school bag for Xue Tingxiang.


    After cutting the cloth, she began to sew with needles and threads, talking to Xue Tingxiang without saying a word. At this moment, the door curtain was suddenly lifted.


    It was Xue Youcai, the second boy of Dafang.


    Xue Youcai was only seven years old this year, but he was born fat and thick, and he was obviously spoiled. After he came in, he scolded Xue Tingxiang: "Just like you, you are still grabbing things from my elder brother, and you have the same name as a dog. You are no smarter than a dog."


    This kid''s tongue is really poisonous, and he is also used to by the elder couple, and he has always been a bully at home, making everyone angry. I saw signs of it a few years ago, but it''s a pity that Mrs. Yang has been protecting him, saying that he is still young and ignorant, but he has grown up in the past two years, but it is a pity that he is still ignorant.


    Zhao''er doesn''t like him, if anyone in this family beat Xue Youcai, it must be her. Xue Youcai was afraid of her, yet hated her, she stood up abruptly, before she could speak, Xue Youcai suddenly threw a bag of things in his hand. It hit the head and face, and it hurt people, and there was a strange smell in it.


    Zhao''er was hit twice, she subconsciously tried to hide, thinking of Xue Tingxiang on the kang, she turned her back to protect him. Xue Tingxiang was unprepared, she hugged her upright, obviously it was not appropriate, but he felt blushing and heart beating.


    After finally waiting for this wave to pass, Zhao''er let go of his hand, Xue Youcai had already run away, and the thing he used to hit them turned out to be dried cow dung.


    Zhao''er was so disgusted that she ran after her.


    She stopped Xue Youcai at the gate of the courtyard, grabbed him by the collar without saying a word, picked up a branch from a nearby wall, and lashed at him.


    "If I don''t beat you for three days, you dare to go to the house to expose the tiles..."


    Xue Youcai struggled to run away, but Zhao''er was so painful that he was whipped. Crying and shouting, he sat down on the ground and lay down on the ground.


    This looks like the posture that young children are accustomed to playing tricks on.


    There was such a big commotion outside that everyone in the room was startled out.


    Seeing Xue Youcai being beaten by Zhao''er, Mrs. Zhao exploded: "Who told you to beat my grandson, stop!"


    Zhao''er ignored her and scolded: "Do you still dare to do it in the future? Why don''t you learn how to throw bullshit like others! The words are quite vicious. Who taught you to speak like this? If you don''t speak clearly today, I will not only Hit you, I will take you to the river to wash your mouth later..."


    Mrs. Yang also came out, and she screamed: "Wang Zhaoer, you are crazy, you dare to hit Juncai!"


    "Auntie, why don''t you see what he has done? You didn''t learn well at a young age, like some women who uttered obscene language and threw cow dung on people. I''ll tell you now, your second brother has a name , called Xue Tingxiang, if you dare to tell me whether you are a dog or not in the future, I will beat you every time I see you!"


    Xue Youcai cried until tears and snot came out, but unfortunately no one came up to rescue him. Zhao was so angry that she jumped up and down, Yang wanted to stop Zhao''er, but was stopped by Heizi.


    You usually see this sunspot with a slumped head and no energy at all. He stopped in front of people, growled a warning in his voice, and showed his sharp teeth. Yang didn''t doubt that if she dared to go forward, she would The dog would pounce on her and give her a bite.


    At this moment, a surprised voice suddenly sounded outside the courtyard: "What are you doing?"


    It was Xue Qingshan who came back from the outside, not only patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng, but also five or six villagers over half a hundred years old.


    Seeing the situation at home like this, Xue Qingshan was surprised at first, then smiled wryly, and said to the people beside him: "I won''t mention what outsiders say is right and wrong, just say that they are mean dogs, but there is absolutely no one Dare to do this. This girl has always been a pungent person, making troubles at home every now and then, if someone was really mean, she would have already caused a lot of trouble."


    What you said made people feel inexplicable, but Zhao''er is not the master who allows people to slander, so he immediately retorted: "Uncle, what you said is a bit slanderous. I usually respect the elders at home. What nonsense is it? There is a reason for beating this kid today, and he actually scolded..."


    Having said that, she was interrupted by Yang.


    She came over anxiously and distressed, snatched Xue Youcai from Zhao''er''s hand and cried, "How old is he, how old are you? He is just not sensible at this age, and you still care about him... "


    Yang was crying, with a look of grievance and helplessness, Xue Qingshan was also sighing beside him, Zhao''er didn''t know what the two couples were playing, it was over.


    Her little face was flushed with anxiety, and she was about to explain again, when Xue Tingxiang who came out of the room grabbed her.


    He took two steps forward, stood in front of Zhao''er, and first respectfully called Patriarch Xue, Zheng Lizheng and the few villagers. They are all from the same village, and you can''t see them when you look up. As a junior, these are his elders.


    After the proper etiquette passed, he explained to Yang: "I hope that my aunt will not be angry. Zhao''er was also impulsive. She saw that the talented boy called me the same name as a dog, and threw a lot of cow dung on me. That''s why I hit the boy in a fit of anger."


    Xue Tingxiang''s behavior first gave people a good impression. As a scholar, you should be gentle and polite. Next, I will take advantage of the gap of the apology and explain the ins and outs of the matter in two sentences.


    Zhao''er was not stupid, her mistake was that she was eager to explain everything clearly, so she couldn''t help but talk too much, but Xue Tingxiang only talked about the main points and didn''t mention anything else.


    And he speaks very well, it is normal for children to be naughty, but it is worth considering when they are naughty enough to insult people as dogs, not to mention throwing cow dung on Xue Tingxiang, his elder brother. At the same time, it also explained for Zhao''er why she beat the talented boy so impulsively.


    Sure enough, after hearing this, Patriarch Xue and the others inevitably turned to his side when they saw the forbearing expression on Xue Tingxiang''s thin face.


    By the time Zhao''er arrived at the county seat, it was three o''clock. It was just right to meet someone at this time, her second sister might not have time to see her if it was too early or too late, and she would have to wait for a long time.


    Zhao''er came all the way to the south of the city, before entering the archway where Shen''s house was located, he saw the two large flags more than five feet high erected in front of Shen''s residence.


    This is the Jinshi Jidi Banner, which can be set up only if someone in the family has won the Jinshi.


    This fame flagpole is divided into two structures, the flagpole sandwich stone and the flagpole.


    The flag buckets on the flagpoles are also exquisite. If you come from a serious imperial examination, you can stand up two flagpoles if you have passed the Jinshi in the palace examination. If it is the number one scholar, it will be the flagpole of three fights, and if there are members of the third rank or above in the clan, four fights can be set up.


    There are two large flags in front of the Shen family''s gate, one is three buckets and the other is four buckets. In other words, the Shen family once had a number one scholar, and had an important minister in the court.


    Zhao''er, a country girl, knows this because her second sister told her when she came to visit her.


    The main entrance, side entrance, and even the corner entrance were not accessible by Zhao''er''s identity, so she made a long detour before arriving at the back entrance of Shen''s residence.


    The back door was ajar, and Zhao''er didn''t dare to rush in, so he knocked on the door respectfully.


    The door opened with a creak, and a round woman came out from inside, and asked her, "Who are you looking for?"


    This old lady is just a doorkeeper, but she is also wearing satin gowns and jewelry on her ears and hands, which is enough to show the wealth of the Shen family.

 Chapter 198

    "It won''t be bad luck all the time." Xue Tingxiang said.


    If he remembers correctly, the Qingyuan Academy''s Director Lin finally passed the Juren examination three years later, the whole town was a sensation at that time, and the Qinghe Academy''s owner Gao Youzhi was so angry that he almost vomited blood. At that time, he was planning to leave the Qinghe Academy and go to the Shen family''s ethnology to study, and happened to hear something about it.


    Boss Chen thought the young man was just comforting him, and smiled, "Thank you for your good words."


    Xue Tingxiang was not ambiguous either, and cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Uncle Chen, for your suggestion, but there are still trivial matters at home that have not been dealt with. When everything is settled, I will go to the Qingyuan Academy to study."


    "You are straightforward, so you are not afraid of being implicated and hindering your fame?" Boss Chen asked curiously.


    "The kid hasn''t entered school yet, so why talk about fame? Besides, the imperial court has always attached great importance to the selection of talents. If they are really talented people, presumably the magistrate Hu will not dare to stop them too much."


    "I can''t see that you have high ambitions. Well, since you dare to go, I will recommend you one or two. Although my classmate is rigid and not good at speech, his knowledge is first-rate. Don''t dare It¡¯s okay to teach a person to become a Jinshi, but a scholar is fine.¡±


    "Then thank Uncle Chen first."


    *


    For several days, Xue Tingxiang and Zhao''er left early and returned late.


    Someone from Xue''s family asked twice, and Zhao''er told him to take Xue Tingxiang out to get some fresh air, so as not to be overwhelmed. The people in the big room showed contempt, and Mr. Xue couldn''t help shaking his head. After that, no one asked any more questions, and most of them knew in their hearts that Xue Tingxiang was doomed. Maybe the two children in Erfang also have a lot of mentality, so they broke the cans and didn''t read books, but ran around playing.


    You must know that even if you are as qualified as Xue Juncai, you have to read books at home for many days to prepare.


    In the blink of an eye, it was five days.


    This day is no different from ordinary days.


    The farmhouse is always busy in the morning, and after a night, the family''s livestock have to be waited on, and the whole family has to be tossed about to eat. After breakfast, the men will go to the fields, and the women will do housework at home.


    If there is some difference, Xue Juncai had two more poached eggs in his bowl than others for breakfast.


    Because of Mr. Xue''s beating some time ago, Mrs. Zhao didn''t dare to openly fight against the big family members these days. Today, seeing that life is not normal, she couldn''t hold back.


    Originally, Xue Tingxiang didn''t have any, but Yang Shi saw that her father-in-law looked bad, so she took the initiative to ask Zhao Shi to ask for two eggs, and put them in the bowl for him.


    Xue Tingxiang wants to recruit one of them separately, but he doesn''t want to be recruited, but it''s a pity that he can''t be persuaded.


    For the sake of one egg, the two of you whispered one sentence at a time, while Mr. Xue''s expression on the top was particularly serious.


    But life in the country is like this, no matter how heavy your heart is, you can''t lose your livelihood. Especially when rushing for spring plowing, Mr. Xue still took his two sons to work in the fields for a while, and didn''t come back until the sun was high.


    The news about the competition between the two children of Xue''s family has spread throughout Yuqing Village.


    It''s not that there are people who say strange things, but most people can still understand what old man Xue did. It''s not easy for rural people to earn a little money, and no one''s money comes from the big river. If there is a way, no one will do this.


    Knowing that today is the day, let the children of the family watch in the village. Seeing a stranger go to Zheng Lizheng''s house, these hairy kids ran into the field, shouting from a long distance, "Someone is coming from Lizheng''s house". The adults stopped planting the land, so they picked up the hoes and rushed back.


    Not long after, the big courtyard of Zheng Lizheng''s house was full of people, and more villagers kept coming here.


    There was a lot of commotion in the yard, everyone was gossiping and discussing today''s matter at the same time.


    In the room, Zheng Li was talking with a middle-aged man in a scholar''s shirt and a flat scarf on his head.


    This man had a thin and long face, his complexion was a little pale, and his eyes were slightly swollen. She doesn''t look good, but her identity seems to be extraordinary, and she actually sits in the main seat.


    And Zheng Lizheng could only sit on the sidelines.


    His Gu Pan has a different temperament from ordinary people. This person is Qiao Xiucai, who has a reputation in the surrounding ten miles and eight villages.


    Long before, Zheng Lizheng had thought about it. Xue Qingshan came forward to invite someone from the Xue family, if he didn''t expect, it should be his father-in-law Yang Zhong, Yang Zhong is just a boy, so he will invite a scholar.


    On the one hand, it seemed that he was impartial, and on the other hand, it was a good time to show his prestige.


    "Qiao Xianggong, you drink tea, I will order someone to remind you."


    Qiao Xiucai waved his hand indifferently: "Don''t worry."


    Just as he was talking, there was a commotion outside, but it was patriarch Xue who came with someone.


    However, it was not Patriarch Xue who took the lead, but an old man over fifty years old. This old man is of medium stature, dressed the same as Qiao Xiucai, also wearing a scholar''s shirt and a flat scarf, obviously even if he is not a scholar, he is still a child.


    Sure enough, when Qiao Xiucai saw the old man, he quickly stood up from his chair and bowed to him.


    "I never thought it would be Senior He, late born is so polite."


    "Don''t be too polite, just sit down."


    This He Xiucai was the person invited by patriarch Xue to preside over this competition.


    Zheng Lizheng was right, at first Xue Qingshan really planned to invite his father-in-law, but it was a pity that this matter was rejected by Patriarch Xue.


    Patriarch Xue also only knew that Xue Qingshan was so stupid. They all said that he should not avoid relatives when he was a virtuous person, but this is not the way. Since he felt that the chances of winning were more than guaranteed, there was no need for people to make mistakes, so he took care of this matter.


    He knew in his heart that the surname Zheng would not let go of the opportunity to show off, and if he came forward to invite someone, he must be a scholar. He originally planned to invite Qiao Xiucai, but he was a step late, so he had to delay the relationship and invite He Xiucai.


    After courteously giving way to each other, the two scholars sat down on the main seat.


    Zheng Lizheng and Patriarch Xue sat beside him.


    "Let Brother Lizheng worry about it."


    "Don''t bother, don''t worry, I''m the leader here, so I can''t show up if something happens in the village."


    A lot of back and forth, seemingly amiable, but there is a hint of wit hidden in the words. During this period, a few old people walked in from the outside, but they were a few old people from Yuqing Village, Mr. Xue, Xue Qingshan and others also came.


    Another uninvited guest was Xue Qingshan''s father-in-law Yang Zhong.


    Yang Zhong was in his fifties, with a chubby body. He didn''t look like a scholar, but a landlord with a fat brain. As soon as he came in, he joined Qiao Xiucai and He Xiucai, but unfortunately, these two scholars were not willing to talk to him, they said a few words with him, and then went to sit aside awkwardly.


    Xue Qingshan sat at the end.


    The Weng and the son-in-law are considered pretty people, and those who can sit here are all respectable people in the village, but because of the identity of this boy, they can also sit in the hall. You know, even Mr. Xue doesn''t have a seat, so he can only stand aside.


    "I don''t know the real master, but he''s here?" He Xiucai asked when he saw that almost everyone had come.


    Patriarch Xue looked at Mr. Xue, and Xue Qinghuai hurriedly said, "Here we come."


    Just as he was speaking, the villagers surrounding the door made way, and two teenagers walked out from the crowd.


    These two teenagers are all dressed in short brown, and they can be seen from humble backgrounds at a glance.


    The one in the lead looks gentle and handsome, with a slender figure. Although the clothes are simple, he is quite personable. The one in the back is half a head shorter than the one in the front, his body seems a little weak, and he seems a little introverted, his eyelids are always half down, and he seems a little afraid of strangers.


    But when the two came to the hall and accepted the scrutiny of the crowd, they had some clues.


    The elder''s appearance is not bad, but he always pulls his sleeves intentionally or unintentionally, as if the clothes don''t fit well. But the young one has been standing neither humble nor overbearing, the half-drooped eyelids not only do not make people feel contemptuous, but it feels like the respect that the younger generation should have for the elders.


    Therefore, it seemed that the older one looked directly into the eyes of everyone, which was a bit too abrupt. It is good to have self-confidence, but when the younger generation faces the elders, a humble and respectful attitude is indispensable.


    All this happened in an instant, and Qiao Xiucai and He Xiucai, who were seated in the main seats, had the initial judgment on these two young people.


    "Student Xue Juncai, student Xue Tingxiang, I have met all the elders."


    He Xiucai nodded, Qiao Xiucai nodded, and asked curiously, "Tingxiang? Does this name have a meaning?"


    Xue Tingxiang was taken aback, and Fang Zuoyi said: "Hey, I mean to follow suit. The student''s great-great-grandfather was also a student, and the biggest regret in his life was that he failed to pass the exam. Although my Xue family was born in a poor family, there are many generations. Forgetting the last wish of the ancestors, while settling down to live and work, he has been working hard to let the children of the clan read and write, and be able to understand the principles of life.


    "It should be noted that if you read a lot, you will have hills and valleys in your heart, and you will have a poetic spirit in your stomach. The younger generation will follow the last wish of the ancestors. Although they are not very knowledgeable at a young age, they have great ambitions. They hope that one day they can continue the path that their ancestors walked, and continue to do so. go down."


    These words are very well-chosen, and the words are too polite, or they say something to study and become an official to serve the court, to establish a life for the people, and to bring peace to all generations. They are all suspected of deliberately showing off, which makes people laugh. After all, they are still brats, not even children.


    And Xue Tingxiang''s words just echoed his age and knowledge, and even because of the ancestor''s last wish, it added a bit of filial piety.


    After listening to Qiao Xiucai, he stroked his beard and said, "Okay! What a big ambition!"


    With this praise, everyone''s eyes were on Xue Tingxiang.


    Most people don''t understand what it means, they only think that Qiao Xiucai is exaggerating the dog of Xue''s second room, but they can understand but they have different thoughts.


    Shocked and complicated like patriarch Xue, the look in Xue Tingxiang''s eyes implied excitement and admiration. He is the head of the clan, and he always regards the glory of the clan as his great responsibility. Xue Tingxiang''s words not only praised his ancestors in front of others, but also inadvertently showed the unusualness of the Xue clan, which made his face extraordinarily honored. Unconsciously, he straightened his back.


    Some secretly scolded this son for being cunning, and even used the occasion to grandstanding.


    Still upholding the last wish of his ancestors, whoever asked him to uphold it was just bragging! Why didn''t I see that this son was so eloquent earlier.


    "The elders in your family took this name for you, and they have high hopes for you."


    When Qiao Xiucai said this, he was embarrassed again, but it was the Xue family who were embarrassed.


    Just when Patriarch Xue and the others were afraid that Xue Tingxiang would be ignorant to tell the reason, he saluted again and said: "This junior will definitely study hard and live up to the expectations of his family."


    Xue Qingshan couldn''t sit still.


    Today''s book is for the examination of Xue Juncai and Xue Tingxiang, who is eligible to enter the school. The exam hadn''t even started yet, but Qiao Xiucai''s words were intended to encourage and agree with the other party. The so-called failure before the battle was nothing more than that.


    He couldn''t help but interjected: "Seniors, can we start?"


    Only then did Qiao Xiucai realize that he had spoken too much, but once he said it, he would naturally not take it back, and Xue Qingshan''s words obviously made him feel embarrassed. There was a slight displeasure in his heart, so instead of avoiding it, he nodded appreciatively to Xue Tingxiang, and then went to take a sip of tea on the table.


    Between the actions, there was a sense of treating Xue Qingshan as nothing, which made his face darken immediately. But he didn''t dare to have any doubts at all, he just smiled and sat back.


    Qiao Xiucai put down the teacup, cupped his hands and said to He Xiucai: "Senior He, look at this¡ª"


    "Let''s begin then."


    "Are you a senior, or you are the main one."


    Qiao Xiucai is a polite word. He is only in his thirties, he is already a scholar, he may be able to raise a scholar in the future, but He Xiucai is already an old man, the possibility of being selected is very slim. That''s why it was obvious that He Xiucai was the main one, but when Qiao Xiucai spoke, He Xiucai didn''t interrupt him, and didn''t even blame him for taking the lead.


    This is the way of the imperial examination, which pays attention to qualifications and seniority, but also pays attention to potential.


    Talents like Yang Zhong who fail the exam all their lives will be old boys when they grow old. However, if one can pass the examination as a scholar, even if one is over half a hundred years old and the other is a young man with a weak crown, they can still be on equal footing and be friends with each other as peers.


    It''s like Xue Qingshan is about to call himself a junior in front of Qiao Xiucai, and he can only accept Qiao Xiucai''s embarrassment to him. Although Qiao Xiucai gave He Xiucai too much courtesy, He Xiucai put him first in words and deeds.


    Few of the people present understood these principles, but Xue Tingxiang did, which made him even more determined to be a scholar.


    "Where are you two in your studies now?"


    "I have finished studying the Four Books, and now I am diligently reading the "Book of Songs" among the Five Classics." Xue Juncai answered first.


    He Xiucai set his sights on Xue Tingxiang.


    He pondered for a while, and said: "After studying the four books, I can only read them, but I can''t understand them."


    He Xiucai didn''t say anything, but Zheng Lizheng said in confusion, "If I remember correctly, you and the talented boy Kaimeng came one after another. How could you have fallen behind so much in your studies?"

 Chapter 199

    "You''re right, I won''t think about it anymore." He paused, and then said, "I just want to say one thing, can you stop calling me a dog?"


    Zhao''er was puzzled and said, "But I didn''t call you that all the time. If you don''t call me a dog, what would you call it?"


    Xue Gouzi pondered for a moment, "Call me Ting Xiang."


    "Tingxiang? This is your own name? Dog, why did you give yourself such a name?" Immediately she understood, thinking of Dafang''s talented boy, because of his young age, he always carried People laugh at the same name as Gou''er and Heizi.


    There was a flash of distress in her eyes, and she nodded repeatedly: "Gou''er, no, Ting''er is a different scholar, and the name is so nice. From now on, my sister won''t call you Gou''er, and I won''t let outsiders call you that. It''s called Tingxiang." Anyway, in her heart, whatever the dog says is good,


    Xue Gouzi, no, he should be called Xue Tingxiang now, and he feels a little depressed. He is only less than two years younger than Zhao''er, but he is a deep ravine that he will not be able to cross in his entire life. Having said that, he said again: "Also, can you stop calling yourself sister to me in the future?"


    This time, Zhao''er was even more surprised, and even reached out to touch his forehead: "Ting''er, what''s wrong with you? Did you have some evil? You didn''t call me sister since you were a child."


    Xue Tingxiang took a deep breath and smiled: "But you are not my sister, you will be my wife in the future, how can a man call his wife a sister."


    He was originally pale, half leaning on the quilt at the top of the kang, suddenly smiled like this, his brows and eyes were clear and handsome, which gave people a feeling that they dare not look directly at him.


    Zhao''er''s face turned red all of a sudden, and he couldn''t make sense of what he said: "Dog, you, what are you talking about, I, I..."


    "Don''t you want to be my daughter-in-law and have a baby for me?" He moved closer.


    She stood up abruptly, and reprimanded: "You little kid, why are you talking about this? Your hair hasn''t grown fully yet!" She said a foul language that Xue Tingxiang didn''t like to hear the most, and she didn''t realize it: "You want to The thing to do is to take care of your body, as for these things, we will talk about them later!"


    Her eyes were fierce, and her tone was also fierce. After she finished speaking, she lowered her head and scooped rice from the bowl to Xue Tingshan''s mouth. He glanced at her, ate honestly, and suddenly became in a good mood.


    Maybe the two of them can change the way they get along in the future, and change it if they don''t like it, there is no need to wait for her to understand.


    *


    Zhao''er threw away the mess, turned around and went back to the house, leaving the whole family to finish their lunch in a depressing atmosphere.


    During this period, Sun had nothing to say to her, but no one paid any attention to her.


    Yang couldn''t eat, if it wasn''t for her parents-in-law, if she didn''t want to embarrass herself in front of the two younger siblings, she would have thrown her chopsticks and left. But now he can only suppress the aggrieved stomach, and eat the food in front of him like chewing wax.


    After dinner, Mrs. Sun took Mao Dan away, knowing that her son got into trouble today, and she was afraid that she would be angered later. Mrs. Zhou took Xue Taoer to clean up the table, and took the dishes and chopsticks to the kitchen to wash. Xue Qingbai helped her, Zhou could not carry such a pot of dishes by himself, usually when Xue Qingbai was not at home, she and her daughter could only carry them.


    Only Dafang, mother and son were left in the room, along with Mr. Xue and Mrs. Zhao.


    Yang stood up and wanted to go back to the East Chamber, but was stopped by Mr. Xue.


    Mr. Xue took out his dry pipe, took out some shredded tobacco grown by himself from the dark blue tobacco pouch, rolled it into a ball, pressed it into the tobacco pot, and then lit it with a torch.


    His movements are very slow, neither fast nor slow. Anyone who is familiar with Mr. Xue''s character knows that he has something on his mind.


    It''s true that there is something wrong, and if it''s not something, he won''t call his daughter-in-law to stop.


    "The handsome boy and the talented boy go back to the house first. Grandpa has something to say to your mother."


    Xue Youcai glanced at his mother and wanted to say something, but was dragged away by his elder brother Xue Juncai.


    "Father, just tell me if you have anything to say."


    Mrs. Yang is thirty-four this year. In the countryside, a woman in her thirties is no longer considered young. Here, the wind blows and the sun shines and eats, so the women look old.


    But Yang''s maintenance is very good, her face is like a disc, her skin is fair, and there are a few fine lines at the corners of her eyes. She was wearing a worn-out stone blue satin gown with make-up, her shiny black hair was pulled into a bun behind her head, a gilt hairpin was inserted into it, and a pair of old silver earrings were on her ears. It can''t be called onion tip, but it is also white and soft, wearing a gold ring.


    It is not an exaggeration to say that she is the grandma of the landlord''s family in this dress and bearing, even the Zhao family is not as good as her.


    With his old eyes, Mr. Xue moved Yang back and forth a few times, making her stand uneasy.


    Just as I was about to say something, my father-in-law said suddenly: "Boss daughter-in-law, how long have you been married to our family?"


    Yang was startled, and replied: "Seventeen years, my daughter-in-law married into the Xue family in the seventeenth year."


    "Then how will your mother and I treat you?"


    Yang''s heart skipped a beat: "Father and mother treat their daughter-in-law like their own daughters."


    Mr. Xue nodded, took a puff of the dry cigarette, and the light blue smoke began to linger on his old face again, making it difficult to see the expression on his face clearly.


    "You are the eldest daughter-in-law of our family, and your mother has always loved you. You and the boss have the same heart as your mother and I. I only wish that you can become a talent."


    Yang''s heart relaxed, and she couldn''t help laughing: "Juncai is serious about his studies, even my father said that he is a rare and good seedling, and it is no problem to be a scholar."


    Speaking of Xue Juncai who is the most proud, even Mr. Xue couldn''t help showing a smile.


    Seeing that the father-in-law''s face softened, Yang took advantage of the situation and said: "It''s just that you know, father, that when it''s time to end, you don''t have to just sit at home and study. Thinking back then, Juncai''s father also listened to my father''s words, I went to Qinghe Academy to study for two years, met some classmates, and registered in front of my husband. I took the opportunity to impress the county magistrate, and I passed the county exam. The ranking of the county exam As long as it is not bad, the government examination is not to say that it is sure, but it is half sure. It''s just that you have to rely on luck when you get to the hospital examination, and Juncai''s father is unlucky, so he will fail repeatedly."


    This is the real reason why Yang Shi is valued by the old couple in the Xue family, not only because her father is a child, but also because her father was kind to Xue Qingshan in the past.


    And Yang''s statement seems absurd, but it is true. The two county examinations are not as strictly controlled as the hospital examination, especially the county examination, which is presided over by the magistrate of the county.


    There are five county exams in total, and the results of the first exam are mainly to be judged. And this time, there are two stereotyped essays and one poem. As long as there are no typos and fluent essays, you can pass them all.


    Compared with people he doesn''t know well at all, the magistrate is still willing to pick people who are somewhat familiar.


    And going to a good school to study is to provide an opportunity to stand out in front of the county magistrate. Dachang has always attached great importance to the selection of talents. How many scholars can be produced in this county, and even a son can be a Jinshi, which is considered a political achievement. No matter how fatuous and incompetent the county magistrate, this kind of cutscene must go.


    And being able to enter a good school will not only increase your contacts, but also your vision.


    For example, the county examinations are nothing more than the Four Books and Five Classics and the sacred edicts. How to write and what taboos should not be violated all need guidance. No matter how wonderful your article is, if you violate taboos such as temple taboos, royal names, and holy taboos, you will not take it.


    And in places like the countryside, many private schools are opened by old children for the sake of making a living, and I still want to be a scholar to change my fortune, so how can I teach middle school children in every detail.


    Xue Qingshan himself was like this, that''s why he put all his energy into sending Xue Juncai to Qinghe Academy.


    Yang thought that her father-in-law wanted to tell her about sending Xue Juncai to the school, so she said this. Little did they know that her words really touched Mr. Xue''s mind, but Mr. Xue didn''t intend to tell her these things.


    Mr. Xue took a deep breath of dry cigarettes, and said: "The boss you said has been told to me, and we will talk about this matter later. You are Juncai''s mother, and there is nothing wrong with planning for your son, but you have to know that our family It¡¯s not just Dafang¡¯s family.¡±


    The father-in-law''s tone was a bit meaningful, Yang was startled for a moment, and forced a smile: "Father, of course my daughter-in-law knows that the Xue family is not just ours, but don''t worry, if Juncai''s father and Juncai are promising, they will never forget to be filial to you My mother." Seeing her father-in-law''s complexion was gloomy, she hurriedly added: "There are other people in the family, Juncai always remembers that he can study, thanks to a few uncles and aunts."


    Mr. Xue nodded: "If you understand, you should know that the other three families have been sacrificing for the eldest house. I won''t mention the far ones, just talk about the third and fourth children. The land in the house refers to the third and fourth children Kindly, your father is getting old, and his hands and feet are not as sharp as before. The fourth child has to pick up goods and sell them when he is busy with the house. I don¡¯t know how many pairs of shoes he has to wear out in a year, but all the money he earns is handed over to the public. , I haven¡¯t paid a penny. What is everyone working so hard for? It¡¯s not for our family, but for Dafang.¡±


    Yang''s complexion became forced: "Father, why is this all for our eldest family? Juncai''s father is promising, isn''t it because the Xue family has a good face? Because Juncai''s father was born in Tongsheng, no one in the village would look at us highly, even that The Zheng family, don¡¯t you also give us three points of courtesy to the Xue family. This is for the overall situation, for the future generations of our Xue family..."


    Old Master Xue sighed and interrupted: "Father understands what you said, and so does your mother. But as the saying goes, if the board is not on your body, of course you don''t feel pain. You put yourself in the position of the third and fourth child , What do you think? I have done the most work, and I can¡¯t even put my good words into my mouth, and it¡¯s all in other people¡¯s mouths.¡±


    These words were in line with what Zhao''er said just now, Yang''s face turned red immediately, her round face flushed red.


    "Father, why did you call this into my mouth, I..."


    Mr. Xue ignored her, and went to scold Mrs. Zhao again: "There is also you, who is biased in front of people. You just continue to do it, so that the third and fourth are chilled, and they make a fuss about separating from the family. You go there Planted for the boss and talented people to take the imperial examination!"


    At the end, his tone was full of sighs of hatred for iron.


    Mrs. Zhao didn''t want to listen to this anymore, and muttered: "What do you mean I am biased? Why am I biased? Didn''t I think that the boss and Juncai want to study, and studying is a waste of brain, so I should give them more supplements. Don''t those who are good? It fell into my mouth."


    The more she spoke, the angrier she became, and she couldn''t help cursing: "Separate the family, don''t they want to turn the world upside down, if the parents don''t separate, even if I can spare them, the ancestors'' family law can''t forgive them."


    Old Master Xue smiled wryly. If it wasn''t for these two old things and the family law of the ancestors, the family would not be like this a long time ago.


    He shifted his gaze to Mrs. Yang: "You also understand the situation at home. Can your mother and I manage it for a while, or for a lifetime? Since you want to send Juncai to study in the school in the town, you should win over the third and fourth bedroom. "


    "Father, I..."


    "In the past, your mother doted on you. I never said it. You can tell which is right and which is wrong. But from tomorrow onwards, you and the third and fourth families will share the work at home. "


    After Mr. Xue finished speaking, he stopped talking and just smoked his own cigarette with a sullen head. Yang couldn''t stand here either, and hurried out of the main room with her head down.


    *


    As soon as Mrs. Zhou cleaned up the kitchen and came out, she saw her sister-in-law returning to the east chamber with her head down, her expression was not very good.


    Her eyes flickered, and she glanced towards the south end of the west wing, which was a four-bedroom house.


    There was a faint person behind the window facing the courtyard in the fourth room, and Mrs. Zhou knew that Mrs. Sun had been watching the movement. She pretended not to notice, wiped her hands on the apron, and went back to the house.


    When it was time to cook in the evening, Mrs. Yang was wearing coarse clothes, which was rare, and came to the kitchen to compete with Mrs. Zhou for work.


    Mrs. Zhou couldn''t even refuse, so Mrs. Yang smiled and said that Mrs. Zhou had worked hard, so she just let her rest.


    Mrs. Zhou was pushed out of the kitchen by her, and she happened to meet Mrs. Sun who was standing at the door of the west chamber. There was also surprise in their eyes.


    But what surprised them was yet to come, because from this day on, Mrs. Yang changed her previous attitude and started doing all kinds of work. Although it was many years of not touching her hands, she was clumsy in doing things now, but she did it.


    Not only cooking, but also being very generous, often actively persuade Mrs. Zhao to take some money, or buy some meat or bring out some eggs, and cook dishes for the family to eat.


    The sparks that had been stirred up by Zhao''er''s words in the Xue family were suppressed just like that. During this period, Xue Tingxiang''s body finally recovered, and he had the strength to walk around.


    This day, after getting up early in the morning and having breakfast, Zhao''er planned to go to town.


    The rags she brought back from the embroidery workshop have all been made into things like purses and embroidered shoes. After saving for many days, it should be sold in the embroidery workshop.


    She put everything into the back basket, and before leaving, she told Xue Tingxiang that the weather was fine today and asked him to go out to bask in the sun more often.


    Xue Tingxiang nodded and agreed honestly, and then she went out with peace of mind.


    Not long after she left, Xue Tingxiang walked out of the house.


    The yard is very quiet, the curtains of the doors of each room are all lowered, and it is hard to see if anyone is there.


    He stood in front of the door for a while, then walked out of the gate, and Hei Zi, who was lazily basking in the sun, immediately stood up and went out together at his feet.


    "Are you rich now?"


    Of course she is rich, Zhao''er now has more than two taels of silver in total, and just now Su Lan gave her another five taels, which is naturally enough.


    At the same time, Shen Ping laughed a little, "Well, I forgot that you had visited her before, so I came here, and she won''t take advantage of me." The voice was very small, almost like a murmur, and Zhao''er only cared about it. I had to look at the clothes, but I didn''t hear clearly.

 Chapter 200

    With such a sum of money, it is imperative to form the Zhejiang Navy.


    After the matter was unanimously passed in the court, the next consideration was where to draw troops to fill the navy.


    When it comes to this, it is inevitable to talk about the Chaohu Navy.


    This Chaohu naval division was originally the predecessor of the previous navy division, and it was also famous and powerful for many years. It''s a pity that with the opening and closing of the sea ban in the previous dynasty, it gradually declined.


    When it came to Dachang, the imperial court repeatedly banned the sea and moved inland several times. The Chaohu Navy also changed from a base for importing talents from various naval forces to a group of ordinary soldiers who traveled from south to north to transport grain. The name of the teacher has long existed in name only.


    The last batch of warships of the Chaohu Navy was reserved for food transportation, while the other batch was transferred to the Fujian Navy.


    This time the imperial court proposed the proposal to form a naval division. Naturally, it was sooner rather than later. A minister suggested that some troops be dispatched from Fujian and Guangdong naval divisions to go to Zhejiang. The cabinet also agreed, but when it came to Emperor Jiacheng, they were Called back.


    Emperor Jiacheng meant to transfer people from the Chaohu Navy. There are many bandits along the coast of Zhejiang, and there are even more bandits in the area of ??Guangdong and Fujian. You can''t take care of one and lose the other.


    Every decision of the imperial court, in the eyes of the people above, is just lip service, but it is a great shock to the people below. When the matter was settled, the Ministry of War transferred 2,000 soldiers of all levels from the Chaohu Navy to Zhejiang, and 500 soldiers from the Fujian and Guangdong Navy respectively. This is the initial team of the Zhejiang Navy.


    The chief soldier was Gou Datong, the former deputy general of the Chaohu Navy, and Xue Tingxiang was also appointed as the admiral of the navy.


    The so-called admiral''s full name is the admiral''s chief military officer.


    The chief soldier is a military officer, and the admiral is a civilian officer. According to Dachang''s rules, military officers usually train troops and are controlled by civilian officials.


    After the incident, there was another shock in the ruling and opposition parties.


    It''s not unheard of to be promoted so quickly, but it''s the first time I''ve seen a promotion like Xue Tingxiang''s. In just a few short years, he was promoted from the seventh-rank Zhima county magistrate to the fifth-rank Shibo Secretary, and it seemed that he had only been promoted by one and a half levels, but in fact the power in his hands was far from the world.


    It has been less than a year, and he has been promoted from the fifth rank to the second rank, which is the first time in the world.


    No, absolutely not! If he continues to be promoted like this, he will have to let him do it whether he is an official or not! This proposal met with opposition from the whole court. These civil servants have always had a lot of twists and turns, and even if they objected, they were more particular.


    Some said that Xue Tiju was too young, such a promotion might hurt Zhong Yong, and some said that the promotion from the fifth rank to the second rank was inconsistent with the rules of the court. All in all, there is everything to say, and this matter is so frozen.


    Emperor Jiacheng was also very persistent. After being poor for so many years, it was hard for someone who was good at making money for him. Emperor Jiacheng knew better than anyone else how important the coastal area of ??Zhejiang was. If he listened to their advice and let someone go in such a critical place, he would be able to mess up the good things for him.


    People who get rich suddenly are usually unwilling to go back to the previous situation where they always worry about money. Besides, Emperor Jiacheng now thinks that Xue Tingxiang is his lucky general. Since Xue Tingxiang came out of his head, how many times has he used the other party to fight those old killers? Talented people''s faces are naturally to be supported.


    The two sides were at loggerheads, and finally made a compromise, appointing Xue Tingxiang as the promotion of Dinghai City Shipping Department and acting Admiral of Zhejiang Navy.


    This ''generation'' also means that Xue Tingxiang is temporary and may be replaced at any time. But Xue Tingxiang doesn''t care about it, so let''s just replace it, it''s a bit difficult for him to take it out after it''s in his pocket.


    In fact, what Xue Tingxiang lacks now is time and his own team. If he can put his own people everywhere, even if an admiral of the navy really comes to replace him, he will not be afraid.


    After the imperial decree was sent to Zhejiang, it caused a shock.


    Whether you like it or not, aggrieved or not, it is obvious that there is nothing you can do about this person for the time being, and you have to do what you have to do to save face, so congratulatory letters and gifts have been sent one after another. And Xue''s family is very happy, the master has been promoted, although he is a generation, but the people below don''t care whether he is a generation or not.


    A group of soldiers from the Chaohu navy arrived in Dinghai last night. Because of the inconvenience of entering the city, and the fact that the naval garrison had not yet been built, they camped outside the city. Xue Tingxiang, as acting admiral, is supposed to go to see them.


    Zhao''er has long hair, a jade-white tunic, and a casual outer robe. She changes Xue Tingxiang''s clothes and puts on an official robe.


    Because he was only an acting admiral, he naturally followed his own rank, so he could only wear his blue official robe.


    He brushed off his sleeves, pouted and said, "These people like disgusting people the most, so why not replace them?"


    Zhao''er tidied up his clothes for him, and said with a smile: "Who was afraid of failing before? Just replace it, anyway, it doesn''t get in the way."


    "It''s just an eyesore."


    He said he didn''t care, but how could he not care in his heart? As an official, to be able to wear a scarlet official robe is to enter the ranks of senior officials. This is the gap. Some people can''t wear scarlet in their whole life, and they can only regret it for the rest of their lives.


    "Okay, you''ve only been an official for a few years."


    Seeing that he was dressed, Zhao''er also went behind the screen to put on his clothes, tidied up casually, and the two of them went outside to have breakfast.


    The Xue family did not have the rule of not talking when eating or sleeping, and Xue Tingxiang and Zhao''er were both busy, and the time for two meals in the morning and evening was also the time for the whole family to connect and bond.


    Ask about Hong''er''s homework, and ask about some trivial matters. Hong''er is more obedient and sensible than ordinary children, especially since Brother Wei''s arrival, the two little guys have a very good relationship, and they are inseparable from Mengmeng and Mengmeng, which saves adults a lot of worry.


    Zhaodi is also busy now, Dinghai is short of manpower, she is now in charge of the shop on Shuangyu Island. I usually deal with barbarians a lot, and recently I heard that she is looking for someone to learn some barbarians.


    "Mother, are you going out again?" Hong''er asked.


    Seeing what his son said, Zhao''er felt a little guilty and said: "Mother is going out this time to do something important. Your Uncle Sheng Zi, Uncle Jiang Wu, and your fourth uncle have all gone out. There is a real shortage of manpower outside, so Mother wants to go out for a while." Let''s go. After this time''s work is done, mother will stay at home and accompany you and your father well."


    Xue Tingxiang was eating porridge with a bowl, but didn''t speak.


    In fact, he and Zhao''er had discussed this matter last night. They wanted to build a bank account, but they didn''t have enough manpower and material resources, so they had to cooperate with others.


    Now Zhaoer and the others are busy with this matter, reaching an agreement with the ticket numbers in various places, as long as the other party recognizes the meeting ticket issued by the ticket number here, the matter is considered half done. Merchants take the meeting ticket and go to various places to exchange silver, and Dinghai will deliver the silver to the other party according to the amount of the meeting ticket.


    It sounds simple, but in fact there are too many involved, the first is the issue of trust. There is no evidence, so why should others help you advance the payment, but if a meeting ticket is involved, the amount will not be small, and no one will joke about money.


    Of course, Tailong Commercial Bank can also deposit a sum of money in advance at the local ticket office, and others will help to exchange it, but the funds required for this are too huge, and there is no way to make it by exhausting all the family assets.


    No, Gao Sheng, Jiang Wu and others were dispatched, and went to various places to find local big ticket accounts to negotiate, but unfortunately the progress was not smooth, so Zhao''er planned to do it himself.


    She still has some prestige in the southern Zhili area. As the brother-in-law of Xue Tiju, the secretary of the city, she should be easier to persuade than Gao Sheng and the others.


    As long as the scene in the south of the Yangtze River can be opened up, the Northwest will be much simpler. In fact, to be honest, most of the sea merchants are still gathered in Jiangnan and other places. Although since Dinghai was opened, there have been many more merchants from the Northwest and the Northwest. After all, they accounted for a minority.


    "That''s it, mother, you should pay attention to safety on the road." Hong''er said.


    Zhao''er looked at his son''s face and saw that he didn''t show any sad expression, he was relieved immediately. But at random, there was an inexplicable panic. I always felt that I was spending less time with my son, so there was no difference between having a mother and not having a mother?


    Hong''er quickly ate and said that she was going to go to the study with Brother Wei.


    After Hong''er left, Zhao''er''s waist suddenly collapsed.


    "What''s wrong?"


    "It''s nothing." She said with a gloomy expression.


    Xue Tingxiang put down his chopsticks and patted her on the shoulder: "Okay, don''t think too much, children will grow up, and one day they will slowly separate from their parents. Especially when boys grow up, they won''t cling to others. Naturally, it''s not as good as The girl is caring. Hong''er is very sensible and filial, don''t tell me you want him to hold your leg and say mother that you can''t go, so you are willing."


    "I''m not, I just feel..." Zhao''er opened her mouth and sighed dejectedly: "I don''t know what''s wrong with me!"


    "When he grows up, he may go to a certain place to study, or study abroad. Can you watch him for a lifetime? If you don''t want to go out, then don''t go. Anyway, our family is not short of money now."


    "I¡­¡­"


    "Look, you are not reconciled, so what are you struggling with?"


    "My sister said that I often go out, maybe one day there will be more people at home, and said that men like to find concubines, especially those who are officials."


    Xue Tingxiang looked at her and laughed: "He is going around, are you hitting me before going out?"


    "I do not have it."


    "Is it true, or is it false?" He suddenly got very close.


    "No."


    Xue Tingxiang rubbed his chin, thinking about it, and said: "It''s really hard to say. Now that my master has been promoted, it is obvious that I have a bright future in the future. I am afraid that any adult will value me and give me his daughter Concubine or something, do you think I will accept it or not?"


    Zhao''er smiled: "Then do you want to accept it or not?"


    "This..."


    Before the words fell, Xue Tingxiang felt a pain on his lips, but it was Zhao''er who bit him. After biting the man, he wanted to run away, but was pulled back by Xue Tingxiang.


    Zhao''er felt a salty smell overflowing his mouth, and then he realized that his mouth was heavy. In a trance, he was dizzy by a wave of waves.


    After a long while, I just woke up, and saw him panting slightly, with a smile on his face: "There is a fierce wife in the family, I am afraid that the beauty will be tortured, so I dare not accept it."


    Zhao''er laughed and raised his chin: "You''re smart."


    The two of them had such a mess, and the girl who was serving at the side was scared away.


    After that, he got up to tidy up, and Zhao''er tidied up the official uniform for Xue Tingxiang, but he still lingered and refused to leave.


    "It''s getting late, you''ll be rude if you don''t go."


    "You messed with my mouth, how can I meet people when I go out?"


    Zhao''er originally thought that he was dawdling because she was reluctant to part with her, because after Xue Tingxiang left, she was going out too, who would have thought it was because of this.


    She raised her eyes and looked over, it really is!


    Not only was it swollen, but the skin was a little torn.


    She was embarrassed and wanted to say something, but Xue Tingxiang smiled and said, "I just said I was bitten by a female mosquito."


    After speaking, he left, leaving Zhao''er in a daze for a while.


    It took a while to realize that he was swearing, which house has such a big mosquito? !


    *


    Xue Tingxiang went outside the city and saw Gou Datong and a group of soldiers from the Chaohu Navy.


    Now it can no longer be called the Chaohu Navy, but the Zhejiang Navy.


    Walking through the barracks, secretly observing the mental outlook and details of the soldiers, it can be seen that this is a group of elite troops, and they didn''t just come here randomly.


    Xue Tingxiang''s heart was half-relaxed. In order to accomplish this, he sent a letter to Chen Jian, just to let him mention the Chaohu Navy in front of Emperor Jiacheng.


    The soldiers of the navy are different from the land army. There are only three navy in Dachang. Those who don''t want the Fujian and Guangdong navy can only be here.


    In his dream, Emperor Yanxi had served as the admiral of the Fujian Navy before he ascended the throne in his early years. The famous Dachang Navy has established a great reputation.


    In fact, he was taking a risk. Fortunately, the dream did not lie to him.


    And when Xue Tingxiang was observing the soldiers of the Chaohu Navy, these people were also observing him, and they saw that the civil servant was slender and weak at first glance.


    On the contrary, he was full of majesty, but his lips were a little swollen.


    In the large tent in the center of the barracks, Gou Datong and his other generals looked at Xue Tingxiang''s mouth intentionally or unconsciously.


    These gazes were too obvious, Xue Tingxiang smiled calmly, touched his mouth and said: "This is bitten by a mosquito. In fact, I am not a local. I am not used to it when I first came here. Don''t say anything else, just talk about the mosquito." If we say that the mosquitoes in our northwest are not much bigger than ants, the mosquitoes here are not much smaller than flies."


    A group of navy generals who were limped by fools couldn''t help thinking about this question when Xue Tingxiang took them to see the navy station next.


    How big is this mosquito? Could it be the mother''s?

 Chapter 201

    "How can it be done on February 8th? Your car will definitely be used by then. Your Daqing mule is not a laborer? Daqing, look, Brother Jiang Wu said that you are not a laborer, and even your rations will be deducted."


    The mule named Daqing shook its head and snorted, which seemed to mean that if he dared to deduct my rations, I would slow down and let him carry it by himself.


    Zhao''er laughed loudly, pointed at Daqing and said, "Look, even Daqing protested."


    Jiang Wu looked sideways at the girl who was smiling wantonly, with a strange gleam in her eyes. Fortunately, Daqing knew the way and was docile, otherwise he would have ordered all three people in the car into the ditch beside the road.


    Seeing this scene, Xue Tingxiang''s face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.


    He was both annoyed and angry, and he actually forgot about Jiang Wu.


    In that dream, Jiang Wu has been coveting Zhao''er.


    Jiang Wu is two years older than Zhao''er, but he has never married. If Zhao''er hadn''t been his child bride-in-law, the Jiang family would have come to propose marriage a long time ago.


    Even so, Jiang Wu never gave up, and once even approached him and told him that he wanted to marry Zhao''er, telling him not to be so selfish and letting Zhao''er go free. She also said that she and Zhao''er would support him to study together and treat him like a younger brother, that''s how he knew about it.


    Shocked and annoyed, he also remembered Zhao''er''s reluctance to marry him. He mistakenly thought that Zhao''er had an affair with Jiang Wu, so he borrowed his parents'' orders to forcefully marry her. Later, by chance, Only then did he realize that he had wronged her.


    This matter has always been a scar between the two, even though it was never mentioned again, there is a gap between them. Afterwards, he was busy starting his career, while Zhao''er was busy running business. The two met only once in a long time, and even when they met, they seldom talked again until he went to Beijing to rush for the exam after winning the exam.


    The he in the dream once thought after Zhao''er died, if he hadn''t been so despicable back then and forced Zhao''er by his parents'' orders, Zhao''er wouldn''t have died.


    But this kind of thought is like a superficial thought, it just passed by in a flash. At this time, thinking about it, he is probably despicable in his bones. Even if he is not the Xue Tingxiang in his dream, he never thought of letting him go.


    She was supposed to be his, and when he still half understood, someone would always point to her and say, this is his future wife, isn''t it?


    "Brother Jiang Wu, you''d better look at some roads, this road is uneven, don''t lead us all into a ditch."


    Xue Tingxiang''s voice successfully interrupted the chatting and laughing of Jiang Wu and Zhao''er, as if a very ignorant person suddenly appeared, making the already warm atmosphere suddenly cool down.


    Zhao''er laughed dryly: "Look at me, I was so focused on talking to you about the business that I forgot that you were still driving the car. Fortunately, Daqing is smart, otherwise I would have fallen."


    Da Qing called out, looking very complacent.


    Jiang Wu looked back subconsciously, just in time to meet the young man''s dark eyes. Those eyes made him inexplicably guilty, but soon he regained his confidence.


    He knew that the dogs of the Xue family didn''t like to recruit children, and he also knew that the second bedroom couple of the Xue family originally recruited children as daughters, not child brides. The child bride-in-law was only passed on from the villagers to the villagers, and it became true because of the entrustment of the second wife of the Xue family at the end of their lives.


    Not only that, but he also knew that Zhao''er only regarded the other party as a younger brother, and had no intention of marrying the other party.


    The young man was undoubtedly thin and thin, although he was handsome, there was still a bit of childishness on his face. Such a young man made the strong and powerful Jiang Wu inexplicably feel condescending. He smiled heartily and said indifferently: "Don''t be afraid, you dog, Brother Jiang Wu drives the car every day, and you can walk back with your eyes closed."


    Xue Tingxiang did not speak, but lowered his head with the corners of his lips pursed.


    Seeing this, Zhao''er immediately understood whether the title Gouzi made the little man feel uncomfortable again. But facing Jiang Wu, she couldn''t show a cold face, she could only smile and say: "Brother Jiang Wu, let me tell you that the dog has a name, it''s called Tingxiang, Xue Tingxiang."


    "It''s an elegant name."


    "Yeah, so don''t call me Gouzi Gouzi in the future, it''s weird."


    While speaking, the car had arrived at Yuqing Village.


    Jiang Wu inertially circled to the end of the village before stopping, Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang got out of the car.


    "When will the business be done? Tell me a time, and I will pick you up when the time comes."


    "Aren''t you going to be busy in the town tomorrow, and those clothes have to be tidied up. When I''m ready, I''ll go to your house and give you a letter."


    Zhao''er also thought that two days later would be the day when Xue Tingxiang and Xue Juncai competed, and she would not be in the mood to do business until this matter was over.


    "OK."


    *


    Now that the matter was settled, they said goodbye to each other.


    Jiang Wu drove the car home, while Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang went home together.


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t say anything along the way, but just walked silently.


    Zhao''er glanced at him: "What''s the matter? You seem a little unhappy. Did Brother Jiang Wu call you angry just now? He didn''t know you were famous. I told him that he would never That''s what it''s called."


    He suppressed the jealousy in his heart, and said in a muffled voice, "Why do you know him so well?"


    "Brother Jiang Wu, we''ve known each other since we were young. You forgot that Heizi was brought back by his dog after he gave birth to a cub. Brother Jiang Wu is a very nice person and has helped me a lot."


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t speak, but stopped.


    Zhao''er walked forward for a while, only to realize that he hadn''t followed.


    She came back in a few steps, and asked suspiciously: "What''s wrong with you, why are you so weird?"


    He held his breath: "Don''t forget, you are a man."


    Zhao''er was taken aback for a moment, then looked at him and laughed. But he just smiled and didn''t speak, which made Xue Tingxiang angry and annoyed.


    Don''t think about it, she must have thought of something good.


    Seeing his fair face flushed with anger, Zhao''er hurriedly said: "Okay, don''t be angry, I know I have a man."


    There was a teasing taste in her voice, knowing that she was coaxing him, his heart still jumped several times.


    With the experience in the dream, Xue Tingxiang knew that this was not the time to be awkward, besides, there was Jiang Wu watching over him, so he didn''t want to repeat the experience in the dream again.


    He couldn''t help but reiterated: "I''m also doing it for your own good, lest people in the village see and make irresponsible remarks." He didn''t dare to look at her, but stared at the ground beside him, with some confidence in his heart. Distracted.


    Seeing him confessing himself like an adult, with a fair face and a slightly childish face, I don''t know how to trick him and want to rub his head.


    She did the same, and said at the same time: "Well, well, you are right, I will listen to you."


    He suddenly became more angry, and a sense of powerlessness and discouragement came to his heart.


    Why does she always treat herself like a child!


    *


    Early the next morning, Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang went out.


    When I arrived, Dongliju had just opened, Xue Tingxiang went to the clean room yesterday to continue copying books, but Zhao''er went to the yard behind the shop.


    She discussed with Boss Chen and borrowed this place to pack her clothes. Zhao''er had seen those clothes before, they were all old clothes, since she wanted to make money, she couldn''t afford to sell them poorly, so she came here today mainly to do this job.


    She borrowed the bamboo mat used for drying books from the shop, poured out the big bag of clothes, first sorted them into men''s and women''s styles, and then divided them into several piles according to texture and thickness, and then began to check the clothes one by one for damage. The place.


    If there was a hole somewhere, she would sew it up with the needle and thread she brought. Zhao''er''s needlework is pretty good, but she can''t do embroidery or something, and she''s fine with sewing and making clothes.


    She managed to clean up a pile, and seeing that the sun was shining outside, she went to fetch water from the well in the courtyard. There is a pulley in the well, so it is very convenient to fetch water. Zhao''er fetched a basin of water, soaked the clothes in the big wooden basin, wiped the soap locust water and scrubbed it.


    After washing and rinsing, the rice soup in the kitchen is also ready.


    Although Boss Chen and the others don''t cook in the shop, they always need a place to boil water for tea and so on, so the shop also turned on the fire, and Zhao''er borrowed the stove to cook a big pot of rice soup.


    She brought out the boiled rice soup, poured it into the wooden basin, and added some water into it, it is most suitable if it is slightly hot. Fang poured all the washed clothes into it and kept stirring with a stick.


    Stir well, put half a cup of tea, pick up the clothes from the wooden basin, fetch water and rinse again.


    This is the so-called starched clothes. The clothes that have been washed are sticky and sticky. As long as they don''t fade, they look like new ones. Some people who are fastidious will iron it with an iron, but since there is no such condition, Zhao''er does not intend to do so.


    During this period, Boss Chen came in. Seeing that Zhao''er was in full swing, he pointed to the various clothes hanging out in the yard and said with a smile, "It''s good for you, you take my place as your own. You make it look like a laundry room."


    Nowadays, there are places like starch washing rooms. Some people don''t want to wash their clothes at home, so they will send their clothes to the starch washing room for washing. Inexpensive and saves time and effort.


    Knowing that Boss Chen was joking with himself, Zhao''er also joked: "After what Uncle Chen said, it opened my eyes again. When I don''t have any business to do, I will buy a laundry room. When the time comes Uncle Chen will bring you the clothes, and I will wash them for you without charge."


    "You girl, you are really a good businessman." Boss Chen shook his head and laughed, and went back to the front.


    The room where Xue Tingxiang copied the books was in this yard, and the big window happened to be facing the yard, so Zhao''er''s every word and deed could be seen by him.


    Usually he can concentrate on nothing else, but today he is always going to see her intentionally or unintentionally.


    Seeing her tossing around in the yard, seeing her very lively face under the sun, seeing the beads of sweat on her forehead, she had no intention of copying the book at all, and only copied less than two pages in one morning.


    Boss Chen walked in to take a look, and followed his gaze to Zhao''er: "You are lucky to have such a woman at the booth."


    Xue Tingxiang did not speak.


    Boss Chen said again: "By the way, how far have you reached in your studies?"


    "I have finished studying the four books, but I can only read them, but I can''t understand them."


    "It''s okay to be able to read but not understand. Now that you have entered the university, you should start to learn Mingjing. However, in that kind of country school, many teachers themselves have only a half-knowledge, and they can''t teach anything. You can read more when you have nothing to do. Reading books like "Four Books Chapters" and "Zhu Zi Ji Zhu" can''t help you fully understand the scriptures, but they are somewhat helpful. The most important thing is to find a good school with good teachers to guide you. "Boss Chen pointed out.


    After a pause, he said again: "I heard from Zhao''er that he wanted to send you to the Qinghe Academy. Instead of spending a lot of money to go to that kind of place, I suggest that you go to the Qingyuan Academy."


    "Qingyuan Academy?" Xue Tingxiang asked in a daze.


    Boss Chen thought he didn''t know, or was deceived by rumors like those ordinary people, and said: "This Qingyuan Academy is one of the oldest schools in Huyang Township, and it used to be famous throughout Xia County. In our township, half of the people who pass the county examination every year come from the Qingyuan Academy, and there are not a few of them who pass the exam. It¡¯s just that the Qinghe Academy has risen suddenly in the past few years, and it seems to have declined.¡±


    Boss Chen''s voice was low, as if he was sighing infinitely, and suddenly turned high, quite angry: "Everyone in the world values ??fame and fortune, and is easily deceived by false appearances. They don''t know that the Qinghe Academy is using opportunism. The owner Gao Relying on his relationship with County Magistrate Hu, Youzhi became attached to him, and all the money allocated by the imperial court to the county to support local social studies and village studies flowed into the Qinghe Academy, and the two of them made a lot of money and filled their own pockets.


    "And the owner of the Qingyuan Academy is an upright person, and he doesn''t want to be with him. In addition, the Qingyuan Academy has a lot of preferential treatment for the children of poor families. Without this silver subsidy, we can only encourage and support it. The county that presides over the county examination Lingdu looked at Qinghe Academy differently, and even the students who wanted to enroll flocked there. This has changed, and the reputation of Qingyuan Academy has gradually declined in recent years."


    He knew he was dreaming again.


    This dream appeared in his life for decades, day and night, entangled, it seems to be deep into the bone marrow, but also like flesh and blood. I can''t throw it away, I can''t dig it away, and if I don''t come for a day, it seems that something is missing.


    But he had never had such a clear dream, so clear as if it was real.


    "Dog, why do you think you are so stubborn? Isn''t my money your money? What do you think I earn money for? Isn''t it just to support your studies and make you feel proud?"


    "Why do you say you are so stubborn! You say you are so stubborn, who are you showing your stubbornness to?!"


    "I know you don''t like me, but I''ve been like this for many years, and I can''t change it! I don''t plan to change it either!"


    "Look at Hong''er, does he look like you?"


    ...


    Xue Tingxiang suddenly felt that someone was shaking him, opened his tired eyes, and saw the dark inner room, Hu San''s face was no longer young, even the lines on the curtain were so familiar, he knew He was just dreaming.


    It''s just that the dream was too clear, the sorghum fragrance in the air, and the curve of her stubbornly pursed mouth made him feel like he was actually there. There are also her tears from being angry, crystal clear and shining with colorful light, he wanted to reach out to touch it, but someone woke him up.


    "My lord, it''s time to drink the medicine."


    Xue Tingxiang was propped up and given medicine. He was dying of illness, and he had to be served by someone even to drink medicine. How could he look like that extremely human minister Xue Shoufu who had ruled the court for decades.


    Oh no, he is not the chief assistant now.


    He has already written a letter to beg for the bones, intending to return to his hometown for the elderly, and the Holy Majesty has already agreed, but he has no home to return to, no relatives to rely on.


    In fact, he didn''t intend to go back.


    "Master Zhang, Mr. Wang, and Mr. Li and Mr. Cao all came to visit you, but they obeyed your orders and blocked the door. They come every day, and they are here again today. Would you like to see me?"


    What can they do? Didn''t they think that his illness was an expedient measure, waiting for him to stand up and continue to lead them to fight against the emperor, but he was really ill, terminally ill, and the medicine was useless.


    "not see."


    "My lord, please sleep a little longer."


    The room became quiet again, Xue Tingxiang''s eyelids began to get heavy again, he blinked again and again, and fell into sleep again.


    ...


    "How come Mr. Wang is free to visit this old man?"


    Wang Mingcheng''s eyes were a bit complicated, but he smiled on his face: "After all, I am a minister of the same court, and I should come to visit Mr. Shoufu because of emotion and reason."


    "I didn''t expect you, Wang Mingcheng, to say such hypocritical things, but to see if the old man is dying on behalf of the emperor?" Xue Tingxiang sarcastically said.


    He is obviously a haggard old man who is obviously dying, but just because of his calm, indifferent eyes that seem somewhat unpredictable, people dare not ignore him in the slightest.


    After all, this is Xue Shoufu, and the name alone is enough to intimidate everyone. That was Xue Tingxiang''s deep-rooted roots left by him after going through three dynasties and dozens of years, just like a towering ancient tree with intertwined roots, without him doing anything, just standing there is enough to make everyone daunting.


    If not, why would the new emperor have to exhaust all means, but still dare not act rashly, only dare to take that roundabout strategy.


    "It seems that my lord has misunderstood His Majesty a lot."


    Xue Tingxiang snorted and laughed, half closed his eyes, did not speak, and looked obviously too lazy to talk to him.


    "Actually, I''m here for myself. I just came to see how lonely and miserable the villain who abandoned his wife and son was now. I''m afraid Mr. Xue is dead now, and even a descendant in mourning None, in fact, Mr. Xue is too hard to see, it is just a show, just listen to it and watch it, how can you take the fake show as real and make yourself like this? Is it because of a disturbed conscience or fear? His true face is known by the world, he is reviled by others, and he will be stigmatized for thousands of years?"

 Chapter 202

    Jiang Wu had a helpless expression, but with a smile in his eyes: "Okay, I listen to you and it''s not enough, but I don''t need half of it, after all, this is a deal you got, so I''ll help you run some errands or something. Twenty-eight, you eight and I two."


    "How can it be done on February 8th? Your car will definitely be used by then. Your Daqing mule is not a laborer? Daqing, look, Brother Jiang Wu said that you are not a laborer, and even your rations will be deducted."


    The mule named Daqing shook his head and snorted, which seemed to mean that if he dared to deduct my rations, I would slow down and let him carry it by himself.


    Zhao''er laughed loudly, pointed at Daqing and said, "Look, even Daqing protested."


    Jiang Wu looked sideways at the girl who was smiling wantonly, with a strange gleam in her eyes. Fortunately, Daqing knew the way and was docile, otherwise he would have ordered all three people in the car into the ditch beside the road.


    Seeing this scene, Xue Tingxiang''s face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.


    He was both annoyed and angry, and he actually forgot about Jiang Wu.


    In that dream, Jiang Wu has been coveting Zhao''er.


    Jiang Wu is two years older than Zhao''er, but he has never married. If Zhao''er hadn''t been his child bride-in-law, the Jiang family would have come to propose marriage a long time ago.


    Even so, Jiang Wu never gave up, and once even approached him and told him that he wanted to marry Zhao''er, telling him not to be so selfish, and letting Zhao''er go free. She also said that she and Zhao''er would support him to study together and treat him like a younger brother, that''s how he knew about it.


    Shocked and annoyed, he also remembered Zhao''er''s reluctance to marry him. He mistakenly thought that Zhao''er had an affair with Jiang Wu, so he borrowed his parents'' orders to forcefully marry her. Later, by chance, Only then did he realize that he had wronged her.


    This matter has always been a scar between the two, even though it was never mentioned again, there is a gap between them. Afterwards, he was busy starting his career, while Zhao''er was busy running business. The two met only once in a long time, and even when they met, they seldom talked again until he went to Beijing to rush for the exam after winning the exam.


    The he in the dream once thought after Zhao''er died, if he hadn''t been so despicable back then and forced Zhao''er by his parents'' orders, Zhao''er wouldn''t have died.


    But this kind of thought is like a superficial thought, it just passed by in a flash. At this time, thinking about it, he is probably despicable in his bones. Even if he is not the Xue Tingxiang in his dream, he never thought of letting him go.


    She was supposed to be his, and when he still half understood, someone would always point to her and say, this is his future wife, isn''t it?


    "Brother Jiang Wu, you''d better look at some roads, this road is uneven, don''t lead us all into a ditch."


    Xue Tingxiang''s voice successfully interrupted the chatting and laughing of Jiang Wu and Zhao''er, as if a very ignorant person suddenly appeared, making the already warm atmosphere suddenly cool down.


    Zhao''er laughed dryly: "Look at me, I was so focused on talking to you about the business that I forgot that you were still driving the car. Fortunately, Daqing is smart, otherwise I would have fallen."


    Da Qing called out, looking very complacent.


    Jiang Wu looked back subconsciously, just in time to meet the young man''s dark eyes. Those eyes made him inexplicably guilty, but soon he regained his confidence.


    He knew that the dogs of the Xue family didn''t like to recruit children, and he also knew that the second bedroom couple of the Xue family originally recruited children as daughters, not child brides. The child bride-in-law was only passed on from the villagers to the villagers, and it became true because of the entrustment of the second wife of the Xue family at the end of their lives.


    Not only that, but he also knew that Zhao''er only regarded the other party as a younger brother, and had no intention of marrying the other party.


    The young man was undoubtedly thin and thin, although he was handsome, there was still a bit of childishness on his face. Such a young man made the strong and powerful Jiang Wu inexplicably feel condescending. He smiled heartily and said indifferently: "Don''t be afraid, you dog, Brother Jiang Wu drives the car every day, and you can walk back with your eyes closed."


    Xue Tingxiang did not speak, but lowered his head with the corners of his lips pursed.


    Seeing this, Zhao''er immediately understood whether the title Gouzi made the little man feel uncomfortable again. But facing Jiang Wu, she couldn''t show a cold face, she could only smile and say: "Brother Jiang Wu, let me tell you that the dog has a name, it''s called Tingxiang, Xue Tingxiang."


    "It''s an elegant name."


    "Yeah, so don''t call me Gouzi Gouzi in the future, it''s weird."


    While speaking, the car had arrived at Yuqing Village.


    Jiang Wu inertially circled to the end of the village before stopping, Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang got out of the car.


    "When will the business be done? Tell me a time, and I will pick you up when the time comes."


    "Aren''t you going to be busy in the town tomorrow, and those clothes have to be tidied up. When I''m ready, I''ll go to your house and give you a letter."


    Zhao''er also thought that two days later would be the day when Xue Tingxiang and Xue Juncai competed, and she would not be in the mood to do business until this matter was over.


    "OK."


    *


    Now that the matter was settled, they said goodbye to each other.


    Jiang Wu drove the car home, while Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang went home together.


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t say anything along the way, but just walked silently.


    Zhao''er glanced at him: "What''s the matter? You seem a little unhappy. Did Brother Jiang Wu call you angry just now? He didn''t know you were famous. I told him that he would never That''s what it''s called."


    He suppressed the jealousy in his heart, and said in a muffled voice, "Why do you know him so well?"


    "Brother Jiang Wu, we''ve known each other since we were young. You forgot that Heizi was brought back by his dog after he gave birth to a cub. Brother Jiang Wu is a very nice person and has helped me a lot."


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t speak, but stopped.


    Zhao''er walked forward for a while, only to realize that he hadn''t followed.


    She came back in a few steps, and asked suspiciously: "What''s wrong with you, why are you so weird?"


    He held his breath: "Don''t forget, you are a man."


    Zhao''er was taken aback for a moment, then looked at him and laughed. But he just smiled and didn''t speak, which made Xue Tingxiang angry and annoyed.


    Don''t think about it, she must have thought of something good.


    Seeing his fair face flushed with anger, Zhao''er hurriedly said: "Okay, don''t be angry, I know I have a man."


    There was a teasing taste in her voice, knowing that she was coaxing him, his heart still jumped several times.


    With the experience in the dream, Xue Tingxiang knew that this was not the time to be awkward, besides, there was Jiang Wu watching over him, so he didn''t want to repeat the experience in the dream again.


    He couldn''t help but reiterated: "I''m also doing it for your own good, lest people in the village see and make irresponsible remarks." He didn''t dare to look at her, but stared at the ground beside him, with some confidence in his heart. Distracted.


    Seeing him confessing himself like an adult, with a fair face and a slightly childish face, I don''t know how to trick him and want to rub his head.


    She did the same, and said at the same time: "Well, well, you are right, I will listen to you."


    He suddenly became more angry, and a sense of powerlessness and discouragement came to his heart.


    Why does she always treat herself like a child!


    *


    Early the next morning, Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang went out.


    When I arrived, Dongliju had just opened, Xue Tingxiang went to the clean room yesterday to continue copying books, but Zhao''er went to the yard behind the shop.


    She discussed with Boss Chen and borrowed this place to pack her clothes. Zhao''er had seen those clothes before, they were all old clothes, since she wanted to make money, she couldn''t afford to sell them poorly, so she came here today mainly to do this job.


    She borrowed the bamboo mat used for drying books from the shop, poured out the big bag of clothes, first sorted them into men''s and women''s styles, and then divided them into several piles according to texture and thickness, and then began to check the clothes one by one for damage. The place.


    If there was a hole somewhere, she would sew it up with the needle and thread she brought. Zhao''er''s needlework is pretty good, but she can''t do embroidery or something, and she''s fine with sewing and making clothes.


    She managed to clean up a pile, and seeing that the sun was shining outside, she went to fetch water from the well in the courtyard. There is a pulley in the well, so it is very convenient to fetch water. Zhao''er fetched a basin of water, soaked the clothes in the big wooden basin, wiped the soap locust water and scrubbed it.


    After washing and rinsing, the rice soup in the kitchen is also ready.


    Although Boss Chen and the others don''t cook in the shop, they always need a place to boil water for tea and so on, so the shop also turned on the fire, and Zhao''er borrowed the stove to cook a big pot of rice soup.


    She brought out the boiled rice soup, poured it into the wooden basin, and added some water into it, it is most suitable if it is slightly hot. Fang poured all the washed clothes into it and kept stirring with a stick.


    Stir well, put half a cup of tea, pick up the clothes from the wooden basin, fetch water and rinse again.


    This is the so-called starched clothes. The clothes that have been washed are sticky and sticky. As long as they don''t fade, they look like new ones. Some people who are fastidious will iron it with an iron, but since there is no such condition, Zhao''er does not intend to do so.


    During this period, Boss Chen came in. Seeing that Zhao''er was in full swing, he pointed to the various clothes hanging out in the yard and said with a smile, "It''s good for you, you take my place as your own. You make it look like a laundry room."


    Nowadays, there are places like starch washing rooms. Some people don''t want to wash their clothes at home, so they will send their clothes to the starch washing room for washing. Inexpensive and saves time and effort.


    Knowing that Boss Chen was joking with himself, Zhao''er also joked: "After what Uncle Chen said, it opened my eyes again. When I don''t have any business to do, I will buy a laundry room. When the time comes Uncle Chen will bring you the clothes, and I will wash them for you without charge."


    "You girl, you are really a good businessman." Boss Chen shook his head and laughed, and went back to the front.


    The room where Xue Tingxiang copied the books was in this yard, and the big window happened to be facing the yard, so Zhao''er''s every word and deed could be seen by him.


    Usually he can concentrate on nothing else, but today he is always going to see her intentionally or unintentionally.


    Seeing her tossing around in the yard, seeing her very lively face under the sun, seeing the beads of sweat on her forehead, she had no intention of copying the book at all, and only copied less than two pages in one morning.


    Boss Chen walked in to take a look, and followed his gaze to Zhao''er: "You are lucky to have such a woman at the booth."


    Xue Tingxiang did not speak.


    Boss Chen said again: "By the way, how far have you reached in your studies?"


    "I have finished studying the four books, but I can only read them, but I can''t understand them."


    "It''s okay to be able to read but not understand. Now that you have entered the university, you should start to learn Mingjing. However, in that kind of country school, many teachers themselves have only a half-knowledge, and they can''t teach anything. You can read more when you have nothing to do. Reading books like "Four Books Chapters" and "Zhu Zi Ji Zhu" can''t help you fully understand the scriptures, but they are somewhat helpful. The most important thing is to find a good school with good teachers to guide you. "Boss Chen pointed out.


    After a pause, he said again: "I heard from Zhao''er that he wanted to send you to the Qinghe Academy. Instead of spending a lot of money to go to that kind of place, I suggest that you go to the Qingyuan Academy."


    "Qingyuan Academy?" Xue Tingxiang asked in a daze.


    Boss Chen thought he didn''t know, or was deceived by rumors like those ordinary people, and said: "This Qingyuan Academy is one of the oldest schools in Huyang Township, and it used to be famous throughout Xia County. In our township, half of the people who pass the county examination every year come from the Qingyuan Academy, and there are not a few of them who pass the exam. It¡¯s just that the Qinghe Academy has risen suddenly in the past few years, and it seems to have declined.¡±


    Boss Chen''s voice was low, as if he was sighing infinitely, and suddenly turned high, quite angry: "Everyone in the world values ??fame and fortune, and is easily deceived by false appearances. They don''t know that the Qinghe Academy is using opportunism. The owner Gao Relying on his relationship with County Magistrate Hu, Youzhi became attached to him, and all the money allocated by the imperial court to the county to support local social studies and village studies flowed into the Qinghe Academy, and the two of them made a lot of money and filled their own pockets.


    "And the owner of the Qingyuan Academy is an upright person, and he doesn''t want to be with him. In addition, the Qingyuan Academy has a lot of preferential treatment for the children of poor families. Without this silver subsidy, we can only encourage and support it. The county that presides over the county examination Lingdu looked at Qinghe Academy differently, and even the students who wanted to enroll flocked there. This has changed, and the reputation of Qingyuan Academy has gradually declined in recent years."


    In the second room, Zhao''er went to pour some hot water, and after washing their feet, they went to rest on the kang.

 Chapter 203

    It was the time of spring plowing, and everyone was busy plowing the fields at the moment, and there were hardly any people on the road in the village. Occasionally, a woman who is doing work in the yard sees the person walking on the road from a distance, and only after a few fixed eyes does she recognize who it is.


    "Dog, where is this going?"


    Xue Tingxiang looked at the woman who was talking to him, and said with a smile: "Auntie, I''ll just walk around."


    It was just a casual remark, but the woman didn''t say anything more to him, she turned to get something in the house, and the mother-in-law in the room asked her, "Third daughter-in-law, who were you talking to just now?"


    "The dog of the second room of Xue Lianxing''s family. Hey, mother, you are surprised. I didn''t recognize him when he knocked on the door just now. I always feel like a different person."


    Her mother-in-law didn''t take it seriously: "What can I become, but I can''t change my body, I remember that kid has been ill recently."


    The daughter-in-law said: "I see, maybe I plan to go to the back mountain." There is a mountain behind Yuqing Village, where all the dead villagers in the village are buried, and the Xue family''s ancestral grave is also there.


    Hearing this, her mother-in-law sighed: "Don''t even mention it, it''s a pity for the second child of the Xing family. Both of them have left. It''s a pity to leave a baby."


    This is just gossip between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and while they were talking, Xue Tingxiang had already brought Heizi into the back mountain.


    *


    Houshan is called Houshan, the mountain behind Yuqing Village.


    This mountain has no name, and the mountain is not high, but it is extremely deep. Anyway, so far, no villager has been able to walk back and forth from this deep mountain and old forest, most of them are activities outside the mountain.


    The Xue family''s ancestral grave was built on a small hill not far from the village. This Xue family is not only Xue Tingxiang''s family, but the ancestors of the entire Xue clan are buried here.


    On such a big hill, the lineage of the patriarch is in the middle, and the branches of the various families spread out. The lineage of Mr. Xue is at a place near the foot of the southwest mountain.


    Because the couple in the second room died young, and Xue Qingsong died in an accident, they were buried at the edge.


    When Xue Tingxiang arrived at the place, he began to pull the grass around the grave mound casually.


    There were not many weeds, they had just been cleared during the Chinese New Year, so he gathered the grass at random and placed it on the ground, taking advantage of the opportunity and sat down in front of the grave.


    A piece of mountainous land, two small graves, in front of each of the graves stood a small bluestone stele, on which the names of the second family and the couple were crudely written.


    This monument was originally recruited to find someone to make it and set it up.


    Nowadays, there are three kinds of people who cannot erect monuments after they die, those who die suddenly, die young, and have no heirs. Xue Qingsong belongs to violent death.


    Although everyone doesn''t say it, people who feel that they died suddenly have resentment after death, which is not conducive to the feng shui of the ancestor''s grave, so no monument is erected. I also want him to forget who he is, so as not to cause trouble if he is ignorant.


    But at the same time, there is another saying that after death without a monument, you will be a lonely ghost, who cannot stand the incense of future generations.


    At the beginning, the funeral of the second wife was arranged by the Xue family, and they acquiesced to follow the old customs. At that time, Xue Tingxiang was still young and didn''t understand these things at all, but Zhao''er understood.


    She talked to Xue''s family about erecting a monument, but was blocked, and Xue''s family took turns to persuade her. Later, Zhao''er didn''t tell anyone about it, and took the money to ask someone to make these two simple monuments and put them in front of the grave.


    It was too late when Xue''s family found out, and they couldn''t tear down the stele in front of the villagers.


    The villagers were also surprised when they saw the stele, but after thinking about how the Xue family''s second child died, they could understand it.


    Therefore, Xue Qingshan also gained a good reputation. He would rather risk his family''s feng shui to erect a monument for his brother.


    With various thoughts spinning in his mind, Xue Tingxiang took out a piece of cloth from his arms and slowly wiped the tombstone.


    The words on it were still written by him, and the strokes are immature, but after all, people can still tell what is written on it.


    ...


    Today is the anniversary of Mr. Zheng''s death. Zheng Hu brought his two sons to the grave to worship.


    The country people are not so particular, they just prepared some steamed buns, wine and meat, and the father and son burned the paper money in front of the grave, so let''s forget about it.


    Zheng Hu had always had a deep relationship with his father, so he was inevitably depressed, so he let his two sons go back first, while he sat in front of the grave, smoking a pipe and talking to his father.


    After talking for a while, he stood up and planned to go back.


    There was still work waiting to be done in the field, and Zheng Hu didn''t want to waste time, so he decided to take a shortcut. When he passed near Xue Lianxing''s ancestral grave, he suddenly heard someone crying.


    There are graves on the two nearby hills, one is of the surname Xue, and the other is of the surname Zheng. This kind of festive day is not like Zheng Hu''s on the anniversary of the death of an elder in the family, but no one would come to this kind of place.


    In particular, there may be a lot of dead people buried here, the trees are dense, and sometimes the sky and day are gloomy. Hearing this strange sound under such circumstances, Zheng Hu was so frightened that his hair stood on end and his legs went limp.


    After all, he had lived for decades. He listened intently and calmly, and it took him a while to understand that it was a boy''s voice.


    Thinking about who''s grave was here, he bravely walked closer, bypassed a big tree, and saw a young man in blue clothes sitting in front of the grave from a distance.


    Next to it was a big black dog wagging its tail.


    It''s the dog of the second room of Xue Lianxing''s family.


    Only then did Zheng Hu heave a sigh of relief, and the voice came into his ears again: "...Father, what do you think I should do? Uncle wants to send brother Juncai to the school in town, I thought I could do the same." Go... But my aunt came to the house a few days ago, but she told me to let Brother Juncai, before..."


    The young man''s voice was full of hesitation and bewilderment, Zheng Hu did not expect to hear the secret affairs of the Xue family in such a place. He was so surprised that the pipe in his hand dropped without realizing it. He didn''t realize it until his foot was hit by the pipe, picked up the pipe in a hurry and left.


    He didn''t know that after he left, the lonely and helpless boy in his eyes stopped crying.


    In the past few days, Xue Tingxiang has been thinking hard, trying to find a suitable opportunity, and somehow he thought of Zheng Hu.


    Zheng Hu''s father, Mr. Zheng, died during the spring plowing. It was not a happy funeral, but an accident. He was accidentally squeezed to the foot of the field by his own cattle and fell to his death.


    The ridge was not very tall, and countless villagers fell off the ridge every year, and Mr. Zheng died unluckily. At the beginning, this incident was widely circulated in the village, so Xue Tingxiang remembered it very clearly.


    Since it was the anniversary of the father''s death, the son Zheng Hu would definitely come to visit the grave, and Zheng Hu used to like to take shortcuts, so he would definitely pass by this area, so who else is more suitable than him.


    The most important thing is that Yuqing Village doesn''t seem big, but Xue and Zheng''s surnames have always been different from each other. Zheng Hu''s uncle is Li Zheng, and if he knows it, Zheng Lizheng will know it too.


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t stay any longer, and quickly returned home with Heizi the same way.


    The yard was still silent, he found a twig and put it in front of the door, and sat there quietly basking in the sun, thinking about Zhao''er who went to the town.


    *


    Zheng Hu hurried all the way, without even returning home, he went to Zheng Lizheng''s house.


    Zheng Li is the Lizheng of Yuqing Village and the head of the Zheng clan. Naturally, the family''s house is the only one in Yuqing Village. If it can be compared with it, it is the house of Patriarch Xue''s family.


    Yishui''s green brick and tile-roofed house, and the courtyard walls are also made of green bricks. The most conspicuous thing is the ancestral hall of the Zheng family on the front, but this ancestral hall will not be opened until a certain time. The two black doors The paulownia gate is closed all year round.


    Going around to the side is the courtyard of Zheng Lizheng''s family.


    The yard is huge, unlike other houses where the barn, barn, kitchen, etc. are all in the front yard, the front yard of Zheng Lizheng''s house is just a big empty yard, only two sycamore trees are planted in the yard. Whenever there is any major event in the village, the courtyard will always be densely packed with people.


    There are three main rooms facing the face, and east and west wing rooms on the left and right, all of which are blue bricks and black tiles, which are extraordinarily magnificent.


    When Zheng Hu arrived, only Zheng Lizheng and his wife Tian Shi were at home.


    As soon as Tian saw his nephew coming, he greeted him: "Huzi, why are you here at this time? Do you have something to do with your uncle?"


    "Hey, there''s something wrong."


    With that said, Zheng Hu hurried into the house. Tian shook her head, thinking that there must be something wrong, since Zheng Hu is usually very steady.


    After Zheng Hu entered, he turned to the east room.


    Sure enough, his uncle Zheng Li was sitting cross-legged on the big kang in the east room, smoking dry cigarettes.


    "Why, in a hurry."


    Zheng Hu sat down on a pier under the kang, panting heavily, unable to speak for a while.


    Zheng Lizheng looked to be in his sixties, with a long face and a pair of medium-sized eyes. From the appearance, he is just an ordinary farmer''s old man, even the clothes he wears are ordinary. There is only that unmoving calmness, which can be seen as a person who has been around the world for a long time.


    With the cigarette holder in his mouth, he pushed the teapot on the kang table forward, Zheng Hu was not polite, stood up and poured a bowl of tea, and drank it down.


    "Uncle, let me tell you, something happened to me today."


    "What''s the matter?"


    "Today is not the anniversary of my father''s death. I took it with me early in the morning..."


    Halfway through Zheng Hu''s speech, Zheng Lizheng sat up from the kang, as if listening seriously.


    Seeing his uncle like this, Zheng Hu knew he had come to the right place. After hearing what the only son of Xue Lianxing''s family cried, he realized that this was an opportunity, an opportunity to suppress the prestige of Xue in Yuqing Village.


    He spoke in more detail, almost repeating every word, while Zheng Li was smoking a pipe, his eyes narrowed.


    *


    Zhao''er didn''t come back until the second half of the afternoon, and when he came back, he looked a little unhappy.


    Xue Tingxiang looked at the basket behind her, every time Zhao''er came back before, the basket was always full, but today he knew that there was nothing in it.


    "What''s wrong?"


    Zhao''er was thinking about it, when the little man asked him, he was taken aback for a moment, and then said: "It''s nothing, I brought you meat buns from the town, and I''ll heat them up for you to eat later."


    How could there be nothing, obviously there is something.


    Xue Tingxiang glanced at her face, but since she didn''t want to say more, he didn''t want to press her.


    Zhao''er went back and forth to the town, covered in dust, she went to the kitchen to boil water, and took a bath in the bathroom. The Xue family has a special room for bathing, in the vegetable field in the backyard. The house is not big, three meters square, the floor is paved with bluestone slabs, and there is a drain in the corner, through which the bath water can flow directly into the vegetable field.


    Taking off her clothes, Zhao''er rubbed the soap horns on her body, but a burst of melancholy came to her heart.


    In fact, something really happened, but she didn''t say it because she was afraid that the little man would worry.


    The way she finally found to get money was robbed.


    The person who robbed was none other than the owner of the embroidery workshop who took her finished product and pocketed the embroidered shoes.


    In fact, Zhao''er is quite clever. He bought rags from the owner of this embroidery workshop, but the finished product was not sold to this one, but to another one. It''s just that she didn''t expect that the two bosses were actually relatives, and she didn''t know how the other party knew. When she went again this time, the other party was unwilling to sell her rags.


    Not only does this embroidery workshop have no rags, but the owner of this embroidery workshop ordered people to buy all the rags from other embroidery workshops. Zhao''er didn''t know about this until after visiting several embroidery workshops.


    She has already made plans to pay for the little man to study in the town. She has asked about the Qinghe Academy, and the beam repair will cost five taels of silver every year. Among them, because many students live too far away, they can choose to study in dormitories. If it is a place to study, the monthly meals, accommodation, etc. are added together, and another one or two taels of silver will be needed.


    In Zhao''er''s heart, she wanted Xue Ting to study overnight. She felt that Xue''s house was not a good place to study, and there were too many messes in the family, which meant that she had to prepare six taels of silver before sending the little man to school.


    She originally thought that she could make enough money by doing this business twice, but who would have thought that such a thing would happen.


    In the middle of her thoughts, Zhao''er had already taken a shower, she wrapped her hair in a handkerchief, put on her clothes, and went back to the house.


    Xue Tingxiang was sitting on the kang reading a book, and it was his only book "Children Learning Qionglin". Seeing her coming in, he looked up at her and said, "It''s still cold, dry your hair quickly."


    Hearing this, Zhao''er''s heart warmed up.


    These days the little man has changed a lot compared to before, and this change is naturally good, so she couldn''t help showing a smile even though she was worried.


    She climbed onto the kang and took a cloth towel out of the kang cabinet. Xue Tingxiang was sitting on the side, inevitably he had to make room for her. When she passed by, a scent mixed with soap locust penetrated into the tip of his nose, he couldn''t help moving his nose, and his eyes fell on her who was close at hand.


    "You do not sleep?"


    It is reasonable to say that they would not rest so early, but today both of them have been busy all day, so they turned off the lights after recruiting children to go to the kang. However, there is a moon outside, and you can still see clearly in the room.


    Zhao''er sat up halfway, and moved to Xue Tingxiang''s side.


    "Dog, tell me what you meant when you scolded that old killer just now?"


    Zhao''er knows how to swear, and has sweared before, but she has never seen such a method of swearing, and Yang Zhong is so annoyed by the swearing, and Xue''s family doesn''t even know how to persuade him. From Zhao''er''s point of view, isn''t this the culmination of swearing, can you swear without uttering dirty words?


    She wanted to learn this method, and it would come in handy.


    Xue Tingxiang turned over and gave her a backbone.


    Zhao''er poked his shoulder with her finger: "What''s wrong? Why are you angry again?"


    He didn''t move, and she moved closer.


    The two of them were only separated by one person, and they wore thin clothes when they slept. Zhao''er leaned over, and even though Xue Tingshan had his back on his back, he could feel a wave of hot air rushing towards him, mixed with a wisp of faint fragrance.

 Chapter 204

    This bookshop called ''Dongliju'' is not big, there are only two fronts, one is used to sell the four treasures of the study, and the other is full of bookcases next to the wall.


    The books in the bookcase are new and old, some are hardcover, which are worth a lot of money at first glance, and some are thread bound, which look a little rough. Most of them are transcripts of various kinds. Generally, it is not sure that the book will be a good seller. The boss of the bookstore always asks someone to copy it, because if it is opened, thousands of copies will be printed.


    Zhao''er was familiar with the boss, and greeted her with a smile when she entered the door. The strange thing was that the boss recognized her, and when he saw her, he smiled and asked her if she came to buy paper for her brother.


    Bringing this up is old stuff.


    At the beginning, Zhao''er felt sorry for Xue Tingxiang, so she saved some money to buy paper for him to practice calligraphy. Who would have thought that this paper was much more expensive than she imagined. Even the worst yellow bamboo paper costs 40 Wen a knife, but that day Zhaoer collected all the money on his body, but only 30 Wen.


    In order to get the boss to sell the paper to her at a lower price, Zhao''er worked with the boss for a long time. He even made up the pretense that he has a hard-working younger brother, but unfortunately both parents died and his family was poor, so the boss agreed to sell it to her cheaply. Later, she came to buy it several times, all at the previous price, but she became acquainted with Boss Chen.


    Boss Chen praised her for her noble character, earning hard money, but still supporting her younger brother''s education. Usually, when she comes to buy paper, she almost always buys half and gives half away.


    Normally, Zhao''er would accept this kind of talk with a cheeky face, but today with Xue Tingxiang around, she was inevitably a little embarrassed, for fear that Boss Chen would slip up and make the little man look down on her for lying.


    Zhao''er has suffered, so she knows the skills of survival, but the little man doesn''t, especially the scholar is very pedantic, so every time she encounters such a situation where the two people''s ideas conflict, she will always subconsciously go away. Avoid these.


    Within a day, two people said that they were his younger brothers, which made Xue Tingxiang very unhappy. Naturally, he didn''t notice Zhao''er''s hidden thoughts. When he came back to his senses, Zhao''er had already talked with the boss, and even showed him the copy of "Hundred Surnames" that he had copied overnight.


    "This is your brother? He looks handsome, but a little thinner." Boss Chen is a middle-aged man in his forties, with a goatee and elegant body. Wearing a scholar''s shirt, he doesn''t look like a business boss, but a scholar.


    "He was sick for a while a while ago, and he got better recently."


    "No wonder I haven''t seen you here for a long time." While talking, Boss Chen took the manuscript that Zhao''er handed over, whether it was bound or paper quality, it was very poor.


    He knew in his heart that this kind of peasant boy could not write very good characters, but he admired this young man named Zhao''er, so he planned not to criticize too much even if he really did not do well, just say some mild words and refuse it. up.


    If the level is not bad and the words can still be read, it is not impossible to give him some casual work, just as a help.


    But when Boss Chen saw the writing on the yellow bamboo paper, he was still taken aback.


    "He wrote this word?" Boss Chen looked at Xue Tingxiang in surprise, and went to flip through the manuscript in his hand.


    His expression was so weird that Zhao''er had a bad feeling in his heart. She couldn''t help wondering if the little man''s handwriting was not good, after all, no one had ever praised the little man''s handwriting, even Xue Qingshan said that his handwriting was like a spring worm and autumn snake.


    Although Zhao''er doesn''t know what spring worms and autumn snakes are, she understands the sad look on the little man''s face, and she knows it means poor writing.


    But she didn''t think it was the little man''s fault. He even had to pick and use the paper that could practice calligraphy. Can he write well? It was that time that she lost her temper, collected vegetables and sold them in the town, and saved a sum of money to buy Xue Tingxiang''s first piece of paper in her life.


    It was a whole knife, not a few pieces given as a charity from Xue Qingshan or Xue Juncai.


    Zhao''er''s head felt cold for a while, and she couldn''t help wondering if she was too blind to the little man at ordinary times, or if she flattered her too much. She was not afraid of anything else, but she was afraid that if Boss Chen said something unpleasant later, the little man would not be able to stand the blow.


    Thinking of this, she hurriedly turned her back and made a gesture to Boss Chen, leading him aside, then said to him in a low voice: "Uncle Chen, if my younger brother''s handwriting is really bad, can you..."


    "Can you do something?" Immediately, Boss Chen understood and said with a smile: "You kid too, even if you have a heart of love and affection, you should not deceive him, but point out his shortcomings, so that he will to make progress.¡±


    His voice was a bit loud, Xue Tingxiang over there must have heard it, Zhao''er blushed, but Na Na didn''t know what to say.


    Boss Chen said again: "But your brother''s handwriting is really good, he must be a famous teacher."


    He walked up to Xue Tingxiang in a few steps, and saluted with cupped fists: "I don''t know who my little friend is your teacher?" He said hesitantly in his eyes, because the poor boy in front of him, who was dressed in coarse cloth and short brown, really didn''t seem to be able to learn from anyone. Famous teachers.


    Just his words...


    Since Boss Chen runs a book shop, he is either a hobby or a ancestral business. In fact, Boss Chen has both, which can be regarded as the origin of family education. He also passed the exam several times when he was young, but he stopped at being a scholar. However, he was not interested in being an official, so he turned around and took care of his ancestral business. It is also a great thing in life to meet a few literary friends, play chess, drink tea, taste calligraphy and painting together.


    From his point of view, although this son''s handwriting is immature, he already has a strong character.


    We must know that the shape is easy to get, but the spirit is hard to find. Master Yan and Master Liu have always been collectively called "Yan Jin Liu Gu", which is enough to show the characteristics of Yan body. However, Xue Tingxiang''s calligraphy has already possessed its fundamentals. As long as it does not go astray, in time, he will definitely be a great calligrapher of a generation.


    How did he know that Xue Tingxiang deliberately hid the edge of his pen in order to hide himself, and it took most of the night to finish copying the book that could have been copied in half an hour at most. Otherwise, if the word is taken out, Boss Chen will definitely think it is someone''s calligraphy.


    Just when Boss Chen was thinking about it, Xue Tingxiang had already answered: "I don''t have a teacher."


    "Just copying?"


    "I''ve been to "Yan Qinli Monument" before."


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t lie, he did only copy "Yan Qinli Monument", this set of copybooks is Xue Qingshan''s favorite treasure, and he never let people touch it. And the reason why he was lucky enough to see and touch it once was that Xue Jun, who was still young at that time, was shown off in front of him.


    Because of this incident, he was extremely impressed with "Yan Qinli Monument", and even became obsessed with it. Later, after some money at home, Zhao''er bought a set with him, and the first font he learned was Yanti.


    "Just came across "Yan Qin Li Monument"?"


    Xue Tingxiang nodded.


    Boss Chen''s eyes became brighter, and he sighed after a long time: "Perhaps you have a talent in this field that is difficult for others to surpass. I hope you practice hard and don''t slack off. That''s all, let''s talk about business. Your handwriting is very good. In my opinion It''s passed here."


    He walked inside the counter, took a book and handed it to Xue Tingxiang.


    "I have a copy of "University Chapters and Sentences" here. You can take it back and try it out. I will provide the pen and ink. After copying, if the finished product is not inferior to the standard of this book, I will pay you a tael of silver."


    "One tael of silver? Uncle Chen, isn''t that too much?" Zhao''er asked in surprise.


    Uncle Chen laughed: "Do you know how many characters are in this book? And do you know how much money I will resell this book for?"


    After finishing speaking, he continued to say to Xue Tingxiang: "It is reasonable to say that it is to be copied in my book shop. If you take the book back and copy it, you need to pay some pledged money or things. I know your brother well, so forget it." Well, how long do you think it will take to finish copying?"


    Xue Tingxiang hesitated for a moment, and said: "Since Boss Chen has rules here, how about the boy copying here? I just hope that Boss Chen will be more flexible. Can you let the boy read a few books here in his spare time?"


    Boss Chen was taken aback for a moment, and then he understood. He took a deep look at this thin but neither humble nor overbearing boy.


    "Can!"


    "Then thank you Boss Chen first, don''t worry, the boy will definitely not damage the books here."


    Zhao''er kept silent until the end of the conversation, and then pulled Xue Tingxiang aside to speak.


    "Do you really want to copy books here? It would be nice to take it home. If you are afraid that Boss Chen won''t allow it, I still have some money to pledge."


    "You don''t think this is a good place."


    Xue Tingxiang looked back at the room full of books, he himself had only read a limited number of books, and in the memory of ''Xue Tingxiang'', many memories about this aspect were blurred.


    But life is his, and he wants to move forward step by step. It doesn''t mean that he has a dream, and he will definitely be the chief assistant in the future, and he will definitely be able to pass the Jinshi examination. After all, even Xue Tingxiang in the dream had to put in a lot of hard work and go through many detours before he could reach the first rank of official residence step by step.


    Of course Zhao''er understood what he meant, but she was very worried about suddenly leaving the little man outside alone. She was thinking about finding an excuse to stay here with him, but Boss Chen said from the side: "Okay, you don''t have to worry about your brother, can you lose it with me? You don''t have to sell vegetables to work today? Hurry up. "


    In the eyes of Boss Chen, Zhao''er is a hard-working brother who supports his younger brother by selling vegetables in the town.


    "Uncle Chen, I''m leaving now."


    She hurriedly took out a dozen or so copper coins from her pocket and handed them to Xue Tingxiang: "I should come to find you for lunch at noon, if not, you can buy it yourself, right here..."


    "Copy books here, and you can have a light meal at noon." Boss Chen interrupted again.


    Zhao''er was still rambling: "You still have the money, you can buy whatever you want, and I will pick you up in the afternoon."


    "You''d better pick up your work and finish it first, don''t worry your brother won''t lose it."


    This Uncle Chen!


    Zhao''er couldn''t go on talking anymore, and ran out of the bookstore almost in despair.


    After the person had left, Boss Chen teased with a smile: "Your brother treats you very well."


    Xue Tingxiang smirked, "It''s pretty good, like a little hen who doesn''t care about her chicks. For some reason, he actually thought of this sentence.


    After that, under the guidance of the shop assistant, he went to a room behind the shop.


    The layout of this room is simple, but it is elegant. It can be seen that Boss Chen is an elegant person. The best thing about this house is that there is a large window facing the outside yard, and there is a set of tables and chairs, which is completely different from Xue Tingxiang''s imagination of being hidden in a dark room without light.


    The clerk even brought a basin of water for him to wash his hands, prepared pens, ink, paper and inkstone, etc., and said he could call him if he had anything to do, so he went down.


    Xue Tingxiang came to the water basin, dipped his hands in the water, rubbed them gently a few times, and wiped them dry with a cloth towel beside him, before going to the desk and sitting down.


    He grinds the ink first. Grinding ink can well adjust people''s emotions and achieve a ''quiet'' state.


    After the ink was polished, his mind was empty at this moment. He rolled up his sleeves to write, and his hands were empty, only to realize that he was wearing a short brown at this time, where there were no sleeves, so naturally he was not afraid of staining the sleeves.


    All this was just for a moment, he didn''t care about it, and wrote quietly.


    But Boss Chen, who was standing outside the door, was a little skeptical, and couldn''t help but wonder if this son was from a famous family, but it''s a pity that his family has fallen, rather than a poor kid. His words and deeds, and even his demeanor, don''t look like those from a poor family at all.


    After thinking for a while, but unable to figure out why, Boss Chen shook his head and went back to the front.


    In order to get the boss to sell the paper to her at a lower price, Zhao''er worked with the boss for a long time. He even made up the pretense of having a hard-working younger brother, but unfortunately both parents died and his family was poor, so the boss agreed to sell it to her cheaply. Later, she came to buy it several times, all at the previous price, but she became acquainted with Boss Chen.


    Boss Chen praised her for her noble character, earning hard money, but still supporting her younger brother''s education. Usually, when she comes to buy paper, she almost always buys half and gives half away.


    Normally, Zhao''er would accept this kind of talk with a cheeky face, but today with Xue Tingxiang around, she was inevitably a little embarrassed, for fear that Boss Chen would slip up and make the little man look down on her for lying.


    Zhao''er has suffered, so she knows the skills of survival, but the little man doesn''t, especially the scholar is very pedantic, so every time she encounters such a situation where the two people''s ideas conflict, she will always subconsciously go away. Avoid these.


    Within a day, two people said that they were his younger brothers, which made Xue Tingxiang very unhappy. Naturally, he didn''t notice Zhao''er''s hidden thoughts. When he came back to his senses, Zhao''er had already talked with the boss, and even showed him the copy of "Hundred Surnames" that he had copied overnight.

 Chapter 205

    After sending the doctor away, grandmother Zhao slapped her face on the spot.


    She looks like she is in her fifties, with her gray hair neatly tied behind her head. The face is long, the eyelids are a little sunken, and when the face is pulled, it becomes triangular eyes, which looks particularly unfriendly.


    Without Mrs. Zhao''s words, Mrs. Sun said: "Zhao''er, it''s not my aunt talking about you, you girl likes to make a fuss. Could it be that you deliberately torment us all, even if you don''t like it..."


    Before she finished speaking, she was pulled by the man Xue Qinghuai.


    "Okay, let''s say a few words less, Zhao''er is not ignorant, and besides, the dog is already sick, so it''s better to find a doctor to take a look, so the family can rest assured."


    "I said less and said less, and I didn''t say anything..."


    "You also said..."


    The couple went out while chatting and tugging. The eldest aunt Yang smiled at Zhao''er before saying to the mother-in-law: "Mother, let''s go too, let the dog have a good rest."


    Mrs. Zhao glanced at the dog on the kang, snorted coldly, turned her head and left. Just from her posture, it can be seen that she is very angry.


    In fact, it is true. The Xue family can''t be called a rich family. It costs at least one or two hundred dollars to invite a doctor from the town. ! In particular, the doctor''s pulse just now confirmed Zhao''s guess that Xue Gouzi was deliberately pretending to be ill, and it was only strange that she was happy.


    Let Mrs. Zhao see that the two little boys in the second room are deliberately torturing the family, but since the eldest daughter-in-law has come forward to persuade her, Mrs. Zhao will naturally not say more.


    Generally speaking, among the three daughters-in-law of the Xue family, Yang is the one who wins Zhao''s heart the most. The eldest has an unusual status, and Zhao is willing to show the eldest daughter-in-law some face.


    After Mrs. Zhao and Mrs. Yang left, only the third uncle Xue Qingbai and the third aunt Zhou were left in the house. The two were not used to talking much, and they didn''t stay long, Zhao''er thought that the third uncle had worked hard just now, so he sent the two of them out with a smile.


    When he turned his head and came back, he saw Xue Gouzi lying on the kang with his eyes open, his eyes staring blankly, as if he had lost his mind.


    She didn''t think much about it, she came to the side of the kang and patted his head: "Dog, don''t think too much, they don''t believe that you are sick and have a headache, sister believes you. Take care of your illness and don''t think about it anymore. "


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her, his mouth was dry and his throat was tight: "Zhaoer..."


    "What''s wrong? Is there something uncomfortable?"


    Feeling these undelicate but very warm hands touching his head and face, Xue Gouzi had a sense of reality and gratitude that he had never had before.


    She wasn''t dead, and neither was he.


    Although he didn''t like some of her daily actions, and even hated her as his child bride-in-law, but he never thought of letting her die, so how could he be the one who killed his wife and son.


    But Xue Gouzi was still very flustered, because that dream was too real. After going through that dream for more than seventy years, it seemed that he had also experienced that life. But after waking up from the dream, the vicissitudes of life have changed, and he dare not look back.


    "Zhaoer..."


    "Why!"


    "Zhaoer..."


    "Um."


    "Zhaoer..."


    A hot stream suddenly flowed out unconsciously from the dry eye sockets.


    This scared Zhao''er quite a bit, and he didn''t care to think that the little man would never call her that, let alone let himself get close to him. He hugged his head into his arms and asked him anxiously up.


    Seeing that he didn''t speak, but just buried himself in his arms and cried, Zhao''er couldn''t help but wonder if those people made him think too much just now. According to Zhao''er, the little man has a lot of things on his mind, and he never speaks out, otherwise he wouldn''t have this serious illness.


    She patted him on the back, hugged him like she did when she was a child, and comforted him: "Don''t be afraid, dog, even if they don''t send you to study, sister will send you there, and sister will send you even if she sells everything." go."


    *


    After all, Xue Gouzi had just recovered from a serious illness, and after experiencing such an incident, he fell asleep after drinking some porridge for dinner.


    Zhao''er covered him with a quilt before tidying up the basket she had just brought back.


    The back basket is full of needlework and cloth, which are rags that Zhao''er bought in the embroidery workshop in the town. The reason why I started this business was because I used to recruit children to carry the finished purses for the women in the village to sell in the embroidery workshop.


    There is no adult in the second room. Although the family is in charge of eating, after all, the pen, ink, paper and inkstone used by Xue Gouzi to study, as well as the clothes, bedding and some odds and ends of the two people on weekdays, etc., all need money.


    Wanting to ask for money from Mrs. Zhao is more expensive than ascending to the sky, and although the uncle Xue Qingshan is determined to treat his nephew as if he were his own, but Zhao''er usually only sees the big family''s child with greasy lips, and Xue Juncai never Lack of pens, ink, paper and inkstones. In contrast, the little man was as thin as a bamboo pole, and he picked up a bald pen that Xue Qingshan didn''t use back then.


    Zhao''er has always been a strong one, she couldn''t bear to wrong the little man, so she could only find money everywhere by herself. There was no opportunity to make money in the countryside, so she went to the town to look around, as long as it was within her power and did not require capital, she would try to do it.


    In the past few years, she has collected vegetables from the village and sold them in the town, picked up work from the embroidery workshop and assigned them to women with good craftsmanship in the village, and usually went to the mountains to find mountain products to sell.


    And now this business has been done several times, Zhao''er has a sweet mouth and a thick face, the boss of the embroidery workshop can''t hold her back, so he sells the unwanted rags to her in bags. She took it back, sorted and cut it, and then asked the women in the village to help make purses and other things, and she could earn a lot of money by reselling them in the embroidery workshop. It is much better than before just receiving the purses made by others, and earning a penny for a few purses.


    If he hadn''t made some money by doing this business, he didn''t know when Xue Gouzi would recover from his serious illness. Mrs. Zhao would have given up the money to get the medicine for a long time ago, and Zhao''er used his own money to catch the medicines later. I still have to hide it, for fear that other members of the Xue family will find out.


    Thinking of this, the corners of Zhao''er''s mouth tightened.


    She has always been agile in her hands and feet, and seeing that she picked out some usable cloth heads, she stopped tossing about. I chose clean ones and spread them out on a square table, and cut these strangely shaped cloth heads into a uniform shape with scissors.


    This is Zhao''er''s own calculation based on how much fabric is needed to make a purse, no more and no less, she will not take out these rags for people to see.


    It is not easy for country people to earn a penny. If someone finds out, the designated way to earn money will be robbed within a few days.


    Zhao''er also wants to use this to make money for the little man to go to the town to study, so that she can only go to see Xue Jun, and her little man can also go. Zhao''er has always been prepared with both hands when doing things, and she knows in her heart that the big house will never let such a good thing happen to the little man.


    It is better to ask for others than to ask for yourself, and it is better to rely on yourself than to rely on mountains and rivers.


    Zhao''er has understood this truth since she was seven years old when she was going to be exchanged for money by her grandmother and father.


    After Zhao''er finished what she was doing, seeing the little man was fast asleep, and seeing that it was already dark outside, she wrapped the tidy cloth in something, and hurried out with it.


    Under the night, Yuqing Village was exceptionally peaceful, and the light silver moonlight shone on the trails in the village. Although the road was still unclear, it was not completely dark after all.


    Zhao''er walked all the way and didn''t even startle a dog.


    This is not an ability that ordinary people can have. You must know that in places like the countryside, almost every household has a dog. Dogs are very alert at night, and whenever someone walks past the door, they bark wildly. Even if a petty thief came to the door, he would have been scared away by the dog long ago.


    Zhao''er also developed this ability after walking a lot at night.


    Of course, it was also related to the sunspot following her legs.


    Heizi is a country dog, but it is stronger and bigger than ordinary dogs. There are not many dogs in Yuqing Village that can beat Heizi, and it is because of Heizi that Zhao''er dares to walk alone at night.


    She went all the way to a family''s house with ease, and it was strange that the other party knew that she would come at this time and left the door open for her. As soon as she entered the door, the family''s dog rushed over. Before she could reach her, a black shadow rushed over and threw the other person to the ground. The dog was so frightened that it fell on the ground and stopped barking.


    Zhao''er gloated at the side: "I don''t have a long memory!"


    At this time, a person came out of the house, and he smiled as he walked up to the front: "This black man is here to bully our family Wangcai again, Zhao''er, come in and sit down."


    "Aunt Osmanthus, I won''t go in, I''m still rushing back."


    Zhao''er handed over the things in his hands to the visitor, took some things from the other person, wrapped them in cloth, and then went to the next household.


    Zhao''er went to five families.


    She is anxious to make money, but there are few women in the village who are good at needlework, and she needs to find someone who is tight-lipped and reliable. shit money.


    The reason why she said that was because when she collected vegetables from the village and sold them in the town, she was publicized by people who didn''t know the door, causing her to be pointed at all day long. She was not afraid of being pointed out, but these things finally reached the ears of the little man, and some villagers made fun of him, which caused a lot of conflicts between her and the little man. And after that, she won''t receive any vegetables in the village, even if someone sells them to her, it will be at a high price.


    In the end, she had no choice but to go to other villages to collect vegetables. It was not a waste of time. Since then, Zhaoer has developed a memory.


    When Zhao''er came home, Xue Gouzi on the kang was still sleeping soundly.


    She went to get some water to wash her face and wipe her hands before getting on the kang. The second room only had this kang, and she had slept with Xue Gouzi since she was a child, and she was used to it.


    Heizi slept under the kang, just now when he invited his son into the house, he slid in at his feet and chose a random place to lie down. It seems that the dog''s eyes have been closed, but in fact the two ears are standing up, and they move from time to time.


    Before Zhao''er lay down, she bullied herself over to look at the little man, and touched his forehead, before falling asleep in peace.


    *


    Compared with the second room because of the sparse population, there are only two rooms and one kang, the treatment of the first room is obviously much better. The entire three east rooms were occupied by the big room, and at this time in the east room, Mrs. Yang was talking to Xue Qingshan.


    Yang narrated what happened during the day, Xue Qingshan immediately frowned after listening.


    He was not at home during the day, so naturally he didn''t know what happened at home. Nowadays, some respectable families will invite scholars to preside over their weddings and funerals, but where rural families can afford to hire scholars, some will invite children to make up the number.


    No matter how they are all scholars, they are different from ordinary people.


    Today, Xue Qingshan was invited by a family in a nearby village to have a wedding. It doesn''t matter what the etiquette is.


    But the people in the countryside are poor, so the happy money will not be too much, at most a few tens of pennies.


    Xue Qingshan likes this kind of work the most. Every time at this time, he will randomly assign articles to memorize for the students in the school, and then go out for a whole day, and no one will say anything. What he likes is not only having money to take, but also when this time is his happiest time.


    He was sitting in the position of the guest of honor, and the men who came to have a wedding banquet were all proud to have a conversation with him.


    He is the master of Tongsheng!


    Of course, it would be even better if Tongsheng could be replaced by a scholar, Xue Qingshan would have dreamed of it. But for so many years, he has more or less self-knowledge, so he can''t help pinning his hopes on his son.


    It''s a pity that someone is blocking this way now.


    Xue Qingshan drank a lot of wine, his chubby face was flushed, and he was holding his breath in his heart, so he spit and scolded: "What kind of moth is this son of a bitch, I really want to open a dyeing workshop just to give him some color. !"


    Yang sighed faintly: "Who told you that you agreed to the second child so easily at the beginning, but now it''s hard to get off the tiger because of our talents."


    "In that situation back then, the second child seemed to be honest, and he wanted to accompany his elder brother when he was about to die. If I knew that he was paying attention that day, I would have found a way to shut him up, but so many people I was present, and the accident happened because of me, if I don''t even agree to this matter, how can I gain a foothold in front of others."


    Of course, Mrs. Yang knew this truth, but she couldn''t calm down. Just because of that bullshit promise, Da Fang kept her hands tied. Her son wanted to go to the library to study, but he had to hide and beg the other party to show his respect.


    She was always proud and arrogant, so naturally the more she thought about it, the more annoyed she became, her eyes sparkled, but she sneered on her face: "Because he fell ill suddenly, originally Dad planned to make decisions for us, so we can only endure it. But he has been sick for these days, and today he has such a scene, and my mother is already annoyed. I asked the fourth daughter-in-law to tell my mother that the dog is probably pretending to be sick. I think my mother has already decided that he is pretending. sick."


    Xue Qingshan''s eyes lit up: "That''s good, I''ll go talk to my parents tomorrow and let them put this matter into practice." He put his arms around Yang''s shoulders with a smile, and said: "My wife is smarter. , Prepared a backhand early."


    Yang gave him an angry look, and the two of them rested together, without speaking for a whole night.


    Zhao''er always felt that the little man''s eyes were weird today, and he avoided them uncomfortably.


    She knew that the little man must be angry again, and he didn''t like her saying things like ''the dog is my man'' the most. Every time he heard her say such things, he would ignore her for a few days. In fact, Zhao''er has to face, but she is the child bride-in-law of the Xue family''s second room. If she didn''t claim to be like this, how could she have the right to challenge the fourth aunt, Sun''s.


    "Are you hungry? Look what I brought back for you?"


    Zhao''er turned her head and put all these troubles behind her, and took out a paper bag from her pocket. Opening the paper bag, there are two steamed buns inside. They are white and plump, and people like it when they look at them.


    "Eat quickly, while it''s still warm." She smiled and stuffed the paper bag into the little man''s hand, while putting the pannier on her shoulders in the corner.

 Chapter 206

    He knew he was dreaming again.


    This dream has appeared in his life for decades, day and night, entangled, it seems to be deep into the bone marrow, but also like flesh and blood. I can''t throw it away, I can''t dig it away, and if I don''t come for a day, it seems that something is missing.


    But he had never had such a clear dream, so clear as if it was real.


    "Dog, why do you think you are so stubborn? Isn''t my money your money? What do you think I earn money for? Isn''t it just to support your studies and make you feel proud?"


    "Why do you say you are so stubborn! You say you are so stubborn, who are you showing your stubbornness to?!"


    "I know you don''t like me, but I''ve been like this for many years, and I can''t change it! I don''t plan to change it either!"


    "Look at Hong''er, does he look like you?"


    ...


    Xue Tingxiang suddenly felt that someone was shaking him. He opened his tired eyes and saw the dark inner room. Hu San''s face was no longer young, and even the lines on the curtain were so familiar. He was just dreaming.


    It''s just that the dream was too clear, the sorghum fragrance in the air, and the curve of her stubbornly pursed lips made him feel like he was actually there. There are also her tears from being angry, crystal clear and shining with colorful light, he wanted to reach out to touch it, but someone woke him up.


    "My lord, it''s time to drink the medicine."


    Xue Tingxiang was propped up and given medicine. He was dying of illness, and he had to be served by someone even to drink medicine. How could he look like that extremely human minister Xue Shoufu who had ruled the court for decades.


    Oh no, he is not the chief assistant now.


    He has already written a letter to beg for the bones, intending to return to his hometown for the elderly, and the Holy Majesty has already agreed, but he has no home to return to, no relatives to rely on.


    In fact, he didn''t intend to go back.


    "Master Zhang, Mr. Wang, and Mr. Li and Mr. Cao all came to visit you, but they obeyed your orders and blocked the door. They come every day, and they are here again today. Would you like to see me?"


    What can they do? Didn''t they think that his illness was an expedient measure, waiting for him to stand up and continue to lead them to fight against the emperor, but he was really ill, terminally ill, and the medicine was useless.


    "not see."


    "My lord, please sleep a little longer."


    The room became quiet again, Xue Tingxiang''s eyelids began to get heavy again, he blinked again and again, and fell into sleep again.


    ...


    "How come Mr. Wang is free to visit this old man?"


    Wang Mingcheng''s eyes were a bit complicated, but he smiled on his face: "After all, I am a minister of the same court, and I should come to visit Mr. Shoufu because of emotion and reason."


    "I didn''t expect you, Wang Mingcheng, to say such hypocritical things, but to see if the old man is dying on behalf of the emperor?" Xue Tingxiang sarcastically said.


    He is obviously a haggard old man who is obviously dying, but just because of his calm, indifferent eyes that seem somewhat unpredictable, people dare not ignore him in the slightest.


    After all, this is Xue Shoufu, and the name alone is enough to intimidate everyone. That was Xue Tingxiang''s deep-rooted roots left by him after going through three dynasties and dozens of years, just like a towering ancient tree with intertwined roots, without him doing anything, just standing there is enough to make everyone daunting.


    If not, why would the new emperor have to exhaust all means, but still dare not act rashly, only dare to take that roundabout strategy.


    "It seems that my lord has misunderstood His Majesty a lot."


    Xue Tingxiang snorted and laughed, half closed his eyes, did not speak, and looked obviously too lazy to talk to him.


    "Actually, I''m here for myself. I just came to see how lonely and miserable the villain who abandoned his wife and son was now. I''m afraid Mr. Xue is dead now, and even a descendant in mourning None, in fact, Mr. Xue is too hard to see, it is just a show, just listen to it and watch it, how can you take the fake show as real and make yourself like this? Is it because of a disturbed conscience or fear? His true face is known by the world, he is reviled by others, and he will be stigmatized for thousands of years?"


    "you¡­¡­"


    "To say that you abandoned your wife and son is too much to save your face. It should be killing your wife and son, isn''t it, Mr. Xue?"


    No one knows about all this. The world only knows that Xue Shoufu had a first wife before Mrs. Xue, but they don''t know what happened to that first wife. After all, the time is too long, Xue Tingxiang has stood in the court hall for dozens of years, and his former, former and current opponents have all been trampled under his feet.


    People in the world only know that Mr. Shoufu is friendly and respectful to the corporals, but they don''t know that Mr. Shoufu also has a vicious side. In recent years, anyone who wanted to make a fuss about his past events all became lonely ghosts. No one knows how many ghosts have been added to it, and the only one who can know is Wang Mingsheng, the "bitter master".


    "You, you are..."


    Wang Mingcheng leaned closer to his face: "It''s a pity that my mother''s life is so bad, and so is my life. The sinking ship didn''t kill us, but was saved by others. Do you know that for so many years, day and night, I I want to see this scene every night. It''s a pity that your life is too long, and the power is in the hands of the people. I can only climb up step by step, to the position where I can step on you..."


    "You are... Hong''er..." Xue Tingxiang struggled to say this.


    Wang Mingsheng stood up straight and smiled heartily: "My name is not Hong''er, nor is my surname Xue, but my surname is Wang. My mother remarried, to the person who saved us...don''t get excited, even if You are dead now, and I am not your son..."


    Wang Mingsheng has always been known for being calm and introverted, hiding his secrets, and it was probably the first time he laughed so freely in front of people.


    "By the way, you don''t have to think that even if my official surname is Wang, I can still pass on the family lineage to your Xue family. Let me think about it. Yao Ji released the rumor that my official is as good as Long Yang back then, as if you ordered someone to do it. You really hit the mark, I don¡¯t like women, that¡¯s why I haven¡¯t married for many years..."


    He smiled and looked at the old man on the bed, seeing how shocked, disappointed and remorseful he was.


    But so what?


    He suddenly found that he was not as happy as he had imagined, and even this smile seemed too fake. He suddenly lost interest, flattened the corners of his mouth, brushed off his sleeves, and said, "Since Mr. Xue is fine, I will take my leave."


    ...


    "I didn''t, I didn''t..."


    "My lord, what are you talking about?"


    Hearing this voice, the fog in front of Xue Tingxiang suddenly dissipated, and he woke up suddenly from his dream. In front of the eyes is this dark inner room again, Hu San''s unattractive or even ugly face, the air is filled with a bitter smell of medicine, and there seems to be a decadent smell floating gently.


    Xue Tingxiang moved his lips, but no sound came out.


    "My lord, what did you say?"


    Hu San was very anxious, and kept asking, but Xue Tingxiang couldn''t speak at all. Hu San could only ask based on his own guess: "Are you thinking about the past? Don''t worry, your words have been passed on to Mr. Zhang , he already knows that Lord Wang is your only son, and will follow your instructions."


    Xue Tingxiang blinked his eyelids. Hu San thought he still had something to say, so he put his ear next to his mouth, but only heard one sentence: "I didn''t..."


    After that there is no text.


    When Hu San anxiously looked up, he saw Xue Tingxiang''s wide-open eyes and gray-blue face.


    He moved forward to touch the other person''s breath with shaking hands, but was so startled that he sat down on the ground.


    *


    The cold wind came in through the holed window paper, blowing Xue Gouzi''s face coldly.


    Shocked, he opened his eyes.


    What imprinted in my eyes was a small room with blue brick walls and black tile roof. The walls were plastered with white ash, but it looked gray. The beams of the house are log-colored, and because there is no dust, they are bare/exposed. There are several bamboo baskets hanging on them. There seems to be something in the baskets, and they are covered with blue cloth.


    He was lying on a kang with a half-new quilt covering his body. The quilt looked clean and tidy, but in fact the cotton wadding inside had hardened.


    Facing his kang feet, there is a row of dark brown kang cabinets, with brass bare nails inlaid with hinged leaves and copper tassel handles, and simple patterns of auspicious clouds and flowing water carved on them, which look thick and generous. . Although it is nothing in a rich family, it is already a piece of furniture that can be sold in a peasant family.


    There is no problem passing it down for generations!


    This is what his father said back then, and his father was the best carpenter in the village.


    Xue Gouzi felt his head hurt, as if he had been hit hard with a hoe. He wanted to support himself to sit up, but he was exhausted and fell back onto the kang again.


    It was only then that he realized that he was Xue Gouzi, the eldest son of the second room of the Xue family. Because of something that happened, he couldn''t think about it for a while, and he was so angry that he became ill for a while, and he had been sick for many days.


    He is not Xue Tingxiang, that Xue Tingxiang is the person in his dream.


    How could he be like that?


    In order to prove that all that was just a dream, he raised his hand to look at it.


    really! The hand in front of him was slender and fair, and he hadn''t developed the muscles and bones that a man should have. He was only fourteen this year, how could he live to be over seventy years old, and die in the end.


    Xue Gouzi let out a heavy breath, looked around again, and finally felt more at ease.


    Someone was talking outside, and the voice came in through the cracks in the window.


    "I''m talking about recruiting, it''s not my aunt talking about you, look at what you are now, a girl who stays at home all day, and learns from those small traders to do business. That business is what you can do. Did it? Look at your fourth uncle, you can¡¯t save a lot of money by running around outside every day, so don¡¯t worry about it, and if you have that little time, you can help fourth aunt with some work!¡±


    The voice sounded like a young woman, but the sarcasm in the words was too strong. It is said that appearance is born from the heart, and it is no wonder that Mrs. Sun has a mean face.


    This thought flashed subconsciously in Xue Gouzi''s mind, and then he was stunned. It''s true that he hated Fourth Aunt, but why would he miss her so much?


    Before he could figure out why, he heard the voice in his dream.


    "Fourth aunt, I would like to help you with some work, but you also know that the dog has been ill for a few days, and the family gave a few pennies for the medicine at first, but after taking it for half a month, grandma said that the family The money is not in hand, so I stopped the medicine. Gouzi is my man, I can''t just watch him be so sick, it''s not impossible for the fourth aunt to want me to help with the work, or you can lend me some money to buy medicine, I Can I pay you back slowly in the future?"


    The owner of the voice was a young girl, and the tone revealed a capable and crisp taste, mixed with a bit of teasing.


    That''s right, Zhao''er deliberately ran on the Sun family.


    Mrs. Sun has always had a temperament of only getting in and out, and it is more difficult to ask her to give out a penny, let alone lending it to the two half-children of the second room.


    Now there are only these two people left in the second room, the top door is only fourteen, but there is an older one, only sixteen, and it is still a girl''s family. Every time Mrs. Sun heard the rumors from the villagers that Zhao''er, a dead girl, had made some money by doing some business, she would be full of disbelief.


    What kind of business can this dead girl do to make money, but she digs three melons and two dates from the wild, and takes them out to trick the people in the city into exchanging a few pennies.


    "Your fourth aunt has no money to lend you. Our family''s money is all in mother''s place. You don''t care about mother''s going!" Sun patted her buttocks, stood up and went into the house, too lazy to talk nonsense with Zhao''er.


    "Since the fourth aunt has no money to lend me, and I don''t dare to take care of grandma, I can only figure out where to get some money to get some medicine for the dog!"


    Zhao''er''s voice was very loud, so naturally she was speaking not only to Mrs. Sun, but also to Mrs. Zhao who was sitting in the main room.


    Sure enough, Zhao''er entered the house with his front foot, and Mrs. Zhao stood at the door behind him and scolded Mrs. Sun: "You haven''t cleaned the pigsty, so you''re going back to the house to hold a corpse?"


    Zhao''er curled her lips, lifted the door curtain and walked in, bumping head-on into Xue Gouzi''s eyes looking at her.


    In the second room, Zhao''er went to pour some hot water, and after washing their feet, they went to rest on the kang.


    A big Kang, two quilts, one for each person.


    But Zhao''er couldn''t sleep today, and when she came back from the main room, she was a little excited.


    She rolled over and over again.


    "You do not sleep?"


    It is reasonable to say that they would not rest so early, but today both of them have been busy all day, so they turned off the lights after recruiting children to go to the kang. However, there is a moon outside, and you can still see clearly in the room.


    Zhao''er sat up halfway, and moved to Xue Tingxiang''s side.


    "Dog, tell me what you meant when you scolded that old killer just now?"


    Zhao''er knows how to swear, and has sweared before, but she has never seen such a method of swearing, and Yang Zhong is so annoyed by the swearing, and Xue''s family doesn''t even know how to persuade him. From Zhao''er''s point of view, isn''t this the culmination of swearing, can you swear without uttering dirty words?


    She wanted to learn this method, and it would come in handy.


    Xue Tingxiang turned over and gave her a backbone.


    Zhao''er poked his shoulder with her finger: "What''s wrong? Why are you angry again?"


    He didn''t move, and she moved closer.


    The two of them were only separated by one person, and they wore thin clothes when they slept. Zhao''er leaned over, and even though Xue Tingshan had his back on his back, he could feel a wave of hot air rushing towards him, mixed with a wisp of faint fragrance.


    There was a strange softness slightly attached to his shoulders, Xue Tingshan''s back was stiff, and she heard her say on top of her head: "Don''t take that old killer''s words to heart, it''s not that I said uncle and aunt are too narrow-minded." It¡¯s too much, and even made such a fuss, do you really think that grandpa will regret it? Even if the family doesn¡¯t say anything, there are still so many people watching outside, so don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll go to the school to make a decision.¡±


    She was very close to him, and the heat of her words sprayed on the tips of his ears, making him shiver again and again. At the same time, a hot numbness rushed from the tips of his ears to his neck, causing waves of unconscious trembling.


    His breathing was a little tight, and he couldn''t help turning over.


    Zhao''er was still talking, and she didn''t expect that he would turn over suddenly, and his face just crashed into her arms.


    Xue Tingxiang''s brain went blank for a moment, and he subconsciously fell backwards. It is obvious that it is about to leave at the touch of a touch, but it clearly feels a suffocating softness, and there is something faintly raised.


    He recalled some situations in the dream, and he only felt his nose was hot, as if something flowed out.


    "Are you alright?" Zhao''er heard a thud, saw him motionless, thought that something was wrong with him being bumped, hurriedly leaned over to look at his face.


    "Why are you panicking! Really. Come on, let me rub it for you."


    He covered his nose with one hand and pushed her with the other: "I''m fine, it doesn''t hurt." He quickly turned over and said falteringly: "It''s getting late, go to sleep."


    "You haven''t told me what you mean by that!"


    "It doesn''t mean anything, just let him take a pee and take a picture of himself!"


    "Ah?!" Zhao''er was stunned, and said after a while, "So that''s what he meant, then you just let him take a pee and take a picture of yourself, and you said so much."

 Chapter 207

    Jiang Wu looked helpless, but with a smile in his eyes: "Okay, I can''t do it according to what you say, but I don''t need half of it. After all, this is a deal you got, so I''ll help you run some errands or something. Twenty-eight, you eight and I two."


    "How can it be done on February 8th? Your car will definitely be used by then. Your Daqing mule is not considered a laborer? Daqing, look, Brother Jiang Wu said that you are not considered a laborer, and even your rations will be deducted."


    The mule named Daqing shook his head and snorted, which seemed to mean that if he dared to deduct my rations, I would slow down and let him carry it by himself.


    Zhao''er laughed loudly, pointed at Daqing and said, "Look, even Daqing protested."


    Jiang Wu looked sideways at the girl who was smiling wantonly, with a strange gleam in her eyes. Fortunately, Daqing knew the way and was docile, otherwise he would have ordered all three people in the car into the ditch beside the road.


    Seeing this scene, Xue Tingxiang''s face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.


    He was both annoyed and angry, and he actually forgot about Jiang Wu.


    In that dream, Jiang Wu has been coveting Zhao''er.


    Jiang Wu is two years older than Zhao''er, but he has never married. If Zhao''er hadn''t been his child bride-in-law, the Jiang family would have come to propose marriage a long time ago.


    Even so, Jiang Wu never gave up, and once even approached him and told him that he wanted to marry Zhao''er, telling him not to be so selfish, and letting Zhao''er go free. She also said that she and Zhao''er would support him to study together and treat him like a younger brother, that''s how he knew about it.


    Shocked and annoyed, he also remembered Zhao''er''s reluctance to marry him. He mistakenly thought that Zhao''er had an affair with Jiang Wu, so he borrowed his parents'' orders to forcefully marry her. Later, by chance, Only then did he realize that he had wronged her.


    This matter has always been a scar between the two, even though it was never mentioned again, there is a gap between them. Afterwards, he was busy starting his career, while Zhao''er was busy running business. The two met only once in a long time, and even when they met, they seldom talked again until he went to Beijing to rush for the exam after winning the exam.


    The he in the dream once thought after Zhao''er died, if he hadn''t been so despicable back then and forced Zhao''er by his parents'' orders, Zhao''er wouldn''t have died.


    But this kind of thought is like a superficial thought, it just passed by in a flash. At this time, thinking about it, he is probably despicable in his bones. Even if he is not the Xue Tingxiang in his dream, he never thought of letting him go.


    She was supposed to be his, and when he still half understood, someone would always point to her and say, this is his future wife, isn''t it?


    "Brother Jiang Wu, you''d better look at some roads, this road is uneven, don''t lead us all into a ditch."


    Xue Tingxiang''s voice successfully interrupted the chatting and laughing of Jiang Wu and Zhao''er, as if a very ignorant person suddenly appeared, making the already warm atmosphere suddenly cool down.


    Zhao''er laughed dryly: "Look at me, I was so focused on talking to you about the business that I forgot that you were still driving the car. Fortunately, Daqing is smart, otherwise I would have fallen."


    Da Qing called out, looking very complacent.


    Jiang Wu looked back subconsciously, just in time to meet the young man''s dark eyes. Those eyes made him inexplicably guilty, but soon he regained his confidence.


    He knew that the dogs of the Xue family didn''t like to recruit children, and he also knew that the second bedroom couple of the Xue family originally recruited children as daughters, not child brides. The child bride-in-law was only passed on from the villagers to the villagers, and it became true because of the entrustment of the second wife of the Xue family at the end of their lives.


    Not only that, but he also knew that Zhao''er only regarded the other party as a younger brother, and had no intention of marrying the other party.


    The young man was undoubtedly thin and thin, although he was handsome, there was still a bit of childishness on his face. Such a young man made the strong and powerful Jiang Wu inexplicably feel condescending. He smiled heartily and said indifferently: "Don''t be afraid, you dog, Brother Jiang Wu drives the car every day, and you can walk back with your eyes closed."


    Xue Tingxiang did not speak, but lowered his head with the corners of his lips pursed.


    Seeing this, Zhao''er immediately understood whether the title Gouzi made the little man feel uncomfortable again. But facing Jiang Wu, she couldn''t show a cold face, she could only smile and say: "Brother Jiang Wu, let me tell you that the dog has a name, it''s called Tingxiang, Xue Tingxiang."


    "It''s an elegant name."


    "Yeah, so don''t call me Gouzi Gouzi in the future, it''s weird."


    While speaking, the car had arrived at Yuqing Village.


    Jiang Wu inertially circled to the end of the village before stopping, Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang got out of the car.


    "When will the business be done? Tell me a time, and I will pick you up when the time comes."


    "Aren''t you going to be busy in the town tomorrow, and those clothes have to be tidied up. When I''m ready, I''ll go to your house and give you a letter."


    Zhao''er also thought that two days later would be the day when Xue Tingxiang and Xue Juncai competed, and she would not be in the mood to do business until this matter was over.


    "OK."


    *


    Now that the matter was settled, they said goodbye to each other.


    Jiang Wu drove the car home, while Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang went home together.


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t say anything along the way, but just walked silently.


    Zhao''er glanced at him: "What''s the matter? You seem a little unhappy. Did Brother Jiang Wu call you angry just now? He didn''t know you were famous. I told him that he would never That''s what it''s called."


    He suppressed the jealousy in his heart, and said in a muffled voice, "Why do you know him so well?"


    "Brother Jiang Wu, we''ve known each other since we were young. You forgot that Heizi was brought back by his dog after he gave birth to a cub. Brother Jiang Wu is a very nice person and has helped me a lot."


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t speak, but stopped.


    Zhao''er walked forward for a while, only to realize that he hadn''t followed.


    She came back in a few steps, and asked suspiciously: "What''s wrong with you, why are you so weird?"


    He held his breath: "Don''t forget, you are a man."


    Zhao''er was taken aback for a moment, then looked at him and laughed. But he just smiled and didn''t speak, which made Xue Tingxiang angry and annoyed.


    Don''t think about it, she must have thought of something good.


    Seeing his fair face flushed with anger, Zhao''er hurriedly said: "Okay, don''t be angry, I know I have a man."


    There was a teasing taste in her voice, knowing that she was coaxing him, his heart still jumped several times.


    With the experience in the dream, Xue Tingxiang knew that this was not the time to be awkward, besides, there was Jiang Wu watching over him, so he didn''t want to repeat the experience in the dream again.


    He couldn''t help but reiterated: "I''m also doing it for your own good, lest people in the village see and make irresponsible remarks." He didn''t dare to look at her, but stared at the ground beside him, with some confidence in his heart. Distracted.


    Seeing him confessing himself like an adult, with a fair face and a slightly childish face, I don''t know how to trick him and want to rub his head.


    She did the same, and said at the same time: "Well, well, you are right, I will listen to you."


    He suddenly became more angry, and a sense of powerlessness and discouragement came to his heart.


    Why does she always treat herself like a child!


    *


    Early the next morning, Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang went out.


    When I arrived, Dongliju had just opened, Xue Tingxiang went to the clean room yesterday to continue copying books, but Zhao''er went to the yard behind the shop.


    She discussed with Boss Chen and borrowed this place to pack her clothes. Zhao''er had seen those clothes before, they were all old clothes, since she wanted to make money, she couldn''t afford to sell them poorly, so she came here today mainly to do this job.


    She borrowed the bamboo mat used for drying books from the shop, poured out the big bag of clothes, first sorted them into men''s and women''s styles, and then divided them into several piles according to texture and thickness, and then began to check the clothes one by one for damage. The place.


    If there was a hole somewhere, she would sew it up with the needle and thread she brought. Zhao''er''s needlework is pretty good, but she can''t do embroidery or something, and she''s fine with sewing and making clothes.


    She managed to clean up a pile, and seeing that the sun was shining outside, she went to fetch water from the well in the courtyard. There is a pulley in the well, so it is very convenient to fetch water. Zhao''er fetched a basin of water, soaked the clothes in the big wooden basin, wiped the soap locust water and scrubbed it.


    After washing and rinsing, the rice soup in the kitchen is also ready.


    Although Boss Chen and the others don''t cook in the shop, they always need a place to boil water for tea and so on, so the shop also turned on the fire, and Zhao''er borrowed the stove to cook a big pot of rice soup.


    She brought out the boiled rice soup, poured it into the wooden basin, and added some water into it, it is most suitable if it is slightly hot. Fang poured all the washed clothes into it and kept stirring with a stick.


    Stir well, put half a cup of tea, pick up the clothes from the wooden basin, fetch water and rinse again.


    This is the so-called starched clothes. The clothes that have been washed are sticky and sticky. As long as they don''t fade, they look like new ones. Some people who are fastidious will iron it with an iron, but since there is no such condition, Zhao''er does not intend to do so.


    During this period, Boss Chen came in. Seeing that Zhao''er was in full swing, he pointed to the various clothes hanging out in the yard and said with a smile, "It''s good for you, you take my place as your own. You make it look like a laundry room."


    Nowadays, there are places like starch washing rooms. Some people don''t want to wash their clothes at home, so they will send their clothes to the starch washing room for washing. Inexpensive and saves time and effort.


    Knowing that Boss Chen was joking with himself, Zhao''er also joked: "After what Uncle Chen said, it opened my eyes again. When I don''t have any business to do, I will buy a laundry room. When the time comes Uncle Chen will bring you the clothes, and I will wash them for you without charge."


    "You girl, you are really a good businessman." Boss Chen shook his head and laughed, and went back to the front.


    The room where Xue Tingxiang copied the books was in this yard, and the big window happened to be facing the yard, so Zhao''er''s every word and deed could be seen by him.


    Usually he can concentrate on nothing else, but today he is always going to see her intentionally or unintentionally.


    Seeing her tossing around in the yard, seeing her very lively face under the sun, seeing the beads of sweat on her forehead, she had no intention of copying the book at all, and only copied less than two pages in one morning.


    Boss Chen walked in to take a look, and followed his gaze to Zhao''er: "You are lucky to have such a woman at the booth."


    Xue Tingxiang did not speak.


    Boss Chen said again: "By the way, how far have you reached in your studies?"


    "I have finished studying the four books, but I can only read them, but I can''t understand them."


    "It''s okay to be able to read but not understand. Now that you have entered the university, you should start to learn Mingjing. However, in that kind of country school, many teachers themselves have only a half-knowledge, and they can''t teach anything. You can read more when you have nothing to do. Reading books like "Four Books Chapters" and "Zhu Zi Ji Zhu" can''t help you fully understand the scriptures, but they are somewhat helpful. The most important thing is to find a good school with good teachers to guide you. "Boss Chen pointed out.


    After a pause, he said again: "I heard from Zhao''er that he wanted to send you to the Qinghe Academy. Instead of spending a lot of money to go to that kind of place, I suggest that you go to the Qingyuan Academy."


    "Qingyuan Academy?" Xue Tingxiang asked in a daze.


    Boss Chen thought he didn''t know, or was deceived by rumors like those ordinary people, and said: "This Qingyuan Academy is one of the oldest schools in Huyang Township, and it used to be famous throughout Xia County. In our township, half of the people who pass the county examination every year come from the Qingyuan Academy, and there are not a few of them who pass the exam. It¡¯s just that the Qinghe Academy has risen suddenly in the past few years, and it seems to have declined.¡±


    Boss Chen''s voice was low, as if he was sighing infinitely, and suddenly turned high, quite angry: "Everyone in the world values ??fame and fortune, and is easily deceived by false appearances. They don''t know that the Qinghe Academy is using opportunism. The owner Gao Relying on his relationship with County Magistrate Hu, Youzhi became attached to him, and all the money allocated by the imperial court to the county to support local social studies and village studies flowed into the Qinghe Academy, and the two of them made a lot of money and filled their own pockets.


    "And the owner of the Qingyuan Academy is an upright person, and he doesn''t want to be with him. In addition, the Qingyuan Academy has a lot of preferential treatment for the children of poor families. Without this silver subsidy, we can only encourage and support it. The county that presides over the county examination Lingdu looked at Qinghe Academy differently, and even the students who wanted to enroll flocked there. This has changed, and the reputation of Qingyuan Academy has gradually declined in recent years."


    Jiang Wu looked helpless, but with a smile in his eyes: "Okay, I can''t do it according to what you say, but I don''t need half of it, after all, this is a deal you got, so I''ll help you run some errands or something. Twenty-eight, you eight and I two."


    "How can it be done on February 8th? I will definitely use your car when the time comes. Your Daqing mule is not considered labor? Daqing, look, Brother Jiang Wu said that you are not considered labor, and even your rations will be deducted."


    The mule named Daqing shook its head and snorted, which seemed to mean that if he dared to deduct my rations, I would slow down and let him carry it by himself.


    Zhao''er laughed loudly, pointed at Daqing and said, "Look, even Daqing protested."


    Jiang Wu looked sideways at the girl who was smiling wantonly, with a strange gleam in her eyes. Fortunately, Daqing knew the way and was docile, otherwise he would have ordered all three people in the car into the ditch beside the road.


    Seeing this scene, Xue Tingxiang''s face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.


    He was both annoyed and angry, he actually forgot about Jiang Wu.


    In that dream, Jiang Wu has been coveting Zhao''er.


    Jiang Wu was two years older than Zhao''er, but he never married. If Zhao''er hadn''t been his child bride-in-law, the Jiang family would have come to propose marriage a long time ago.


    Even so, Jiang Wu never gave up, and once even approached him and told him that he wanted to marry Zhao''er, telling him not to be so selfish, and letting Zhao''er go free. She also said that she and Zhao''er would support him to study together and treat him like a younger brother, that''s how he knew about it.


    Shocked and annoyed, he also remembered Zhao''er''s reluctance to marry him. He mistakenly thought that Zhao''er had an affair with Jiang Wu, so he borrowed his parents'' orders to forcefully marry her. Later, by chance, Only then did he realize that he had wronged her.

 Chapter 208

    They were all from humble backgrounds, and of course they knew how difficult it was to study in a farming family, so before Xue Tingxiang said that the Xue family never forgot to cultivate their children and grandchildren while they settled down, Qiao Xiucai praised them greatly.


    Because he knew that this matter seemed insignificant, but it was actually too difficult for farmers. How many families had the idea of ??changing their own destiny by reading books.


    It can be said that those who are born in a poor family in the countryside and can achieve great fame have all experienced great hardships. The starting point is much lower than others. It takes countless efforts to catch up with others, and at the same time they have to face all kinds of cruel competition.


    This kind of competition is not only between classmates, but also between the same clan, and even one''s own brothers.


    If you succeed, the sea and the sky will be bright, and you will not be an ordinary person since then. If you fail, you will put down the book and pick up the hoe, and face the loess and the sky for the rest of your life.


    It is because they understand this kind of cruelty that the two of them can''t help but wonder whether this son deliberately said that his knowledge is weak, or he just wants to pull his brother to reduce the difficulty of the question. But this is a double-edged sword. After all, it is a disadvantage to oneself to lose one''s studies to others.


    These thoughts only happened in an instant, and because of the sudden attention of He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai, Xue Qingshan''s eyebrows jumped wildly, for fear that Xue Tingxiang would say something amazing again. At this moment, he couldn''t care less about why Xue Tingxiang knew the explanation of the scriptures, and he completely forgot that his previous idea was that Xue Tingshan didn''t understand the scriptures, and it would be easy for his son to beat him.


    This is also true for Patriarch Xue. If something happens in the clan that cannot be seen by others, it is limited to the clan. If it happens in public, it will be a bit ugly.


    The eyes of the two seemed to have needles, and they were anxiously focused on Xue Tingxiang''s face. Unexpectedly, he smiled shyly and said: "The boy was weak and sick when he was young, so he inevitably fell behind."


    Xue Qingshan hurriedly laughed and said: "That''s exactly the case. Don''t be afraid that the two seniors will laugh at me. My nephew is talented and intelligent, but his weak body hinders his studies."


    Patriarch Xue also nodded in agreement.


    Others didn''t know what was going on, they just opened their eyes and watched. Only Zheng Lizheng seemed to realize that there was something wrong, but he couldn''t tell the details, so he could only keep silent.


    After He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai gave in to each other again, He Xiucai was the main one in the end. Sitting at the top, he said to Xue Tingxiang: "Since you don''t understand the scriptures, it''s a bit unfair to go beyond the scope of what you have learned. You two are still young, and it''s time to lay down the foundation, so I will test your two. Human base."


    Hearing this, although Xue Juncai was a little disappointed that he was overqualified and missed his opportunity to perform, he also felt disdainful.


    If you don''t test the scriptures, then Xue Tingxiang is not his opponent!


    He Xiucai squeezed his beard with his hands, and after pondering for a while, said: "Zhu Zi said: the size of learning is inherently different, but it is the way, it is only one. It is also suitable for young people. If you don''t learn it in elementary school, you will have nothing to learn. Its heart, to cultivate its virtue, is the foundation of the university. The two of you will each silently write a "Disciple Regulations."


    Neither of them expected that the first question would be Mo''s "Disciple Regulations". You must know that "Disciples Regulations" was learned at the beginning of elementary school, and the whole article is only about a thousand words. In addition to the general narrative, it is divided into seven chapters: filial piety when you enter, brotherhood when you go out, sincerity, faith, universal love for all, kindness and benevolence, and Yu Liwen.


    Each chapter is not long, with three words and one sentence, rhyming in the same pattern, and catchy. It lists the various norms that disciples should abide by at home, when going out, and when dealing with people. It also just proves what He Xiucai said before, the size of learning is inherently different, but it is the truth that it is only one.


    Someone has already prepared a square table and pens and inks, and each person has a table and table in front of the hall, and even the ink has been sharpened.


    When the two came to the table, they picked up a pen and wrote without any hesitation.


    As the two rushed to write and write, the noise gradually faded away. Even if the country people don''t understand the basic principles, they also know that scholars should not be disturbed when they are doing their studies.


    This is not a problem for Xue Tingxiang, because he only has one book, so he has spent too much effort to memorize the things he has learned.


    Not only memorizing, but also keeping in mind, so that when asked in school, he can answer fluently, because he has no reference at all.


    It is better to have no books than to have books, because these are all engraved in the mind. Especially since having that dream, in order not to affect his memory, he has silently recited the book he had memorized countless times in his mind.


    While Xue Tingxiang was writing vigorously, he also had a slight change in his opinion of He Xiucai.


    He could see that the other party asked such an unexpected question, not because the other party deliberately released the water, but because the other party wanted to make a surprise. Because this discipline is too simple for scholars, they have learned it when they were just learning, but they just throw it away after learning it.


    Except for the beginning of learning, my husband will not take these things in the future. It may be to test the Three Character Classic, or even a hundred surnames, and a thousand character prose, but it will not be the rules of this disciple.


    Xue Tingxiang even couldn''t wait to see Xue Juncai''s reaction. Maybe the other party can roughly write down this article, but can you write down all the thousands of words, and the words are correct and the order is good? And He Xiucai''s request to silence this disciple''s rule is probably not just silent, but also one of the "books" in elementary school.


    Just relying on your own words is enough to beat the opponent.


    As Xue Tingxiang thought, at first Xue Juncai really felt contemptuous. He even wondered if this He Xiucai was out of his mind to take the "Disciple Regulations" test.


    Who wouldn''t know this disciple? It is something to learn at the beginning of school. But after he fell silent, he realized that he really wasn''t as good as he thought.


    After you leave, do you love me, or are you hurt? You must know that this Disciple Rules is not like other articles, it can connect the past and the future, confirming each other, if the first sentence is wrong, the latter paragraph will be wrong.


    The more Xue Juncai became silent, the more annoyed he felt, and he always felt that he was wrong in being silent. If someone asks a question, he can naturally answer it fluently. Ke Mo, Mo is still a good word!


    At first, he wrote like flying, but then it became slower and slower, and even reached the point where he couldn''t write, obviously he was not sure if his memory was wrong.


    On the contrary, Xue Tingxiang has been calm from the beginning, and he is still writing at a leisurely pace at this time, but it can be seen that his writing is very coherent, with almost no pause.


    At the first place, Qiao Xiucai glanced at He Xiucai with exclamation, and did not hide her surprise at all. He naturally had a panoramic view of the following situation, and he had to admire He Xiucai''s ingenuity.


    He Xiucai smiled slightly. In fact, he would ask this kind of question, but he just wanted people to make mistakes. I was very proud of my inspiration.


    He stroked his beard and said with a faint smile, "You two little friends, don''t worry, there is a stick of incense time, enough to write it down."


    Yizhuxiang wrote more than a thousand characters, which seemed a bit hasty, but it is not impossible to write something as simple as the disciple''s rules silently, as long as you pay close attention to it.


    But that was before, Xue Juncai couldn''t help but feel even more anxious when he heard someone mention the time.


    In the following time, he kept looking at the stick of incense, because he looked at it too frequently, which made his speed even slower.


    "Okay, time is up."


    As the words fell, Xue Tingxiang made a big stroke and put down the brush in his hand.


    Xue Juncai didn''t move, until someone went in front of him, only to find that his whole body was as stiff as a stone, and he was dripping with sweat, and the paper in front of him was only half full.


    Because the two were behind the gate, and Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong were sitting at the end, they didn''t notice anything strange about it. In their minds, a "Regulations for Disciples" couldn''t be simpler, and Xue Juncai''s strange appearance also attracted the attention of the two of them, but they still didn''t expect that Xue Juncai could not finish writing it.


    It wasn''t until He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai looked at each other''s papers that they looked at each other, and He Xiucai announced that Xue Tingxiang won this match.


    Xue Qingshan stood up from the chair in surprise: "How is it possible?"


    At the same time, there was a lot of discussion below and outside the door, and it seemed that Xue Juncai couldn''t believe that Xue Juncai had lost. Insiders look at the doorway, while laymen watch the excitement. The villagers who didn''t know a single word didn''t know what the test was about, they only knew that Master Xiucai said that Xue Juncai lost to the Xue family dog.


    Xue Juncai lost to Xue Gouzi?


    This, this is really surprising. You must know that Xue Juncai has always been the most outstanding young man among the younger generation in Yuqing Village. Whoever mentions him does not give a thumbs up.


    "Senior He, Senior Qiao, did you make a mistake, a disciple''s regulation..."


    He Xiucai gestured with his gaze, and two people stepped forward to unfold Xue Juncai''s and Xue Tingxiang''s papers, held them up, and showed them to everyone.


    I saw that on one of the rice papers, the handwriting was full of strength, correct and beautiful. On the other piece of rice paper, the handwriting was not bad, but it was anticlimactic, and it became more and more scribbled as it went to the back, and there were even spots of ink on it.


    "Xue Tingxiang''s words are not bad, and there is no ink on the scroll, which is a good appearance. And Xue Juncai didn''t finish his silence, and there were mistakes and omissions, so Xue Tingxiang won this round."


    "Brilliant!" Xue Qingshan said in surprise, his eyes were full of disbelief, he wanted to say something, but was pulled by Yang Zhong.


    Xue Juncai didn''t raise his head until now, he raised his head stiffly and looked at Xue Tingxiang with red eyes.


    ...


    Next is the second round, and this round will return to the normal school exam homework.


    He Xiucai asked the question, and the two answered.


    "Seeking the ancients to seek the theory, how can you solve it if you let go of your worries?"


    "Search for the ancients and the ancient things, and read more wise and famous sayings, so that you can get rid of distracting thoughts and be at ease." Xue Juncai took a step forward and replied.


    "Meng Ke is dunsu, Shi Yu is upright. What''s the explanation for Lao Qian''s edict?" This sentence was asked by Xue Tingxiang.


    He pondered for a while, and said: "Mencius advocates simplicity, while Ziyu, the official historian, is upright. What he said is that a person should conform to the standard of the mean as much as possible. He must be hardworking and humble, be cautious, and know how to advise himself."


    "Saying the warning, what''s the next sentence?" When He Xiucai asked this sentence, he didn''t look at any of the two of them.


    Xue Juncai was still in a daze, but Xue Tingxiang had already replied: "I''m almost ashamed, Lin Gao is lucky."


    "Don''t talk about each other''s weaknesses, what''s the solution to relying on your own strengths?"


    This time Xue Juncai didn''t let up, and hurriedly said: "Don''t talk about other people''s shortcomings, and don''t rely on your own strengths to make progress." Before he finished speaking, his cheeks were hot, and he didn''t know whether it was embarrassment or self-ashamed.


    "Okay!" He Xiucai clapped his hands together, "All the answers are pretty good."


    Suddenly, he said again: "Shuixie."


    Xue Juncai was stunned for a moment, Xue Tingxiang''s eyes flashed, and he replied: "Shanzhai."


    Hearing this, Xue Juncai realized that He Xiucai was taking a pair test.


    Before schoolchildren enter university, in addition to the basic three hundred and thousand thousand, they also need to learn "Enlightenment of Rhythm", "Longwen Whip Shadow", "Children''s Learning Qionglin", "Zengguang Xianwen" and so on.


    Among them, "Enlightenment of Rhythm" and "Longwen Whip Shadow" teach children to understand the rules of rhythm and parallelism. In the process of learning Pingzheqie rhyme, at the same time begin to understand and master poetry rhyme, and acquire a large number of vocabulary and ancient allusions.


    Nowadays there is a saying that few schoolchildren who have been taught can''t match the right pair.


    Especially this simple pair and couplet.


    After suffering two losses in a row, Xue Juncai was obviously smarter. It was almost He Xiucai who asked the question. Answered successfully.


    It can be seen that Xue Juncai is doing well in his studies, and there are almost no pairs that He Xiucai can''t answer.


    "Recently, the old man sighed in his heart. He occasionally got something. He came up with an upper couplet, but so far he has not been able to get a suitable second couplet. This time I will test you two. It may be too difficult for you now, but give it a try. It doesn''t matter." He Xiucai withdrew his gaze and looked at Qiao Xiucai: "Brother Qiao, if you are interested, you can also try it, so as to relieve the pain of brooding for many days."


    Qiao Xiucai smiled slightly, knowing that this was He Xiucai''s desire to compete.


    As the saying goes, there is no first in writing, and there is no second in martial arts. In the nearby villages, he and He Xiucai were the only ones who passed the entrance examination. He Xiucai''s reputation in the outside world has never been prominent, and he can understand that he will compare.

 Chapter 209

    She knew that the little man must be angry again, and he didn''t like her saying "the dog is my man" the most. Every time he heard her say such words, he would ignore her for a few days. In fact, Zhao''er has to face, but she is the child bride-in-law of the Xue family''s second room. If she didn''t claim to be like this, how could she have the right to challenge the fourth aunt, Sun''s.


    "Are you hungry? Look what I brought back for you?"


    Zhao''er turned her head and put all these troubles behind her mind, and took out a paper bag from her pocket. Opening the paper bag, there are two steamed buns inside. They are white and plump, and people like it when they look at them.


    "Eat it quickly, while it''s still warm." She smiled, stuffed the paper bag into the little man''s hand, and put the pannier on her shoulders in the corner.


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her.


    The girl in front of her was in her twenties and eighth year, and her skin was the wheat color common to girls in the country, but Zhao''er''s complexion was very different from others, it was smooth and radiant, as if she had been smeared with honey. He has a tall nose bridge, a pair of medium-sized eyes, with swarthy pupils, and when he smiles, there is a flash of inspiration in him, and he looks like a lively person.


    Zhao''er is taller than ordinary girls, well-developed, front/convex/backward, full of youthful vigor.


    It was so vivid, as vivid as in his dream.


    He unconsciously took the steamed stuffed bun and gnawed on it. Seeing this trick, he smiled even more happily. He went to the kitchen and poured him a bowl of water, which he placed next to his hand. On the other hand, he bent down to tidy up the scattered quilts on the kang, thinking about what to cook for him at night to nourish his body.


    Finally, the little man got better, so he had to continue to drink the medicine, and he had to drink a few more to strengthen it. From this, he naturally began to calculate the little money left in his hand, and think of a way to get some money, so as to solve the urgent need.


    "Have you eaten yet?" Xue Gouzi asked.


    This kind of behavior rarely happens to him, so Zhao''er can''t help but look up at the little man sitting on the kang.


    In fact, the little man has a handsome appearance, which is different from the fair skin of the countrymen. The corners of his eyes are slightly raised, and the curvature makes his face a little more delicate and handsome. It''s just that the little man always hangs his head halfway on weekdays, with a gloomy and silent temperament, and is too thin, so he is not conspicuous in front of others.


    Zhao''er''s eyes warmed up, her smile widened, and she said cracklingly, "Eat, I ate it outside, this is for you."


    After she finished speaking, she realized that she had slipped her mouth. She waited for the little man to show a disgusted expression, or to condemn her daughter''s family for running around, but he didn''t say anything, as if he had something on his mind. Head eating buns.


    Zhao''er couldn''t help heaving a sigh of relief, but at the same time felt a pain in his heart, and couldn''t help but said: "Dog, don''t worry too much. After all, you heard the words. Since you didn''t say it face-to-face, you can''t take it seriously. Even if it is true Don''t be afraid, sister earns money for your education."


    Xue Gouzi''s head still hurts a little, and he was dizzy. Zhao''er thought he had something on his mind, but in fact he was just thinking about that dream. Hearing Zhao''er''s words at this time, he suddenly remembered why he had this serious illness.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Gouzi''s serious illness came in a hurry due to stagnation of liver qi.


    Speaking of this, I have to talk about the general situation of the Xue family.


    Yuqing Village is a village located under Huyang Town, Xia County, Pingyang Prefecture. There are only more than 200 households in the village.


    The Xue family is one of them.


    However, the Xue family is different from other ordinary farmers, and it can be regarded as having some origins.


    The ancestor of the Xue family, that is, the grandfather of Mr. Xue, was a scholar. In a poor mountain depression like Yuqing Village, it is a great event for the ancestors to have a scholar.


    Because of this talented gentleman, the generation of the Xue family produced the head of the Xue clan, and there were several village elders in the clan, and finally had some say in Yuqing Village. At the same time, it is also a blessing for the younger generation. Mr. Xue''s father is hardworking and willing to work. With the help of the elders, he also slowly built up a family business.


    By the time of Mr. Xue''s generation, the Xue family already had more than 30 acres of fertile land, and several sons also had their own livelihoods. Their lives were enviably prosperous, and they could be regarded as a well-to-do family in the village.


    Mr. Xue and his mother-in-law Zhao have four sons and two daughters. The eldest son Xue Qingshan married his wife Yang, and they have two sons and a daughter. The eldest son Xue Juncai is fifteen years old, the second son Xue Youcai is ten years old, and the eldest daughter Xue Maner is married.


    The second child, Xue Qingsong, is a carpenter. He married his wife Qiu Shi and gave birth to a son, Xue Gouzi, who is fourteen years old. The third child, Xue Qingbai, is a farmer, married his wife Zhou, and gave birth to a son and a daughter. The eldest daughter, Xue Taoer, is thirteen years old this year, and the youngest son, Xue Shuanzi, is eight years old now. The fourth son, Xue Qinghuai, is a shopkeeper. He married his wife, Sun, and gave birth to a son named Xue Maodan, who is only four years old this year.


    As for the two daughters, the eldest daughter, Xue Cuiping, is already married, and the youngest daughter, Xue Cuie, is fourteen this year and is still in her boudoir.


    It is worth mentioning that nowadays there are parents who say that they do not separate their families. In addition, families in the countryside are ruled by clans, so Xue''s family has no separation.


    The Xue family has tasted the benefits of reading, so they have more vision than ordinary farmers. Xue Qingshan is smart since he was a child, and he is the eldest son. Mr. Xue has high hopes for him, and when he reaches the age of enlightenment, he spends money to send him to a private school.


    Xue Qingshan also strives for success. At the age of twenty, he passed the Tongsheng examination. Although he is still a scholar, he can be counted as a scholar who can be counted in ten miles and eight villages.


    Don''t underestimate Tongsheng! As the saying goes, scholars, farmers, businessmen, and scholars are the highest class of people in the current society. If ordinary people want to turn ordinary people into scholars, there is only one way to take the imperial examination. As for the imperial examination, it is only a matter of going to the west to learn Buddhist scriptures, and you have to go through various checkpoints and go through hardships before you can get it.


    If you want to embark on this path, you must first have the qualifications, and Tong Sheng is a person with this qualification. It is necessary to pass the county and government examinations to be called Tongsheng. As for the next step is to be a scholar, to become a scholar is to enter school, and it is also the first step to embark on the road of imperial examinations.


    It can be seen from this that Tong Sheng is not an ordinary person, so Xue Qingshan''s status in the Xue family can be imagined.


    But as I said before, the Xue family''s family background can only be regarded as a middle-level family in the countryside. If a family like this wants to support a scholar, it will almost exhaust all the human and financial resources of the family. Because the eldest son is the eldest son, who will set up a family in the future, and is talented and intelligent, the next few sons naturally have to give in.


    As for why Xue Gouzi became seriously ill, it has to be related to another old matter of the Xue family.


    Back then when Xue Qingshan was selected as a child student, he was considered a success at a young age. He was full of ambitions and wanted to pass the college examination in one fell swoop, and he could also be a scholar, but it was a pity that God did not follow his wishes.


    It was only a close call, and no one would be reconciled to it. Xue Qingshan could only calm down, work hard, and hope to win next time.


    After so many years of rushing away, the original smugness was completely devastated by the impact of reality. Xue Qingshan failed many exams, so he couldn''t stay at home and eat free food all the time. In desperation, he set up a private school in the village, which specializes in taking children from the village and several nearby villages to read and write, and they can more or less earn a living.


    With such convenient conditions, several children of Xue''s family naturally followed suit. The next few children are still young, and among the grandchildren, Xue Juncai, the eldest son of the big house, and Xue Gouzi of the second house have studied the longest.


    However, compared to his cousin Xue Juncai, Xue Gouzi is obviously not as good as he is because he is too weak. When he was young, he was always sick every day, which delayed a lot of homework.


    The time was stretched back to five years ago, this year the academic officer held a college examination in Fucheng, Xue Qingshan naturally would not miss it, he stopped his private school classes early and went to Fucheng to take the exam.


    It''s not easy to go out at this time, and besides, Mr. Xue was worried about his eldest son going out alone, so he asked his second son Xue Qingsong to accompany him. He always took care of him when he was usually on a business trip.


    That is to say, something happened on this trip, Xue Qingshan offended someone in Fucheng, Xue Qingsong was beaten all over his body in order to protect his eldest brother. In the end, the man was pulled back, but he died within a few days after he came back. Before he died, Xue Qingsong asked Xue Qingshan to promise himself that he would do everything in his power to confess Xue Gouzi.


    In fact, after giving way for others all his life, how could Xue Qingsong have no complaints in his heart, but he has a simple and honest nature, and he knows that his talent is not as good as that of his elder brother, so he has been making contributions in obscurity.


    But when it came to his own son, especially Xue Gouzi, who was weak since he was a child, he was not a farmer in any way, and he was dying, so Xue Qingsong took the opportunity to force his elder brother to make a promise.


    Xue Qingsong would do this, but he wanted to break the status quo that the Xue family''s resources had been leaning towards Dafang. The Xue family only had two scholars in the first room, and now there is a Xue Gouzi. The children in the third room were still young at that time, and the fourth child was not married yet. As long as Xue Qingshan agrees, others will naturally have nothing to say, and Xue Qingsong will do his best for his son Brown.


    Xue Qingshan agreed to the matter on the spot, crying blood, saying that he would treat Xue Gouzi as his own son, Xue Qingsong closed his eyes.


    Not long after that, Qiu Shi, who was already in poor health, became depressed and fell ill, and then passed away. Since then, Xue Gouzi has become a poor child without father and mother. Fortunately, there are grandparents and uncles, and Zhaoer, a child bride-in-law, so he doesn''t have to worry about food and clothing.


    In the following years, Xue Qingshan really treated Xue Gouzi like his own son. No one in the village would say that the boss of the Xue family raised his nephew as his own son. But as the saying goes, the human heart is the most fickle, and selfishness is the nature of human beings. As time passed, Da Fang gradually changed his attitude. Although he was in front of others, he was still the same as before, but only the person concerned would know what happened to him afterwards.


    This year, seeing that he had nothing to teach his son, Xue Qingshan decided to send Xue Juncai to the town school to study for two years.


    But it costs a lot of money to go to the school to study, not to mention the one-year study that costs two silver, the three festivals and six rituals of the husband, and the pen, ink, paper and inkstone used in daily life, all of which cost money. The Xue family has already been seriously injured because they confessed to Xue Qingshan, and how can they have money for the two children to go together.


    You can only take out one piece of money, that is to say, Xue Juncai and Xue Gouzi can only go to one.


    Xue Qingshan told the matter in front of the whole family, but Xue Gouzi didn''t say what he couldn''t say tactfully, but chose to remain silent.


    During that time, the atmosphere in the Xue family was weird, the old man Xue was frowning, and the grandmother Zhao was eccentric all day long, but the eldest couple were still the same as before, and they didn''t think it was a problem.


    I will not mention this, it is also a coincidence that Xue Gouzi accidentally overheard his eldest aunt Yang and fourth aunt Sun talking in secret, saying that he would let his parents-in-law come forward and let Xue Gouzi take the initiative to give up his place to study in the town , Xue Gouzi became seriously ill in a fit of rage.


    Thinking of this, Xue Gouzi felt uneasy for a while, and at the same time, many pictures appeared in his mind, which were just some of his previous dreams.


    The Xue Tingxiang in the dream also faced the same situation in the fourteenth year, and the other party''s temperament changed drastically after this incident, changing his previous disposition.


    Could it be that he is Xue Tingxiang, and that Xue Tingxiang is him? But why would he dream of these things!


    Xue Gouzi felt a throbbing pain in his head, the bun in his hand fell on the kang, and the water bowl next to him was also knocked over. Zhao''er heard the movement, rushed up and hugged him in his arms.


    "Dog, dog, don''t scare me!"


    Seeing that she was really in a bad shape, Mrs. Zhao came out of the room and said a few words. Mrs. Sun was even more anxious, and knew that she was really ashamed in front of the patriarch, but the chicken had wings, but she didn''t. It was only when the chicken lost its strength that Mrs. Sun grabbed it and cursed, "Run, run, it''s destined to be a dish in the pot. Where are you going?"


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t look any further, and looked back.


    He knew why his uncle was so generous, and proposed to let him compete with Xue Juncai, because if there were no accidents, Xue Juncai would definitely win this match.


    In that dream, he had suffered such a loss, but it was not compared with Xue Juncai, but Zhao''er worked so hard to get money and sent him to Qinghe Academy. At that time, he was so stupid that he always blamed his own failure on the harshness of fate, thinking that it was not that he could not do it, but that everyone did not give him a chance.


    When he first entered the Qinghe Academy, he was full of ambition. He thought that he would definitely surpass Xue Juncai and prove that he was the most outstanding person in the Xue family, but the reality slapped him hard in the face. It was also at that time that he, who had never seen the world, understood the sinister intentions of his uncle. He did teach him to read, and he did ''read'' a lot of books, but he just read and didn''t understand the meaning of the scriptures.


    It was later learned that after schoolchildren learn to read, they use reading scriptures as the basis.


    First learn "Three Character Classic", "Hundred Surnames", "Thousand Characters", and then "Thousand Family Poems", "Children''s Learning Qionglin", "Longwenbianying", etc. After reading these, you can enter university and start Study and read the Four Books and Five Classics, etc.


    But at this stage, the teacher does not explain the meaning of the scriptures, that is to say, he just memorizes them by rote, clarifying the meaning of the words but not the meaning of the scriptures. Because people nowadays are used to thinking that children are just learning, it doesn¡¯t matter whether they understand it or not, as long as they remember it, and when they read a lot or for a long time, they will understand what it means.


    This is the so-called reading a thousand times, and its meaning is self-evident.


    When you can recite all these books fluently, and when you can learn to interpret the scriptures, you will get twice the result with half the effort.


    This time-saving, labor-saving and effective teaching mode is popular throughout Dachang, ranging from famous families to low-level sociology and village studies, and many of them are like this. This is especially popular in rural private schools, because there is only one teacher in the school, but it is not realistic to teach several or even dozens of people to explain the scriptures.


    But in fact, aristocratic families with some background would never teach their children this way. Because this teaching mode blindly emphasizes rote memorization, but ignores the truth that the classics are natural and logical.


    This is the pros and cons that ''he'' analyzed from the perspective of the overall situation after standing in the position of chief assistant.


    But at that time, he had just entered the library, because his uncle delayed explaining the meaning of the scriptures for him, and he didn''t understand that there was still a theory of explaining the scriptures. So when he first entered school, the teacher asked him if he had read it, and he replied that he had read it, but he couldn''t understand the scriptures.


    But now, it seems that the uncle is also aware of his own shortcomings, so he deliberately proposes this match, but in fact, he has already planned it, and he is destined to lose.


    Unfortunately, there was an accident.


    *


    Because there were guests at home, except for Mr. Xue and Xue Qingshan and his son, everyone was busy.


    After eating in the main room, the kitchen will start cooking other people''s lunch.


    During the period, Xue Taoer was also ordered to drink. There was wine and meat at the banquet in the main room, and the men exchanged glasses, and there was no way to see that there was any cleverness in the usual times. Especially Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng, the two drank very affectionately, and in the end they both got a little drunk.

 Chapter 210

    "Are you rich now?"


    Of course she is rich, Zhao''er now has more than two taels of silver in total, and just now Su Lan gave her another five taels, which is naturally enough.


    At the same time, Shen Ping laughed a bit, "Well, I forgot that you had visited her before, so I came here, and she won''t take advantage of me." The voice was very small, almost like a murmur, and the caller only cares about it. I had to look at the clothes, but I didn''t hear clearly.


    "I''ll find a guy to call a car for you, and you, a little girl, can''t transport these things."


    "Thank you, Shopkeeper Shen."


    After seeing Zhao''er off, Shen Ping turned around and went into the pawn shop.


    Although he is called the third shopkeeper, he is not the third shopkeeper of this store, but the third shopkeeper of the whole "Herongsheng". Only at his deliberate request, he will stay in Xia County permanently.


    Shen Ping is the son of the Shen family, his father is the chief manager of the Shen family, and he has been a servant with the third young master Shen Fu since he was a child. It was not until he became an adult that he was released to become a shopkeeper.


    "If she comes again next time, just do as I told you before."


    "Yes, shopkeeper."


    *


    Just after noon, the clerk Ah Cai came to deliver meals to Xue Tingxiang.


    Boss Chen said it was simple food, but in fact the food was not bad, with one meat and one vegetable, and one soup. Xue Tingxiang knew very well that Boss Chen was taking care of him deliberately. How could anyone hire someone to copy books, take care of tea and food, and the wages they paid were not low.


    It was because he knew it in his heart that he didn''t say no. In this case, the refusal retained his character, but it seemed too petty and hypocritical.


    It can only be repaid in the future, Xue Tingxiang thought lightly in his heart.


    After eating, when the man came to clean up the dishes, he said that he could rest for an hour. There is a chaise longue available in this room, and of course you can go to the front to read a book to pass the time.


    In fact, the latter sentence is the key point, Xue Tingxiang was not pretentious, after cleaning his hands, he went forward.


    This store may not seem big, but it has a lot of books of all kinds, ranging from rural tales to books about the imperial examination, and there are many books about the imperial examination.


    Since the former dynasty, the imperial examination has used eight-legged essays as the standard style, with strict regulations, and even restrictions on the length of sentences, the number of words, the level of rhymes, and even the scope of questions.


    Stereotype essays take questions from the Four Books and Five Classics, and are composed of eight parts: breaking the title, inheriting the title, starting the lecture, starting, starting the essay, middle section, back section, and binding the section. It seems rigid and rigid, but in fact it is not easy to do a good stereotyped essay. If you really think that only reading the Four Books and Five Classics is enough, you are wrong. Not to mention astronomy and geography, at least you have to be involved in all aspects, so that you can write a good article full of flowers and content.


    In that dream, Xue Tingxiang won the Jinshi with the 21st place in the second class, and was admitted to the Hanlin Academy after passing through the hall. He should have been on a steady rise since then, but because he offended someone, a majestic Hanlin was sent down. The kind of place where the birds don''t shit is an official.


    Xue Tingxiang pursed his lips slightly, feeling that he was thinking too much, after all, he is not even a child now, let''s think about the present.


    So, without thinking too much, he took out a book from the bookcase and read it quietly.


    During this period, customers from the bookstore came to sell some pens, ink, paper and inkstones, or came to buy books, always interrupting Xue Tingxiang''s reading.


    Seeing this, Boss Chen said: "Brother Xue, you can take the book to the back and read."


    Xue Tingxiang looked at him in surprise: "This..."


    "It''s okay, it''s not bad for your book."


    Xue Tingxiang was silent, bowed deeply in salute, and then went back.


    When Xue Tingxiang woke up, he heard Boss Chen talking outside and Zhao''er''s voice at the same time.


    "Where did you get this big bag?" Boss Chen looked at Zhao''er in surprise, and asked for the bag at her feet that was much bigger than her.


    Zhao''er was sweating profusely and said: "Uncle Chen, I got it from the county, and so did the man from the car dealership. They only helped me to the intersection and left me behind. I wanted to be dragged to the car dealership. But thinking that my brother is still here..."


    Boss Chen laughed, and called his assistant: "Ah Cai, come and help little brother Zhao''er carry the things in." Then he said to Zhao''er: "Come in and have a drink and rest before leaving."


    "Uncle Chen, what a shame."


    "When you were bargaining with me, you were never polite, but now you are more polite." Boss Chen pretended to stare.


    Generally speaking, Boss Chen is an elegant and humorous person.


    Xue Tingxiang also came out to help, and asked, "What''s in it? Why is it so heavy? Where did you get it?"


    Not to mention it was really heavy, Ah Cai tried a few times but couldn''t lift it, only three people could lift it.


    "I got it from a pawn shop. If I can sell this package, my sister will have enough money to send you to the Qinghe Academy."


    Zhao''er hadn''t realized that he had slipped up, but Xue Tingxiang had. He glanced at Boss Chen, and Zhao''er understood what he said at this moment, and looked at Boss Chen with some guilt: "Uncle Chen, I will explain to you later."


    She was a little anxious, and without asking the two of them to help, she lifted the big bag and carried it on her shoulders. The big bag pushed her to one side, but she still stopped, and she quickly carried the things inside.


    Ah Cai praised: "It doesn''t look like she is strong, she is so strong."


    Here, Xue Tingxiang looked at the back and pursed the corners of his mouth, while Boss Chen''s eyes darkened.


    Xue Tingxiang looked up at Boss Chen, and walked towards him.


    ...


    Zhao''er found a place to put down the big bag, then went to wash his hands and face to clean up his body, and then A Cai led him to see Boss Chen.


    Seeing Boss Chen, Zhao''er felt a little guilty. But she didn''t intend to continue to lie to Boss Chen, because Boss Chen is a good person. Not to mention the benefits he gave her before, just because he asked the little man to copy books for such a high price, let him read books here, and take care of the lunch at noon, Zhao''er can no longer continue to deceive.


    In fact, Zhao''er is not a liar, it''s just that she concealed her gender, and then the so-called workmanship is just collecting some vegetables and selling them to make some purses or something.


    "Uncle Chen..."


    Boss Chen sighed and waved his hands: "Okay, you don''t need to say anymore, you are a girl, and you are really embarrassing."


    Zhao''er looked surprised, her round eyes widened.


    Boss Chen laughed a little and said, "Your little husband has already told me everything."


    "He, what did he say..." Zhao''er stammered, still in disbelief. Because she knows that the little man always pays attention to face and has a lot of thoughts, and she doesn''t like to mention her as his child bride-in-law in front of outsiders, and the Xue family''s bad things.


    "I''ve said everything that needs to be said." After a pause, Boss Chen asked, "Look at how surprised you are, isn''t it still a secret?"


    Zhao''er laughed awkwardly, and faltered: "That''s not true, it''s just that he''s young, and people in our village hate him. People always think that I''m older than him, and my daughter-in-law teases men and laughs at him."


    The same sentence sounds different to different people.


    Boss Chen couldn''t help but want to laugh, but Xue Tingxiang outside had mixed feelings in his heart.


    That''s why she always called herself sister, so in the dream he was old, but she didn''t want to marry him. Or he ignored her wishes and insisted on marrying him with his parents'' orders.


    She actually understood her awkward state of mind. He told himself not to be surprised by what other people said, but he cared about it in his heart, so even if the two got married, they couldn''t do it together.


    She actually knew everything, yet she relied on him for everything! Follow him!


    While the mood was churning, the topic was changed inside.


    "I just heard from you that you plan to save money to send him to Qinghe Academy?"


    Zhao''er nodded, seeing the strange expression on Boss Chen''s face, she couldn''t help but ask, "Is that school bad?"


    "Take the road of opportunism, and it won''t last long."


    Zhao''er didn''t quite understand what he heard, but he also knew that it was not a good word.


    "If you want to help him find a good book academy, I have something to recommend. It''s just..." Boss Chen sighed suddenly: "Well, let me tell you that you don''t understand either. Let''s talk about it later."


    Zhao''er nodded in a daze.


    It was not too early to meet later, and the two planned to return to Yuqing Village.


    Because the big bag of clothes was too much, and it would be eye-catching to bring back, Boss Chen asked Zhao''er to put the things in his shop temporarily. Anyway, there are still a few vacant rooms behind the shop, so just find a place to put them.


    The two went back to the village by car, because after time, only the ox cart could be used, so the two sat on the ox cart and walked back bumping back and forth.


    Halfway along the road, a mule cart came head-on.


    The driver was a man, dark and tall. When he got closer, he could see his appearance clearly. He had thick eyebrows and tiger eyes, a high nose bridge, and he was very heroic. His sleeves were half rolled up above his elbows, and his arms seemed to be full of muscles. He looked like a powerful man.


    Xue Tingxiang saw the person coming at a glance, and his pupils shrank immediately.


    He glanced at Zhao''er next to him, saw her with her head half down, and he was relieved.


    But the visitor still saw them, his eyes lit up, and he raised his voice and shouted: "Zhaoer."


    Zhao''er looked over and immediately smiled: "Brother Jiang Wu, where are you going?"


    Jiang Wu tightened the reins and stopped the mule cart.


    "I''m going to town, are you going back? Get out of the car, and I''ll see you off."


    Zhao''er hesitated and said, "Don''t you still want to go to town? Anyway, we''ve already got in the car, so you should do your own work."


    "I don''t have anything to do. I just went to Lao Li''s place to have a look. Originally, my father said that I would go tomorrow and buy some things on the way back. It doesn''t matter whether I go or not. Come on, this car is slow and bumpy. My car is still faster." Jiang Wu said to Zhao''er with a smile, completely unaware that the face of the owner of the bullock cart turned black.


    Seeing this, Zhao''er didn''t let the owner of the ox cart stop, and jumped off from above. After taking two steps over there, I realized that I had forgotten the person.


    While letting the owner of the bullock cart stop, she said to Xue Tingxiang: "Come on down, let''s go back in Brother Jiang Wu''s car." With her beaming face, she was in a good mood.


    Xue Tingxiang''s face was a bit ugly, he glanced at Zhao''er, and then slowly got out of the car.


    The two got into the mule cart, and Jiang Wu drove the cart to Yuqing Village.


    "If I knew you were coming to the county today, I would have asked you to help me get my things back. Brother Jiang Wu, let me tell you, I found a business to do, and this business can make a lot of money. I definitely can''t do it alone. Why don''t we partner up and pay half a penny?"


    It wasn''t Jiang Wu''s first time doing business with Zhao''er. To be honest, before Zhao''er came to collect vegetables and sell them in the town, Jiang Wu helped her a lot.


    How much food can Zhao''er collect in other villages by herself, and besides, she doesn''t have a car, so it''s not convenient to go back and forth. But the Jiang family has a car, and the ancestors of the Jiang family were hunters. With this unique skill, the life of the Jiang family is very comfortable.


    The men of Jiang''s family don''t usually farm land, and the family''s more than 20 acres of land are rented out, and they only earn money by collecting rent and hunting with the men in the family. But hunting is not every day, so Jiang Wu is very free when he is not in the mountains, so he helps recruits to collect vegetables and so on, saying that the two share half and half, but Jiang Wu does not want the money every time .


    "But let me tell you first, if you don''t want to split the money, I won''t do this business with you."


    Without Mrs. Zhao''s words, Mrs. Sun said: "Zhao''er, it''s not the fourth aunt talking about you, you girl likes to make a fuss. Could it be that you deliberately torment us all, even if you don''t like it..."


    Before she finished speaking, she was pulled by the man Xue Qinghuai.


    "Okay, let''s say a few words less, Zhao''er is not ignorant, and besides, the dog is already sick, so it''s better to find a doctor to take a look, so the family can rest assured."


    "I said less and said less, and I didn''t say anything..."


    "You also said..."


    The couple went out while chatting and tugging. The eldest aunt Yang smiled at Zhao''er, and then said to the mother-in-law: "Mother, let''s go too, let the dog have a good rest."


    Mrs. Zhao glanced at the dog on the kang, snorted coldly, turned her head and left. It can be seen from her posture that she is very angry.


    In fact, it is true. The Xue family can''t be called a rich family. It costs at least one or two hundred dollars to invite a doctor from the town. ! In particular, the doctor''s pulse just now confirmed Zhao''s guess that Xue Gouzi was deliberately pretending to be ill, and it was only strange that she was happy.


    Let Mrs. Zhao see that the two little boys in the second room are deliberately torturing the family, but since the eldest daughter-in-law has come forward to persuade her, Mrs. Zhao will naturally not say more.


    Generally speaking, among the three daughters-in-law of the Xue family, Yang is the one who wins Zhao''s heart the most. The eldest has an unusual status, and Zhao is willing to show the eldest daughter-in-law some face.


    After Mrs. Zhao and Mrs. Yang left, only the third uncle Xue Qingbai and the third aunt Zhou were left in the house. The two were not used to talking much, and they didn''t stay long, Zhao''er thought that the third uncle had worked hard just now, so he sent the two of them out with a smile.


    When he turned his head and came back, he saw Xue Gouzi lying on the kang with his eyes open, his eyes staring blankly, as if he had lost his mind.


    She didn''t think much about it, she came to the side of the kang and patted his head: "Dog, don''t think too much, they don''t believe that you are sick and have a headache, sister believes you. Take care of your illness and don''t think about it anymore. "


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her, his mouth was dry and his throat was tight: "Zhaoer..."


    "What''s wrong? Is there something uncomfortable?"


    Feeling these undelicate but very warm hands touching his head and face, Xue Gouzi had a sense of reality and gratitude that he had never had before.


    She wasn''t dead, and neither was he.


    Although he didn''t like some of her daily actions, and even hated her as his child bride-in-law, but he never thought of letting her die, so how could he be the one who killed his wife and son.


    But Xue Gouzi was still very flustered, because that dream was too real. After going through that dream for more than seventy years, it seemed that he had also experienced that life. But after waking up from the dream, the vicissitudes of life have changed, and he dare not look back.


    "Zhaoer..."


    "Why!"


    "Zhaoer..."


    "Um."


    "Zhaoer..."


    A hot stream suddenly flowed out unconsciously from the dry eye sockets.


    This scared Zhao''er quite a bit, and he didn''t care to think that the little man would never call her that, let alone let himself get close to him. He hugged his head into his arms and asked him anxiously up.


    Seeing that he didn''t speak, but just buried himself in his arms and cried, Zhao''er couldn''t help but wonder if those people made him think too much just now. According to Zhao''er, the little man has a lot of things on his mind, and he never speaks out, otherwise he wouldn''t have this serious illness.

 Chapter 211

    For this reason, the third uncle Xue Qingbai borrowed an ox cart from his uncle''s house and invited a doctor back from the town. The doctor came to check the pulse, and Xue Gouzi didn''t have any symptoms, and the previous illness was almost cured. Although he is a little weak now, he just needs to take care of it slowly.


    As for the headache, even the doctor couldn''t tell what the cause was.


    After sending the doctor away, grandmother Zhao slapped her face on the spot.


    She looks like she is in her fifties, with her gray hair neatly tied behind her head. The face is long, the eyelids are a little sunken, and when the face is pulled, it becomes triangular eyes, which looks particularly unfriendly.


    Without Mrs. Zhao''s words, Mrs. Sun said: "Zhao''er, it''s not the fourth aunt talking about you, you girl likes to make a fuss. Could it be that you deliberately torment us all, even if you don''t like it..."


    Before she finished speaking, she was pulled by the man Xue Qinghuai.


    "Okay, let''s say a few words less, Zhao''er is not ignorant, and besides, the dog is already sick, so it''s better to find a doctor to take a look, so the family can rest assured."


    "I said less and said less, and I didn''t say anything..."


    "You also said..."


    The couple went out while chatting and tugging. The eldest aunt Yang smiled at Zhao''er, and then said to the mother-in-law: "Mother, let''s go too, let the dog have a good rest."


    Mrs. Zhao glanced at the dog on the kang, snorted coldly, turned her head and left. It can be seen from her posture that she is very angry.


    In fact, it is true. The Xue family can''t be called a rich family. It costs at least one or two hundred dollars to invite a doctor from the town. ! In particular, the doctor''s pulse just now confirmed Zhao''s guess that Xue Gouzi was deliberately pretending to be ill, and it was only strange that she was happy.


    Let Mrs. Zhao see that the two little boys in the second room are deliberately torturing the family, but since the eldest daughter-in-law has come forward to persuade her, Mrs. Zhao will naturally not say more.


    Generally speaking, among the three daughters-in-law of the Xue family, Yang is the one who wins Zhao''s heart the most. The eldest has an unusual status, and Zhao is willing to show the eldest daughter-in-law some face.


    After Mrs. Zhao and Mrs. Yang left, only the third uncle Xue Qingbai and the third aunt Zhou were left in the house. The two were not used to talking much, and they didn''t stay long, Zhao''er thought that the third uncle had worked hard just now, so he sent the two of them out with a smile.


    When he turned his head and came back, he saw Xue Gouzi lying on the kang with his eyes open, his eyes staring blankly, as if he had lost his mind.


    She didn''t think much about it, she came to the side of the kang and patted his head: "Dog, don''t think too much, they don''t believe that you are sick and have a headache, sister believes you. Take care of your illness and don''t think about it anymore. "


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her, his mouth was dry and his throat was tight: "Zhaoer..."


    "What''s wrong? Is there something uncomfortable?"


    Feeling these undelicate but very warm hands touching his head and face, Xue Gouzi had a sense of reality and gratitude that he had never had before.


    She wasn''t dead, and neither was he.


    Although he didn''t like some of her daily actions, and even hated her as his child bride-in-law, but he never thought of letting her die, so how could he be the one who killed his wife and son.


    But Xue Gouzi was still very flustered, because that dream was too real. After going through that dream for more than seventy years, it seemed that he had also experienced that life. But after waking up from the dream, the vicissitudes of life have changed, and he dare not look back.


    "Zhaoer..."


    "Why!"


    "Zhaoer..."


    "Um."


    "Zhaoer..."


    A hot stream suddenly flowed out unconsciously from the dry eye sockets.


    This scared Zhao''er quite a bit, and he didn''t care to think that the little man would never call her that, let alone let himself get close to him. He hugged his head into his arms and asked him anxiously up.


    Seeing that he didn''t speak, but just buried himself in his arms and cried, Zhao''er couldn''t help but wonder if those people made him think too much just now. According to Zhao''er, the little man has a lot of things on his mind, and he never speaks out, otherwise he wouldn''t have this serious illness.


    She patted him on the back, hugged him like she did when she was a child, and comforted him: "Don''t be afraid, dog, even if they don''t send you to study, sister will send you there, and sister will send you even if she sells everything." go."


    *


    After all, Xue Gouzi had just recovered from a serious illness, and after experiencing such an incident, he fell asleep after drinking some porridge for dinner.


    Zhao''er covered him with a quilt before tidying up the basket she had just brought back.


    The back basket is full of needlework and cloth, which are rags that Zhao''er bought in the embroidery workshop in the town. The reason why I started this business was because I used to recruit children to carry the finished purses for the women in the village to sell in the embroidery workshop.


    There is no adult in the second room. Although the family is in charge of eating, after all, the pen, ink, paper and inkstone used by Xue Gouzi to study, as well as the clothes, bedding and some odds and ends of the two people on weekdays, etc., all need money.


    Wanting to ask for money from Mrs. Zhao is more expensive than ascending to the sky, and although the uncle Xue Qingshan is determined to treat his nephew as if he were his own, but Zhao''er usually only sees the big family''s child with greasy lips, and Xue Juncai never Lack of pens, ink, paper and inkstones. In contrast, the little man was as thin as a bamboo pole, and he picked up a bald pen that Xue Qingshan didn''t use back then.


    Zhao''er has always been a strong one, she couldn''t bear to wrong the little man, so she could only find money everywhere by herself. There was no opportunity to make money in the countryside, so she went to the town to look around, as long as it was within her power and did not require capital, she would try to do it.


    In the past few years, she has collected vegetables from the village and sold them in the town, picked up work from the embroidery workshop and assigned them to women with good craftsmanship in the village, and usually went to the mountains to find mountain products to sell.


    And now this business has been done several times, Zhao''er has a sweet mouth and a thick face, the boss of the embroidery workshop can''t hold her back, so he sells the unwanted rags to her in bags. She took it back, sorted and cut it, and then asked the women in the village to help make purses and other things, and she could earn a lot of money by reselling them in the embroidery workshop. It is much better than before just receiving the purses made by others, and earning a penny for a few purses.


    If he hadn''t made some money by doing this business, he didn''t know when Xue Gouzi would recover from his serious illness. Mrs. Zhao would have given up the money to get the medicine for a long time ago, and Zhao''er used his own money to catch the medicines later. I still have to hide it, for fear that other members of the Xue family will find out.


    Thinking of this, the corners of Zhao''er''s mouth tightened.


    She has always been agile in her hands and feet, and seeing that she picked out some usable cloth heads, she stopped tossing about. I chose clean ones and spread them out on a square table, and cut these strangely shaped cloth heads into a uniform shape with scissors.


    This is Zhao''er''s own calculation based on how much fabric is needed to make a purse, no more and no less, she will not take out these rags for people to see.


    It is not easy for country people to earn a penny. If someone finds out, the designated way to earn money will be robbed within a few days.


    Zhao''er also wants to use this to make money for the little man to go to the town to study, so that she can only go to see Xue Jun, and her little man can also go. Zhao''er has always been prepared with both hands when doing things, and she knows in her heart that the big house will never let such a good thing happen to the little man.


    It is better to ask for others than to ask for yourself, and it is better to rely on yourself than to rely on mountains and rivers.


    Zhao''er has understood this truth since she was seven years old when she was going to be exchanged for money by her grandmother and father.


    After Zhao''er finished what she was doing, seeing the little man was fast asleep, and seeing that it was already dark outside, she wrapped the tidy cloth in something, and hurried out with it.


    Under the night, Yuqing Village was exceptionally peaceful, and the light silver moonlight shone on the trails in the village. Although the road was still unclear, it was not completely dark after all.


    Zhao''er walked all the way and didn''t even startle a dog.


    This is not an ability that ordinary people can have. You must know that in places like the countryside, almost every household has a dog. Dogs are very alert at night, and whenever someone walks past the door, they bark wildly. Even if a petty thief came to the door, he would have been scared away by the dog long ago.


    Zhao''er also developed this ability after walking a lot at night.


    Of course, it was also related to the sunspot following her legs.


    Heizi is a country dog, but it is stronger and bigger than ordinary dogs. There are not many dogs in Yuqing Village that can beat Heizi, and it is because of Heizi that Zhao''er dares to walk alone at night.


    She went all the way to a family''s house with ease, and it was strange that the other party knew that she would come at this time and left the door open for her. As soon as she entered the door, the family''s dog rushed over. Before she could reach her, a black shadow rushed over and threw the other person to the ground. The dog was so frightened that it fell on the ground and stopped barking.


    Zhao''er gloated at the side: "I don''t have a long memory!"


    At this time, a person came out of the house, and he smiled as he walked up to the front: "This black man is here to bully our family Wangcai again, Zhao''er, come in and sit down."


    "Aunt Osmanthus, I won''t go in, I''m still rushing back."


    Zhao''er handed over the things in his hands to the visitor, took some things from the other person, wrapped them in cloth, and then went to the next household.


    Zhao''er went to five families.


    She is anxious to make money, but there are few women in the village who are good at needlework, and she needs to find someone who is tight-lipped and reliable. shit money.


    The reason why she said that was because when she collected vegetables from the village and sold them in the town, she was publicized by people who didn''t know the door, causing her to be pointed at all day long. She was not afraid of being pointed out, but these things finally reached the ears of the little man, and some villagers made fun of him, which caused a lot of conflicts between her and the little man. And after that, she won''t receive any vegetables in the village, even if someone sells them to her, it will be at a high price.


    In the end, she had no choice but to go to other villages to collect vegetables. It was not a waste of time. Since then, Zhaoer has developed a memory.


    When Zhao''er came home, Xue Gouzi on the kang was still sleeping soundly.


    She went to get some water to wash her face and wipe her hands before getting on the kang. The second room only had this kang, and she had slept with Xue Gouzi since she was a child, and she was used to it.


    Heizi slept under the kang, just now when he invited his son into the house, he slid in at his feet and chose a random place to lie down. It seems that the dog''s eyes have been closed, but in fact the two ears are standing up, and they move from time to time.


    Before Zhao''er lay down, she bullied herself over to look at the little man, and touched his forehead, before falling asleep in peace.


    *


    Compared with the second room because of the sparse population, there are only two rooms and one kang, the treatment of the first room is obviously much better. The entire three east rooms were occupied by the big room, and at this time in the east room, Mrs. Yang was talking to Xue Qingshan.


    Yang narrated what happened during the day, Xue Qingshan immediately frowned after listening.


    He was not at home during the day, so naturally he didn''t know what happened at home. Nowadays, some respectable families will invite scholars to preside over their weddings and funerals, but where rural families can afford to hire scholars, some will invite children to make up the number.


    No matter how they are all scholars, they are different from ordinary people.


    Today, Xue Qingshan was invited by a family in a nearby village to have a wedding. It doesn''t matter what the etiquette is.


    But the people in the countryside are poor, so the happy money will not be too much, at most a few tens of pennies.


    Xue Qingshan likes this kind of work the most. Every time at this time, he will randomly assign articles to memorize for the students in the school, and then go out for a whole day, and no one will say anything. What he likes is not only having money to take, but also when this time is his happiest time.


    He was sitting in the position of the guest of honor, and the men who came to have a wedding banquet were all proud to have a conversation with him.


    He is the master of Tongsheng!


    Of course, it would be even better if Tongsheng could be replaced by a scholar, Xue Qingshan would have dreamed of it. But for so many years, he has more or less self-knowledge, so he can''t help pinning his hopes on his son.


    It''s a pity that someone is blocking this way now.


    Xue Qingshan drank a lot of wine, his chubby face was flushed, and he was holding his breath in his heart, so he spit and scolded: "What kind of moth is this son of a bitch, I really want to open a dyeing workshop just to give him some color. !"


    Yang sighed faintly: "Who told you that you agreed to the second child so easily at the beginning, but now it''s hard to get off the tiger because of our talents."


    "In that situation back then, the second child seemed to be honest, and he wanted to accompany his elder brother when he was about to die. If I knew that he was paying attention that day, I would have found a way to shut him up, but so many people I was present, and the accident happened because of me, if I don''t even agree to this matter, how can I gain a foothold in front of others."


    Of course, Mrs. Yang knew this truth, but she couldn''t calm down. Just because of that bullshit promise, Da Fang kept her hands tied. Her son wanted to go to the library to study, but he had to hide and beg the other party to show his respect.


    She was always proud and arrogant, so naturally the more she thought about it, the more annoyed she became, her eyes sparkled, but she sneered on her face: "Because he fell ill suddenly, originally Dad planned to make decisions for us, so we can only endure it. But he has been sick for these days, and today he has such a scene, and my mother is already annoyed. I asked the fourth daughter-in-law to tell my mother that the dog is probably pretending to be sick. I think my mother has already decided that he is pretending. sick."


    Xue Qingshan''s eyes lit up: "That''s good, I''ll go talk to my parents tomorrow and let them put this matter into practice." He put his arms around Yang''s shoulders with a smile, and said: "My wife is smarter. , Prepared a backhand early."


    Yang gave him an angry look, and the two of them rested together, without speaking for a whole night.


    Now is the busy season, and there are not many schoolchildren in the school. The private schools in the countryside are like this. Every two seasons when the farming season is busy, the schoolchildren will be given holidays, so Xue Qingshan has been quite free recently. But no one cares about where he goes or not. When the school is on vacation, he is often not seen for several days.


    Zhao''er washed the dishes and chopsticks used by herself and the little man, and took them back to the kitchen. Mrs. Zhou was cooking pig food, while Tao''er was sweeping the yard. Seeing that she had nothing to do, Zhao''er found Heizi''s food bowl, and took a bowl from the leftover rice that was going to be mixed in pig grass to feed pigs later. , carrying it and walking out the door.


    Mrs. Zhou glanced at her back, but said nothing.


    The leftovers are for Heizi. Dogs in the country are like this. The owner eats dry food, and the dog drinks water. When the owner eats water, the dog usually goes hungry. Country dogs in the countryside are used to starvation, but Zhao''er usually pays little attention to sunspots, no matter good or bad, he always feeds him.


    Occasionally there are additional meals, of course, these are invisible to the human face.


    Anyway, Mrs. Zhao saw Zhao''er picking food out of her pig''s mouth and feeding it to the dog!


    She stepped out of the main room and saw this scene, her old face immediately pulled down, and she didn''t see her scolding Zhao''er, so she stood in front of the door and shouted at the direction of the kitchen: "Let you feed the pigs!" It¡¯s good for you, feed the food into the dog¡¯s mouth, such a big person is useless, and eating for nothing is not enough.¡±

 Chapter 212

    She sat up, raised her hand to touch the little man''s forehead, and made sure that her hands were not hot, then put on her clothes lightly and got off the kang.


    The first thing to do was to open the door, and Heizi, who had been restless for a long time, got out with a swish. Zhao''er also walked out of the room, seeing Heizi hurriedly running out of the courtyard to pee, she shook her head with a broken smile.


    At this time, someone had already woken up in the courtyard, it was the Zhou family of the third bedroom and his eldest daughter Xue Tao''er.


    Today it''s the third room''s turn to cook. The Xue family''s rule is that apart from the housework of each room, the work in the office is shared equally. One day per room, in rotation.


    The room responsible for cooking is not only responsible for the food and drink of the whole family, but also takes care of the livestock in the family. The Xue family raised two big fat pigs, and it was not an easy job to just serve these two ancestors every day. Not to mention feeding chickens, carrying water, and chopping firewood, so the female family members who do housework on this day do not have to go to the fields to work.


    It seems to be fair and just, but in fact everyone inside knows how.


    The eldest aunt Yang claimed that the man was a child student, and she was exceptionally superior at home. Since Xue Qingshan passed the child student examination, she never touched housework again. The key is that Mrs. Zhao is also looking towards her, so it''s not easy for others to question her.


    At first, it was Xue Gouzi''s mother, Mrs. Qiu, who finally came in, the third-bedroom Mrs. Zhou, and the two sisters-in-law finally shared the burden. Afterwards, Mrs. Qiu followed her deceased husband, and Mrs. Zhou was left alone. It was not until Mrs. Sun of the fourth room entered the door that she would be able to catch her breath again.


    It''s a pity that Mrs. Sun is lazy and playful. In fact, Mrs. Zhou still does most of the work.


    In the past, when Mrs. Qiu was still alive, Zhao''er also helped Mrs. Qiu to do it. After Mrs. Qiu passed away, Zhao''er was busy with the housework of the second room and had to do the work in the office. In addition, Zhao''er was still young at that time, Mr. Xue told her to take good care of Xue Gouzi and not to take care of the work at work.


    Zhao''er now has free time to go around and get some money, but she is a person who looks at her conscience and will help out as much as she can in her spare time. As for those who used words to squeeze her like Sun, her sharp tongue was not forgiving.


    Seeing Xue Taoer struggling to fetch water from the well, Zhao''er rubbed his face and went up to help her.


    Thirteen-year-old Xue Taoer is like a small flower in bud. Although she is not very beautiful, she is very delicate. Seeing Zhao''er coming to help her, she couldn''t help showing a smile and talking to her: "Sister Zhao''er, is the second brother better?" Xue Gouzi is the second grandson of the Xue family, so Xue Taoer called him the second brother .


    "I had a fever again last night, and it got better in the second half of the night." Zhao''er looked around curiously, and asked, "Why isn''t Third Uncle here?"


    Although Xue Qingbai is a bit honest and reticent, he always loves his wife and daughter. Whenever he meets the third room to cook, he will get up early to fill the water tank.


    The Xue family has its own well, but the well is too deep, and there is no pulley on the well, so it is really exhausting to draw water with the strength of the daughter''s family alone. That is to say, Zhao''er was naturally as strong as an ox, and his strength was no worse than that of ordinary middle-aged men, so he could pull the bucket out of the deep well very easily.


    "My father went to the field and said he would work for a while and return after breakfast."


    Xue Qingbai is an honest farmer. Unlike other brothers in the family who have other skills, he only knows how to farm, so he puts all his heart on the ground. The Xue family has a total of more than 30 mu of land, and now he, Mr. Xue and the fourth son Xue Qinghuai are all planted.


    Although the women of the Xue family also went to the fields, it was only during the busy farming season, and besides, the women only had so little strength, so how could they help. Fortunately, the three men from Xue''s family are all good hands in the field, and they are really too busy, so they hired part-time workers to help out for a few days, so they don''t have to worry about not being able to finish the work in the field.


    Just as he was talking, the door of the fourth room opened, and Xue Qinghuai walked out from inside.


    The men in the Xue family are all big, so Xue Qinghuai also inherited a tall body.


    He was born with thick eyebrows, tiger eyes and a high nose bridge. He was dressed in dark blue coarse cloth and short brown, and looked very heroic. In fact, the men of the Xue family are not bad looking, but the women of the Xue family are a little mediocre, but all the grandchildren are born well, and they are all top-notch in the village.


    "Zhaoer Taoer, you wake up so early." Xue Qinghuai walked over in a few strides, took the wooden bucket in Zhaoer''s hand, walked to the water tank, and poured water into the tank.


    "How can you two little girls do this kind of rough work? You go to do other things, and the fourth uncle is here to fetch water."


    Zhao''er and Tao''er didn''t refuse either, one went to the kitchen to help her mother cook, and the other took a basin to scoop up water for washing.


    As time passed, the rest of the Xue family got up one after another, and there were more and more voices in the yard. On the other side of the kitchen, Mrs. Zhou yelled to eat. Generally, country people don''t pay much attention to breakfast, and they have to set a table or something. They always serve a bowl with a bowl, and eat it at any place.


    Breakfast is two rice porridge, the so-called two rice porridge is porridge cooked from two kinds of rice. Yuqing Village does not grow rice, but only wheat, sorghum, millet, corn and other crops. Although farmers grow wheat, they seldom use it for their own food. They sell it for other grains.


    Even a well-to-do family like Xue''s family with surplus food did not eat fine grains all at once, but a mixture of coarse grains and fine grains. For example, today''s breakfast is two-rice porridge, which is a porridge cooked with millet, that is, yellow rice, and sorghum rice.


    Because it was a busy time of farming, it was cooked quite thickly. Although it didn''t hold up with chopsticks inserted, it was much better than the usual thin soup with little water.


    There is no way, the Xue family seems to have a decent family background in the village, but there are three scholars in the family. Not to mention Xue Gouzi, Guangda Fang and his son spend a lot of money every month, and it''s no wonder that Mrs. Zhao usually can pick up fleas to get a little blood.


    Zhao''er filled two bowls of porridge, put a few cornbreads on a thick porcelain plate, and put some pickles on the side, and took them back to the second room''s room.


    As soon as he entered the door, he saw Xue Gouzi sitting up from the kang.


    She hurriedly put the wooden tray on the square table, and came up to see him: "But he''s better? Are you hungry? Sister will bring you some porridge."


    Xue Gouzi looked at her with complicated eyes.


    After experiencing such a dream, he now doesn''t know how to face Zhao''er. As long as he saw her, he couldn''t help but think of him in his dream, those words scolded by others before he died. He also tried to find the cause of Zhao''er''s death in his memory, but it seemed that that memory was Xue Tingxiang''s most unbearable past, and he had no memory at all.


    In fact, Xue Gouzi was burned in a daze last night, and Xue Gouzi thought for a long time. He couldn''t figure out whether he was Xue Gouzi or Xue Tingxiang, whether that dream was true or not, whether he was thinking about it every day and dreaming at night , to have such an absurd dream.


    However, he also had an idea in his heart. If everything in that dream was true, several things should happen in succession. If these things happen, it means that his dreams are real.


    Thinking about something in his heart, he reached out to catch the bowl, only to realize that he didn''t even have the strength to hold the bowl. Luckily, Zhao''er caught the bowl quickly, so he didn''t spill it all over him.


    Xue Gouzi was a little embarrassed and anxious. It was very strange, obviously he would not have this kind of reaction in front of Zhao''er before, but I don''t know if it was a dream, and his state of mind had a strange change.


    Zhao''er laughed at him: "Why are you being polite with my sister? I forgot that when you were a child, you peed on the kang, and it was my sister who washed it for you."


    Zhao''er came to Xue''s house when he was seven years old, and Gouzi was only five years old at that time. It is very inexplicable for a child to pee on the kang. It is obvious that he has not urinated for a long time. I don''t know if he drank too much water before going to bed or what, but he actually peed on the kang.


    Since Qiu gave birth to the dog, her bones were not good, and it was winter again. In order to repay the kindness of the second wife, Zhao''er volunteered to wash the dirty clothes and pants for the dog. Since then, she started her career as a child bride.


    What Xue Gouzi hates the most is Zhao''er. He always likes to say inconspicuous things in front of him. You must know that as you get older, boys will lose face, how can you still be willing to listen to people mentioning such things, especially dogs are naturally sensitive. But today for some reason, he didn''t feel annoyed, only a little embarrassed.


    He was surprised by his own reaction, but Zhao''er had already fed him porridge with a wooden spoon. He subconsciously opened his mouth, and waited until the warm porridge blown by her was fed into his mouth, and he saw the smiling eyes of the other party.


    Those eyes were big and bright, as if there were stars hidden in them, and he couldn''t help but blush.


    Zhao''er smiled even more happily, and stuffed him with a tortilla: "Eat quickly, sister will cook eggs for you at noon."


    She was coaxing him like a child, Gouzi suddenly had this understanding.


    He was eating porridge from Zhao''er, thinking wildly in his mind, it was very chaotic.


    Just then, someone came to the door.


    It was Xue Qingshan.


    Exactly the same as in the dream.


    Xue Qingshan''s fair face was full of sighs and worries, he sighed and said a lot of words, the main idea was to let the dog recover well, don''t worry too much, there are grandparents and uncles at home, he can''t lose him.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Qingshan also followed the appearance and height of the man from the Xue family. He was also a weed in Yuqing Village in his early years, but unfortunately he got a little fatter as he got older.


    "Uncle still has to go to the private school, dog, take care of your illness, you are a child with a lot of thoughts." Sighing and patting his nephew on the shoulder, Xue Qingshan lifted the curtain and left.


    What is he doing?


    Zhao''er thought suspiciously. After thinking about it for a while, she couldn''t figure out why, so she stopped thinking about it and concentrated on feeding the dog porridge, but Xue Gouzi looked thoughtful.


    *


    In the main room, Mrs. Zhao is chatting with Mr. Xue about what happened yesterday.


    Mrs. Zhao was sewing an old dress in her hand, and said, "Let me tell you, you just like to spoil that little thing. You love him, but he doesn''t love you. Our family''s money doesn''t come from the river, just Because he didn''t want to show his illness to the whole family, he made a fuss after another, which is to make the family upside down."


    Mr. Xue was in his fifties, tall and tall, and his skin was black and red like that of a countryman who had been exposed to the sun for a long time. He was wearing dark blue coarse cloth pants, sitting cross-legged on the Kang, smoking a dry cigarette.


    Every time after dinner or before work, Mr. Xue always smoked for a while, otherwise he would feel exhausted.


    "Okay, Gouwazi is sick, who doesn''t have three illnesses and four pains." After a while, he said hoarsely.


    The patter, patter sounded again, and the lingering blue smoke swirled in the air, and then scattered in all directions. Behind it, the old face of Mr. Xue was hidden, looming.


    "But look how long he has been in trouble? Yesterday, more than one hundred coins were lost. How long will it take you to work hard in the field to earn more than one hundred coins! Boss has to leave another two hundred coins. It is said that someone in a classmate¡¯s family had a birthday, and there was a disaster just last year, and the tax was not exempted, but increased. Seeing that the boss said that he wanted to send Juncai to the town to study, it was another expense. How much money do you have? Withstood such a toss!"


    Seeing that his wife was so distressed, Mr. Xue sat up straight, tapped the cigarette pot on the kang table, and gave her a sideways look: "Your heart will be distressed if you spend a hundred yuan for a dog, and you will give it if the boss asks you for it? Not me Speaking of you, you are a parent and grandmother, so don''t be too biased, you don''t have to make the following little ones have conflicts."


    Upon hearing this, Mrs. Zhao didn''t want to. She slapped him across the kang table and said, "I''m biased? Don''t you?"


    He is also biased, but the boss is the most promising in the family, and the handsome is also the most outstanding among the grandchildren. It''s different to have a scholar in the family. No one will say that Xue Lianxing''s family is a decent person when they go out. If Dafang can produce a scholar, his Xue family will be honored.


    Just thinking of Xue Gouzi, Mr. Xue couldn''t help frowning.


    Of course he knew that the mother-in-law was very annoyed, Gou''er was too ignorant, the eldest owed the life to the second, but Xue''s family was in such a family situation, naturally they had to pay attention to their future.


    It''s not that Mr. Xue looks down on his grandson, but that Gou''er is really not comparable to a handsome boy, nor can he. It''s good to be strong, but you always have to look at the situation.


    "The boss''s daughter-in-law has already said several times that the school in the town cannot be delayed. The delay is half a year. The boss still wants to let Juncai try next year." Zhao added.


    "Back then, I promised my second child!" Old Master Xue sighed deeply, took two puffs of dry cigarettes, and coughed twice when he was choked.


    "Anyway, you can figure it out!" Zhao Shi was so angry that she threw the clothes aside, turned her head and leaned back on the kang, giving the man a backbone.


    Old man Xue slapped his mouth several times, and the gully on his face deepened: "You too, old woman, don''t you think that if outsiders know about this, we can still have face in the village?"


    "Then what do you think we should do? Let''s not do it?" Mrs. Zhao rolled over and sat up again, staring at Mr. Xue.


    "Of course it has to be done, it depends on how to do it. How about this, you ask Cuiping to come back tomorrow, and she has to do this matter."


    Zhao''er was familiar with the boss, and greeted her with a smile as soon as she entered the door. The strange thing was that the boss recognized her, and when he saw her, he smiled and asked her if she came to buy paper for her brother.


    Bringing this up is a bit old.


    Back then, Zhao''er felt sorry for Xue Tingxiang, so she saved some money to buy paper for him to practice calligraphy. Who would have thought that this paper was much more expensive than she imagined. Even the worst yellow bamboo paper costs 40 Wen a knife, but that day Zhaoer collected all the money on his body, but only 30 Wen.


    In order to get the boss to sell the paper to her at a lower price, Zhao''er worked with the boss for a long time. He even made up the pretense of having a hard-working younger brother, but unfortunately both parents died and his family was poor, so the boss agreed to sell it to her cheaply. Later, she came to buy it several times, all at the previous price, but she became acquainted with Boss Chen.


    Boss Chen praised her for her noble character, earning hard money, but still supporting her younger brother''s education. Usually, when she comes to buy paper, she almost always buys half and gives half away.


    Normally, Zhao''er would accept this kind of talk with a cheeky face, but today with Xue Tingxiang around, she was inevitably a little embarrassed, for fear that Boss Chen would slip up and make the little man look down on her for lying.


    Zhao''er has suffered, so she knows the skills of survival, but the little man doesn''t, especially the scholar is very pedantic, so every time she encounters such a situation where the two people''s ideas conflict, she will always subconsciously go away. Avoid these.

 Chapter 213

    In fact, Xue Tingxiang is not good at reciting poems, but he can''t hold back that the person in his dream has lived a long life and has a wide market. There used to be a long-standing joke among scholars¡ª¡ª


    It is said that there was a gray-haired scholar who took the exam, and the examiner knew from his appearance that he was an old boy who failed the exam repeatedly, so he deliberately made things difficult for him: "I have a couplet, if you can match, I will take it." you."


    The old boy felt bitter in his heart, but he didn''t dare to give up.


    The chief examiner asked the question: "If you take the bait, you are old; if you take the bait, you are a tester. If you are old, you will be a child, and if you are a child, you will be old."


    The old boy bowed to Rao, and replied: "One person is great, and two are heaven. Heaven is greater than human affection, and human affection is greater than heaven."


    This flattery was exquisite, so the examiner was too embarrassed to go back on his word, so he had no choice but to choose him as a scholar.


    In fact, upon hearing this story, one knew it was made up. Anyone who has participated in the hospital examination should know what the situation will be. How can the chief examiner take the initiative to test an old boy? The examiner and the examinee will not talk to each other, and it is also for avoidance.


    It was obviously made up by a failed scholar, and it was used as a comforting chat, and because it made people laugh, it spread among scholars. It even extended to the fact that any official in the DPRK was released as an academic officer, or presided over a new department examination, and the official who had a good relationship with him could not help telling the last sentence, but don''t be ''human beings are too big''.


    It is not only a joke, but also an exhortation. There have always been many frauds involved in imperial examinations.


    Xue Tingxiang did not expect to hear this pair here.


    He didn''t feel uneasy because this second line was borrowed, because winning Xue Juncai has always been the biggest obsession in his heart.


    It is now, and it was also in the dream.


    In the dream, he was troubled by this matter for a long time, and after all kinds of hard work, he finally felt proud. It was because of the experience that he knew that this kind of obsession affects a person''s xinxing too much. He has a more ambitious goal, and there are still many things to do, but Xue Juncai is just an obstacle to him now, overcoming him is what he needs to do now.


    As for why he discarded the second couplet he came up with and chose to borrow this. Xue Tingxiang took a look at Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong, and thought it was because of his insignificance that he made fun of them with resentment.


    Obviously, only Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong are Tongsheng, and although this pair is perfect, it is obviously ironic. Old students test children, children students test to old age. This is undoubtedly the greatest ridicule and curse for a person who has failed to pass the entrance examination for many years.


    The faces of the two of them immediately turned purple, but they had to hold back. At this time, He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai had already clapped their hands and praised it.


    "Okay, that''s right!"


    It seemed that everyone had forgotten about Xue Juncai. He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai whispered a few times, and then He Xiucai announced: "After the unanimous decision of the two of us, the winner is Xue Tingxiang and Xue Xiaoyou."


    "Xue Xiaoyou, I hope you can work hard and achieve fame as soon as possible." He said to Xue Tingxiang with a pleasant face.


    "Thank you two seniors for your encouragement, I will definitely work harder." Xue Tingxiang bowed to him.


    While He Qiao and Xue Tingxiang were talking, the villagers standing in the hall and outside the house had already started discussing. Most of them are admiration, but of course there are also those who can''t believe it and question it.


    Among them, the Xue family is the most unbelievable, especially Xue Qingshan. He had suppressed it before, but now he couldn''t help it anymore, stood up and said: "Just relying on these to judge victory or defeat, are the two seniors Too hasty?"


    Seeing that both He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai looked over, he flinched a bit, and then became confident again: "The kid''s pair hasn''t been made yet, so the winner is decided like this..."


    He Xiucai showed displeasure on his face, and ignored him, but asked patriarch Xue with a cold old face: "Could it be that patriarch Xue also disagrees with the conclusions of the two of us?"


    Patriarch Xue dared to offend Mr. Xiucai, he was still two Mr. Xiucai. Besides, from his point of view, Xue Tingxiang''s performance this time was indeed somewhat unexpected, and it was much more talented than Xue Jun. He was an outsider, so he could see it clearly, so he quickly scolded Xue Qingshan and asked him to apologize publicly to the two scholars.


    Xue Juncai was also full of dissatisfaction: "The boy is not convinced either, he has never been as good as me, I just didn''t prepare properly, the two seniors can ask another question, this time the boy will definitely beat him."


    At this time, a woman squeezed in from the crowd outside the door.


    Her clothes are disheveled and her hair is messy. It is Mrs. Yang.


    Yang stumbled in and cried, "My son can''t lose, you two must have been bribed to hurt my son on purpose."


    This remark made a big fuss, especially on such an occasion, when a woman rushed in and made a loud noise, not only He Qiao and the two scholars showed anger, but even several village elders present repeatedly reprimanded them as inappropriate.


    "Ridiculous, really ridiculous! Could it be that Li Zheng and the patriarch thought we were bribed?"


    "You two scholars, don''t be angry. This woman has long hair but short knowledge. She is talking nonsense."


    "Lian Xing, don''t get your shrew back!"


    The old man Xue beside him was so anxious that he didn''t know what to do, but as a father-in-law, he couldn''t help his daughter-in-law, so he had to ask his eldest son Xue Qingshan to take his wife away quickly.


    It''s just that Xue Qingshan still wants an explanation at this time, so how could he care about this.


    There was a lot of trouble on the field, He Xiucai wanted to leave, and Qiao Xiucai didn''t want to stay longer. Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng repeatedly tried to persuade them to stay, and at the same time angrily reprimanded them to get rid of these people quickly.


    Qiao Xiucai sneered, and did not reprimand Xue Juncai, but sneered at Xue Qingshan: "You are a boy, and you have passed the exam several times, but you can''t see the meaning of these exams, brother He, no wonder you took the exam. After so many years, he is still a child!"


    This Qiao Xiucai''s words were too touching, Xue Qingshan''s face turned green and pale. In fact, Qiao Xiucai was not usually so bitter, but he uttered bad words because he saw that the father and son refused to admit their losses and wanted to pester them.


    "In terms of adapting to the situation and calmness of mind, he is not as good as him." He pointed to Xue Tingxiang, and then pointed to Xue Juncai: "You have time in the examination room to dawdle for you, another chance? Let''s talk about the roll , full of stains, I am afraid that if you don¡¯t need to read what you wrote, you will end up not taking it!¡±


    At this time, Xue Juncai was already pale with fright, how could he react, but Xue Qingshan was as if struck by lightning, so he didn''t speak anymore.


    *


    He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai stayed in the end.


    Taking advantage of the chaos in the hall, Xue Qingshan sneaked into the crowd with Xue Juncai and Yang surreptitiously.


    Seeing that there is no excitement, the villagers also dispersed, and while walking home, they discussed today''s affairs with the people around them.


    In fact, they don''t know anything, as long as they know that the person who wins in the end is the dog of the second wife of Xue Lianxing''s family. It can be predicted that after this incident, many people in the village will change their views on Xue Tingxiang, and they will even talk about it endlessly.


    And Xue Juncai''s name in the village is destined to be replaced by Xue Tingxiang.


    Taking advantage of the crowd, Xue Tingxiang walked out from Zheng Lizheng''s house.


    Zhao''er had been waiting outside for a long time, and as soon as he saw him, he said happily: "Gou''er, you really won, you beat Xue Juncai! My sister is so happy."


    She was so happy that she didn''t know how to be happy. Seeing this, Xue Tingxiang couldn''t say anything to condemn her, but just looked at her with a smile.


    After being happy for a while, Zhao''er showed a little hesitation: "By the way, after you beat him, do you really want to go to Qinghe Academy to study?"


    Xue Tingxiang pondered for a while: "I don''t plan to go to Qinghe Academy. Uncle Chen said that he can introduce me to Qingyuan Academy."


    "Qingyuan Academy? The name seems to be quite similar to Qinghe Academy. Is this academy good?" Immediately, Zhao''er laughed and said, "That''s right, Uncle Chen is well-informed, so what he can say is definitely not bad. .¡±


    Xue Tingxiang nodded: "I plan to go to town in these two days and talk to Uncle Chen about it."


    "What are you waiting for these two days, let''s go now."


    Xue Tingxiang did not expect Zhao''er to be so eager, so he hesitated.


    Zhao''er said again: "There must be chaos at home right now, let''s avoid the limelight first."


    He immediately understood the meaning of her words, with the dispositions of the eldest couple, and the always eccentric Zhao family, he didn''t know what kind of chaos would happen in the family.


    The two left the village avoiding the crowd, and because they didn''t meet the mule cart, they took the bullock cart to the town.


    When we arrived at Dongliju, Uncle Chen happened to be there. Xue Tingxiang explained the matter, and Uncle Chen agreed that he would go to his classmate tomorrow. After that, the two of them didn''t go back, Xue Tingxiang continued to copy his unfinished book, while Zhao''er continued to tidy up the pile of clothes that she hadn''t finished.


    It was not until the evening that the two returned to Yuqing Village.


    The courtyard of Xue''s house was quiet, with cooking smoke wafting from the chimney, and it seemed that cooking was going on in the stove.


    Standing in the yard, Mrs. Zhao saw two people walking in from the outside. She had a cold old face and scolded without naming names: "People say that we enjoy the blessings of our children and grandchildren, but we have become old slaves. We don''t see anyone for a day." , Open your mouth to eat when you get home, I owe you in my previous life!"


    Mrs. Yang came out from the east chamber: "Mother, the meal for the third sibling is ready, let''s quickly set the table for dinner."


    Mrs. Zhao snorted coldly, turned around and entered the door of the main house. Yang Shi didn''t even look at the two of them, but followed behind and went in.


    Zhao''er looked at Xue Tingxiang.


    Xue Tingxiang looked at her: "What are you looking at?"


    Zhao''er sneered, and muttered in a low voice: "Don''t pay attention to grandma, she just has no side."


    "Ok, I know."


    *


    When the two were tidying up in the house, there was a sudden commotion in the courtyard, not only the voices of Mr. Xue and Xue Qingshan, but also a familiar voice.


    Zhao''er looked out the window, and saw Yang''s father, Yang Zhong.


    Yang Zhong was from nearby Niujiaoling, and because he was a boy, he was considered a respectable figure in Niujiaoling. Like his son-in-law, he opened a private school to make ends meet. However, this person is exaggerated, good at putting on airs, relying on the old to sell the old, the most important thing is to attract children''s dislike.


    Yang Zhong seemed to have eaten too much wine somewhere, his steps were a little staggering, and his fat face was flushed.


    The couple from Dafang greeted them, as well as Mr. Xue.


    Mr. Xue looked a little embarrassed: "Old relative, for my family''s affairs, I have troubled you to run several times. This is because you have eaten too much wine. Come in and sit down."


    Yang complained: "Father, you too, why do you drink so much wine?"


    "It''s not that Zheng Lizheng is too hospitable. After drinking for so long, your father is still not drunk?" Yang Zhong looked a little smug, and said to Mr. Xue: "It''s nothing, a handsome man is too. My grandson, as a grandfather, how can I not come to make decisions for him. "


    This made Mr. Xue even more embarrassed. He also knew what happened in the morning, and it must not be so simple. He accompanied him with a smile and said: "I made my in-laws laugh at me, if it wasn''t for the family''s financial difficulties, this kind of thing wouldn''t have happened..."


    The voices of the two gradually lowered, and they entered the room together.


    Zhao''er took a look at Xue Tingxiang: "Fortunately, I bought a few buns when I came back. Well, I don''t need to eat this dinner."


    In fact, no one asked them to eat, because Yang Zhong''s sudden arrival made the whole Xue family toss around.


    This Yang Zhong used to have a temperament that likes to toss people, and he also likes to put on airs. The key person has the status of a child, and Mr. Xue also respects him. Every time he comes, he must be greeted with good wine and good food.


    The Xue family was not wary of Yang Zhonghui coming at this time before, they just cooked some meals casually, this kind of meal is not good for entertaining people, they have to do it all over again.


    Zhao''er didn''t bother with outside affairs, went to the kitchen to pour some hot water, then went back to the house and Xue Tingxiang ate buns together.


    After eating the buns, it was already dark outside.


    Zhao''er stood in front of the door, seeing the brightly lit lights in the main room, it was obvious that he had already eaten.


    She was about to go to the kitchen to boil water and wash her feet, when Xue Tao''er hurried out from the main room and said, "Miss Zhao''er, grandpa asks the dog to come over."


    She calculated in her mind what day it was today, and decided to visit her second sister.


    Zhao''er''s second sister, Wang Zhaodi, is not in Huyang Town, but works as a girl in Shen''s Mansion in Xia County. From Huyang Town to Xia County, it only took half an hour to take a mule cart, but it was a little expensive, 15 cents.


    By the time Zhao''er arrived at the county seat, it was three o''clock. It was just right to meet someone at this time, her second sister might not have time to see her if it was too early or too late, and she would have to wait for a long time.


    Zhao''er came all the way to the south of the city, before entering the archway where Shen''s house was located, he saw the two large flags more than five feet high erected in front of Shen''s residence.


    This is the Jinshi Jidi Banner, which can be set up only if someone in the family has won the Jinshi.


    This fame flagpole is divided into two structures, the flagpole sandwich stone and the flagpole.


    The flag buckets on the flagpoles are also exquisite. If you come from a serious imperial examination, you can stand up two flagpoles if you have passed the Jinshi in the palace examination. If it is the number one scholar, it will be the flagpole of three fights, and if there are members of the third rank or above in the clan, four fights can be set up.


    There are two large flags in front of the Shen family''s gate, one is three buckets and the other is four buckets. In other words, the Shen family once had a number one scholar, and had an important minister in the court.


    Zhao''er, a country girl, knows this because her second sister told her when she came to visit her.


    The main entrance, side entrance, and even the corner entrance were not accessible by Zhao''er''s identity, so she made a long detour before arriving at the back entrance of Shen''s residence.


    The back door was ajar, and Zhao''er didn''t dare to rush in, so he knocked on the door respectfully.


    The door opened with a creak, and a round woman came out from inside, and asked her, "Who are you looking for?"


    This old lady is just a doorkeeper, but she is also wearing satin gowns and jewelry on her ears and hands, which is enough to show the wealth of the Shen family.


    The Shen family is indeed rich, and in this Xia County, it can be said that they are stomping their feet, and the county is about to tremble three times. The Shen Mansion here is the ancestral home of the Shen family, except for the Shen family''s uncle and second master who are officials outside, the rest of the Shen family live here.


    "Mother-in-law, I''m looking for Sulan. I''m her younger brother. I''m here to see her."


    This woman''s attitude is not warm, but she is not as inferior as a dog''s eye. At least from this trick, it can be seen that the rules of the Shen family must be very strict. She asked Zhao''er to wait, then closed the door and went inside.

 Chapter 214

    That''s right, the big deal is to lose, she just needs to find money for him to study. Wasn''t that the plan? !


    Thinking of this, Zhao''er suddenly thought about it, and said: "Then prepare well, win if you can, don''t be afraid if you can''t win, at worst, sister will find money for you to study."


    Zhao''er has never been a person who likes to ask for troubles. She turned her head and saw that the cow dung in the house hadn''t been cleaned up, so she went to find a brush to clean the kang, and then went out to get a broom and a dustpan to sweep the floor.


    Chickens clucked and clucked outside, but it was Mrs. Sun who slaughtered the chicken and made it run away.


    Xue Tingxiang looked out the window, and saw that the chicken''s neck was still bleeding, but it was running around in the yard, and Mrs. Sun followed behind chasing after him in a panic.


    Seeing that she was really in a bad shape, Mrs. Zhao came out of the room and said a few words. Mrs. Sun was even more anxious, and knew that she was really ashamed in front of the patriarch, but the chicken had wings, but she didn''t. It was only when the chicken lost its strength that Mrs. Sun grabbed it and cursed, "Run, run, run, it''s destined to be a dish in the pot, where are you going?"


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t look any further, and turned his gaze away.


    He knew why his uncle was so generous, and proposed to let him compete with Xue Juncai, because if there were no accidents, Xue Juncai would definitely win this match.


    In that dream, he had suffered such a loss, but it was not compared with Xue Juncai, but Zhao''er worked so hard to get money and sent him to Qinghe Academy. At that time, he was so stupid that he always blamed his own failure on the harshness of fate, thinking that it was not that he could not do it, but that everyone did not give him a chance.


    When he first entered the Qinghe Academy, he was full of ambition. He thought that he would definitely surpass Xue Juncai and prove that he was the most outstanding person in the Xue family, but the reality slapped him hard in the face. It was also at that time that he, who had never seen the world, understood the sinister intentions of his uncle. He did teach him to read, and he did ''read'' a lot of books, but he just read and didn''t understand the meaning of the scriptures.


    It was later learned that after schoolchildren learn to read, they use reading scriptures as the basis.


    First learn "Three Character Classic", "Hundred Surnames", "Thousand Characters", and then "Thousand Family Poems", "Children''s Learning Qionglin", "Longwenbianying", etc. After reading these, you can enter university and start Study and read the Four Books and Five Classics, etc.


    But at this stage, the teacher does not explain the meaning of the scriptures, that is to say, he just memorizes them by rote, clarifying the meaning of the words but not the meaning of the scriptures. Because people nowadays are used to thinking that children are just learning, it doesn¡¯t matter whether they understand it or not, as long as they remember it, and when they read a lot or for a long time, they will understand what it means.


    This is the so-called reading a thousand times, and its meaning is self-evident.


    When you can recite all these books fluently, and when you can learn to interpret the scriptures, you will get twice the result with half the effort.


    This time-saving, labor-saving and effective teaching mode is popular throughout Dachang, ranging from famous families to low-level sociology and village studies, and many of them are like this. This is especially popular in rural private schools, because there is only one teacher in the school, but it is not realistic to teach several or even dozens of people to explain the scriptures.


    But in fact, aristocratic families with some background would never teach their children this way. Because this teaching mode blindly emphasizes rote memorization, but ignores the truth that the classics are natural and logical.


    This is the pros and cons that ''he'' analyzed from the perspective of the overall situation after standing in the position of chief assistant.


    But at that time, he had just entered the library, because his uncle delayed explaining the meaning of the scriptures for him, and he didn''t understand that there was still a theory of explaining the scriptures. So when he first entered school, the teacher asked him if he had read it, and he replied that he had read it, but he couldn''t understand the scriptures.


    But now, it seems that the uncle is also aware of his own shortcomings, so he deliberately proposes this match, but in fact, he has already planned it, and he is destined to lose.


    Unfortunately, there was an accident.


    *


    Because there were guests at home, except for Mr. Xue and Xue Qingshan and his son, everyone was busy.


    After eating in the main room, the kitchen will start cooking other people''s lunch.


    During the period, Xue Taoer was also ordered to drink. There was wine and meat at the banquet in the main room, and the men exchanged glasses, and there was no way to see that there was any cleverness in the usual times. Especially Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng, the two drank very affectionately, and in the end they both got a little drunk.


    "Okay, don''t send it off, you''ll be there soon." Patriarch Xue waved his hand.


    After sending everyone out of the courtyard, this side started to clear the table and prepare meals. Mrs. Zhao originally wanted to take away the leftover meat and vegetables, but was stopped by Mr. Xue, saying that he was adding vegetables to everyone. People in the country are not rich, and it is commonplace for distinguished guests to leave and eat leftovers.


    The adults are all fine, Shuanzi and Maodan are eating deliciously.


    Zhao''er wanted to take the meal back to the house to eat, but was stopped by Xue Tingxiang, the two just kept their heads down and ate as before, without saying anything.


    Xue Juncai gave Xue Tingxiang a disdainful look.


    He had just accompanied Xue Qingshan to the table, and naturally he ate a lot of good food on the table, seeing that Xue Tingxiang could only eat leftovers, he was naturally full of sarcasm.


    He remembered what his father said to him before, Xue Gouzi would never win him.


    Thinking in his heart, he looked away, and said to Mr. Xue who was on the kang, "Grandpa, I''m going back to the house to read."


    Mr. Xue nodded. He also drank a little too much before, and now he is leaning on the kang smoking a cigarette to hangover.


    "Dog, eat more, brother is still waiting for you to beat me in five days." Xue Juncai suddenly said this when passing by Xue Tingxiang.


    Zhao''er immediately stood up and stared at him: "Can you talk? You''ve read the dog''s stomach after so many years of reading."


    Xue Juncai didn''t expect Zhao''er to show him such shame, his gentle face flushed red, but for some reason, he glanced at Zhao''er and held back.


    Mr. Xue shouted: "Juncai go back to the house!"


    Mrs. Zhou also hurriedly stood up to persuade Zhao''er, that''s all.


    After dinner, the two went back to the second room, and Zhao''er was still angry: "Don''t be angry, dog. When sister earns money, I will take you to the house and won''t be with them anymore."


    Xue Tingxiang was a little moved, but at the same time a little helpless: "You called me a dog again."


    Zhao''er groaned, then smiled and said: "I forgot, it won''t be like this in the future."


    Naturally, he couldn''t be angry with her, and then Zhao''er took the two clothes she changed yesterday and went out to wash, while Xue Tingxiang turned over the "Children''s Learning Qionglin" again.


    Looking at the book in his hand, which was transcribed on the worst bamboo paper and the footers were worn away, Xue Tingxiang felt a little worried. He actually didn''t want to read books, but Zhao''er couldn''t help but think that he should read more books now, and only by reading more books can he win against Xue Juncai more confidently.


    Little did he know that this book was different from the book, and it was useless to just read this book, but he would not tell her about it.


    He dug out the bamboo paper that Zhao''er bought for him from the kang cabinet. The cheapest bamboo paper cost 40 cents a knife. Such ''expensive'' paper was barely enough for practicing calligraphy. Even so, he is very precious at ordinary times, and he is reluctant to use it at all. If he can write on the sand, he will write on the sand, and if he can''t use the sand, he will write on the desk with water.


    Xue Tingxiang touched the stack of yellowed bamboo paper and sighed in his heart.


    ''Xue Tingxiang'' usually uses the highest quality Chengxin paper, so at this time he feels a little disgusted with the things that are usually precious.


    He spread out the papers on the kang table, stacked several sheets, and then cut them into the size of a book with a bamboo knife. In order to make room for the edge seam, he left some leeway and cut a thick stack before he found the inkstone with a corner missing and the ink ingot that had been used up and only a small piece remained.


    These are treasures that he is reluctant to use at ordinary times, but Xue Tingxiang doesn''t feel this way at all today. He added water to the inkstone, and then took the ink ingot to grind the ink, while grinding, he was thinking about something.


    After grinding the ink, he put the bald hair brush in the water bowl and wet it to clean it. After dipping in enough ink, he picked up the pen and wrote something on the paper.


    After writing a few words, he suddenly put down the pen, lifted the paper to look at it, and suddenly crumpled it.


    Mingming''s handwriting is fairly neat. Although he usually saves paper and ink, but because of years of hard work, his handwriting is not bad, but for some reason he just doesn''t like it.


    He closed his eyes slowly, calmed down for a while, and opened them again after a while. At this time, there was no one in the room, and anyone who was there could see a gleam of light flashing in Xue Tingxiang''s eyes. At the same time, his movement of grasping the pen was fast and steady, and with the help of a god, he wrote a series of small characters on the paper in a short time.


    These small characters suddenly became Yan style, then turned into pavilion style, and then turned into thin gold style again. At first, they were both tangible and boneless, but as they were written, their taste changed.


    The face and body are square and dense, the brushwork is thick, straight, open and full of vigor. That pavilion is physically strong and graceful, as if it was carved out of a block. And the thin gold body, the gold hook and iron painting, is full of arrogance, and the strokes are as sharp as cutting gold and jade.


    These three characters represent the whole life of ''Xue Tingxiang'', from the Yan style learned at the beginning of school, to the Guange style studied painstakingly for the imperial examination, to the thin gold style of the official residence.


    And so he wrote, oblivious to himself. Zhao''er came in during the period, but he didn''t dare to disturb him, so he quietly sat down on the edge of the kang.


    After writing for an unknown amount of time, he suddenly let out a long breath and put down his pen.


    He wrote two full sheets of paper.


    At this time, Xue Tingxiang had to admit that the magic of heaven was just a dream, and he actually possessed some of the things that he had in the dream.


    From the moment this dream appeared, Xue Tingxiang had been thinking about why he had such a dream. Now he understands, maybe he just wants him to make up for all the unsatisfactory dreams.


    And possessing everything of the "him" in the dream, he suddenly had great ambitions, and a surge of arrogance lingered in his heart.


    "I''m tired of writing, drink some water."


    Zhao''er brought water, Xue Tingxiang took it, and drank it in one gulp, it was very sweet.


    Only then did he lower his head to look at what he had written, and he actually spent two sheets of bamboo paper. Probably because Zhao''er was by his side, he suddenly remembered that she used to save money to buy paper for him, and felt a little distressed and guilty. He glanced at her and said in a low voice, "I actually wrote so much."


    How could Zhao''er not understand what he was thinking, so he chuckled and said, "Not much, not much, only two sheets. Paper is for use. I told you not to save paper a long time ago. It is used up. Let''s just buy it again."


    "I want to transcribe this book, so I try to write first, so as not to waste paper."


    "What book do you want to copy? Can you copy books too? Don''t you buy them?" Zhao''er was puzzled.


    Xue Tingxiang sighed in his heart. He really felt that he was really stupid before. He would rather borrow books from his uncle every time, or memorize them by rote, and never thought of copying books.


    Nowadays, the books sold in bookstores are rarely printed and expensive, so an industry of copying books has emerged. In this way, not only some poor scholars can get some money in exchange, but also those who want to buy books but suffer from poor pockets can get cheap.


    Of course, this copying is not something that can be done casually, it needs to be written very well.


    Xue Tingxiang boasted that his handwriting was not bad. Back then, many people begged for his calligraphy. Now that he needs a book, why can''t he copy it himself.


    the most important is--


    He glanced at Zhao''er.


    It can be said that those who are born in a poor family in the countryside and can achieve great fame have all experienced great hardships. The starting point is much lower than others. It takes countless efforts to catch up with others, and at the same time they have to face all kinds of cruel competition.


    This kind of competition is not only between classmates, but also between the same clan, and even one''s own brothers.


    If you succeed, the sea and the sky will be bright, and you will not be an ordinary person since then. If you fail, you will put down the book and pick up the hoe, and face the loess and the sky for the rest of your life.


    It is because they understand this kind of cruelty that the two of them can''t help but wonder whether this son deliberately said that his knowledge is weak, or he just wants to pull his brother to reduce the difficulty of the question. But this is a double-edged sword. After all, it is a disadvantage to oneself to lose one''s studies to others.


    These thoughts only happened in an instant, and because of the sudden attention of He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai, Xue Qingshan''s eyebrows jumped wildly, for fear that Xue Tingxiang would say something amazing again. At this moment, he couldn''t care less about why Xue Tingxiang knew the explanation of the scriptures, and he completely forgot that his previous idea was that Xue Tingshan didn''t understand the scriptures, and it would be easy for his son to beat him.


    This is also true for Patriarch Xue. If something happens in the clan that cannot be seen by others, it is limited to the clan. If it happens in public, it will be a bit ugly.

 Chapter 215

    This dream appeared in his life for decades, day and night, entangled, it seems to be deep into the bone marrow, but also like flesh and blood. I can''t throw it away, I can''t dig it away, and if I don''t come for a day, it seems that something is missing.


    But he had never had such a clear dream, so clear as if it was real.


    "Dog, why do you think you are so stubborn? Isn''t my money your money? What do you think I earn money for? Isn''t it just to support your studies and make you feel proud?"


    "Why do you say you are so stubborn! You say you are so stubborn, who are you showing your stubbornness to?!"


    "I know you don''t like me, but I''ve been like this for many years, and I can''t change it! I don''t plan to change it either!"


    "Look at Hong''er, does he look like you?"


    ...


    Xue Tingxiang suddenly felt that someone was shaking him, opened his tired eyes, and saw the dark inner room, Hu San''s face that was no longer young, even the lines on the curtains were so familiar, he knew He was just dreaming.


    It''s just that the dream was too clear, the sorghum fragrance in the air, and the curve of her stubbornly pursed lips made him feel like he was actually there. There are also her tears from being angry, crystal clear and shining with colorful light, he wanted to reach out to touch it, but someone woke him up.


    "My lord, it''s time to drink the medicine."


    Xue Tingxiang was propped up and given medicine. He was dying of illness, and he had to be served by someone even to drink medicine. How could he look like that extremely human minister Xue Shoufu who had ruled the court for decades.


    Oh no, he is not the chief assistant now.


    He has already written a letter to beg for the bones, intending to return to his hometown for the elderly, and the Holy Majesty has already agreed, but he has no home to return to, no relatives to rely on.


    In fact, he didn''t intend to go back.


    "Master Zhang, Mr. Wang, and Mr. Li and Mr. Cao all came to visit you, but they obeyed your orders and blocked the door. They come every day, and they are here again today. Would you like to see me?"


    What can they do? Didn''t they think that his illness was an expedient measure, waiting for him to stand up and continue to lead them to fight against the emperor, but he was really ill, terminally ill, and the medicine was useless.


    "not see."


    "My lord, please sleep a little longer."


    The room became quiet again, Xue Tingxiang''s eyelids began to get heavy again, he blinked again and again, and fell into sleep again.


    ...


    "How come Mr. Wang is free to visit this old man?"


    Wang Mingcheng''s eyes were a bit complicated, but he smiled on his face: "After all, I am a minister of the same court, and I should come to visit Mr. Shoufu because of emotion and reason."


    "I didn''t expect you, Wang Mingcheng, to say such hypocritical things, but to see if the old man is dying on behalf of the emperor?" Xue Tingxiang sarcastically said.


    He is obviously a haggard old man who is obviously dying, but just because of his calm, indifferent eyes that seem somewhat unpredictable, people dare not ignore him in the slightest.


    After all, this is Xue Shoufu, and the name alone is enough to intimidate everyone. That was Xue Tingxiang''s deep-rooted roots left by him after going through three dynasties and dozens of years, just like a towering ancient tree with intertwined roots, without him doing anything, just standing there is enough to make everyone daunting.


    If not, why would the new emperor have to exhaust all means, but still dare not act rashly, only dare to take that roundabout strategy.


    "It seems that my lord has misunderstood His Majesty a lot."


    Xue Tingxiang snorted and laughed, half closed his eyes, did not speak, and looked obviously too lazy to talk to him.


    "Actually, I''m here for myself. I just came to see how lonely and miserable the villain who abandoned his wife and son was now. I''m afraid Mr. Xue is dead now, and even a descendant in mourning None, in fact, Mr. Xue is too hard to see, it is just a show, just listen to it and watch it, how can you take the fake show as real and make yourself like this? Is it because of a disturbed conscience or fear? His true face is known by the world, he is reviled by others, and he will be stigmatized for thousands of years?"


    "you¡­¡­"


    "To say that you abandoned your wife and son is too much to save your face. It should be killing your wife and son, isn''t it, Mr. Xue?"


    No one knows about all this. The world only knows that Xue Shoufu had a first wife before Mrs. Xue, but they don''t know what happened to that first wife. After all, the time is too long, Xue Tingxiang has stood in the court hall for dozens of years, and his former, former and current opponents have all been trampled under his feet.


    People in the world only know that Mr. Shoufu is friendly and respectful to the corporals, but they don''t know that Mr. Shoufu also has a vicious side. In recent years, anyone who wanted to make a fuss about his past events all became lonely ghosts. No one knows how many ghosts have been added to it, and the only one who can know is Wang Mingsheng, the "bitter master".


    "You, you are..."


    Wang Mingcheng leaned closer to his face: "It''s a pity that my mother''s life is so bad, and so is my life. The sinking ship didn''t kill us, but was saved by others. Do you know that for so many years, day and night, I I want to see this scene every night. It''s a pity that your life is too long, and the power is in the hands of the people. I can only climb up step by step, to the position where I can step on you..."


    "You are... Hong''er..." Xue Tingxiang struggled to say this.


    Wang Mingsheng stood up straight and smiled heartily: "My name is not Hong''er, nor is my surname Xue, but my surname is Wang. My mother remarried, to the person who saved us...don''t get excited, even if You are dead now, and I am not your son..."


    Wang Mingsheng has always been known for being calm and introverted, hiding his secrets, and it was probably the first time he laughed so freely in front of people.


    "By the way, you don''t have to think that even if my official surname is Wang, I can still pass on the family lineage to your Xue family. Let me think about it. Yao Ji released the rumor that my official is as good as Long Yang back then, as if you ordered someone to do it. You really hit the mark, I don¡¯t like women, that¡¯s why I haven¡¯t married for many years..."


    He smiled and looked at the old man on the bed, seeing how shocked, disappointed and remorseful he was.


    But so what?


    He suddenly found that he was not as happy as he had imagined, and even this smile seemed too fake. He suddenly lost interest, flattened the corners of his mouth, brushed off his sleeves, and said, "Since Mr. Xue is fine, I will take my leave."


    ...


    "I didn''t, I didn''t..."


    "My lord, what are you talking about?"


    Hearing this voice, the fog in front of Xue Tingxiang suddenly dissipated, and he woke up suddenly from his dream. In front of the eyes is this dark inner room again, Hu San''s unattractive or even ugly face, the air is filled with a bitter smell of medicine, and there seems to be a decadent smell floating gently.


    Xue Tingxiang moved his lips, but no sound came out.


    "My lord, what did you say?"


    Hu San was very anxious, and kept asking, but Xue Tingxiang couldn''t speak at all. Hu San could only ask based on his own guess: "Are you thinking about the past? Don''t worry, your words have been passed on to Mr. Zhang , he already knows that Lord Wang is your only son, and will follow your instructions."


    Xue Tingxiang blinked his eyelids. Hu San thought he still had something to say, so he put his ear next to his mouth, but only heard one sentence: "I didn''t..."


    After that there is no text.


    When Hu San anxiously looked up, he saw Xue Tingxiang''s wide-open eyes and gray-blue face.


    He moved forward to touch the other person''s breath with shaking hands, but was so startled that he sat down on the ground.


    *


    The cold wind came in through the holed window paper, blowing Xue Gouzi''s face coldly.


    Shocked, he opened his eyes.


    What imprinted in my eyes was a small room with blue brick walls and black tile roof. The walls were plastered with white ash, but it looked gray. The beams of the house are log-colored, and because there is no dust, they are bare/exposed. There are several bamboo baskets hanging on them. There seems to be something in the baskets, and they are covered with blue cloth.


    He was lying on a kang with a half-new quilt covering his body. The quilt looked clean and tidy, but in fact the cotton wadding inside had hardened.


    Facing his kang feet, there is a row of dark brown kang cabinets, with brass bare nails inlaid with hinged leaves and copper tassel handles, and simple patterns of auspicious clouds and flowing water carved on them, which look thick and generous. . Although it is nothing in a rich family, it is already a piece of furniture that can be sold in a peasant family.


    There is no problem passing it down for generations!


    This is what his father said back then, and his father was the best carpenter in the village.


    Xue Gouzi felt his head hurt, as if he had been hit hard with a hoe. He wanted to support himself to sit up, but he was exhausted and fell back onto the kang again.


    It was only then that he realized that he was Xue Gouzi, the eldest son of the second room of the Xue family. Because of something that happened, he couldn''t think about it for a while, and he was so angry that he became ill for a while, and he had been sick for many days.


    He is not Xue Tingxiang, that Xue Tingxiang is the person in his dream.


    How could he be like that?


    In order to prove that all that was just a dream, he raised his hand to look at it.


    really! The hand in front of him was slender and fair, and he hadn''t developed the muscles and bones that a man should have. He was only fourteen this year, how could he live to be over seventy years old, and die in the end.


    Xue Gouzi let out a heavy breath, looked around again, and finally felt more at ease.


    Someone was talking outside, and the voice came in through the cracks in the window.


    "I''m talking about recruiting, it''s not my aunt talking about you, look at what you are now, a girl who stays at home all day, and learns from those small traders to do business. That business is what you can do. Did it? Look at your fourth uncle, you can¡¯t save a lot of money by running around outside every day, so don¡¯t worry about it, and if you have that little time, you can help fourth aunt with some work!¡±


    The voice sounded like a young woman, but the sarcasm in the words was too strong. It is said that appearance is born from the heart, and it is no wonder that Mrs. Sun has a mean face.


    This thought flashed subconsciously in Xue Gouzi''s mind, and then he was stunned. It''s true that he hated Fourth Aunt, but why would he miss her so much?


    Before he could figure out why, he heard the voice in his dream.


    "Fourth aunt, I would like to help you with some work, but you also know that the dog has been ill for a few days, and the family gave a few pennies for the medicine at first, but after taking it for half a month, grandma said that the family The money is not in hand, so I stopped the medicine. Gouzi is my man, I can''t just watch him be so sick, it''s not impossible for the fourth aunt to want me to help with the work, or you can lend me some money to buy medicine, I Can I pay you back slowly in the future?"


    The owner of the voice was a young girl, and the tone revealed a capable and crisp taste, mixed with a bit of teasing.


    That''s right, Zhao''er deliberately ran on the Sun family.


    Mrs. Sun has always had a temperament of only getting in and out, and it is more difficult to ask her to give out a penny, let alone lending it to the two half-children of the second room.


    Now there are only these two people left in the second room, the top door is only fourteen, but there is an older one, only sixteen, and it is still a girl''s family. Every time Mrs. Sun heard the rumors from the villagers that Zhao''er, a dead girl, had made some money by doing some business, she would be full of disbelief.


    What kind of business can this dead girl do to make money, but she digs three melons and two dates from the wild, and takes them out to trick the people in the city into exchanging a few pennies.


    "Your fourth aunt has no money to lend you. Our family''s money is all in mother''s place. You don''t care about mother''s going!" Sun patted her buttocks, stood up and went into the house, too lazy to talk nonsense with Zhao''er.


    "Since the fourth aunt has no money to lend me, and I don''t dare to take care of grandma, I can only figure out where to get some money to get some medicine for the dog!"


    Zhao''er''s voice was very loud, so naturally she was speaking not only to Mrs. Sun, but also to Mrs. Zhao who was sitting in the main room.


    Sure enough, Zhao''er entered the house with his front foot, and Mrs. Zhao stood at the door behind him and scolded Mrs. Sun: "You haven''t cleaned the pigsty, so you''re going back to the house to hold a corpse?"


    Zhao''er curled her lips, lifted the door curtain and walked in, bumping head-on into Xue Gouzi''s eyes looking at her.


    In order to get the boss to sell the paper to her at a lower price, Zhao''er worked with the boss for a long time. He even made up the pretense of having a hard-working younger brother, but unfortunately both parents died and his family was poor, so the boss agreed to sell it to her cheaply. Later, she came to buy it several times, all at the previous price, but she became acquainted with Boss Chen.


    Boss Chen praised her for her noble character, earning hard money, but still supporting her younger brother''s education. Usually, when she comes to buy paper, she almost always buys half and gives half away.


    Normally, Zhao''er would accept this kind of talk with a cheeky face, but today with Xue Tingxiang around, she was inevitably a little embarrassed, for fear that Boss Chen would slip up and make the little man look down on her for lying.


    Zhao''er has suffered, so she knows the skills of survival, but the little man doesn''t, especially the scholar is very pedantic, so every time she encounters such a situation where the two people''s ideas conflict, she will always subconsciously go away. Avoid these.


    Within a day, two people said that they were his younger brothers, which made Xue Tingxiang very unhappy. Naturally, he didn''t notice Zhao''er''s hidden thoughts. When he came back to his senses, Zhao''er had already talked with the boss, and even showed him the copy of "Hundred Surnames" that he had copied overnight.


    "This is your brother? He looks handsome, but a little thinner." Boss Chen is a middle-aged man in his forties, with a goatee and elegant body. Wearing a scholar''s shirt, he doesn''t look like a business boss, but a scholar.


    "He was sick for a while a while ago, and he got better recently."


    "No wonder I haven''t seen you here for a long time." While talking, Boss Chen took the manuscript that Zhao''er handed over, whether it was bound or paper quality, it was very poor.


    He knew in his heart that this kind of peasant boy could not write very good characters, but he admired this young man named Zhao''er, so he planned not to criticize too much even if he really did not do well, just say some mild words and refuse it. up.


    If the level is not bad and the words can still be read, it is not impossible to give him some casual work, just as a help.


    But when Boss Chen saw the writing on the yellow bamboo paper, he was still taken aback.


    "He wrote this word?" Boss Chen looked at Xue Tingxiang in surprise, and went to flip through the manuscript in his hand.


    His expression was so weird that Zhao''er had a bad feeling in his heart. She couldn''t help wondering if the little man''s handwriting was not good, after all, no one had ever praised the little man''s handwriting, even Xue Qingshan said that his handwriting was like a spring worm and autumn snake.


    Although Zhao''er doesn''t know what spring worms and autumn snakes are, she understands the sad look on the little man''s face, and she knows it means poor writing.

 Chapter 216

    What good can we do at this time?


    Zhao''er had vigilance in his eyes.


    Xue Tao''er ran over, leaned closer and whispered, "I''m not my aunt''s father, he said he wants to talk to the dog."


    Xue Tingxiang also heard the movement outside the room and came out.


    "Don''t go, I''ll push it." Zhao''er knew that it would be no good for Yang Zhong to find a young man because of his elder status. Xue Jun is his grandson. What about the previous incident?


    "No problem."


    After saying this, Zhao''er was stunned for a moment, and Xue Tingxiang remembered that he would never speak like this.


    He smiled and said, "It''s okay, you''re still afraid that I won''t succeed if he eats it."


    "Can¡­¡­"


    At this time, Xue Tingxiang had already passed her to the main room, so she could only follow in a hurry.


    *


    Here in the main room, as expected, the wine is in full swing.


    Yang Zhong''s white and chubby face was flushed from drinking, and he looked like he was slightly drunk. Mr. Xue''s dark red face glowed red under the light. Xue Qingshan also sat on the side, along with Xue Juncai, Xue Qingbai and Xue Qinghuai.


    Women are not at the table.


    Seeing Xue Tingxiang walking in, Yang Zhong said, "Our little genius is here, come and let me see."


    He waved his hands without treating himself as an outsider, and when Xue Tingxiang approached, he opened his drunken eyes and looked up and down: "I don''t see anything has changed, how did you become so promising?"


    As soon as these words were sarcasm, the court immediately fell silent.


    Xue Qingshan focused on eating vegetables between his sandwiches, as if he didn''t hear him. Xue Juncai seemed to be sitting upright, but in fact he was looking at this place intentionally or unintentionally.


    The rest of the Xue family were a little embarrassed, especially Mr. Xue, his face was a little stiff, but he hesitated to speak.


    Zhao''er was about to attack, when Xue Qinghuai suddenly stood up, smiled and picked up the wine bowl: "My father-in-law, I respect you for a bowl, this wine is brewed by my father himself, and most people can''t drink it when they come here. Don''t look at your old man When I came, I quickly dug a jar and said to drink a few more bowls with you."


    Yang Zhong looked at Xue Qinghuai with a smile, and without hesitation, he picked up the wine bowl and drank it down in one gulp, and ate a few mouthfuls of food. Taking advantage of the situation, Xue Qinghuai hurriedly winked at Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang, telling them to leave quickly.


    Xue Tingxiang smirked slightly, and planned to take Zhao''er away, and listened to Yang Zhong before he even took a step.


    "What''s the matter? Why is the elder leaving before he finished talking? Although I am not your own grandfather, I am also your own grandfather. Is this old man not paying attention to me, or what?"


    The hat was buttoned too big, Zhao''er was about to say something, Xue Tingxiang gave her a hand.


    He took two steps forward, pretending to be listening respectfully: "Since my in-laws and grandpas have taught me, I will just listen to you." After a pause, he continued: "It''s just that my in-laws and grandpas are also scholars, so I think they know how to be rude. reason"


    "According to what you little brat thinks, as an elder, I can''t say that you are a junior?"


    The smell of alcohol came straight to Xue Tingxiang''s face, and there was also a strange smell of various vegetables mixed in it.


    Xue Tingxiang did not evade, and nodded calmly: "Naturally."


    "Hey! Look! It''s really different."


    Yang Zhong tapped Xue Tingxiang a few times with his finger, and looked at the rest of Xue''s family with a smirk, and the villain first complained: "In-law, is this your family''s tutor?"


    It was obvious that Yang Zhong was here to make trouble, and of course it was for Xue Juncai. When he came back from Lizheng''s house before, Mr. Xue guessed that the big room would definitely make a fuss, but he didn''t expect that the fuss should be here.


    In fact, as the son and daughter-in-law, how could the married couple blatantly quarrel with Mr. Xue? After all, they swore before that whoever wins will go, and whoever loses should not complain. And Yang Zhong, as Xue Juncai''s grandfather, couldn''t be more appropriate to stand in for him. If it works, it''s good, if it doesn''t, it won''t hurt the relationship between father and son.


    "relatives by marriage¡­¡­"


    Mr. Xue was about to speak, but was interrupted by Xue Tingxiang''s voice.


    "Although my parents are both deceased, there are my grandfather, uncles, and other elders of the Xue family. Even if there is something wrong, it is not up to people of other surnames to point fingers here. Although my grandfather and my family are connected I want to kiss you, but I definitely didn''t go to the Xue family''s table, eat the Xue family''s food, and scold the Xue family for their reasons."


    Because there are guests, candles are rarely lit in the house, which illuminates the room brightly.


    Standing in the middle, the boy is thin and thin, but he is tall and straight. He was wearing a shabby clothes, the cuffs and the front of the clothes were a little white, but it made people feel an inviolable aura.


    "Could this be the way of in-laws and grandpas being guests? One day when I, the Xue family, went to your house as guests, I would point and point at the Yang family, and be eccentric. Presumably, my in-laws and grandpas would not be angry. After all, coming here is not indecent. Thanks ah Master is always the junior in the family and talks about his in-laws and grandpas, but the boy is only his in-laws and grandpas, he is a literati, he is respected by the younger generation as a person who understands etiquette, now it seems that it is nothing more than that!"


    "you--"


    There was silence in the room, and no one thought that Xue Tingxiang would explode on the spot regardless of his seniority.


    Xue Qingshan stopped eating, and suddenly felt restless.


    But he didn''t stand up to speak for his father-in-law. Xue Tingxiang''s hat was too big, which brought the face of the whole Xue family and even the Xue clan. If he speaks for it, he is echoing the fact that the face of the Xue family can be trampled on the ground by the Yang family.


    In particular, this is not in line with what he planned.


    Yang Zhong''s face was flushed red, and his lips trembled with anger: "You kid, you dare to teach your elders a lesson at such a young age."


    "Don''t dare! A gentleman is harmonious but different, and a villain is the same but not harmonious. The boy is just telling the truth. I also hope that the in-laws and grandparents should be cautious in their words and deeds, so that they can be the appearance of a gentleman."


    This is teaching myself through the words of the sage!


    Yang Zhong laughed back angrily, and pointed at him with his finger: "Okay, okay, it''s really amazing. After studying for a few days, people are different. You really think that it''s a big deal if you win the handsome talent today, even if you furious."


    "A gentleman has nothing to fight for, and he will definitely shoot! When he bows and rises, he goes down to drink, and his fight is also a gentleman."


    This sentence comes from the eight chapters of "The Analects of Confucius". It roughly means that a gentleman will not argue about anything. If there is a dispute, it must be upholding the way of a gentleman. Neither humble nor overbearing, neither angry nor complaining, and having fun with wine after the competition is the battle between gentlemen. It''s not that you must be flushed in the face, like a black-eyed chicken, that would be out of style.


    It is about being a person and dealing with affairs, and at the same time, it is using the words of the saints to ridicule Yang Zhong for not having the manners and tolerance of his elders, and to make things difficult for his juniors in order to protect his grandson.


    There were only four scholars present, and the others were all at a loss. They could only see that Xue Tingxiang was not at a disadvantage, but Yang Zhong was so angry that his seven orifices seemed to be smoking.


    Forget about Yang Zhong, Xue Qingshan and his son couldn''t help being a little bit surprised when he was angry.


    You must know that although Xue Tingxiang has studied the Four Books, he only understands the superficiality and does not understand the meaning of the scriptures. But just now he uttered two sentences in a row, both of which are from the Four Books, and if he didn''t understand the meaning of the scriptures, how could he use them to harm others.


    Could it be that someone taught him behind his back? No wonder his performance was so unexpected today.


    And right at this moment, other changes took place in the field.


    It was Yang Zhong who stood up in anger and wanted to teach Xue Tingxiang a lesson, but was stopped by Mr. Xue, Xue Qinghuai and Xue Qingbai.


    "Well, you little bastard, you have learned to swear before your hair grows."


    "A gentleman does not mirror water, but mirrors people. Mirroring water, the appearance of meeting, mirroring people, you can know good and bad, but if you want to come to your relatives and grandpas, you don''t understand this sentence."


    Xue Tingxiang had a smile on his face, obviously there was nothing wrong with that smile, even a bit shy, and his words were gentle and polite, but it made people taste a bit ironic.


    "I know if I understand you or not, I know you are swearing, I must teach you a lesson today!" Yang Zhong struggled to raise his hand, and at this moment, a violent shout sounded in vain.


    "Father-in-law!"


    It was Mr. Xue who spoke.


    "My father-in-law, I respect your in-laws, but this is my Xue family!"


    Mr. Xue''s complexion was very ugly. He had been tolerant just now because of the other party''s identity, but Xue Tingxiang was right. There was a whole family sitting in the room, all of whom were surnamed Xue. There was absolutely no reason for someone surnamed Yang to teach others a lesson. .


    No matter how much the family makes trouble, it is wrong for outsiders to intervene.


    There was silence in the room, only the sound of Yang Zhong panting heavily.


    The sound of a stool falling to the ground sounded, and it was Xue Qingshan who stood up.


    At this time, Yang Shi, who had been hiding in the house, also ran out, and said angrily and anxiously: "Father, what are you doing! Why did you drink some wine and start to make trouble."


    She explained to the dark-faced old man Xue: "Father, don''t blame me, my father is like this, when he starts to drink. Oh, father, what do you think you are making a fuss about?" Then she complained to Xue Qingshan: " Juncai''s father, and you too, why don''t you stop him from making trouble like this."


    Yang Zhongdao: "I''m making trouble, what''s wrong with me?! Xue Lianxing, don''t forget what you promised me back then. Juncai is your eldest grandson, so you plan to let it go?"


    "Father, stop talking, I''ll help you down to rest."


    The Dafang couple, one on the left and the other on the right, helped Yang Zhong out, and Yang Zhong seemed to be really drunk, shouting that you should really let go, and stumbled and was helped out by the couple.


    *


    Because of this commotion, the Xue family was extremely quiet afterwards.


    Mrs. Zhou originally asked Zhao''er and the two of them to eat, but they said they had eaten, so they went back to the house.


    A table of food and wine, only half eaten, old man Xue sat there alone, eating food and drinking wine, no one dared to disturb.


    Mrs. Zhao hid in the back room, don''t look at her usually yelling at Mr. Xue, but when Mr. Xue really got angry, she didn''t dare to make trouble.


    Xue Qinghuai walked to the table and sat down, saying: "Father, it''s getting late, let''s rest early."


    Mr. Xue nodded, but when he put down his chopsticks, he sighed again.


    Xue Qinghuai couldn''t help but persuaded: "Father, don''t think too much."


    "Look at the eldest couple. Why don''t you remember your kindness? The second has only been dead for a few years. Even if the child is not sensible, there is no need to do so."


    Xue Qinghuai understood what the old man meant, but he couldn''t answer these words well, so he could only say awkwardly: "Maybe the eldest brother and sister-in-law don''t know that the in-laws guild will make such a fuss."


    Mr. Xue snorted, but did not speak.


    "But Gouzi didn''t suffer, you see he was mad at sister-in-law."


    Hearing this, Mr. Xue couldn''t help but twitch his eyebrows and eyes: "I followed the second child."


    Xue Qingsong has this kind of temperament, usually taciturn, but don''t push him into a hurry, he can surprise everyone.


    "This big family has been living in harmony and beauty, but it''s getting more and more difficult." Mr. Xue sighed, probably because he drank some wine, and his emotions were particularly leaking.


    Xue Qinghuai didn''t respond.


    After a long time, Mr. Xue sighed: "Let your wife clean up this table, and you should go and rest earlier."


    "Hey, I''ll let her clean it up."


    Bringing this up is a bit old.


    Back then, Zhao''er felt sorry for Xue Tingxiang, so she saved some money to buy paper for him to practice calligraphy. Who would have thought that this paper was much more expensive than she imagined. Even the worst yellow bamboo paper costs 40 Wen a knife, but that day Zhaoer collected all the money on his body, but only 30 Wen.


    In order to get the boss to sell the paper to her at a lower price, Zhao''er worked with the boss for a long time. He even made up the pretense of having a hard-working younger brother, but unfortunately both parents died and his family was poor, so the boss agreed to sell it to her cheaply. Later, she came to buy it several times, all at the previous price, but she became acquainted with Boss Chen.


    Boss Chen praised her for her noble character, earning hard money, but still supporting her younger brother''s education. Usually, when she comes to buy paper, she almost always buys half and gives half away.


    Normally, Zhao''er would accept this kind of talk with a cheeky face, but today with Xue Tingxiang around, she was inevitably a little embarrassed, for fear that Boss Chen would slip up and make the little man look down on her for lying.


    Zhao''er has suffered, so she knows the skills of survival, but the little man doesn''t, especially the scholar is very pedantic, so every time she encounters such a situation where the two people''s ideas conflict, she will always subconsciously go away. Avoid these.


    Within a day, two people said that they were his younger brothers, which made Xue Tingxiang very unhappy. Naturally, he didn''t notice Zhao''er''s hidden thoughts. When he came back to his senses, Zhao''er had already talked with the boss, and even showed him the copy of "Hundred Surnames" that he had copied overnight.


    "This is your brother? He looks handsome, but a little thinner." Boss Chen is a middle-aged man in his forties, with a goatee and elegant body. Wearing a scholar''s shirt, he doesn''t look like a business boss, but a scholar.


    "He was sick for a while a while ago, and he got better recently."


    "No wonder I haven''t seen you here for a long time." While talking, Boss Chen took the manuscript that Zhao''er handed over, whether it was bound or paper quality, it was very poor.


    He knew in his heart that this kind of peasant boy could not write very good characters, but he admired this young man named Zhao''er, so he planned not to criticize too much even if he really did not do well, just say some mild words and refuse it. up.


    If the level is not bad and the words can still be read, it is not impossible to give him some casual work, just as a help.


    But when Boss Chen saw the writing on the yellow bamboo paper, he was still taken aback.


    "He wrote this word?" Boss Chen looked at Xue Tingxiang in surprise, and went to flip through the manuscript in his hand.


    His expression was so weird that Zhao''er had a bad feeling in his heart. She couldn''t help wondering if the little man''s handwriting was not good, after all, no one had ever praised the little man''s handwriting, even Xue Qingshan said that his handwriting was like a spring worm and autumn snake.


    Although Zhao''er doesn''t know what spring worms and autumn snakes are, she understands the sad look on the little man''s face, and she knows it means poor writing.


    But she didn''t think it was the little man''s fault. He even had to pick and use the paper that could practice calligraphy. Can he write well? It was that time that she lost her temper, collected vegetables and sold them in the town, and saved a sum of money to buy Xue Tingxiang''s first piece of paper in her life.


    It was a whole knife, not a few pieces given as a charity from Xue Qingshan or Xue Juncai.


    Zhao''er''s head felt cold for a while, and she couldn''t help wondering if she was too blind to the little man at ordinary times, or if she flattered her too much. She was not afraid of anything else, but she was afraid that if Boss Chen said something unpleasant later, the little man would not be able to stand the blow.


    Thinking of this, she hurriedly turned her back and made a gesture to Boss Chen, leading him aside, then said to him in a low voice: "Uncle Chen, if my younger brother''s handwriting is really bad, can you..."


    "Can you do something?" Immediately, Boss Chen understood and said with a smile: "You kid too, even if you have a heart of love and affection, you should not deceive him, but point out his shortcomings, so that he will to make progress.¡±


    His voice was a bit loud, Xue Tingxiang over there must have heard it, Zhao''er blushed, but Na Na didn''t know what to say.


    Boss Chen said again: "But your brother''s handwriting is really good, he must be a famous teacher."


    He walked up to Xue Tingxiang in a few steps, and saluted with cupped fists: "I don''t know who my little friend is your teacher?" He said hesitantly in his eyes, because the poor boy in front of him, who was dressed in coarse cloth and short brown, really didn''t seem to be able to learn from anyone. Famous teachers.


    Just his words...


    Since Boss Chen runs a book shop, he is either a hobby or a ancestral business. In fact, Boss Chen has both, which can be regarded as the origin of family education. He also passed the exam several times when he was young, but he stopped at being a scholar. However, he was not interested in being an official, so he turned around and took care of his ancestral business. It is also a great thing in life to meet a few literary friends, play chess, drink tea, taste calligraphy and painting together.

 Chapter 217

    He knew he was dreaming again.


    This dream appeared in his life for decades, day and night, entangled, it seems to be deep into the bone marrow, but also like flesh and blood. I can''t throw it away, I can''t dig it away, and if I don''t come for a day, it seems that something is missing.


    But he had never had such a clear dream, so clear as if it was real.


    "Dog, why do you think you are so stubborn? Isn''t my money your money? What do you think I earn money for? Isn''t it just to support your education and make you feel proud?"


    "Why do you say you are so stubborn! You say you are so stubborn, who are you showing your stubbornness to?!"


    "I know you don''t like me, but I''ve been like this for many years, and I can''t change it! I don''t plan to change it either!"


    "Look at Hong''er, does he look like you?"


    ...


    Xue Tingxiang suddenly felt that someone was shaking him, opened his tired eyes, and saw the dark inner room, Hu San''s face that was no longer young, even the lines on the curtains were so familiar, so he knew He was just dreaming.


    It''s just that the dream was too clear, the sorghum fragrance in the air, and the curve of her stubbornly pursed lips made him feel like he was actually there. There are also her tears from being angry, crystal clear and shining with colorful light, he wanted to reach out to touch it, but someone woke him up.


    "My lord, it''s time to drink the medicine."


    Xue Tingxiang was propped up and given medicine. He was dying of illness, and he had to be served by someone even to drink medicine. How could he look like that extremely human minister Xue Shoufu who had ruled the court for decades.


    Oh no, he is not the chief assistant now.


    He has already written a letter to beg for the bones, intending to return to his hometown for the elderly, and the Holy Majesty has already agreed, but he has no home to return to, no relatives to rely on.


    In fact, he didn''t intend to go back.


    "Master Zhang, Mr. Wang, and Mr. Li and Mr. Cao all came to visit you, but they obeyed your orders and blocked the door. They come every day, and they are here again today. Would you like to see me?"


    What can they do? Didn''t they think that his illness was an expedient measure, waiting for him to stand up and continue to lead them to fight against the emperor, but he was really ill, terminally ill, and the medicine was useless.


    "not see."


    "My lord, please sleep a little longer."


    The room became quiet again, Xue Tingxiang''s eyelids began to get heavy again, he blinked again and again, and fell into sleep again.


    ...


    "How come Mr. Wang is free to visit this old man?"


    Wang Mingcheng''s eyes were a bit complicated, but he smiled on his face: "After all, I am a minister of the same court, and I should come to visit Mr. Shoufu because of emotion and reason."


    "I didn''t expect you, Wang Mingcheng, to say such hypocritical things, but to see if the old man is dying on behalf of the emperor?" Xue Tingxiang sarcastically said.


    He is obviously a haggard old man who is obviously dying, but just because of his calm, indifferent eyes that seem somewhat unpredictable, people dare not ignore him in the slightest.


    After all, this is Xue Shoufu, and the name alone is enough to intimidate everyone. That was Xue Tingxiang''s deep-rooted roots left by him after going through three dynasties and dozens of years, just like a towering ancient tree with intertwined roots, without him doing anything, just standing there is enough to make everyone daunting.


    If not, why would the new emperor have to exhaust all means, but still dare not act rashly, only dare to take that roundabout strategy.


    "It seems that my lord has misunderstood His Majesty a lot."


    Xue Tingxiang snorted and laughed, half closed his eyes, did not speak, and looked obviously too lazy to talk to him.


    "Actually, I''m here for myself. I just came to see how lonely and miserable the villain who abandoned his wife and son was now. I''m afraid Mr. Xue is dead now, and even a descendant in mourning None, in fact, Mr. Xue is too hard to see, it is just a show, just listen to it and watch it, how can you take the fake show as real and make yourself like this? Is it because of a disturbed conscience or fear? His true face is known by the world, he is reviled by others, and he will be stigmatized for thousands of years?"


    "you¡­¡­"


    "To say that you abandoned your wife and son is too much to save your face. It should be killing your wife and son, isn''t it, Mr. Xue?"


    No one knows about all this. The world only knows that Xue Shoufu had a first wife before Mrs. Xue, but they don''t know what happened to that first wife. After all, the time is too long, Xue Tingxiang has stood in the court hall for dozens of years, and his former, former and current opponents have all been trampled under his feet.


    People in the world only know that Mr. Shoufu is friendly and respectful to the corporals, but they don''t know that Mr. Shoufu also has a vicious side. In recent years, anyone who wanted to make a fuss about his past events all became lonely ghosts. No one knows how many ghosts have been added to it, and the only one who can know is Wang Mingsheng, the "bitter master".


    "You, you are..."


    Wang Mingcheng leaned closer to his face: "It''s a pity that my mother''s life is so bad, and so is my life. The sinking ship didn''t kill us, but was saved by others. Do you know that for so many years, day and night, I I want to see this scene every night. It''s a pity that your life is too long, and the power is in the hands of the people. I can only climb up step by step, to the position where I can step on you..."


    "You are... Hong''er..." Xue Tingxiang struggled to say this.


    Wang Mingsheng stood up straight and smiled heartily: "My name is not Hong''er, nor is my surname Xue, but my surname is Wang. My mother remarried, to the person who saved us...don''t get excited, even if You are dead now, and I am not your son..."


    Wang Mingsheng has always been known for being calm and introverted, hiding his secrets, and it was probably the first time he laughed so freely in front of people.


    "By the way, you don''t have to think that even if my official surname is Wang, I can still pass on the family lineage to your Xue family. Let me think about it. Yao Ji released the rumor that my official is as good as Long Yang back then, as if you ordered someone to do it. You really hit the mark, I don¡¯t like women, that¡¯s why I haven¡¯t married for many years..."


    He smiled and looked at the old man on the bed, seeing how shocked, disappointed and remorseful he was.


    But so what?


    He suddenly found that he was not as happy as he had imagined, and even this smile seemed too fake. He suddenly lost interest, flattened the corners of his mouth, brushed off his sleeves, and said, "Since Mr. Xue is fine, I will take my leave."


    ...


    "I didn''t, I didn''t..."


    "My lord, what are you talking about?"


    Hearing this voice, the fog in front of Xue Tingxiang suddenly dissipated, and he woke up suddenly from his dream. In front of the eyes is this dark inner room again, Hu San''s unattractive or even ugly face, the air is filled with a bitter smell of medicine, and there seems to be a decadent smell floating gently.


    Xue Tingxiang moved his lips, but no sound came out.


    "My lord, what did you say?"


    Hu San was very anxious, and kept asking, but Xue Tingxiang couldn''t speak at all. Hu San could only ask based on his own guess: "Are you thinking about the past? Don''t worry, your words have been passed on to Mr. Zhang , he already knows that Lord Wang is your only son, and will follow your instructions."


    Xue Tingxiang blinked his eyelids. Hu San thought he still had something to say, so he put his ear next to his mouth, but only heard one sentence: "I didn''t..."


    After that there is no text.


    When Hu San anxiously looked up, he saw Xue Tingxiang''s wide-open eyes and gray-blue face.


    He moved forward to touch the other person''s breath with shaking hands, but was so startled that he sat down on the ground.


    *


    The cold wind came in through the holed window paper, blowing Xue Gouzi''s face coldly.


    Shocked, he opened his eyes.


    What imprinted in my eyes was a small room with blue brick walls and black tile roof. The walls were plastered with white ash, but it looked gray. The beams of the house are log-colored, and because there is no dust, they are bare/exposed. There are several bamboo baskets hanging on them. There seems to be something in the baskets, and they are covered with blue cloth.


    He was lying on a kang with a half-new quilt covering his body. The quilt looked clean and tidy, but in fact the cotton wadding inside had hardened.


    Facing his kang feet, there is a row of dark brown kang cabinets, with brass bare nails inlaid with hinged leaves and copper tassel handles, and simple patterns of auspicious clouds and flowing water carved on them, which look thick and generous. . Although it is nothing in a rich family, it is already a piece of furniture that can be sold in a peasant family.


    There is no problem passing it down for generations!


    This is what his father said back then, and his father was the best carpenter in the village.


    Xue Gouzi felt his head hurt, as if he had been hit hard with a hoe. He wanted to support himself to sit up, but he was exhausted and fell back onto the kang again.


    It was only then that he realized that he was Xue Gouzi, the eldest son of the second room of the Xue family. Because of something that happened, he couldn''t think about it for a while, and he was so angry that he became ill for a while, and he had been sick for many days.


    He is not Xue Tingxiang, that Xue Tingxiang is the person in his dream.


    How could he be like that?


    In order to prove that all that was just a dream, he raised his hand to look at it.


    really! The hand in front of him was slender and fair, and he hadn''t developed the muscles and bones that a man should have. He was only fourteen this year, how could he live to be over seventy years old, and die in the end.


    Xue Gouzi let out a heavy breath, looked around again, and finally felt more at ease.


    Someone was talking outside, and the voice came in through the cracks in the window.


    "I''m talking about recruiting, it''s not my aunt talking about you, look at what you are now, a girl who stays at home all day, and learns from those small traders to do business. That business is what you can do. Did it? Look at your fourth uncle, you can¡¯t save a lot of money by running around outside every day, so don¡¯t worry about it, and if you have that little time, you can help fourth aunt with some work!¡±


    The voice sounded like a young woman, but the sarcasm in the words was too strong. It is said that appearance is born from the heart, and it is no wonder that Mrs. Sun has a mean face.


    This thought flashed subconsciously in Xue Gouzi''s mind, and then he was stunned. It''s true that he hated Fourth Aunt, but why would he miss her so much?


    Before he could figure out why, he heard the voice in his dream.


    "Fourth aunt, I would like to help you with some work, but you also know that the dog has been ill for a few days, and the family gave a few pennies for the medicine at first, but after taking it for half a month, grandma said that the family The money is not in hand, so I stopped the medicine. Gouzi is my man, I can''t just watch him be so sick, it''s not impossible for the fourth aunt to want me to help with the work, or you can lend me some money to buy medicine, I Can I pay you back slowly in the future?"


    The owner of the voice was a young girl, and the tone revealed a capable and crisp taste, mixed with a bit of teasing.


    That''s right, Zhao''er deliberately ran on the Sun family.


    Mrs. Sun has always had a temperament of only getting in and out, and it is more difficult to ask her to give out a penny, let alone lending it to the two half-children of the second room.


    Now there are only these two people left in the second room, the top door is only fourteen, but there is an older one, only sixteen, and it is still a girl''s family. Every time Mrs. Sun heard the rumors from the villagers that Zhao''er, a dead girl, had made some money by doing some business, she would be full of disbelief.


    What kind of business can this dead girl do to make money, but she digs three melons and two dates from the wild, and takes them out to trick the people in the city into exchanging a few pennies.


    "Your fourth aunt has no money to lend you. Our family''s money is all in mother''s place. You don''t care about mother''s going!" Sun patted her buttocks, stood up and went into the house, too lazy to talk nonsense with Zhao''er.


    "Since the fourth aunt has no money to lend me, and I don''t dare to take care of grandma, I can only figure out where to get some money to get some medicine for the dog!"


    Zhao''er''s voice was very loud, so naturally she was speaking not only to Mrs. Sun, but also to Mrs. Zhao who was sitting in the main room.


    Sure enough, Zhao''er entered the house with his front foot, and Mrs. Zhao stood at the door behind him and scolded Mrs. Sun: "You haven''t cleaned the pigsty, so you''re going back to the house to hold a corpse?"


    Zhao''er curled her lips, lifted the door curtain and walked in, bumping head-on into Xue Gouzi''s eyes looking at her.


    "Why do you say you are so stubborn! You say you are so stubborn, who are you showing your stubbornness to?!"


    "I know you don''t like me, but I''ve been like this for many years, and I can''t change it! I don''t plan to change it either!"


    "Look at Hong''er, does he look like you?"


    ...


    Xue Tingxiang suddenly felt that someone was shaking him, opened his tired eyes, and saw the dark inner room, Hu San''s face was no longer young, even the lines on the curtain were so familiar, he knew He was just dreaming.


    It''s just that the dream was too clear, the sorghum fragrance in the air, and the curve of her stubbornly pursed mouth made him feel like he was actually there. There are also her tears from being angry, crystal clear and shining with colorful light, he wanted to reach out to touch it, but someone woke him up.


    "My lord, it''s time to drink the medicine."


    Xue Tingxiang was propped up and given medicine. He was dying of illness, and he had to be served by someone even to drink medicine. How could he look like that extremely human minister Xue Shoufu who had ruled the court for decades.


    Oh no, he is not the chief assistant now.


    He has already written a letter to beg for the bones, intending to return to his hometown for the elderly, and the Holy Majesty has already agreed, but he has no home to return to, no relatives to rely on.


    In fact, he didn''t intend to go back.


    "Master Zhang, Mr. Wang, and Mr. Li and Mr. Cao all came to visit you, but they obeyed your orders and blocked the door. They come every day, and they are here again today. Would you like to see me?"


    What can they do? Didn''t they think that his illness was an expedient measure, waiting for him to stand up and continue to lead them to fight against the emperor, but he was really ill, terminally ill, and the medicine was useless.


    "not see."


    "My lord, please sleep a little longer."


    The room became quiet again, Xue Tingxiang''s eyelids began to get heavy again, he blinked again and again, and fell into sleep again.

 Chapter 218

    Not long after she fell asleep yesterday, the little man developed a fever again. After working for most of the night, luckily the fever subsided by midnight.


    She sat up, raised her hand to touch the little man''s forehead, and after making sure that her hands were not hot, she put on her clothes lightly and got off the kang.


    The first thing to do was to open the door first, and Heizi, who had been restless for a long time, got out with a swish. Zhao''er also walked out of the room, and seeing Heizi rushing out of the courtyard to pee, she shook her head with a grin.


    At this time, someone had already woken up in the courtyard, it was the Zhou family of the third bedroom and his eldest daughter Xue Tao''er.


    Today it''s the third room''s turn to cook. The Xue family''s rule is that apart from the housework of each room, the work in the office is shared equally. One day per room, in rotation.


    The room responsible for cooking is not only responsible for the food and drink of the whole family, but also takes care of the livestock in the family. The Xue family raised two big fat pigs, and it was not an easy job to just serve these two ancestors every day. Not to mention feeding chickens, carrying water, and chopping firewood, so the female family members who do housework on this day do not have to work in the fields.


    It seems to be fair and just, but in fact everyone inside knows how.


    The eldest aunt Yang claimed that the man was a child student, and she was exceptionally superior at home. Since Xue Qingshan passed the child student examination, she never touched housework again. The key is that Mrs. Zhao is also looking towards her, so it''s not easy for others to question her.


    At first, it was Xue Gouzi''s mother, Mrs. Qiu, who finally came in, the third-bedroom Mrs. Zhou, and the two sisters-in-law finally shared the burden. Afterwards, Mrs. Qiu followed her deceased husband, and Mrs. Zhou was left alone. It was not until Mrs. Sun of the fourth room entered the door that she would be able to catch her breath again.


    It''s a pity that Mrs. Sun is lazy and playful. In fact, Mrs. Zhou still does most of the work.


    In the past, when Mrs. Qiu was still alive, Zhao''er also helped Mrs. Qiu to do it. After Mrs. Qiu passed away, Zhao''er was busy with the housework of the second room and had to do the work in the office. In addition, Zhao''er was still young at that time, Mr. Xue told her to take good care of Xue Gouzi and not to take care of the work at work.


    Zhao''er now has free time to go around and get some money, but she is a person who looks at her conscience and will help out as much as she can in her spare time. As for those who used words to squeeze her like Sun, her sharp tongue was not forgiving.


    Seeing Xue Taoer struggling to fetch water from the well, Zhao''er rubbed his face and went up to help her.


    Thirteen-year-old Xue Taoer is like a small flower in bud. Although she is not very beautiful, she is very delicate. Seeing Zhao''er coming to help her, she couldn''t help showing a smile and talking to her: "Sister Zhao''er, is the second brother better?" Xue Gouzi is the second grandson of the Xue family, so Xue Taoer called him the second brother .


    "I had a fever again last night, and it got better in the second half of the night." Zhao''er looked around curiously, and asked, "Why isn''t Third Uncle here?"


    Although Xue Qingbai is a bit honest and reticent, he always loves his wife and daughter. Whenever he meets the third room to cook, he will get up early to fill the water tank.


    The Xue family has its own well, but the well is too deep, and there is no pulley on the well, so it is really exhausting to draw water with the strength of the daughter''s family alone. That is to say, Zhao''er was naturally as strong as an ox, and his strength was no worse than that of ordinary middle-aged men, so he could pull the bucket out of the deep well very easily.


    "My father went to the field and said he would work for a while and return after breakfast."


    Xue Qingbai is an honest farmer. Unlike other brothers in the family who have other skills, he only knows how to farm, so he puts all his heart on the ground. The Xue family has a total of more than 30 mu of land, and now he, Mr. Xue and the fourth son Xue Qinghuai are all planted.


    Although the women of the Xue family also went to the fields, it was only during the busy farming season, and besides, the women only had so little strength, so how could they help. Fortunately, the three men from Xue''s family are all good hands in the field, and they are really too busy, so they hired part-time workers to help out for a few days, so they don''t have to worry about not being able to finish the work in the field.


    Just as he was talking, the door of the fourth room opened, and Xue Qinghuai walked out from inside.


    The men in the Xue family are all big, so Xue Qinghuai also inherited a tall body.


    He was born with thick eyebrows, tiger eyes and a high nose bridge. He was dressed in dark blue coarse cloth and short brown, and looked very heroic. In fact, the men of the Xue family are not bad looking, but the women of the Xue family are a little mediocre, but all the grandchildren are born well, and they are all top-notch in the village.


    "Zhaoer Taoer, you wake up so early." Xue Qinghuai walked over in a few strides, took the wooden bucket in Zhaoer''s hand, walked to the water tank, and poured water into the tank.


    "How can you two little girls do this kind of rough work? You go to do other things, and the fourth uncle is here to fetch water."


    Zhao''er and Tao''er didn''t refuse either, one went to the kitchen to help her mother cook, and the other took a basin to scoop up water for washing.


    As time passed, the rest of the Xue family got up one after another, and there were more and more voices in the yard. On the other side of the kitchen, Mrs. Zhou yelled to eat. Generally, country people don''t pay much attention to breakfast, and they have to set a table or something. They always serve a bowl with a bowl, and eat it at any place.


    Breakfast is two rice porridge, the so-called two rice porridge is porridge cooked from two kinds of rice. Yuqing Village does not grow rice, but only wheat, sorghum, millet, corn and other crops. Although farmers grow wheat, they seldom use it for their own food. They sell it for other grains.


    Even a well-to-do family like Xue''s family with surplus food did not eat fine grains all at once, but a mixture of coarse grains and fine grains. For example, today''s breakfast is two-rice porridge, which is a porridge cooked with millet, that is, yellow rice, and sorghum rice.


    Because it was a busy time of farming, it was cooked quite thickly. Although it didn''t hold up with chopsticks inserted, it was much better than the usual thin soup with little water.


    There is no way, the Xue family seems to have a decent family background in the village, but there are three scholars in the family. Not to mention Xue Gouzi, Guangda Fang and his son spend a lot of money every month, and it''s no wonder that Mrs. Zhao usually can pick up fleas to get a little blood.


    Zhao''er filled two bowls of porridge, put a few cornbreads on a thick porcelain plate, and put some pickles on the side, and took them back to the second room''s room.


    As soon as he entered the door, he saw Xue Gouzi sitting up from the kang.


    She hurriedly put the wooden tray on the square table, and came up to see him: "But he''s better? Are you hungry? Sister will bring you some porridge."


    Xue Gouzi looked at her with complicated eyes.


    After experiencing such a dream, he now doesn''t know how to face Zhao''er. As long as he saw her, he couldn''t help but think of him in his dream, those words scolded by others before he died. He also tried to find the cause of Zhao''er''s death in his memory, but it seemed that that memory was Xue Tingxiang''s most unbearable past, and he had no memory at all.


    In fact, Xue Gouzi was burned in a daze last night, and Xue Gouzi thought for a long time. He couldn''t figure out whether he was Xue Gouzi or Xue Tingxiang, whether that dream was true or not, whether he was thinking about it every day and dreaming at night , to have such an absurd dream.


    However, he also had an idea in his heart. If everything in that dream was true, several things should happen in succession. If these things happen, it means that his dreams are real.


    Thinking about something in his heart, he reached out to catch the bowl, only to realize that he didn''t even have the strength to hold the bowl. Luckily, Zhao''er caught the bowl quickly, so he didn''t spill it all over him.


    Xue Gouzi was a little embarrassed and anxious. It was very strange, obviously he would not have this kind of reaction in front of Zhao''er before, but I don''t know if it was a dream, and his state of mind had a strange change.


    Zhao''er laughed at him: "Why are you being polite with my sister? I forgot that when you were a child, you peed on the kang, and it was my sister who washed it for you."


    Zhao''er came to Xue''s house when he was seven years old, and Gouzi was only five years old at that time. It is very inexplicable for a child to pee on the kang. It is obvious that he has not urinated for a long time. I don''t know if he drank too much water before going to bed or what, but he actually peed on the kang.


    Since Qiu gave birth to the dog, her bones were not good, and it was winter again. In order to repay the kindness of the second wife, Zhao''er volunteered to wash the dirty clothes and pants for the dog. Since then, she started her career as a child bride.


    What Xue Gouzi hates the most is Zhao''er. He always likes to say inconspicuous things in front of him. You must know that as you get older, boys will lose face, how can you still be willing to listen to people mentioning such things, especially dogs are naturally sensitive. But today for some reason, he didn''t feel annoyed, only a little embarrassed.


    He was surprised by his own reaction, but Zhao''er had already fed him porridge with a wooden spoon. He subconsciously opened his mouth, and waited until the warm porridge blown by her was fed into his mouth, and he saw the smiling eyes of the other party.


    Those eyes were big and bright, as if there were stars hidden in them, and he couldn''t help but blush.


    Zhao''er smiled even more happily, and stuffed him with a tortilla: "Eat quickly, sister will cook eggs for you at noon."


    She was coaxing him like a child, Gouzi suddenly had this understanding.


    He was eating porridge from Zhao''er, thinking wildly in his mind, it was very chaotic.


    Just then, someone came to the door.


    It was Xue Qingshan.


    Exactly the same as in the dream.


    Xue Qingshan''s fair face was full of sighs and worries, he sighed and said a lot of words, the main idea was to let the dog recover well, don''t worry too much, there are grandparents and uncles at home, he can''t lose him.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Qingshan also followed the appearance and height of the man from the Xue family. He was also a weed in Yuqing Village in his early years, but unfortunately he got a little fatter as he got older.


    "Uncle still has to go to the private school, dog, take care of your illness, you are a child with a lot of thoughts." Sighing and patting his nephew on the shoulder, Xue Qingshan lifted the curtain and left.


    What is he doing?


    Zhao''er thought suspiciously. After thinking about it for a while, she couldn''t figure out why, so she stopped thinking about it and concentrated on feeding the dog porridge, but Xue Gouzi looked thoughtful.


    *


    In the main room, Mrs. Zhao is chatting with Mr. Xue about what happened yesterday.


    Mrs. Zhao was sewing an old dress in her hand, and said, "Let me tell you, you just like to spoil that little thing. You love him, but he doesn''t love you. Our family''s money doesn''t come from the river, just Because he didn''t want to show his illness to the whole family, he made a fuss after another, which is to make the family upside down."


    Mr. Xue was in his fifties, tall and tall, and his skin was black and red like that of a countryman who had been exposed to the sun for a long time. He was wearing dark blue coarse cloth pants, sitting cross-legged on the Kang, smoking a dry cigarette.


    Every time after dinner or before work, Mr. Xue always smoked for a while, otherwise he would feel exhausted.


    "Okay, Gouwazi is sick, who doesn''t have three illnesses and four pains." After a while, he said hoarsely.


    The patter, patter sounded again, and the lingering blue smoke swirled in the air, and then scattered in all directions. Behind it, the old face of Mr. Xue was hidden, looming.


    "But look how long he has been in trouble? Yesterday, more than one hundred coins were lost. How long will it take you to work hard in the field to earn more than one hundred coins! Boss has to leave another two hundred coins. It is said that someone in a classmate¡¯s family had a birthday, and there was a disaster just last year, and the tax was not exempted, but increased. Seeing that the boss said that he wanted to send Juncai to the town to study, it was another expense. How much money do you have? Withstood such a toss!"


    Seeing that his wife was so distressed, Mr. Xue sat up straight, tapped the cigarette pot on the kang table, and gave her a sideways look: "Your heart will be distressed if you spend a hundred yuan for a dog, and you will give it if the boss asks you for it? Not me Speaking of you, you are a parent and grandmother, so don''t be too biased, you don''t have to make the following little ones have conflicts."


    Upon hearing this, Mrs. Zhao didn''t want to. She slapped him across the kang table and said, "I''m biased? Don''t you?"


    He is also biased, but the boss is the most promising in the family, and the handsome is also the most outstanding among the grandchildren. It''s different to have a scholar in the family. No one will say that Xue Lianxing''s family is a decent person when they go out. If Dafang can produce a scholar, his Xue family will be honored.


    Just thinking of Xue Gouzi, Mr. Xue couldn''t help frowning.


    Of course he knew that the mother-in-law was very annoyed, Gou''er was too ignorant, the eldest owed the life to the second, but Xue''s family was in such a family situation, naturally they had to pay attention to their future.


    It''s not that Mr. Xue looks down on his grandson, but that Gou''er is really not comparable to a handsome boy, nor can he. It''s good to be strong, but you always have to look at the situation.


    "The boss''s daughter-in-law has already said several times that the school in the town cannot be delayed. The delay is half a year. The boss still wants to let Juncai try next year." Zhao added.


    "Back then, I promised my second child!" Old Master Xue sighed deeply, took two puffs of dry cigarettes, and coughed twice when he was choked.


    "Anyway, you can figure it out!" Zhao Shi was so angry that she threw the clothes aside, turned her head and leaned back on the kang, giving the man a backbone.


    Old man Xue slapped his mouth several times, and the gully on his face deepened: "You too, old woman, don''t you think that if outsiders know about this, we can still have face in the village?"


    "Then what do you think we should do? Let''s not do it?" Mrs. Zhao rolled over and sat up again, staring at Mr. Xue.


    "Of course it has to be done, it depends on how to do it. How about this, you ask Cuiping to come back tomorrow, and she has to do this matter."


    "Uncle Chen is acquainted with the owner of the Qingyuan Academy?" Seeing that Boss Chen was so indignant, Xue Tingxiang asked curiously.


    Boss Chen stroked his beard and said, "I''m ashamed to say that I was a classmate with him when I was young, but I was not good at studies and only passed the exam as a boy student, but he was selected as a scholar in one fell swoop, and he was still a boy student. Unfortunately, bad luck, has not It took him many years to pass the exam, and he had no intention of pursuing a career, so he returned to his hometown to inherit his father''s career in teaching and educating people."


    "It won''t be bad luck all the time." Xue Tingxiang said.


    If he remembers correctly, the whole town was a sensation when Director Lin of the Qingyuan Academy finally passed the exam three years later, and Gao Youzhi, the owner of the Qinghe Academy, was so angry that he almost vomited blood. At that time, he was planning to leave the Qinghe Academy to study at the Shen family''s ethnology, and happened to hear something about it.


    Boss Chen thought the young man was just comforting him, and smiled, "Thank you for your good words."


    Xue Tingxiang was not ambiguous either, and cupped his hands and said: "Thank you, Uncle Chen, for your suggestion, but there are still trivial matters at home that have not been dealt with. When everything is settled, I will go to the Qingyuan Academy to study."


    "You are straightforward, so you are not afraid of being implicated and hindering your fame?" Boss Chen asked curiously.


    "The kid hasn''t entered school yet, so why talk about fame? Besides, the imperial court has always attached great importance to the selection of talents. If they are really talented, presumably the magistrate Hu will not dare to stop them too much."


    "I can''t see that you have high ambitions. Well, since you dare to go, I will recommend you one or two. Although my classmate is rigid and dull, he is not good at words, but his knowledge is first-rate. Don''t dare It is no problem to teach a person to become a Jinshi, but a scholar is fine."


    "Then thank Uncle Chen first."


    *


    For several days, Xue Tingxiang and Zhao''er left early and returned late.


    Someone from Xue''s family asked twice, and Zhao''er said to take Xue Tingxiang out to get some fresh air, so as not to be overwhelmed. The people in the big room showed contempt, and Mr. Xue couldn''t help shaking his head. After that, no one asked any more questions, and most of them knew in their hearts that Xue Tingxiang was doomed. Maybe the two children in Erfang also have a lot of mentality, so they broke the cans and didn''t read books, but ran around playing.


    You must know that even if you are as qualified as Xue Juncai, you have to read books at home for many days to prepare.


    In the blink of an eye, it was five days.


    This day is no different from ordinary days.


    The farmhouse is always busy in the morning, and after a night, the family''s livestock have to be waited on, and the whole family has to be tossed about to eat. After breakfast, the men will go to the fields, and the women will do housework at home.


    If there is some difference, Xue Juncai had two more poached eggs in his bowl than others for breakfast.


    Because of Mr. Xue''s beating some time ago, Mrs. Zhao didn''t dare to openly fight against the big family members these days. Today, seeing that life is not normal, she couldn''t hold back.

 Chapter 219

    In fact, Xue Tingxiang is not good at reciting poems, but he can''t hold back that the person in his dream has lived a long life and is widely seen in the market. There used to be a long-standing joke among scholars¡ª¡ª


    It is said that there was a gray-haired scholar who took the exam, and the examiner knew from his appearance that he was an old boy who had repeatedly failed the exam, so he deliberately made things difficult for him: "I have a couplet, if you can match, I will take it." you."


    The old boy felt bitter in his heart, but he didn''t dare to give up.


    The chief examiner asked the question: "If you take the bait, you are old; if you take the bait, you are a tester. If you are old, you will be a child, and if you are a child, you will be an old man."


    The old boy bowed to Rao and replied: "One person is great, and two are heaven. Heaven is greater than human affection, and human affection is greater than heaven."


    This flattery was exquisite, so the examiner was too embarrassed to go back on his word, so he had no choice but to choose him as a scholar.


    In fact, upon hearing this story, one knew it was made up. Anyone who has participated in the hospital examination should know what the situation will be. How can the chief examiner take the initiative to test an old boy? The examiner and the examinee will not talk to each other, and it is also for avoidance.


    It was obviously made up by a failed scholar, and it was used as a comforting chat, and because it made people laugh, it spread among scholars. It even extended to the fact that any official in the DPRK was released as an academic officer, or presided over a new department examination, and the official who had a good relationship with him could not help telling the last sentence, but don''t be ''human beings are too big''.


    It is not only a joke, but also an exhortation. There have always been many frauds involved in imperial examinations.


    Xue Tingxiang did not expect to hear this pair here.


    He didn''t feel uneasy because this second line was borrowed, because winning Xue Juncai has always been the biggest obsession in his heart.


    It is now, and it was also in the dream.


    In the dream, he was troubled by this matter for a long time, and after all kinds of hard work, he finally felt proud. It was because of the experience that he knew that this kind of obsession affects a person''s xinxing too much. He has a more ambitious goal, and there are still many things to do, but Xue Juncai is just an obstacle to him now, overcoming him is what he needs to do now.


    As for why he discarded the second couplet he came up with and chose to borrow this. Xue Tingxiang took a look at Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong, and thought it was because of his insignificance that he made fun of them with resentment.


    Obviously, only Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong are Tongsheng, and although this pair is perfect, it is obviously ironic. Old students test children, children students test to old age. This is undoubtedly the greatest ridicule and curse for a person who has failed to pass the entrance examination for many years.


    The faces of the two of them immediately turned purple, but they had to hold back. At this time, He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai had already clapped their hands and praised it.


    "Okay, that''s right!"


    It seemed that everyone had forgotten about Xue Juncai. He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai whispered a few times, and then He Xiucai announced: "After the unanimous decision of the two of us, the winner is Xue Tingxiang and Xue Xiaoyou."


    "Xue Xiaoyou, I hope you can work hard and achieve fame as soon as possible." He said to Xue Tingxiang with a pleasant face.


    "Thank you two seniors for your encouragement, I will definitely work harder." Xue Tingxiang bowed to him.


    While He Qiao and Xue Tingxiang were talking, the villagers standing in the hall and outside the house had already started discussing. Most of them are admiration, but of course there are also those who can''t believe it and question it.


    Among them, the Xue family is the most unbelievable, especially Xue Qingshan. He had suppressed it before, but now he couldn''t help it anymore, stood up and said: "Just relying on these to judge victory or defeat, are the two seniors Too hasty?"


    Seeing that both He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai looked over, he flinched a bit, and then became confident again: "The kid''s pair hasn''t been made yet, so the winner is decided like this..."


    He Xiucai showed displeasure on his face, and ignored him, but asked patriarch Xue with a cold old face: "Could it be that patriarch Xue also disagrees with the conclusions of the two of us?"


    Patriarch Xue dared to offend Mr. Xiucai, he was still two Mr. Xiucai. Besides, from his point of view, Xue Tingxiang''s performance this time was indeed somewhat unexpected, and it was much more talented than Xue Jun. He was an outsider, so he could see it clearly, so he quickly scolded Xue Qingshan and asked him to apologize publicly to the two scholars.


    Xue Juncai was also full of dissatisfaction: "The boy is not convinced either, he has never been as good as me, I just didn''t prepare properly, the two seniors can ask another question, this time the boy will definitely beat him."


    At this time, a woman squeezed in from the crowd outside the door.


    Her clothes are disheveled and her hair is messy. It is Mrs. Yang.


    Yang stumbled in and cried, "My son can''t lose, you two must have been bribed to hurt my son on purpose."


    This remark made a big fuss, especially on such an occasion, when a woman rushed in and made a loud noise, not only He Qiao and the two scholars showed anger, but even several village elders present repeatedly reprimanded them as inappropriate.


    "Ridiculous, really ridiculous! Could it be that Li Zheng and the patriarch thought we were bribed?"


    "You two scholars, don''t be angry. This woman has long hair but short knowledge. She is talking nonsense."


    "Lian Xing, don''t get your shrew back!"


    The old man Xue beside him was so anxious that he didn''t know what to do, but as a father-in-law, he couldn''t help his daughter-in-law, so he had to ask his eldest son Xue Qingshan to take his wife away quickly.


    It''s just that Xue Qingshan still wants an explanation at this time, so how could he care about this.


    There was a lot of trouble on the field, He Xiucai wanted to leave, and Qiao Xiucai didn''t want to stay longer. Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng repeatedly tried to persuade them to stay, and at the same time angrily reprimanded them to get rid of these people quickly.


    Qiao Xiucai sneered, and did not reprimand Xue Juncai, but sneered at Xue Qingshan: "You are a boy, and you have passed the exam several times, but you can''t see the meaning of these exams, brother He, no wonder you took the exam. After so many years, he is still a child!"


    This Qiao Xiucai''s words were too touching, Xue Qingshan''s face turned green and pale. In fact, Qiao Xiucai was not usually so bitter, but he uttered bad words because he saw that the father and son refused to admit their losses and wanted to pester them.


    "In terms of adapting to the situation and calmness of mind, he is not as good as him." He pointed to Xue Tingxiang, and then pointed to Xue Juncai: "You have time in the examination room to dawdle for you, another chance? Let''s talk about the roll , full of stains, I am afraid that if you don¡¯t need to read what you wrote, you will end up not taking it!¡±


    At this time, Xue Juncai was already pale with fright, how could he react, but Xue Qingshan was as if struck by lightning, so he didn''t speak anymore.


    *


    He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai stayed in the end.


    Taking advantage of the chaos in the hall, Xue Qingshan sneaked into the crowd with Xue Juncai and Yang surreptitiously.


    Seeing that there is no excitement, the villagers also dispersed, and while walking home, they discussed today''s affairs with the people around them.


    In fact, they don''t know anything, as long as they know that the person who wins in the end is the dog of the second wife of Xue Lianxing''s family. It can be predicted that after this incident, many people in the village will change their views on Xue Tingxiang, and they will even talk about it endlessly.


    And Xue Juncai''s name in the village is destined to be replaced by Xue Tingxiang.


    Taking advantage of the crowd, Xue Tingxiang walked out from Zheng Lizheng''s house.


    Zhao''er had been waiting outside for a long time, and as soon as he saw him, he said happily: "Gou''er, you really won, you beat Xue Juncai! My sister is so happy."


    She was so happy that she didn''t know how to be happy. Seeing this, Xue Tingxiang couldn''t say anything to condemn her, but just looked at her with a smile.


    After being happy for a while, Zhao''er showed a little hesitation: "By the way, after you beat him, do you really want to go to Qinghe Academy to study?"


    Xue Tingxiang pondered for a while: "I don''t plan to go to Qinghe Academy. Uncle Chen said that he can introduce me to Qingyuan Academy."


    "Qingyuan Academy? The name seems to be quite similar to Qinghe Academy. Is this academy good?" Immediately, Zhao''er laughed and said, "That''s right, Uncle Chen is well-informed, so what he can say is definitely not bad. .¡±


    Xue Tingxiang nodded: "I plan to go to town in these two days and talk to Uncle Chen about it."


    "What are you waiting for these two days, let''s go now."


    Xue Tingxiang did not expect Zhao''er to be so eager, so he hesitated.


    Zhao''er said again: "There must be chaos at home right now, let''s avoid the limelight first."


    He immediately understood the meaning of her words, with the dispositions of the eldest couple, and the always eccentric Zhao family, he didn''t know what kind of chaos would happen in the family.


    The two left the village avoiding the crowd, and because they didn''t meet the mule cart, they took the bullock cart to the town.


    When we arrived at Dongliju, Uncle Chen happened to be there. Xue Tingxiang explained the matter, and Uncle Chen agreed that he would go to his classmate tomorrow. After that, the two of them didn''t go back, Xue Tingxiang continued to copy his unfinished book, while Zhao''er continued to tidy up the pile of clothes that she hadn''t finished.


    It was not until the evening that the two returned to Yuqing Village.


    The courtyard of Xue''s house was quiet, with cooking smoke wafting from the chimney, and it seemed that cooking was going on in the stove.


    Standing in the yard, Mrs. Zhao saw two people walking in from the outside. She had a cold old face and scolded without naming names: "People say that we enjoy the blessings of our children and grandchildren, but we have become old slaves. We don''t see anyone for a day." , Open your mouth to eat when you get home, I owe you in my previous life!"


    Mrs. Yang came out from the east chamber: "Mother, the meal for the third sibling is ready, let''s quickly set the table for dinner."


    Mrs. Zhao snorted coldly, turned around and entered the door of the main house. Yang Shi didn''t even look at the two of them, but followed behind and went in.


    Zhao''er looked at Xue Tingxiang.


    Xue Tingxiang looked at her: "What are you looking at?"


    Zhao''er sneered, and muttered in a low voice: "Don''t pay attention to grandma, she just has no side."


    "Ok, I know."


    *


    When the two were tidying up in the house, there was a sudden commotion in the courtyard, not only the voices of Mr. Xue and Xue Qingshan, but also a familiar voice.


    Zhao''er looked out the window, and saw Yang''s father, Yang Zhong.


    Yang Zhong was from nearby Niujiaoling, and because he was a boy, he was considered a respectable figure in Niujiaoling. Like his son-in-law, he opened a private school to make ends meet. However, this person is exaggerated, good at putting on airs, relying on the old to sell the old, the most important thing is to attract children''s dislike.


    Yang Zhong seemed to have eaten too much wine somewhere, his steps were a little staggering, and his fat face was flushed.


    The couple from Dafang greeted them, as well as Mr. Xue.


    Mr. Xue looked a little embarrassed: "Old relative, for my family''s affairs, I have troubled you to run several times. This is because you have eaten too much wine. Come in and sit down."


    Yang complained: "Father, you too, why do you drink so much wine?"


    "It''s not that Zheng Lizheng is too hospitable. After drinking for so long, your father is still not drunk?" Yang Zhong looked a little smug, and said to Mr. Xue: "It''s nothing, a handsome man is too. My grandson, as a grandfather, how can I not come to make decisions for him. "

 Chapter 220

    A big Kang, two quilts, one for each person.


    But Zhao''er couldn''t sleep today, and when she came back from the main room, she was a little excited.


    She rolled over and over again.


    "You do not sleep?"


    It is reasonable to say that they would not rest so early, but today both of them have been busy all day, so they turned off the lights after recruiting children to go to the kang. But with the moon outside, you can still see clearly in the room.


    Zhao''er sat up halfway, and moved to Xue Tingxiang''s side.


    "Dog, tell me what you meant when you scolded that old killer just now?"


    Zhao''er knows how to swear, and has sweared before, but she has never seen such a method of swearing. Yang Zhong was furious because of the swearing, and Xue''s family didn''t even know how to persuade him. From Zhao''er''s point of view, isn''t this the culmination of swearing, can you swear without uttering dirty words?


    She wants to learn this method, it will come in handy sometime.


    Xue Tingxiang turned over and gave her a backbone.


    Zhao''er poked his shoulder with her finger: "What''s wrong? Why are you angry again?"


    He didn''t move, and she moved closer.


    The two of them were only separated by one person, and they wore thin clothes when they slept. Zhao''er leaned over, even though Xue Tingshan had his back on his back, he could still feel a wave of hot air rushing towards him, mixed with a wisp of faint fragrance.


    There was a strange softness slightly attached to his shoulders, Xue Tingshan''s back was stiff, and she heard her say on top of her head: "Don''t take that old killer''s words to heart, it''s not that I said uncle and aunt are too narrow-minded." It¡¯s too much, and even made such a fuss, do you really think that grandpa will regret it? Even if the family doesn¡¯t say anything, there are still so many people watching outside, so don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll go to the school to make a decision.¡±


    She was very close to him, and the heat of her words sprayed on the tips of his ears, making him shiver again and again. At the same time, a hot numbness rushed from the tips of his ears to his neck, causing waves of unconscious trembling.


    His breathing was a little tight, and he couldn''t help turning over.


    Zhao''er was still talking, and she didn''t expect that he would turn over suddenly, and his face just crashed into her arms.


    Xue Tingxiang''s brain went blank for a moment, and he subconsciously fell backwards. It is obvious that it is about to leave at the touch of a touch, but it clearly feels a suffocating softness, and there is something faintly raised.


    He recalled some situations in the dream, and he only felt his nose was hot, as if something flowed out.


    "Are you alright?" Zhao''er heard a thud, saw him motionless, thought that something was wrong with him being bumped, hurriedly leaned over to look at his face.


    "Why are you panicking! Really. Come on, let me rub it for you."


    He covered his nose with one hand and pushed her with the other: "I''m fine, it doesn''t hurt." He quickly turned over and said falteringly: "It''s getting late, go to sleep."


    "You haven''t told me what you mean by that!"


    "It doesn''t mean anything, just let him take a pee and take a picture of himself!"


    "Ah?!" Zhao''er was stunned, and said after a while, "So that''s what he meant, then you just let him take a pee and take a picture of yourself, and you said so much."


    Seeing that he didn''t answer himself, Zhao''er sat for a while and then lay down.


    "Okay, go to bed now, I won''t disturb you anymore."


    *


    Yang Zhong stayed at Xue''s house for one night and left the next day.


    Because it was rushing to the busy farming season, the Xue family resumed their usual work, and no one mentioned the previous incident, as if nothing happened that night.


    Everything is so busy yet full of peace.


    On this day, Xue Tingxiang and Zhao''er went to town early in the morning.


    Different from the past, today Xue Tingxiang wore new clothes.


    The clothes were brought out overnight by Zhao''er, because Boss Chen said that he would take Xue Tingxiang to Qingyuan Academy. This trip is very meaningful, so naturally it can''t be as casual as before.


    The gray-blue cotton gown was made by Zhao''er after imitating those school shirts in the town. Although the style is simple, it looks extraordinarily straight and docile after being washed with starch. Although Xue Tingxiang is thin and thin, his shoulders are flat and his back is straight. Wearing this student shirt, he has a particularly graceful temperament.


    When they arrived at the place, Boss Chen took Xue Tingxiang out, while Zhao''er stayed at Dongliju.


    The two of them went all the way to the east of the town, the more secluded they became as they went outside, and after walking for almost a cup of tea, they saw a building with white walls and black tiles standing at the end of their line of sight.


    Seeing Xue Tingxiang''s gaze resting on the building, Boss Chen said: "That is the Qinghe Academy." After a pause, he raised his hand and pointed to a building not far behind the Qinghe Academy: "That is the Qinghe Academy. Academy."


    The two walked forward and passed Qinghe Academy, and saw that this academy was really extraordinary. The whole building exudes a magnificent temperament, the gate tower stands majestically, with a few golden characters "Qinghe Academy" written on the door plaque, and the two black-painted gates are closed tightly, with a look of repelling people thousands of miles away. momentum.


    "It''s too late for you to regret it now." Boss Chen said.


    Following the sound of talking, the two of them crossed the Qinghe Academy, only to see the obviously much dilapidated small courtyard not far away.


    The small courtyard is rigorous and simple, with clear water and white walls, and gray and black tiles. Even the door plaque is much smaller than that of the Qinghe Academy, with a few simple big-character books on it¡ª¡ª


    Qingyuan Academy.


    Obviously, no matter where you look at it, it is not as good as the Qinghe Academy, but standing under the square door plaque and looking at the words on it, Xue Tingxiang felt a peaceful and peaceful atmosphere.


    "Since the kid is here, I don''t intend to regret it."


    Boss Chen glanced at him appreciatively, and went to call the door.


    Not long after, an elderly Zhaifu opened the door from the inside.


    He seemed to know Boss Chen, and he led the two of them in without asking too much.


    This school may not seem big, but it is actually small but well-equipped. It is the same as a general school. After passing the screen wall, there is a lecture hall on the central axis. There are two houses on the left and right sides. The temple on the left is built to worship the saint Confucius, and the house on the right is the place where the gentleman sits and rests and collects books.


    After the lecture hall, there must be a shooting garden, a hall, a kitchen, etc. Xue Tingxiang knew the layout without looking. Because in his dream, he studied in Qinghe Academy for several years, but Qinghe Academy is much more spacious and grand than Qingyuan Academy.


    Boss Chen led Xue Tingxiang to the right side of the house with ease, and when he reached a wing room, he straightened his clothes and sleeves, and then brought Xue Tingxiang in.


    This wing room is furnished in a simple and elegant way, and there is a large painting on the central hall facing it, on which are written the words ''peace and distance''. Standing in front of the words was a thin middle-aged man, wearing a dark blue scribe shirt and a square scarf.


    When he heard the movement, he turned around, and saw that he had long eyebrows, a thin face, and a few strands of beard. Judging from his appearance, he is a very serious and rigid person, but his eyes are calm and deep, obviously a person of great wisdom.


    This person is Lin Miao, the owner of Qingyuan Academy.


    "Brother Anqi, I''m here to bother you again." Boss Chen cupped his hands with a smile.


    "The good brother of Mo."


    Lin Miao smiled, obviously he had a good relationship with Boss Chen. After the two exchanged pleasantries, Boss Chen pointed to Xue Tingxiang and said, "This is the young man I told you about."


    Lin Miao looked over.


    Obviously Xue Tingxiang has extensive knowledge, and he has never seen any kind of person in that dream, even the Ninth Five-Year Master, he has seen several, but there is an inexplicable sense of awe.


    "Boy Xue Tingxiang, I have met you." He clasped his hands together and bowed in salute.


    Lin Miao nodded: "Since you''re here, stay here. The school will open in ten days, so you can just come here when it''s time."


    "Mr. Xie."


    Boss Chen glanced at Lin Miao, as if he wanted to say something, seeing this, Xue Tingxiang tactfully said that he was going out for a walk, so he avoided going out.


    After Xue Tingxiang went out, Boss Chen said: "Brother An Qi, don''t you believe in the eyes of a younger brother? I have observed these days, and this son has a calm mind, is diligent and hardworking, and is quite talented in reading. He only needs one A good teacher, if there is a good teacher to guide, I think the future will be limitless in the future."


    The reason why Boss Chen said that was because Lin Miao''s performance was too plain. He originally thought that Lin Miao loves calligraphy, and after reading Xue Tingxiang''s calligraphy, and his lobbying, he should accept him as a student no matter what.


    This student is different from the students in the academy, and can be regarded as a student entering the room. As the saying goes, a teacher for a day is a father for life. A young child has more than one teacher from the beginning of school until he passes the exam/fame.


    When you start learning, you are called a teacher, that is, a teacher of enlightenment. The karma teacher is the teacher who teaches the karma, also known as the scripture teacher. Those who teach their work must pass on their scriptures, and those who pass on their scriptures must educate their people, so a teacher is extremely important to a student. There are also human teachers and seat teachers, which will not be mentioned here.


    As for what Boss Chen said about "accepting students", the teacher is more like a combination of a professional teacher and a human teacher to students. He not only needs to teach them, but also teaches them the principles of life, which is different from treating ordinary students. The teacher has to cultivate it carefully, and it can be regarded as inheriting his mantle.


    Of course, students have to pay relatively, and they must truly be teachers for one day and fathers for life. This kind of relationship is not father and son, but victory is father and son, which is very popular among scholars today. The intertwined relationship among scholars in Shilin was laid on this basis, and gradually developed into a towering tree.


    Lin Miao laughed: "You really value him very much."


    Boss Chen sneered: "If I didn''t miss you, you would think that I have the time to meddle in your business. Don''t forget the October competition, if Qingyuan Academy loses again this year..."


    Boss Chen didn''t say what he said next, but Lin Miao understood what it meant.


    He sighed softly: "Everything is determined by God, if it is the case in reality, you can''t force it."


    Boss Chen repeatedly shook his head and stomped his feet and said, "Oh, I''m not talking about you. Your temperament is the most troublesome. You talk about the way of a gentleman with others, but others never follow you. Year after year They were all defeated by that villain, and now there are no good seedlings who are willing to come here to study, what should we do in the long run."


    "Brother Mo Zhi, you don''t understand."


    "Yes, yes, I don''t understand, I just know that if this continues, the reputation of the Qingyuan Academy will be lost in your hands."


    After finishing speaking, both of them were silent.


    Lin Miao looked tired, and Boss Chen seemed to know that he had made a slip of the tongue. He slowed down his tone, and said, "I can''t do anything about you. Anyway, I brought him for you. I''m really optimistic about this child. As for the rest, you can figure it out yourself."


    Lin Miao nodded: "Brother Mo Zhi, thank you in advance for my brother, but the matter of accepting apprentices will be discussed later. Don''t worry, he has entered the Qingyuan Academy, and I will teach him carefully."


    Boss Chen also understood where his heart knot was, and he didn''t force it. The two chatted for a while, and Boss Chen said goodbye.


    When Boss Chen came out of the wing, Xue Tingxiang had just returned.


    He was taken by Zhaifu to wander around the school, and he could see that the school was a bit old, and the paint on many buildings was peeling off, but every flower, plant and tree could be seen to be elegant.


    It''s like a place to study, unlike the Qinghe Academy, where there is a smell of copper everywhere.


    The two left hand in hand, Xue Tingxiang asked Boss Chen about Shu Xiu on the way.


    After asking about it, I found out that the repairs at Qingyuan Academy are very cheap, apart from the usual six rites of apprenticeship, only one tael of silver is needed a year.


    As for the usual etiquette of filial piety, it only depends on family background and intentions, and it doesn''t matter whether you give it or not. In addition, regarding the dormitory study, you can choose to do the dormitory study or not, but you must come to the morning study every day. As for meals, you can choose to bring your own rice, or you can choose to pay a certain amount of money every month and have it supplied by the school, both of which are debatable.


    It''s not like the Qinghe Academy that requires students to live in dormitories, just to charge the expensive accommodation and meals.


    According to Boss Chen, in the past, when the Qingyuan Academy had court subsidies, the annual tael of silver was not collected. It was only later that the subsidies were lost, and the gentlemen and handymen in the academy had to support their families before they were charged. Silver taels.


    Boss Chen sighed in his tone, and Xue Tingxiang also sighed in his heart.


    In his dream, ''Xue Tingxiang'' had been studying in the Qinghe Academy for three years. If he had known about the existence of this Qingyuan Academy, Zhao''er would not have been so busy for his training. It would not be so desperate to give up, and he would not waste three years in Qinghe Academy.


    Fortunately, the reality and the dream finally deviated, and the inexplicable Xue Tingxiang felt relieved.


    He knew he was dreaming again.


    This dream appeared in his life for decades, day and night, entangled, it seems to be deep into the bone marrow, but also like flesh and blood. I can''t throw it away, I can''t dig it away, and if I don''t come for a day, it seems that something is missing.


    But he had never had such a clear dream, so clear as if it was real.


    "Dog, why do you think you are so stubborn? Isn''t my money your money? What do you think I earn money for? Isn''t it just to support your studies and make you feel proud?"


    "Why do you say you are so stubborn! You say you are so stubborn, who are you showing your stubbornness to?!"


    "I know you don''t like me, but I''ve been like this for many years, and I can''t change it! I don''t plan to change it either!"


    "Look at Hong''er, does he look like you?"


    ...


    Xue Tingxiang suddenly felt that someone was shaking him, opened his tired eyes, and saw the dark inner room, Hu San''s face was no longer young, even the lines on the curtain were so familiar, he knew He was just dreaming.


    It''s just that the dream was too clear, the sorghum fragrance in the air, and the curve of her stubbornly pursed mouth made him feel like he was actually there. There are also her tears from being angry, crystal clear and shining with colorful light, he wanted to reach out to touch it, but someone woke him up.


    "My lord, it''s time to drink the medicine."


    Xue Tingxiang was propped up and given medicine. He was dying of illness, and he had to be served by someone even to drink medicine. How could he look like that extremely human minister Xue Shoufu who had ruled the court for decades.


    Oh no, he is not the chief assistant now.


    He has already written a letter to beg for the bones, intending to return to his hometown for the elderly, and the Holy Majesty has already agreed, but he has no home to return to, no relatives to rely on.


    In fact, he didn''t intend to go back.


    "Master Zhang, Mr. Wang, and Mr. Li and Mr. Cao all came to visit you, but they obeyed your orders and blocked the door. They come every day, and they are here again today. Would you like to see me?"

 Chapter 221

    Seeing this scene, Xue Tingxiang''s face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.


    He was both annoyed and angry, and he actually forgot about Jiang Wu.


    In that dream, Jiang Wu has been coveting Zhao''er.


    Jiang Wu is two years older than Zhao''er, but he has never married. If Zhao''er hadn''t been his child bride-in-law, the Jiang family would have come to propose marriage a long time ago.


    Even so, Jiang Wu never gave up, and once even approached him and told him that he wanted to marry Zhao''er, telling him not to be so selfish, and letting Zhao''er go free. She also said that she and Zhao''er would support him to study together and treat him like a younger brother, that''s how he knew about it.


    Shocked and annoyed, he also remembered Zhao''er''s reluctance to marry him. He mistakenly thought that Zhao''er was having an affair with Jiang Wu, so he borrowed his parents'' orders to forcefully marry her. Later, by chance, Only then did he realize that he had wronged her.


    This incident has always been a scar between the two, even though it was never mentioned again, it was a gap. Afterwards, he was busy starting his career, while Zhao''er was busy with business. The two met only once in a long time, and even if they met, they seldom talked again until he went to Beijing to catch the exam after winning the exam.


    The he in the dream once thought after Zhao''er died, if he hadn''t been so despicable back then and forced Zhao''er by his parents'' orders, Zhao''er wouldn''t have died.


    But this kind of thought is like a superficial thought, it just passed by in a flash. At this time, thinking about it, he is probably despicable in his bones. Even if he is not the Xue Tingxiang in his dream, he never thought of letting him go.


    She was supposed to be his, and when he still half understood, someone would always point to her and say, this is his future wife, isn''t it?


    "Brother Jiang Wu, you''d better look at some roads, this road is uneven, don''t lead us all into a ditch."


    Xue Tingxiang''s voice successfully interrupted the chatting and laughing of Jiang Wu and Zhao''er, as if a very ignorant person suddenly appeared, making the already warm atmosphere suddenly cool down.


    Zhao''er laughed dryly: "Look at me, I was so focused on talking to you about the business that I forgot that you were still driving the car. Fortunately, Daqing is smart, otherwise I would have fallen."


    Da Qing called out, looking very complacent.


    Jiang Wu looked back subconsciously, just in time to meet the young man''s dark eyes. Those eyes made him inexplicably guilty, but soon he regained his confidence.


    He knew that the dogs of the Xue family didn''t like to recruit children, and he also knew that the second bedroom couple of the Xue family originally recruited children as daughters, not child brides. The child bride-in-law was only passed on from the villagers to the villagers, and it became true because of the entrustment of the second wife of the Xue family at the end of their lives.


    Not only that, but he also knew that Zhao''er only regarded the other party as a younger brother, and had no intention of marrying the other party.


    The young man was undoubtedly thin and thin, although he was handsome, there was still a bit of childishness on his face. Such a young man made the strong and powerful Jiang Wu inexplicably feel condescending. He smiled heartily and said indifferently: "Don''t be afraid, you dog, Brother Jiang Wu drives the car every day, and you can walk back with your eyes closed."


    Xue Tingxiang did not speak, but lowered his head with the corners of his lips pursed.


    Seeing this, Zhao''er immediately understood whether the title Gouzi made the little man feel uncomfortable again. But facing Jiang Wu, she couldn''t show a cold face, she could only smile and say: "Brother Jiang Wu, let me tell you that the dog has a name, it''s called Tingxiang, Xue Tingxiang."


    "It''s an elegant name."


    "Yeah, so don''t call me Gouzi Gouzi in the future, it''s weird."


    While speaking, the car had arrived at Yuqing Village.


    Jiang Wu inertially circled to the end of the village before stopping, Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang got out of the car.


    "When will the business be done? Tell me a time, and I will pick you up when the time comes."


    "Aren''t you going to be busy in the town tomorrow, and those clothes have to be tidied up. When I''m ready, I''ll go to your house and give you a letter."


    Zhao''er also thought that two days later would be the day when Xue Tingxiang and Xue Juncai competed, and she would not be in the mood to do business until this matter was over.


    "OK."


    *


    Now that the matter was settled, they said goodbye to each other.


    Jiang Wu drove the car home, while Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang went home together.


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t say anything along the way, but just walked silently.


    Zhao''er glanced at him: "What''s the matter? You seem a little unhappy. Did Brother Jiang Wu call you angry just now? He didn''t know you were famous. I told him that he would never That''s what it''s called."


    He suppressed the jealousy in his heart, and said in a muffled voice, "Why do you know him so well?"


    "Brother Jiang Wu, we''ve known each other since we were young. You forgot that Heizi was brought back by his dog after he gave birth to a cub. Brother Jiang Wu is a very nice person and has helped me a lot."


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t speak, but stopped.


    Zhao''er walked forward for a while, only to realize that he hadn''t followed.


    She came back in a few steps, and asked suspiciously: "What''s wrong with you, why are you so weird?"


    He held his breath: "Don''t forget, you are a man."


    Zhao''er was taken aback for a moment, then looked at him and laughed. But he just smiled and didn''t speak, which made Xue Tingxiang angry and annoyed.


    Don''t think about it, she must have thought of something good.


    Seeing his fair face flushed with anger, Zhao''er hurriedly said: "Okay, don''t be angry, I know I have a man."


    There was a teasing taste in her voice, knowing that she was coaxing him, his heart still jumped several times.


    With the experience in the dream, Xue Tingxiang knew that this was not the time to be awkward, besides, there was Jiang Wu watching over him, so he didn''t want to repeat the experience in the dream again.


    He couldn''t help but reiterated: "I''m also doing it for your own good, lest people in the village see and make irresponsible remarks." He didn''t dare to look at her, but stared at the ground beside him, with some confidence in his heart. Distracted.


    Seeing him confessing himself like an adult, with a fair face and a slightly childish face, I don''t know how to trick him and want to rub his head.


    She did the same, and said at the same time: "Well, well, you are right, I will listen to you."


    He suddenly became more angry, and a sense of powerlessness and discouragement came to his heart.


    Why does she always treat herself like a child!


    *


    Early the next morning, Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang went out.


    When I arrived, Dongliju had just opened, Xue Tingxiang went to the clean room yesterday to continue copying books, but Zhao''er went to the yard behind the shop.


    She discussed with Boss Chen and borrowed this place to pack her clothes. Zhao''er had seen those clothes before, they were all old clothes, since she wanted to make money, she couldn''t afford to sell them poorly, so she came here today mainly to do this job.


    She borrowed the bamboo mat used for drying books from the shop, poured out the big bag of clothes, first sorted them into men''s and women''s styles, and then divided them into several piles according to texture and thickness, and then began to check the clothes one by one for damage. The place.


    If there was a hole somewhere, she would sew it up with the needle and thread she brought. Zhao''er''s needlework is pretty good, but she can''t do embroidery or something, and she''s fine with sewing and making clothes.


    She managed to clean up a pile, and seeing that the sun was shining outside, she went to fetch water from the well in the courtyard. There is a pulley in the well, so it is very convenient to fetch water. Zhao''er fetched a basin of water, soaked the clothes in the big wooden basin, wiped the soap locust water and scrubbed it.


    After washing and rinsing, the rice soup in the kitchen is also ready.


    Although Boss Chen and the others don''t cook in the shop, they always need a place to boil water for tea and so on, so the shop also turned on the fire, and Zhao''er borrowed the stove to cook a big pot of rice soup.


    She brought out the boiled rice soup, poured it into the wooden basin, and added some water into it, it is most suitable if it is slightly hot. Fang poured all the washed clothes into it and kept stirring with a stick.


    Stir well, put half a cup of tea, pick up the clothes from the wooden basin, fetch water and rinse again.


    This is the so-called starched clothes. The clothes that have been washed are sticky and sticky. As long as they don''t fade, they look like new ones. Some people who are fastidious will iron it with an iron, but since there is no such condition, Zhao''er does not intend to do so.


    During this period, Boss Chen came in. Seeing that Zhao''er was in full swing, he pointed to the various clothes hanging out in the yard and said with a smile, "It''s good for you, you take my place as your own. You make it look like a laundry room."


    Nowadays, there are places like starch washing rooms. Some people don''t want to wash their clothes at home, so they will send their clothes to the starch washing room for washing. Inexpensive and saves time and effort.


    Knowing that Boss Chen was joking with himself, Zhao''er also joked: "After what Uncle Chen said, it opened my eyes again. When I don''t have any business to do, I will buy a laundry room. When the time comes Uncle Chen will bring you the clothes, and I will wash them for you without charge."


    "You girl, you are really a good businessman." Boss Chen shook his head and laughed, and went back to the front.


    The room where Xue Tingxiang copied the books was in this yard, and the big window happened to be facing the yard, so Zhao''er''s every word and deed could be seen by him.


    Usually he can concentrate on nothing else, but today he is always going to see her intentionally or unintentionally.


    Seeing her tossing around in the yard, seeing her very lively face under the sun, seeing the beads of sweat on her forehead, she had no intention of copying the book at all, and only copied less than two pages in one morning.


    Boss Chen walked in to take a look, and followed his gaze to Zhao''er: "You are lucky to have such a woman at the booth."


    Xue Tingxiang did not speak.


    Boss Chen said again: "By the way, how far have you reached in your studies?"


    "I have finished studying the four books, but I can only read them, but I can''t understand them."


    "It''s okay to be able to read but not understand. Now that you have entered the university, you should start to learn Mingjing. However, in that kind of country school, many teachers themselves have only a half-knowledge, and they can''t teach anything. You can read more when you have nothing to do. Reading books like "Four Books Chapters" and "Zhu Zi Ji Zhu" can''t help you fully understand the scriptures, but they are somewhat helpful. The most important thing is to find a good school with good teachers to guide you. "Boss Chen pointed out.


    After a pause, he said again: "I heard from Zhao''er that he wanted to send you to the Qinghe Academy. Instead of spending a lot of money to go to that kind of place, I suggest that you go to the Qingyuan Academy."


    "Qingyuan Academy?" Xue Tingxiang asked in a daze.


    Boss Chen thought he didn''t know, or was deceived by rumors like those ordinary people, and said: "This Qingyuan Academy is one of the oldest schools in Huyang Township, and it used to be famous throughout Xia County. In our township, half of the people who pass the county examination every year come from the Qingyuan Academy, and there are not a few of them who pass the exam. It¡¯s just that the Qinghe Academy has risen suddenly in the past few years, and it seems to have declined.¡±


    Boss Chen''s voice was low, as if he was sighing infinitely, and suddenly turned high, quite angry: "Everyone in the world values ??fame and fortune, and is easily deceived by false appearances. They don''t know that the Qinghe Academy is using opportunism. The owner Gao Relying on his relationship with County Magistrate Hu, Youzhi became attached to him, and all the money allocated by the imperial court to the county to support local social studies and village studies flowed into the Qinghe Academy, and the two of them made a lot of money and filled their own pockets.


    "And the owner of the Qingyuan Academy is an upright person, and he doesn''t want to be with him. In addition, the Qingyuan Academy has a lot of preferential treatment for the children of poor families. Without this silver subsidy, we can only encourage and support it. The county that presides over the county examination Lingdu looked at Qinghe Academy differently, and even the students who wanted to enroll flocked there. This has changed, and the reputation of Qingyuan Academy has gradually declined in recent years."


    What is compared is knowledge, and what is compared is also future.


    They were all from humble backgrounds, and of course they knew how difficult it was to study in a farming family, so before Xue Tingshan said that the Xue family never forgot to cultivate their children and grandchildren while they settled down, Qiao Xiucai praised them greatly.


    Because he knew that this matter seemed insignificant, but it was actually too difficult for farmers. How many families had the idea of ??changing their own destiny by reading books.


    It can be said that those who are born in a poor family in the countryside and can achieve great fame have all experienced great hardships. The starting point is much lower than others. It takes countless efforts to catch up with others, and at the same time they have to face all kinds of cruel competition.


    This kind of competition is not only between classmates, but also between the same clan, and even one''s own brothers.


    If you succeed, the sea and the sky will be bright, and you will not be an ordinary person since then. If you fail, you will put down the book and pick up the hoe, and face the loess and the sky for the rest of your life.


    It is because they understand this kind of cruelty that the two of them can''t help but wonder whether this son deliberately said that his knowledge is weak, or he just wants to pull his brother to reduce the difficulty of the question. But this is a double-edged sword. After all, it is a disadvantage to oneself to lose one''s studies to others.


    These thoughts only happened in an instant, and because of the sudden attention of He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai, Xue Qingshan''s eyebrows jumped wildly, for fear that Xue Tingxiang would say something amazing again. At this moment, he couldn''t care less about why Xue Tingxiang knew the explanation of the scriptures, and he completely forgot that his previous idea was that Xue Tingshan didn''t understand the scriptures, and it would be easy for his son to beat him.


    This is also true for Patriarch Xue. If something happens in the clan that cannot be seen by others, it is limited to the clan. If it happens in public, it will be a bit ugly.


    The eyes of the two seemed to have needles, and they were anxiously focused on Xue Tingxiang''s face. Unexpectedly, he smiled shyly and said: "The boy was weak and sick when he was young, so he inevitably fell behind."


    Xue Qingshan hurriedly laughed and said: "That''s exactly the case. Don''t be afraid that the two seniors will laugh at me. My nephew is talented and intelligent, but his weak body hinders his studies."


    Patriarch Xue also nodded in agreement.


    Others didn''t know what was going on, they just opened their eyes and watched. Only Zheng Lizheng seemed to realize that there was something wrong, but he couldn''t tell the details, so he could only keep silent.

 Chapter 222

    Boss Chen stroked his beard and said, "I''m ashamed to say that I was a classmate with him when I was young, but I was not good at studies and only passed the exam as a boy student, but he was selected as a scholar in one fell swoop, and he was still a boy student. It''s a pity that luck was bad, and he has never been able to pass the exam." It took many years to pass the exam, and he had no intention of pursuing a career, so he returned to his hometown to inherit his father''s career in teaching and educating people."


    "It won''t be bad luck all the time." Xue Tingxiang said.


    If he remembers correctly, the Qingyuan Academy''s Director Lin finally passed the Juren examination three years later, the whole town was a sensation at that time, and the Qinghe Academy''s owner Gao Youzhi was so angry that he almost vomited blood. At that time, he was planning to leave the Qinghe Academy to study at the Shen family''s ethnology, and happened to hear something about it.


    Boss Chen thought the young man was just comforting him, and smiled, "Thank you for your good words."


    Xue Tingxiang was not ambiguous either, and cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Uncle Chen, for your suggestion, but there are still trivial matters at home that have not been dealt with. When everything is settled, I will go to the Qingyuan Academy to study."


    "You are straightforward, so you are not afraid of being implicated and hindering your fame?" Boss Chen asked curiously.


    "The kid hasn''t entered school yet, so what are you talking about? Besides, the imperial court has always attached great importance to the selection of talents. If they are really talented, presumably the county magistrate Hu would not dare to stop them too much."


    "I can''t see that you have high ambitions. Well, since you dare to go, I will recommend you one or two. Although my classmate is rigid and dull, he is not good at words, but his knowledge is first-rate. Don''t dare It is no problem to teach a person to become a Jinshi, but a scholar is fine."


    "Then thank Uncle Chen first."


    *


    For several days, Xue Tingxiang and Zhao''er left early and returned late.


    Someone from Xue''s family asked twice, and Zhao''er said to take Xue Tingxiang out to get some fresh air, so as not to be overwhelmed. The people in the big room showed contempt, and Mr. Xue couldn''t help shaking his head. After that, no one asked any more questions, and most of them knew in their hearts that Xue Tingxiang was doomed. Maybe the two children in Erfang also have a lot of mentality, so they broke the cans and didn''t read books, but ran around playing.


    You must know that even if you are as qualified as Xue Juncai, you have to read books at home for many days to prepare.


    In the blink of an eye, it was five days.


    This day is no different from ordinary days.


    The farmhouse is always busy in the morning, and after a night, the family''s livestock have to be waited on, and the whole family has to be tossed about to eat. After breakfast, the men will go to the fields, and the women will do housework at home.


    If there is some difference, Xue Juncai had two more poached eggs in his bowl than others for breakfast.


    Because of Mr. Xue''s beating some time ago, Mrs. Zhao didn''t dare to openly fight against the big family members these days. Today, seeing that life is not normal, she couldn''t hold back.


    Originally, Xue Tingxiang didn''t have any, but Yang Shi saw that her father-in-law looked bad, so she took the initiative to ask Zhao Shi to ask for two eggs, and put them in the bowl for him.


    Xue Tingxiang wants to recruit one of them separately, but he doesn''t want to be recruited, but it''s a pity that he can''t be persuaded.


    For the sake of one egg, the two of you whispered one sentence at a time, while Mr. Xue''s expression on the top was particularly serious.


    But life in the country is like this, no matter how heavy your heart is, you can''t lose your livelihood. Especially when rushing for spring plowing, Mr. Xue still took his two sons to work in the fields for a while, and didn''t come back until the sun was high.


    The news about the competition between the two children of Xue''s family has spread throughout Yuqing Village.


    It''s not that there are people who say strange things, but most people can still understand what old man Xue did. It''s not easy for rural people to earn a little money, and no one''s money comes from the big river. If there is a way, no one will do this.


    Knowing that today is the day, let the children of the family watch in the village. Seeing a stranger go to Zheng Lizheng''s house, these hairy kids ran into the field, shouting from a long distance, "Someone is coming from Lizheng''s house". The adults stopped planting the land, so they picked up the hoes and rushed back.


    Not long after, the big courtyard of Zheng Lizheng''s house was full of people, and more villagers kept coming here.


    There was a lot of commotion in the yard, everyone was gossiping and discussing today''s matter at the same time.


    In the room, Zheng Li was talking with a middle-aged man in a scholar''s shirt and a flat scarf on his head.


    This man had a thin and long face, his complexion was a little pale, and his eyes were slightly swollen. She doesn''t look good, but her identity seems to be extraordinary, and she actually sits in the main seat.


    And Zheng Lizheng could only sit on the sidelines.


    His Gu Pan has a different temperament from ordinary people. This person is Qiao Xiucai, who has a reputation in the surrounding ten miles and eight villages.


    Long before, Zheng Lizheng had thought about it. Xue Qingshan came forward to invite someone from the Xue family, if he didn''t expect, it should be his father-in-law Yang Zhong, Yang Zhong is just a boy, so he will invite a scholar.


    On the one hand, it seemed that he was impartial, and on the other hand, it was a good time to show his prestige.


    "Qiao Xianggong, you drink tea, I will order someone to remind you."


    Qiao Xiucai waved his hand indifferently: "Don''t worry."


    Just as he was talking, there was a commotion outside, but it was patriarch Xue who came with someone.


    However, it was not Patriarch Xue who took the lead, but an old man over fifty years old. This old man is of medium stature, dressed the same as Qiao Xiucai, also wearing a scholar''s shirt and a flat scarf, obviously even if he is not a scholar, he is still a child.


    Sure enough, when Qiao Xiucai saw the old man, he quickly stood up from his chair and bowed to him.


    "I never thought it would be Senior He, late born is so polite."


    "Don''t be too polite, just sit down."


    This He Xiucai was the person invited by patriarch Xue to preside over this competition.


    Zheng Lizheng was right, at first Xue Qingshan really planned to invite his father-in-law, but it was a pity that this matter was rejected by Patriarch Xue.


    Patriarch Xue also only knew that Xue Qingshan was so stupid. They all said that he should not avoid relatives when he was a virtuous person, but this is not the way. Since he felt that the chances of winning were more than guaranteed, there was no need for people to make mistakes, so he took care of this matter.


    He knew in his heart that the surname Zheng would not let go of the opportunity to show off, and if he came forward to invite someone, he must be a scholar. He originally planned to invite Qiao Xiucai, but he was a step late, so he had to delay the relationship and invite He Xiucai.


    After courteously giving way to each other, the two scholars sat down on the main seat.


    Zheng Lizheng and Patriarch Xue sat beside him.


    "Let Brother Lizheng worry about it."


    "Don''t bother, don''t worry, I''m the leader here, so I can''t show up if something happens in the village."


    A lot of back and forth, seemingly amiable, but there is a hint of wit hidden in the words. During this period, a few old people walked in from the outside, but they were a few old people from Yuqing Village, Mr. Xue, Xue Qingshan and others also came.


    Another uninvited guest was Xue Qingshan''s father-in-law Yang Zhong.


    Yang Zhong was in his fifties, with a chubby body. He didn''t look like a scholar, but a landlord with a fat brain. As soon as he came in, he joined Qiao Xiucai and He Xiucai, but unfortunately, these two scholars were not willing to talk to him, they said a few words with him, and then went to sit aside awkwardly.


    Xue Qingshan sat at the end.


    The Weng and the son-in-law are considered pretty people, and those who can sit here are all respectable people in the village, but because of the identity of this boy, they can also sit in the hall. You know, even Mr. Xue doesn''t have a seat, so he can only stand aside.


    "I don''t know the real master, but he''s here?" He Xiucai asked when he saw that almost everyone had come.


    Patriarch Xue looked at Mr. Xue, and Xue Qinghuai hurriedly said, "Here we come."


    Just as he was speaking, the villagers surrounding the door made way, and two teenagers walked out from the crowd.


    These two teenagers are all dressed in short brown, and they can be seen from humble backgrounds at a glance.


    The one in the lead looks gentle and handsome, with a slender figure. Although the clothes are simple, he is quite personable. The one in the back is half a head shorter than the one in the front, his body seems a little weak, and he seems a little introverted, his eyelids are always half down, and he seems a little afraid of strangers.


    But when the two came to the hall and accepted the scrutiny of the crowd, they had some clues.


    The elder''s appearance is not bad, but he always pulls his sleeves intentionally or unintentionally, as if the clothes don''t fit well. But the young one has been standing neither humble nor overbearing, the half-drooped eyelids not only do not make people feel contemptuous, but it feels like the respect that the younger generation should have for the elders.


    Therefore, it seemed that the older one looked directly into the eyes of everyone, which was a bit too abrupt. It is good to have self-confidence, but when the younger generation faces the elders, a humble and respectful attitude is indispensable.


    All this happened in an instant, and Qiao Xiucai and He Xiucai, who were seated in the main seats, had the initial judgment on these two young people.


    "Student Xue Juncai, student Xue Tingxiang, I have met all the elders."


    He Xiucai nodded, Qiao Xiucai nodded, and asked curiously, "Tingxiang? Does this name have a meaning?"


    Xue Tingxiang was taken aback, and Fang Zuoyi said: "Hey, I mean to follow suit. The student''s great-great-grandfather was also a student, and the biggest regret in his life was that he failed to pass the exam. Although my Xue family was born in a poor family, there are many generations. Forgetting the last wish of the ancestors, while settling down to live and work, he has been working hard to let the children of the clan read and write, and be able to understand the principles of life.


    "It should be noted that if you read a lot, you will have hills and valleys in your heart, and you will have a poetic spirit in your stomach. The younger generation will follow the last wish of the ancestors. Although they are not very knowledgeable at a young age, they have great ambitions. They hope that one day they can continue the path that their ancestors walked, and continue to do so. go down."


    These words are very well-chosen, and the words are too polite, or they say something to study and become an official to serve the court, to establish a life for the people, and to bring peace to all generations. They are all suspected of deliberately showing off, which makes people laugh. After all, they are still brats, not even children.


    And Xue Tingxiang''s words just echoed his age and knowledge, and even because of the ancestor''s last wish, it added a bit of filial piety.


    After listening to Qiao Xiucai, he stroked his beard and said, "Okay! What a big ambition!"


    With this praise, everyone''s eyes were on Xue Tingxiang.


    Most people don''t understand what it means, they only think that Qiao Xiucai is exaggerating the dog of Xue''s second room, but they can understand but they have different thoughts.


    Shocked and complicated like patriarch Xue, the look in Xue Tingxiang''s eyes implied excitement and admiration. He is the head of the clan, and he always regards the glory of the clan as his great responsibility. Xue Tingxiang''s words not only praised his ancestors in front of others, but also inadvertently showed the unusualness of the Xue clan, which made his face extraordinarily honored. Unconsciously, he straightened his back.


    Some secretly scolded this son for being cunning, and even used the occasion to grandstanding.


    Still upholding the last wish of his ancestors, whoever asked him to uphold it was just bragging! Why didn''t I see that this son was so eloquent earlier.


    "The elders in your family took this name for you, and they have high hopes for you."


    When Qiao Xiucai said this, he was embarrassed again, but it was the Xue family who were embarrassed.


    Just when Patriarch Xue and the others were afraid that Xue Tingxiang would be ignorant to tell the reason, he saluted again and said: "This junior will definitely study hard and live up to the expectations of his family."


    Xue Qingshan couldn''t sit still.


    Today''s book is for the examination of Xue Juncai and Xue Tingxiang, who is eligible to enter the school. The exam hadn''t even started yet, but Qiao Xiucai''s words were intended to encourage and agree with the other party. The so-called failure before the battle was nothing more than that.


    He couldn''t help but interjected: "Seniors, can we start?"


    Only then did Qiao Xiucai realize that he had spoken too much, but once he said it, he would naturally not take it back, and Xue Qingshan''s words obviously made him feel embarrassed. There was a slight displeasure in his heart, so instead of avoiding it, he nodded appreciatively to Xue Tingxiang, and then went to take a sip of tea on the table.


    Between the actions, there was a sense of treating Xue Qingshan as nothing, which made his face darken immediately. But he didn''t dare to have any doubts at all, he just smiled and sat back.


    Qiao Xiucai put down the teacup, cupped his hands and said to He Xiucai: "Senior He, look at this¡ª"


    "Let''s begin then."


    "Are you a senior, or you are the main one."


    Qiao Xiucai is a polite word. He is only in his thirties, he is already a scholar, he may be able to raise a scholar in the future, but He Xiucai is already an old man, the possibility of being selected is very slim. That''s why it was obvious that He Xiucai was the main one, but when Qiao Xiucai spoke, He Xiucai didn''t interrupt him, and didn''t even blame him for taking the lead.


    This is the way of the imperial examination, which pays attention to qualifications and seniority, but also pays attention to potential.


    Talents like Yang Zhong who fail the exam all their lives will be old boys when they grow old. However, if one can pass the examination as a scholar, even if one is over half a hundred years old and the other is a young man with a weak crown, they can still be on equal footing and be friends with each other as peers.


    It''s like Xue Qingshan is about to call himself a junior in front of Qiao Xiucai, and he can only accept Qiao Xiucai''s embarrassment to him. Although Qiao Xiucai gave He Xiucai too much courtesy, He Xiucai put him first in words and deeds.


    Few of the people present understood these principles, but Xue Tingxiang did, which made him even more determined to be a scholar.


    "Where are you two in your studies now?"


    "I have finished studying the Four Books, and now I am diligently reading the "Book of Songs" among the Five Classics." Xue Juncai answered first.


    He Xiucai set his sights on Xue Tingxiang.


    He pondered for a while, and said: "After studying the four books, I can only read them, but I can''t understand them."


    He Xiucai didn''t say anything, but Zheng Lizheng said in confusion, "If I remember correctly, you and the talented boy Kaimeng came one after another. How could you have fallen behind so much in your studies?"


    Xue Tingxiang remained silent, but Xue Qingshan''s eyebrows twitched.


    She looked like she was in her fifties, with her gray hair neatly pulled back behind her head. With a long face, the eyelids are a little sunken, and when the face is pulled, it becomes a triangular eye, which looks particularly unfriendly.


    Without Mrs. Zhao''s words, Mrs. Sun said: "Zhao''er, it''s not the fourth aunt talking about you, you girl likes to make a fuss. Could it be that you deliberately torment us all, even if you don''t like it..."

 Chapter 223

    From then on, Xue Cuiping couldn''t continue her words, she could only say a few words in a hurry without knowing why, then lifted the curtain and went out.


    The room was very quiet, the eyes of the young man on the kang darkened, and there was a trace of vicissitudes that did not match his age.


    Looking at such a little man, Zhao''er was afraid to go forward. It took a while to come over, sitting on the edge of the Kang, hesitantly said: "Dog, are you okay?"


    Looking at the worried face of the other party, Xue Gouzi smiled: "I''m fine."


    Zhao''er pursed her lips tightly, and patted his head: "Believe me, sister, one day we won''t have to ask for anyone."


    *


    Xue Cuiping left without even eating lunch, and when she left, she took a bag of wheat seeds Mrs. Zhao gave her.


    No one knew what she had said to Mrs. Zhao, and what Mrs. Zhao had said to her. All in all, when eating lunch at noon, Mrs. Zhao''s and Mrs. Yang''s faces were so ugly that Mrs. Sun and Mrs. Zhou were cautious.


    Zhao''er never looked at these things. After the rice was put on the table, she took two bowls to serve the rice first and then add the vegetables. Lunch can''t be called rich, it''s just millet rice, and the dishes are stuffed white rice and radish, as well as some homemade pickles. There is also meat, all big fat meat, a small plate, placed in front of the men.


    Men have to work in the fields and eat meat to gain strength.


    Zhao''er didn''t want to eat meat either, the meat cooked by Zhou''s was greasy and greasy, which made people feel unappetizing. She put some hot dishes and pickles into the bowl as usual, but she didn''t put much, but Mrs. Zhao suddenly dropped her chopsticks.


    "Just such a little food, the two of you can eat this? Hungry ghost reincarnation or something?"


    This is very hurtful and slaps face, but anyone with some self-esteem can''t stand it, but Zhao''er is used to it. Zhao Shi is like this, whoever makes her dissatisfied, she can use various methods to get back sick.


    She was not annoyed, and continued to pick up vegetables. She originally planned to pick up only those, but because of Mrs. Zhao''s words, she deliberately picked up two more chopsticks.


    "I can''t help Grandma, the dog needs to take care of himself, if there''s nothing good to feed him, he has to be full to eat." As she spoke, she suddenly turned her head and said to Mrs. Zhou: "Third Aunt, wash the vegetables next time." You call me Caicai, our family is not a family that is too poor to eat, but there are scholars in the family, and there is a master who is a child. Although grandma lives carefully on weekdays, she is not a person who does not let people eat food. "


    When it comes to pointing at Sang and scolding Huai, Zhao''er thinks she can''t lose to anyone, especially since she is holding her breath in her heart.


    Sure enough, Mrs. Zhao was immediately annoyed: "No matter how rich a family is, they can''t afford you to eat so much. You can eat more than anyone else if you don''t work every day. A stupid girl like you, if it wasn''t for our family, He was kicked out a long time ago."


    Zhao''er immediately put away her smile: "Grandma, you are wrong to say that. I came to the house when I was seven years old, and I didn''t do any work inside and out? When my father died, I wore a filial piety and kept my spirit. When my mother died, I waited on her bed day and night for more than half a year. I was the daughter-in-law of the second room, and I paid the end of my life for the second wife.


    "But grandma, don''t dislike me as a granddaughter-in-law who is talkative. People are divided into three or six grades according to how much they eat. Some people don''t know how to wipe the oil on their mouths when they eat delicious food. They can be replaced by others. If you eat some rotten white song, it will become a waste of food. There are more than a dozen chickens in this house, and there are no fewer eggs. Taoer and I feed them every day, and I don¡¯t know where the eggs have gone. Gouzi¡¯s disease I ate one egg so far, don¡¯t let me raise the chicken next time, anyway, I can¡¯t eat it, whoever eats it will raise it.¡±


    These words made everyone''s faces look ugly, among them Dafang''s mother and son had the most wonderful complexions, red and white, just like a dyeing workshop.


    This person who steals food without rubbing oil on his mouth is exactly what Dafang said. Mrs. Zhao is picky, but she doesn''t pick on her elder son and grandson. Mrs. Yang and her youngest son naturally follow suit. The seven-year-old boy looked annoyed, and seemed to want to say something, but was pulled by Yang severely.


    Sifang''s hairy egg is still young, and his mouth is also greedy, and he has long been tired of eating Baisong. As soon as I heard the egg, I couldn''t help it, and shouted to Mrs. Sun: "Mom, I want to eat eggs, I want to eat eggs..."


    In the silent main room, I heard the sharp cry of a child, which made my forehead throb.


    Mrs. Sun was so annoyed by crying, she couldn''t help but slap her on the face: "What''s the trouble, what kind of eggs are you eating, how can there be any eggs for you!" His tone was also a little offended.


    To put it bluntly, who doesn''t complain in his heart, but just endures it all the time.


    Maodan was slapped and cried even louder. Mrs. Zhao was already furious, but seeing this, she immediately shifted her target: "Mr. Sun, you are doing well, and you beat my grandson."


    Mrs. Sun was always afraid of Mrs. Zhao, so she smiled awkwardly and said, "Mother, Mao Dan is making a fuss about eating eggs. How can there be eggs for him?" The mother and son went to look at it three times.


    Mr. Xue has always ignored the affairs of his daughters-in-law, so he couldn''t help it now.


    With a dark face, he patted the table: "What a fuss, what a fuss!" The legs of the square table were swayed, and the bowls and plates bounced up and down, making crisp noises.


    Zhao''er didn''t pretend to be dead, and complained to him: "Grandfather, it''s not that grandma dislikes me and Gouzi for eating hazelnuts."


    As soon as she put the bowl on the table, she covered her face and began to cry: "I just ate such a mouth-watering meal, and I didn''t even see any traces of oil, so I called it Hu Chi Hai Sai, and I served it to others." Look, people will die laughing when they see it. If grandma really dislikes Gouzi and me, why don''t we separate our second room, and we will never eat and drink at home again."


    Hearing the word ''separation'', Mr. Xue twitched his brows subconsciously, and scolded: "What kind of family is divided, no one is allowed to mention the separation!" He seemed to feel that his tone was too harsh, and he slowed down his tone: "Your grandmother is angry with you because of your aunt''s family troubles, but you are a junior, how can you talk back to your elders."


    He turned his head and scolded Zhao again: "I said every day that you don''t have a long memory, and you have lived your whole life in the belly of a dog. Why are those eggs stored there? They are so stinky that you can''t bear to eat them! Third daughter-in-law, go get some Let¡¯s fry this one up, let¡¯s add a dish for everyone.¡±


    Just like that, Mr. Xue''s words successfully silenced everyone.


    Zhao''er''s eyes flickered, she was not lying when she said that she wanted to separate, but it was a pity that she was stillborn the first time she said it. But it''s true, how could Mr. Xue allow the second bedroom to separate the family? If the news spread, it would become a whole family bullying the two children. Besides, Mr. Xue still wants to twist the whole family into one rope so that the Xue family can provide another scholar.


    Putting these things aside, even though there was a commotion, the entire Xue family had a meal.


    Zhou scrambled a large bowl of eggs and reserved a bowl for Zhao''er.


    This behavior is a bit intriguing, you must know that the third wife and his wife are usually taciturn, they are old scalpers in Xue''s family, and they rarely help the two children of the second room to talk.


    But Zhao''er didn''t think much about it, everyone in this big family has their own thoughts, and she can''t control anyone''s thoughts, just don''t make her anxious.


    She returned to the house with the food, and smiled at Xue Gouzi when she entered the door: "Look, dog, there are eggs for lunch."


    *


    Looking at the bright smile on the girl''s face, Xue Gouzi''s eyes flashed with complexity.


    Although he was in the house, the movements in the main room were not missed.


    Zhao''er is like this, aggressive and hot, and he never cares what others think of him when he does things. In the past, he cared very much, and always felt that she was embarrassing him and doing him a disservice. He failed to dissuade him many times, and because of some other things, he hid his hatred for her in his heart.


    Little did he know that he was the one who was hypocritical and stupid, but it was a pity that by the time he understood it, it was already too late.


    "In order to eat an egg, you quarrel with Grandma."


    It wasn''t until he said it that he realized that he hadn''t changed his awkward speech pattern before, so she must have misunderstood him. Sure enough, a dark color flashed across Zhao''er''s face, and he smiled again: "He Xue Jun can eat it, and my dog ??can eat it too. Come and eat, make up your body, and you will recover soon."


    Look, that''s how she is, she always treats him like a child, saying "my dog", but in fact he is no longer a child. But the teenager''s mentality is sensitive and worrying, ''he'' doesn''t like all this, but he doesn''t know how to express it, so his discomfort slowly ferments into disgust and subconscious avoidance.


    Xue Gouzi didn''t know why he thought of this, he just felt that he had become very strange now, as if he had become two people, one was Xue Gouzi and the other was Xue Tingxiang. And every time something about Zhao''er came up, a voice murmured in his mind, as if telling him his true thoughts deep in his heart.


    While thinking, something was fed to his mouth, and he looked down to see that it was a fried yellow, crispy and soft egg.


    "Third aunt also scrambled the eggs well. The dog took a big bite and grew taller and stronger after eating it."


    As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Zhao''er regretted it.


    It''s also the fact that the little man is very good today, and she couldn''t help but imagine the scene where she coaxed him to eat when the little man was still young. When she was a child, she always coaxed the dog like this, but suddenly, at some point, the dog began to resist her, and she hated her like this the most.


    When she was worried, seeing him looking down, she smiled dryly, and was about to take back the spoon she handed over.


    Suddenly, he leaned over, took a big bite, and swallowed a spoonful of rice.


    "Delicious."


    Seeing him munching on his meal with drooping eyelids, Zhao''er suddenly smiled: "Eat more if it tastes good. In the future, my sister will work hard to make money and feed the dog scrambled eggs every day."


    After finishing speaking, she secretly glanced at Xue Gouzi from under her eyelids. Seeing that he didn''t show any displeasure, he couldn''t help but breathe a sigh of relief.


    In fact, Zhao''er said this on purpose, the little man has always hated her for running around and learning to do business with others. Because of this matter, the two had a lot of unhappiness, but she couldn''t stop going out to make money just because he didn''t like it.


    She wants to be rich, she wants to be rich for the little man to study, and not to fight with this group of people like black-eyed chickens. She thought a lot, and all of this required his support. After all, they were a family, and there were only the two of them left in the second room.


    But Zhao''er also thought about it, even if he objected, she would still do it.


    Of course it is best not to object.


    Under such circumstances, she couldn''t help but say something more: "I just talked to my grandma about the separation, but I was blocked by my grandpa." Seeing what the little man wanted to say, she interrupted: "Listen, sister!" After finishing speaking, I didn''t want to tell you too much about some things. I always felt that you were still young and didn''t want to disturb your studies. But what happened today, my sister can also see that you have your own ideas.


    "At home, let''s fight if we can. It''s supposed to be ours. We can''t just give it up to others. Even if we want to let it go, we have to give it a clear explanation. We don''t have to bully people like this! If we can''t fight Don¡¯t be afraid to go to school. My sister has recently found a business to do, and I can also collect the money that will send you to study. Having said so much, it is actually to let you relax and don¡¯t be afraid. The sky is falling, and there is still sister to support you There is not only one way for people, there are many ways for us to walk, and it is a fool''s thing to compete with ourselves."


    In fact, Zhao''er wanted to tell Xue Gouzi about this for a long time, but she also knew that the little man was a thoughtful person, and she was afraid that he would think too much. But who ever thought that he still thought too much, and even worried became a disease. Today is such a good opportunity, she simply said it clearly.


    Xue Gouzi looked at her.


    This scene in his dream was not like this, because of his sudden outburst, the Xue family was in turmoil, and the family scolded him, saying that he was ignorant, not thinking about the family, and that he was not filial, which made Grandma dizzy. In order to protect him, Zhao''er quarreled with Xue''s family, and finally even alarmed the patriarch.


    Zhao''er was beaten five times in public in Xue''s ancestral hall for disrespecting her elders and offending her tongue, as a warning to everyone else. And this matter was also suppressed by the patriarch. He didn''t even have the ability to resist, so he was robbed of what belonged to him.


    Later, Xue Juncai went to the school in the town, enjoying himself. And because of this incident, Erfang completely aroused the disgust of the family members, especially with the big house as a hindrance, so life in Xue''s house was not easy.


    No one at home spoke for them, and no one in the village turned to them. He couldn''t even go to the private school, because his uncle said that he was a wolf-hearted dog and couldn''t teach him, and that Zhao''er beat up his aunt.


    He was only fourteen at that time, even though he knew that some people were not good people, he couldn''t understand the malice in them. Maybe he can understand it, but the inferiority of human nature made him subconsciously push the responsibility out. He blamed Zhao''er for all his dissatisfaction, unsatisfaction and even the harshness of fate.


    Even though he knew in his heart that he was blaming her wrong, that he was very wrong, but the misunderstanding was too deep, the two of them were drifting away, and he had no face to explain all this to her.


    Xue Gouzi pondered for a moment, "Call me Ting Xiang."


    "Tingxiang? This is your own name? Gou''er, why did you give yourself such a name?" Soon she understood, remembering that the talented boy in Dafang always carried his own name because of his young age. People laugh at the same name as Gou''er and Heizi.


    A look of distress flashed in her eyes, and she nodded repeatedly: "Gou''er, no, Ting''er is a different scholar, and the name is so nice. From now on, my sister won''t call you Gou''er, and I won''t let outsiders call you that. It''s called Tingxiang." Anyway, in her heart, whatever the dog says is good,


    Xue Gouzi, no, he should be called Xue Tingxiang now, and he feels a little depressed. He is only less than two years younger than Zhao''er, but he is a deep ravine that he will not be able to cross in his entire life. Having said that, he said again: "Also, can you stop calling yourself sister to me in the future?"


    This time, Zhao''er was even more surprised, and even reached out to touch his forehead: "Ting''er, what''s wrong with you? Did you have some evil? You didn''t call me sister since you were a child."


    Xue Tingxiang took a deep breath and smiled: "But you are not my sister, you will be my wife in the future, how can a man call his wife a sister."


    He was originally pale, half leaning on the quilt at the top of the kang, suddenly smiled like this, his brows and eyes were clear and handsome, which gave people a feeling that they dare not look directly at him.


    Zhao''er''s face turned red all of a sudden, and he couldn''t make sense of what he said: "Dog, you, what are you talking about, I, I..."


    "Don''t you want to be my daughter-in-law and have a baby for me?" He moved closer.


    She stood up abruptly, and reprimanded: "You little kid, why are you talking about this? Your hair hasn''t grown fully yet!" She said a foul language that Xue Tingxiang didn''t like to hear the most, and she didn''t realize it: "You want to The thing to do is to take care of your body, as for these things, we will talk about them later!"


    Her eyes were fierce, and her tone was also fierce. After she finished speaking, she lowered her head and scooped rice from the bowl to Xue Tingshan''s mouth. He glanced at her, ate honestly, and suddenly became in a good mood.


    Maybe the two of them can change the way they get along in the future, and change it if they don''t like it, there is no need to wait for her to understand.


    *


    Zhao''er threw away the mess, turned around and went back to the house, leaving the whole family to finish their lunch in a depressing atmosphere.


    During this period, Sun had nothing to say to her, but no one paid any attention to her.


    Yang couldn''t eat, if it wasn''t for her parents-in-law, if she didn''t want to embarrass herself in front of the two younger siblings, she would have thrown her chopsticks and left. But now he can only suppress the aggrieved stomach, and eat the food in front of him like chewing wax.


    After dinner, Mrs. Sun took Mao Dan away, knowing that her son got into trouble today, and she was afraid that she would be angered later. Mrs. Zhou took Xue Taoer to clean up the table, and took the dishes and chopsticks to the kitchen to wash. Xue Qingbai helped her, Zhou could not carry such a pot of dishes by himself, usually when Xue Qingbai was not at home, she and her daughter could only carry them.


    Only Dafang, mother and son were left in the room, along with Mr. Xue and Mrs. Zhao.


    Yang stood up and wanted to go back to the East Chamber, but was stopped by Mr. Xue.


    Mr. Xue took out his dry pipe, took out some shredded tobacco grown by himself from the dark blue tobacco pouch, rolled it into a ball, pressed it into the tobacco pot, and then lit it with a torch.


    His movements are very slow, neither fast nor slow. Anyone who is familiar with Mr. Xue''s character knows that he has something on his mind.


    It''s true that there is something wrong, and if it''s not something, he won''t call his daughter-in-law to stop.


    "The handsome boy and the talented boy go back to the house first. Grandpa has something to say to your mother."


    Xue Youcai glanced at his mother and wanted to say something, but was dragged away by his elder brother Xue Juncai.


    "Father, just tell me if you have anything to say."


    Mrs. Yang is thirty-four this year. In the countryside, a woman in her thirties is no longer considered young. Here, the wind blows and the sun shines and eats, so the women look old.


    But Yang''s maintenance is very good, her face is like a disc, her skin is fair, and there are a few fine lines at the corners of her eyes. She was wearing a worn-out stone blue satin gown with make-up, her shiny black hair was pulled into a bun behind her head, a gilt hairpin was inserted into it, and a pair of old silver earrings were on her ears. It can''t be called onion tip, but it is also white and soft, wearing a gold ring.


    It is not an exaggeration to say that she is the grandma of the landlord''s family in this dress and bearing, even the Zhao family is not as good as her.


    With his old eyes, Mr. Xue moved Yang back and forth a few times, making her stand uneasy.


    Just as I was about to say something, my father-in-law said suddenly: "Boss daughter-in-law, how long have you been married to our family?"


    Yang was startled, and replied: "Seventeen years, my daughter-in-law married into the Xue family in the seventeenth year."


    "Then how will your mother and I treat you?"


    Yang''s heart skipped a beat: "Father and mother treat their daughter-in-law like their own daughters."


    Mr. Xue nodded, took a puff of the dry cigarette, and the light blue smoke began to linger on his old face again, making it difficult to see the expression on his face clearly.


    "You are the eldest daughter-in-law of our family, and your mother has always loved you. You and the boss have the same heart as your mother and I. I only wish that you can become a talent."


    Yang''s heart relaxed, and she couldn''t help laughing: "Juncai is serious about his studies, even my father said that he is a rare and good seedling, and it is no problem to be a scholar."


    Speaking of Xue Juncai who is the most proud, even Mr. Xue couldn''t help showing a smile.


    Seeing that the father-in-law''s face softened, Yang took advantage of the situation and said: "It''s just that you know, father, that when it''s time to end, you don''t have to just sit at home and study. Thinking back then, Juncai''s father also listened to my father''s words, I went to Qinghe Academy to study for two years, met some classmates, and registered in front of my husband. I took the opportunity to impress the county magistrate, and I passed the county exam. The ranking of the county exam As long as it is not bad, the government examination is not to say that it is sure, but it is half sure. It''s just that you have to rely on luck when you get to the hospital examination, and Juncai''s father is unlucky, so he will fail repeatedly."


    This is the real reason why Yang Shi is valued by the old couple in the Xue family, not only because her father is a child, but also because her father was kind to Xue Qingshan in the past.


    And Yang''s statement seems absurd, but it is true. The two county examinations are not as strictly controlled as the hospital examination, especially the county examination, which is presided over by the magistrate of the county.


    There are five county exams in total, and the results of the first exam are mainly to be judged. And this time, there are two stereotyped essays and one poem. As long as there are no typos and fluent essays, you can pass them all.


    Compared with people he doesn''t know well at all, the magistrate is still willing to pick people who are somewhat familiar.


    And going to a good school to study is to provide an opportunity to stand out in front of the county magistrate. Dachang has always attached great importance to the selection of talents. How many scholars can be produced in this county, and even a son can be a Jinshi, which is considered a political achievement. No matter how fatuous and incompetent the county magistrate, this kind of cutscene must go.


    And being able to enter a good school will not only increase your contacts, but also your vision.


    For example, the county examinations are nothing more than the Four Books and Five Classics and the sacred edicts. How to write and what taboos should not be violated all need guidance. No matter how wonderful your article is, if you violate taboos such as temple taboos, royal names, and holy taboos, you will not take it.


    And in places like the countryside, many private schools are opened by old children for the sake of making a living, and I still want to be a scholar to change my fortune, so how can I teach middle school children in every detail.


    Xue Qingshan himself was like this, so he put all his energy into sending Xue Juncai to Qinghe Academy.


    Yang thought that her father-in-law wanted to tell her about sending Xue Juncai to the school, so she said this. Little did they know that her words really touched Mr. Xue''s mind, but Mr. Xue didn''t intend to tell her these things.


    Mr. Xue took a deep breath of dry cigarettes, and said: "The boss you said has been told to me, and we will talk about this matter later. You are Juncai''s mother, and there is nothing wrong with planning for your son, but you have to know that our family It¡¯s not just Dafang¡¯s family.¡±


    The father-in-law''s tone was a bit meaningful, Yang was startled for a moment, and forced a smile: "Father, of course my daughter-in-law knows that the Xue family is not just ours, but don''t worry, if Juncai''s father and Juncai are promising, they will never forget to be filial to you Mother." Seeing her father-in-law''s complexion was gloomy, she hurriedly added: "There are other people in the family, Juncai always remembers that he can study, thanks to a few uncles and aunts."


    Mr. Xue nodded: "If you understand, you should know that the other three families have been sacrificing for the eldest house. I won''t mention the far ones, just talk about the third and fourth children. The land in the house refers to the third and fourth children Kindly, your father is getting older, and his hands and feet are not as sharp as before. The fourth child has to pick out goods to sell after finishing his work at home. I don¡¯t know how many pairs of shoes he has to wear out in a year, but all the money he earns is handed over to the public office. , I haven¡¯t paid a penny. What is everyone working so hard for? It¡¯s not for our family, but for Dafang.¡±

 Chapter 224

    "Why do you say you are so stubborn! You say you are so stubborn, who are you showing your stubbornness to?!"


    "I know you don''t like me, but I''ve been like this for many years, and I can''t change it! I don''t plan to change it either!"


    "Look at Hong''er, does he look like you?"


    ...


    Xue Tingxiang suddenly felt that someone was shaking him. He opened his tired eyes and saw a dark inner room. Hu San''s face was no longer young, and even the lines on the curtain were so familiar. He was just dreaming.


    It''s just that the dream was too clear, the sorghum fragrance in the air, the curve of her stubbornly pursed mouth, all made him feel like he was actually there. There were also her tears from being angry, crystal clear and shining with colorful light, he wanted to reach out to touch it, but someone woke him up.


    "My lord, it''s time to drink the medicine."


    Xue Tingxiang was propped up and given medicine. He was dying of illness, and he had to be served by someone even to drink medicine. How could he look like that extremely human minister Xue Shoufu who had ruled the court for decades.


    Oh no, he is not the chief assistant now.


    He has already written a letter to beg for the bones, intending to return to his hometown for the elderly, and the Holy Majesty has already agreed, but he has no home to return to and no relatives to rely on.


    In fact, he didn''t intend to go back.


    "Master Zhang, Mr. Wang, and Mr. Li and Mr. Cao all came to visit you, but they obeyed your orders and blocked the door. They come every day, and they are here again today. Would you like to see me?"


    What can they do? Didn''t they think that his illness was an expedient measure, waiting for him to stand up and continue to lead them to fight against the emperor, but he was really ill, terminally ill, and the medicine was useless.


    "not see."


    "My lord, please sleep a little longer."


    The room became quiet again, Xue Tingxiang''s eyelids began to get heavy again, he blinked again and again, and fell into sleep again.


    ...


    "How come Mr. Wang is free to visit this old man?"


    Wang Mingcheng''s eyes were a bit complicated, but he smiled on his face: "After all, I am a minister of the same court, and I should come to visit Mr. Shoufu because of emotion and reason."


    "I didn''t expect you, Wang Mingcheng, to say such hypocritical things, but to see if the old man is dying on behalf of the emperor?" Xue Tingxiang sarcastically said.


    He is obviously a haggard old man who is obviously dying, but just because of his calm, indifferent eyes that seem somewhat unpredictable, people dare not ignore him in the slightest.


    After all, this is Xue Shoufu, and the name alone is enough to intimidate everyone. That was Xue Tingxiang''s deep-rooted roots left by him after going through three dynasties and dozens of years, just like a towering ancient tree with intertwined roots, without him doing anything, just standing there is enough to make everyone daunting.


    If not, why would the new emperor have to exhaust all means, but still dare not act rashly, only dare to take that roundabout strategy.


    "It seems that my lord has misunderstood His Majesty a lot."


    Xue Tingxiang snorted and laughed, half closed his eyes, did not speak, and looked obviously too lazy to talk to him.


    "Actually, I''m here for myself. I just came to see how lonely and miserable the villain who abandoned his wife and son was now. I''m afraid Mr. Xue is dead now, and even a descendant in mourning None, in fact, Mr. Xue is too hard to see, it is just a show, just listen to it and watch it, how can you take the fake show as real and make yourself like this? Is it because of a disturbed conscience or fear? His true face is known by the world, he is reviled by others, and he will be stigmatized for thousands of years?"


    "you¡­¡­"


    "To say that you abandoned your wife and son is too much to save your face. It should be killing your wife and son, isn''t it, Mr. Xue?"


    No one knows about all this. The world only knows that Xue Shoufu had a first wife before Mrs. Xue, but they don''t know what happened to that first wife. After all, the time is too long, Xue Tingxiang has stood in the court hall for dozens of years, and his former, former and current opponents have all been trampled under his feet.


    People in the world only know that Mr. Shoufu is friendly and respectful to the corporals, but they don''t know that Mr. Shoufu also has a vicious side. In recent years, anyone who wanted to make a fuss about his past events all became lonely ghosts. No one knows how many ghosts have been added to it, and the only one who can know is Wang Mingsheng, the "bitter master".


    "You, you are..."


    Wang Mingcheng leaned closer to his face: "It''s a pity that my mother''s life is so bad, and so is my life. The sinking ship didn''t kill us, but was saved by others. Do you know that for so many years, day and night, I I want to see this scene every night. It''s a pity that your life is too long, and the power is in the hands of the people. I can only climb up step by step, to the position where I can step on you..."


    "You are... Hong''er..." Xue Tingxiang struggled to say this.


    Wang Mingsheng stood up straight and smiled heartily: "My name is not Hong''er, nor is my surname Xue, but my surname is Wang. My mother remarried, to the person who saved us...don''t get excited, even if You are dead now, and I am not your son..."


    Wang Mingsheng has always been known for being calm and introverted, hiding his secrets, and it was probably the first time he laughed so freely in front of people.


    "By the way, you don''t have to think that even if my official surname is Wang, I can still pass on the family lineage to your Xue family. Let me think about it. Yao Ji released the rumor that my official is as good as Long Yang back then, as if you ordered someone to do it. You really hit the mark, I don¡¯t like women, that¡¯s why I haven¡¯t married for many years..."


    He smiled and looked at the old man on the bed, seeing how shocked, disappointed and remorseful he was.


    But so what?


    He suddenly found that he was not as happy as he had imagined, and even this smile seemed too fake. He suddenly lost interest, flattened the corners of his mouth, brushed off his sleeves, and said, "Since Mr. Xue is fine, I will take my leave."


    ...


    "I didn''t, I didn''t..."


    "My lord, what are you talking about?"


    Hearing this voice, the fog in front of Xue Tingxiang suddenly dissipated, and he woke up suddenly from his dream. In front of the eyes is this dark inner room again, Hu San''s unattractive or even ugly face, the air is filled with a bitter smell of medicine, and there seems to be a decadent smell floating gently.


    Xue Tingxiang moved his lips, but no sound came out.


    "My lord, what did you say?"


    Hu San was very anxious, and kept asking, but Xue Tingxiang couldn''t speak at all. Hu San could only ask based on his own guess: "Are you thinking about the past? Don''t worry, your words have been passed on to Mr. Zhang , he already knows that Lord Wang is your only son, and will follow your instructions."


    Xue Tingxiang blinked his eyelids. Hu San thought he still had something to say, so he put his ear next to his mouth, but only heard one sentence: "I didn''t..."


    After that there is no text.


    When Hu San anxiously looked up, he saw Xue Tingxiang''s wide-open eyes and gray-blue face.


    He moved forward to touch the other person''s breath with shaking hands, but was so startled that he sat down on the ground.


    *


    The cold wind came in through the holed window paper, blowing Xue Gouzi''s face coldly.


    Shocked, he opened his eyes.


    What imprinted in my eyes was a small room with blue brick walls and black tile roof. The walls were plastered with white ash, but it looked gray. The beams of the house are log-colored, and because there is no dust, they are bare/exposed. There are several bamboo baskets hanging on them. There seems to be something in the baskets, and they are covered with blue cloth.


    He was lying on a kang with a half-new quilt covering his body. The quilt looked clean and tidy, but in fact the cotton wadding inside had hardened.


    Facing his kang feet, there is a row of dark brown kang cabinets, with brass bare nails inlaid with hinged leaves and copper tassel handles, and simple patterns of auspicious clouds and flowing water carved on them, which look thick and generous. . Although it is nothing in a rich family, it is already a piece of furniture that can be sold in a peasant family.


    There is no problem passing it down for generations!


    This is what his father said back then, and his father was the best carpenter in the village.


    Xue Gouzi felt his head hurt, as if he had been hit hard with a hoe. He wanted to support himself to sit up, but he was exhausted and fell back onto the kang again.


    It was only then that he realized that he was Xue Gouzi, the eldest son of the second room of the Xue family. Because of something that happened, he couldn''t think about it for a while, and he was so angry that he became ill for a while, and he had been sick for many days.


    He is not Xue Tingxiang, that Xue Tingxiang is the person in his dream.


    How could he be like that?


    In order to prove that all that was just a dream, he raised his hand to look at it.


    really! The hand in front of him was slender and fair, and he hadn''t developed the muscles and bones that a man should have. He was only fourteen this year, how could he live to be over seventy years old, and die in the end.


    Xue Gouzi let out a heavy breath, looked around again, and finally felt more at ease.


    Someone was talking outside, and the voice came in through the cracks in the window.


    "I''m talking about recruiting, it''s not my aunt talking about you, look at what you are now, a girl who stays at home all day, and learns from those small traders to do business. That business is what you can do. Did it? Look at your fourth uncle, you can¡¯t save a lot of money by running around outside every day, so don¡¯t worry about it, and if you have that little time, you can help fourth aunt with some work!¡±


    The voice sounded like a young woman, but the sarcasm in the words was too strong. It is said that appearance is born from the heart, and it is no wonder that Mrs. Sun has a mean face.


    This thought flashed subconsciously in Xue Gouzi''s mind, and then he was stunned. It''s true that he hated Fourth Aunt, but why would he miss her so much?


    Before he could figure out why, he heard the voice in his dream.


    "Fourth aunt, I would like to help you with some work, but you also know that the dog has been ill for a few days, and the family gave a few pennies for the medicine at first, but after taking it for half a month, grandma said that the family The money is not in hand, so I stopped the medicine. Gouzi is my man, I can''t just watch him be so sick, it''s not impossible for the fourth aunt to want me to help with the work, or you can lend me some money to buy medicine, I Can I pay you back slowly in the future?"


    The owner of the voice was a young girl, and the tone revealed a capable and crisp taste, mixed with a bit of teasing.


    That''s right, Zhao''er deliberately ran on the Sun family.


    Mrs. Sun has always had a temperament of only getting in and out, and it is more difficult to ask her to give out a penny, let alone lending it to the two half-children of the second room.


    Now there are only these two people left in the second room, the top door is only fourteen, but there is an older one, only sixteen, and it is still a girl''s family. Every time Mrs. Sun heard the rumors from the villagers that Zhao''er, a dead girl, had made some money by doing some business, she would be full of disbelief.


    What kind of business can this dead girl do to make money, but she digs three melons and two dates from the wild, and takes them out to trick the people in the city into exchanging a few pennies.


    "Your fourth aunt has no money to lend you. Our family''s money is all in mother''s place. You don''t care about mother''s going!" Sun patted her buttocks, stood up and went into the house, too lazy to talk nonsense with Zhao''er.


    "Since the fourth aunt has no money to lend me, and I don''t dare to take care of grandma, I can only figure out where to get some money to get some medicine for the dog!"


    Zhao''er''s voice was very loud, so naturally she was speaking not only to Mrs. Sun, but also to Mrs. Zhao who was sitting in the main room.


    Sure enough, Zhao''er entered the house with his front foot, and Mrs. Zhao stood at the door behind him and scolded Mrs. Sun: "You haven''t cleaned the pigsty, so you''re going back to the house to hold a corpse?"


    Zhao''er curled her lips, lifted the door curtain and walked in, bumping head-on into Xue Gouzi''s eyes looking at her.


    The girl was wearing a lilac-colored floral jacket and maroon wide-leg pants. She had to straighten her back and tilt her neck so that the water from her wet hair wouldn''t wet her clothes. These were all subconscious actions, but in Xue Tingxiang''s eyes, his heartbeat accelerated inexplicably, and he felt a sense of tension in his blood.


    Without him, it is because of this posture that the girl''s figure is vividly displayed. High/chest/upturned/hip, slender waist, Xue Tingxiang has never seen such a scene before, a very strange feeling of dryness and heat climbed up in his body.


    But at the same time, he was familiar with it, and a picture appeared in his mind, which was the time of the two people''s bridal chamber.


    In the dream, he didn''t like her at that time, but he felt that marrying her was a matter of course.


    It was a deep-rooted thought that she should be his wife.


    It''s just that this hidden deepest emotion was covered up by his awkwardness and ignorance, especially when he went to the school to study and let his classmates know that he had a child bride in the country, which caused a lot of ridicule.


    But in fact, he liked her deep down in his heart, so she was tortured badly by him that night in the bridal chamber.


    Originally, he was just ignorant, and she was a newcomer, so he hurt her and also hurt her. But he still thought about the pain, and she cried with tears and snot running down her nose. That was the first time she showed weakness in front of him, and he liked this way of bullying her ever since.


    At that time, he was studying in the academy, and he would only come back once every ten days. Every time he came back, she was so afraid that she would hide. But he had to rely on him and let him do whatever he wanted. He obviously liked it, but pretended not to like it.


    Now that I think about it, he was really an asshole at that time.


    Thinking about these messes in his heart, he suddenly said, "I''ll wipe it for you."


    Zhao''er looked at him sideways in surprise, and subconsciously refused: "I still can''t, I''ll do it myself." After these days of corrections, she has gradually learned not to call herself sister.


    Before her words fell, Xue Tingxiang had already snatched the cloth towel, and pulled her to turn her back, Zhao''er could only freeze there, letting him wipe it.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Tingxiang is still half-headed now, so he can only half-kneel and sit up to wipe her hair. The two were very close, Zhao''er didn''t notice it, but Xue Tingxiang felt his blood was surging.


    Zhao''er''s hair is very black, dense and smooth, like a piece of fine satin. He was clumsy, and Fang began to pull and hurt her several times, until he heard her involuntarily inhaling, he slowed down his movements.


    Feeling that it was a bit difficult for him to reach, Zhao''er was a little distressed, he kept stretching his arms: "If I don''t lie here?"

 Chapter 225

    In fact, Xue Tingxiang is not good at reciting poems, but he can''t hold back that the person in his dream has lived a long life and has a wide market. There used to be a long-standing joke among scholars¡ª¡ª


    It is said that there was a gray-haired scholar who took the exam, and the examiner knew from his appearance that he was an old boy who had repeatedly failed the exam, so he deliberately made things difficult for him: "I have a couplet, if you can match, I will take it." you."


    The old boy felt bitter in his heart, but he didn''t dare to give up.


    The chief examiner asked the question: "If you take the bait, you are old; if you take the bait, you are a tester. If you are old, you will be a child, and if you are a child, you will be an old man."


    The old boy bowed to Rao, and replied: "One person is great, and two are heaven. Heaven is greater than human affection, and human affection is greater than heaven."


    This flattery was exquisite, so the examiner was too embarrassed to go back on his word, so he had no choice but to choose him as a scholar.


    In fact, upon hearing this story, one knew it was made up. Anyone who has participated in the hospital examination should know what the situation will be. How can the chief examiner take the initiative to test an old boy? The examiner and the examinee will not talk to each other, and it is also for avoidance.


    It was obviously made up by a failed scholar, and it was used as a comforting chat, and because it made people laugh, it spread among scholars. It even extended to the fact that any official in the DPRK was released as an academic officer, or presided over a new department examination, and the official who had a good relationship with him could not help telling the last sentence, but don''t be ''human beings are too big''.


    It is not only a joke, but also an exhortation. There have always been many frauds involved in imperial examinations.


    Xue Tingxiang did not expect to hear this pair here.


    He didn''t feel uneasy because this second line was borrowed, because winning Xue Juncai has always been the biggest obsession in his heart.


    It is now, and it was also in the dream.


    In the dream, he was troubled by this matter for a long time, and after all kinds of hard work, he finally felt proud. It was because of the experience that he knew that this kind of obsession affects a person''s xinxing too much. He has a more ambitious goal, and there are still many things to do, but Xue Juncai is just an obstacle to him now, overcoming him is what he needs to do now.


    As for why he discarded the second couplet he came up with and chose to borrow this. Xue Tingxiang took a look at Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong, and thought it was because of his insignificance that he made fun of them with resentment.


    Obviously, only Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong are Tongsheng, and although this pair is perfect, it is obviously ironic. Old students test children, children students test to old age. This is undoubtedly the greatest ridicule and curse for a person who has failed to pass the entrance examination for many years.


    The faces of the two of them immediately turned purple, but they had to hold back. At this time, He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai had already clapped their hands and praised it.


    "Okay, that''s right!"


    It seemed that everyone had forgotten about Xue Juncai. He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai whispered a few times, and then He Xiucai announced: "After the unanimous decision of the two of us, the winner is Xue Tingxiang and Xue Xiaoyou."


    "Xue Xiaoyou, I hope you can work hard and achieve fame as soon as possible." He said to Xue Tingxiang with a pleasant face.


    "Thank you two seniors for your encouragement, I will definitely work harder." Xue Tingxiang bowed to him.


    While He Qiao and Xue Tingxiang were talking, the villagers standing in the hall and outside the house had already started discussing. Most of them are admiration, but of course there are also those who can''t believe it and question it.


    Among them, the Xue family is the most unbelievable, especially Xue Qingshan. He had suppressed it before, but now he couldn''t help it anymore, stood up and said: "Just relying on these to judge victory or defeat, are the two seniors Too hasty?"


    Seeing that both He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai looked over, he flinched a bit, and then became confident again: "The kid''s pair hasn''t been made yet, so the winner is decided like this..."


    He Xiucai showed displeasure on his face, and ignored him, but asked patriarch Xue with a cold old face: "Could it be that patriarch Xue also disagrees with the conclusions of the two of us?"


    Patriarch Xue dared to offend Mr. Xiucai, he was still two Mr. Xiucai. Besides, from his point of view, Xue Tingxiang''s performance this time was indeed somewhat unexpected, and it was much more talented than Xue Jun. He was an outsider, so he could see it clearly, so he quickly scolded Xue Qingshan and asked him to apologize publicly to the two scholars.


    Xue Juncai was also full of dissatisfaction: "The boy is not convinced either, he has never been as good as me, I just didn''t prepare properly, the two seniors can ask another question, this time the boy will definitely beat him."


    At this time, a woman squeezed in from the crowd outside the door.


    Her clothes are disheveled and her hair is messy. It is Mrs. Yang.


    Yang stumbled in and cried, "My son can''t lose, you two must have been bribed to hurt my son on purpose."


    This remark made a big fuss, especially on such an occasion, when a woman rushed in and made a loud noise, not only He Qiao and the two scholars showed anger, but even several village elders present repeatedly reprimanded them as inappropriate.


    "Ridiculous, really ridiculous! Could it be that Li Zheng and the patriarch thought we were bribed?"


    "You two scholars, don''t be angry. This woman has long hair but short knowledge. She is talking nonsense."


    "Lian Xing, don''t get your shrew back!"


    The old man Xue beside him was so anxious that he didn''t know what to do, but as a father-in-law, he couldn''t help his daughter-in-law, so he had to ask his eldest son Xue Qingshan to take his wife away quickly.


    It''s just that Xue Qingshan still wants an explanation at this time, so how could he care about this.


    There was a lot of trouble on the field, He Xiucai wanted to leave, and Qiao Xiucai didn''t want to stay longer. Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng repeatedly tried to persuade them to stay, and at the same time angrily reprimanded them to get rid of these people quickly.


    Qiao Xiucai sneered, and did not reprimand Xue Juncai, but sneered at Xue Qingshan: "You are a boy, and you have passed the exam several times, but you can''t see the meaning of these exams, brother He, no wonder you took the exam. After so many years, he is still a child!"


    This Qiao Xiucai''s words were too touching, Xue Qingshan''s face turned green and pale. In fact, Qiao Xiucai was not usually so bitter, but he uttered bad words because he saw that the father and son refused to admit their losses and wanted to pester them.


    "In terms of adapting to the situation and calmness of mind, he is not as good as him." He pointed to Xue Tingxiang, and then pointed to Xue Juncai: "You have time in the examination room to dawdle for you, another chance? Let''s talk about the roll , full of stains, I am afraid that if you don¡¯t need to read what you wrote, you will end up not taking it!¡±


    At this time, Xue Juncai was already pale with fright, how could he react, but Xue Qingshan was as if struck by lightning, so he didn''t speak anymore.


    *


    He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai stayed in the end.


    Taking advantage of the chaos in the hall, Xue Qingshan sneaked into the crowd with Xue Juncai and Yang surreptitiously.


    Seeing that there is no excitement, the villagers also dispersed, and while walking home, they discussed today''s affairs with the people around them.


    In fact, they don''t know anything, as long as they know that the person who wins in the end is the dog of the second wife of Xue Lianxing''s family. It can be predicted that after this incident, many people in the village will change their views on Xue Tingxiang, and they will even talk about it endlessly.


    And Xue Juncai''s name in the village is destined to be replaced by Xue Tingxiang.


    Taking advantage of the crowd, Xue Tingxiang walked out from Zheng Lizheng''s house.


    Zhao''er had been waiting outside for a long time, and as soon as he saw him, he said happily: "Gou''er, you really won, you beat Xue Juncai! My sister is so happy."


    She was so happy that she didn''t know how to be happy. Seeing this, Xue Tingxiang couldn''t say anything to condemn her, but just looked at her with a smile.


    After being happy for a while, Zhao''er showed a little hesitation: "By the way, after you beat him, do you really want to go to Qinghe Academy to study?"


    Xue Tingxiang pondered for a while: "I don''t plan to go to Qinghe Academy. Uncle Chen said that he can introduce me to Qingyuan Academy."


    "Qingyuan Academy? The name seems to be quite similar to Qinghe Academy. Is this academy good?" Immediately, Zhao''er laughed and said, "That''s right, Uncle Chen is well-informed, so what he can say is definitely not bad. .¡±


    Xue Tingxiang nodded: "I plan to go to town in these two days and talk to Uncle Chen about it."


    "What are you waiting for these two days, let''s go now."


    Xue Tingxiang did not expect Zhao''er to be so eager, so he hesitated.


    Zhao''er said again: "There must be chaos at home right now, let''s avoid the limelight first."


    He immediately understood the meaning of her words, with the dispositions of the eldest couple, and the always eccentric Zhao family, he didn''t know what kind of chaos would happen in the family.


    The two left the village avoiding the crowd, and because they didn''t meet the mule cart, they took the bullock cart to the town.


    When we arrived at Dongliju, Uncle Chen happened to be there. Xue Tingxiang explained the matter, and Uncle Chen agreed that he would go to his classmate tomorrow. After that, the two of them didn''t go back, Xue Tingxiang continued to copy his unfinished book, while Zhao''er continued to tidy up the pile of clothes that she hadn''t finished.


    It was not until the evening that the two returned to Yuqing Village.


    The courtyard of Xue''s house was quiet, with cooking smoke wafting from the chimney, and it seemed that cooking was going on in the stove.


    Standing in the yard, Mrs. Zhao saw two people walking in from the outside. She had a cold old face and scolded without naming names: "People say that we enjoy the blessings of our children and grandchildren, but we have become old slaves. We don''t see anyone for a day." , Open your mouth to eat when you get home, I owe you in my previous life!"


    Mrs. Yang came out from the east chamber: "Mother, the meal for the third sibling is ready, let''s quickly set the table for dinner."


    Mrs. Zhao snorted coldly, turned around and entered the door of the main house. Yang Shi didn''t even look at the two of them, but followed behind and went in.


    Zhao''er looked at Xue Tingxiang.


    Xue Tingxiang looked at her: "What are you looking at?"


    Zhao''er sneered, and muttered in a low voice: "Don''t pay attention to grandma, she just has no side."


    "Ok, I know."


    *


    When the two were tidying up in the house, there was a sudden commotion in the courtyard, not only the voices of Mr. Xue and Xue Qingshan, but also a familiar voice.


    Zhao''er looked out the window, and saw Yang''s father, Yang Zhong.


    Yang Zhong was from nearby Niujiaoling, and because he was a boy, he was considered a respectable figure in Niujiaoling. Like his son-in-law, he opened a private school to make ends meet. However, this person is exaggerated, good at putting on airs, relying on the old to sell the old, the most important thing is to attract children''s dislike.


    Yang Zhong seemed to have eaten too much wine somewhere, his steps were a little staggering, and his fat face was flushed.


    The couple from Dafang greeted them, as well as Mr. Xue.


    Mr. Xue looked a little embarrassed: "Old relative, for my family''s affairs, I have troubled you to run several times. This is because you have eaten too much wine. Come in and sit down."


    Yang complained: "Father, you too, why do you drink so much wine?"


    "It''s not that Zheng Lizheng is too hospitable. After drinking for so long, your father is still not drunk?" Yang Zhong looked a little smug, and said to Mr. Xue: "It''s nothing, a handsome man is too. My grandson, as a grandfather, how can I not come to make decisions for him. "


    This made Mr. Xue even more embarrassed. He also knew what happened in the morning, and it must not be so simple. He accompanied him with a smile and said: "I made my in-laws laugh at me, if it wasn''t for the family''s financial difficulties, this kind of thing wouldn''t have happened..."


    The voices of the two gradually lowered, and they entered the room together.


    Zhao''er took a look at Xue Tingxiang: "Fortunately, I bought a few buns when I came back. Well, I don''t need to eat this dinner."


    In fact, no one asked them to eat, because Yang Zhong''s sudden arrival made the whole Xue family toss around.


    This Yang Zhong used to have a temperament that likes to toss people, and he also likes to put on airs. The key person has the status of a child, and Mr. Xue also respects him. Every time he comes, he must be greeted with good wine and good food.


    The Xue family was not wary of Yang Zhonghui coming at this time before, they just cooked some meals casually, this kind of meal is not good for entertaining people, they have to do it all over again.


    Zhao''er didn''t bother with outside affairs, went to the kitchen to pour some hot water, then went back to the house and Xue Tingxiang ate buns together.


    After eating the buns, it was already dark outside.


    Zhao''er stood in front of the door, seeing the brightly lit lights in the main room, it was obvious that he had already eaten.


    She was about to go to the kitchen to boil water and wash her feet, when Xue Tao''er hurried out from the main room and said, "Miss Zhao''er, grandpa asks the dog to come over."


    But Zhao''er couldn''t sleep today, and when she came back from the main room, she was a little excited.


    She rolled over and over again.


    "You do not sleep?"


    It is reasonable to say that they would not rest so early, but today both of them have been busy all day, so they turned off the lights after recruiting children to go to the kang. However, there is a moon outside, and you can still see clearly in the room.


    Zhao''er sat up halfway, and moved to Xue Tingxiang''s side.


    "Dog, tell me what you meant when you scolded that old killer just now?"


    Zhao''er knows how to swear, and has sweared before, but she has never seen such a method of swearing, and Yang Zhong is so annoyed by the swearing, and Xue''s family doesn''t even know how to persuade him. From Zhao''er''s point of view, isn''t this the culmination of swearing, can you swear without uttering dirty words?

 Chapter 226

    Under Ning Ning''s urging, the three went to the main room together, where Zhao''er was sitting cross-legged on the kang to read the accounts.


    The habit of the Kang was brought by Xue Tingxiang, even if he moved from Dinghai to Guangzhou, there is no winter in Guangzhou, it is still the same. However, this kang is more used as a leisure place for the family, but it is rarely used for rest.


    Not only Yaoniang sat on the kang, but also her and Xue Tingxiang''s second son Xue Yaotai.


    Compared with his younger sister Ning Ning, Brother Tai has an older brother and a younger sister, so he is considered as a father who does not love his mother. But this kid is also considered clever, knowing that his father and elder brother love his sister, he would go to Zhao''er every day. Zhao''er feels that twins are born, but they are treated differently, and it is inevitable that they will hurt him more.


    No, Ning Ning always followed up with her eldest brother and cousin, while he followed Zhao''er.


    Zhao''er seldom goes out now, unless there is something happening outside that no one below can solve. But this kind of situation is rare. She spends most of her time with her children and her husband, taking care of Xue''s family affairs.


    In her spare time, it is inevitable that accounts from various places will be sent to her, and she will do the accounting and so on.


    Tai Geer is not very interested in studying, but is quite interested in accounting. Now he can make calculations, and he has followed Zhaoer''s 80% in arithmetic.


    At this time, Zhao''er lowered his head to look at the account, and moved the abacus from time to time. He also took an old account and put a small abacus in his hand.


    This is what Zhao''er brought him to play with.


    Once Zhao''er also hoped that both sons could study, because all things are inferior, but reading is high. Unfortunately, Tai Geer is interested in this. If the children want to learn, she will teach them.


    Ning Ning is a coquettish person, she called people before they even entered the door.


    "mother--"


    "Why are you here?" Zhao''er looked up at her, then at her son and nephew, and the two teenagers smiled wryly at her.


    "What''s the matter? You bullied the two brothers again."


    Ning Ning wrinkled her little nose and said, "No one else, I just want to go back to my hometown with my eldest brother."


    "Why did you think of going back to your hometown with your eldest brother?"


    Knowing that mother is not as easy to deal with as father, Ning Ning rolled her eyes and said: "I haven''t been back to my hometown in Shanxi yet, but I heard that it''s fun there, so I want to go and see it."


    "When did your father tell you that Shanxi is fun?" Zhao''er would not be fooled by the little girl.


    Ning Ning put her small hands behind her back and tugged at her sleeves. She thought she was doing it covertly, but she didn''t know that it fell into the eyes of her two brothers behind.


    "Father really said that, if you don''t believe me, ask your mother."


    "You just rely on your father to help you out, right? How dare you lie to your mother?" Zhao''er pretended to be serious.


    Ning Ning hurried over, pulled her mother''s sleeve and shook it: "Ning Ning didn''t lie to mother, father really said it, it was when Ning Ning was young, father said there was a mountain behind his hometown, and mother planted vegetables on it He also said that when Dad was studying and the family was poor, it was mother who grew vegetables for Dad to study.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Zhao''er couldn''t help flashing memories, she reached out and rubbed Ning Ning''s little head, and said with a smile: "That''s not allowed, your elder brother is going to take the exam this time, with you as a clever little boy With ghosts around, your elder brother is not in the mood to try."


    "I don''t..."


    The word "Well" was still in the mouth, and Zhao''er refused: "If I don''t know, I won''t."


    Well, in today''s Xue family, for the sons, they are strict fathers and loving mothers; for daughters, it is the opposite, they are strict mothers and loving fathers.


    Zhao''er is usually the one who puts on a bad face, and Ning Ning is not afraid of anything, but she is afraid that her mother will be angry.


    "Woooo...I just want to go back..."


    He didn''t dare to say this in front of Zhao''er, but covered his face and went to the elder brother''s side. The crying sound was fake, and Tai brother sat on the kang to watch the younger sister and mother play tricks.


    However, in general, the height of the devil is one foot, and the height of the Tao is one foot, so crying is for nothing.


    Sure enough, the little girl cried for a while, and when she saw no one to comfort her, she was really sad. She whimpered and ran out of the room, knowing without thinking that she was definitely looking for her father.


    Ningning always has a way to find her father.


    This is because the entire Xue family dotes on her, naturally including Hu San, Xue Tingxiang''s confidant and head of guards.


    Let''s put it this way, Zhao''er doesn''t necessarily know where Xue Tingxiang is, but Hu San must know, if he can take Hu San down, he will be able to find his father.


    At this time, Xue Tingxiang was working in the governor''s yamen in front. The governor''s yamen was similar to the county yamen, both working in the front and the back yamen in the back.


    Ning Ning went to look for Hu San first, Hu San was guarding outside the study, saw her coming and hurried over to ask her why she came.


    "Uncle Hu, I want to find my father."


    "Your Excellency is discussing matters, why don''t you take Sanshu Hu to play?"


    Seeing Ning Ning nodded, Hu San nodded to the guards outside the door, and carried Ning Ning out on his shoulders.


    In the study, Xue Tingxiang was sitting behind the desk, and there were two rows of chairs on the left and right under it, with several people sitting on each.


    Being able to sit here at this moment is considered Xue Tingxiang''s confidant.


    "I received a letter from Beijing this morning, and the imperial decree calling me back to Beijing is coming soon."


    For this remark, the few people sitting below were not surprised. As early as last year when Xue Tingxiang took the position of governor, he said that there would be such a day sooner or later, at least three years, and at the shortest one year.


    Unexpectedly, just after a year, the person in Beijing could not sit still.


    Most of them have stayed in the coastal area for a long time, and these people have a very weak concept of monarch and minister. They followed Xue Tingxiang and fought with bare hands. For the court, for that person, how many grievances and difficulties Master Xue has suffered and faced.


    When the Shibosi made a lot of money, he was a loyal minister and a pillar of the court. When the imperial court has money, it starts to worry about what merits will overwhelm the master.


    At Xue Tingxiang''s age, the promotion of that person is indeed indispensable for being able to sit in this position. But in these years, every time Mr. Xue encountered any crisis, that person had never supported him openly, and he always followed the trend of the times and followed the trend.


    Especially in recent years, there are those flatterers who can''t do without fanning the flames in their ears, and that person often rewards them and beats them secretly at the same time.


    Of course, the other party is the emperor, and the world belongs to others. No matter what you do, the officials below should not complain.


    It''s just somewhat chilling.


    "My lord, can you find a way not to return to Beijing?"


    The speaker was He Wei, the former commander of Dinghaiwei, and the current deputy commander of the Southeast Ocean Navy. Now the chief soldier of the Southeast Ocean Navy is Gou Datong, the former chief soldier of the Zhejiang Navy. At this time, he is also ranked second, and Xue Tingxiang single-handedly promoted him.


    "Actually, it doesn''t matter if I go back to Beijing. After all, there are too few people in Beijing. No matter how great the external contribution is, it can''t stand up to a word in someone''s ear. As your Majesty is, after I return to Beijing this time, I shouldn''t treat me badly. With me in Beijing to take care of you, your work below will be easier."


    That being said, who would want the Emperor Tiangao to stay far away and run back to pretend to be his grandson. It''s just the trend of the times, and it''s just a last resort.


    "You and Zongbing Gou will take care of the naval division. I can rest assured. There is Xie San in Dinghai, Badou in Guangzhou, and Datian in Changle. The only one in Shanghai is the one in Shanghai. You should pay more attention to it and don''t rely on him. If you have a bit of love with me, you will be more patient."


    The so-called one in Shanghai refers to Shunxi, who was the father-in-law of Shunxi who was originally scheduled to be promoted by the shipping company in Shanghai.


    Now that Emperor Jiacheng has centralized power and has full wings, those courtiers who dared to fight against the emperor in the early years have all quieted down. It was also hit hard, because the coastal area was very involved, and many people were implicated and had their wings chopped off.


    One ebbs and another ebbs and flows, the majesty of the emperor is naturally better day by day.


    People''s attitudes are always changing with the passage of time.


    A few years ago, Emperor Jiacheng''s imperial power was divided and emptied out by those court elders, so that what he wanted to do had to be calculated. In the past few years, Haiyan River was clear, the national treasury was abundant, and there was no one to hinder him. Emperor Jiacheng became more and more complacent.


    And the supervisor of ceremonies has also risen with the tide.


    Now Emperor Jiacheng used those eunuchs more and more smoothly, like arranging Shunxi to go to the Shanghai Shipping Department, which seemed to be the action of the Superintendent of Rites, but if there was no grant from Emperor Jiacheng, no one would believe it.


    To put it bluntly, the Shanghai Shipping Department has a superior geographical location, and has now replaced Dinghai as the largest import and export port in Toyo.


    This kind of place is naturally in your own hands.


    The reason for the chilling heart also accounts for a part here.


    "My lord, if His Majesty really intends to call you back, I''m afraid I won''t be able to sit in this seat for too long." Xie San, who was almost middle-aged, touched the finger wrench in his hand.


    The air froze.


    If this comes true, it is the worst case scenario.


    Mao Badou, who had a small mustache and was still fat, and even fatter than before, exploded and said, "If you can''t sit, you can''t sit. Whoever wants to sit in this crappy seat, anyway, no matter how much money you earn. , and it won¡¯t be ours, they can play however they want.¡±


    The reason is such a reason, who is willing?


    The most chilling thing in the world is to plant a tree with so much hard work, but someone picks peaches.


    "Ting Xiang didn''t even say that, what are you talking about?" Li Datian said. After these few years of precipitation, he is now more stable, and he is much richer than before. Because he is over thirty and has a beard, he looks more majestic.


    "Can I feel sorry for him?"


    These two people can''t be together, and they will bicker when they are together.


    "Okay, don''t think about the worst in everything, just take one step at a time." Xue Tingxiang sighed.


    It can only be the.


    "By the way, I asked you to pay more attention to the affairs of the New World, and you continue to pay attention. With Dachang''s current situation, the grain production is getting smaller every year, and you need to find grain roads from outside."


    "I said you don''t care about these things. If you are not in your position, you will not seek your own affairs. Maybe you will return to Beijing this time, so I will leave you in some idle place to enjoy the cool air." It was Mao Badou who liked to throw cold water on others.


    Xue Tingxiang looked at him helplessly and shook his head.


    Afterwards, several people discussed some other matters, and then dispersed.


    Only Xue Tingxiang was left alone, sitting in the study for a long time, thinking, and then slowly exhaled.


    He came to the window and looked at the gloomy sky outside, the mountain rain was about to come and the wind filled the building.


    *


    Xue Tingxiang''s news was not wrong, and it only took two days before the imperial decree arrived in Guangzhou.


    It was an old acquaintance, Father-in-law Anshun, who announced the decree.


    "Lord Xue probably doesn''t know that His Majesty has been talking about you for a long time, saying that Sir Xue is the pillar of the country, the minister of the shoulders, but because of errands for the court, he stayed in the coastal area for nearly ten years. Your Majesty is ashamed for mentioning you again and again. They all said it was a bad treatment. No, His Majesty has hesitated again and again, and still plans to call you back to Beijing to let you spend some time at leisure."


    "Your Majesty panicked, I am ashamed to worry about His Majesty so much."


    Anshun smiled and waved his hands: "You are right, you are right. Who knows that Mr. Xue has devoted himself to the court and is a loyal minister. Every time His Majesty mentions loyal ministers in the court, he will use you as an example. My family here congratulates Xue My lord, this trip back to Beijing will definitely lead to a higher promotion."


    "Thank you, Eunuch An, for your auspicious words."


    ...


    Anshun stayed in Guangzhou for two days, then left in a hurry, saying that he was going back to Beijing to revive the order.


    As for Xue Tingxiang, the imperial decree did not specify his official position this time, so it was said that he would not know until he returned to Beijing. Coupled with Anshun''s words, Xue Tingxiang simply mentioned the matter of going back to his hometown to worship his ancestors.


    Anshun also fully agreed, saying that he would report to Emperor Jiacheng when he returned. Emperor Jiacheng''s original intention was to feel sorry for Xue Tingxiang who had worked so hard for many years, so it was not extra to go back to his hometown to worship his ancestors.


    In this way, from the two little ones returning home, now the whole family plans to return home.


    Xue Tingxiang was also a decisive person. He got the imperial edict and asked his subordinates to prepare. Anshun left Guangzhou, and then he took his family on the road to Shanxi.


    Fortunately, the sea transportation is smooth now. First, take a boat from Guangzhou to Suzhou, then change boats from Suzhou and go all the way north through the canal. After that, abandon the boat and change cars. It has been more than two months since we entered Shanxi. thing.


    Naturally, this situation could not keep up with the county examination, so Xue Tingxiang could only tell his son guiltily that he would wait for the next year.


    Originally, Xue Yaohong planned to try his hand this time, not because of his fame, whether he will end up this year or next year, in fact, it is not a hindrance.


    ...


    It''s March in Yangchun, but here in Xiaxian County, it''s just a cold spring, warm and cold.


    However, the farmers have already started to get busy. From time to time on the country roads, farmers can be seen carrying hoes, pulling cattle, and going to the fields for spring plowing.


    The convoy snaked hundreds of meters long, such a scene had never been seen in a rural place like Xia County, and all the passers-by who saw it stopped in their tracks, and couldn''t help guessing which family it was.


    In a place like Xia County, who else could have such a large force? ! So people rushed to Yuqing Village to report the news.


    Not long after, people from Yuqing village came, and after asking the guards in front of the convoy if Master Xue had returned, they returned to the village at a galloping speed.


    Master Xue is back, Master Xue has brought his family back to his hometown!


    The news spread throughout Yuqing Village in an instant.


    Today''s Yuqing Village is not like it used to be. The village has expanded too much, and it looks like a town.


    All this is due to Xue''s family history, and all these years, even though Xue Tingxiang and Zhao''er were outside, they still did not forget to send all kinds of books to their hometown.


    Two batches are sent each year.


    Not only do you send books, but you also have money to give, and you can do your best.


    Now Yuqing Village has the entire Xia County, the largest library in the entire Pingyang Prefecture, and the largest academy in Pingyang Prefecture - Yuqing Academy.


    In the past ten years, there have been too many changes in Yuqing Village, too many to enumerate.


    And after hearing about the greatest glory of the Xue clan, Xue Tingxiang, Master Xue, Admiral Xue, Governor Xue, brought his family back to the hometown, and the entire Yuqing Village was mobilized.


    Even the old patriarch, who had seldom appeared in front of people in recent years, was helped to the entrance of the village.


    ...


    When you get closer, you can see the flag of fame standing at the entrance of the village from a distance.


    There are three seats in total.


    The first one was erected by Xue Tingxiang himself when he won the first place in Jieyuan in the Bingwu National Examination in the sixth year of Jiacheng. The second seat was erected by Xue Tingxiang himself by the old patriarch when he won the first prize in the palace examination in Yiyou year. The last one was erected by the current patriarch when Officer Xue Tingxiang paid homage to the admiral and governor.


    The five-foot flagpoles are one bucket, three buckets, and four buckets respectively, and a big flag with red border and yellow ground is hung on it, waving in the wind.


    The highest honor for an official in this life is nothing more than this.


    But Xue Tingxiang took ten years to complete.


    ...


    "Father, are you coming soon? Hey, what''s that?" A young girl''s childish voice came from a carriage.


    A gentle female voice answered her: "That''s your father''s fame and fame."


    "It''s so tall, so big, and so majestic." The little girl used three good words to express her amazement.


    Zhao''er glanced sideways at the man, and saw that his face was tense.


    She sighed inwardly, and took his hand.

 Chapter 227

    For this reason, the third uncle Xue Qingbai borrowed an ox cart from his uncle''s house and invited a doctor back from the town. The doctor came to check the pulse, and Xue Gouzi didn''t have any symptoms, and the previous illness was almost cured. Although he is a little weak now, he just needs to take care of it slowly.


    As for the headache, even the doctor couldn''t tell what the cause was.


    After sending the doctor away, grandmother Zhao slapped her face on the spot.


    She looked like she was in her fifties, with her gray hair neatly pulled back behind her head. The face is long, the eyelids are a little sunken, and when the face is pulled, it becomes triangular eyes, which looks particularly unfriendly.


    Without Mrs. Zhao''s words, Mrs. Sun said: "Zhao''er, it''s not my aunt talking about you, you girl likes to make a fuss. Could it be that you deliberately torment us all, even if you don''t like it..."


    Before she finished speaking, she was pulled by the man Xue Qinghuai.


    "Okay, let''s say a few words, Zhao''er is not ignorant, besides, the dog is already sick, so it''s better to find a doctor to take a look, and the family can rest assured."


    "I said less and said less, and I didn''t say anything..."


    "You also said..."


    The couple went out while chatting and tugging. The eldest aunt Yang smiled at Zhao''er, and then said to the mother-in-law: "Mother, let''s go too, let the dog have a good rest."


    Mrs. Zhao glanced at the dog on the kang, snorted coldly, turned her head and left. It can be seen from her posture that she is very angry.


    In fact, it is true. The Xue family can''t be called a rich family. It costs at least one or two hundred dollars to invite a doctor from the town. ! In particular, the doctor''s pulse just now confirmed Zhao''s guess that Xue Gouzi was deliberately pretending to be ill, and it was only strange that she was happy.


    Let Mrs. Zhao see that the two little boys in the second room are deliberately torturing the family, but since the eldest daughter-in-law has come forward to persuade her, Mrs. Zhao will naturally not say more.


    Generally speaking, among the three daughters-in-law of the Xue family, Yang is the one who wins Zhao''s heart the most. The eldest has an unusual status, and Zhao is willing to show the eldest daughter-in-law some face.


    After Mrs. Zhao and Mrs. Yang left, only the third uncle Xue Qingbai and the third aunt Zhou were left in the house. The two were not used to talking much, and they didn''t stay long, Zhao''er thought that the third uncle had worked hard just now, so he sent the two of them out with a smile.


    When he turned his head and came back, he saw Xue Gouzi lying on the kang with his eyes open, his eyes staring blankly, as if he had lost his mind.


    She didn''t think much about it, she came to the side of the kang and patted his head: "Dog, don''t think too much, they don''t believe that you are sick and have a headache, sister believes you. Take care of your illness and don''t think about it anymore. "


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her, his mouth was dry and his throat was tight: "Zhaoer..."


    "What''s wrong? Is there something uncomfortable?"


    Feeling these undelicate but very warm hands touching his head and face, Xue Gouzi had a sense of reality and gratitude that he had never had before.


    She wasn''t dead, and neither was he.


    Although he didn''t like some of her daily actions, and even hated her as his child bride-in-law, but he never thought of letting her die, so how could he be the one who killed his wife and son.


    But Xue Gouzi was still very flustered, because that dream was too real. After going through that dream for more than seventy years, it seemed that he had also experienced that life. But after waking up from the dream, the vicissitudes of life have changed, and he dare not look back.


    "Zhaoer..."


    "Why!"


    "Zhaoer..."


    "Um."


    "Zhaoer..."


    A hot stream suddenly flowed out unconsciously from the dry eye sockets.


    This scared Zhao''er quite a bit, and he didn''t care to think that the little man would never call her that, let alone let himself get close to him. He hugged his head into his arms and asked him anxiously up.


    Seeing that he didn''t speak, but just buried himself in his arms and cried, Zhao''er couldn''t help but wonder if those people made him think too much just now. According to Zhao''er, the little man has a lot of things on his mind, and he never speaks out, otherwise he wouldn''t have this serious illness.


    She patted him on the back, hugged him like she did when she was a child, and comforted him: "Don''t be afraid, dog, even if they don''t send you to study, sister will send you there, and sister will send you even if she sells everything." go."


    *


    After all, Xue Gouzi had just recovered from a serious illness, and after experiencing such an incident, he fell asleep after drinking some porridge for dinner.


    Zhao''er covered him with a quilt before tidying up the basket she had just brought back.


    The back basket is full of needlework and cloth, which are rags that Zhao''er bought in the embroidery workshop in the town. The reason why I started this business was because I used to recruit children to carry the finished purses for the women in the village to sell in the embroidery workshop.


    There is no adult in the second room. Although the family is in charge of eating, after all, the pen, ink, paper and inkstone used by Xue Gouzi to study, as well as the clothes, bedding and some odds and ends of the two people on weekdays, etc., all need money.


    Wanting to ask for money from Mrs. Zhao is more expensive than ascending to the sky, and although the uncle Xue Qingshan is determined to treat his nephew as if he were his own, but Zhao''er usually only sees the big family''s child with greasy lips, and Xue Juncai never Lack of pens, ink, paper and inkstones. In contrast, the little man was as thin as a bamboo pole, and he picked up a bald pen that Xue Qingshan didn''t use back then.


    Zhao''er has always been a strong one, she couldn''t bear to wrong the little man, so she could only find money everywhere by herself. There was no opportunity to make money in the countryside, so she went to the town to look around, as long as it was within her power and did not require capital, she would try to do it.


    In the past few years, she has collected vegetables from the village and sold them in the town, picked up work from the embroidery workshop and assigned them to women with good craftsmanship in the village, and usually went to the mountains to find mountain products to sell.


    And now this business has been done several times, Zhao''er has a sweet mouth and a thick face, the boss of the embroidery workshop can''t hold her back, so he sells the unwanted rags to her in bags. She took it back, sorted and cut it, and then asked the women in the village to help make purses and other things, and she could earn a lot of money by reselling them in the embroidery workshop. It is much better than before just receiving the purses made by others, and earning a penny for a few purses.


    If he hadn''t made some money by doing this business, he didn''t know when Xue Gouzi would recover from his serious illness. Mrs. Zhao would have given up the money to get the medicine for a long time ago, and Zhao''er used his own money to catch the medicines later. I still have to hide it, for fear that other members of the Xue family will find out.


    Thinking of this, the corners of Zhao''er''s mouth tightened.


    She has always been agile in her hands and feet, and seeing that she picked out some usable cloth heads, she stopped tossing about. I chose clean ones and spread them out on a square table, and cut these strangely shaped cloth heads into a uniform shape with scissors.


    This is Zhao''er''s own calculation based on how much fabric is needed to make a purse, no more and no less, she will not take out these rags for people to see.


    It is not easy for country people to earn a penny. If someone finds out, the designated way to earn money will be robbed within a few days.


    Zhao''er also wants to use this to make money for the little man to go to the town to study, so that she can only go to see Xue Jun, and her little man can also go. Zhao''er has always been prepared with both hands when doing things, and she knows in her heart that the big house will never let such a good thing happen to the little man.


    It is better to ask for others than to ask for yourself, and it is better to rely on yourself than to rely on mountains and rivers.


    Zhao''er has understood this truth since she was seven years old when she was going to be exchanged for money by her grandmother and father.


    After Zhao''er finished what she was doing, seeing the little man was fast asleep, and seeing that it was already dark outside, she wrapped the tidy cloth in something, and hurried out with it.


    Under the night, Yuqing Village was exceptionally peaceful, and the light silver moonlight shone on the trails in the village. Although the road was still unclear, it was not completely dark after all.


    Zhao''er walked all the way and didn''t even startle a dog.


    This is not an ability that ordinary people can have. You must know that in places like the countryside, almost every household has a dog. Dogs are very alert at night, and whenever someone walks past the door, they bark wildly. Even if a petty thief came to the door, he would have been scared away by the dog long ago.


    Zhao''er also developed this ability after walking a lot at night.


    Of course, it was also related to the sunspot following her legs.


    Heizi is a country dog, but it is stronger and bigger than ordinary dogs. There are not many dogs in Yuqing Village that can beat Heizi, and it is because of Heizi that Zhao''er dares to walk alone at night.


    She went all the way to a family''s house with ease, and it was strange that the other party knew that she would come at this time and left the door open for her. As soon as she entered the door, the family''s dog rushed over. Before she could reach her, a black shadow rushed over and threw the other person to the ground. The dog was so frightened that it fell on the ground and stopped barking.


    Zhao''er gloated at the side: "I don''t have a long memory!"


    At this time, a person came out of the house, and he smiled as he walked up to the front: "This black man is here to bully our family Wangcai again, Zhao''er, come in and sit down."


    "Aunt Osmanthus, I won''t go in, I''m still rushing back."


    Zhao''er handed over the things in his hands to the visitor, took some things from the other person, wrapped them in cloth, and then went to the next household.


    Zhao''er went to five families.


    She is anxious to make money, but there are few women in the village who are good at needlework, and she needs to find someone who is tight-lipped and reliable. shit money.


    The reason why she said that was because when she collected vegetables from the village and sold them in the town, she was publicized by people who didn''t know the door, causing her to be pointed at all day long. She was not afraid of being pointed out, but these things finally reached the ears of the little man, and some villagers made fun of him, which caused a lot of conflicts between her and the little man. And after that, she won''t receive any vegetables in the village, even if someone sells them to her, it will be at a high price.


    In the end, she had no choice but to go to other villages to collect vegetables. It was not a waste of time. Since then, Zhaoer has developed a memory.


    When Zhao''er came home, Xue Gouzi on the kang was still sleeping soundly.


    She went to get some water to wash her face and wipe her hands before getting on the kang. The second room only had this kang, and she had slept with Xue Gouzi since she was a child, and she was used to it.


    Heizi slept under the kang, just now when he invited his son into the house, he slid in at his feet and chose a random place to lie down. It seems that the dog''s eyes have been closed, but in fact the two ears are standing up, and they move from time to time.


    Before Zhao''er lay down, she bullied herself over to look at the little man, and touched his forehead, before falling asleep in peace.


    *


    Compared with the second room because of the sparse population, there are only two rooms and one kang, the treatment of the first room is obviously much better. The entire three east rooms were occupied by the big room, and at this time in the east room, Mrs. Yang was talking to Xue Qingshan.


    Yang narrated what happened during the day, Xue Qingshan immediately frowned after listening.


    He was not at home during the day, so naturally he didn''t know what happened at home. Nowadays, some respectable families will invite scholars to preside over their weddings and funerals, but where rural families can afford to hire scholars, some will invite children to make up the number.


    No matter how they are all scholars, they are different from ordinary people.


    Today, Xue Qingshan was invited by a family in a nearby village to have a wedding. It doesn''t matter what the etiquette is.


    But the people in the countryside are poor, so the happy money will not be too much, at most a few tens of pennies.


    Xue Qingshan likes this kind of work the most. Every time at this time, he will randomly assign articles to memorize for the students in the school, and then go out for a whole day, and no one will say anything. What he likes is not only having money to take, but also when this time is his happiest time.


    He was sitting in the position of the guest of honor, and the men who came to have a wedding banquet were all proud to have a conversation with him.


    He is the master of Tongsheng!


    Of course, it would be even better if Tongsheng could be replaced by a scholar, Xue Qingshan would have dreamed of it. But for so many years, he has more or less self-knowledge, so he can''t help pinning his hopes on his son.


    It''s a pity that someone is blocking this way now.


    Xue Qingshan drank a lot of wine, his chubby face was flushed, and he was holding his breath in his heart, so he spit and scolded: "What kind of moth is this son of a bitch, I really want to open a dyeing workshop just to give him some color. !"


    Yang sighed faintly: "Who told you that you agreed to the second child so easily at the beginning, but now it''s hard to get off the tiger because of our talents."


    "In that situation back then, the second child seemed to be honest, and he wanted to accompany his elder brother when he was about to die. If I knew that he was paying attention that day, I would have found a way to shut him up, but so many people I was present, and the accident happened because of me, if I don''t even agree to this matter, how can I gain a foothold in front of others."


    Of course, Mrs. Yang knew this truth, but she couldn''t calm down. Just because of that bullshit promise, Da Fang kept her hands tied. Her son wanted to go to the library to study, but he had to hide and beg the other party to show his respect.


    She was always proud and arrogant, so naturally the more she thought about it, the more annoyed she became, her eyes sparkled, but she sneered on her face: "Because he fell ill suddenly, originally Dad planned to make decisions for us, so we can only endure it. But he has been sick for these days, and today he has such a scene, and my mother is already annoyed. I asked the fourth daughter-in-law to tell my mother that the dog is probably pretending to be sick. I think my mother has already decided that he is pretending. sick."


    Xue Qingshan''s eyes lit up: "That''s good, I''ll go talk to my parents tomorrow and let them put this matter into practice." He put his arms around Yang''s shoulders with a smile, and said: "My wife is smarter. , Prepared a backhand early."


    Yang gave him an angry look, and the two of them rested together, without speaking for a whole night.


    Thinking of all the disobedient things this girl did in the past, Mr. Xue felt disgusted in his heart. But he also knew that now was not the time to vent his anger, but to settle the matter.


    "Since you want to listen, then listen." The tone was the same as before, but anyone could hear the dissatisfaction in his voice.


    Zhao''er couldn''t hear it, so he stood aside.


    Seeing this, Mrs. Sun hurriedly dragged Xue Qinghuai to stay.


    "Since Zhao''er has stayed, let''s stay and listen too." She laughed along with her.

 Chapter 228

    It is the time of spring plowing, and the plan of the year lies in spring. If you are lazy at this time, you will cry when the harvest comes in autumn.


    Zhao''er woke up at this hour on time, and opened his eyes to find that the little man was still asleep.


    Not long after she fell asleep yesterday, the little man developed a fever again. After working for most of the night, luckily the fever subsided in the middle of the night.


    She sat up, raised her hand to touch the little man''s forehead, and made sure that her hands were not hot, then put on her clothes lightly and got off the kang.


    The first thing he did was to open the door, and Heizi, who had been restless for a long time, got out with a swish. Zhao''er also walked out of the room, seeing Heizi hurriedly running out of the courtyard to pee, she shook her head with a broken smile.


    At this time, someone has already got up in the courtyard, it is the Zhou family of the third bedroom and his eldest daughter Xue Tao''er.


    Today it''s the third room''s turn to cook. The Xue family''s rule is that apart from the housework of each room, the work in the office is shared equally. One day per room, in rotation.


    The room responsible for cooking is not only responsible for the food and drink of the whole family, but also takes care of the livestock in the family. The Xue family raised two big fat pigs, and it was not an easy job to serve these two ancestors every day. Not to mention feeding chickens, carrying water, and chopping firewood, so the female family members who do housework on this day do not have to go to the fields to work.


    It seems to be fair and just, but in fact everyone inside knows how.


    The eldest aunt Yang claimed that the man was a child student, and she was exceptionally superior at home. Since Xue Qingshan passed the child student examination, she never touched housework again. The key is that Mrs. Zhao is also looking towards her, so it''s not easy for others to question her.


    At first, it was Xue Gouzi''s mother, Mrs. Qiu, who finally came in, the third-bedroom Mrs. Zhou, and the two sisters-in-law finally shared the burden. Afterwards, Mrs. Qiu followed her deceased husband, and Mrs. Zhou was left alone. It was not until Mrs. Sun of the fourth room entered the door that she would be able to catch her breath again.


    It''s a pity that Mrs. Sun is lazy and playful. In fact, Mrs. Zhou still does most of the work.


    In the past, when Mrs. Qiu was still alive, Zhao''er also helped Mrs. Qiu to do it. After Mrs. Qiu passed away, Zhao''er was busy with the housework of the second room and had to do the work in the office. In addition, Zhao''er was still young at that time, Mr. Xue told her to take good care of Xue Gouzi and not to take care of the work at work.


    Zhao''er now has free time to go around and get some money, but she is a person who looks at her conscience and will help out as much as she can in her spare time. As for those who used words to squeeze her like Sun, her sharp tongue was not forgiving.


    Seeing Xue Taoer struggling to fetch water from the well, Zhao''er rubbed his face and went up to help her.


    Thirteen-year-old Xue Taoer is like a small flower in bud. Although she is not very beautiful, she is very delicate. Seeing Zhao''er coming to help her, she couldn''t help showing a smile and talking to her: "Sister Zhao''er, is the second brother better?" Xue Gouzi is the second grandson of the Xue family, so Xue Taoer called him the second brother .


    "I had a fever again last night, and it got better in the second half of the night." Zhao''er looked around curiously, and asked, "Why isn''t Third Uncle here?"


    Although Xue Qingbai is a bit honest and reticent, he always loves his wife and daughter. Whenever he meets the third room to cook, he will get up early to fill the water tank.


    The Xue family has its own well, but the well is too deep, and there is no pulley on the well, so it is really exhausting to draw water with the strength of the daughter''s family alone. That is to say, Zhao''er was naturally as strong as an ox, and his strength was no worse than that of ordinary middle-aged men, so he could pull the bucket out of the deep well very easily.


    "My father went to the field and said he would work for a while and return after breakfast."


    Xue Qingbai is an honest farmer. Unlike other brothers in the family who have other skills, he only knows how to farm, so he puts all his heart on the ground. The Xue family has a total of more than 30 mu of land, and now he, Mr. Xue and the fourth son Xue Qinghuai are all planted.


    Although the women of the Xue family also went to the fields, it was only during the busy farming season, and besides, the women only had so little strength, so how could they help. Fortunately, the three men from Xue''s family are all good hands in the field, and they are really too busy, so they hired part-time workers to help out for a few days, so they don''t have to worry about not being able to finish the work in the field.


    Just as he was talking, the door of the fourth room opened, and Xue Qinghuai walked out from inside.


    The men in the Xue family are all big, so Xue Qinghuai also inherited a tall body.


    He was born with thick eyebrows, tiger eyes and a high nose bridge. He was dressed in dark blue coarse cloth and short brown, and looked very heroic. In fact, the men of the Xue family are not bad looking, but the women of the Xue family are a little mediocre, but all the grandchildren are born well, and they are all top-notch in the village.


    "Zhaoer Taoer, you wake up so early." Xue Qinghuai walked over in a few strides, took the wooden bucket in Zhaoer''s hand, walked to the water tank, and poured water into the tank.


    "How can you two little girls do this kind of rough work? You go to do other things, and the fourth uncle is here to fetch water."


    Zhao''er and Tao''er didn''t refuse either, one went to the kitchen to help her mother cook, and the other took a basin to scoop up water for washing.


    As time passed, the rest of the Xue family got up one after another, and there were more and more voices in the yard. On the other side of the kitchen, Mrs. Zhou yelled to eat. Generally, country people don''t pay much attention to breakfast, and they have to set a table or something. They always serve a bowl with a bowl, and eat it at any place.


    Breakfast is two rice porridge, the so-called two rice porridge is porridge cooked from two kinds of rice. Yuqing Village does not grow rice, but only wheat, sorghum, millet, corn and other crops. Although farmers grow wheat, they seldom use it for their own food. They sell it for other grains.


    Even a well-to-do family like Xue''s family with surplus food did not eat fine grains all at once, but a mixture of coarse grains and fine grains. For example, today''s breakfast is two-rice porridge, which is a porridge cooked with millet, that is, yellow rice, and sorghum rice.


    Because it was a busy time of farming, it was cooked quite thickly. Although it didn''t hold up with chopsticks inserted, it was much better than the usual thin soup with little water.


    There is no way, the Xue family seems to have a decent family background in the village, but there are three scholars in the family. Not to mention Xue Gouzi, Guangda Fang and his son spend a lot of money every month, and it''s no wonder that Mrs. Zhao usually can pick up fleas to get a little blood.


    Zhao''er filled two bowls of porridge, put a few cornbreads on a thick porcelain plate, and put some pickles on the side, and took them back to the second room''s room.


    As soon as he entered the door, he saw Xue Gouzi sitting up from the kang.


    She hurriedly put the wooden tray on the square table, and came up to see him: "But he''s better? Are you hungry? Sister will bring you some porridge."

 Chapter 229

    Zhao''er came all the way to the south of the city, before he entered the archway where Shen''s house was located, he saw the two large flags more than five feet high erected in front of Shen''s residence.


    This is the banner of Jinshi Jidi, and only someone in the family who has won the Jinshi can set up this banner.


    This fame flagpole is divided into two structures, the flagpole sandwich stone and the flagpole.


    The flag buckets on the flagpoles are also exquisite. If you have a serious background in the imperial examination, and you have passed the Jinshi in the imperial examination, you can set up two flagpoles for the flag buckets. If it is the number one scholar, it will be a three-dou flagpole, and if there are members of the third rank or above in the clan, four dou can be set up.


    The two big flags in front of Shen''s house, one is three buckets, the other is four buckets. In other words, the Shen family once had a number one scholar, and had an important minister in the court.


    Zhao''er, a country girl, knows this because her second sister told her when she came to visit her.


    The main entrance, the side entrance, and even the corner entrance were not accessible to Zhao''er with her status. She made a long detour before arriving at the back entrance of Shen''s residence.


    The back door was ajar, and Zhao''er didn''t dare to rush in, so he knocked on the door respectfully.


    The door opened with a creak, and a round woman came out from inside, and asked her, "Who are you looking for?"


    This woman is just a gatekeeper, but she also wears satin gowns and jewelry on her ears and hands, which is enough to show the wealth of the Shen family.


    The Shen family is indeed rich, and in this Xia County, it can be said that they are stomping their feet, and the county is about to tremble three times. The Shen Mansion here is the ancestral home of the Shen family, except for the Shen family''s uncle and second master who are officials outside, the rest of the Shen family live here.


    "Mother-in-law, I''m looking for Sulan. I''m her younger brother. I''m here to see her."


    This woman''s attitude is not warm, but she is not as inferior as a dog''s eye. At least from this trick, it can be seen that the rules of the Shen family must be very strict. She asked Zhao''er to wait, then closed the door and went inside.


    Zhao''er waited for a long time before the back door opened again, and a very beautiful woman came out from inside. I saw her radiant skin, phoenix eyes and vermilion lips, wearing a water-red jacket and a moon-white pleated skirt. A head of black and thick long hair was simply tied up in a bun, with a golden hairpin inserted into it.


    Obviously the clothes are ordinary, and the hair accessories are also ordinary, but wearing all these on her body gives her a sense of beauty that no one else has. Her chest is bulging, but her waist is very thin, she has a good figure.


    This person is Zhao''er''s second sister Wang Zhaodi, but she changed her name to Su Lan in Shen''s residence.


    Zhao''er couldn''t help frowning, since the last time she saw her second sister, her second sister has changed a lot. Not only the material of the clothes, but also the jewelry on his body, his complexion and even his figure have changed a lot.


    She was a little panicked, grabbed Su Lan, and went to the corner where there was no one nearby.


    "Sister, did you really do it?"


    Seeing her younger sister frivolously wrinkling her sleeves, Su Lan asked impatiently, "What can I do or not?"


    "It''s that, that..." Zhao''er hesitated for a while, and then said with a blushing face: "You can''t really be the housekeeper for the sixth young master, right?"


    The corners of Su Lan''s eyes twitched, and the corners of her mouth twitched: "Why do you care about these things?"


    "Sister!" Zhao''er couldn''t help stamping her feet.


    Su Lan looked at her younger sister, and remembered that she was sold by her family back then. Only younger sister Zhao''er found out her whereabouts from the matchmaker, and walked all day and night to see her by herself. At that time, she was full of panic, Zhao''er''s appearance made her know that she was not alone, and that no one would know that she would not die in this mansion, and she immediately softened her heart.


    She sighed lightly: "Didn''t I tell you before, I won''t go out of the house to go through that kind of hard life. Although I am a housekeeper now, but the sixth young master promised me that when grandma came in, I would give it to me." An aunt will do it."


    Zhao''er was so surprised that she couldn''t believe it. She knew it already, but she was still shocked when she learned from the second sister that she really did such a thing.


    For the first time in her life, she didn''t know what to say, so she hesitated for a while and said, "That''s it? If you treat someone like a child, you will be bullied by the big wife."


    Zhao''er''s only cognition told her that when she was young, she had few days to live comfortably.


    What the younger sister said made Su Lan feel extremely uncomfortable, and she waved her hand nonchalantly. On the snow-white and slender jade fingers, there is a golden opal ring on it, which exudes a faint light and is dazzling in the sun.


    "You don''t understand, and you don''t have to be afraid of me being bullied. As long as the sixth young master is on my side, even if the sixth grandma comes in later, she won''t dare to bully me."


    "Can¡­¡­"


    "Okay, don''t talk about me, your little husband is healed? I''m not talking about you. It''s better for you to come into the mansion to be a girl to be my company than to stay in that house and work hard." .Which woman is looking for a man who is not looking for someone who can protect herself. You are fine, but you are working outside to earn money to support your family.¡±


    "Isn''t he still young? Besides, sister, it''s not like you don''t know. If it weren''t for my mother and father, I''m afraid I would have been sold to nowhere. You were lucky enough to be sold into Shen''s residence. But there are also those who are unlucky and sold into that dirty place."


    Su Lan pressed her bright red lips tightly and did not speak.


    She was sold into Shen''s residence back then, it was not explained by good luck.


    In the sparkling eyes of the phoenix, all kinds of light returned to silence. She let out a breath and scolded: "That''s why I don''t want to see you the most. Every time you come, you make me angry and make me troubled."


    Zhao''er kicked the pebbles under his feet: "I just thought I haven''t seen you for a long time, so I came here to have a look at you."


    "How are you doing? The Xue family didn''t make things difficult for you, right? Just wait, when my sister becomes the sixth young master''s aunt, whoever bullies you in the future, I will help you deal with him."


    Zhao''er heard it warmly in her heart, and couldn''t help leaning over, hugging Su Lan''s slender waist coquettishly: "Sister, don''t worry, I''m so aggressive, who dares to bully me. You don''t know that the Xue family is such a moth." too much¡­¡­"


    She recounted what happened to Xue''s family recently.


    The corners of Su Lan''s mouth curled up when she heard this, and she said sarcastically: "So this is the human heart. Don''t try to test the human heart, it will usually disappoint you. Don''t rely on others, what you hold in your hands is the truth."


    Su Lan is a bit extreme, but Zhao''er knows why the second sister is like this. In fact, occasionally she will be extreme, but she rarely speaks out.


    "Then what do you do now? If your little man really loses, then he won''t be able to go to school? Have you ever thought about this matter, if you win, if you lose, it will be hard for the two of you The Xue family has a foothold."


    Of course Zhao''er understood this truth. She stood up straight and smiled: "Sister, I know. Don''t worry, I plan to find another way to do business. At worst, the two of us will be alone. Dog likes to learn, so let him learn." , until I can''t afford it anymore."


    Su Lan poked her forehead with her jade finger, hating iron and steel: "You still can''t confess, how old are you? After a day of good life, I think I can''t confess. Come on, don''t tell me The second sister doesn''t feel sorry for you, I have someone I know who is the third shopkeeper in ''He Rongsheng'', if you go to him, he can at least find a way for you to make some money."


    ''Herongsheng'' is the name of the pawn shop, there are many branches in Binh Duong Province, and there is one in Huyang Township. Zhao''er usually comes and goes in the town, so he has naturally heard of this name.


    "This is the Shen family''s business with Rongsheng? Sister, how do you know the three shopkeepers?"


    Su Lan''s eyes flashed a hint of complexity, and she said impatiently: "Don''t worry about it, you can go directly to a man named Shen Ping. Well, I won''t tell you anymore, the sixth young master will have lunch later Now, I have to go and wait, lest those little hoofs rush to the front to show courteousness again."


    After a pause, she took out something from her sleeve and stuffed it into Zhao''er''s hand: "Take it, it doesn''t matter if you really lose, let''s do it by ourselves first. The Shen family''s genealogy is famous in the whole Pingyang Mansion. Sister will become an aunt in the future, and see if I can ask the Sixth Young Master to let your little man come in as a companion or something. I really owe you in my previous life, and I have to worry about everything."


    Su Lan''s figure quickly disappeared through the door.


    Zhao''er stood where he was, looking down at the silver ingot in his hand. After a long time, Fang grabbed it tightly and left.


    *


    Zhao''er didn''t know where He Rongsheng in the county was, she had inquired along the way.


    When we got there, it was a coincidence that the third shopkeeper named Shen Ping was there.


    Shen Ping is a very young boy with a good appearance, very mature and stable. He was wearing a dark blue straight gown, and looked about twenty years old, but he did not expect to be the shopkeeper of a pawnshop.


    When he heard about Zhao''er''s purpose, his eyes flashed: "You are Zhao''er, I heard your sister said about you."


    Zhao''er didn''t expect that the second sister would tell Shen Ping her name, and she smelled something unusual. While speaking, Shen Ping had already led her in.


    "When your sister told me about you before, I was thinking about what kind of business would allow you to do it for a long time. After thinking about it, I think selling old clothes is quite suitable for a girl like you."


    The second sister even told her gender to the other party''s surprise, it didn''t last long, Zhao''er''s attention was attracted by Shen Ping''s words.


    "What is selling used clothes?"


    "You should know what a pawnshop is for. This pawnshop accepts everything, and you can pawn anything. The current period is divided into dead pawns and live pawns. If it is a live pawn, it means that the other party will come to redeem it. If it is a dead pawn, it means that the things are not needed. Of course, there are also those who do not redeem their living debts within the time limit, and naturally they become death debts.


    "These things are accepted by the pawn shop and exchanged for money to the owner. Naturally, they will be resold. For example, some old clothes that come from pawns are directly sold to embroidery workshops or clothing shops. If you are willing to do this business, you can buy them from Take some old clothes here and sell them back."


    Following Shen Ping''s narration, Zhao''er''s eyes flickered again and again, and he asked, "Then I don''t know what the price is? Is it calculated on a piece-by-piece basis, or what? Since it''s an old clothes, surely it won''t be as expensive as a new one, right?"


    Shen Ping glanced at her: "You are very smart." He turned around and went to the layman: "Come with me, I will take you to have a look."


    Zhao''er followed him all the way back, the yard behind the pawn shop was huge, it looked like it was a warehouse.


    On the way, he met a lot of people in pawnshops, and they were all respectful when they saw Shen Ping. Zhao''er followed him to a warehouse, but neither of them went in. A man who looked like a buddy dragged a large bag of things out, and opened the door in front of it.


    This big bag is full of clothes, some are worn out, some are 80% or 90% new, and some are even brand new. It seems that they have not been worn twice. The texture of the clothes is also various, some are made of cotton, some are made of silk, some are made of silk, but they are all of good quality, anyway, they are better than the coarse cloth clothes Zhao''er is wearing.


    "These are usually mixed together, because they are collected at a low price, so the asking price is not high. If you give me two taels of such a bag of clothes, it will be yours."


    Zhao''er couldn''t see through her eyes. In order to make sure that the business could be done, she went up to check it out.


    Such a package of clothes, at least a hundred pieces.


    Even if a piece of clothing sells for 20 Wen, it is enough for her to pay back. And some clothes are sold for more than twenty yuan just based on her visual inspection. What can be done with twenty renminbi, at least six or seven feet of cloth is needed to make a suit of clothes, and the worst cotton cloth is seven or eight renminbi.


    Not to mention that there are some good fabrics in it, and even some cotton clothes, even if you don''t sell them, you won''t lose money if you wear them yourself.


    Because he knew that this matter seemed insignificant, but it was actually too difficult for farmers. How many families had the idea of ??changing their own destiny by reading books.

 Chapter 230

    Zhao''er was not annoyed, but said aggrievedly: "Then how can the eldest aunt stay, she is not a woman? Besides, the dog can''t talk, I don''t look at it, I am afraid that what he said will anger me." Lord."


    In fact, her subtext was just to say that she was afraid that others would bully Xue Tingxiang, and no one present could hear it.


    Mr. Xue stared at her, he really suspected that all this was made by this girl. He knew that Gou''er was a bored gourd, why didn''t he go to the grave sooner and complained that he would not go later, but why did he go at this time.


    Thinking of all the disobedient things this girl did in the past, Mr. Xue felt disgusted in his heart. But he also knew that now was not the time to vent his anger, but to settle the matter.


    "Since you want to listen, then listen." The tone was the same as before, but everyone could hear the dissatisfaction in his voice.


    Zhao''er couldn''t hear it, so he stood aside.


    Seeing this, Mrs. Sun hurriedly dragged Xue Qinghuai to stay.


    "Since Zhao''er has stayed, let''s stay and listen too." She laughed along with her.


    Mr. Xue was immediately furious: "Since you want to listen, stay and listen."


    So everyone stayed, including the four-year-old Mao Dan, and even Mrs. Zhou, who was busy in the kitchen, stayed behind under the guise of cleaning the table.


    In the huge main room, only an oil lamp was lit on the square table. The wick was jumping, and the shadows were blurry. Everyone''s eyes were on Mr. Xue. But he suddenly didn''t know where to start. He looked around everyone''s faces with heavy eyes, and finally fell on Xue Tingxiang''s face.


    "Actually, it''s nothing. I just want to talk about what the boss said a while ago that he wants to send the child to the school in the town."


    Zhao''er was inexplicably nervous, and couldn''t help but glance at Xue Tingxiang, and then went to see Mr. Xue.


    Dafang and his wife were overjoyed, they knew this would happen, and it was not in vain for them to swallow their anger for many days.


    Xue Qingshan couldn''t hide the joy on his face, he looked at Xue Tingxiang with pity and compassion, then looked at other people, and finally fell on Xue Tingxiang.


    "Dog, don''t be discouraged. You are still much worse than your talented brother. You will study with uncle for another two years, and then the family will send you to the town to study."


    This kind of tone was too stinging at this time, Zhao''er had a sneer on the corner of his mouth, and wanted to say something, but was pulled by Xue Tingxiang.


    Xue Qingshan took all of this into his eyes, and satirized in his heart, no matter how difficult this girl''s film is, she can only embarrass others on these trivial things, and it still doesn''t work when it comes to big things. He smiled, and said to Zhao''er: "Zhao''er, don''t be angry, uncle knows that you are high-minded, but high-mindedness can''t be eaten, don''t you?"


    No one in the room said anything.


    At this moment, Mr. Xue suddenly said angrily: "Boss, what are you talking about!"


    Xue Qingshan didn''t take it seriously: "Father, I''m not trying to persuade the dog not to be discouraged..."


    Old man Xue''s beard was shaking with anger, and he pointed at him with a cigarette pot: "You need to persuade, the one who is going to study in the town is not a handsome man, but a dog!"


    As soon as these words came out, one stone really stirred up a thousand waves.


    The room was silent for a moment, and soon Zhao''s slightly shrill voice broke the silence.


    "Old man, what are you talking about? What do you mean a person who is going to study in the town is not a talented person?"


    Xue Qingshan also said: "Father, did you say the wrong person in a muddle?"


    "Your father is not ignorant, and he didn''t say anything wrong. The one who goes to study in the town is a dog, not a genius!"


    After saying this, Mr. Xue seemed to have lost all his energy, and stopped talking. The eyes of the whole room kept looking back and forth at Xue Tingxiang and Xue Juncai, full of surprise.


    Xue Qingshan''s smile cracked, and Yang''s face was full of surprise.


    Xue Juncai''s handsome face flushed red, "Grandfather..."


    Mr. Xue waved his hand wearily: "Okay, let''s all go back to the house."


    With everything said like this, everyone had no choice but to leave, but Dafang''s family still stayed behind.


    As soon as everyone walked out of the main room, they heard a commotion inside.


    "Old man, please speak clearly, what do you mean it is a dog who is going to study in the town, not my handsome talent!"


    It was Zhao''s voice.


    There is also Xue Qingshan, mixed with Yang''s aggrieved and sharp cries, and Mr. Xue''s exhausted explanation.


    No secrets can be hidden under one roof, so everyone knows what''s going on.


    *


    Early the next morning, everyone got up.


    But the spirit is not very good, it can be seen that he didn''t sleep much at night. Especially Yang''s eyes were a little red and swollen, and she looked like she was crying.


    Xue Qingshan''s eyes were also full of bloodshot eyes, he looked at Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang with sinister eyes from time to time, but for some reason he didn''t say anything.


    The atmosphere was very depressing, no one spoke, everyone was there and doing what they were doing in an orderly manner, but the yard was surprisingly quiet.


    After breakfast, Mr. Xue took his hoe and planned to go to the field. Xue Qingbai and Xue Qinghuai didn''t dare to delay, one went to lead the cow out, the other picked up the iron plow, and followed him out the door.


    Xue Qingshan didn''t stay at home anymore, and then went out, but he didn''t know where he went.


    Unlike the rest of the Xue family, Zhao''er was very happy.


    Since she learned the ins and outs of the matter from Xue Tingxiang last night, she has fallen into uncontrollable excitement. Don''t say that she gloats, in her heart she should be a little man, and she is worrying about having no money in her hands. This news is tantamount to great joy for her.


    Knowing that the schoolchildren who go to the academy are very particular, she purposely found a piece of blue cloth that had been kept at the bottom of the box for a long time. This is Qiu''s dowry back then, and Qiu gave Zhao''er to make clothes, but unfortunately she has been reluctant to part with it, and now it is just right to use it as a school bag for Xue Tingxiang.


    After cutting the cloth, she began to sew with needles and threads, talking to Xue Tingxiang without saying a word. At this moment, the door curtain was suddenly lifted.


    It was Xue Youcai, the second boy of Dafang.


    Xue Youcai was only seven years old this year, but he was born fat and thick, and he was obviously spoiled. After he came in, he scolded Xue Tingxiang: "Just like you, you are still grabbing things from my elder brother, and you have the same name as a dog. You are no smarter than a dog."


    This kid''s tongue is really poisonous, and he is also used to by the elder couple, and he has always been a bully at home, making everyone angry. I saw signs of it a few years ago, but it''s a pity that Mrs. Yang has been protecting him, saying that he is still young and ignorant, but he has grown up in the past two years, but it is a pity that he is still ignorant.


    Zhao''er doesn''t like him, if anyone in this family beat Xue Youcai, it must be her. Xue Youcai was afraid of her, yet hated her, she stood up abruptly, before she could speak, Xue Youcai suddenly threw a bag of things in his hand. It hit the head and face, and it hurt people, and there was a strange smell in it.


    Zhao''er was hit twice, she subconsciously tried to hide, thinking of Xue Tingxiang on the kang, she turned her back to protect him. Xue Tingxiang was unprepared, she hugged her upright, obviously it was not appropriate, but he felt blushing and heart beating.


    After finally waiting for this wave to pass, Zhao''er let go of his hand, Xue Youcai had already run away, and the thing he used to hit them turned out to be dried cow dung.


    Zhao''er was so disgusted that she ran after her.


    She stopped Xue Youcai at the gate of the courtyard, grabbed him by the collar without saying a word, picked up a branch from a nearby wall, and lashed at him.


    "If I don''t beat you for three days, you dare to go to the house to expose the tiles..."


    Xue Youcai struggled to run away, but Zhao''er was so painful that he was whipped. Crying and shouting, he sat down on the ground and lay down on the ground.


    This looks like the posture that young children are accustomed to playing tricks on.


    There was such a big commotion outside that everyone in the room was startled out.


    Seeing Xue Youcai being beaten by Zhao''er, Mrs. Zhao exploded: "Who told you to beat my grandson, stop!"


    Zhao''er ignored her and scolded: "Do you still dare to do it in the future? Why don''t you learn how to throw bullshit like others! The words are quite vicious. Who taught you to speak like this? If you don''t speak clearly today, I will not only Hit you, I will take you to the river to wash your mouth later..."


    Mrs. Yang also came out, and she screamed: "Wang Zhaoer, you are crazy, you dare to hit Juncai!"


    "Auntie, why don''t you see what he has done? You didn''t learn well at a young age, like some women who uttered obscene language and threw cow dung on people. I''ll tell you now, your second brother has a name , called Xue Tingxiang, if you dare to tell me whether you are a dog or not in the future, I will beat you every time I see you!"


    Xue Youcai cried until tears and snot came out, but unfortunately no one came up to rescue him. Zhao was so angry that she jumped up and down, Yang wanted to stop Zhao''er, but was stopped by Heizi.


    You usually see this sunspot with a slumped head and no energy at all. He stopped in front of people, growled a warning in his voice, and showed his sharp teeth. Yang didn''t doubt that if she dared to go forward, she would The dog would pounce on her and give her a bite.


    At this moment, a surprised voice suddenly sounded outside the courtyard: "What are you doing?"


    It was Xue Qingshan who came back from the outside, not only patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng, but also five or six villagers over half a hundred years old.


    Seeing the situation at home like this, Xue Qingshan was surprised at first, then smiled wryly, and said to the people beside him: "I won''t mention what outsiders say is right and wrong, just say that they are mean dogs, but there is absolutely no one Dare to do this. This girl has always been a pungent person, making troubles at home every now and then, if someone was really mean, she would have already caused a lot of trouble."


    What you said made people feel inexplicable, but Zhao''er is not the master who allows people to slander, so he immediately retorted: "Uncle, what you said is a bit slanderous. I usually respect the elders at home. What nonsense is it? There is a reason for beating this kid today, and he actually scolded..."


    Having said that, she was interrupted by Yang.


    She came over anxiously and distressed, snatched Xue Youcai from Zhao''er''s hand and cried, "How old is he, how old are you? He is just not sensible at this age, and you still care about him... "


    Yang was crying, with a look of grievance and helplessness, Xue Qingshan was also sighing beside him, Zhao''er didn''t know what the two couples were playing, it was over.


    Her little face was flushed with anxiety, and she was about to explain again, when Xue Tingxiang who came out of the room grabbed her.


    He took two steps forward, stood in front of Zhao''er, and first respectfully called Patriarch Xue, Zheng Lizheng and the few villagers. They are all from the same village, and you can''t see them when you look up. As a junior, these are his elders.


    After the proper etiquette passed, he explained to Yang: "I hope that my aunt will not be angry. Zhao''er was also impulsive. She saw that the talented boy called me the same name as a dog, and threw a lot of cow dung on me. That''s why I hit the boy in a fit of anger."


    Xue Tingxiang''s behavior first gave people a good impression. As a scholar, you should be gentle and polite. Next, I will take advantage of the gap of the apology and explain the ins and outs of the matter in two sentences.


    Zhao''er was not stupid, her mistake was that she was eager to explain everything clearly, so she couldn''t help but talk too much, but Xue Tingxiang only talked about the main points and didn''t mention anything else.


    And he speaks very well, it is normal for children to be naughty, but it is worth considering when they are naughty enough to insult people as dogs, not to mention throwing cow dung on Xue Tingxiang, his elder brother. At the same time, it also explained for Zhao''er why she beat the talented boy so impulsively.


    Sure enough, after hearing this, Patriarch Xue and the others inevitably turned to his side when they saw the forbearing expression on Xue Tingxiang''s thin face.


    The clear voice of the young man caught the eyes of everyone in the hall, including Qiao Xiucai and He Xiucai who were praising each other for humility.


    Xue Juncai raised his head in disbelief, he couldn''t believe that he didn''t even think about it, how could Xue Tingxiang have it.


    I saw that gentle and thin young man with his hands behind his back, walking back and forth in the hall for a few steps, Fang said: "If you take the bait, you are an old man, and if you take the bait, you are a test. The old man takes the test for the children, and the children get the test for the old."


    In fact, Xue Tingxiang is not good at reciting poems and fighting against each other, but he can''t hold back that the person in his dream has lived a long life and has a wide market. There used to be a long-standing joke among scholars¡ª¡ª


    It is said that there was a gray-haired scholar who took the exam, and the examiner knew from his appearance that he was an old boy who had repeatedly failed the exam, so he intentionally made things difficult for him: "I have a couplet, if you can match it, I will take it." you."


    The old boy felt bitter in his heart, but he didn''t dare to give up.


    The chief examiner asked the question: "If you take the bait, you are old; if you take the bait, you are a tester. If you are old, you will be a child, and if you are a child, you will be old."


    The old boy bowed to Rao, and replied: "One person is great, and two are heaven. Heaven is greater than human affection, and human affection is greater than heaven."


    This flattery was so exquisite that the examiner was too embarrassed to go back on his word, so he had no choice but to choose him as a scholar.


    In fact, upon hearing this story, one knew it was made up. Anyone who has participated in the hospital examination should know what the situation will be. How can the examiner take the initiative to test an old student? The examiner and the examinee will not talk to each other, and it is also for avoidance.

 Chapter 231

    It can be said that those who are born in a poor family in the countryside and can achieve great fame have all experienced great hardships. The starting point is much lower than others. It takes countless efforts to catch up with others, and at the same time they have to face all kinds of cruel competition.


    This kind of competition is not only between classmates, between the same exams, but also between the same clan, and even one''s own brothers.


    If you succeed, the sea and the sky will be bright, and you will not be an ordinary person since then. If you fail, you will put down the book and pick up the hoe, and face the loess and the sky for the rest of your life.


    It is because they understand this kind of cruelty that the two of them can''t help but wonder whether this son deliberately said that his knowledge is weak, or he just wants to pull his brother to reduce the difficulty of the question. But this is a double-edged sword. After all, it is a disadvantage to oneself to lose one''s studies to others.


    These thoughts only happened in an instant, and because of the sudden attention of He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai, Xue Qingshan''s eyebrows jumped wildly, for fear that Xue Tingxiang would say something amazing again. At this moment, he couldn''t care less about why Xue Tingshan knew the interpretation of the scriptures, and he completely forgot that his previous idea was that Xue Tingshan didn''t understand the scriptures, and it would be easy for his son to beat him.


    This is also true for Patriarch Xue. If something happens in the clan that cannot be seen by others, it is limited to the clan. If it happens in public, it will be a bit ugly.


    The eyes of the two seemed to have needles, and they were anxiously focused on Xue Tingxiang''s face. Unexpectedly, he smiled shyly and said: "The boy was weak and sick when he was young, so he inevitably fell behind."


    Xue Qingshan hurriedly laughed and said: "That''s exactly the case. Don''t be afraid that the two seniors will laugh at me. My nephew is talented and intelligent, but his weak body hinders his studies."


    Patriarch Xue also nodded in agreement.


    Others didn''t know what was going on, they just opened their eyes and watched. Only Zheng Lizheng seemed to realize that there was something wrong, but he couldn''t tell the details, so he could only keep silent.


    After He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai gave in to each other again, He Xiucai was the main one in the end. Sitting at the top, he said to Xue Tingxiang: "Since you don''t understand the scriptures, it''s a bit unfair to go beyond the scope of what you have learned. You two are still young, and it''s time to lay down the foundation, so I will test your two. Human base."


    Hearing this, although Xue Juncai was a little disappointed that he was overqualified and missed his opportunity to perform, he also felt disdainful.


    If you don''t test the scriptures, then Xue Tingxiang is not his opponent!


    He Xiucai squeezed his beard with his hands, and after pondering for a while, said: "Zhu Zi said: the size of learning is inherently different, but it is the way, it is only one. It is also suitable for young people. If you don''t learn it in elementary school, you will have nothing to learn. Its heart, to cultivate its virtue, is the foundation of the university. The two of you will each silently write a "Disciple Regulations."


    Neither of them expected that the first question would be Mo''s "Disciple Regulations". You must know that "Disciples Regulations" was learned at the beginning of elementary school, and the whole article is only about a thousand words. In addition to the general narrative, it is divided into seven chapters: filial piety when you enter, brotherhood when you go out, sincerity, faith, universal love for all, kindness and benevolence, and Yu Liwen.


    Each chapter is not long, with three words and one sentence, rhyming in the same pattern, and catchy. It lists the various norms that disciples should abide by at home, when going out, and when dealing with people. It also just proves what He Xiucai said before, the size of learning is inherently different, but it is the truth that it is only one.


    Someone has already prepared a square table and pens and inks, and each person has a table and table in front of the hall, and even the ink has been sharpened.


    When the two came to the table, they picked up a pen and wrote without any hesitation.


    As the two rushed to write and write, the noise gradually faded away. Even if the country people don''t understand the basic principles, they also know that scholars should not be disturbed when they are doing their studies.


    This is not a problem for Xue Tingxiang, because he only has one book, so he has spent too much effort to memorize the things he has learned.


    Not only memorizing, but also keeping in mind, so that when asked in school, he can answer fluently, because he has no reference at all.


    It is better to have no books than to have books, because these are all engraved in the mind. Especially since having that dream, in order not to affect his memory, he has silently recited the book he had memorized countless times in his mind.


    While Xue Tingxiang was writing vigorously, he also had a slight change in his opinion of He Xiucai.


    He could see that the other party asked such an unexpected question, not because the other party deliberately released the water, but because the other party wanted to make a surprise. Because this discipline is too simple for scholars, they have learned it when they were just learning, but they just throw it away after learning it.


    Except for the beginning of learning, my husband will not take these things in the future. It may be to test the Three Character Classic, or even a hundred surnames, and a thousand character prose, but it will not be the rules of this disciple.


    Xue Tingxiang even couldn''t wait to see Xue Juncai''s reaction. Maybe the other party can roughly write down this article, but can you write down all the thousands of words, and the words are correct and the order is good? And He Xiucai''s request to silence this disciple''s rule is probably not just silent, but also one of the "books" in elementary school.


    Just relying on your own words is enough to beat the opponent.


    As Xue Tingxiang thought, at first Xue Juncai really felt contemptuous. He even wondered if this He Xiucai was out of his mind to take the "Disciple Regulations" test.


    Who wouldn''t know this disciple? It is something to learn at the beginning of school. But after he fell silent, he realized that he really wasn''t as good as he thought.


    After you leave, do you love me, or are you hurt? You must know that this Disciple Rules is not like other articles, it can connect the past and the future, confirming each other, if the first sentence is wrong, the latter paragraph will be wrong.


    The more Xue Juncai became silent, the more annoyed he felt, and he always felt that he was wrong in being silent. If someone asks a question, he can naturally answer it fluently. Ke Mo, Mo is still a good word!


    At first, he wrote like flying, but then it became slower and slower, and even reached the point where he couldn''t write, obviously he was not sure if his memory was wrong.


    On the contrary, Xue Tingxiang has been calm from the beginning, and he is still writing at a leisurely pace at this time, but it can be seen that his writing is very coherent, with almost no pause.


    At the first place, Qiao Xiucai glanced at He Xiucai with exclamation, and did not hide her surprise at all. He naturally had a panoramic view of the following situation, and he had to admire He Xiucai''s ingenuity.


    He Xiucai smiled slightly. In fact, he would ask this kind of question, but he just wanted people to make mistakes. I was very proud of my inspiration.


    He stroked his beard and said with a faint smile, "You two little friends, don''t worry, there is a stick of incense time, enough to write it down."


    Yizhuxiang wrote more than a thousand characters, which seemed a bit hasty, but it is not impossible to write something as simple as the disciple''s rules silently, as long as you pay close attention to it.


    But that was before, Xue Juncai couldn''t help but feel even more anxious when he heard someone mention the time.


    In the following time, he kept looking at the stick of incense, because he looked at it too frequently, which made his speed even slower.


    "Okay, time is up."


    As the words fell, Xue Tingxiang made a big stroke and put down the brush in his hand.


    Xue Juncai didn''t move, until someone went in front of him, only to find that his whole body was as stiff as a stone, and he was dripping with sweat, and the paper in front of him was only half full.


    Because the two were behind the gate, and Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong were sitting at the end, they didn''t notice anything strange about it. In their minds, a "Regulations for Disciples" couldn''t be simpler, and Xue Juncai''s strange appearance also attracted the attention of the two of them, but they still didn''t expect that Xue Juncai could not finish writing it.


    It wasn''t until He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai looked at each other''s papers that they looked at each other, and He Xiucai announced that Xue Tingxiang won this match.


    Xue Qingshan stood up from the chair in surprise: "How is it possible?"


    At the same time, there was a lot of discussion below and outside the door, and it seemed that Xue Juncai couldn''t believe that Xue Juncai had lost. Insiders look at the doorway, while laymen watch the excitement. The villagers who didn''t know a single word didn''t know what the test was about, they only knew that Master Xiucai said that Xue Juncai lost to the Xue family dog.


    Xue Juncai lost to Xue Gouzi?


    This, this is really surprising. You must know that Xue Juncai has always been the most outstanding young man among the younger generation in Yuqing Village. Whoever mentions him does not give a thumbs up.


    "Senior He, Senior Qiao, did you make a mistake, a disciple''s regulation..."


    He Xiucai gestured with his gaze, and two people stepped forward to unfold Xue Juncai''s and Xue Tingxiang''s papers, held them up, and showed them to everyone.


    I saw that on one of the rice papers, the handwriting was full of strength, correct and beautiful. On the other piece of rice paper, the handwriting was not bad, but it was anticlimactic, and it became more and more scribbled as it went to the back, and there were even spots of ink on it.


    "Xue Tingxiang''s words are not bad, and there is no ink on the scroll, which is a good appearance. And Xue Juncai didn''t finish his silence, and there were mistakes and omissions, so Xue Tingxiang won this round."


    "Brilliant!" Xue Qingshan said in surprise, his eyes were full of disbelief, he wanted to say something, but was pulled by Yang Zhong.


    Xue Juncai didn''t raise his head until now, he raised his head stiffly and looked at Xue Tingxiang with red eyes.


    ...


    Next is the second round, and this round will return to the normal school exam homework.


    He Xiucai asked the question, and the two answered.


    "Seeking the ancients to seek the theory, how can you solve it if you let go of your worries?"


    "Search for the ancients and the ancient things, and read more wise and famous sayings, so that you can get rid of distracting thoughts and be at ease." Xue Juncai took a step forward and replied.


    "Meng Ke is dunsu, Shi Yu is upright. What''s the explanation for Lao Qian''s edict?" This sentence was asked by Xue Tingxiang.


    He pondered for a while, and said: "Mencius advocates simplicity, while Ziyu, the official historian, is upright. What he said is that a person should conform to the standard of the mean as much as possible. He must be hardworking and humble, be cautious, and know how to advise himself."


    "Saying the warning, what''s the next sentence?" When He Xiucai asked this sentence, he didn''t look at any of the two of them.


    Xue Juncai was still in a daze, but Xue Tingxiang had already replied: "I''m almost ashamed, Lin Gao is lucky."


    "Don''t talk about each other''s weaknesses, what''s the solution to relying on your own strengths?"


    This time Xue Juncai didn''t let up, and hurriedly said: "Don''t talk about other people''s shortcomings, and don''t rely on your own strengths to make progress." Before he finished speaking, his cheeks were hot, and he didn''t know whether it was embarrassment or self-ashamed.


    "Okay!" He Xiucai clapped his hands together, "All the answers are pretty good."


    Suddenly, he said again: "Shuixie."


    Xue Juncai was stunned for a moment, Xue Tingxiang''s eyes flashed, and he replied: "Shanzhai."


    Hearing this, Xue Juncai realized that He Xiucai was taking a pair test.


    Before schoolchildren enter university, in addition to the basic three hundred and thousand thousand, they also need to learn "Enlightenment of Rhythm", "Longwen Whip Shadow", "Children''s Learning Qionglin", "Zengguang Xianwen" and so on.


    Among them, "Enlightenment of Rhythm" and "Longwen Whip Shadow" teach children to understand the rules of rhythm and parallelism. In the process of learning Pingzheqie rhyme, at the same time begin to understand and master poetry rhyme, and acquire a large number of vocabulary and ancient allusions.


    Nowadays there is a saying that few schoolchildren who have been taught can''t match the right pair.


    Especially this simple pair and couplet.


    After suffering two losses in a row, Xue Juncai was obviously smarter. It was almost He Xiucai who asked the question. Answered successfully.


    It can be seen that Xue Juncai is doing well in his studies, and there are almost no pairs that He Xiucai can''t answer.


    "Recently, the old man sighed in his heart. He occasionally got something. He came up with an upper couplet, but so far he has not been able to get a suitable second couplet. This time I will test you two. It may be too difficult for you now, but give it a try. It doesn''t matter." He Xiucai withdrew his gaze and looked at Qiao Xiucai: "Brother Qiao, if you are interested, you can also try it, so as to relieve the pain of brooding for many days."


    Qiao Xiucai smiled slightly, knowing that this was He Xiucai''s desire to compete.


    As the saying goes, there is no first in writing, and there is no second in martial arts. In the nearby villages, he and He Xiucai were the only ones who passed the entrance examination. He Xiucai''s reputation in the outside world has never been prominent, and he can understand that he will compare.


    "Brother He, it''s okay to say."


    He Xiucai stroked his beard and said: "One person is great, and two are heaven. Heaven is greater than human affection, and human affection is greater than heaven."


    Xue Tingxiang''s eyes flashed, his eyes flicked across the faces of the first two people, and then fell on Xue Juncai''s face. Seeing him bow his head in thought, he also lowered his head.


    There was silence in the hall, no one dared to make a sound, and couldn''t figure it out that there were two juniors in the examination school, so how could these two match up.


    Suddenly, a clear high-five sounded.


    Qiao Xiucai clapped his hands and said, "Two trees make a forest, three trees make a forest. The forest is luxuriant, and the forest is luxuriant."


    Xue Tingxiang thought to himself: In fact, this pair is difficult to say, and it is not difficult to say that it is not difficult.


    He Xiucai''s one person turns into a big man, and two people turn into a sky, and the two lines of confrontation afterwards have the finishing touch. And Qiao Xiucai used two trees to form a forest, and three trees to form a forest, which is perfect.


    In fact, he was also right. Before Qiao Xiucai, he only knew that this question was not mainly about him and Xue Juncai, so he kept silent. Now that Qiao Xiucai has matched up, he naturally doesn''t have to be afraid of Zhuanmei, after all, he and Xue Juncai are the two who got the most out of the test.


    He raised his head and said, "The kid has it too."


    He knew he was dreaming again.


    This dream appeared in his life for decades, day and night, entangled, it seems to be deep into the bone marrow, but also like flesh and blood. I can''t throw it away, I can''t dig it away, and if I don''t come for a day, it seems that something is missing.


    But he had never had such a clear dream, so clear as if it was real.


    "Dog, why do you think you are so stubborn? Isn''t my money your money? What do you think I earn money for? Isn''t it just to support your studies and make you feel proud?"


    "Why do you say you are so stubborn! You say you are so stubborn, who are you showing your stubbornness to?!"


    "I know you don''t like me, but I''ve been like this for many years, and I can''t change it! I don''t plan to change it either!"


    "Look at Hong''er, does he look like you?"

 Chapter 232

    He knew he was dreaming again.


    This dream appeared in his life for decades, day and night, entangled, it seems to be deep into the bone marrow, but also like flesh and blood. I can''t throw it away, I can''t dig it away, and if I don''t come for a day, it seems that something is missing.


    But he had never had such a clear dream, so clear as if it was real.


    "Dog, why do you think you are so stubborn? Isn''t my money your money? What do you think I earn money for? Isn''t it just to support your education and make you feel proud?"


    "Why do you say you are so stubborn! You say you are so stubborn, who are you showing your stubbornness to?!"


    "I know you don''t like me, but I''ve been like this for many years, and I can''t change it! I don''t plan to change it either!"


    "Look at Hong''er, does he look like you?"


    ...


    Xue Tingxiang suddenly felt that someone was shaking him, opened his tired eyes, and saw the dark inner room, Hu San''s face that was no longer young, even the lines on the curtains were so familiar, he knew He was just dreaming.


    It''s just that the dream was too clear, the sorghum fragrance in the air, and the curve of her stubbornly pursed lips made him feel like he was actually there. There are also her tears from being angry, crystal clear and shining with colorful light, he wanted to reach out to touch it, but someone woke him up.


    "My lord, it''s time to drink the medicine."


    Xue Tingxiang was propped up and given medicine. He was dying of illness, and he had to be served by someone even to drink medicine. How could he look like that extremely human minister Xue Shoufu who had ruled the court for decades.


    Oh no, he is not the chief assistant now.


    He has already written a letter to beg for the bones, intending to return to his hometown for the elderly, and the Holy Majesty has already agreed, but he has no home to return to, no relatives to rely on.


    In fact, he didn''t intend to go back.


    "Master Zhang, Mr. Wang, and Mr. Li and Mr. Cao all came to visit you, but they obeyed your orders and blocked the door. They come every day, and they are here again today. Would you like to see me?"


    What can they do? Didn''t they think that his illness was an expedient measure, waiting for him to stand up and continue to lead them to fight against the emperor, but he was really ill, terminally ill, and the medicine was useless.


    "not see."


    "My lord, please sleep a little longer."


    The room became quiet again, Xue Tingxiang''s eyelids began to get heavy again, he blinked again and again, and fell into sleep again.


    ...


    "How come Mr. Wang is free to visit this old man?"


    Wang Mingcheng''s eyes were a bit complicated, but he smiled on his face: "After all, I am a minister of the same court, and I should come to visit Mr. Shoufu because of emotion and reason."


    "I didn''t expect you, Wang Mingcheng, to say such hypocritical things, but to see if the old man is dying on behalf of the emperor?" Xue Tingxiang sarcastically said.


    He is obviously a haggard old man who is obviously dying, but just because of his calm, indifferent eyes that seem somewhat unpredictable, people dare not ignore him in the slightest.


    After all, this is Xue Shoufu, and the name alone is enough to intimidate everyone. That was Xue Tingxiang''s deep-rooted roots left by him after going through three dynasties and dozens of years, just like a towering ancient tree with intertwined roots, without him doing anything, just standing there is enough to make everyone daunting.


    If not, why would the new emperor have to exhaust all means, but still dare not act rashly, only dare to take that roundabout strategy.


    "It seems that my lord has misunderstood His Majesty a lot."


    Xue Tingxiang snorted and laughed, half closed his eyes, did not speak, and looked obviously too lazy to talk to him.


    "Actually, I''m here for myself. I just came to see how lonely and miserable the villain who abandoned his wife and son was now. I''m afraid Mr. Xue is dead now, and even a descendant in mourning None, in fact, Mr. Xue is too hard to see, it is just a show, just listen to it and watch it, how can you take the fake show as real and make yourself like this? Is it because of a disturbed conscience or fear? His true face is known by the world, he is reviled by others, and he will be stigmatized for thousands of years?"


    "you¡­¡­"


    "To say that you abandoned your wife and son is too much to save your face. It should be killing your wife and son, isn''t it, Mr. Xue?"


    No one knows about all this. The world only knows that Xue Shoufu had a first wife before Mrs. Xue, but they don''t know what happened to that first wife. After all, the time is too long, Xue Tingxiang has stood in the court hall for dozens of years, and his former, former and current opponents have all been trampled under his feet.


    People in the world only know that Mr. Shoufu is friendly and respectful to the corporals, but they don''t know that Mr. Shoufu also has a vicious side. In recent years, anyone who wanted to make a fuss about his past events all became lonely ghosts. No one knows how many ghosts have been added to it, and the only one who can know is Wang Mingsheng, the "bitter master".


    "You, you are..."


    Wang Mingcheng leaned closer to his face: "It''s a pity that my mother''s life is so bad, and so is my life. The sinking ship didn''t kill us, but was saved by others. Do you know that for so many years, day and night, I I want to see this scene every night. It''s a pity that your life is too long, and the power is in the hands of the people. I can only climb up step by step, to the position where I can step on you..."


    "You are... Hong''er..." Xue Tingxiang struggled to say this.


    Wang Mingsheng stood up straight and smiled heartily: "My name is not Hong''er, nor is my surname Xue, but my surname is Wang. My mother remarried, to the person who saved us...don''t get excited, even if You are dead now, and I am not your son..."


    Wang Mingsheng has always been known for being calm and introverted, hiding his secrets, and it was probably the first time he laughed so freely in front of people.


    "By the way, you don''t have to think that even if my official surname is Wang, I can still pass on the family lineage to your Xue family. Let me think about it. Yao Ji released the rumor that my official is as good as Long Yang back then, as if you ordered someone to do it. You really hit the mark, I don¡¯t like women, that¡¯s why I haven¡¯t married for many years..."


    He smiled and looked at the old man on the bed, seeing how shocked, disappointed and remorseful he was.


    But so what?


    He suddenly found that he was not as happy as he had imagined, and even this smile seemed too fake. He suddenly lost interest, flattened the corners of his mouth, brushed off his sleeves, and said, "Since Mr. Xue is fine, I will take my leave."


    ...


    "I didn''t, I didn''t..."


    "My lord, what are you talking about?"


    Hearing this voice, the fog in front of Xue Tingxiang suddenly dissipated, and he woke up suddenly from his dream. In front of the eyes is this dark inner room again, Hu San''s unattractive or even ugly face, the air is filled with a bitter smell of medicine, and there seems to be a decadent smell floating gently.


    Xue Tingxiang moved his lips, but no sound came out.


    "My lord, what did you say?"


    Hu San was very anxious, and kept asking, but Xue Tingxiang couldn''t speak at all. Hu San could only ask based on his own guess: "Are you thinking about the past? Don''t worry, your words have been passed on to Mr. Zhang , he already knows that Lord Wang is your only son, and will follow your instructions."


    Xue Tingxiang blinked his eyelids. Hu San thought he still had something to say, so he put his ear next to his mouth, but only heard one sentence: "I didn''t..."


    After that there is no text.


    When Hu San anxiously looked up, he saw Xue Tingxiang''s wide-open eyes and gray-blue face.


    He moved forward to touch the other person''s breath with shaking hands, but was so startled that he sat down on the ground.


    *


    The cold wind came in through the holed window paper, blowing Xue Gouzi''s face coldly.


    Shocked, he opened his eyes.


    What imprinted in my eyes was a small room with blue brick walls and black tile roof. The walls were plastered with white ash, but it looked gray. The beams of the house are log-colored, and because there is no dust, they are bare/exposed. There are several bamboo baskets hanging on them. There seems to be something in the baskets, and they are covered with blue cloth.


    He was lying on a kang with a half-new quilt covering his body. The quilt looked clean and tidy, but in fact the cotton wadding inside had hardened.


    Facing his kang feet, there is a row of dark brown kang cabinets, with brass bare nails inlaid with hinged leaves and copper tassel handles, and simple patterns of auspicious clouds and flowing water carved on them, which look thick and generous. . Although it is nothing in a rich family, it is already a piece of furniture that can be sold in a peasant family.


    There is no problem passing it down for generations!


    This is what his father said back then, and his father was the best carpenter in the village.


    Xue Gouzi felt his head hurt, as if he had been hit hard with a hoe. He wanted to support himself to sit up, but he was exhausted and fell back onto the kang again.


    It was only then that he realized that he was Xue Gouzi, the eldest son of the second room of the Xue family. Because of something that happened, he couldn''t think about it for a while, and he was so angry that he became ill for a while, and he had been sick for many days.


    He is not Xue Tingxiang, that Xue Tingxiang is the person in his dream.


    How could he be like that?


    In order to prove that all that was just a dream, he raised his hand to look at it.


    really! The hand in front of him was slender and fair, and he hadn''t developed the muscles and bones that a man should have. He was only fourteen this year, how could he live to be over seventy years old, and die in the end.


    Xue Gouzi let out a heavy breath, looked around again, and finally felt more at ease.


    Someone was talking outside, and the voice came in through the cracks in the window.


    "I''m talking about recruiting, it''s not my aunt talking about you, look at what you are now, a girl who stays at home all day, and learns from those small traders to do business. That business is what you can do. Did it? Look at your fourth uncle, you can¡¯t save a lot of money by running around outside every day, so don¡¯t worry about it, and if you have that little time, you can help fourth aunt with some work!¡±


    The voice sounded like a young woman, but the sarcasm in the words was too strong. It is said that appearance is born from the heart, and it is no wonder that Mrs. Sun has a mean face.


    This thought flashed subconsciously in Xue Gouzi''s mind, and then he was stunned. It''s true that he hated Fourth Aunt, but why would he miss her so much?


    Before he could figure out why, he heard the voice in his dream.


    "Fourth aunt, I would like to help you with some work, but you also know that the dog has been ill for a few days, and the family gave a few pennies for the medicine at first, but after taking it for half a month, grandma said that the family The money is not in hand, so I stopped the medicine. Gouzi is my man, I can''t just watch him be so sick, it''s not impossible for the fourth aunt to want me to help with the work, or you can lend me some money to buy medicine, I Can I pay you back slowly in the future?"


    The owner of the voice was a young girl, and the tone revealed a capable and crisp taste, mixed with a bit of teasing.


    That''s right, Zhao''er deliberately ran on the Sun family.


    Mrs. Sun has always had a temperament of only getting in and out, and it is more difficult to ask her to give out a penny, let alone lending it to the two half-children of the second room.


    Now there are only these two people left in the second room, the top door is only fourteen, but there is an older one, only sixteen, and it is still a girl''s family. Every time Mrs. Sun heard the rumors from the villagers that Zhao''er, a dead girl, had made some money by doing some business, she would be full of disbelief.


    What kind of business can this dead girl do to make money, but she digs three melons and two dates from the wild, and takes them out to trick the people in the city into exchanging a few pennies.


    "Your fourth aunt has no money to lend you. Our family''s money is all in mother''s place. You don''t care about mother''s going!" Sun patted her buttocks, stood up and went into the house, too lazy to talk nonsense with Zhao''er.


    "Since the fourth aunt has no money to lend me, and I don''t dare to take care of grandma, I can only figure out where to get some money to get some medicine for the dog!"


    Zhao''er''s voice was very loud, so naturally she was speaking not only to Mrs. Sun, but also to Mrs. Zhao who was sitting in the main room.


    Sure enough, Zhao''er entered the house with his front foot, and Mrs. Zhao stood at the door behind him and scolded Mrs. Sun: "You haven''t cleaned the pigsty, so you''re going back to the house to hold a corpse?"


    Zhao''er curled her lips, lifted the door curtain and walked in, bumping head-on into Xue Gouzi''s eyes looking at her.


    Zhao''er came all the way to the south of the city, before entering the archway where Shen''s house was located, he saw the two large flags more than five feet high erected in front of Shen''s residence.


    This is the Jinshi Jidi Banner, which can be set up only if someone in the family has won the Jinshi.


    This fame flagpole is divided into two structures, the flagpole sandwich stone and the flagpole.


    The flag buckets on the flagpoles are also exquisite. If you come from a serious imperial examination, you can stand up two flagpoles if you have passed the Jinshi in the palace examination. If it is the number one scholar, it will be the flagpole of three fights, and if there are members of the third rank or above in the clan, four fights can be set up.


    There are two large flags in front of the Shen family''s gate, one is three buckets and the other is four buckets. In other words, the Shen family once had a number one scholar, and had an important minister in the court.


    Zhao''er, a country girl, knows this because her second sister told her when she came to visit her.


    The main entrance, side entrance, and even the corner entrance were not accessible by Zhao''er''s identity, so she made a long detour before arriving at the back entrance of Shen''s residence.


    The back door was ajar, and Zhao''er didn''t dare to rush in, so he knocked on the door respectfully.


    The door opened with a creak, and a round woman came out from inside, and asked her, "Who are you looking for?"


    This old lady is just a doorkeeper, but she is also wearing satin gowns and jewelry on her ears and hands, which is enough to show the wealth of the Shen family.


    The Shen family is indeed rich, and in this Xia County, it can be said that they are stomping their feet, and the county is about to tremble three times. The Shen Mansion here is the ancestral home of the Shen family, except for the Shen family''s uncle and second master who are officials outside, the rest of the Shen family live here.


    "Mother-in-law, I''m looking for Sulan. I''m her younger brother. I''m here to see her."


    This woman''s attitude is not warm, but she is not as inferior as a dog''s eye. At least from this trick, it can be seen that the rules of the Shen family must be very strict. She asked Zhao''er to wait, then closed the door and went inside.


    Zhao''er waited for a long time before the back door opened again, and a very beautiful woman came out from inside. I saw her radiant skin, phoenix eyes and vermilion lips, wearing a water-red jacket and a moon-white pleated skirt. A head of black and thick long hair was simply tied up in a bun, with a golden hairpin inserted into it.

 Chapter 233

    Xue Tingxiang hurriedly stepped aside and said: "Uncle, don''t say that, Ting''er is a junior, I can''t bear it."


    "Ting''er? I didn''t expect you to give yourself a name." Xue Qingshan laughed, and also wanted to point out that Xue Tingxiang''s name was not correct, and he was not as sensible and polite as he appeared on the surface.


    Generally, names are bestowed by the elders, not by the younger generation. It is fine for ordinary villagers, but Xue Tingxiang is a scholar, and a scholar should understand etiquette. Read.


    Xue Tingxiang was so clear in his heart that he understood what uncle meant. He smiled and said: "When my father was still alive, I asked my grandfather and uncle to help me choose one. Uncle refused because of his humble name so that he could support me. Now the court My son is also fourteen, so I can¡¯t keep using her baby name, so I randomly picked one.¡±


    As soon as this remark came out, Xue Qingshan''s face turned ugly again. Xue Tingxiang was obviously saying that he, as an uncle, did not want to name him, and deliberately belittled him. After all, I have already learned, but I definitely shouldn¡¯t have no name,


    He forced a smile, and explained: "It''s not that Uncle sees that you are not in good health, and wants to name you after you are an adult. You can''t understand this painstaking effort, if Uncle doesn''t choose one for you now?"


    As he said that, without waiting for Xue Tingxiang to agree, he sighed and made a melancholy look, and said: "You have been weak since you were born, and your father wished you a long life when he was alive, so my uncle named you Fushou, what do you think? ?¡±


    This name is really random, and I am not at all sorry for the name of Xue Qingshan, the only child born in Yuqing Village.


    Xue Tingxiang hesitated for a moment before refusing: "It''s still not uncle, Ting''er''s name has been decided, and I went to the grave to inform my parents before, there is absolutely no chance to change it."


    These words also made it clear why he went to the cemetery every year. Since Xue Tingxiang saw that Xue Qingshan had invited so many people and made such a fuss, he knew that the other party must have plans.


    Regardless of what he plans, he just blocks the way that the other party may use to make a fuss, and the rest is to wait and see what happens.


    Sure enough, Patriarch Xue''s face softened a little.


    Before that, he always thought that this matter was done on purpose by Erfang, just to compete with Juncai for the opportunity to study in Qinghe Academy. This time I came to see this young man is gentle and polite, neither humble nor overbearing, patriarch Xue has no fame, but he can know a few words, and he has been the patriarch for many years, so he has a good eye for people.


    He was very surprised, because he had seen Gouzi before, but he didn''t have a deep impression of him. The only impression he had was that he was an inconspicuous boy. Looking at it now, this son has grown up somewhat unexpectedly.


    But no matter how unexpected he was, patriarch Xue did not forget what he was doing here.


    Just a good impression on one side is not enough to make him shake the decision he has made. He had asked someone to test Juncai''s child, and he was much more knowledgeable than his two grandchildren. If it was said who the next child in Yuqing Village would be, Patriarch Xue felt that Xue Juncai was the most likely.


    Maybe not just a child, but a scholar.


    With two future talent seedlings and a young man who doesn''t know his depth, Patriarch Xue naturally knows how to do this multiple-choice question.


    However, the idea of ??helping Xue Qingshan before was dispelled. If Xue Qingshan couldn''t even handle a child, he didn''t deserve his attention.


    How could Xue Qingshan fail to see Patriarch Xue''s thoughts. In his eyes, this old man is a master who does not see rabbits and does not scatter eagles. He accepts the benefits he brings to the clan, but never knows how to give him something.


    If any clan has ethnology, the clan will not subsidize one or two. On the contrary, he worked for nothing all day long, and every time a certain family in the clan brought some random food, the patriarch called him over and asked him to accept it.


    To be generous with the generosity of others, to spend other people''s wealth, is merciless to others, and it is meaningless to oneself!


    Xue Qingshan sneered in his heart, but pretended to be a respectful petition, and invited Xue patriarch Zheng Lizheng and others into the house.


    Patriarch Xue and Zheng Li were sitting cross-legged on the kang, one on the left and one on the right, while the others were sitting on the stools below. Mrs. Yang and Mrs. Zhou were busy pouring tea, and even Xue Tao''er was sent to ask Mr. Xue to come home quickly.


    Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng both had the habit of smoking dry pipes, and they took out the pipes as soon as they sat down.


    Xue Qingshan hurriedly took a bag of tobacco leaves from his mother Zhao, and while serving them, he said: "This is grown by my father himself. It is usually a treasure. Uncle and Uncle Li should try it."


    "Your father''s shredded tobacco is good, but it''s too little." After lighting it, Zheng Lizheng took a deep breath and said with a smile.


    Xue Qingshan replied: "If Uncle Lizheng likes it, I''ll pretend to be with you when I leave later, so don''t dislike it."


    These are all polite words, everyone knows each other well, Zheng Lizheng nodded with a smile, and went straight to the point: "What is Shan Zi planning to invite some of us old guys over here this time?"


    Looking at Zheng Lizheng''s smiling face, Xue Qingshan scolded the old fox in his heart.


    Things would turn out like this, and he absolutely wouldn''t believe that this guy surnamed Zheng didn''t do anything inside. But that''s exactly how he invited Zheng Lizheng here today. After all, he is the Lizheng of Yuqing Village and his surname is Zheng, so he won''t be said to be covering up.


    Including the few villagers present today, Xue Qingshan was thinking about inviting them. There was one with the surname Zheng, one with the surname Xue, and two families with mixed surnames in the village, but they were all well-known in the village.


    "Is there a matter that requires a few elders to decide, or wait for my father, he is in the field and will be back soon."


    Just as he was talking about Mr. Xue, he came back. After coming in, he exchanged greetings for a while before sitting down and getting to the point.


    "It''s ashamed to say this. Some things in my family have made everyone laugh."


    Hearing this was the beginning of the words, except for Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng, everyone present felt a little embarrassed. After all, this is someone else''s family matter. It''s two different things.


    "Actually, to put it bluntly, it''s all caused by poverty. In the previous situation of our family, it wouldn''t be like this. One baby was given away, but the other was not."


    One was also surnamed Xue, and was of the same generation as Mr. Xue. An old man named Xue Lianhe sighed: "Lian Xing, don''t say that, your family is also in trouble."


    Old Master Xue sighed with a wry smile: "It''s difficult, it''s not difficult for anyone, this light is all on the surface. But no matter how difficult it is, if you want your baby to have a future, you have to pay for it. If you don''t give it to someone, you will be successful." There''s a problem."


    With trembling hands, he took out the dry pipe from his waist, lit it and took a puff, before he said, "The palms and backs of the hands are full of meat, and it hurts me to give up any one. In fact, this matter was discussed last year, and I have been procrastinating on it." I did it because I was afraid that the baby would feel uncomfortable. It is not easy for a peasant family like us to provide for a scholar. The family finally gave up Shanzi. Although he failed to pass the exam several times, he still did it for the village and for us. Guys did something.


    "For so many years, our family has been doing things in the village. Everyone has seen it. If it is far away, it will not be mentioned. Let''s talk about the private school in Shanzi. As long as you are from the village and your family is not rich, Shu Xiu will be later or even less. , our family never mentioned it. Why? It¡¯s because it¡¯s not easy for us country people to make a living, with our faces turned to the loess and our backs turned to the sky. If God doesn¡¯t show mercy, the whole family suffers from famine.


    "Actually, I''m not afraid of the laughter of my brothers and sisters. Back then, I worked hard to support Shanzi''s education, just thinking that if I really passed the exam, I would give my family some tax exemption."


    These words were to the point, and it seemed that they were just a few words lightly, but they didn''t go deeper, but they said that everyone had mixed feelings in their hearts.


    What Mr. Xue said is the truth, or the truth that is in line with people''s reality, that''s what makes it so complicated.


    Finally someone stood up and spoke out for the previous incident, "Brother Lianxing, stop talking about it, we can''t trust you? When people spread rumors in the village, we told the children at home, Brother Lianxing Not that kind of person. There are those who are grandpas, and those who don¡¯t love their grandchildren.¡±


    "Yes, yes, everyone can understand, who is not difficult."


    Seeing that everyone was echoing Mr. Xue''s words, only the one surnamed Zheng remained silent. Zheng Lizheng''s eyes flashed, and he said with a smile: "Everyone in the village has watched Shanzi''s contribution to our village. Everyone knows that Shanzi is benevolent and righteous. This is for everyone''s sake. There is just one sentence, I don''t know if I, an elder, should say it."


    "Uncle Lizheng, you are the Lizheng of our village, there is nothing inappropriate to say."


    Zheng Lizheng nodded: "It stands to reason that this is your family''s business, and I, an outsider, shouldn''t interfere. But Lian Xing said it before, the palms and backs of his hands are all flesh." He suddenly sighed, and said earnestly: " Shanzi, don''t forget why your second child didn''t exist, everyone here can understand, because we have lived for decades, and we have never seen anything in our lives, so we are afraid that outsiders will not understand."


    These words made Xue Qingshan''s complexion look ugly on the spot, but since he can arrange this scene, it''s not that he has no countermeasures.


    He immediately said: "Uncle Lizheng is right, so I discussed it with my father and planned to give the two children a chance. Let the two have a competition, the winner will enter the school, and the one who fails will learn two lessons at home." Years, let¡¯s talk about it later when we have a chance.¡±


    Upon hearing this, the people present looked at each other without much opinion. Especially with the previous foreshadowing, Xue Qingshan''s words seem to be reasonable, which makes people have nothing to choose.


    After all, no family is rich, and money does not come from the river.


    Everyone went to see Zheng Lizheng, Zheng Lizheng looked at everyone with a smile, and said: "Why are you all looking at me? Since Lian Xingjia has an idea, let''s look at his family. But how does this compare? We old guys don''t Literacy, let Shanzi be the judge?"


    After a pause, he shook his head: "No, no, Shanzi is Juncai''s father, so he should avoid suspicion, or choose someone else to convince everyone."


    He looked up at Xue Qingshan and smiled: "Shanzi, you won''t blame me, Uncle Li Zheng, for being too talkative, right? In fact, I''m doing it for your own good. We should be upright in our conduct and conduct."


    Xue Qingshan can''t wait to throw out this person who always ruins his good things, how can he not complain, but on the surface he can''t say that, he can only seem to ponder for a while, and said: "What Uncle Li Zheng said is that although I''m an uncle, so I still have to avoid suspicion. If not, let me invite one, and Uncle Lizheng invite one, and the two of them will come up with the questions on the spot, and the two younger ones will be tested."


    Zheng Lizheng looked at Xue Qingshan with squinted eyes, seeing his confident appearance, he had some bad premonitions in his heart. But he has intervened too much, and it would be too obvious to be picky, so he could only nod and smile in agreement, and praised Xue Qingshan that he is indeed a scholar, but his mind is different.


    The matter has been settled, and what follows is gossip.


    Since people were invited to the door, it would be unreasonable not to ignore the meal at noon, so Mr. Xue ordered a few daughters-in-law to go down to pack the lunch.

 Chapter 234

    Zhao''er was puzzled and said, "But I didn''t call you that all the time. If you don''t call me a dog, what would you call it?"


    Xue Gouzi pondered for a moment, "Call me Ting Xiang."


    "Tingxiang? This is your own name? Gou''er, why did you give yourself such a name?" Immediately she understood, thinking of Dafang''s talented boy, because of his young age, he always carried People laugh at the same name as Gou''er and Heizi.


    A look of distress flashed in her eyes, and she nodded repeatedly: "Gou''er, no, Ting''er is a different scholar, and the name is so nice. From now on, my sister won''t call you Gou''er, and I won''t let outsiders call you that. It''s called Tingxiang." Anyway, in her heart, whatever the dog says is good,


    Xue Gouzi, no, he should be called Xue Tingxiang now, and he feels a little depressed. He is only less than two years younger than Zhao''er, but he is a deep ravine that he will not be able to cross in his entire life. Having said that, he said again: "Also, can you stop calling yourself sister to me in the future?"


    This time Zhao''er was even more surprised, and even stretched out his hand to touch his forehead: "Ting''er, what''s wrong with you? Did you have some evil? You didn''t call me sister since you were a child."


    Xue Tingxiang took a deep breath and smiled: "But you are not my sister, you will be my wife in the future, no man calls his wife a sister."


    He was originally pale, half leaning on the quilt at the top of the kang, suddenly smiled like this, his brows and eyes were clear and handsome, which gave people a feeling that they dare not look directly at him.


    Zhao''er''s face turned red all of a sudden, and he couldn''t make sense of what he said: "Dog, you, what are you talking about, I, I..."


    "Don''t you want to be my daughter-in-law and have a baby for me?" He moved closer.


    She stood up abruptly, and reprimanded: "You little kid, why are you talking about this? Your hair hasn''t grown fully yet!" She said a foul language that Xue Tingxiang didn''t like to hear the most, and she didn''t realize it: "You want to The thing to do is to take care of your body, as for these things, we will talk about them later!"


    Her eyes were fierce, and her tone was also fierce. After she finished speaking, she lowered her head and scooped rice from the bowl to Xue Tingshan''s mouth. He glanced at her, ate honestly, and suddenly became in a good mood.


    Maybe the two of them can change the way they get along in the future, and change it if they don''t like it, there is no need to wait for her to understand.


    *


    Zhao''er threw away the mess, turned around and went back to the house, leaving the whole family to finish their lunch in a depressing atmosphere.


    During this period, Sun had nothing to say to her, but no one paid any attention to her.


    Yang couldn''t eat, if it wasn''t for her parents-in-law, if she didn''t want to embarrass herself in front of the two younger siblings, she would have thrown her chopsticks and left. But now he can only suppress the aggrieved stomach, and eat the food in front of him like chewing wax.


    After dinner, Mrs. Sun took Mao Dan away, knowing that her son got into trouble today, and she was afraid that she would be angered later. Mrs. Zhou took Xue Taoer to clean up the table, and took the dishes and chopsticks to the kitchen to wash. Xue Qingbai helped her, Zhou could not carry such a pot of dishes by himself, usually when Xue Qingbai was not at home, she and her daughter could only carry them.


    Only Dafang, mother and son were left in the room, along with Mr. Xue and Mrs. Zhao.


    Yang stood up and wanted to go back to the East Chamber, but was stopped by Mr. Xue.


    Mr. Xue took out his dry pipe, took out some shredded tobacco grown by himself from the dark blue tobacco pouch, rolled it into a ball, pressed it into the tobacco pot, and then lit it with a torch.


    His movements are very slow, neither fast nor slow. Anyone who is familiar with Mr. Xue''s character knows that he has something on his mind.


    It''s true that there is something wrong, and if it''s not something, he won''t call his daughter-in-law to stop.


    "The handsome boy and the talented boy go back to the house first. Grandpa has something to say to your mother."


    Xue Youcai glanced at his mother and wanted to say something, but was dragged away by his elder brother Xue Juncai.


    "Father, just tell me if you have anything to say."


    Mrs. Yang is thirty-four this year. In the countryside, a woman in her thirties is no longer considered young. Here, the wind blows and the sun shines and eats, so the women look old.


    But Yang''s maintenance is very good, her face is like a disc, her skin is fair, and there are a few fine lines at the corners of her eyes. She was wearing a worn-out stone blue satin gown with make-up, her shiny black hair was pulled into a bun behind her head, a gilt hairpin was inserted into it, and a pair of old silver earrings were on her ears. It can''t be called onion tip, but it is also white and soft, wearing a gold ring.


    It is not an exaggeration to say that she is the grandma of the landlord''s family in this dress and bearing, even the Zhao family is not as good as her.


    With his old eyes, Mr. Xue moved Yang back and forth a few times, making her stand uneasy.


    Just as I was about to say something, my father-in-law said suddenly: "Boss daughter-in-law, how long have you been married to our family?"


    Yang was startled, and replied: "Seventeen years, my daughter-in-law married into the Xue family in the seventeenth year."


    "Then how will your mother and I treat you?"


    Yang''s heart skipped a beat: "Father and mother treat their daughter-in-law like their own daughters."


    Mr. Xue nodded, took a puff of the dry cigarette, and the light blue smoke began to linger on his old face again, making it difficult to see the expression on his face clearly.


    "You are the eldest daughter-in-law of our family, and your mother has always loved you. You and the boss have the same heart as your mother and I. I only wish that you can become a talent."


    Yang''s heart relaxed, and she couldn''t help laughing: "Juncai is serious about his studies, even my father said that he is a rare and good seedling, and it is no problem to be a scholar."


    Speaking of Xue Juncai who is the most proud, even Mr. Xue couldn''t help showing a smile.


    Seeing that the father-in-law''s face softened, Yang took advantage of the situation and said: "It''s just that you know, father, that when it''s time to end, you don''t have to just sit at home and study. Thinking back then, Juncai''s father also listened to my father''s words, I went to Qinghe Academy to study for two years, met some classmates, and registered in front of my husband. I took the opportunity to impress the county magistrate, and I passed the county exam. The ranking of the county exam As long as it is not bad, the government examination is not to say that it is sure, but it is half sure. It''s just that you have to rely on luck when you get to the hospital examination, and Juncai''s father is unlucky, so he will fail repeatedly."


    This is the real reason why Yang Shi is valued by the old couple in the Xue family, not only because her father is a child, but also because her father was kind to Xue Qingshan in the past.


    And Yang''s statement seems absurd, but it is true. The two county examinations are not as strictly controlled as the hospital examination, especially the county examination, which is presided over by the magistrate of the county.


    There are five county exams in total, and the results of the first exam are mainly to be judged. And this time, there are two stereotyped essays and one poem. As long as there are no typos and fluent essays, you can pass them all.


    Compared with people he doesn''t know well at all, the magistrate is still willing to pick people who are somewhat familiar.


    And going to a good school to study is to provide an opportunity to stand out in front of the county magistrate. Dachang has always attached great importance to the selection of talents. How many scholars can be produced in this county, and even a son can be a Jinshi, which is considered a political achievement. No matter how fatuous and incompetent the county magistrate, this kind of cutscene must go.


    And being able to enter a good school will not only increase your contacts, but also your vision.


    For example, the county examinations are nothing more than the Four Books and Five Classics and the sacred edicts. How to write and what taboos should not be violated all need guidance. No matter how wonderful your article is, if you violate taboos such as temple taboos, royal names, and holy taboos, you will not take it.


    And in places like the countryside, many private schools are opened by old children for the sake of making a living, and I still want to be a scholar to change my fortune, so how can I teach middle school children in every detail.


    Xue Qingshan himself was like this, that''s why he put all his energy into sending Xue Juncai to Qinghe Academy.


    Yang thought that her father-in-law wanted to tell her about sending Xue Juncai to the school, so she said this. Little did they know that her words really touched Mr. Xue''s mind, but Mr. Xue didn''t intend to tell her these things.


    Mr. Xue took a deep breath of dry cigarettes, and said: "The boss you said has been told to me, and we will talk about this matter later. You are Juncai''s mother, and there is nothing wrong with planning for your son, but you have to know that our family It¡¯s not just Dafang¡¯s family.¡±


    The father-in-law''s tone was a bit meaningful, Yang was startled for a moment, and forced a smile: "Father, of course my daughter-in-law knows that the Xue family is not just ours, but don''t worry, if Juncai''s father and Juncai are promising, they will never forget to be filial to you My mother." Seeing her father-in-law''s complexion was gloomy, she hurriedly added: "There are other people in the family, Juncai always remembers that he can study, thanks to a few uncles and aunts."


    Mr. Xue nodded: "If you understand, you should know that the other three families have been sacrificing for the eldest house. I won''t mention the far ones, just talk about the third and fourth children. The land in the house refers to the third and fourth children Kindly, your father is getting old, and his hands and feet are not as sharp as before. The fourth child has to pick up goods and sell them when he is busy with the house. I don¡¯t know how many pairs of shoes he has to wear out in a year, but all the money he earns is handed over to the public. , I haven¡¯t paid a penny. What is everyone working so hard for? It¡¯s not for our family, but for Dafang.¡±


    Yang''s complexion became forced: "Father, why is this all for our eldest family? Juncai''s father is promising, isn''t it because the Xue family has a good face? Because Juncai''s father was born in Tongsheng, no one in the village would look at us highly, even that The Zheng family, don¡¯t you also give us three points of courtesy to the Xue family. This is for the overall situation, for the future generations of our Xue family..."


    Old Master Xue sighed and interrupted: "Father understands what you said, and so does your mother. But as the saying goes, if the board is not on your body, of course you don''t feel pain. You put yourself in the position of the third and fourth child , What do you think? I have done the most work, and I can¡¯t even put my good words into my mouth, and it¡¯s all in other people¡¯s mouths.¡±


    These words were in line with what Zhao''er said just now, Yang''s face turned red immediately, her round face flushed red.


    "Father, why did you call this into my mouth, I..."


    Mr. Xue ignored her, and went to scold Mrs. Zhao again: "There is also you, who is biased in front of people. You just continue to do it, so that the third and fourth are chilled, and they make a fuss about separating from the family. You go there Planted for the boss and talented people to take the imperial examination!"


    At the end, his tone was full of sighs of hatred for iron.


    Mrs. Zhao didn''t want to listen to this anymore, and muttered: "What do you mean I am biased? Why am I biased? Didn''t I think that the boss and Juncai want to study, and studying is a waste of brain, so I should give them more supplements. Don''t those who are good? It fell into my mouth."


    The more she spoke, the angrier she became, and she couldn''t help cursing: "Separate the family, don''t they want to turn the world upside down, if the parents don''t separate, even if I can spare them, the ancestors'' family law can''t forgive them."


    Old Master Xue smiled wryly. If it wasn''t for these two old things and the family law of the ancestors, the family would not be like this a long time ago.


    He shifted his gaze to Mrs. Yang: "You also understand the situation at home. Can your mother and I manage it for a while, or for a lifetime? Since you want to send Juncai to study in the school in the town, you should win over the third and fourth bedroom. "


    "Father, I..."


    "In the past, your mother doted on you. I never said it. You can tell which is right and which is wrong. But from tomorrow onwards, you and the third and fourth families will share the work at home. "


    After Mr. Xue finished speaking, he stopped talking and just smoked his own cigarette with a sullen head. Yang couldn''t stand here either, and hurried out of the main room with her head down.


    *


    As soon as Mrs. Zhou cleaned up the kitchen and came out, she saw her sister-in-law returning to the east chamber with her head down, her expression was not very good.


    Her eyes flickered, and she glanced towards the south end of the west wing, which was a four-bedroom house.


    There was a faint person behind the window facing the courtyard in the fourth room, and Mrs. Zhou knew that Mrs. Sun had been watching the movement. She pretended not to notice, wiped her hands on the apron, and went back to the house.


    When it was time to cook in the evening, Mrs. Yang was wearing coarse clothes, which was rare, and came to the kitchen to compete with Mrs. Zhou for work.


    Mrs. Zhou couldn''t even refuse, so Mrs. Yang smiled and said that Mrs. Zhou had worked hard, so she just let her rest.


    Mrs. Zhou was pushed out of the kitchen by her, and she happened to meet Mrs. Sun who was standing at the door of the west chamber. There was also surprise in their eyes.


    But what surprised them was yet to come, because from this day on, Mrs. Yang changed her previous attitude and started doing all kinds of work. Although it was many years of not touching her hands, she was clumsy in doing things now, but she did it.


    Not only cooking, but also being very generous, often actively persuade Mrs. Zhao to take some money, or buy some meat or bring out some eggs, and cook dishes for the family to eat.


    The sparks that had been stirred up by Zhao''er''s words in the Xue family were suppressed just like that. During this period, Xue Tingxiang''s body finally recovered, and he had the strength to walk around.


    This day, after getting up early in the morning and having breakfast, Zhao''er planned to go to town.


    The rags she brought back from the embroidery workshop have all been made into things like purses and embroidered shoes. After saving for many days, it should be sold in the embroidery workshop.


    She put everything into the back basket, and before leaving, she told Xue Tingxiang that the weather was fine today and asked him to go out to bask in the sun more often.


    Xue Tingxiang nodded and agreed honestly, and then she went out with peace of mind.


    Not long after she left, Xue Tingxiang walked out of the house.


    The yard is very quiet, the curtains of the doors of each room are all lowered, and it is hard to see if anyone is there.


    He stood in front of the door for a while, then walked out of the gate, and Hei Zi, who was lazily basking in the sun, immediately stood up and went out together at his feet.


    What good can we do at this time?


    Zhao''er had vigilance in his eyes.


    Xue Tao''er ran over, leaned closer and whispered, "Isn''t my aunt''s father, he said he wants to talk to the dog."


    Xue Tingxiang also heard the movement outside the room and came out.


    "Don''t go, I''ll push." ??Zhao''er knew that it would be no good for Yang Zhong to find a young man because of his elder status. What about the previous incident?

 Chapter 235

    Seeing that she was really in a bad shape, Mrs. Zhao came out of the room and said a few words. Mrs. Sun was even more anxious, and knew that she was really ashamed in front of the patriarch, but the chicken had wings, but she didn''t. It was only when the chicken lost its strength that Mrs. Sun grabbed it and cursed, "Run, run, run, it''s destined to be a dish in the pot, where are you going?"


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t look any further, and turned his gaze away.


    He knew why his uncle was so generous and asked him to compete with Xue Juncai, because if there were no accidents, Xue Juncai would definitely win this match.


    In that dream, he had suffered such a loss, but it was not compared with Xue Juncai, but Zhao''er worked so hard to get money and sent him to Qinghe Academy. At that time, he was so stupid that he always blamed his unsatisfactory fate on the harshness of fate, thinking that it was not that he was not good, but that everyone did not give him a chance.


    When he first entered the Qinghe Academy, he was full of ambition. He thought that he would definitely surpass Xue Juncai and prove that he was the most outstanding member of the Xue family, but the reality slapped him hard in the face. It was also at that time that he, who had never seen the world, understood the sinister intentions of his uncle. He did teach him to read, and he did ''read'' a lot of books, but he just read and didn''t understand the meaning of the scriptures.


    It was later learned that after schoolchildren learn to read, they use reading scriptures as the basis.


    First learn "Three Character Classic", "Hundred Surnames", "Thousand Characters", and then "Thousand Family Poems", "Children''s Learning Qionglin", "Longwenbianying", etc. After reading these, you can enter university and start Study and read the Four Books and Five Classics, etc.


    But at this stage, the teacher does not explain the meaning of the scriptures, that is to say, he just memorizes them by rote, clarifying the meaning of the words but not the meaning of the scriptures. Because people nowadays are used to thinking that children are just learning, it doesn¡¯t matter whether they understand it or not, as long as they remember it, and when they read a lot or for a long time, they will understand what it means.


    This is the so-called reading a thousand times, and its meaning is self-evident.


    When you can recite all these books fluently, and when you can learn to interpret the scriptures, you will get twice the result with half the effort.


    This time-saving, labor-saving and effective teaching mode is popular throughout Dachang, ranging from famous families to low-level sociology and village studies, and many of them are like this. This is especially popular in rural private schools, because there is only one teacher in the school, but it is not realistic to teach several or even dozens of people to explain the scriptures.


    But in fact, aristocratic families with some background would never teach their children this way. Because this teaching mode blindly emphasizes rote memorization, but ignores the truth that the classics are natural and logical.


    This is the pros and cons that ''he'' analyzed from the perspective of the overall situation after standing in the position of chief assistant.


    But at that time, he had just entered the library, because his uncle delayed explaining the meaning of the scriptures for him, and he didn''t understand that there was still a theory of explaining the scriptures. So when he first entered school, the teacher asked him if he had read it, and he replied that he had read it, but he couldn''t understand the scriptures.


    But now, it seems that the uncle is also aware of his own shortcomings, so he deliberately proposes this match, but in fact, he has already planned it, and he is destined to lose.


    Unfortunately, there was an accident.


    *


    Because there were guests at home, except for Mr. Xue and Xue Qingshan and his son, everyone was busy.


    After eating in the main room, the kitchen will start cooking other people''s lunch.


    During the period, Xue Taoer was also ordered to drink. There was wine and meat at the banquet in the main room, and the men exchanged glasses, and there was no way to see that there was any cleverness in the usual times. Especially Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng, the two drank very affectionately, and in the end they both got a little drunk.


    "Okay, don''t send it off, you''ll be there soon." Patriarch Xue waved his hand.


    After sending everyone out of the courtyard, this side started to clear the table and prepare meals. Mrs. Zhao originally wanted to take away the leftover meat and vegetables, but was stopped by Mr. Xue, saying that he was adding vegetables to everyone. People in the country are not rich, and it is commonplace for distinguished guests to leave and eat leftovers.


    The adults are all fine, Shuanzi and Maodan are eating deliciously.


    Zhao''er wanted to take the meal back to the house to eat, but was stopped by Xue Tingxiang, the two just kept their heads down and ate as before, without saying anything.


    Xue Juncai gave Xue Tingxiang a disdainful look.


    He had just accompanied Xue Qingshan to the table, and naturally he ate a lot of good food on the table, seeing that Xue Tingxiang could only eat leftovers, he was naturally full of sarcasm.


    He remembered what his father said to him before, Xue Gouzi would never win him.


    Thinking in his heart, he looked away, and said to Mr. Xue who was on the kang, "Grandpa, I''m going back to the house to read."


    Mr. Xue nodded. He also drank a little too much before, and now he is leaning on the kang smoking a cigarette to hangover.


    "Dog, eat more, brother is still waiting for you to beat me in five days." Xue Juncai suddenly said this when passing by Xue Tingxiang.


    Zhao''er immediately stood up and stared at him: "Can you talk? You''ve read the dog''s stomach after so many years of reading."


    Xue Juncai didn''t expect Zhao''er to show him such shame, his gentle face flushed red, but for some reason, he glanced at Zhao''er and held back.


    Mr. Xue shouted: "Juncai go back to the house!"


    Mrs. Zhou also hurriedly stood up to persuade Zhao''er, that''s all.


    After dinner, the two went back to the second room, and Zhao''er was still angry: "Don''t be angry, dog. When sister earns money, I will take you to the house and won''t be with them anymore."


    Xue Tingxiang was a little moved, but at the same time a little helpless: "You called me a dog again."


    Zhao''er groaned, then smiled and said: "I forgot, it won''t be like this in the future."


    Naturally, he couldn''t be angry with her, and then Zhao''er took the two clothes she changed yesterday and went out to wash, while Xue Tingxiang turned over the "Children''s Learning Qionglin" again.


    Looking at the book in his hand, which was transcribed on the worst bamboo paper and the footers were worn away, Xue Tingxiang felt a little worried. He actually didn''t want to read books, but Zhao''er couldn''t help but think that he should read more books now, and only by reading more books can he win against Xue Juncai more confidently.


    Little did he know that this book was different from the book, and it was useless to just read this book, but he would not tell her about it.


    He dug out the bamboo paper that Zhao''er bought for him from the kang cabinet. The cheapest bamboo paper cost 40 cents a knife. Such ''expensive'' paper was barely enough for practicing calligraphy. Even so, he is very precious at ordinary times, and he is reluctant to use it at all. If he can write on the sand, he will write on the sand, and if he can''t use the sand, he will write on the desk with water.


    Xue Tingxiang touched the stack of yellowed bamboo paper and sighed in his heart.


    ''Xue Tingxiang'' usually uses the highest quality Chengxin paper, so at this time he feels a little disgusted with the things that are usually precious.


    He spread out the papers on the kang table, stacked several sheets, and then cut them into the size of a book with a bamboo knife. In order to make room for the edge seam, he left some leeway and cut a thick stack before he found the inkstone with a corner missing and the ink ingot that had been used up and only a small piece remained.


    These are treasures that he is reluctant to use at ordinary times, but Xue Tingxiang doesn''t feel this way at all today. He added water to the inkstone, and then took the ink ingot to grind the ink, while grinding, he was thinking about something.


    After grinding the ink, he put the bald hair brush in the water bowl and wet it to clean it. After dipping in enough ink, he picked up the pen and wrote something on the paper.


    After writing a few words, he suddenly put down the pen, lifted the paper to look at it, and suddenly crumpled it.


    Mingming''s handwriting is fairly neat. Although he usually saves paper and ink, but because of years of hard work, his handwriting is not bad, but for some reason he just doesn''t like it.


    He closed his eyes slowly, calmed down for a while, and opened them again after a while. At this time, there was no one in the room, and anyone who was there could see a gleam of light flashing in Xue Tingxiang''s eyes. At the same time, his movement of grasping the pen was fast and steady, and with the help of a god, he wrote a series of small characters on the paper in a short time.


    These small characters suddenly became Yan style, then turned into pavilion style, and then turned into thin gold style again. At first, they were both tangible and boneless, but as they were written, their taste changed.


    The face and body are square and dense, the brushwork is thick, straight, open and full of vigor. That pavilion is physically strong and graceful, as if it was carved out of a block. And the thin gold body, the gold hook and iron painting, is full of arrogance, and the strokes are as sharp as cutting gold and jade.


    These three characters represent the whole life of ''Xue Tingxiang'', from the Yan style learned at the beginning of school, to the Guange style studied painstakingly for the imperial examination, to the thin gold style of the official residence.


    And so he wrote, oblivious to himself. Zhao''er came in during the period, but he didn''t dare to disturb him, so he quietly sat down on the edge of the kang.


    After writing for an unknown amount of time, he suddenly let out a long breath and put down his pen.


    He wrote two full sheets of paper.


    At this time, Xue Tingxiang had to admit that the magic of heaven was just a dream, and he actually possessed some of the things that he had in the dream.


    From the moment this dream appeared, Xue Tingxiang had been thinking about why he had such a dream. Now he understands, maybe he just wants him to make up for all the unsatisfactory dreams.


    And possessing everything of the "him" in the dream, he suddenly had great ambitions, and a surge of arrogance lingered in his heart.

 Chapter 236

    In fact, Xue Tingxiang is not good at reciting poems, but he can''t hold back that the person in his dream has lived a long life and has a wide market. There used to be a long-standing joke among scholars¡ª¡ª


    It is said that there was a gray-haired scholar who took the exam, and the examiner knew from his appearance that he was an old boy who had repeatedly failed the exam, so he deliberately made things difficult for him: "I have a couplet, if you can match, I will take it." you."


    The old boy felt bitter in his heart, but he didn''t dare to give up.


    The chief examiner asked the question: "If you take the bait, you are old; if you take the bait, you will be tested. If you are old, you will be a child, and if you are a child, you will be old."


    The old boy bowed to Rao and replied: "One person is great, and two are heaven. Heaven is greater than human affection, and human affection is greater than heaven."


    This flattery was so exquisite that the examiner was too embarrassed to go back on his word, so he had no choice but to choose him as a scholar.


    In fact, upon hearing this story, one knew it was made up. Anyone who has participated in the hospital examination should know what the situation will be. How can the chief examiner take the initiative to test an old boy? The examiner and the examinee will not talk to each other, and it is also for avoidance.


    It was obviously made up by a failed scholar, and it was used as a comforting chat, and because it made people laugh, it spread among scholars. It even extended to the fact that any official in the DPRK was released as an academic officer, or presided over a new department examination, and the official who had a good relationship with him could not help telling the last sentence, but don''t be ''human beings are too big''.


    It is not only a joke, but also an exhortation. There have always been many frauds involved in imperial examinations.


    Xue Tingxiang did not expect to hear this pair here.


    He didn''t feel uneasy because this second line was borrowed, because winning Xue Juncai has always been the biggest obsession in his heart.


    It is now, and it was also in the dream.


    In the dream, he was troubled by this matter for a long time, and after all kinds of hard work, he finally felt proud. It was because of the experience that he knew that this kind of obsession affects a person''s xinxing too much. He has a more ambitious goal, and there are still many things to do, but Xue Juncai is just an obstacle to him now, overcoming him is what he needs to do now.


    As for why he discarded the second couplet he came up with and chose to borrow this. Xue Tingxiang took a look at Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong, and thought it was because of his insignificance that he made fun of them with resentment.


    Obviously, only Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong are Tongsheng, and although this pair is perfect, it is obviously ironic. Old students test children, children students test to old age. This is undoubtedly the greatest ridicule and curse for a person who has failed to pass the entrance examination for many years.


    The faces of the two of them immediately turned purple, but they had to hold back. At this time, He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai had already clapped their hands and praised it.


    "Okay, that''s right!"


    It seemed that everyone had forgotten about Xue Juncai. He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai whispered a few times, and then He Xiucai announced: "After the unanimous decision of the two of us, the winner is Xue Tingxiang and Xue Xiaoyou."


    "Xue Xiaoyou, I hope you can work hard and achieve fame as soon as possible." He said to Xue Tingxiang with a pleasant face.


    "Thank you two seniors for your encouragement, I will definitely work harder." Xue Tingxiang bowed to him.


    While He Qiao and Xue Tingxiang were talking, the villagers standing in the hall and outside the house had already started discussing. Most of them are admiration, but of course there are also those who can''t believe it and question it.


    Among them, the Xue family is the most unbelievable, especially Xue Qingshan. He had suppressed it before, but now he couldn''t help it anymore, stood up and said: "Just relying on these to judge victory or defeat, are the two seniors Too hasty?"


    Seeing that both He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai looked over, he flinched a bit, and then became confident again: "The kid''s pair hasn''t been made yet, so the winner is decided like this..."


    He Xiucai showed displeasure on his face, and ignored him, but asked patriarch Xue with a cold old face: "Could it be that patriarch Xue also disagrees with the conclusions of the two of us?"


    Patriarch Xue dared to offend Mr. Xiucai, he was still two Mr. Xiucai. Besides, from his point of view, Xue Tingxiang''s performance this time was indeed somewhat unexpected, and it was much more talented than Xue Jun. He was an outsider, so he could see it clearly, so he quickly scolded Xue Qingshan and asked him to apologize publicly to the two scholars.


    Xue Juncai was also full of dissatisfaction: "The boy is not convinced either, he has never been as good as me, I just didn''t prepare properly, the two seniors can ask another question, this time the boy will definitely beat him."


    At this time, a woman squeezed in from the crowd outside the door.


    Her clothes are disheveled and her hair is messy. It is Mrs. Yang.


    Yang stumbled in and cried, "My son can''t lose, you two must have been bribed to hurt my son on purpose."


    This remark made a big fuss, especially on such an occasion, when a woman rushed in and made a loud noise, not only He Qiao and the two scholars showed anger, but even several village elders present repeatedly reprimanded them as inappropriate.


    "Ridiculous, really ridiculous! Could it be that Li Zheng and the patriarch thought we were bribed?"


    "You two scholars, don''t be angry. This woman has long hair but short knowledge. She is talking nonsense."


    "Lian Xing, don''t get your shrew back!"


    The old man Xue beside him was so anxious that he didn''t know what to do, but as a father-in-law, he couldn''t help his daughter-in-law, so he had to ask his eldest son Xue Qingshan to take his wife away quickly.


    It''s just that Xue Qingshan still wants an explanation at this time, so how could he care about this.


    There was a lot of trouble on the field, He Xiucai wanted to leave, and Qiao Xiucai didn''t want to stay longer. Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng repeatedly tried to persuade them to stay, and at the same time angrily reprimanded them to get rid of these people quickly.


    Qiao Xiucai sneered, and did not reprimand Xue Juncai, but sneered at Xue Qingshan: "You are a boy, and you have passed the exam several times, but you can''t see the meaning of these exams, brother He, no wonder you took the exam. After so many years, he is still a child!"


    This Qiao Xiucai''s words were too touching, Xue Qingshan''s face turned green and pale. In fact, Qiao Xiucai was not usually so bitter, but he uttered bad words because he saw that the father and son refused to admit their losses and wanted to pester them.


    "In terms of adapting to the situation and calmness of mind, he is not as good as him." He pointed to Xue Tingxiang, and then pointed to Xue Juncai: "You have time in the examination room to dawdle for you, another chance? Let''s talk about the roll , full of stains, I am afraid that if you don¡¯t need to read what you wrote, you will end up not taking it!¡±


    At this time, Xue Juncai was already pale with fright, how could he react, but Xue Qingshan was as if struck by lightning, so he didn''t speak anymore.


    *


    He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai stayed in the end.


    Taking advantage of the chaos in the hall, Xue Qingshan sneaked into the crowd with Xue Juncai and Yang surreptitiously.


    Seeing that there is no excitement, the villagers also dispersed, and while walking home, they discussed today''s affairs with the people around them.


    In fact, they don''t know anything, as long as they know that the person who wins in the end is the dog of the second wife of Xue Lianxing''s family. It can be predicted that after this incident, many people in the village will change their views on Xue Tingxiang, and they will even talk about it endlessly.


    And Xue Juncai''s name in the village is destined to be replaced by Xue Tingxiang.


    Taking advantage of the crowd, Xue Tingxiang walked out from Zheng Lizheng''s house.


    Zhao''er had been waiting outside for a long time, and as soon as he saw him, he said happily: "Gou''er, you really won, you beat Xue Juncai! My sister is so happy."


    She was so happy that she didn''t know how to be happy. Seeing this, Xue Tingxiang couldn''t say anything to condemn her, but just looked at her with a smile.


    After being happy for a while, Zhao''er showed a little hesitation: "By the way, after you beat him, do you really want to go to Qinghe Academy to study?"


    Xue Tingxiang pondered for a while: "I don''t plan to go to Qinghe Academy. Uncle Chen said that he can introduce me to Qingyuan Academy."


    "Qingyuan Academy? The name seems to be quite similar to Qinghe Academy. Is this academy good?" Immediately, Zhao''er laughed and said, "That''s right, Uncle Chen is well-informed, so what he can say is definitely not bad. .¡±


    Xue Tingxiang nodded: "I plan to go to town in these two days and talk to Uncle Chen about it."


    "What are you waiting for these two days, let''s go now."


    Xue Tingxiang did not expect Zhao''er to be so eager, so he hesitated.


    Zhao''er said again: "There must be chaos at home right now, let''s avoid the limelight first."


    He immediately understood the meaning of her words, with the dispositions of the eldest couple, and the always eccentric Zhao family, he didn''t know what kind of chaos would happen in the family.


    The two left the village avoiding the crowd, and because they didn''t meet the mule cart, they took the bullock cart to the town.


    When we arrived at Dongliju, Uncle Chen happened to be there. Xue Tingxiang explained the matter, and Uncle Chen agreed that he would go to his classmate tomorrow. After that, the two of them didn''t go back, Xue Tingxiang continued to copy his unfinished book, while Zhao''er continued to tidy up the pile of clothes that she hadn''t finished.


    It was not until the evening that the two returned to Yuqing Village.


    The courtyard of Xue''s house was quiet, with cooking smoke wafting from the chimney, and it seemed that cooking was going on in the stove.


    Standing in the yard, Mrs. Zhao saw two people walking in from the outside. She had a cold old face and scolded without naming names: "People say that we enjoy the blessings of our children and grandchildren, but we have become old slaves. We don''t see anyone for a day." , Open your mouth to eat when you get home, I owe you in my previous life!"


    Mrs. Yang came out from the east chamber: "Mother, the meal for the third sibling is ready, let''s quickly set the table for dinner."


    Mrs. Zhao snorted coldly, turned around and entered the door of the main house. Yang Shi didn''t even look at the two of them, but followed behind and went in.


    Zhao''er looked at Xue Tingxiang.


    Xue Tingxiang looked at her: "What are you looking at?"


    Zhao''er sneered, and muttered in a low voice: "Don''t pay attention to grandma, she just has no side."


    "Ok, I know."


    *


    When the two were tidying up in the house, there was a sudden commotion in the courtyard, not only the voices of Mr. Xue and Xue Qingshan, but also a familiar voice.


    Zhao''er looked out the window, and saw Yang''s father, Yang Zhong.


    Yang Zhong was from nearby Niujiaoling, and because he was a boy, he was considered a respectable figure in Niujiaoling. Like his son-in-law, he opened a private school to make ends meet. However, this person is exaggerated, good at putting on airs, relying on the old to sell the old, the most important thing is to attract children''s dislike.


    Yang Zhong seemed to have eaten too much wine somewhere, his steps were a little staggering, and his fat face was flushed.


    The couple from Dafang greeted them, as well as Mr. Xue.


    Mr. Xue looked a little embarrassed: "Old relative, for my family''s affairs, I have troubled you to run several times. This is because you have eaten too much wine. Come in and sit down."


    Yang complained: "Father, you too, why do you drink so much wine?"


    "It''s not that Zheng Lizheng is too hospitable. After drinking for so long, your father is still not drunk?" Yang Zhong looked a little smug, and said to Mr. Xue: "It''s nothing, a handsome man is too. My grandson, as a grandfather, how can I not come to make decisions for him. "


    This made Mr. Xue even more embarrassed. He also knew what happened in the morning, and it must not be so simple. He accompanied him with a smile and said: "I made my in-laws laugh at me, if it wasn''t for the family''s financial difficulties, this kind of thing wouldn''t have happened..."


    The voices of the two gradually lowered, and they entered the room together.


    Zhao''er took a look at Xue Tingxiang: "Fortunately, I bought a few buns when I came back. Well, I don''t need to eat this dinner."


    In fact, no one asked them to eat, because Yang Zhong''s sudden arrival made the whole Xue family toss around.


    This Yang Zhong used to have a temperament that likes to toss people, and he also likes to put on airs. The key person has the status of a child, and Mr. Xue also respects him. Every time he comes, he must be greeted with good wine and good food.


    The Xue family was not wary of Yang Zhonghui coming at this time before, they just cooked some meals casually, this kind of meal is not good for entertaining people, they have to do it all over again.


    Zhao''er didn''t bother with outside affairs, went to the kitchen to pour some hot water, then went back to the house and Xue Tingxiang ate buns together.


    After eating the buns, it was already dark outside.


    Zhao''er stood in front of the door, seeing the brightly lit lights in the main room, it was obvious that he had already eaten.


    She was about to go to the kitchen to boil water and wash her feet, when Xue Tao''er hurried out from the main room and said, "Miss Zhao''er, grandpa asks the dog to come over."


    But Zhao''er couldn''t sleep today, and when she came back from the main room, she was a little excited.


    She rolled over and over again.


    "You do not sleep?"


    It is reasonable to say that they would not rest so early, but today both of them have been busy all day, so they turned off the lights after recruiting children to go to the kang. However, there is a moon outside, and you can still see clearly in the room.


    Zhao''er sat up halfway, and moved to Xue Tingxiang''s side.


    "Dog, tell me what you meant when you scolded that old killer just now?"


    Zhao''er knows how to swear, and has sweared before, but she has never seen such a method of swearing, and Yang Zhong is so annoyed by the swearing, and Xue''s family doesn''t even know how to persuade him. From Zhao''er''s point of view, isn''t this the culmination of swearing, can you swear without uttering dirty words?


    She wanted to learn this method, and it would come in handy.


    Xue Tingxiang turned over and gave her a backbone.


    Zhao''er poked his shoulder with her finger: "What''s wrong? Why are you angry again?"


    He didn''t move, and she moved closer.


    The two of them were only separated by one person, and they wore thin clothes when they slept. Zhao''er leaned over, and even though Xue Tingshan had his back on his back, he could feel a wave of hot air rushing towards him, mixed with a wisp of faint fragrance.


    There was a strange softness slightly attached to his shoulders, Xue Tingshan''s back was stiff, and she heard her say on top of her head: "Don''t take that old killer''s words to heart, it''s not that I said uncle and aunt are too narrow-minded." It¡¯s too much, and even made such a fuss, do you really think that grandpa will regret it? Even if the family doesn¡¯t say anything, there are still so many people watching outside, so don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll go to the school to make a decision.¡±


    She was very close to him, and the heat of her words sprayed on the tips of his ears, making him shiver again and again. At the same time, a hot numbness rushed from the tips of his ears to his neck, causing waves of unconscious trembling.

 Chapter 237

    Without him, it is because of this posture that the girl''s figure is vividly displayed. High/chest/upturned/hips, slender waist, Xue Tingxiang has never seen such a scene before, a very strange feeling of dryness climbed up in his body.


    But at the same time, he was familiar with it, and a picture appeared in his mind, which was the time of the two people''s bridal chamber.


    In the dream, he didn''t like her at that time, but he felt that marrying her was a matter of course.


    It was a deep-rooted thought that she should be his wife.


    It''s just that this hidden deepest emotion was concealed by his awkwardness and ignorance, especially when he went to the school to study and let his classmates know that he had a child bride in the country, which caused a lot of ridicule.


    But in fact, he liked her deep down in his heart, so she was tortured by him that night in the bridal chamber.


    Originally, he was just ignorant, and she was a newcomer, so he hurt her and also hurt her. But he still thought about the pain, and she cried with tears and snot running down her nose. That was the first time she showed weakness in front of him, and he liked this way of bullying her ever since.


    At that time, he was studying in the academy, and he only came back once every ten days. Every time he came back, she was so scared that she hid. But he had to rely on him and let him do whatever he wanted. He obviously liked it, but pretended not to like it.


    Now that I think about it, he was really an asshole at that time.


    Thinking about these messes in his heart, he suddenly said, "I''ll wipe it for you."


    Zhao''er looked at him sideways in surprise, and subconsciously refused: "I still can''t, I''ll do it myself." After these days of corrections, she has gradually learned not to call herself sister.


    Before her words fell, Xue Tingxiang had already snatched the cloth towel, and pulled her to turn her back, Zhao''er could only freeze there, letting him wipe it.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Tingxiang is still half-headed now, so he can only half-kneel and sit up to wipe her hair. The two were very close, Zhao''er didn''t notice it, but Xue Tingxiang felt his blood was surging.


    Zhao''er''s hair is very black, dense and smooth, like a piece of fine satin. He was clumsy, and Fang began to pull and hurt her several times, until he heard her involuntarily inhaling, he slowed down his movements.


    Feeling that it was a bit difficult for him to reach, Zhao''er was a little distressed, he kept stretching his arms: "If I don''t lie here?"


    As she said that, she went to try it, and it was more convenient for him to lie on the kang, and both of them would not be tired. What she didn''t know was that her posture looked even more seductive from behind, especially for a young man with a fresh blood.


    Xue Tingxiang immediately regretted accepting this matter. It felt like a kind of torture. He needed to work hard to stabilize himself so as not to look randomly.


    "If not, why don''t you sit up?" he asked.


    But got no answer from her.


    When I went to see it, I found that she had fallen asleep.


    The girl seemed very tired and slept soundly. She lay prone on the long-folded quilt, her thick long hair was scattered behind her back and down to her waist. Because the quilt was covering her face, her face was squeezed out of shape, but her pink lips were pouty.


    Zhao''er, who had just taken a bath, still had water vapor on her face. Her plump and delicate cheeks looked young and tender at first glance. Her pink lips had a watery glow, which was attractive to pick.


    Something in his heart was clamoring, and he leaned on him unconsciously. The cheeks of the two were getting closer and closer, so close that he could see and smell the sweet smell.


    Suddenly, she moved, and he quickly backed away, pretending to be nonchalant, muttering in his mouth why he fell asleep, but actually watching her reaction nervously.


    Fortunately, she just moved, and there was no sign of waking up, so he was relieved.


    But the impulse in his heart was gone, he glanced at her several times, reached out and took the thin quilt to cover her, and continued to wipe her wet hair with a cloth towel.


    *


    Yuqing Village was originally a village established by a group of victims who fled during the war in the previous dynasty.


    At first it was not called Yuqing Village, but Zhengjiazhuang. The village is full of people with the surname Zheng, but the number of people is not large, only a dozen or so families. Many years later, there was a famine one year, and the government arranged for a group of people who fled the disaster to settle here. These people are the ancestors of the Xue family.


    There are not many people surnamed Zheng, and there are also many people surnamed Xue. At first, people surnamed Zheng took the lead.


    The Dachang Dynasty implemented the Lilao system, where one hundred households constituted one li, and Jiachang was set up, which is commonly known as Lizheng. There are also several old people, who are commonly known as village elders.


    Within the jurisdiction of Yuqing Village, everything in the village, such as adjudicating civil lawsuits, arbitrating right and wrong, guiding folk customs, persuading farming and mulberry, issuing sentiments, etc., and even urging taxes, military service, etc., are all handled by the local people. Li Zheng and the villagers co-hosted the completion.


    Li Lao''s power can be said to be quite large, and anyone who can be Li Lao is a person of high moral and respect in the local area.


    In fact, this kind of system is equivalent to a local people governing a local people.


    Nowadays there is such a saying that the so-called imperial power does not come down to the county, but only the clan under the county, and the clan is self-governing, self-government depends on ethics, and ethics creates squires, that''s how it is.


    Over the years, the two surnames of Xue and Zheng seem to be harmonious on the surface, but they have been at odds with each other, and what they are fighting for is the right to speak in the village. Although it was because there was a scholar among the people surnamed Xue before, the Xue family changed its previous decline and several village elders appeared in the clan, but the position of Lizheng has always been in the hands of the people surnamed Zheng.


    Now Yuqing Village has one Lizheng and four village elders. Three of these four elders have the surname Xue, that is to say, two pairs of three. But because Zheng Lizheng is here, it is still not an advantage.


    Patriarch Xue is confident that if there is another scholar in the clan, he will be able to completely overwhelm the Zheng family, so when he heard the rumors that had been raging in the village for the past two days, he immediately exploded.


    Mr. Xue was still in the field, so he was called to Patriarch Xue''s house.


    Seeing Patriarch Xue''s face as dark as the bottom of a pot, Old Master Xue was puzzled by Monk Zhang Er: "Brother Haizi, what''s the matter?" In terms of seniority, Patriarch Xue is considered Old Master Xue''s cousin.


    "You still ask me what''s wrong? Don''t you know what''s going on outside recently?"


    Mr. Xue really doesn''t know.


    Seeing this, Patriarch Xue gave a rough account of the matter with a dark face.


    I don''t know when, things about the Xue family have spread outside.


    The source is that someone saw Xue Gouzi, the only son of Xue''s second wife, crying in front of Xue''s second son''s grave.


    The specific content of the cry is untestable, and it is possible for a half-grown boy to express his grievances in this way, which is enough to prove that the child must have been wronged at home. Later, someone familiar with the situation revealed the truth, and everyone knew that the boss of the Xue family planned to send his son to study in the town, but left his nephew alone.


    Few people in the village did not know how the second child of the Xue family died. And when Xue Qingsong was dying, many people in the village were there, so they naturally held Xue Qingshan''s hand and made him promise to treat his son well.


    When he came back from the Xue family, many people discussed it in private, saying that the second son of the Xue family was really miserable, leaving behind a sick wife and a young son.


    Now that such rumors spread, the scene before the death of Xue Lao Er was repeated by people in various ways. Some elderly people shook their heads and sighed, saying that people''s hearts are unpredictable, and it is impossible to entrust their wives and children to anyone. Take care of yourself. You treated him like your big brother and threw your life on him, but he didn''t treat your son as his own son.


    Even Xue Tingxiang''s situation in Xue''s family in the past few years has caused some women to talk about it.


    For example, although the dog from the second room seldom shows up in front of people, he always wears old clothes every time he sees him, while the handsome man from the first room has never seen him in old clothes. Even some things in the private school were told by the ignorant children to the adults. Xue Juncai had everything in his pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and he had the most books in the school. As for Xue Gouzi, he was seen writing on the desk with water on him several times.


    Being eccentric, everyone is eccentric, and no one can say anything about his own son, but Boss Xue also took the life of his own brother on his back. This kind of eccentricity is a bit chilling.


    "You are very old, and the juniors in the family can''t teach well? You are biased towards the elders, but why did you make this matter out of people''s faces? What do you think about this matter now!"


    Mr. Xue was quite old, and his face was flushed with embarrassment, but he also knew that this matter was serious, and his family''s reputation would be ruined if he was not careful.


    It doesn''t matter if you finish your own reputation, but the boss''s reputation can''t be finished. If he gets the name of the only son of the dead brother who is mean, the boss will be ruined for life. Don''t talk about the examination of any scholar, maybe the private school will not be able to open.


    "Brother Haizi..." He looked at Patriarch Xue begging for help, and he didn''t have any rules in his mind for a moment.


    "Now, only by sending both children away can people have nothing to choose."


    Mr. Xue''s old face turned even redder, and he rubbed his big rough hands: "Brother Haizi, you know that our family has been wiped out all these years in order to provide for the boss. It''s not that I don''t want to send two children, but I really can''t." rise."


    Hearing this, Patriarch Xue also frowned.


    When Xue Qingshan went to the Qinghe Academy to study, he knew the inside story very well. That place is desperate for money, and the key is not to have any objections, because most people are willing to pay to go in. One year''s expenses cost at least twenty taels, but Xue Qingshan has been there for five years.


    Patriarch Xue originally planned to make up one or two if it wasn''t enough, but now he doesn''t open his mouth. That''s all for Xue Qingshan, Xue Juncai is still young, and he doesn''t know what the future will be like. The key point is that his two grandchildren are also studying, and neither family is rich.


    "If you don''t, you don''t even want to go, can you do it?" Mr. Xue muttered.


    Patriarch Xue sneered: "That''s not what the outsiders said, your family''s mean and fatherless son. If you don''t want the boss''s reputation to be ruined, you can either give two of them, or you can only give one to the kid from the second room."


    *


    When Mr. Xue came out of Patriarch Xue''s house, he was in a daze.


    He trembled and touched his waist a few times before taking off the cigarette pouch. He didn''t go any further, so he squatted under a tree beside the road and lit the tobacco. He smoked the whole pot of tobacco without stopping before he stood up.


    He walked slowly towards home, and people greeted him from time to time along the way.


    Normally, Mr. Xue would only feel that his face is bright, not that person, who would like to say hello to you, but now he always has the illusion that others are smiling at him, but actually laughing at him in his heart.


    He tried his best to walk back all the way, when another person walked up to him, he was still an acquaintance. The other party smiled and told him why he came back from the field so early today, he couldn''t bear it anymore, and pulled the man under a tree aside to talk.


    "Old man Zhou, tell me the truth, why are people talking about our family behind our backs in the village?"


    The old man this week is also an old man with black and red skin, but he is a head shorter than Mr. Xue, and his back is a bit rickety. Hearing this, he subconsciously glanced at Mr. Xue, and sighed after a long time: "I thought you knew, but you don''t."


    "What do I know? How could I know!" The first sentence almost came out from between the teeth, but the latter sentence was full of wry smiles.


    Having lived most of his life, old man Zhou naturally understands the old man''s mood at this time. But he didn''t know what to say, so he could only say sincerely: "Don''t be too troublesome, these people in the village are just busy and like to talk about right and wrong. But don''t blame me for talking too much, you The family did this..." He sucked between his teeth, as if smacking his lips, but it wasn''t: "It''s really a bit inappropriate."


    inappropriate?


    This is probably because the old man Zhou said this because of his relationship with him, and he didn''t know how others scolded him behind his back. Fangcai''s patriarch only told him that the publicity was bad, but he didn''t tell him how bad it was.


    Mr. Xue asked: "What are you talking about, tell me."


    The old man Zhou sighed before saying what he knew. Now that the words are out of the way, he doesn''t think there is anything he can''t say, "I''m not talking about you, you are the father, so don''t worry about this matter, don''t forget how your second child died, Such an approach will inevitably poke people''s spines."


    Old Master Xue''s complexion was pale, and he mumbled: "It has nothing to do with the boss, it''s because my wife and I discussed this."


    Old man Zhou raised his eyelids and glanced at the old man, and he didn''t plan to say anything that hurt his heart. Once he said this, the friendship between the two of them would be ruined in the future.


    "Anyway, you have to think about this matter. I won''t chat with you anymore. I have to go home. If you don''t come to my place at night, I''ll accompany you for a drink or two?"


    "No, there are still things at home."


    After Old Man Zhou left, Mr. Xue stood there for a while, and then went home.


    As soon as he entered the house, Xue Qingshan, who was standing in the yard, asked, "Father, what did my cousin ask you to do?"


    Mr. Xue glanced at his son, and entered the main room without saying a word.


    Xue Qingshan felt a little puzzled by the second monk, and wanted to ask the third brother what happened. At this time, Mrs. Zhou in the kitchen was yelling to eat, and everyone in the room came out, so of course it didn''t come true.


    During dinner, Mr. Xue''s complexion was always bad.


    Since Xue Tingxiang was able to get out of bed, he didn''t eat in his own room, but ate with everyone. The atmosphere at the dinner table was not very good, and even Mao Dan, who used to like to make a fuss at the dinner table, did not dare to make a fuss today.


    After dinner, Mrs. Zhou and Xue Taoer cleared the table and went to wash the dishes.


    The others were about to leave, but they were stopped by Mr. Xue.


    "Boss and eldest daughter-in-law stay here, I have something to tell you, the dog also stays, and everyone else goes back to the house."


    Zhao''er has never been a person who likes to ask for troubles. She turned her head and saw that the cow dung in the house hadn''t been cleaned up, so she went to find a brush to clean the kang, and then went out to get a broom and a dustpan to sweep the floor.

 Chapter 238

    Generally, names are bestowed by the elders, rather than being chosen by the younger generation. It is fine for ordinary villagers, but Xue Tingxiang is a scholar, and a scholar should know how to be polite. Read.


    Xue Tingxiang was very clear in his heart and understood what uncle meant. He smiled and said: "When my father was still alive, I asked my grandfather and uncle to help me choose one. Uncle refused because of his humble name so that he can support me. Now the court My son is also fourteen, so I can¡¯t keep using her baby name, so I randomly picked one.¡±


    As soon as this remark came out, Xue Qingshan''s face turned ugly again. Xue Tingxiang was obviously saying that he, as an uncle, did not want to name him, and deliberately belittled him. After all, since I have already learned, I should definitely not have a name,


    He forced a smile, and explained: "It''s not that Uncle sees that you are not in good health, and wants to name you after you become an adult. You can''t understand this painstaking effort, if Uncle can choose one for you now?"


    As he said that, without waiting for Xue Tingxiang to agree, he sighed and made a melancholy look, and said: "You have been weak since you were born, your father wished you a long life when he was alive, so my uncle named you Fushou, what do you think? ?¡±


    This name is really random, and I am not at all sorry for the name of Xue Qingshan, the only child born in Yuqing Village.


    Xue Tingxiang hesitated for a moment before refusing: "It''s still not uncle, Ting''er''s name has been decided, and I went to the grave to inform my parents before, there is absolutely no chance to change it."


    These words also made it clear why he went to the cemetery every year. Since Xue Tingxiang saw that Xue Qingshan had invited so many people and made such a fuss, he knew that the other party must have plans.


    Regardless of what he plans, he just blocks the way that the other party may use to make a fuss, and the rest is to wait and see what happens.


    Sure enough, Patriarch Xue''s face softened a little.


    Before that, he always thought that this matter was done on purpose by Erfang, just to compete with Juncai for the opportunity to study in Qinghe Academy. This time I came to see this young man is gentle and polite, neither humble nor overbearing, patriarch Xue has no fame, but he can know a few words, and he has been the patriarch for many years, so he has a good eye for people.


    He was very surprised, because he had seen Gouzi before, but he didn''t have a deep impression of him. The only impression he had was that he was an inconspicuous boy. Looking at it now, this son has grown up somewhat unexpectedly.


    But no matter how unexpected he was, patriarch Xue did not forget what he was doing here.


    Just a good impression on one side is not enough to make him shake the decision he has made. He had asked someone to test Juncai''s child, and he was much more knowledgeable than his two grandchildren. If it was said who the next child in Yuqing Village would be, Patriarch Xue felt that Xue Juncai was the most likely.


    Maybe not just a child, but a scholar.


    With two future talent seedlings and a young man who doesn''t know his depth, Patriarch Xue naturally knows how to do this multiple-choice question.


    However, the idea of ??helping Xue Qingshan before was dispelled. If Xue Qingshan couldn''t even handle a child, he didn''t deserve his attention.


    How could Xue Qingshan fail to see Patriarch Xue''s thoughts. In his eyes, this old man is a master who does not see rabbits and does not scatter eagles. He accepts the benefits he brings to the clan, but never knows how to give him something.


    If any clan has ethnology, the clan will not subsidize one or two. On the contrary, he worked for nothing all day long, and every time a certain family in the clan brought some random food, the patriarch called him over and asked him to accept it.


    To be generous with the generosity of others, to spend other people''s wealth, is merciless to others, and it is meaningless to oneself!


    Xue Qingshan sneered in his heart, but pretended to be a respectful petition, and invited Xue patriarch Zheng Lizheng and others into the house.


    Patriarch Xue and Zheng Li were sitting cross-legged on the kang, one on the left and one on the right, while the others were sitting on the stools below. Mrs. Yang and Mrs. Zhou were busy pouring tea, and even Xue Tao''er was sent to ask Mr. Xue to come home quickly.


    Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng both had the habit of smoking dry pipes, and they took out the pipes as soon as they sat down.


    Xue Qingshan hurriedly took a bag of tobacco leaves from his mother Zhao, and while serving them, he said: "This is grown by my father himself. It is usually a treasure. Uncle and Uncle Li should try it."


    "Your father''s shredded tobacco is good, but it''s too little." After lighting it, Zheng Lizheng took a deep breath and said with a smile.


    Xue Qingshan replied: "If Uncle Lizheng likes it, I''ll pretend to be with you when I leave later, so don''t dislike it."


    These are all polite words, everyone knows each other well, Zheng Lizheng nodded with a smile, and went straight to the point: "What is Shan Zi planning to invite some of us old guys over here this time?"


    Looking at Zheng Lizheng''s smiling face, Xue Qingshan scolded the old fox in his heart.


    Things would turn out like this, and he absolutely wouldn''t believe that this guy surnamed Zheng didn''t do anything inside. But that''s exactly how he invited Zheng Lizheng here today. After all, he is the Lizheng of Yuqing Village and his surname is Zheng, so he won''t be said to be covering up.


    Including the few villagers present today, Xue Qingshan was thinking about inviting them. There was one with the surname Zheng, one with the surname Xue, and two families with mixed surnames in the village, but they were all well-known in the village.


    "Is there a matter that requires a few elders to decide, or wait for my father, he is in the field and will be back soon."


    Just as he was talking about Mr. Xue, he came back. After coming in, he exchanged greetings for a while before sitting down and getting to the point.


    "It''s ashamed to say this. Some things in my family have made everyone laugh."


    Hearing this was the beginning of the words, except for Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng, everyone present felt a little embarrassed. After all, this is someone else''s family matter. It''s two different things.


    "Actually, to put it bluntly, it''s all caused by poverty. In the previous situation of our family, it wouldn''t be like this. One baby was given away, but the other was not."


    One was also surnamed Xue, and was of the same generation as Mr. Xue. An old man named Xue Lianhe sighed: "Lian Xing, don''t say that, your family is also in trouble."


    Old Master Xue sighed with a wry smile: "It''s difficult, it''s not difficult for anyone, this light is all on the surface. But no matter how difficult it is, if you want your baby to have a future, you have to pay for it. If you don''t give it to someone, you will be successful." There''s a problem."


    With trembling hands, he took out the dry pipe from his waist, lit it and took a puff, before he said, "The palms and backs of the hands are full of meat, and it hurts me to give up any one. In fact, this matter was discussed last year, and I have been procrastinating on it." I did it because I was afraid that the baby would feel uncomfortable. It is not easy for a peasant family like us to provide for a scholar. The family finally gave up Shanzi. Although he failed to pass the exam several times, he still did it for the village and for us. Guys did something.


    "For so many years, our family has been doing things in the village. Everyone has seen it. If it is far away, it will not be mentioned. Let''s talk about the private school in Shanzi. As long as you are from the village and your family is not rich, Shu Xiu will be later or even less. , our family never mentioned it. Why? It¡¯s because it¡¯s not easy for us country people to make a living, with our faces turned to the loess and our backs turned to the sky. If God doesn¡¯t show mercy, the whole family suffers from famine.


    "Actually, I''m not afraid of the laughter of my brothers and sisters. Back then, I worked hard to support Shanzi''s education, just thinking that if I really passed the exam, I would give my family some tax exemption."


    These words were to the point, and it seemed that they were just a few words lightly, but they didn''t go deeper, but they said that everyone had mixed feelings in their hearts.


    What Mr. Xue said is the truth, or the truth that is in line with people''s reality, that''s what makes it so complicated.


    Finally someone stood up and spoke out for the previous incident, "Brother Lianxing, stop talking about it, we can''t trust you? When people spread rumors in the village, we told the children at home, Brother Lianxing Not that kind of person. There are those who are grandpas, and those who don¡¯t love their grandchildren.¡±


    "Yes, yes, everyone can understand, who is not difficult."


    Seeing that everyone was echoing Mr. Xue''s words, only the one surnamed Zheng remained silent. Zheng Lizheng''s eyes flashed, and he said with a smile: "Everyone in the village has watched Shanzi''s contribution to our village. Everyone knows that Shanzi is benevolent and righteous. This is for everyone''s sake. There is just one sentence, I don''t know if I, an elder, should say it."


    "Uncle Lizheng, you are the Lizheng of our village, there is nothing inappropriate to say."


    Zheng Lizheng nodded: "It stands to reason that this is your family''s business, and I, an outsider, shouldn''t interfere. But Lian Xing said it before, the palms and backs of his hands are all flesh." He suddenly sighed, and said earnestly: " Shanzi, don''t forget why your second child didn''t exist, everyone here can understand, because we have lived for decades, and we have never seen anything in our lives, so we are afraid that outsiders will not understand."


    These words made Xue Qingshan''s complexion look ugly on the spot, but since he can arrange this scene, it''s not that he has no countermeasures.


    He immediately said: "Uncle Lizheng is right, so I discussed it with my father and planned to give the two children a chance. Let the two have a competition, the winner will enter the school, and the one who fails will learn two lessons at home." Years, let¡¯s talk about it later when we have a chance.¡±


    Upon hearing this, the people present looked at each other without much opinion. Especially with the previous foreshadowing, Xue Qingshan''s words seem to be reasonable, which makes people have nothing to choose.


    After all, no family is rich, and money does not come from the river.


    Everyone went to see Zheng Lizheng, Zheng Lizheng looked at everyone with a smile, and said: "Why are you all looking at me? Since Lian Xingjia has an idea, let''s look at his family. But how does this compare? We old guys don''t Literacy, let Shanzi be the judge?"


    After a pause, he shook his head: "No, no, Shanzi is Juncai''s father, so he should avoid suspicion, or choose someone else to convince everyone."


    He looked up at Xue Qingshan and smiled: "Shanzi, you won''t blame me, Uncle Li Zheng, for being too talkative, right? In fact, I''m doing it for your own good. We should be upright in our conduct and conduct."


    Xue Qingshan can''t wait to throw out this person who always ruins his good things, how can he not complain, but on the surface he can''t say that, he can only seem to ponder for a while, and said: "What Uncle Li Zheng said is that although I''m an uncle, so I still have to avoid suspicion. If not, let me invite one, and Uncle Lizheng invite one, and the two of them will come up with the questions on the spot, and the two younger ones will be tested."


    Zheng Lizheng looked at Xue Qingshan with squinted eyes, seeing his confident appearance, he had some bad premonitions in his heart. But he has intervened too much, and it would be too obvious to be picky, so he could only nod and smile in agreement, and praised Xue Qingshan that he is indeed a scholar, but his mind is different.


    The matter has been settled, and what follows is gossip.


    Since people were invited to the door, it would be unreasonable not to ignore the meal at noon, so Mr. Xue ordered a few daughters-in-law to go down to pack the lunch.


    Just now when the elders were talking inside, Xue Tingxiang and Xue Juncai were standing outside, so they naturally knew what happened.


    Zhao''er''s face was a bit ugly, but Xue Jun gave Xue Tingxiang a proud look, and then went in to talk with his father beside several elders, and naturally won another round of praise without mentioning it.


    Zhao''er couldn''t help pulling Xue Tingxiang back into the house, and said anxiously: "What should I do? If I had known this earlier, I would have refrained from beating you. Gou''er, it''s all my sister''s fault. My sister caused trouble for you. "


    She was anxious, and brought up the words of Sister Gou''er again.


    "Don''t be afraid, it''s okay."


    "Is it really okay?" Zhao''er turned back and forth on the spot and said, "But, what if we lose?"


    Xue Tingxiang squinted his eyes: "Don''t you believe me? Think I''m not as good as him?"


    Zhao''er immediately said: "How is it possible! My dog ??is the smartest, and I will be a scholar in the future to become a high official, and my sister is still waiting to enjoy the blessing of the dog!"


    Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang have said this sentence countless times.


    When he was a child, she would encourage him every time he showed signs of discouragement. She even thought so in her heart, so when everyone looked down on him and everyone thought he was not good enough, only she was the only one who kept talking to him like this, and even kept doing it with actions.


    It''s a pity that she didn''t enjoy his blessing, not even a single day.


    Obviously, all that was not what he experienced, it was just a dream of his, but every time Xue Tingxiang thought about it, he felt a great sense of sadness.


    He closed his eyes for a moment, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "Since you have said so, are you still afraid that I will lose?"


    In fact, Xue Tingxiang is not good at reciting poems and fighting against each other, but he can''t hold back that the person in his dream has lived a long life and has a wide market. There used to be a long-standing joke among scholars¡ª¡ª


    It is said that there was a gray-haired scholar who took the exam, and the examiner knew from his appearance that he was an old boy who had repeatedly failed the exam, so he intentionally made things difficult for him: "I have a couplet, if you can match it, I will take it." you."


    The old boy felt bitter in his heart, but he didn''t dare to give up.


    The chief examiner asked the question: "If you take the bait, you are old; if you take the bait, you are a tester. If you are old, you will be a child, and if you are a child, you will be old."


    The old boy bowed to Rao, and replied: "One person is great, and two are heaven. Heaven is greater than human affection, and human affection is greater than heaven."


    This flattery was so exquisite that the examiner was too embarrassed to go back on his word, so he had no choice but to choose him as a scholar.


    In fact, upon hearing this story, one knew it was made up. Anyone who has participated in the hospital examination should know what the situation will be. How can the examiner take the initiative to test an old student? The examiner and the examinee will not talk to each other, and it is also for avoidance.


    It was obviously made up by a failed scholar, and it was used as a comforting chat, and because it made people laugh, it spread among scholars. It even extended to the fact that any official in the DPRK was released as an academic officer, or presided over a new department examination, and the official who had a good relationship with him could not help telling the last sentence, but don''t be ''human beings are too big''.


    It is not only a joke, but also an exhortation. There have always been many frauds involved in imperial examinations.


    Xue Tingxiang did not expect to hear this pair here.

 Chapter 239

    The books in the bookcase are new and old, some are hardcover, which are worth a lot of money at first glance, and some are thread bound, which looks a little rough. Most of them are transcripts of various kinds. Generally, it is not sure that the book will be a good seller. The boss of the bookstore always asks someone to copy it, because if it is opened, thousands of copies will be printed.


    Zhao''er was familiar with the boss, and greeted her with a smile when she entered the door. The strange thing was that the boss recognized her, and when he saw her, he smiled and asked her if she came to buy paper for her brother.


    Bringing this up is a bit old.


    Back then, Zhao''er felt sorry for Xue Tingxiang, so she saved some money to buy paper for him to practice calligraphy. Who would have thought that this paper was much more expensive than she imagined. Even the worst yellow bamboo paper costs 40 Wen a knife, but that day Zhaoer collected all the money on his body, but only 30 Wen.


    In order to get the boss to sell the paper to her at a lower price, Zhao''er worked with the boss for a long time. He even made up the pretense that he had a hard-working and studious younger brother, but unfortunately his parents died and his family was poor, so the boss agreed to sell it to her cheaply. Later, she came to buy it a few times, all at the previous price, but she became acquainted with Boss Chen.


    Boss Chen praised her for her noble character, earning hard money, but still supporting her younger brother''s education. Usually, when she comes to buy paper, she almost always buys half and gives half away.


    Normally, Zhao''er would accept this kind of talk with a cheeky face, but today with Xue Tingxiang around, she was inevitably a little embarrassed, for fear that Boss Chen would slip up and make the little man look down on her for lying.


    Zhao''er has suffered, so she knows the skills of survival, but the little man doesn''t, especially the scholar is very pedantic, so every time she encounters such a situation where the two people''s ideas conflict, she will always subconsciously go away. Avoid these.


    Within a day, two people said that they were his younger brothers, which made Xue Tingxiang very unhappy. Naturally, he didn''t notice Zhao''er''s hidden thoughts. When he came back to his senses, Zhao''er had already talked with the boss, and even showed him the copy of "Hundred Surnames" that he had copied overnight.


    "This is your brother? He looks handsome, but a little thinner." Boss Chen is a middle-aged man in his forties, with a goatee and elegant body. Wearing a scholar''s shirt, he doesn''t look like a business boss, but a scholar.


    "He was sick for a while a while ago, and he got better recently."


    "No wonder I haven''t seen you here for a long time." While talking, Boss Chen took the manuscript that Zhao''er handed over, whether it was bound or paper quality, it was very poor.


    He knew in his heart that this kind of peasant boy could not write very good characters, but he admired this young man named Zhao''er, so he planned not to criticize too much even if he really did not do well, just say some mild words and refuse it. up.


    If the level is not bad and the words can still be read, it is not impossible to give him some casual work, just as a help.


    But when Boss Chen saw the writing on the yellow bamboo paper, he was still taken aback.


    "He wrote this word?" Boss Chen looked at Xue Tingxiang in surprise, and went to flip through the manuscript in his hand.


    His expression was so weird that Zhao''er had a bad feeling in his heart. She couldn''t help wondering if the little man''s handwriting was not good, after all, no one had ever praised the little man''s handwriting, even Xue Qingshan said that his handwriting was like a spring worm and autumn snake.


    Although Zhao''er doesn''t know what spring worms and autumn snakes are, she understands the sad look on the little man''s face, and she knows it means poor writing.


    But she didn''t think it was the little man''s fault. He even had to pick and use the paper that could practice calligraphy. Can he write well? It was that time that she lost her temper, collected vegetables and sold them in the town, and saved a sum of money to buy Xue Tingxiang''s first piece of paper in her life.


    It was a whole knife, not a few pieces given as a charity from Xue Qingshan or Xue Juncai.


    Zhao''er''s head felt cold for a while, and she couldn''t help wondering if she was too blind to the little man at ordinary times, or if she flattered her too much. She was not afraid of anything else, but she was afraid that if Boss Chen said something unpleasant later, the little man would not be able to stand the blow.


    Thinking of this, she hurriedly turned her back and made a gesture to Boss Chen, leading him aside, then said to him in a low voice: "Uncle Chen, if my younger brother''s handwriting is really bad, can you..."


    "Can you do something?" Immediately, Boss Chen understood and said with a smile: "You kid too, even if you have a heart of love and affection, you should not deceive him, but point out his shortcomings, so that he will to make progress.¡±


    His voice was a bit loud, Xue Tingxiang over there must have heard it, Zhao''er blushed, but Na Na didn''t know what to say.


    Boss Chen said again: "But your brother''s handwriting is really good, he must be a famous teacher."


    He walked up to Xue Tingxiang in a few steps, and saluted with cupped fists: "I don''t know who my little friend is your teacher?" He said hesitantly in his eyes, because the poor boy in front of him, who was dressed in coarse cloth and short brown, really didn''t seem to be able to learn from anyone. Famous teachers.


    Just his words...


    Since Boss Chen runs a book shop, he is either a hobby or a ancestral business. In fact, Boss Chen has both, which can be regarded as the origin of family education. He also passed the exam several times when he was young, but he stopped at being a scholar. However, he was not interested in being an official, so he turned around and took care of his ancestral business. It is also a great thing in life to meet a few literary friends, play chess, drink tea, taste calligraphy and painting together.


    From his point of view, although this son''s handwriting is immature, he already has a strong character.


    We must know that the shape is easy to get, but the spirit is hard to find. Master Yan and Master Liu have always been collectively called "Yan Jin Liu Gu", which is enough to show the characteristics of Yan body. However, Xue Tingxiang''s calligraphy has already possessed its fundamentals. As long as it does not go astray, in time, he will definitely be a great calligrapher of a generation.


    How did he know that Xue Tingxiang deliberately hid the edge of his pen in order to hide himself, and it took most of the night to finish copying the book that could have been copied in half an hour at most. Otherwise, if the word is taken out, Boss Chen will definitely think it is someone''s calligraphy.


    Just when Boss Chen was thinking about it, Xue Tingxiang had already answered: "I don''t have a teacher."


    "Just copying?"


    "I''ve been to "Yan Qinli Monument" before."


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t lie, he did only copy "Yan Qinli Monument", this set of copybooks is Xue Qingshan''s favorite treasure, and he never let people touch it. And the reason why he was lucky enough to see and touch it once was that Xue Jun, who was still young at that time, was shown off in front of him.


    Because of this incident, he was extremely impressed with "Yan Qinli Monument", and even became obsessed with it. Later, after some money at home, Zhao''er bought a set with him, and the first font he learned was Yanti.


    "Just came across "Yan Qin Li Monument"?"


    Xue Tingxiang nodded.


    Boss Chen''s eyes became brighter, and he sighed after a long time: "Perhaps you have a talent in this field that is difficult for others to surpass. I hope you practice hard and don''t slack off. That''s all, let''s talk about business. Your handwriting is very good. In my opinion It''s passed here."


    He walked inside the counter, took a book and handed it to Xue Tingxiang.


    "I have a copy of "University Chapters and Sentences" here. You can take it back and try it out. I will provide the pen and ink. After copying, if the finished product is not inferior to the standard of this book, I will pay you a tael of silver."


    "One tael of silver? Uncle Chen, isn''t that too much?" Zhao''er asked in surprise.


    Uncle Chen laughed: "Do you know how many characters are in this book? And do you know how much money I will resell this book for?"


    After finishing speaking, he continued to say to Xue Tingxiang: "It is reasonable to say that it is to be copied in my book shop. If you take the book back and copy it, you need to pay some pledged money or things. I know your brother well, so forget it." Well, how long do you think it will take to finish copying?"


    Xue Tingxiang hesitated for a moment, and said: "Since Boss Chen has rules here, how about the boy copying here? I just hope that Boss Chen will be more flexible. Can you let the boy read a few books here in his spare time?"


    Boss Chen was taken aback for a moment, and then he understood. He took a deep look at this thin but neither humble nor overbearing boy.


    "Can!"


    "Then thank you Boss Chen first, don''t worry, the boy will definitely not damage the books here."


    Zhao''er kept silent until the end of the conversation, and then pulled Xue Tingxiang aside to speak.


    "Do you really want to copy books here? It would be nice to take it home. If you are afraid that Boss Chen won''t allow it, I still have some money to pledge."


    "You don''t think this is a good place."


    Xue Tingxiang looked back at the room full of books, he himself had only read a limited number of books, and in the memory of ''Xue Tingxiang'', many memories about this aspect were blurred.


    But life is his, and he wants to move forward step by step. It doesn''t mean that he has a dream, and he will definitely be the chief assistant in the future, and he will definitely be able to pass the Jinshi examination. After all, even Xue Tingxiang in the dream had to put in a lot of hard work and go through many detours before he could reach the first rank of official residence step by step.


    Of course Zhao''er understood what he meant, but she was very worried about suddenly leaving the little man outside alone. She was thinking about finding an excuse to stay here with him, but Boss Chen said from the side: "Okay, you don''t have to worry about your brother, can you lose it with me? You don''t have to sell vegetables to work today? Hurry up. "


    In the eyes of Boss Chen, Zhao''er is a hard-working brother who supports his younger brother by selling vegetables in the town.


    "Uncle Chen, I''m leaving now."


    She hurriedly took out a dozen or so copper coins from her pocket and handed them to Xue Tingxiang: "I should come to find you for lunch at noon, if not, you can buy it yourself, right here..."


    "Copy books here, and you can have a light meal at noon." Boss Chen interrupted again.


    Zhao''er was still rambling: "You still have the money, you can buy whatever you want, and I will pick you up in the afternoon."


    "You''d better pick up your work and finish it first, don''t worry your brother won''t lose it."


    This Uncle Chen!


    Zhao''er couldn''t go on talking anymore, and ran out of the bookstore almost in despair.


    After the person had left, Boss Chen teased with a smile: "Your brother treats you very well."


    Xue Tingxiang smirked, "It''s pretty good, like a little hen who doesn''t care about her chicks. For some reason, he actually thought of this sentence.


    After that, under the guidance of the shop assistant, he went to a room behind the shop.


    The layout of this room is simple, but it is elegant. It can be seen that Boss Chen is an elegant person. The best thing about this house is that there is a large window facing the outside yard, and there is a set of tables and chairs, which is completely different from Xue Tingxiang''s imagination of being hidden in a dark room without light.


    The clerk even brought a basin of water for him to wash his hands, prepared pens, ink, paper and inkstone, etc., and said he could call him if he had anything to do, so he went down.


    Xue Tingxiang came to the water basin, dipped his hands in the water, rubbed them gently a few times, and wiped them dry with a cloth towel beside him, before going to the desk and sitting down.


    He grinds the ink first. Grinding ink can well adjust people''s emotions and achieve a ''quiet'' state.


    After the ink was polished, his mind was empty at this moment. He rolled up his sleeves to write, and his hands were empty, only to realize that he was wearing a short brown at this time, where there were no sleeves, so naturally he was not afraid of staining the sleeves.


    All this was just for a moment, he didn''t care about it, and wrote quietly.


    But Boss Chen, who was standing outside the door, was a little skeptical, and couldn''t help but wonder if this son was from a famous family, but it''s a pity that his family has fallen, rather than a poor kid. His words and deeds, and even his demeanor, don''t look like those from a poor family at all.


    After thinking for a while, but unable to figure out why, Boss Chen shook his head and went back to the front.

 Chapter 240

    In fact, Xue Gouzi is only beautiful with these eyes. He has been weak since he was a child, and the second wife and his wife managed to support him, and they are always spoiled. The boys of his age in the village were all dark-skinned and as strong as a calf, but he was pale and emaciated, silent and reticent.


    But Zhao''er has always been domineering, and never allowed anyone to talk about a little man, and whoever said she was in a hurry. Because of this incident, she had fought with many girls and boys in the village, although some people still said behind their backs, after all no one dared to point fingers in front of others.


    Zhao''er always felt that the little man''s eyes were weird today, and he avoided them uncomfortably.


    She knew that the little man must be angry again, and he didn''t like her saying things like ''the dog is my man'' the most. Every time he heard her say such things, he would ignore her for a few days. In fact, Zhao''er has to face, but she is the child bride-in-law of the Xue family''s second room. If she didn''t claim to be like this, how could she have the right to challenge the fourth aunt, Sun''s.


    "Are you hungry? Look what I brought back for you?"


    Zhao''er turned her head and put all these troubles behind her mind, and took out a paper bag from her pocket. Open the paper bag, there are two steamed buns inside, they are white and plump, and people like it when they look at them.


    "Eat quickly, while it''s still warm." She smiled, stuffed the paper bag into the little man''s hand, and put the pannier on her shoulders in the corner.


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her.


    The girl in front of her was in her twenties and eighth year, and her skin was the wheat color that is common among girls in the country, but Zhao''er''s complexion was very different from others, it was smooth and radiant, as if she had been smeared with honey. He has a tall nose bridge, a pair of medium-sized eyes, and swarthy pupils. When he smiles, there is a flash of inspiration in him, and he looks lively.


    Zhao''er''s stature is taller than ordinary girls, and she is well-developed, front/convex/backward, full of youthful vigor.


    It was so vivid, as vivid as in his dream.


    He unconsciously took the steamed stuffed bun and gnawed on it. Seeing this trick, he smiled even more happily. He went to the kitchen and poured him a bowl of water, which he placed next to his hand. On the other hand, he bent down to tidy up the scattered quilts on the kang, thinking about what to cook for him at night to nourish his body.


    Finally, the little man got better, so he had to continue to drink the medicine, and he had to drink a few more to strengthen it. From this, he naturally began to calculate the little money left in his hand, and think of a way to get some money, so as to solve the urgent need.


    "Have you eaten yet?" Xue Gouzi asked.


    This kind of behavior rarely happens to him, so Zhao''er can''t help but look up at the little man sitting on the kang.


    In fact, the little man has a handsome appearance, which is different from the fair skin of the countrymen. The corners of his eyes are slightly raised, and the curvature makes his face a little more delicate and handsome. It''s just that the little man always hangs his head halfway on weekdays, with a gloomy and silent temperament, and is too thin, so he is not conspicuous in front of others.


    Zhao''er''s eyes warmed up, her smile widened, and she said cracklingly, "Eat, I ate it outside, this is for you."


    After she finished speaking, she realized that she had slipped her mouth. She waited for the little man to show a disgusted expression, or to condemn her daughter''s family for running around, but he didn''t say anything, as if he had something on his mind. Head eating buns.


    Zhao''er couldn''t help heaving a sigh of relief, but at the same time felt a pain in his heart, and couldn''t help but said: "Dog, don''t worry too much. After all, you heard the words. Since you didn''t say it face-to-face, you can''t take it seriously. Even if it is true Don''t be afraid, sister earns money for your education."


    Xue Gouzi''s head still hurts a little, and he was dizzy. Zhao''er thought he had something on his mind, but in fact he was just thinking about that dream. Hearing Zhao''er''s words at this time, he suddenly remembered why he had this serious illness.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Gouzi''s serious illness came in a hurry due to stagnation of liver qi.


    Speaking of this, I have to talk about the general situation of the Xue family.


    Yuqing Village is a village located under Huyang Town, Xia County, Pingyang Prefecture. There are only more than 200 households in the village.


    The Xue family is one of them.


    However, the Xue family is different from other ordinary farmers, and it can be regarded as having some origins.


    The ancestor of the Xue family, that is, the grandfather of Mr. Xue, was a scholar. In a poor mountain depression like Yuqing Village, it is a great event for the ancestors to have a scholar.


    Because of this talented gentleman, the generation of the Xue family produced the head of the Xue clan, and there were several village elders in the clan, and finally had some say in Yuqing Village. At the same time, it is also a blessing for the younger generation. Mr. Xue''s father is hardworking and willing to work. With the help of the elders, he also slowly built up a family business.


    By the time of Mr. Xue''s generation, the Xue family already had more than 30 acres of fertile land, and several sons also had their own livelihoods. Their lives were enviably prosperous, and they could be regarded as a well-to-do family in the village.


    Mr. Xue and his mother-in-law Zhao have four sons and two daughters. The eldest son Xue Qingshan married his wife Yang, and they have two sons and a daughter. The eldest son Xue Juncai is fifteen years old, the second son Xue Youcai is ten years old, and the eldest daughter Xue Maner is married.


    The second child, Xue Qingsong, is a carpenter. He married his wife Qiu Shi and gave birth to a son, Xue Gouzi, who is fourteen years old. The third child, Xue Qingbai, is a farmer, married his wife Zhou, and gave birth to a son and a daughter. The eldest daughter, Xue Taoer, is thirteen years old this year, and the youngest son, Xue Shuanzi, is eight years old now. The fourth son, Xue Qinghuai, is a shopkeeper. He married his wife, Sun, and gave birth to a son named Xue Maodan, who is only four years old this year.


    As for the two daughters, the eldest daughter, Xue Cuiping, is already married, and the youngest daughter, Xue Cuie, is fourteen this year and is still in her boudoir.


    It is worth mentioning that nowadays there are parents who say that they do not separate their families. In addition, families in the countryside are ruled by clans, so Xue''s family has no separation.


    The Xue family has tasted the benefits of reading, so they have more vision than ordinary farmers. Xue Qingshan is smart since he was a child, and he is the eldest son. Mr. Xue has high hopes for him, and when he reaches the age of enlightenment, he spends money to send him to a private school.


    Xue Qingshan also strives for success. At the age of twenty, he passed the Tongsheng examination. Although he is still a scholar, he can be counted as a scholar who can be counted in ten miles and eight villages.


    Don''t underestimate Tongsheng! As the saying goes, scholars, farmers, businessmen, and scholars are the highest class of people in the current society. If ordinary people want to turn ordinary people into scholars, there is only one way to take the imperial examination. As for the imperial examination, it is only a matter of going to the west to learn Buddhist scriptures, and you have to go through various checkpoints and go through hardships before you can get it.


    If you want to embark on this path, you must first have the qualifications, and Tong Sheng is a person with this qualification. It is necessary to pass the county and government examinations to be called Tongsheng. As for the next step is to be a scholar, to become a scholar is to enter school, and it is also the first step to embark on the road of imperial examinations.


    It can be seen from this that Tong Sheng is not an ordinary person, so Xue Qingshan''s status in the Xue family can be imagined.


    But as I said before, the Xue family''s family background can only be regarded as a middle-level family in the countryside. If a family like this wants to support a scholar, it will almost exhaust all the human and financial resources of the family. Because the eldest son is the eldest son, who will set up a family in the future, and is talented and intelligent, the next few sons naturally have to give in.


    As for why Xue Gouzi became seriously ill, it has to be related to another old matter of the Xue family.


    Back then when Xue Qingshan was selected as a child student, he was considered a success at a young age. He was full of ambitions and wanted to pass the college examination in one fell swoop, and he could also be a scholar, but it was a pity that God did not follow his wishes.


    It was only a close call, and no one would be reconciled to it. Xue Qingshan could only calm down, work hard, and hope to win next time.


    After so many years of rushing away, the original smugness was completely devastated by the impact of reality. Xue Qingshan failed many exams, so he couldn''t stay at home and eat free food all the time. In desperation, he set up a private school in the village, which specializes in taking children from the village and several nearby villages to read and write, and they can more or less earn a living.


    With such convenient conditions, several children of Xue''s family naturally followed suit. The next few children are still young, and among the grandchildren, Xue Juncai, the eldest son of the big house, and Xue Gouzi of the second house have studied the longest.


    However, compared to his cousin Xue Juncai, Xue Gouzi is obviously not as good as he is because he is too weak. When he was young, he was always sick every day, which delayed a lot of homework.


    The time was stretched back to five years ago, this year the academic officer held a college examination in Fucheng, Xue Qingshan naturally would not miss it, he stopped his private school classes early and went to Fucheng to take the exam.


    It''s not easy to go out at this time, and besides, Mr. Xue was worried about his eldest son going out alone, so he asked his second son Xue Qingsong to accompany him. He always took care of him when he was usually on a business trip.


    That is to say, something happened on this trip, Xue Qingshan offended someone in Fucheng, Xue Qingsong was beaten all over his body in order to protect his eldest brother. In the end, the man was pulled back, but he died within a few days after he came back. Before he died, Xue Qingsong asked Xue Qingshan to promise himself that he would do everything in his power to confess Xue Gouzi.


    In fact, after giving way for others all his life, how could Xue Qingsong have no complaints in his heart, but he has a simple and honest nature, and he knows that his talent is not as good as that of his elder brother, so he has been making contributions in obscurity.


    But when it came to his own son, especially Xue Gouzi, who was weak since he was a child, he was not a farmer in any way, and he was dying, so Xue Qingsong took the opportunity to force his elder brother to make a promise.


    Xue Qingsong would do this, but he wanted to break the status quo that the Xue family''s resources had been leaning towards Dafang. The Xue family only had two scholars in the first room, and now there is a Xue Gouzi. The children in the third room were still young at that time, and the fourth child was not married yet. As long as Xue Qingshan agrees, others will naturally have nothing to say, and Xue Qingsong will do his best for his son Brown.


    Xue Qingshan agreed to the matter on the spot, crying blood, saying that he would treat Xue Gouzi as his own son, Xue Qingsong closed his eyes.


    Not long after that, Qiu Shi, who was already in poor health, became depressed and fell ill, and then passed away. Since then, Xue Gouzi has become a poor child without father and mother. Fortunately, there are grandparents and uncles, and Zhaoer, a child bride-in-law, so he doesn''t have to worry about food and clothing.


    In the following years, Xue Qingshan really treated Xue Gouzi like his own son. No one in the village would say that the boss of the Xue family raised his nephew as his own son. But as the saying goes, the human heart is the most fickle, and selfishness is the nature of human beings. As time passed, Da Fang gradually changed his attitude. Although he was in front of others, he was still the same as before, but only the person concerned would know what happened to him afterwards.


    This year, seeing that he had nothing to teach his son, Xue Qingshan decided to send Xue Juncai to the town school to study for two years.


    But it costs a lot of money to go to the school to study, not to mention the one-year study that costs two silver, the three festivals and six rituals of the husband, and the pen, ink, paper and inkstone used in daily life, all of which cost money. The Xue family has already been seriously injured because they confessed to Xue Qingshan, and how can they have money for the two children to go together.


    You can only take out one piece of money, that is to say, Xue Juncai and Xue Gouzi can only go to one.


    Xue Qingshan told the matter in front of the whole family, but Xue Gouzi didn''t say what he couldn''t say tactfully, but chose to remain silent.


    During that time, the atmosphere in the Xue family was weird, the old man Xue was frowning, and the grandmother Zhao was eccentric all day long, but the eldest couple were still the same as before, and they didn''t think it was a problem.


    I will not mention this, it is also a coincidence that Xue Gouzi accidentally overheard his eldest aunt Yang and fourth aunt Sun talking in secret, saying that he would let his parents-in-law come forward and let Xue Gouzi take the initiative to give up his place to study in the town , Xue Gouzi became seriously ill in a fit of rage.


    Thinking of this, Xue Gouzi felt uneasy for a while, and at the same time, many pictures appeared in his mind, which were just some of his previous dreams.


    The Xue Tingxiang in the dream also faced the same situation in the fourteenth year, and the other party''s temperament changed drastically after this incident, changing his previous disposition.


    Could it be that he is Xue Tingxiang, and that Xue Tingxiang is him? But why would he dream of these things!


    Xue Gouzi felt a throbbing pain in his head, the bun in his hand fell on the kang, and the water bowl next to him was also knocked over. Zhao''er heard the movement, rushed up and hugged him in his arms.


    "Dog, dog, don''t scare me!"


    Boss Chen stroked his beard and said, "I''m ashamed to say that I was a classmate with him when I was young, but I was not good at studies and only passed the exam as a boy student, but he was selected as a scholar in one fell swoop, and he was still a boy student. Unfortunately, bad luck, has not It took him many years to pass the exam, and he had no intention of pursuing a career, so he returned to his hometown to inherit his father''s career in teaching and educating people."


    "It won''t be bad luck all the time." Xue Tingxiang said.


    If he remembers correctly, the whole town was a sensation when Director Lin of the Qingyuan Academy finally passed the exam three years later, and Gao Youzhi, the owner of the Qinghe Academy, was so angry that he almost vomited blood. At that time, he was planning to leave the Qinghe Academy to study at the Shen family''s ethnology, and happened to hear something about it.


    Boss Chen thought the young man was just comforting him, and smiled, "Thank you for your good words."


    Xue Tingxiang was not ambiguous either, and cupped his hands and said: "Thank you, Uncle Chen, for your suggestion, but there are still trivial matters at home that have not been dealt with. When everything is settled, I will go to the Qingyuan Academy to study."

 Chapter 241

    She rolled over and over again.


    "You do not sleep?"


    It is reasonable to say that they would not rest so early, but today both of them have been busy all day, so they turned off the lights after recruiting children to go to the kang. However, there is a moon outside, and you can still see clearly in the room.


    Zhao''er sat up halfway, and moved to Xue Tingxiang''s side.


    "Dog, tell me what you meant when you scolded that old killer just now?"


    Zhao''er knows how to swear, and has sweared before, but she has never seen such a method of swearing, and Yang Zhong is so annoyed by the swearing, and Xue''s family doesn''t even know how to persuade him. From Zhao''er''s point of view, isn''t this the culmination of swearing, can you swear without uttering dirty words?


    She wants to learn this method, it will come in handy sometime.


    Xue Tingxiang turned over and gave her a backbone.


    Zhao''er poked his shoulder with her finger: "What''s wrong? Why are you angry again?"


    He didn''t move, and she moved closer.


    The two of them were only separated by one person, and they wore thin clothes when they slept. Zhao''er leaned over, and even though Xue Tingshan had his back on his back, he could feel a wave of hot air rushing towards him, mixed with a wisp of faint fragrance.


    There was a strange softness slightly attached to his shoulders, Xue Tingshan stiffened his back, and heard her say on top of his head: "Don''t take that old killer''s words to heart, it''s not that I said uncle and aunt are too narrow-minded." It¡¯s too much, to make such a fuss, do you really think that Grandpa will regret it? Even if the family doesn¡¯t say anything, there are still so many people watching outside, so don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll go to the school to make a decision.¡±


    She was very close to him, and the heat of her words sprayed on the tips of his ears, making him shiver again and again. At the same time, a hot numbness rushed from the tips of his ears to his neck, causing waves of unconscious trembling.


    His breathing was a little tight, and he couldn''t help turning over.


    Zhao''er was still talking, and she didn''t expect that he would turn over suddenly, and his face just crashed into her arms.


    Xue Tingxiang''s brain went blank for a moment, and he subconsciously fell backwards. It is obvious that it is about to leave at the touch of a touch, but it clearly feels a suffocating softness, and there is something faintly raised.


    He recalled some situations in the dream, and he only felt his nose was hot, as if something flowed out.


    "Are you alright?" Zhao''er heard a thud, saw him motionless, thought that something was wrong with him being bumped, hurriedly leaned over to look at his face.


    "Why are you panicking! Really. Come on, let me rub it for you."


    He covered his nose with one hand and pushed her with the other: "I''m fine, it doesn''t hurt." He quickly turned over and said falteringly: "It''s getting late, go to sleep."


    "You haven''t told me what you mean by that!"


    "It doesn''t mean anything, just let him take a pee and take a picture of himself!"


    "Ah?!" Zhao''er was stunned, and said after a while, "So that''s what he meant, then you just let him take a pee and take a picture of yourself, and you said so much."


    Seeing that he didn''t answer himself, Zhao''er sat for a while and then lay down.


    "Okay, go to bed now, I won''t disturb you anymore."


    *


    Yang Zhong stayed at Xue''s house for one night and left the next day.


    Because it was rushing to the busy farming season, the Xue family resumed their usual work, and no one mentioned the previous incident, as if nothing happened that night.


    Everything is so busy yet full of peace.


    On this day, Xue Tingxiang and Zhao''er went to town early in the morning.


    Different from the past, today Xue Tingxiang wore new clothes.


    The clothes were brought out overnight by Zhao''er, because Boss Chen said that he would take Xue Tingxiang to Qingyuan Academy. This trip is very meaningful, so naturally it can''t be as casual as before.


    The gray-blue cotton gown was made by Zhao''er after imitating those school shirts in the town. Although the style is simple, it looks extraordinarily straight and docile after being washed with starch. Although Xue Tingxiang is thin and thin, his shoulders are flat and his back is straight. Wearing this student shirt, he has a particularly graceful temperament.


    When they arrived at the place, Boss Chen took Xue Tingxiang out, while Zhao''er stayed at Dongliju.


    The two of them went all the way to the east of the town, the more secluded they became as they went outside, and after walking for almost a cup of tea, they saw a building with white walls and black tiles standing at the end of their line of sight.


    Seeing Xue Tingxiang''s gaze resting on the building, Boss Chen said: "That is the Qinghe Academy." After a pause, he raised his hand and pointed to a building not far behind the Qinghe Academy: "That is the Qinghe Academy. Academy."


    The two walked forward and passed Qinghe Academy, and saw that this academy was really extraordinary. The whole building exudes a magnificent temperament, the gate tower stands majestically, with a few golden characters "Qinghe Academy" written on the door plaque, and the two black-painted gates are closed tightly, with a look of repelling people thousands of miles away. momentum.


    "It''s too late for you to regret it now." Boss Chen said.


    Following the sound of talking, the two of them crossed the Qinghe Academy, only to see the obviously much dilapidated small courtyard not far away.


    The small courtyard is rigorous and simple, with clear water and white walls, and gray and black tiles. Even the door plaque is much smaller than that of the Qinghe Academy, with a few simple big-character books on it¡ª¡ª


    Qingyuan Academy.


    Obviously, no matter where you look at it, it is not as good as the Qinghe Academy, but standing under the square door plaque and looking at the words on it, Xue Tingxiang felt a peaceful and peaceful atmosphere.


    "Since the kid is here, I don''t intend to regret it."


    Boss Chen glanced at him appreciatively, and went to call the door.


    Not long after, an elderly Zhaifu opened the door from the inside.


    He seemed to know Boss Chen, and he led the two of them in without asking too much.


    This school may not seem big, but it is actually small but well-equipped. It is the same as a general school. After passing the screen wall, there is a lecture hall on the central axis. There are two houses on the left and right sides. The temple on the left is built to worship the saint Confucius, and the house on the right is the place where the gentleman sits and rests and collects books.


    After the lecture hall, there must be a shooting garden, a hall, a kitchen, etc. Xue Tingxiang knew the layout without looking. Because in his dream, he studied in Qinghe Academy for several years, but Qinghe Academy is much more spacious and grand than Qingyuan Academy.


    Boss Chen led Xue Tingxiang to the right side of the house with ease, and when he reached a wing room, he straightened his clothes and sleeves, and then brought Xue Tingxiang in.


    This wing room is furnished in a simple and elegant way, and there is a large painting on the central hall facing it, on which are written the words ''peace and distance''. Standing in front of the words was a thin middle-aged man, wearing a dark blue scribe shirt and a square scarf.


    When he heard the movement, he turned around, and saw that he had long eyebrows, a thin face, and a few strands of beard. Judging from his appearance, he is a very serious and rigid person, but his eyes are calm and deep, obviously a person of great wisdom.


    This person is Lin Miao, the owner of Qingyuan Academy.


    "Brother Anqi, I''m here to bother you again." Boss Chen cupped his hands with a smile.


    "The good brother of Mo."


    Lin Miao smiled, obviously he had a good relationship with Boss Chen. After the two exchanged pleasantries, Boss Chen pointed to Xue Tingxiang and said, "This is the young man I told you about."


    Lin Miao looked over.


    Obviously Xue Tingxiang has extensive knowledge, and he has never seen any kind of person in that dream, even the Ninth Five-Year Master, he has seen several, but there is an inexplicable sense of awe.


    "Boy Xue Tingxiang, I have met you." He clasped his hands together and bowed in salute.


    Lin Miao nodded: "Since you''re here, stay here. The school will open in ten days, so you can just come here when it''s time."


    "Mr. Xie."


    Boss Chen glanced at Lin Miao, as if he wanted to say something, seeing this, Xue Tingxiang tactfully said that he was going out for a walk, so he avoided going out.


    After Xue Tingxiang went out, Boss Chen said: "Brother An Qi, don''t you believe in the eyes of a younger brother? I have observed these days, and this son has a calm mind, is diligent and hardworking, and is quite talented in reading. He only needs one A good teacher, if there is a good teacher to guide, I think the future will be limitless in the future."


    The reason why Boss Chen said that was because Lin Miao''s performance was too plain. He originally thought that Lin Miao loves calligraphy, and after reading Xue Tingxiang''s calligraphy, and his lobbying, he should accept him as a student no matter what.


    This student is different from the students in the academy, and can be regarded as a student entering the room. As the saying goes, a teacher for a day is a father for life. A young child has more than one teacher from the beginning of school until he passes the exam/fame.


    When you start learning, you are called a teacher, that is, a teacher of enlightenment. The karma teacher is the teacher who teaches the karma, also known as the scripture teacher. Those who teach their work must pass on their scriptures, and those who pass on their scriptures must educate their people, so a teacher is extremely important to a student. There are also human teachers and seat teachers, which will not be mentioned here.


    As for what Boss Chen said about "accepting students", the teacher is more like a combination of a professional teacher and a human teacher to students. He not only needs to teach them, but also teaches them the principles of life, which is different from treating ordinary students. The teacher has to cultivate it carefully, and it can be regarded as inheriting his mantle.


    Of course, students have to pay relatively, and they must truly be teachers for one day and fathers for life. This kind of relationship is not father and son, but victory is father and son, which is very popular among scholars today. The intertwined relationship among scholars in Shilin was laid on this basis, and gradually developed into a towering tree.


    Lin Miao laughed: "You really value him very much."


    Boss Chen sneered: "If I didn''t miss you, you would think that I have the time to meddle in your business. Don''t forget the October competition, if Qingyuan Academy loses again this year..."


    Boss Chen didn''t say what he said next, but Lin Miao understood what it meant.


    He sighed softly: "Everything is determined by God, if it is the case in reality, you can''t force it."


    Boss Chen repeatedly shook his head and stomped his feet and said, "Oh, I''m not talking about you. Your temperament is the most troublesome. You talk about the way of a gentleman with others, but others never follow you. Year after year They were all defeated by that villain, and now there are no good seedlings who are willing to come here to study, what should we do in the long run."


    "Brother Mo Zhi, you don''t understand."


    "Yes, yes, I don''t understand, I just know that if this continues, the reputation of the Qingyuan Academy will be lost in your hands."


    After finishing speaking, both of them were silent.


    Lin Miao looked tired, and Boss Chen seemed to know that he had made a slip of the tongue. He slowed down his tone, and said, "I can''t do anything about you. Anyway, I brought him for you. I''m really optimistic about this child. As for the rest, you can figure it out yourself."


    Lin Miao nodded: "Brother Mo Zhi, thank you in advance for my brother, but the matter of accepting apprentices will be discussed later. Don''t worry, he has entered the Qingyuan Academy, and I will teach him carefully."


    Boss Chen also understood where his heart knot was, and he didn''t force it. The two chatted for a while, and Boss Chen said goodbye.


    When Boss Chen came out of the wing, Xue Tingxiang had just returned.


    He was taken by Zhaifu to wander around the school, and he could see that the school was a bit old, and the paint on many buildings was peeling off, but every flower, plant and tree could be seen to be elegant.


    It''s like a place to study, unlike the Qinghe Academy, where there is a smell of copper everywhere.


    The two left hand in hand, Xue Tingxiang asked Boss Chen about Shu Xiu on the way.


    After asking about it, I found out that the repairs at Qingyuan Academy are very cheap, apart from the usual six rites of apprenticeship, only one tael of silver is needed a year.


    As for the usual etiquette of filial piety, it only depends on family background and intentions, and it doesn''t matter whether you give it or not. In addition, regarding the dormitory study, you can choose to do the dormitory study or not, but you must come to the morning study every day. As for meals, you can choose to bring your own rice, or you can choose to pay a certain amount of money every month and have it supplied by the school, both of which are debatable.


    It''s not like the Qinghe Academy that requires students to live in dormitories, just to charge the expensive accommodation and meals.


    According to Boss Chen, in the past, when the Qingyuan Academy had court subsidies, the annual tael of silver was not collected. It was only later that the subsidies were lost, and the gentlemen and handymen in the academy had to support their families before they were charged. Silver taels.


    Boss Chen sighed in his tone, and Xue Tingxiang also sighed in his heart.


    In his dream, ''Xue Tingxiang'' had been studying in the Qinghe Academy for three years. If he had known about the existence of this Qingyuan Academy, Zhao''er would not have been so busy for his training. It would not be so desperate to give up, and he would not waste three years in Qinghe Academy.


    Fortunately, the reality and the dream finally deviated, and the inexplicable Xue Tingxiang felt relieved.


    It was the time of spring plowing, and everyone was busy plowing the fields at the moment, and there were hardly any people on the road in the village. Occasionally, a woman who is doing work in the yard sees the person walking on the road from a distance, and only after a few fixed eyes does she recognize who it is.


    "Dog, where is this going?"


    Xue Tingxiang looked at the woman who was talking to him, and said with a smile: "Auntie, I''ll just walk around."


    It was just a casual sentence, the woman didn''t say anything more to him, she turned to get something in the room, the mother-in-law in the room asked her: "Third daughter-in-law, who were you talking to just now?"


    "The dog from the second bedroom of Xue Lianxing''s family. Hey, mother, it''s strange to say that I didn''t recognize him when he knocked on the door just now. I always feel like a different person."


    Her mother-in-law didn''t take it seriously: "What can you become, but you can''t change your body, I remember that kid has been ill recently."


    The daughter-in-law said: "I see, maybe I plan to go to the back mountain." There is a mountain behind Yuqing Village, where all the dead villagers in the village are buried, and the Xue family''s ancestral grave is also there.


    Hearing this, her mother-in-law sighed: "Don''t even mention it, it''s a pity for the second child of the Xing family. Both of them are gone. It''s a pity to leave a baby."


    This is just gossip between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and while they were talking, Xue Tingxiang had already brought Heizi into the back mountain.


    *


    Houshan is called Houshan, the mountain behind Yuqing Village.


    This mountain has no name, and the mountain is not high, but it is extremely deep. Anyway, so far, no villager has been able to walk back and forth from this deep mountain and old forest, most of them are activities outside the mountain.


    The Xue family''s ancestral grave was built on a small hill not far from the village. This Xue family is not only Xue Tingxiang''s family, but the ancestors of the entire Xue clan are buried here.


    On such a big hill, the lineage of the patriarch is in the middle, and the branches of the various families spread out. The lineage of Mr. Xue is at a place near the foot of the southwest mountain.


    Because the couple in the second room died young, and Xue Qingsong died in an accident, they were buried at the edge.


    When Xue Tingxiang arrived at the place, he began to pull the grass around the grave mound casually.


    There were not many weeds, they had just been cleared during the Chinese New Year, so he gathered the grass at random and placed it on the ground, taking advantage of the opportunity and sat down in front of the grave.


    A piece of mountainous land, two small graves, in front of each of the graves stood a small bluestone stele, on which the names of the second family and the couple were crudely written.


    This monument was originally recruited to find someone to make it and set it up.


    Nowadays, there are three kinds of people who cannot erect monuments after they die, those who die suddenly, die young, and have no heirs. Xue Qingsong belongs to violent death.


    Although everyone doesn''t say it, people who feel that they died suddenly have resentment after death, which is not conducive to the feng shui of the ancestor''s grave, so no monument is erected. I also want him to forget who he is, so as not to cause trouble if he is ignorant.


    But at the same time, there is another saying that after death without a monument, you will be a lonely ghost, who cannot stand the incense of future generations.


    At the beginning, the funeral of the second wife was arranged by the Xue family, and they acquiesced to follow the old customs. At that time, Xue Tingxiang was still young and didn''t understand these things at all, but Zhao''er understood.


    She talked to Xue''s family about erecting a monument, but was blocked, and Xue''s family took turns to persuade her. Later, Zhao''er didn''t tell anyone about it, and took the money to ask someone to make these two simple monuments and put them in front of the grave.


    It was too late when Xue''s family found out, and they couldn''t tear down the stele in front of the villagers.


    The villagers were also surprised when they saw the stele, but after thinking about how the Xue family''s second child died, they could understand it.


    Therefore, Xue Qingshan also gained a good reputation. He would rather risk his family''s feng shui to erect a monument for his brother.


    With various thoughts spinning in his mind, Xue Tingxiang took out a piece of cloth from his arms and slowly wiped the tombstone.


    The words on it were still written by him, and the strokes are immature, but after all, people can still tell what is written on it.


    ...


    Today is the anniversary of Mr. Zheng''s death. Zheng Hu brought his two sons to the grave to worship.


    The country people are not so particular, they just prepared some steamed buns, wine and meat, and the father and son burned the paper money in front of the grave, so let''s forget about it.


    Zheng Hu had always had a deep relationship with his father, so he was inevitably depressed, so he let his two sons go back first, while he sat in front of the grave, smoking a pipe and talking to his father.


    After talking for a while, he stood up and planned to go back.


    There was still work waiting to be done in the field, and Zheng Hu didn''t want to waste time, so he decided to take a shortcut. When he passed near Xue Lianxing''s ancestral grave, he suddenly heard someone crying.


    There are graves on the two nearby hills, one is of the surname Xue, and the other is of the surname Zheng. This kind of festive day is not like Zheng Hu''s on the anniversary of the death of an elder in the family, but no one would come to this kind of place.


    In particular, there may be a lot of dead people buried here, the trees are dense, and sometimes the sky and day are gloomy. Hearing this strange sound under such circumstances, Zheng Hu was so frightened that his hair stood on end and his legs went limp.


    After all, he had lived for decades. He listened intently and calmly, and it took him a while to understand that it was a boy''s voice.

 Chapter 242

    Widow Tao''s words embarrassed the two women outside.


    Wu Wanqiong''s face froze, but Osmanthus fragrans blushed immediately, and explained at a loss: "Sister-in-law, sister-in-law, don''t get me wrong, I, I..."


    At the end of the "I" I still said that sentence, and Osmanthus covered her face and ran away.


    Wu Wanqiong glanced at the main room, then at Osmanthus fragrans who had run away, and walked slowly back to the room.


    She sat in the room for a while, and went to the kitchen after her hands and feet were warmed up.


    In the kitchen, Osmanthus is cooking.


    The flames in the stove illuminated a large orange light in the dark kitchen. Osmanthus fragrans has a turban on her head, and there are faint beads of sweat on the tip of her nose.


    It was very warm in the kitchen, and a gust of heat rushed towards my face.


    When Osmanthus fragrans saw Wu Wanqiong, she trembled in fright, her thin shoulders slumped a little, and her head was buried deeply.


    Wu Wanqiong didn''t say anything, and went to the stove to light a fire.


    Osmanthus fragrans glanced at her secretly, and said in a low voice: "Sister-in-law, I didn''t really think about it... You have seen my man, he was sick from the womb, and he died within two years. My sister-in-law doesn''t want to see me, My aunt took pity on me for not being able to rely on me, so she said she would pick me up to serve her in Beijing. I didn''t think about it, I didn''t think about it..."


    Wu Wanqiong hummed lightly, unable to explain what it meant.


    "Sister-in-law, don''t worry, I''ll be leaving in two days, I..."


    Osmanthus fragrans began to cry, that kind of silent cry, with her shoulders trembling.


    Wu Wanqiong cried like this before, and she knew what kind of situation could make her cry like this, and she felt an inexplicable sense of sadness in her heart.


    "Actually, it doesn''t matter if you want to." She said softly.


    Osmanthus looked up at her in surprise, with tears still hanging on her pretty face: "Sister-in-law, you..."


    "He always needs a child. And I, married twice, have no children."


    Speaking of this, Wu Wanqiong couldn''t help but think of the baby boy in his memory, who gently pulled her and called her Aunt Wan.


    But at the same time, she remembered how the child grew up, looking at her with a pair of clear and black eyes, and said in a clear and cold voice, "Aunt Wan is not like this in my memory, don''t come here again, and I won''t call you You, Aunt Wan. I know what you want to do, you make me feel sick."


    Wu Wanqiong closed her eyes tightly, only to find that there were no tears in her eyes.


    She stood up and went back to the small room.


    Feeling very tired, she fell asleep and had a dream.


    In the dream, she was also so tired, as if there was a huge mountain on her body, and what she did most every day was to sit by the window and look at the plantain tree.


    Look at its yellow leaves, look at its green leaves, look at the snow outside, look at the rain outside, look at the wind outside.


    It was as if she had always been alone and no one else.


    "If there is an afterlife, I hope I will never run into you again!"


    ...


    She woke up in a jerk and looked out the window, only to find that it was already dark.


    She felt a little hungry, so she got up, put on her clothes, and went out of the room. As soon as she walked out, someone suddenly jumped out from the main room and stared at her: "What are you doing!"


    "I''m hungry, find something to eat."


    Widow Tao endured it, and then gave her a disgusted look: "There is leftovers on the stove, go and eat. Don''t disturb my son, he is reading a book."


    There was something wrong with her tone, Wu Wanqiong glanced at her subconsciously, followed her flickering gaze to the west wing, and suddenly realized something in her heart.


    In the evening, Tao Yitong never went back to his room. In fact, Wu Wanqiong is already used to it. Widow Tao has always been in charge of her sharing the same room with Tao Yi, thinking that too much sex will empty her son''s body.


    Another dawn was rising, and Wu Wanqiong thought that this day would be no different from the countless days in the past. But when Amber came to see her, her heart skipped a beat.


    "Amber, I want to get out of here."


    *


    Amber looked at his girl in surprise.


    At the same time, he also saw Widow Tao sticking out her head from behind the cotton curtain in the main room, he laughed and said, "Old lady, the house has brought some things for the girl."


    Only then did Widow Tao''s brows brighten, she came out and looked excitedly at the cart behind Amber, and even thoughtfully asked Wu Wanqiong to invite Amber in for tea.


    In fact, her meaning is very obvious, she just wants to arrange these annual gifts by herself.


    Amber knew it, and Wu Wanqiong knew it too, but no one cared about her.


    Wu Wanqiong led Amber into the house, and Amber asked: "Girl, why do you want to leave, but what happened?"


    "Nothing, I just want to leave."


    Amber fell silent.


    After that incident, Amber was completely exiled, saying that he was going to take care of Jiangxi''s business, but in fact, the Wu family had a mine there and asked Amber to watch it.


    It took two years to go there, and when Amber found a chance to go back to Beijing, he found out that the girl was already married.


    Naturally, life is not good, but now that he has lost power, he is not even as good as an ordinary servant, so there is nothing he can do about it. The most I can do is to find an opportunity to go back to Beijing every year, buy some things and send them to the Tao family, so that the Tao family can know that the Wu family still remembers the girl.


    "Amber, you probably don''t know. My father was arrested by Jin Yiwei. The Wu family is about to end. Widow Tao found a woman for Tao Yitong and asked her to give birth to a son for Tao Yitong. Amber, I''m tired. It''s not a place where I can spend the rest of my life safely, and I want to leave." Wu Wanqiong couldn''t hold back, and said what was in her heart.


    "girl!"


    When Amber returned to Beijing from Jiangxi, the first thing he did was to come to Tao''s house. He didn''t know what happened to Wu''s house.


    Seeing his girl''s haggard appearance, Amber''s heart ached unbearably, and he hated Aunt Feng and the Tao family who caused all this. But the most important thing now is to find out what happened.


    "Amber, my father committed a heinous crime. Back then, in order to protect Wu Wenxuan and Wu Qian, he even had people dig the embankment of the river section in Yucheng County, and donated 200,000 taels in the name of the Wu family. This is a serious crime of confiscating the family and exterminating the family. Although I am a married woman, if the matter has come to a conclusion, the Tao family will definitely divorce me and send me back in order to clear the relationship."


    "Girl, this old slave just came back from Jiangxi, and I don''t know what happened yet. Don''t worry, wait for this old slave to find out."


    *


    As a group of criminal officials headed by Xiang Yu entered Beijing, it became an urgent matter to put the case on the agenda.


    At the very least, before the new year, we need to find out the clues, otherwise, I am afraid that this year will be difficult for everyone.


    According to the rules, when a criminal enters the capital, his identity must be checked first.


    Several presiding judges were on the spot, and after confirming that they were correct, these people were sent to the prison of the Ministry of Criminal Justice.


    "This is an extraordinary period. I hope Lord Yin will pay more attention to it so as not to cause complications." Before leaving, Xue Tingxiang said to Yin Nian.


    Yin Nian is the minister of the Ministry of Justice, known for his hot temper, but he is a loyal minister, and he always takes the greatest pleasure in being against Mr. Wu Ge.


    This is also the reason why after all kinds of mediation, it was decided to lock up all the criminals in the Ministry of Punishment.


    Yin Nian was eager to overthrow Mr. Wu Ge, so naturally he would not let things go wrong, and Xue Tingxiang''s words were just superfluous.


    In the end is young.


    Dali Temple Qing Wang Chongyao sighed in his heart, but on the surface he smiled and said nothing.


    "Master Xue, don''t worry, the old man just specifically explained that not a single mosquito will be let in." Yin Nian waved his palm and smiled, his face was flushed, as if he had encountered some happy event.


    After a few more pleasantries, they dispersed.


    *


    In the prison of the Ministry of Criminal Justice, there is no sunshine all year round, so the only way to light it is by candlelight.


    At the end of the passage, there are more than a dozen separate cells, which are specially used to detain serious criminals, and Xiang Yu is locked here.


    As for the others, Xiang Yu didn''t know where they were in charge, since he entered here he was alone.


    In fact, he wasn''t the only one, there were other people around him. He couldn''t see each other, but he could hear some strange voices.


    It seems to be crying, and it seems to be laughing, and some can sing ditties, crazy.


    Xiang Yu has been an official for many years, and he knows what this is. They are all people who have been locked up for too long and have gone crazy.


    It was already late at night, but Xiang Yu didn''t feel sleepy at all.


    He thought that maybe starting tomorrow, they would be interrogated. How would they be interrogated? I heard that the people from Jinyiwei were specially dispatched this time. His Majesty originally planned to let the people from Beizhen Fusi come for trial, but the courtiers resisted. Up to now, only Wu Ge has been locked in the imperial prison.


    Elder Wu Ge definitely did not admit it, so he brought them for trial. As one of the culprits, it is the best result for him to survive this time.


    A sound of footsteps came from a distance, and after a while, Xiang Yuan saw two jailers approaching the cage.


    They didn''t speak to him, just looked at him, checked the lock on the gate of the fence, and then turned and left.


    The night was getting deeper and deeper, and Xiang Yu couldn''t hold on any longer. He looked at the pile of straw behind him, and finally lay down.


    It was the twelfth lunar month of winter, the coldest time of the year, and the clothes on his body were not enough to keep out the cold.


    He moved, and moved again, and finally he got into the straw pile, and he was a little warmer.


    Half asleep and half awake, he heard the door lock ringing.


    ...


    A few oil lamps placed in the recesses of the wall are enough to illuminate the place brightly.


    There was wine and meat on the square wooden table, but the jailers were not in the mood to eat or drink at this moment, but looked at the man sitting in front of the table anxiously.


    A very frail man, but tall and handsome.


    He was wearing a black hooded crane cloak, with only the hood hanging down, revealing a handsome face like a crowned jade.


    When Xue Tingxiang appeared before, everyone was taken aback by him. I don''t know how he got in, and it''s because he doesn''t sleep at night with his status, and why he came to the prison of the Ministry of Criminal Justice.


    "I brought some wine and meat to drive you away from the cold." Xue Tingxiang explained the purpose of coming without them asking.


    No one objected to these, but this person just sat down and refused to leave, and even said that he wanted to have a drink with everyone.


    In fact, by this time, the guards had almost understood what Mr. Xue was here for, and they were probably worried about the criminals. Some thought it was nothing, while others were on pins and needles.


    "What are you doing in a daze? Are you still being polite to me? It''s also because I came here a bit abruptly, and I felt uneasy at home, so I came to take a look. You know, His Majesty attaches great importance to this case, and I am under a lot of pressure " Xue Tingxiang said with a wry smile.


    Most of people''s mutual understanding starts with complaints. Or you complain, and he listens, or listens, and he feels touched.


    A jailer also said: "That''s right, the higher-ups have ordered us to keep an eye on these people. In the past, two people watched the entire cell at night, but now these brothers are sent to patrol once an hour. Don''t worry, my lord, there will be no mistakes."


    "It''s good that there are no mistakes, but the trial of this case can''t be completed in a day or two. I don''t know when the trial will end. You will have to work hard."


    "Adults, don''t work hard, little ones don''t work hard."


    Just like this, you come and go, and the pawns sit at the same table with the adults and drink wine.


    The jailers stayed in this kind of place for many years, and they were greedy for alcohol, and the wine that Xue Tingxiang brought was good, so all the alcoholics committed crimes. But I also know that I can''t get drunk at this kind of time. Most of them eat vegetables, but I drink less wine. I take a sip after a while, but Xue Tingxiang drank a lot.


    Two jailers were fidgeting, they drank two glasses with them, stood up and said, "Boss, it''s almost time, let''s go patrol."


    The head jailer was the main force accompanying Xue Tingxiang, and he had already drunk a lot of wine, so he was bleary-eyed. Hearing this, he scolded with a smile: "Why are you so active now, I urged you not to go before." But he didn''t stop it.


    The jailer took a peek at Xue Tingxiang, quickly picked up the key from the wall, and was about to leave when he was suddenly stopped by a voice.


    "Wait a minute, why do I hear voices inside?"


    Everyone was taken aback by what he said, and then the chief jailer smiled and said, "Some people here have been imprisoned for many years, and this place is a bit abnormal." He pointed to his head.


    "Oh, so that''s the case. It''s still not right. I heard something wrong with the voice." As he said that, Xue Tingxiang stood up first and walked inside.


    ...


    What happened next was completely beyond the expectations of these jailers.


    After they entered, they found that the doors of some prisoners had been opened, and a group of demons danced wildly inside.


    Probably these people are really crazy, they ran into other cells to attack the prisoners inside. And they beat anyone they saw, and when they saw someone rushing in from outside, they surrounded them.


    It is a rare prison riot.


    Only then did the guards realize that they forgot to take their knives. Fortunately, several of Xue Tingxiang''s entourage had good fists and kicks, and they called the soldiers guarding the prison from outside to suppress the riot.


    The casualties were heavy!


    Most of the dead were inmates in the cells. The only thing to be thankful for was that after Xue Tingxiang and others came in, they went straight to the cells of several repeat offenders. The conditions of these high-ranking criminals were miserable. Was strangled to death.


    Xiang Yu was almost strangled to death, almost not saved.

 Chapter 243

    Without Mrs. Zhao''s words, Mrs. Sun said: "Zhao''er, it''s not the fourth aunt talking about you, you girl likes to make a fuss. Could it be that you deliberately torment us all, even if you don''t like it..."


    Before she finished speaking, she was pulled by the man Xue Qinghuai.


    "Okay, let''s say a few words less, Zhao''er is not ignorant, besides, the dog is already sick, so it''s better to find a doctor to take a look, and the family can rest assured."


    "I said less and said less, and I didn''t say anything..."


    "You also said..."


    The couple went out while chatting and tugging. The eldest aunt Yang smiled at Zhao''er before saying to her mother-in-law: "Mother, let''s go too, let the dog rest well."


    Mrs. Zhao glanced at the dog on the kang, snorted coldly, turned her head and left. Just from her posture, it can be seen that she is very angry.


    In fact, it is true. The Xue family can''t be called a rich family. It costs at least one or two hundred dollars to invite a doctor from the town. How many times can the Xue family''s current wealth be tossed? ! In particular, the doctor''s pulse-taking words just confirmed Zhao''s guess that Xue Gouzi was suspected of deliberately pretending to be ill, and it was only strange that she was happy.


    Let Mrs. Zhao see that the two little boys in the second room are deliberately torturing the family, but since the eldest daughter-in-law has come forward to persuade her, Mrs. Zhao will naturally not say more.


    Generally speaking, among the three daughters-in-law of the Xue family, Yang is the one who wins Zhao''s heart the most. The eldest has an unusual status, and Zhao is willing to show the eldest daughter-in-law some face.


    After Mrs. Zhao and Mrs. Yang left, only the third uncle Xue Qingbai and the third aunt Zhou were left in the house. The two were not used to talking much, and they didn''t stay long, Zhao''er thought that the third uncle had worked hard just now, so he sent the two of them out with a smile.


    When he turned his head and came back, he saw Xue Gouzi lying on the kang with his eyes open, his eyes staring blankly, as if he had lost his mind.


    She didn''t think much about it, she came to the side of the kang and patted his head: "Dog, don''t think too much, they don''t believe that you are sick and have a headache, sister believes you. Take care of your illness and don''t think about it anymore. "


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her, his mouth was dry and his throat was tight: "Zhaoer..."


    "What''s wrong? Is there something uncomfortable?"


    Feeling these undelicate but very warm hands touching his head and face, Xue Gouzi had a sense of reality and gratitude that he had never had before.


    She wasn''t dead, and neither was he.


    Although he didn''t like some of her daily actions, and even hated her as his child bride-in-law, but he never thought of letting her die, so how could he be the one who killed his wife and son.


    But Xue Gouzi was still very flustered, because that dream was too real. After going through that dream for more than seventy years, it seemed that he had also experienced that life. But after waking up from the dream, the vicissitudes of life have changed, and he dare not look back.


    "Zhaoer..."


    "Why!"


    "Zhaoer..."


    "Um."


    "Zhaoer..."


    A hot stream suddenly flowed out unconsciously from the dry eye sockets.


    This scared Zhao''er quite a bit, and he didn''t care to think that the little man would never call her that, let alone let himself get close to him. He hugged his head into his arms and asked him anxiously up.


    Seeing that he didn''t speak, but just buried himself in his arms and cried, Zhao''er couldn''t help but wonder if those people made him think too much just now. According to Zhao''er, the little man has a lot of things on his mind, and he never speaks out, otherwise he wouldn''t have this serious illness.


    She patted him on the back, hugged him like she did when she was a child, and comforted him: "Don''t be afraid, dog, even if they don''t send you to study, sister will send you there, and sister will send you even if she sells everything." go."


    *


    After all, Xue Gouzi had just recovered from a serious illness, and after experiencing such an incident, he fell asleep after drinking some porridge for dinner.


    Zhao''er covered him with a quilt before tidying up the basket she had just brought back.


    The back basket is full of needlework and cloth, which are rags that Zhao''er bought in the embroidery workshop in the town. The reason why I started this business was because I used to recruit children to carry the finished purses for the women in the village to sell in the embroidery workshop.


    There is no adult in the second room. Although the family is in charge of eating, after all, the pen, ink, paper and inkstone used by Xue Gouzi to study, as well as the clothes, bedding and some odds and ends of the two people on weekdays, etc., all need money.


    Wanting to ask for money from Mrs. Zhao is more expensive than ascending to the sky, and although the uncle Xue Qingshan is determined to treat his nephew as if he were his own, but Zhao''er usually only sees the big family''s child with greasy lips, and Xue Juncai never Lack of pens, ink, paper and inkstones. In contrast, the little man was as thin as a bamboo pole, and he picked up a bald pen that Xue Qingshan didn''t use back then.


    Zhao''er has always been a strong one, she couldn''t bear to wrong the little man, so she could only find money everywhere by herself. There was no opportunity to make money in the countryside, so she went to the town to look around, as long as it was within her power and did not require capital, she would try to do it.


    In the past few years, she has collected vegetables from the village and sold them in the town, picked up work from the embroidery workshop and assigned them to women with good craftsmanship in the village, and usually went to the mountains to find mountain products to sell.


    And now this business has been done several times, Zhao''er has a sweet mouth and a thick face, the boss of the embroidery workshop can''t hold her back, so he sells the unwanted rags to her in bags. She took it back, sorted and cut it, and then asked the women in the village to help make purses and other things, and she could earn a lot of money by reselling them in the embroidery workshop. It is much better than before just receiving the purses made by others, and earning a penny for a few purses.


    If he hadn''t made some money by doing this business, he didn''t know when Xue Gouzi would recover from his serious illness. Mrs. Zhao would have given up the money to get the medicine for a long time ago, and Zhao''er used his own money to catch the medicines later. I still have to hide it, for fear that other members of the Xue family will find out.


    Thinking of this, the corners of Zhao''er''s mouth tightened.


    She has always been agile in her hands and feet, and seeing that she picked out some usable cloth heads, she stopped tossing about. I chose clean ones and spread them out on a square table, and cut these strangely shaped cloth heads into a uniform shape with scissors.


    This is Zhao''er''s own calculation based on how much fabric is needed to make a purse, no more and no less, she will not take out these rags for people to see.


    It is not easy for country people to earn a penny. If someone finds out, the designated way to earn money will be robbed within a few days.


    Zhao''er also wants to use this to make money for the little man to go to the town to study, so that she can only go to see Xue Jun, and her little man can also go. Zhao''er has always been prepared with both hands when doing things, and she knows in her heart that the big house will never let such a good thing happen to the little man.


    It is better to ask for others than to ask for yourself, and it is better to rely on yourself than to rely on mountains and rivers.


    Zhao''er has understood this truth since she was seven years old when she was going to be exchanged for money by her grandmother and father.


    After Zhao''er finished what she was doing, seeing the little man was fast asleep, and seeing that it was already dark outside, she wrapped the tidy cloth in something, and hurried out with it.


    Under the night, Yuqing Village was exceptionally peaceful, and the light silver moonlight shone on the trails in the village. Although the road was still unclear, it was not completely dark after all.


    Zhao''er walked all the way and didn''t even startle a dog.


    This is not an ability that ordinary people can have. You must know that in places like the countryside, almost every household has a dog. Dogs are very alert at night, and whenever someone walks past the door, they bark wildly. Even if a petty thief came to the door, he would have been scared away by the dog long ago.


    Zhao''er also developed this ability after walking a lot at night.


    Of course, it was also related to the sunspot following her legs.


    Heizi is a country dog, but it is stronger and bigger than ordinary dogs. There are not many dogs in Yuqing Village that can beat Heizi, and it is because of Heizi that Zhao''er dares to walk alone at night.


    She went all the way to a family''s house with ease, and it was strange that the other party knew that she would come at this time and left the door open for her. As soon as she entered the door, the family''s dog rushed over. Before she could reach her, a black shadow rushed over and threw the other person to the ground. The dog was so frightened that it fell on the ground and stopped barking.


    Zhao''er gloated at the side: "I don''t have a long memory!"


    At this time, a person came out of the house, and he smiled as he walked up to the front: "This black man is here to bully our family Wangcai again, Zhao''er, come in and sit down."


    "Aunt Osmanthus, I won''t go in, I''m still rushing back."


    Zhao''er handed over the things in his hands to the visitor, took some things from the other person, wrapped them in cloth, and then went to the next household.


    Zhao''er went to five families.


    She is anxious to make money, but there are few women in the village who are good at needlework, and she needs to find someone who is tight-lipped and reliable. shit money.


    The reason why she said that was because when she collected vegetables from the village and sold them in the town, she was publicized by people who didn''t know the door, causing her to be pointed at all day long. She was not afraid of being pointed out, but these things finally reached the ears of the little man, and some villagers made fun of him, which caused a lot of conflicts between her and the little man. And after that, she won''t receive any vegetables in the village, even if someone sells them to her, it will be at a high price.


    In the end, she had no choice but to go to other villages to collect vegetables. It was not a waste of time. Since then, Zhaoer has developed a memory.


    When Zhao''er came home, Xue Gouzi on the kang was still sleeping soundly.


    She went to get some water to wash her face and wipe her hands before getting on the kang. The second room only had this kang, and she had slept with Xue Gouzi since she was a child, and she was used to it.


    Heizi slept under the kang, just now when he invited his son into the house, he slid in at his feet and chose a random place to lie down. It seems that the dog''s eyes have been closed, but in fact the two ears are standing up, and they move from time to time.


    Before Zhao''er lay down, she bullied herself over to look at the little man, and touched his forehead, before falling asleep in peace.


    *


    Compared with the second room because of the sparse population, there are only two rooms and one kang, the treatment of the first room is obviously much better. The entire three east rooms were occupied by the big room, and at this time in the east room, Mrs. Yang was talking to Xue Qingshan.


    Yang narrated what happened during the day, Xue Qingshan immediately frowned after listening.


    He was not at home during the day, so naturally he didn''t know what happened at home. Nowadays, some respectable families will invite scholars to preside over their weddings and funerals, but where rural families can afford to hire scholars, some will invite children to make up the number.


    No matter how they are all scholars, they are different from ordinary people.


    Today, Xue Qingshan was invited by a family in a nearby village to have a wedding. It doesn''t matter what the etiquette is.

 Chapter 244

    In the spacious compartment, Xue Tingshan draped a black crane cloak and sat cross-legged on the blue carpet.


    There is a gilt smoker cage in one corner of the carriage, and the best silver charcoal is burned inside, making the whole carriage warm.


    He held on to the car curtain with one hand, his wide black sleeves drooped down, with a smile in his eyes, and a hint of doubt: "Who are you?"


    Amber lowered his eyes halfway: "Your Excellency should have seen this old man in Dinghai City..."


    "If you talk about Ding Haicheng, I will meet many people. I don''t know you. If you have nothing to do, back away and don''t block my way." Xue Tingxiang interrupted him.


    "grown ups¡­¡­"


    "Have you heard that? Leave quickly. My lord is the official of the imperial court. If you are abrupt again, I will send you to the Wucheng Bingma Division."


    "Master Xue, the old man is a servant of the Wu family, and he once accompanied the girl to meet the lord." As a last resort, Amber didn''t care about pretending to be sophisticated, so he could only report his family in a hurry.


    "The Wu family, but the old Wu family of Wu Ge? What''s the matter with you?" Xue Tingxiang''s eyes fell on him again.


    "It''s not convenient to talk here, I wonder if my lord can find a place to talk with the old man alone." Amber said.


    He expected that Xue Tingxiang would not agree easily, but unexpectedly, the other party casually raised his hand and pointed to a teahouse not far away, saying: "That''s where it is."


    The two entered the teahouse one after another and chose a private room to sit down.


    Xue Tingxiang took a sip of the fragrant tea and said, "If you have something to do, just tell me. I don''t have much time to spend with you."


    "My lord, it''s because of my master''s business."


    "If you''re here to intercede for Mr. Wu Ge, you''d better not open your mouth. Firstly, we don''t know each other well, and secondly, this case is not under the jurisdiction of this official."


    "The old man wants to ask your lord for something, and I hope your lord can help my girl."


    Xue Tingxiang looked at him with raised eyebrows, and suddenly laughed, full of sarcasm and ridicule: "You Wu family members are really ridiculous, that''s how you usually ask for help?"


    He ignored Amber''s ugly face, and his face turned cold: "I made it very clear before, firstly, we are not familiar with each other, and secondly, this case is not under the authority''s trial now. To put it bluntly, your Wu family has a relationship with me. Resentment, why should I help your Wu family."


    "Master Xue..."


    Xue Tingxiang twitched the corners of his mouth: "You Wu family, don''t you forget what you did?"


    "Master Xue..."


    He stood up and put on his hood: "I''ve finished my tea, and I''ve finished what I need to say. I think Steward Wu is a smart man, so don''t take it upon yourself."


    It has brought shame on itself!


    If there were other ways, Amber would not come to Xue Tingxiang, but there was no other way.


    After Amber left that day, he went to Wu''s house.


    But the Wu family is now under strict guard by people from Jinyiwei, who are not allowed to enter or leave. Amber looked at it from a distance for a long time, and had no choice but to turn around and leave.


    However, after staying away from the capital for the past few years, he is no longer the same as before. He tried to find out some inside information from the disciples of Mr. Wu Ge, but no one dared to see him.


    In the past few days, when he heard that the power of interrogation was transferred to Jin Yiwei, Amber knew that the Wu family was completely finished this time.


    The Wu family can be finished, but the girl can''t be finished, especially when he went to the Tao''s house early this morning, just in time to meet the widow Tao who made Tao Yi divorce Wu Wanqiong.


    He was furious, and even quarreled with Widow Tao, but he was no match for that old shrew.


    In desperation, he finally decided to implement the previous idea.


    It''s a pity that it was self-defeating, because he couldn''t really bow his head for a while, he actually offended Xue Tingxiang.


    As soon as Xue Tingxiang walked to the door, he heard a plop, and turned his head to look, but it was Amber who knelt down.


    "If the younger one''s previous attitude made Mr. Xue unhappy, please don''t tell the younger one. The younger one is sincerely begging Mr. Xue. The younger one knows that the past is unbearable, so please Mr. Xue don''t remember the villain. However, don¡¯t be familiar with the little ones.¡±


    Xue Tingxiang looked at him with dark eyes.


    As if seeing that the other party was a little shaken, Amber said: "My master has always acted cautiously. Even with his disciples, he rarely communicated with letters. Occasionally, letters were written by others. You judge Xiang Rong, and you basically judge him. Nothing, even if he himself pleaded guilty, there is no evidence to prove that it was my lord who instigated it. And my lord was the elder of the two dynasties, and was highly valued by the Tai/zu. If you don¡¯t care about him at all, at most you¡¯ll be dismissed from office to serve the people.¡±


    Xue Tingxiang''s eyes became interested, he returned to the table and sat down, looked at Amber: "If I''m not mistaken, you are the steward of the Wu family, and you are deeply trusted by Wu Ge, just because you caused a disaster before. , was neglected. What? You are resentful for being neglected, so you want to take revenge on the master?"


    Amber''s face darkened in embarrassment: "Master Xue can say anything, but the younger one came here today just to make a deal with Master Xue. As long as the adult can keep my girl safe, the younger one will offer something. Things are enough to make adults wish for things come true.¡±


    Xue Tingxiang laughed inexplicably, and his eyes were full of indifference: "You want to protect Wu Wanqiong? My wife was attacked by pirates that day, and you and Wu Wanqiong got it out of it, right? Why do you think I will protect an enemy?"


    "Don''t you want Wu Ge to die of old age?" Amber asked anxiously.


    "It doesn''t matter if I think about it or not, what does it have to do with you?" Xue Tingxiang stood up and looked at him coldly, "The tree falls and the monkeys scatter. I don''t care about a person who is destined to end badly." .¡±


    Amber was silent for a while, and said: "The girl is just a woman, and she is not doing well now. If Mr. Xue has any complaints in his heart, he can directly pour it on the little one. What happened that day is also from my hands, and it has nothing to do with the girl. Great relationship."


    "I actually can''t figure it out. People in the world have the instinct to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages. You are good. You take all the crimes on yourself. It is rare for a slave to do something like you. Could it be that Wu Wanqiong is actually yours?" Daughter, that''s why you take care of her so hard?"


    Amber''s face froze for a moment: "Master Xue is a scholar, knowledgeable and reasonable, it''s better not to guess rashly, it will make you lose your demeanor and tolerance."


    "I was born in the countryside, so I don''t have any bearing, but I''m very curious about this matter." Xue Tingxiang smiled, and glanced at him: "I''m not afraid to tell you, I''m small-minded and love to hold grudges, but I don''t What habit of not fussing with women, if Butler Wu has no reason to convince me, then please redeem me, I can''t agree."


    After a suffocating silence, Amber said: "The girl is actually born of my wife and my little one."


    Xue Tingxiang''s eyes lit up immediately, it had nothing to do with anything else, but it was beyond his imagination.


    In fact, he has been speculating about it based on the memory of that dream, but he never expected such a bloody thing to happen.


    "... Madam was not favored by the master because of her weak body, and there were many aunts in the back house of the master, Madam was always depressed... Later..."


    In fact, no matter how you cover it up, you can''t hide that Amber is a despicable person.


    He paid attention to Mrs. Wu because he hated Mr. Wu Ge, and even some accidents that happened afterwards were actually deliberately arranged by him, out of a dirty mentality that could not be shown to others.


    The biggest insult to a man is nothing more than his wife being prostituted. He approached with such thoughts, but accidentally fell into it. Especially after Mrs. Wu accidentally found out that it was not Wu Ge Lao but Wu An that night, she was so angry that she collapsed even faster, and finally passed away.


    All of this has become a disease in Amber''s heart, a disease that cannot be cured.


    In fact, he died a long time ago on the day when Mrs. Wu was gone, and the reason why he survived was nothing more than because of Wu Wanqiong.


    "Then Wu Ge has been childless for many years, and it is also because of you?" Xue Tingxiang had suspected this matter a long time ago, and he had doubts in that dream, but at that time he hated Wu Ge deeply, so naturally he didn''t Will take care of it.


    Amber froze for a moment, then nodded: "The little one is a servant, and the wife is just a girl. A child without a mother has no shelter. If the father doesn''t care, life will be extremely difficult." So he borrowed With Wu Ge''s trust, he has been drugging his tea or meals, so Wu Ge has nothing to do for many years.


    "Originally, this official would not agree to you, but the story you told made me feel good. I would like to hear your so-called method to put Mr. Wu Ge to death."


    *


    Xiang Yu recruited.


    Du Jipeng came to Xue Tingxiang immediately.


    As Xue Tingxiang thought before, although Xiang Yu could come out and identify Wu Ge Lao, but there is no direct evidence to prove that Wu Ge Lao was instigated.


    Xue Tingxiang whispered something to Du Jipeng, and Du Jipeng immediately took people to the Wu residence.


    In fact, the Wu Mansion had been taken inside and out many times as early as when Mr. Wu Ge was taken into custody. Now, except for some servants, women and children, there is no one who can manage the house.


    Aunt Feng is a woman after all, she has long been frightened by the wolf-like Jin Yiwei. Everyone in the mansion was in panic, for fear that one day the imperial decree would be issued, and they would be beheaded or sold.


    Jin Yiwei came to the door again, causing them a wave of fear, but Jin Yiwei didn''t stay for long, took his things and left.


    The things are hidden in a rockery in Wu Wanqiong''s courtyard. It is Amber who has followed Mr. Wu Gel for many years and recorded the things done by his hands.


    As for who and what happened on a certain day and a certain month, of course, there are also a few letters that should be destroyed but were hidden by Amber.


    With these things, it is enough for Wu Ge to die of old age countless times.


    After the things were handed in, the government and the public were shocked.


    However, this thing was not publicized by Emperor Jiacheng. It was only publicized how Wu Ge Lao ordered Xiang Yu to dig the embankment of the river in Yucheng County, how he conspired to return to the court, and the Wu family smuggled along the coast. information.


    This information alone is enough to shock people.


    The eighteen years of Jiacheng was destined to be a precarious year, and the end of the eighteen years of Jiacheng also ended with bloody killings.


    Wu Gelao and Xiang Yu and other officials involved in the case were all sentenced to beheaded and their family property confiscated. Other officials involved in relatively minor cases were dismissed from office as civilians, or exiled into the army.


    On the 20th day of the twelfth lunar month, the vegetable market was overcrowded, and they all came to see the beheading.


    With an order, the knife fell to the head, which also created the practice that since the establishment of the Dachang Dynasty, high-ranking officials are still civil servants who do not deserve to die.


    Since it''s a whole family of copying and beheading, even young and old will not let it go.


    Sure enough, Tao Yitong divorced Wu Wanqiong before the emperor ordered him to come down, and even took the initiative to send him to Jinyiwei. Not to mention how his behavior was ridiculed by others, since Wu Wanqiong has been divorced, she is no longer the wife of the Tao family, but a daughter of the Wu family.


    She was also in the ranks of being copied and beheaded this time, but no one knew that she had already been replaced.


    Just when the vegetable market was overcrowded, a green curtained car quietly drove out of the capital.


    Their direction may be Jiangxi, maybe Jiangnan, but who knows? Destined not to cause any waves.


    *


    The 19th year of Jiacheng is destined to be a year full of new atmosphere.


    With Henan and other places, as well as the faction of Wu faction in the middle of the court falling, many positions were naturally vacated. Emperor Jiacheng promoted many officials, and there was a new atmosphere in the court.


    And because Emperor Jiacheng was holding the booklet copied from the Wu family, no one knew what was written in it or what else it contained. Therefore, all officials who had contacts with the Wu family in the past are in danger.


    When everything was at a standstill, Emperor Jiacheng naturally had the power in his hands, and the whole court was like his arms and fingers, and it was indescribably smooth.


    Taking this opportunity, the cabinet has also changed.


    With Elder Wu Ge being copied and beheaded by everyone, Elder Xu Ge, who was in the position of chief assistant, was finally able to retire.


    In fact, at his age, he should have retired a long time ago, especially in the past two years because he has been forgetful, and the number of times he entered the palace and came to the cabinet can be counted on the fingers.


    The reason why Emperor Jiacheng didn''t allow him to retire was just to occupy the position of chief assistant.


    There were originally eight people in the cabinet, but now two people have gone down, and they are still the positions of first and second assistants. On the surface, everyone is no different from ordinary people, but in fact they are already ready to move.


    Emperor Jiacheng''s arrangement completely dispelled this eagerness to move.


    He proposed Ye Ju, the former inspector of Zhejiang Province, and Lin Miao, the left servant of the Ministry of rites, to join the cabinet, and Tan Liang and Tan Ge Lao as the chief assistant.


    After the order was issued, there was an uproar in the court, but it was not surprising that Emperor Jiacheng would do this.


    How could such an autocratic emperor give up the position of head and assistant to talented people. Of course, it doesn''t mean that Tan Liang has no talent, but Tan Liang is only a few years younger than Xu Ge, and he is still in his seventies now. What he can do at this age is just occupying a position.


    In fact, there are already signs of Emperor Jiacheng''s various arrangements. Ye Ju is a person of Emperor Jiacheng and a capable minister. Because of insufficient qualifications, he was first released to preside over rural examinations in various places to accumulate contacts for him, and then he was placed in Zhejiang, which is a crucial place. .


    Now that the gold plating is back, it is time to join the cabinet.


    It was Lin Miao''s entry into the cabinet that made many people in the court a little confused.


    Because this person has always been unknown, even after entering the Imperial Academy, he was promoted to be a member of Zhongshusheren, and later promoted to a bachelor of servants, and then became the right servant of the Ministry of Rites.


    This is indeed the route for the courtiers to enter the cabinet, but there are not no courtiers who are superior to him in the court, so why is it his turn.


    Only those Xu people understand that this person''s entry into the cabinet is probably due to the admission of two good students.


    A Chen Jian, obviously the successor of Mr. Xu Ge, but his qualifications and age are not enough, he is still serving as a bachelor in the Imperial Academy for the time being, teaching several princes to read.


    It is an expensive job, and after a long time, it is conceivable to join the cabinet.


    A Xue Tingxiang. Although the teacher and the student have not seen each other since entering the imperial court, but this kind of no contact is obviously just for show, who knows what''s going on inside.


    In terms of status, these two are masters and apprentices.


    This Xue Tingxiang is terrible, Zhejiang Pingchao Kaifu, but in less than ten years, he sat on the high position of Cong Yipin. On this trip back to Beijing, he was awarded the title of Prince Shao Fu, and went to Henan to provide disaster relief, which directly pulled down all the Wu clan. There are hundreds of military officials in North Korea, Chinese and Chinese, but no one else has such skills.


    Such a pillar of the country, coupled with its aura of six yuan and first rank, will be an ironclad cabinet minister in the future, and a person with a long history.


    Therefore, it is conceivable that Lin Miao will join the cabinet.


    No matter how the people below guessed, all in all, the court has undergone a new reshuffle. After the reshuffle, no one knows what will happen to the court.


    On this occasion, Xue Tingxiang also had a real shortage and was appointed as the right servant of the household department.


    His qualifications and even his merits are enough.


    But the 30-year-old Hubu hall official? It is also a new example.


    Xue Tingxiang once again made a big splash, all of which will not be listed in detail for the time being.


    *


    To Zhao''er, whether a man gets promoted or not doesn''t seem to make any difference to her.


    She is now facing a problem, that is moving.


    The matter of moving house may seem inconspicuous, but in fact there are too many things to take care of inside and out. In addition, Xue Tingxiang is going to be promoted and has to set up a bar.


    These are all matters, all on her head.


    After being busy for more than half a month, these matters were finally settled, and the whole family moved to Xue''s house near Donghuamen.


    After all, it is the house given by the emperor, how could it be bad.


    It seems that there are only three entrances, but because there is a big garden, it is not smaller than those houses with five entrances. Before the handover, they were all newly repaired, brand new, with carved beams and painted buildings, which makes people feel at ease.


    The most important thing is the location.


    Now Xue Tingxiang has a real shortage and has to go to court every day. If it was changed to the place where I lived before, it is estimated that I would get up at the third watch, but now it starts at the fifth watch, and I am not afraid of being late at all.


    It was morning light outside, and Xue Tingxiang was still lying on the couch.


    "Can''t you get up? It''s too late to get up, and it''s time to be named by the censor who supervises Chaoyi, so it would be embarrassing."


    Zhao''er was very tired.


    Raising a man is no different from raising a child. He is very serious on weekdays, but when he is not serious, he is more tiring than a child.


    It''s not that she wants to go to court, making herself more tired than him, waking up on time every day, and then telling this living ancestor to get up and go to court.


    In fact, Xue Tingxiang has not been too late after such a long time, but Zhao''er blamed it on her hard work, so she naturally feels a heavy responsibility.


    Xue Tingxiang rubbed her face on her chest, eyes still closed: "Sleep a little longer, I didn''t sleep until midnight last night."


    "You also know that you didn''t go to bed until midnight, who made you make trouble so late yesterday." Mentioning this, Zhao''er was angry and hated, and while rubbing his waist, he pushed him away.


    He just rolled in the quilt and continued to fall asleep, without any awareness of being a father, a husband, or a courtier.


    Zhao''er put on her clothes and looked back at the man in the mattress helplessly.


    She raised her voice to tell the maids to prepare water, and when the kettles and handkerchiefs were brought in, she waved them back, twisted the handkerchief, and came over to wipe Xue Tingxiang''s face and body.


    Wipe hard.


    After wiping, he took out his coat and put it on for him.


    This guy didn''t feel guilty at all, with his eyes closed, he still knew that he should raise his legs and hands, and he should raise his hands. After finishing it with great difficulty, Zhao''er was also very tired, so she slapped him on the waist and buttocks.


    "Get up quickly, or I''ll call Ning Ning later and make you ashamed to be a father." After saying that, Zhao''er turned his back and went to wash up.


    By the time she finished washing, the man had already woken up, yawning like he was still asleep.


    "What have you been doing these days? I always feel that you seem to be very tired. Your Majesty asked you to work as a coolie?"


    Zhao''er was just a joke, but it actually hit her mark.


    Xue Tingxiang was dragged to work as a coolie.

 Chapter 245

    Xue Gouzi''s voice was very soft, as if the wind would blow away.


    Xue Cuiping shook her head suddenly, "It wasn''t your uncle who asked me to come, I came here by myself, I just thought..."


    The next words were interrupted by Xue Gouzi again.


    He showed a shy smile, as if he breathed a sigh of relief: "Uncle didn''t ask you to come. You almost scared me to death, aunt. I thought that uncle only loved handsome brother and not me. Uncle obviously said the most It hurts me."


    From then on, Xue Cuiping couldn''t continue her words, and could only say a few words in a hurry without knowing why, then lifted the curtain and went out.


    The room was very quiet, the eyes of the young man on the kang darkened, and there was a trace of vicissitudes that did not match his age.


    Looking at such a little man, Zhao''er was afraid to go forward. It took a while to come over, sitting on the edge of the kang, hesitantly said: "Dog, are you okay?"


    Looking at the worried face of the other party, Xue Gouzi smiled: "I''m fine."


    Zhao''er pursed her lips tightly, and patted his head: "Believe me, sister, one day we won''t have to ask for anyone."


    *


    Xue Cuiping left without even eating lunch, and when she left, she took a bag of wheat seeds Mrs. Zhao gave her.


    No one knew what she had said to Mrs. Zhao, and what Mrs. Zhao had said to her. All in all, when eating lunch at noon, Mrs. Zhao''s and Mrs. Yang''s faces were so ugly that Mrs. Sun and Mrs. Zhou were cautious.


    Zhao''er never looked at these things. After the rice was put on the table, she took two bowls to put the rice first, and then add the vegetables. Lunch can''t be called rich, it''s just millet rice, and the dishes are stuffed white rice and radish, as well as some homemade pickles. There is also meat, all big fat meat, a small plate, placed in front of the men.


    Men have to work in the fields and eat meat to gain strength.


    Zhao''er didn''t want to eat meat either, the meat cooked by Zhou''s was greasy and greasy, which made people feel unappetizing. She put some hot dishes and pickles into the bowl as usual, but she didn''t put much, but Mrs. Zhao suddenly dropped her chopsticks.


    "Just such a little food, the two of you can eat this? Hungry ghost reincarnation or something?"


    This is very hurtful and slaps face, but anyone with some self-esteem can''t stand it, but Zhao''er is used to it. Zhao Shi is like this, whoever makes her dissatisfied, she can use various methods to get back sick.


    She was not annoyed, and continued to pick up vegetables. She originally planned to pick up only those, but because of Mrs. Zhao''s words, she deliberately picked up two more chopsticks.


    "I can''t help Grandma, the dog needs to take care of himself, if there''s nothing good to feed him, he has to be full to eat." As she spoke, she suddenly turned her head and said to Mrs. Zhou: "Third Aunt, wash the vegetables next time." You call me Caicai, our family is not a family that is too poor to eat, but there are scholars in the family, and there is a master who is a child. Although grandma lives carefully on weekdays, she is not a person who does not let people eat food. "


    When it comes to pointing at Sang and scolding Huai, Zhao''er thinks she can''t lose to anyone, especially since she is holding her breath in her heart.


    Sure enough, Mrs. Zhao was immediately annoyed: "No matter how rich a family is, they can''t afford you to eat so much. You can eat more than anyone else if you don''t work every day. A stupid girl like you, if it wasn''t for our family, He was kicked out a long time ago."


    Zhao''er immediately put away her smile: "Grandma, you are wrong to say that. I came to the house when I was seven years old, and I didn''t do any work inside and out? When my father died, I wore a filial piety and kept my spirit. When my mother died, I waited on her bed day and night for more than half a year. I was the daughter-in-law of the second room, and I paid the end of my life for the second wife.


    "But grandma, don''t dislike me as a granddaughter-in-law who is talkative. People are divided into three or six grades according to how much they eat. Some people don''t know how to wipe the oil on their mouths when they eat delicious food. They can be replaced by others. If you eat some rotten white song, it will become a waste of food. There are more than a dozen chickens in this house, and there are no fewer eggs. Taoer and I feed them every day, and I don¡¯t know where the eggs have gone. Gouzi¡¯s disease I ate one egg so far, don¡¯t let me raise the chicken next time, anyway, I can¡¯t eat it, whoever eats it will raise it.¡±


    These words made everyone''s faces look ugly, among them Dafang''s mother and son had the most wonderful complexions, red and white, just like a dyeing workshop.


    This person who steals food without rubbing oil on his mouth is exactly what Dafang said. Mrs. Zhao is picky, but she doesn''t pick on her elder son and grandson. Mrs. Yang and her youngest son naturally follow suit. The seven-year-old boy looked annoyed, and seemed to want to say something, but was pulled by Yang severely.


    Sifang''s hairy egg is still young, and his mouth is also greedy, and he has long been tired of eating Baisong. As soon as I heard the egg, I couldn''t help it, and shouted to Mrs. Sun: "Mom, I want to eat eggs, I want to eat eggs..."


    In the silent main room, I heard the sharp cry of a child, which made my forehead throb.


    Mrs. Sun was so annoyed by crying, she couldn''t help but slap her on the face: "What''s the trouble, what kind of eggs are you eating, how can there be any eggs for you!" His tone was also a little offended.


    To put it bluntly, who doesn''t complain in his heart, but just endures it all the time.


    Maodan was slapped and cried even louder. Mrs. Zhao was already annoyed, but immediately changed her target when she saw this: "Mr. Sun, you are doing well and beat my grandson."


    Mrs. Sun was always afraid of Mrs. Zhao, so she smiled awkwardly and said, "Mother, Mao Dan is making a fuss about eating eggs. How can there be eggs for him?" The mother and son went to look at it three times.


    Mr. Xue has always ignored the affairs of his daughters-in-law, so he couldn''t help it now.


    With a dark face, he patted the table: "What a fuss, what a fuss!" The legs of the square table were swayed, and the bowls and plates bounced up and down, making crisp noises.


    Zhao''er didn''t pretend to be dead, and complained to him: "Grandfather, it''s not that grandma dislikes me and Gouzi for eating hazelnuts."


    As soon as she put the bowl on the table, she covered her face and began to cry: "I just ate such a mouth-watering meal, and I didn''t even see any traces of oil, so I called it Hu Chi Hai Sai, and I served it to others." Look, people will die laughing when they see it. If grandma really dislikes Gouzi and me, why don''t we separate our second room, and we will never eat and drink at home again."


    Hearing the word ''separation'', Mr. Xue twitched his brows subconsciously, and scolded: "What kind of family is divided, no one is allowed to mention the separation!" He seemed to feel that his tone was too harsh, and he slowed down his tone: "Your grandmother is angry with you because of your aunt''s family troubles, but you are a junior, how can you talk back to your elders."


    He turned his head and scolded Zhao again: "I said every day that you don''t have a long memory, and you have lived your whole life in the belly of a dog. Why are those eggs stored there? They are so stinky that you can''t bear to eat them! Third daughter-in-law, go get some Let¡¯s fry this one up, let¡¯s add a dish for everyone.¡±


    Just like that, Mr. Xue''s words successfully silenced everyone.


    Zhao''er''s eyes flickered, she was not lying when she said that she wanted to separate, but it was a pity that she was stillborn the first time she said it. But it''s true, how could Mr. Xue allow the second bedroom to separate the family? If the news spread, it would become a whole family bullying the two children. Besides, Mr. Xue still wants to twist the whole family into one rope so that the Xue family can provide another scholar.


    Putting these things aside, even though there was a commotion, the entire Xue family had a meal.


    Zhou scrambled a large bowl of eggs and reserved a bowl for Zhao''er.


    This behavior is a bit intriguing, you must know that the third wife and his wife are usually taciturn, they are old scalpers in Xue''s family, and they rarely help the two children of the second room to talk.


    But Zhao''er didn''t think much about it, everyone in this big family has their own thoughts, and she can''t control anyone''s thoughts, just don''t make her anxious.


    She returned to the house with the food, and smiled at Xue Gouzi when she entered the door: "Look, dog, there are eggs for lunch."


    *


    Looking at the bright smile on the girl''s face, Xue Gouzi''s eyes flashed with complexity.


    Although he was in the house, the movements in the main room were not missed.


    Zhao''er is like this, aggressive and hot, and he never cares what others think of him when he does things. In the past, he cared very much, and always felt that she was embarrassing him and doing him a disservice. He failed to dissuade him many times, and because of some other things, he hid his hatred for her in his heart.


    Little did he know that he was the one who was hypocritical and stupid, but it was a pity that by the time he understood it, it was already too late.


    "In order to eat an egg, you quarrel with Grandma."


    It wasn''t until he said it that he realized that he hadn''t changed his awkward speech pattern before, so she must have misunderstood him. Sure enough, a dark color flashed across Zhao''er''s face, and he smiled again: "He Xue Jun can eat it, and my dog ??can eat it too. Come and eat, make up your body, and you will recover soon."


    Look, that''s how she is, she always treats him like a child, saying "my dog", but in fact he is no longer a child. But the teenager''s mentality is sensitive and worrying, ''he'' doesn''t like all this, but he doesn''t know how to express it, so his discomfort slowly ferments into disgust and subconscious avoidance.


    Xue Gouzi didn''t know why he thought of this, he just felt that he had become very strange now, as if he had become two people, one was Xue Gouzi and the other was Xue Tingxiang. And every time something about Zhao''er came up, a voice murmured in his mind, as if telling him his true thoughts deep in his heart.


    While thinking, something was fed to his mouth, and he looked down to see that it was a fried yellow, crispy and soft egg.


    "Third aunt also scrambled the eggs well. The dog took a big bite and grew taller and stronger after eating it."


    As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Zhao''er regretted it.


    It''s also the fact that the little man is very good today, and she couldn''t help but imagine the scene where she coaxed him to eat when the little man was still young. When she was a child, she always coaxed the dog like this, but suddenly, at some point, the dog began to resist her, and she hated her like this the most.


    When she was worried, seeing him looking down, she smiled dryly, and was about to take back the spoon she handed over.


    Suddenly, he leaned over, took a big bite, and swallowed a spoonful of rice.


    "Delicious."


    Seeing him munching on his meal with drooping eyelids, Zhao''er suddenly smiled: "Eat more if it tastes good. In the future, my sister will work hard to make money and feed the dog scrambled eggs every day."


    After finishing speaking, she secretly glanced at Xue Gouzi from under her eyelids. Seeing that he didn''t show any displeasure, he couldn''t help but breathe a sigh of relief.


    In fact, Zhao''er said this on purpose, the little man has always hated her for running around and learning to do business with others. Because of this matter, the two had a lot of unhappiness, but she couldn''t stop going out to make money just because he didn''t like it.


    She wants to be rich, she wants to be rich for the little man to study, and not to fight with this group of people like black-eyed chickens. She thought a lot, and all of this required his support. After all, they were a family, and there were only the two of them left in the second room.


    But Zhao''er also thought about it, even if he objected, she would still do it.


    Of course it is best not to object.


    Under such circumstances, she couldn''t help but say something more: "I just talked to my grandma about the separation, but I was blocked by my grandpa." Seeing what the little man wanted to say, she interrupted: "Listen, sister!" After finishing speaking, I didn''t want to tell you too much about some things. I always felt that you were still young and didn''t want to disturb your studies. But what happened today, my sister can also see that you have your own ideas.


    "At home, let''s fight if we can. It''s supposed to be ours. We can''t just give it up to others. Even if we want to let it go, we have to give it a clear explanation. We don''t have to bully people like this! If we can''t fight Don¡¯t be afraid to go to school. My sister has recently found a business to do, and I can also collect the money that will send you to study. Having said so much, it is actually to let you relax and don¡¯t be afraid. The sky is falling, and there is still sister to support you There is not only one way for people, there are many ways for us to walk, and it is a fool''s thing to compete with ourselves."


    In fact, Zhao''er wanted to say this to Xue Gouzi a long time ago, but she also knew that the little man was very thoughtful, and she was afraid that he would think too much. But who ever thought that he still thought too much, and even worried became a disease. Today is such a good opportunity, she simply said it clearly.


    Xue Gouzi looked at her.


    This scene in his dream was not like this, because of his sudden outburst, the Xue family was in turmoil, and the family scolded him, saying that he was ignorant, not thinking about the family, and that he was not filial, which made Grandma dizzy. In order to protect him, Zhao''er quarreled with Xue''s family, and finally even alarmed the patriarch.


    Zhao''er was beaten five times in public in Xue''s ancestral hall for disrespecting her elders and offending her tongue, as a warning to everyone else. And this matter was also suppressed by the patriarch. He didn''t even have the ability to resist, so he was robbed of what belonged to him.


    Later, Xue Juncai went to the school in the town, enjoying himself. And because of this incident, Erfang completely aroused the disgust of the family members, especially with the big house as a hindrance, so life in Xue''s house was not easy.


    No one at home spoke for them, and no one in the village turned to them. He couldn''t even go to the private school, because his uncle said that he was a wolf-hearted dog and couldn''t teach him, and that Zhao''er beat up his aunt.


    He was only fourteen at that time, even though he knew that some people were not good people, he couldn''t understand the malice in them. Maybe he can understand it, but the inferiority of human nature made him subconsciously push the responsibility out. He blamed Zhao''er for all his dissatisfaction, unsatisfaction and even the harshness of fate.


    Even though he knew in his heart that he was blaming her wrong, that he was very wrong, but the misunderstanding was too deep, the two of them were drifting away, and he had no face to explain all this to her.


    "Look at Hong''er, does he look like you?"


    ...


    Xue Tingxiang suddenly felt that someone was shaking him, opened his tired eyes, and saw the dark inner room, Hu San''s face was no longer young, even the lines on the curtain were so familiar, he knew He was just dreaming.


    It''s just that the dream was too clear, the sorghum fragrance in the air, and the curve of her stubbornly pursed mouth made him feel like he was actually there. There are also her tears from being angry, crystal clear and shining with colorful light, he wanted to reach out to touch it, but someone woke him up.


    "My lord, it''s time to drink the medicine."


    Xue Tingxiang was propped up and given medicine. He was dying of illness, and he had to be served by someone even to drink medicine. How could he look like that extremely human minister Xue Shoufu who had ruled the court for decades.


    Oh no, he is not the chief assistant now.


    He has already written a letter to beg for the bones, intending to return to his hometown for the elderly, and the Holy Majesty has already agreed, but he has no home to return to, no relatives to rely on.


    In fact, he didn''t intend to go back.


    "Master Zhang, Mr. Wang, and Mr. Li and Mr. Cao all came to visit you, but they obeyed your orders and blocked the door. They come every day, and they are here again today. Would you like to see me?"

 Chapter 246

    Boss Chen stroked his beard and said, "I''m ashamed to say that I was a classmate with him when I was young, but I was not good at studies and only passed the exam as a boy student, but he was selected as a scholar in one fell swoop, and he was still a boy student. It''s a pity that luck was not good, and he has not been able to pass the exam. It took many years to pass the exam, and he had no intention of pursuing a career, so he returned to his hometown to inherit his father''s career in teaching and educating people."


    "It won''t be bad luck all the time." Xue Tingxiang said.


    If he remembers correctly, the whole town was a sensation when Director Lin of the Qingyuan Academy finally passed the exam three years later, and Gao Youzhi, the owner of the Qinghe Academy, was so angry that he almost vomited blood. At that time, he was planning to leave the Qinghe Academy to study at the Shen family''s ethnology, and happened to hear something about it.


    Boss Chen thought the young man was just comforting him, and smiled, "Thank you for your good words."


    Xue Tingxiang was not ambiguous either, and cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Uncle Chen, for your suggestion, but there are still trivial matters at home that have not been dealt with. When everything is settled, I will go to the Qingyuan Academy to study."


    "You are straightforward, so you are not afraid of being implicated and hindering your fame?" Boss Chen asked curiously.


    "The kid hasn''t entered school yet, so what are you talking about? Besides, the imperial court has always attached great importance to the selection of talents. If they are really talented, presumably the county magistrate Hu would not dare to stop them too much."


    "I can''t see that you have high ambitions. Well, since you dare to go, I will recommend you one or two. Although my classmate is rigid and dull, he is not good at words, but his knowledge is first-rate. Don''t dare It is no problem to teach a person to become a Jinshi, but a scholar is fine."


    "Then thank Uncle Chen first."


    *


    For several days, Xue Tingxiang and Zhao''er left early and returned late.


    Someone from Xue''s family asked twice, and Zhao''er said to take Xue Tingxiang out to get some fresh air, so as not to be overwhelmed. The people in the big room showed contempt, and Mr. Xue couldn''t help shaking his head. After that, no one asked any more questions, and most of them knew in their hearts that Xue Tingxiang was doomed. Maybe the two children in Erfang also have a lot of mentality, so they broke the cans and didn''t read books, but ran around playing.


    You must know that even if you are as qualified as Xue Juncai, you have to read books at home for many days to prepare.


    In the blink of an eye, it was five days.


    This day is no different from ordinary days.


    The farmhouse is always busy in the morning, and after a night, the family''s livestock have to be waited on, and the whole family has to be tossed about to eat. After breakfast, the men will go to the fields, and the women will do housework at home.


    If there is some difference, Xue Juncai had two more poached eggs in his bowl than others for breakfast.


    Because of Mr. Xue''s beating some time ago, Mrs. Zhao didn''t dare to openly fight against the big family members these days. Today, seeing that life is not normal, she couldn''t hold back.


    Originally, Xue Tingxiang didn''t have any, but Yang Shi saw that her father-in-law looked bad, so she took the initiative to ask Zhao Shi to ask for two eggs, and put them in the bowl for him.


    Xue Tingxiang wants to recruit one of them separately, but he doesn''t want to be recruited, but it''s a pity that he can''t be persuaded.


    For the sake of one egg, the two of you whispered one sentence at a time, while Mr. Xue''s expression on the top was particularly serious.


    But life in the country is like this, no matter how heavy your heart is, you can''t lose your livelihood. Especially when rushing for spring plowing, Mr. Xue still took his two sons to work in the fields for a while, and didn''t come back until the sun was high.


    The news about the competition between the two children of Xue''s family has spread throughout Yuqing Village.


    It''s not that there are people who say strange things, but most people can still understand what old man Xue did. It''s not easy for rural people to earn a little money, and no one''s money comes from the big river. If there is a way, no one will do this.


    Knowing that today is the day, let the children of the family watch in the village. Seeing a stranger go to Zheng Lizheng''s house, these hairy kids ran into the field, shouting from a long distance, "Someone is coming from Lizheng''s house". The adults stopped planting the land, so they picked up the hoes and rushed back.


    Not long after, the big courtyard of Zheng Lizheng''s house was full of people, and more villagers kept coming here.


    There was a lot of commotion in the yard, everyone was gossiping and discussing today''s matter at the same time.


    In the room, Zheng Li was talking with a middle-aged man in a scholar''s shirt and a flat scarf on his head.


    This man had a thin and long face, his complexion was a little pale, and his eyes were slightly swollen. She doesn''t look good, but her identity seems to be extraordinary, and she actually sits in the main seat.


    And Zheng Lizheng could only sit on the sidelines.


    His Gu Pan has a different temperament from ordinary people. This person is Qiao Xiucai, who has a reputation in the surrounding ten miles and eight villages.


    Long before, Zheng Lizheng had thought about it. Xue Qingshan came forward to invite someone from the Xue family, if he didn''t expect, it should be his father-in-law Yang Zhong, Yang Zhong is just a boy, so he will invite a scholar.


    On the one hand, it seemed that he was impartial, and on the other hand, it was a good time to show his prestige.


    "Qiao Xianggong, you drink tea, I will order someone to remind you."


    Qiao Xiucai waved his hand indifferently: "Don''t worry."


    Just as he was talking, there was a commotion outside, but it was patriarch Xue who came with someone.


    However, it was not Patriarch Xue who took the lead, but an old man over fifty years old. This old man is of medium stature, dressed the same as Qiao Xiucai, also wearing a scholar''s shirt and a flat scarf, obviously even if he is not a scholar, he is still a child.


    Sure enough, when Qiao Xiucai saw the old man, he quickly stood up from his chair and bowed to him.


    "I never thought it would be Senior He, late born is so polite."


    "Don''t be too polite, just sit down."


    This He Xiucai was the person invited by patriarch Xue to preside over this competition.


    Zheng Lizheng was right, at first Xue Qingshan really planned to invite his father-in-law, but it was a pity that this matter was rejected by Patriarch Xue.


    Patriarch Xue also only knew that Xue Qingshan was so stupid. They all said that he should not avoid relatives when he was a virtuous person, but this is not the way. Since he felt that the chances of winning were more than guaranteed, there was no need for people to make mistakes, so he took care of this matter.


    He knew in his heart that the surname Zheng would not let go of the opportunity to show off, and if he came forward to invite someone, he must be a scholar. He originally planned to invite Qiao Xiucai, but he was a step late, so he had to delay the relationship and invite He Xiucai.


    After courteously giving way to each other, the two scholars sat down on the main seat.


    Zheng Lizheng and Patriarch Xue sat beside him.


    "Let Brother Lizheng worry about it."


    "Don''t bother, don''t worry, I''m the leader here, so I can''t show up if something happens in the village."


    A lot of back and forth, seemingly amiable, but there is a hint of wit hidden in the words. During this period, a few old people walked in from the outside, but they were a few old people from Yuqing Village, Mr. Xue, Xue Qingshan and others also came.


    Another uninvited guest was Xue Qingshan''s father-in-law Yang Zhong.


    Yang Zhong was in his fifties, with a chubby body. He didn''t look like a scholar, but a landlord with a fat brain. As soon as he came in, he joined Qiao Xiucai and He Xiucai, but unfortunately, these two scholars were not willing to talk to him, they said a few words with him, and then went to sit aside awkwardly.


    Xue Qingshan sat at the end.


    The Weng and the son-in-law are considered pretty people, and those who can sit here are all respectable people in the village, but because of the identity of this boy, they can also sit in the hall. You know, even Mr. Xue doesn''t have a seat, so he can only stand aside.


    "I don''t know the real master, but he''s here?" He Xiucai asked when he saw that almost everyone had come.


    Patriarch Xue looked at Mr. Xue, and Xue Qinghuai hurriedly said, "Here we come."


    Just as he was speaking, the villagers surrounding the door made way, and two teenagers walked out from the crowd.


    These two teenagers are all dressed in short brown, and they can be seen from humble backgrounds at a glance.


    The one in the lead looks gentle and handsome, with a slender figure. Although the clothes are simple, he is quite personable. The one in the back is half a head shorter than the one in the front, his body seems a little weak, and he seems a little introverted, his eyelids are always half down, and he seems a little afraid of strangers.


    But when the two came to the hall and accepted the scrutiny of the crowd, they had some clues.


    The elder''s appearance is not bad, but he always pulls his sleeves intentionally or unintentionally, as if the clothes don''t fit well. But the young one has been standing neither humble nor overbearing, the half-drooped eyelids not only do not make people feel contemptuous, but it feels like the respect that the younger generation should have for the elders.


    Therefore, it seemed that the older one looked directly into the eyes of everyone, which was a bit too abrupt. It is good to have self-confidence, but when the younger generation faces the elders, a humble and respectful attitude is indispensable.


    All this happened in an instant, and Qiao Xiucai and He Xiucai, who were seated in the main seats, had the initial judgment on these two young people.


    "Student Xue Juncai, student Xue Tingxiang, I have met all the elders."


    He Xiucai nodded, Qiao Xiucai nodded, and asked curiously, "Tingxiang? Does this name have a meaning?"


    Xue Tingxiang was taken aback, and Fang Zuoyi said: "Hey, I mean to follow suit. The student''s great-great-grandfather was also a student, and the biggest regret in his life was that he failed to pass the exam. Although my Xue family was born in a poor family, there are many generations. Forgetting the last wish of the ancestors, while settling down to live and work, he has been working hard to let the children of the clan read and write, and be able to understand the principles of life.


    "It should be noted that if you read a lot, you will have hills and valleys in your heart, and you will have a poetic spirit in your stomach. The younger generation will follow the last wish of the ancestors. Although they are not very knowledgeable at a young age, they have great ambitions. They hope that one day they can continue the path that their ancestors walked, and continue to do so. go down."


    These words are very well-chosen, and the words are too polite, or they say something to study and become an official to serve the court, to establish a life for the people, and to bring peace to all generations. They are all suspected of deliberately showing off, which makes people laugh. After all, they are still brats, not even children.


    And Xue Tingxiang''s words just echoed his age and knowledge, and even because of the ancestor''s last wish, it added a bit of filial piety.


    After listening to Qiao Xiucai, he stroked his beard and said, "Okay! What a big ambition!"


    With this praise, everyone''s eyes were on Xue Tingxiang.


    Most people don''t understand what it means, they only think that Qiao Xiucai is exaggerating the dog of Xue''s second room, but they can understand but they have different thoughts.


    Shocked and complicated like patriarch Xue, the look in Xue Tingxiang''s eyes implied excitement and admiration. He is the head of the clan, and he always regards the glory of the clan as his great responsibility. Xue Tingxiang''s words not only praised his ancestors in front of others, but also inadvertently showed the unusualness of the Xue clan, which made his face extraordinarily honored. Unconsciously, he straightened his back.


    Some secretly scolded this son for being cunning, and even used the occasion to grandstanding.


    Still upholding the last wish of his ancestors, whoever asked him to uphold it was just bragging! Why didn''t I see that this son was so eloquent earlier.


    "The elders in your family took this name for you, and they have high hopes for you."


    When Qiao Xiucai said this, he was embarrassed again, but it was the Xue family who were embarrassed.


    Just when Patriarch Xue and the others were afraid that Xue Tingxiang would be ignorant to tell the reason, he saluted again and said: "This junior will definitely study hard and live up to the expectations of his family."


    Xue Qingshan couldn''t sit still.


    Today''s book is for the examination of Xue Juncai and Xue Tingxiang, who is eligible to enter the school. The exam hadn''t even started yet, but Qiao Xiucai''s words were intended to encourage and agree with the other party. The so-called failure before the battle was nothing more than that.


    He couldn''t help but interjected: "Seniors, can we start?"


    Only then did Qiao Xiucai realize that he had spoken too much, but once he said it, he would naturally not take it back, and Xue Qingshan''s words obviously made him feel embarrassed. There was a slight displeasure in his heart, so instead of avoiding it, he nodded appreciatively to Xue Tingxiang, and then went to take a sip of tea on the table.


    Between the actions, there was a sense of treating Xue Qingshan as nothing, which made his face darken immediately. But he didn''t dare to have any doubts at all, he just smiled and sat back.


    Qiao Xiucai put down the teacup, cupped his hands and said to He Xiucai: "Senior He, look at this¡ª"


    "Let''s begin then."


    "Are you a senior, or you are the main one."


    Qiao Xiucai is a polite word. He is only in his thirties, he is already a scholar, he may be able to raise a scholar in the future, but He Xiucai is already an old man, the possibility of being selected is very slim. That''s why it was obvious that He Xiucai was the main one, but when Qiao Xiucai spoke, He Xiucai didn''t interrupt him, and didn''t even blame him for taking the lead.


    This is the way of the imperial examination, which pays attention to qualifications and seniority, but also pays attention to potential.


    Talents like Yang Zhong who fail the exam all their lives will be old boys when they grow old. However, if one can pass the examination as a scholar, even if one is over half a hundred years old and the other is a young man with a weak crown, they can still be on equal footing and be friends with each other as peers.


    It''s like Xue Qingshan is about to call himself a junior in front of Qiao Xiucai, and he can only accept Qiao Xiucai''s embarrassment to him. Although Qiao Xiucai gave He Xiucai too much courtesy, He Xiucai put him first in words and deeds.


    Few of the people present understood these principles, but Xue Tingxiang did, which made him even more determined to be a scholar.


    "Where are you two in your studies now?"


    "I have finished studying the Four Books, and now I am diligently reading the "Book of Songs" among the Five Classics." Xue Juncai answered first.


    He Xiucai set his sights on Xue Tingxiang.


    He pondered for a while, and said: "After studying the four books, I can only read them, but I can''t understand them."


    He Xiucai didn''t say anything, but Zheng Lizheng said in confusion, "If I remember correctly, you and the talented boy Kaimeng came one after another. How could you have fallen behind so much in your studies?"


    Xue Tingxiang remained silent, but Xue Qingshan''s eyebrows twitched.


    "How can it be done on February 8th? I will definitely use your car when the time comes. Your Daqing mule is not considered labor? Daqing, look, Brother Jiang Wu said that you are not considered labor, and even your rations will be deducted."


    The mule named Daqing shook its head and snorted, which seemed to mean that if he dared to deduct my rations, I would slow down and let him carry it by himself.


    Zhao''er laughed loudly, pointed at Daqing and said, "Look, even Daqing protested."


    Jiang Wu looked sideways at the girl who was smiling wantonly, with a strange gleam in her eyes. Fortunately, Daqing knew the way and was docile, otherwise he would have ordered all three people in the car into the ditch beside the road.


    Seeing this scene, Xue Tingxiang''s face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.


    He was both annoyed and angry, he actually forgot about Jiang Wu.


    In that dream, Jiang Wu has been coveting Zhao''er.


    Jiang Wu was two years older than Zhao''er, but he never married. If Zhao''er hadn''t been his child bride-in-law, the Jiang family would have come to propose marriage a long time ago.


    Even so, Jiang Wu never gave up, and once even approached him and told him that he wanted to marry Zhao''er, telling him not to be so selfish, and letting Zhao''er go free. She also said that she and Zhao''er would support him to study together and treat him like a younger brother, that''s how he knew about it.


    Shocked and annoyed, he also remembered Zhao''er''s reluctance to marry him. He mistakenly thought that Zhao''er had an affair with Jiang Wu, so he borrowed his parents'' orders to forcefully marry her. Later, by chance, Only then did he realize that he had wronged her.


    This matter has always been a scar between the two, even though it was never mentioned again, there is a gap between them. Afterwards, he was busy starting his career, while Zhao''er was busy running business. The two met only once in a long time, and even when they met, they seldom talked again until he went to Beijing to rush for the exam after winning the exam.


    The he in the dream once thought after Zhao''er died, if he hadn''t been so despicable back then and forced Zhao''er by his parents'' orders, Zhao''er wouldn''t have died.


    But this kind of thought is like a superficial thought, it just passed by in a flash. At this time, thinking about it, he is probably despicable in his bones. Even if he is not the Xue Tingxiang in his dream, he never thought of letting him go.


    She was supposed to be his, and when he still half understood, someone would always point to her and say, this is his future wife, isn''t it?

 Chapter 247

    It is the time of spring plowing, and the plan of the year lies in spring. If you are lazy at this time, you will cry when the harvest comes in autumn.


    Zhao''er woke up at this hour on time, and opened his eyes to find that the little man was still asleep.


    Not long after she fell asleep yesterday, the little man developed a fever again. After working for most of the night, luckily the fever subsided in the middle of the night.


    She sat up, raised her hand to touch the little man''s forehead, made sure that her hands were not hot, then put on her clothes lightly, and got off the kang.


    The first thing he did was to open the door, and Heizi, who had been restless for a long time, got out with a swish. Zhao''er also walked out of the room, seeing Heizi hurriedly running out of the courtyard to pee, she shook her head with a broken smile.


    At this time, someone had already woken up in the courtyard, it was the Zhou family of the third bedroom and his eldest daughter Xue Tao''er.


    Today it''s the third room''s turn to cook. The Xue family''s rule is that apart from the housework of each room, the work in the office is shared equally. One day per room, in rotation.


    The room responsible for cooking is not only responsible for the food and drink of the whole family, but also takes care of the livestock in the family. The Xue family raised two big fat pigs, and it was not an easy job to serve these two ancestors every day. Not to mention feeding chickens, carrying water, and chopping firewood, so the female family members who do housework on this day do not have to go to the fields to work.


    It seems to be fair and just, but in fact everyone inside knows how.


    The eldest aunt Yang claimed that the man was a child student, and she was exceptionally superior at home. Since Xue Qingshan passed the child student examination, she never touched housework again. The key is that Mrs. Zhao is also looking towards her, so it''s not easy for others to question her.


    At first, it was Xue Gouzi''s mother, Mrs. Qiu, who finally came in, the third-bedroom Mrs. Zhou, and the two sisters-in-law finally shared the burden. Afterwards, Mrs. Qiu followed her deceased husband, and Mrs. Zhou was left alone. It was not until Mrs. Sun of the fourth room entered the door that she would be able to catch her breath again.


    It''s a pity that Mrs. Sun is lazy and playful. In fact, Mrs. Zhou still does most of the work.


    In the past, when Mrs. Qiu was still alive, Zhao''er also helped Mrs. Qiu to do it. After Mrs. Qiu passed away, Zhao''er was busy with the housework of the second room and had to do the work in the office. In addition, Zhao''er was still young at that time, Mr. Xue told her to take good care of Xue Gouzi and not to take care of the work at work.


    Zhao''er now has free time to go around and get some money, but she is a person who looks at her conscience and will help out as much as she can in her spare time. As for those who used words to squeeze her like Sun, her sharp tongue was not forgiving.


    Seeing Xue Taoer struggling to fetch water from the well, Zhao''er rubbed his face and went up to help her.


    Thirteen-year-old Xue Taoer is like a small flower in bud. Although she is not very beautiful, she is very delicate. Seeing Zhao''er coming to help her, she couldn''t help showing a smile and talking to her: "Sister Zhao''er, is the second brother better?" Xue Gouzi is the second grandson of the Xue family, so Xue Taoer called him the second brother .


    "I had a fever again last night, and it got better in the second half of the night." Zhao''er looked around curiously, and asked, "Why isn''t Third Uncle here?"


    Although Xue Qingbai is a bit honest and reticent, he always loves his wife and daughter. Whenever he meets the third room to cook, he will get up early to fill the water tank.


    The Xue family has its own well, but the well is too deep, and there is no pulley on the well, so it is really exhausting to draw water with the strength of the daughter''s family alone. That is to say, Zhao''er was naturally as strong as an ox, and his strength was no worse than that of ordinary middle-aged men, so he could pull the bucket out of the deep well very easily.


    "My father went to the field and said he would work for a while and return after breakfast."


    Xue Qingbai is an honest farmer. Unlike other brothers in the family who have other skills, he only knows how to farm, so he puts all his heart on the ground. The Xue family has a total of more than 30 mu of land, and now he, Mr. Xue and the fourth son Xue Qinghuai are all planted.


    Although the women of the Xue family also went to the fields, it was only during the busy farming season, and besides, the women only had so little strength, so how could they help. Fortunately, the three men from Xue''s family are all good hands in the field, and they are really too busy, so they hired part-time workers to help out for a few days, so they don''t have to worry about not being able to finish the work in the field.


    Just as he was talking, the door of the fourth room opened, and Xue Qinghuai walked out from inside.


    The men in the Xue family are all big, so Xue Qinghuai also inherited a tall body.


    He was born with thick eyebrows, tiger eyes and a high nose bridge. He was dressed in dark blue coarse cloth and short brown, and looked very heroic. In fact, the men of the Xue family are not bad looking, but the women of the Xue family are a little mediocre, but all the grandchildren are born well, and they are all top-notch in the village.


    "Zhaoer Taoer, you wake up so early." Xue Qinghuai walked over in a few strides, took the wooden bucket in Zhaoer''s hand, walked to the water tank, and poured water into the tank.


    "How can you two little girls do this kind of rough work? You go to do other things, and the fourth uncle is here to fetch water."


    Zhao''er and Tao''er didn''t refuse either, one went to the kitchen to help her mother cook, and the other took a basin to scoop up water for washing.


    As time passed, the rest of the Xue family got up one after another, and there were more and more voices in the yard. On the other side of the kitchen, Mrs. Zhou yelled to eat. Generally, country people don''t pay much attention to breakfast, and they have to set a table or something. They always serve a bowl with a bowl, and eat it at any place.


    Breakfast is two rice porridge, the so-called two rice porridge is porridge cooked from two kinds of rice. Yuqing Village does not grow rice, but only wheat, sorghum, millet, corn and other crops. Although farmers grow wheat, they seldom use it for their own food. They sell it for other grains.


    Even a well-to-do family like Xue''s family with surplus food did not eat fine grains all at once, but a mixture of coarse grains and fine grains. For example, today''s breakfast is two-rice porridge, which is a porridge cooked with millet, that is, yellow rice, and sorghum rice.


    Because it was a busy time of farming, it was cooked quite thickly. Although it didn''t hold up with chopsticks inserted, it was much better than the usual thin soup with little water.


    There is no way, the Xue family seems to have a decent family background in the village, but there are three scholars in the family. Not to mention Xue Gouzi, Guangda Fang and his son spend a lot of money every month, and it''s no wonder that Mrs. Zhao usually can pick up fleas to get a little blood.


    Zhao''er filled two bowls of porridge, put a few cornbreads on a thick porcelain plate, and put some pickles on the side, and took them back to the second room''s room.


    As soon as he entered the door, he saw Xue Gouzi sitting up from the kang.


    She hurriedly put the wooden tray on the square table, and came up to see him: "But he''s better? Are you hungry? Sister will bring you some porridge."


    Xue Gouzi looked at her with complicated eyes.


    After experiencing such a dream, he now doesn''t know how to face Zhao''er. As long as he saw her, he couldn''t help but think of him in his dream, those words scolded by others before he died. He also tried to find the cause of Zhao''er''s death in his memory, but it seemed that that memory was Xue Tingxiang''s most unbearable past, and he had no memory at all.


    In fact, Xue Gouzi was burned in a daze last night, and Xue Gouzi thought for a long time. He couldn''t figure out whether he was Xue Gouzi or Xue Tingxiang, whether that dream was true or not, whether he was thinking about it every day and dreaming at night , to have such an absurd dream.


    However, he also had an idea in his heart. If everything in that dream was true, several things should happen in succession. If these things happen, it means that his dreams are real.


    Thinking about something in his heart, he reached out to catch the bowl, only to realize that he didn''t even have the strength to hold the bowl. Luckily, Zhao''er caught the bowl quickly, so he didn''t spill it all over him.


    Xue Gouzi was a little embarrassed and anxious. It was very strange, obviously he would not have this kind of reaction in front of Zhao''er before, but I don''t know if it was a dream, and his state of mind had a strange change.


    Zhao''er laughed at him: "Why are you being polite with my sister? I forgot that when you were a child, you peed on the kang, and it was my sister who washed it for you."


    Zhao''er came to Xue''s house when he was seven years old, and Gouzi was only five years old at that time. It is very inexplicable for a child to pee on the kang. It is obvious that he has not urinated for a long time. I don''t know if he drank too much water before going to bed or what, but he actually peed on the kang.


    Since Qiu gave birth to the dog, her bones were not good, and it was winter again. In order to repay the kindness of the second wife, Zhao''er volunteered to wash the dirty clothes and pants for the dog. Since then, she started her career as a child bride.


    What Xue Gouzi hates the most is Zhao''er. He always likes to say inconspicuous things in front of him. You must know that as you get older, boys will lose face, how can you still be willing to listen to people mentioning such things, especially dogs are naturally sensitive. But today for some reason, he didn''t feel annoyed, only a little embarrassed.


    He was surprised by his own reaction, but Zhao''er had already fed him porridge with a wooden spoon. He subconsciously opened his mouth, and waited until the warm porridge blown by her was fed into his mouth, and he saw the smiling eyes of the other party.


    Those eyes were big and bright, as if there were stars hidden in them, and he couldn''t help but blush.


    Zhao''er smiled even more happily, and stuffed him with a tortilla: "Eat quickly, sister will cook eggs for you at noon."


    She was coaxing him like a child, Gouzi suddenly had this understanding.


    He was eating porridge from Zhao''er, thinking wildly in his mind, it was very chaotic.


    Just then, someone came to the door.


    It was Xue Qingshan.


    Exactly the same as in the dream.


    Xue Qingshan''s fair face was full of sighs and worries, he sighed and said a lot of words, the main idea was to let the dog recover well, don''t worry too much, there are grandparents and uncles at home, he can''t lose him.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Qingshan also followed the appearance and height of the man from the Xue family. He was also a weed in Yuqing Village in his early years, but unfortunately he got a little fatter as he got older.


    "Uncle still has to go to the private school, dog, take care of your illness, you are a child with a lot of thoughts." Sighing and patting his nephew on the shoulder, Xue Qingshan lifted the curtain and left.


    What is he doing?


    Zhao''er thought suspiciously. After thinking about it for a while, she couldn''t figure out why, so she stopped thinking about it and concentrated on feeding the dog porridge, but Xue Gouzi looked thoughtful.


    *


    In the main room, Mrs. Zhao is chatting with Mr. Xue about what happened yesterday.


    Mrs. Zhao was sewing an old dress in her hand, and said, "Let me tell you, you just like to spoil that little thing. You love him, but he doesn''t love you. Our family''s money doesn''t come from the river, just Because he didn''t want to show his illness to the whole family, he made a fuss after another, which is to make the family upside down."


    Mr. Xue was in his fifties, tall and tall, and his skin was black and red like that of a countryman who had been exposed to the sun for a long time. He was wearing dark blue coarse cloth pants, sitting cross-legged on the Kang, smoking a dry cigarette.


    Every time after dinner or before work, Mr. Xue always smoked for a while, otherwise he would feel exhausted.


    "Okay, Gouwazi is sick, who doesn''t have three illnesses and four pains." After a while, he said hoarsely.


    The patter, patter sounded again, and the lingering blue smoke swirled in the air, and then scattered in all directions. Behind it, the old face of Mr. Xue was hidden, looming.


    "But look how long he has been in trouble? Yesterday, more than one hundred coins were lost. How long will it take you to work hard in the field to earn more than one hundred coins! Boss has to leave another two hundred coins. It is said that someone in a classmate¡¯s family had a birthday, and there was a disaster just last year, and the tax was not exempted, but increased. Seeing that the boss said that he wanted to send Juncai to the town to study, it was another expense. How much money do you have? Withstood such a toss!"


    Seeing that his wife was so distressed, Mr. Xue sat up straight, tapped the cigarette pot on the kang table, and gave her a sideways look: "Your heart will be distressed if you spend a hundred yuan for a dog, and you will give it if the boss asks you for it? Not me Speaking of you, you are a parent and grandmother, so don''t be too biased, you don''t have to make the following little ones have conflicts."


    Upon hearing this, Mrs. Zhao didn''t want to. She slapped him across the kang table and said, "I''m biased? Don''t you?"


    He is also biased, but the boss is the most promising in the family, and the handsome is also the most outstanding among the grandchildren. It''s different to have a scholar in the family. No one will say that Xue Lianxing''s family is a decent person when they go out. If Dafang can produce a scholar, his Xue family will be honored.


    Just thinking of Xue Gouzi, Mr. Xue couldn''t help frowning.


    Of course he knew that the mother-in-law was very annoyed, Gou''er was too ignorant, the eldest owed the life to the second, but Xue''s family was in such a family situation, naturally they had to pay attention to their future.


    It''s not that Mr. Xue looks down on his grandson, but that Gou''er is really not comparable to a handsome boy, nor can he. It''s good to be strong, but you always have to look at the situation.


    "The boss''s daughter-in-law has already said several times that the school in the town cannot be delayed. The delay is half a year. The boss still wants to let Juncai try next year." Zhao added.


    "Back then, I promised my second child!" Old Master Xue sighed deeply, took two puffs of dry cigarettes, and coughed twice when he was choked.


    "Anyway, you can figure it out!" Zhao Shi was so angry that she threw the clothes aside, turned her head and leaned back on the kang, giving the man a backbone.


    Old man Xue slapped his mouth several times, and the gully on his face deepened: "You too, old woman, don''t you think that if outsiders know about this, we can still have face in the village?"

 Chapter 248

    He was dressed in a blue jacket, as if he hadn''t seen the sun for a long time, and his skin was weak and pale. The body is also slender and thin, but his expression is calm and calm. He is obviously wearing shabby clothes, and the path in the village is uneven, and there are even cow dung and chicken dung, but it just makes him feel like walking in the courtyard.


    It was the time of spring plowing, and everyone was busy plowing the fields at the moment, and there were hardly any people on the road in the village. Occasionally, a woman who is doing work in the yard sees the person walking on the road from a distance, and only after a few fixed eyes does she recognize who it is.


    "Dog, where is this going?"


    Xue Tingxiang looked at the woman who was talking to him, and said with a smile: "Auntie, I''ll just walk around."


    It was just a casual sentence, the woman didn''t say anything more to him, she turned to get something in the room, the mother-in-law in the room asked her: "Third daughter-in-law, who were you talking to just now?"


    "The dog of the second room of Xue Lianxing''s family. Hey, mother, you are surprised. I didn''t recognize him when he knocked on the door just now. I always feel like a different person."


    Her mother-in-law didn''t take it seriously: "What can you become, but you can''t change your body, I remember that kid has been ill recently."


    The daughter-in-law said: "I see, maybe I plan to go to the back mountain." There is a mountain behind Yuqing Village, where all the dead villagers in the village are buried, and the Xue family''s ancestral grave is also there.


    Hearing this, her mother-in-law sighed: "Don''t even mention it, it''s a pity for the second child of the Xing family. Both of them are gone. It''s a pity to leave a baby."


    This is just gossip between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and while they were talking, Xue Tingxiang had already brought Heizi into the back mountain.


    *


    Houshan is called Houshan, the mountain behind Yuqing Village.


    This mountain has no name, and the mountain is not high, but it is extremely deep. Anyway, so far, no villager has been able to walk back and forth from this deep mountain and old forest, most of them are activities outside the mountain.


    The Xue family''s ancestral grave was built on a small hill not far from the village. This Xue family is not only Xue Tingxiang''s family, but the ancestors of the entire Xue clan are buried here.


    On such a big hill, the lineage of the patriarch is in the middle, and the branches of the various families spread out. The lineage of Mr. Xue is at a place near the foot of the southwest mountain.


    Because the couple in the second room died young, and Xue Qingsong died in an accident, they were buried at the edge.


    When Xue Tingxiang arrived at the place, he began to pull the grass around the grave mound casually.


    There were not many weeds, they had just been cleared during the Chinese New Year, so he gathered the grass at random and placed it on the ground, taking advantage of the opportunity and sat down in front of the grave.


    A piece of mountainous land, two small graves, in front of each of the graves stood a small bluestone stele, on which the names of the second family and the couple were crudely written.


    This monument was originally recruited to find someone to make it and set it up.


    Nowadays, there are three kinds of people who cannot erect monuments after they die, those who die suddenly, die young, and have no heirs. Xue Qingsong belongs to violent death.


    Although everyone doesn''t say it, people who feel that they died suddenly have resentment after death, which is not conducive to the feng shui of the ancestor''s grave, so no monument is erected. I also want him to forget who he is, so as not to cause trouble if he is ignorant.


    But at the same time, there is another saying that after death without a monument, you will be a lonely ghost, who cannot stand the incense of future generations.


    At the beginning, the funeral of the second wife was arranged by the Xue family, and they acquiesced to follow the old customs. At that time, Xue Tingxiang was still young and didn''t understand these things at all, but Zhao''er understood.


    She talked to Xue''s family about erecting a monument, but was blocked, and Xue''s family took turns to persuade her. Later, Zhao''er didn''t tell anyone about it, and took the money to ask someone to make these two simple monuments and put them in front of the grave.


    It was too late when Xue''s family found out, and they couldn''t tear down the stele in front of the villagers.


    The villagers were also surprised when they saw the stele, but after thinking about how the Xue family''s second child died, they could understand it.


    Therefore, Xue Qingshan also gained a good reputation. He would rather risk his family''s feng shui to erect a monument for his brother.


    With various thoughts spinning in his mind, Xue Tingxiang took out a piece of cloth from his arms and slowly wiped the tombstone.


    The words on it were still written by him, and the strokes are immature, but after all, people can still tell what is written on it.


    ...


    Today is the anniversary of Mr. Zheng''s death. Zheng Hu brought his two sons to the grave to worship.


    The country people are not so particular, they just prepared some steamed buns, wine and meat, and the father and son burned the paper money in front of the grave, so let''s forget about it.


    Zheng Hu had always had a deep relationship with his father, so he was inevitably depressed, so he let his two sons go back first, while he sat in front of the grave, smoking a pipe and talking to his father.


    After talking for a while, he stood up and planned to go back.


    There was still work waiting to be done in the field, and Zheng Hu didn''t want to waste time, so he decided to take a shortcut. When he passed near Xue Lianxing''s ancestral grave, he suddenly heard someone crying.


    There are graves on the two nearby hills, one is of the surname Xue, and the other is of the surname Zheng. This kind of festive day is not like Zheng Hu''s on the anniversary of the death of an elder in the family, but no one would come to this kind of place.


    In particular, there may be a lot of dead people buried here, the trees are dense, and sometimes the sky and day are gloomy. Hearing this strange sound under such circumstances, Zheng Hu was so frightened that his hair stood on end and his legs went limp.


    After all, he had lived for decades. He listened intently and calmly, and it took him a while to understand that it was a boy''s voice.


    Thinking about who''s grave was here, he bravely walked closer, bypassed a big tree, and saw a young man in blue clothes sitting in front of the grave from a distance.


    Next to it was a big black dog wagging its tail.


    It''s the dog of the second room of Xue Lianxing''s family.


    Only then did Zheng Hu heave a sigh of relief, and the voice came into his ears again: "...Father, what do you think I should do? Uncle wants to send brother Juncai to the school in town, I thought I could do the same." Go... But my aunt came to the house a few days ago, but she told me to let Brother Juncai, before..."


    The young man''s voice was full of hesitation and bewilderment, Zheng Hu did not expect to hear the secret affairs of the Xue family in such a place. He was so surprised that the pipe in his hand dropped without realizing it. He didn''t realize it until his foot was hit by the pipe, picked up the pipe in a hurry and left.


    He didn''t know that after he left, the lonely and helpless boy in his eyes stopped crying.


    In the past few days, Xue Tingxiang has been thinking hard, trying to find a suitable opportunity, and somehow he thought of Zheng Hu.


    Zheng Hu''s father, Mr. Zheng, died during the spring plowing. It was not a happy funeral, but an accident. He was accidentally squeezed to the foot of the field by his own cattle and fell to his death.


    The ridge was not very tall, and countless villagers fell off the ridge every year, and Mr. Zheng died unluckily. At the beginning, this incident was widely circulated in the village, so Xue Tingxiang remembered it very clearly.


    Since it was the anniversary of the father''s death, the son Zheng Hu would definitely come to visit the grave, and Zheng Hu used to like to take shortcuts, so he would definitely pass by this area, so who else is more suitable than him.


    The most important thing is that Yuqing Village doesn''t seem big, but Xue and Zheng''s surnames have always been different from each other. Zheng Hu''s uncle is Li Zheng, and if he knows it, Zheng Lizheng will know it too.


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t stay any longer, and quickly returned home with Heizi the same way.


    The yard was still silent, he found a twig and put it in front of the door, and sat there quietly basking in the sun, thinking about Zhao''er who went to the town.


    *


    Zheng Hu hurried all the way, without even returning home, he went to Zheng Lizheng''s house.


    Zheng Li is the Lizheng of Yuqing Village and the head of the Zheng clan. Naturally, the family''s house is the only one in Yuqing Village. If it can be compared with it, it is the house of Patriarch Xue''s family.


    Yishui''s green brick and tile-roofed house, and the courtyard walls are also made of green bricks. The most conspicuous thing is the ancestral hall of the Zheng family on the front, but this ancestral hall will not be opened until a certain time. The two black doors The paulownia gate is closed all year round.


    Going around to the side is the courtyard of Zheng Lizheng''s family.


    The yard is huge, unlike other houses where the barn, barn, kitchen, etc. are all in the front yard, the front yard of Zheng Lizheng''s house is just a big empty yard, only two sycamore trees are planted in the yard. Whenever there is any major event in the village, the courtyard will always be densely packed with people.


    There are three main rooms facing the face, and east and west wing rooms on the left and right, all of which are blue bricks and black tiles, which are extraordinarily magnificent.


    When Zheng Hu arrived, only Zheng Lizheng and his wife Tian Shi were at home.


    As soon as Tian saw his nephew coming, he greeted him: "Huzi, why are you here at this time? Do you have something to do with your uncle?"


    "Hey, there''s something wrong."


    With that said, Zheng Hu hurried into the house. Tian shook her head, thinking that there must be something wrong, since Zheng Hu is usually very steady.


    After Zheng Hu entered, he turned to the east room.


    Sure enough, his uncle Zheng Li was sitting cross-legged on the big kang in the east room, smoking dry cigarettes.


    "Why, in a hurry."


    Zheng Hu sat down on a pier under the kang, panting heavily, unable to speak for a while.


    Zheng Lizheng looked to be in his sixties, with a long face and a pair of medium-sized eyes. From the appearance, he is just an ordinary farmer''s old man, even the clothes he wears are ordinary. There is only that unmoving calmness, which can be seen as a person who has been around the world for a long time.


    With the cigarette holder in his mouth, he pushed the teapot on the kang table forward, Zheng Hu was not polite, stood up and poured a bowl of tea, and drank it down.


    "Uncle, let me tell you, something happened to me today."


    "What''s the matter?"


    "Today is not the anniversary of my father''s death. I took it with me early in the morning..."


    Halfway through Zheng Hu''s speech, Zheng Lizheng sat up from the kang, as if listening seriously.


    Seeing his uncle like this, Zheng Hu knew he had come to the right place. After hearing what the only son of Xue Lianxing''s family cried, he realized that this was an opportunity, an opportunity to suppress the prestige of Xue in Yuqing Village.


    He spoke in more detail, almost repeating every word, while Zheng Li was smoking a pipe, his eyes narrowed.


    *


    Zhao''er didn''t come back until the second half of the afternoon, and when he came back, he looked a little unhappy.


    Xue Tingxiang looked at the basket behind her, every time Zhao''er came back before, the basket was always full, but today he knew that there was nothing in it.


    "What''s wrong?"


    Zhao''er was thinking about it, when the little man asked him, he was taken aback for a moment, and then said: "It''s nothing, I brought you meat buns from the town, and I''ll heat them up for you to eat later."


    How could there be nothing, obviously there is something.


    Xue Tingxiang glanced at her face, but since she didn''t want to say more, he didn''t want to press her.


    Zhao''er went back and forth to the town, covered in dust, she went to the kitchen to boil water, and took a bath in the bathroom. The Xue family has a special room for bathing, in the vegetable field in the backyard. The house is not big, three meters square, the floor is paved with bluestone slabs, and there is a drain in the corner, through which the bath water can flow directly into the vegetable field.


    Taking off her clothes, Zhao''er rubbed the soap horns on her body, but a burst of melancholy came to her heart.


    In fact, something really happened, but she didn''t say it because she was afraid that the little man would worry.


    The way she finally found to get money was robbed.


    The person who robbed was none other than the owner of the embroidery workshop who took her finished product and pocketed the embroidered shoes.


    In fact, Zhao''er is quite clever. He bought rags from the owner of this embroidery workshop, but the finished product was not sold to this one, but to another one. It''s just that she didn''t expect that the two bosses were actually relatives, and she didn''t know how the other party knew. When she went again this time, the other party was unwilling to sell her rags.

 Chapter 249

    Thinking of all the disobedient things this girl did in the past, Mr. Xue felt disgusted in his heart. But he also knew that now was not the time to vent his anger, but to settle the matter.


    "Since you want to listen, then listen." The tone was the same as before, but everyone could hear the dissatisfaction in his voice.


    Zhao''er couldn''t hear it, so he stood aside.


    Seeing this, Mrs. Sun hurriedly dragged Xue Qinghuai to stay.


    "Since Zhao''er has stayed, let''s stay and listen too." She laughed along with her.


    Mr. Xue was immediately furious: "Since you want to listen, stay and listen."


    So everyone stayed, including the four-year-old Mao Dan, and even Mrs. Zhou, who was busy in the kitchen, stayed behind under the guise of cleaning the table.


    In the huge main room, only an oil lamp was lit on the square table. The wick was jumping and shadowy, and everyone''s eyes were on Mr. Xue. But he suddenly didn''t know where to start. He looked around everyone''s faces with heavy eyes, and finally fell on Xue Tingxiang''s face.


    "Actually, it''s nothing. I just want to talk about what the boss said a while ago that he wants to send the child to the school in the town."


    Zhao''er was inexplicably nervous, and couldn''t help but glance at Xue Tingxiang, and then went to see Mr. Xue.


    Dafang and his wife were overjoyed, they knew it would happen, and it was not in vain for them to swallow their anger for many days.


    Xue Qingshan couldn''t hide the joy on his face, he looked at Xue Tingxiang with pity and compassion, then looked at other people, and finally fell on Xue Tingxiang.


    "Dog, don''t be discouraged. You are still much worse than your talented brother. You will study with uncle for another two years, and then the family will send you to the town to study."


    This kind of tone was too stinging at this time, Zhao''er had a sneer on the corner of his mouth, and wanted to say something, but was pulled by Xue Tingxiang.


    Xue Qingshan took all of this into his eyes, and satirized in his heart, no matter how difficult this girl''s film is, she can only embarrass others on these trivial things, and it still doesn''t work when it comes to big things. He smiled, and said to Zhao''er: "Zhao''er, don''t be angry, uncle knows that you are high-minded, but high-mindedness can''t be eaten, don''t you?"


    No one in the room said anything.


    At this moment, Mr. Xue suddenly said angrily: "Boss, what are you talking about!"


    Xue Qingshan didn''t take it seriously: "Father, I''m not trying to persuade the dog not to be discouraged..."


    Old man Xue''s beard was shaking with anger, and he pointed at him with a cigarette pot: "You need to persuade, the one who is going to study in the town is not a handsome man, but a dog!"


    As soon as these words came out, one stone really stirred up a thousand waves.


    The room was silent for a moment, and soon Zhao''s slightly shrill voice broke the silence.


    "Old man, what are you talking about? What do you mean a person who is going to study in the town is not a talented person?"


    Xue Qingshan also said: "Father, did you say the wrong person in a muddle?"


    "Your father is not ignorant, and he didn''t say anything wrong. The one who goes to study in the town is a dog, not a genius!"


    After saying this, Mr. Xue seemed to have lost all his energy, and stopped talking. The eyes of the whole room kept looking back and forth at Xue Tingxiang and Xue Juncai, full of surprise.


    Xue Qingshan''s smile cracked, and Yang''s face was full of surprise.


    Xue Juncai''s handsome face flushed red, "Grandfather..."


    Mr. Xue waved his hand wearily: "Okay, let''s all go back to the house."


    With everything said like this, everyone had no choice but to leave, but Dafang''s family still stayed behind.


    As soon as everyone walked out of the main room, they heard a commotion inside.


    "Old man, please speak clearly, what do you mean it is a dog who is going to study in the town, not my handsome talent!"


    It was Zhao''s voice.


    There is also Xue Qingshan, mixed with Yang''s aggrieved and sharp cries, and Mr. Xue''s exhausted explanation.


    No secrets can be hidden under one roof, so everyone knows what''s going on.


    *


    Early the next morning, everyone got up.


    But the spirit is not very good, it can be seen that he didn''t sleep much at night. Especially Yang''s eyes were a little red and swollen, and she looked like she was crying.


    Xue Qingshan''s eyes were also full of bloodshot eyes, he looked at Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang with sinister eyes from time to time, but for some reason he didn''t say anything.


    The atmosphere was very depressing, no one spoke, everyone was there and doing what they were doing in an orderly manner, but the yard was surprisingly quiet.


    After breakfast, Mr. Xue took his hoe and planned to go to the field. Xue Qingbai and Xue Qinghuai didn''t dare to delay, one went to lead the cow out, the other picked up the iron plow, and followed him out the door.


    Xue Qingshan didn''t stay at home anymore, and then went out, but he didn''t know where he went.


    Unlike the rest of the Xue family, Zhao''er was very happy.


    Since she learned the ins and outs of the matter from Xue Tingxiang last night, she has fallen into uncontrollable excitement. Don''t say that she gloats, in her heart she should be a little man, and she is worrying about having no money in her hands. This news is tantamount to great joy for her.


    Knowing that the schoolchildren who go to the academy are very particular, she purposely found a piece of blue cloth that had been kept at the bottom of the box for a long time. This is Qiu''s dowry back then, and Qiu gave Zhao''er to make clothes, but unfortunately she has been reluctant to part with it, and now it is just right to use it as a school bag for Xue Tingxiang.


    After cutting the cloth, she began to sew with needles and threads, talking to Xue Tingxiang without saying a word. At this moment, the door curtain was suddenly lifted.


    It was Xue Youcai, the second boy of Dafang.


    Xue Youcai was only seven years old this year, but he was born fat and thick, and he was obviously spoiled. After he came in, he scolded Xue Tingxiang: "Just like you, you are still grabbing things from my elder brother, and you have the same name as a dog. You are no smarter than a dog."


    This kid''s tongue is really poisonous, and he is also used to by the elder couple, and he has always been a bully at home, making everyone angry. I saw signs of it a few years ago, but it''s a pity that Mrs. Yang has been protecting him, saying that he is still young and ignorant, but he has grown up in the past two years, but it is a pity that he is still ignorant.


    Zhao''er doesn''t like him, if anyone in this family beat Xue Youcai, it must be her. Xue Youcai was afraid of her, yet hated her, she stood up abruptly, before she could speak, Xue Youcai suddenly threw a bag of things in his hand. It hit the head and face, and it hurt people, and there was a strange smell in it.


    Zhao''er was hit twice, she subconsciously tried to hide, thinking of Xue Tingxiang on the kang, she turned her back to protect him. Xue Tingxiang was unprepared, she hugged her upright, obviously it was not appropriate, but he felt blushing and heart beating.


    After finally waiting for this wave to pass, Zhao''er let go of his hand, Xue Youcai had already run away, and the thing he used to hit them turned out to be dried cow dung.


    Zhao''er was so disgusted that she ran after her.


    She stopped Xue Youcai at the gate of the courtyard, grabbed him by the collar without saying a word, picked up a branch from a nearby wall, and lashed at him.


    "If I don''t beat you for three days, you dare to go to the house to expose the tiles..."


    Xue Youcai struggled to run away, but Zhao''er was so painful that he was whipped. Crying and shouting, he sat down on the ground and lay down on the ground.


    This looks like the posture that young children are accustomed to playing tricks on.


    There was such a big commotion outside that everyone in the room was startled out.


    Seeing Xue Youcai being beaten by Zhao''er, Mrs. Zhao exploded: "Who told you to beat my grandson, stop!"


    Zhao''er ignored her and scolded: "Do you still dare to do it in the future? Why don''t you learn how to throw bullshit like others! The words are quite vicious. Who taught you to speak like this? If you don''t speak clearly today, I will not only Hit you, I will take you to the river to wash your mouth later..."


    Mrs. Yang also came out, and she screamed: "Wang Zhaoer, you are crazy, you dare to hit Juncai!"


    "Auntie, why don''t you see what he has done? You didn''t learn well at a young age, like some women who uttered obscene language and threw cow dung on people. I''ll tell you now, your second brother has a name , called Xue Tingxiang, if you dare to tell me whether you are a dog or not in the future, I will beat you every time I see you!"


    Xue Youcai cried until tears and snot came out, but unfortunately no one came up to rescue him. Zhao was so angry that she jumped up and down, Yang wanted to stop Zhao''er, but was stopped by Heizi.


    You usually see this sunspot with a slumped head and no energy at all. He stopped in front of people, growled a warning in his voice, and showed his sharp teeth. Yang didn''t doubt that if she dared to go forward, she would The dog would pounce on her and give her a bite.


    At this moment, a surprised voice suddenly sounded outside the courtyard: "What are you doing?"


    It was Xue Qingshan who came back from the outside, not only patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng, but also five or six villagers over half a hundred years old.


    Seeing the situation at home like this, Xue Qingshan was surprised at first, then smiled wryly, and said to the people beside him: "I won''t mention what outsiders say is right and wrong, just say that they are mean dogs, but there is absolutely no one Dare to do this. This girl has always been a pungent person, making troubles at home every now and then, if someone was really mean, she would have already caused a lot of trouble."


    What you said made people feel inexplicable, but Zhao''er is not the master who allows people to slander, so he immediately retorted: "Uncle, what you said is a bit slanderous. I usually respect the elders at home. What nonsense is it? There is a reason for beating this kid today, and he actually scolded..."


    Having said that, she was interrupted by Yang.


    She came over anxiously and distressed, snatched Xue Youcai from Zhao''er''s hand and cried, "How old is he, how old are you? He is just not sensible at this age, and you still care about him... "


    Yang was crying, with a look of grievance and helplessness, Xue Qingshan was also sighing beside him, Zhao''er didn''t know what the two couples were playing, it was over.


    Her little face was flushed with anxiety, and she was about to explain again, when Xue Tingxiang who came out of the room grabbed her.


    He took two steps forward, stood in front of Zhao''er, and first respectfully called Patriarch Xue, Zheng Lizheng and the few villagers. They are all from the same village, and you can''t see them when you look up. As a junior, these are his elders.


    After the proper etiquette passed, he explained to Yang: "I hope that my aunt will not be angry. Zhao''er was also impulsive. She saw that the talented boy called me the same name as a dog, and threw a lot of cow dung on me. That''s why I hit the boy in a fit of anger."


    Xue Tingxiang''s behavior first gave people a good impression. As a scholar, you should be gentle and polite. Next, I will take advantage of the gap of the apology and explain the ins and outs of the matter in two sentences.

 Chapter 250

    She knew that the little man must be angry again, and he didn''t like her saying things like ''the dog is my man'' the most. Every time he heard her say such things, he would ignore her for a few days. In fact, Zhao''er has to face, but she is the child bride-in-law of the Xue family''s second room. If she didn''t claim to be like this, she would not be qualified to challenge the fourth aunt, Sun''s.


    "Are you hungry? Look what I brought back for you?"


    Zhao''er turned her head and put all these troubles behind her mind, and took out a paper bag from her pocket. Opening the paper bag, there were two steamed steamed buns inside. They were white and plump, and people liked it just by looking at them.


    "Eat quickly, while it''s still warm." She smiled and stuffed the paper bag into the little man''s hand, while putting the pannier on her shoulders in the corner.


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her.


    The girl in front of her was in her twenties and eighth year, and her skin was the wheat color common to girls in the country, but Zhao''er''s complexion was very different from others, it was smooth and radiant, as if she had been smeared with honey. He has a tall nose bridge, a pair of medium-sized eyes, and swarthy pupils. When he smiles, he has a flash of inspiration, and he looks lively.


    Zhao''er is taller than ordinary girls, well-developed, front/convex/backward, full of youthful vigor.


    It was so vivid, as vivid as in his dream.


    He unconsciously took the steamed stuffed bun and gnawed on it. Seeing this trick, he smiled even more happily. He went to the kitchen and poured him a bowl of water, which he placed next to his hand. On the other hand, he bent down to tidy up the scattered quilts on the kang, thinking about what to cook for him at night to nourish his body.


    Finally, the little man got better, so he had to continue to drink the medicine, and he had to drink a few more to strengthen it. From this, he naturally began to calculate the little money left in his hand, and think of a way to get some money, so as to solve the urgent need.


    "Have you eaten yet?" Xue Gouzi asked.


    This kind of behavior rarely happens to him, so Zhao''er can''t help but look up at the little man sitting on the kang.


    In fact, the little man has a handsome appearance, which is different from the fair skin of the countrymen. The corners of his eyes are slightly raised, and the curvature makes his face a little more delicate and handsome. It''s just that the little man always hangs his head halfway on weekdays, with a gloomy and silent temperament, and is too thin, so he is not conspicuous in front of others.


    Zhao''er''s eyes warmed up, her smile widened, and she said cracklingly, "Eat, I ate it outside, this is for you."


    After she finished speaking, she realized that she had slipped her mouth. She waited for the little man to show a disgusted expression, or to condemn her daughter''s family for running around, but he didn''t say anything, as if he had something on his mind. Head eating buns.


    Zhao''er couldn''t help heaving a sigh of relief, but at the same time felt a pain in his heart, and couldn''t help but said: "Dog, don''t worry too much. After all, you heard the words. Since you didn''t say it face-to-face, you can''t take it seriously. Even if it is true Don''t be afraid, sister earns money for your education."


    Xue Gouzi''s head still hurts a little, and he was dizzy. Zhao''er thought he had something on his mind, but in fact he was just thinking about that dream. Hearing Zhao''er''s words at this time, he suddenly remembered why he had this serious illness.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Gouzi''s serious illness came in a hurry due to stagnation of liver qi.


    Speaking of this, I have to talk about the general situation of the Xue family.


    Yuqing Village is a village located under Huyang Town, Xia County, Pingyang Prefecture. There are only more than 200 households in the village.


    The Xue family is one of them.


    However, the Xue family is different from other ordinary farmers, and it can be regarded as having some origins.


    The ancestor of the Xue family, that is, the grandfather of Mr. Xue, was a scholar. In a poor mountain depression like Yuqing Village, it is a great event for the ancestors to have a scholar.


    Because of this talented gentleman, the generation of the Xue family produced the head of the Xue clan, and there were several village elders in the clan, and finally had some say in Yuqing Village. At the same time, it is also a blessing for the younger generation. Mr. Xue''s father is hardworking and willing to work. With the help of the elders, he also slowly built up a family business.


    By the time of Mr. Xue''s generation, the Xue family already had more than 30 acres of fertile land, and several sons also had their own livelihoods. Their lives were enviably prosperous, and they could be regarded as a well-to-do family in the village.


    Mr. Xue and his mother-in-law Zhao have four sons and two daughters. The eldest son Xue Qingshan married his wife Yang, and they have two sons and a daughter. The eldest son Xue Juncai is fifteen years old, the second son Xue Youcai is ten years old, and the eldest daughter Xue Maner is married.


    The second child, Xue Qingsong, is a carpenter. He married his wife Qiu Shi and gave birth to a son, Xue Gouzi, who is fourteen years old. The third child, Xue Qingbai, is a farmer, married his wife Zhou, and gave birth to a son and a daughter. The eldest daughter, Xue Taoer, is thirteen years old this year, and the youngest son, Xue Shuanzi, is eight years old now. The fourth son, Xue Qinghuai, is a shopkeeper. He married his wife, Sun, and gave birth to a son named Xue Maodan, who is only four years old this year.


    As for the two daughters, the eldest daughter, Xue Cuiping, is already married, and the youngest daughter, Xue Cuie, is fourteen this year and is still in her boudoir.


    It is worth mentioning that nowadays there are parents who say that they do not separate their families. In addition, families in the countryside are ruled by clans, so Xue''s family has no separation.


    The Xue family has tasted the benefits of reading, so they have more vision than ordinary farmers. Xue Qingshan is smart since he was a child, and he is the eldest son. Mr. Xue has high hopes for him, and when he reaches the age of enlightenment, he spends money to send him to a private school.


    Xue Qingshan also strives for success. At the age of twenty, he passed the Tongsheng examination. Although he is still a scholar, he can be counted as a scholar who can be counted in ten miles and eight villages.


    Don''t underestimate Tongsheng! As the saying goes, scholars, farmers, businessmen, and scholars are the highest class of people in the current society. If ordinary people want to turn ordinary people into scholars, there is only one way to take the imperial examination. As for the imperial examination, it is only a matter of going to the west to learn Buddhist scriptures, and you have to go through various checkpoints and go through hardships before you can get it.


    If you want to embark on this path, you must first have the qualifications, and Tong Sheng is a person with this qualification. It is necessary to pass the county and government examinations to be called Tongsheng. As for the next step is to be a scholar, to become a scholar is to enter school, and it is also the first step to embark on the road of imperial examinations.


    It can be seen from this that Tong Sheng is not an ordinary person, so Xue Qingshan''s status in the Xue family can be imagined.


    But as I said before, the Xue family''s family background can only be regarded as a middle-level family in the countryside. If a family like this wants to support a scholar, it will almost exhaust all the human and financial resources of the family. Because the eldest son is the eldest son, who will set up a family in the future, and is talented and intelligent, the next few sons naturally have to give in.


    As for why Xue Gouzi became seriously ill, it has to be related to another old matter of the Xue family.


    Back then when Xue Qingshan was selected as a child student, he was considered a success at a young age. He was full of ambitions and wanted to pass the college examination in one fell swoop, and he could also be a scholar, but it was a pity that God did not follow his wishes.


    It was only a close call, and no one would be reconciled to it. Xue Qingshan could only calm down, work hard, and hope to win next time.


    After so many years of rushing away, the original smugness was completely devastated by the impact of reality. Xue Qingshan failed many exams, so he couldn''t stay at home and eat free food all the time. In desperation, he set up a private school in the village, which specializes in taking children from the village and several nearby villages to read and write, and they can more or less earn a living.


    With such convenient conditions, several children of Xue''s family naturally followed suit. The next few children are still young, and among the grandchildren, Xue Juncai, the eldest son of the big house, and Xue Gouzi of the second house have studied the longest.


    However, compared to his cousin Xue Juncai, Xue Gouzi is obviously not as good as he is because he is too weak. When he was young, he was always sick every day, which delayed a lot of homework.


    The time was stretched back to five years ago, this year the academic officer held a college examination in Fucheng, Xue Qingshan naturally would not miss it, he stopped his private school classes early and went to Fucheng to take the exam.


    It''s not easy to go out at this time, and besides, Mr. Xue was worried about his eldest son going out alone, so he asked his second son Xue Qingsong to accompany him. He always took care of him when he was usually on a business trip.


    That is to say, something happened on this trip, Xue Qingshan offended someone in Fucheng, Xue Qingsong was beaten all over his body in order to protect his eldest brother. In the end, the man was pulled back, but he died within a few days after he came back. Before he died, Xue Qingsong asked Xue Qingshan to promise himself that he would do everything in his power to confess Xue Gouzi.


    In fact, after giving way for others all his life, how could Xue Qingsong have no complaints in his heart, but he has a simple and honest nature, and he knows that his talent is not as good as that of his elder brother, so he has been making contributions in obscurity.


    But when it came to his own son, especially Xue Gouzi, who was weak since he was a child, he was not a farmer in any way, and he was dying, so Xue Qingsong took the opportunity to force his elder brother to make a promise.


    Xue Qingsong would do this, but he wanted to break the status quo that the Xue family''s resources had been leaning towards Dafang. The Xue family only had two scholars in the first room, and now there is a Xue Gouzi. The children in the third room were still young at that time, and the fourth child was not married yet. As long as Xue Qingshan agrees, others will naturally have nothing to say, and Xue Qingsong will do his best for his son Brown.


    Xue Qingshan agreed to the matter on the spot, crying blood, saying that he would treat Xue Gouzi as his own son, Xue Qingsong closed his eyes.


    Not long after that, Qiu Shi, who was already in poor health, became depressed and fell ill, and then passed away. Since then, Xue Gouzi has become a poor child without father and mother. Fortunately, there are grandparents and uncles, and Zhaoer, a child bride-in-law, so he doesn''t have to worry about food and clothing.


    In the following years, Xue Qingshan really treated Xue Gouzi like his own son. No one in the village would say that the boss of the Xue family raised his nephew as his own son. But as the saying goes, the human heart is the most fickle, and selfishness is the nature of human beings. As time passed, Da Fang gradually changed his attitude. Although he was in front of others, he was still the same as before, but only the person concerned would know what happened to him afterwards.


    This year, seeing that he had nothing to teach his son, Xue Qingshan decided to send Xue Juncai to the town school to study for two years.


    But it costs a lot of money to go to the school to study, not to mention the one-year study that costs two silver, the three festivals and six rituals of the husband, and the pen, ink, paper and inkstone used in daily life, all of which cost money. The Xue family has already been seriously injured because they confessed to Xue Qingshan, and how can they have money for the two children to go together.


    You can only take out one piece of money, that is to say, Xue Juncai and Xue Gouzi can only go to one.


    Xue Qingshan told the matter in front of the whole family, but Xue Gouzi didn''t say what he couldn''t say tactfully, but chose to remain silent.

 Chapter 251

    What is compared is knowledge, and what is compared is also future.


    They were all from humble backgrounds, and of course they knew how difficult it was to study in a farming family. That''s why Xue Tingxiang said before that the Xue family never forgot to cultivate their children and grandchildren while they settled down, and Qiao Xiucai praised them greatly.


    Because he knew that this matter seemed insignificant, but it was actually too difficult for farmers. How many families had the idea of ??changing their own destiny by reading books.


    It can be said that those who are born in a poor family in the countryside and can achieve great fame have all experienced great hardships. The starting point is much lower than others. It takes countless efforts to catch up with others, and at the same time they have to face all kinds of cruel competition.


    This kind of competition is not only between classmates, but also between the same clan, and even one''s own brothers.


    If you succeed, the sea and the sky will be bright with fishes, and you will not be an ordinary person from then on. If you fail, you will put down your books and pick up a hoe, and face the loess with your back to the sky for the rest of your life.


    It is precisely because they understand this kind of cruelty that the two of them can''t help but wonder whether this son deliberately said that his knowledge is weak, or he just wants to pull his brother to reduce the difficulty of the question. But this is a double-edged sword. After all, it is a disadvantage to oneself to lose one''s studies to others.


    These thoughts only happened in an instant, and because of the sudden attention of He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai, Xue Qingshan''s eyebrows jumped wildly, for fear that Xue Tingxiang would say something amazing again. At this moment, he couldn''t care less about why Xue Tingxiang knew the explanation of the scriptures, and he completely forgot that his previous idea was that Xue Tingshan didn''t understand the scriptures, and it would be easy for his son to beat him.


    This is also true for Patriarch Xue. If something happens in the clan that cannot be seen by others, it is limited to the clan. If it happens in public, it will be a bit ugly.


    The eyes of the two seemed to have needles, and they were anxiously focused on Xue Tingxiang''s face. Unexpectedly, he smiled shyly and said: "The boy was weak and sick when he was young, so he inevitably fell behind."


    Xue Qingshan hurriedly laughed and said: "That''s exactly the case. Don''t be afraid that the two seniors will laugh at me. My nephew is talented and intelligent, but his weak body hinders his studies."


    Patriarch Xue also nodded in agreement.


    Others didn''t know what was going on, they just opened their eyes and watched. Only Zheng Lizheng seemed to realize that there was something wrong, but he couldn''t tell the details, so he could only keep silent.


    After He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai gave in to each other again, He Xiucai was the main one in the end. Sitting at the top, he said to Xue Tingxiang: "Since you don''t understand the scriptures, it''s a bit unfair to go beyond the scope of what you have learned. You two are still young, and it''s time to lay down the foundation, so I will test your two. Human base."


    Hearing this, although Xue Juncai was a little disappointed that he was overqualified and missed his opportunity to perform, he also felt disdainful.


    If you don''t test the scriptures, then Xue Tingxiang is not his opponent!


    He Xiucai squeezed his beard with his hands, and after pondering for a while, said: "Zhu Zi said: the size of learning is inherently different, but it is the way, it is only one. It is also suitable for young people. If you don''t learn it in elementary school, you will have nothing to learn. Its heart, to cultivate its virtue, is the foundation of the university. The two of you will each silently write a "Disciple Regulations."


    Neither of them expected that the first question would be Mo''s "Disciple Regulations". You must know that "Disciples Regulations" was learned at the beginning of elementary school, and the whole article is only about a thousand words. In addition to the general narrative, it is divided into seven chapters: filial piety when you enter, brotherhood when you go out, sincerity, faith, universal love for all, kindness and benevolence, and Yu Liwen.


    Each chapter is not long, with three words and one sentence, rhyming in the same pattern, and catchy. It lists the various norms that disciples should abide by at home, when going out, and when dealing with people. It also just proves what He Xiucai said before, the size of learning is inherently different, but it is the truth that it is only one.


    Someone has already prepared a square table and pens and inks, and each person has a table and table in front of the hall, and even the ink has been sharpened.


    When the two came to the table, they picked up a pen and wrote without any hesitation.


    As the two rushed to write and write, the noise gradually faded away. Even if the country people don''t understand the basic principles, they also know that scholars should not be disturbed when they are doing their studies.


    This is not a problem for Xue Tingxiang, because he only has one book, so he has spent too much effort to memorize the things he has learned.


    Not only memorizing, but also keeping in mind, so that when asked in school, he can answer fluently, because he has no reference at all.


    It is better to have no books than to have books, because these are all engraved in the mind. Especially since having that dream, in order not to affect his memory, he has silently recited the book he had memorized countless times in his mind.


    While Xue Tingxiang was writing vigorously, he also had a slight change in his opinion of He Xiucai.


    He could see that the other party asked such an unexpected question, not because the other party deliberately released the water, but because the other party wanted to make a surprise. Because this discipline is too simple for scholars, they have learned it when they were just learning, but they just throw it away after learning it.


    Except for the beginning of learning, my husband will not take these things in the future. It may be to test the Three Character Classic, or even a hundred surnames, and a thousand character prose, but it will not be the rules of this disciple.


    Xue Tingxiang even couldn''t wait to see Xue Juncai''s reaction. Maybe the other party can roughly write down this article, but can you write down all the thousands of words, and the words are correct and the order is good? And He Xiucai''s request to silence this disciple''s rule is probably not just silent, but also one of the "books" in elementary school.


    Just relying on your own words is enough to beat the opponent.


    As Xue Tingxiang thought, at first Xue Juncai really felt contemptuous. He even wondered if this He Xiucai was out of his mind to take the "Disciple Regulations" test.


    Who wouldn''t know this disciple? It is something to learn at the beginning of school. But after he fell silent, he realized that he really wasn''t as good as he thought.


    After you leave, do you love me, or are you hurt? You must know that this Disciple Rules is not like other articles, it can connect the past and the future, confirming each other, if the first sentence is wrong, the latter paragraph will be wrong.


    The more Xue Juncai became silent, the more annoyed he felt, and he always felt that he was wrong in being silent. If someone asks a question, he can naturally answer it fluently. Ke Mo, Mo is still a good word!


    At first, he wrote like flying, but then it became slower and slower, and even reached the point where he couldn''t write, obviously he was not sure if his memory was wrong.


    On the contrary, Xue Tingxiang has been calm from the beginning, and he is still writing at a leisurely pace at this time, but it can be seen that his writing is very coherent, with almost no pause.


    At the first place, Qiao Xiucai glanced at He Xiucai with exclamation, and did not hide her surprise at all. He naturally had a panoramic view of the following situation, and he had to admire He Xiucai''s ingenuity.


    He Xiucai smiled slightly. In fact, he would ask this kind of question, but he just wanted people to make mistakes. I was very proud of my inspiration.


    He stroked his beard and said with a faint smile, "You two little friends, don''t worry, there is a stick of incense time, enough to write it down."


    Yizhuxiang wrote more than a thousand characters, which seemed a bit hasty, but it is not impossible to write something as simple as the disciple''s rules silently, as long as you pay close attention to it.


    But that was before, Xue Juncai couldn''t help but feel even more anxious when he heard someone mention the time.


    In the following time, he kept looking at the stick of incense, because he looked at it too frequently, which made his speed even slower.


    "Okay, time is up."


    As the words fell, Xue Tingxiang made a big stroke and put down the brush in his hand.


    Xue Juncai didn''t move, until someone went in front of him, only to find that his whole body was as stiff as a stone, and he was dripping with sweat, and the paper in front of him was only half full.


    Because the two were behind the gate, and Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong were sitting at the end, they didn''t notice anything strange about it. In their minds, a "Regulations for Disciples" couldn''t be simpler, and Xue Juncai''s strange appearance also attracted the attention of the two of them, but they still didn''t expect that Xue Juncai could not finish writing it.


    It wasn''t until He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai looked at each other''s papers that they looked at each other, and He Xiucai announced that Xue Tingxiang won this match.


    Xue Qingshan stood up from the chair in surprise: "How is it possible?"


    At the same time, there was a lot of discussion below and outside the door, and it seemed that Xue Juncai couldn''t believe that Xue Juncai had lost. Insiders look at the doorway, while laymen watch the excitement. The villagers who didn''t know a single word didn''t know what the test was about, they only knew that Master Xiucai said that Xue Juncai lost to the Xue family dog.


    Xue Juncai lost to Xue Gouzi?


    This, this is really surprising. You must know that Xue Juncai has always been the most outstanding young man among the younger generation in Yuqing Village. Whoever mentions him does not give a thumbs up.


    "Senior He, Senior Qiao, did you make a mistake, a disciple''s regulation..."


    He Xiucai gestured with his gaze, and two people stepped forward to unfold Xue Juncai''s and Xue Tingxiang''s papers, held them up, and showed them to everyone.


    I saw that on one of the rice papers, the handwriting was full of strength, correct and beautiful. On the other piece of rice paper, the handwriting was not bad, but it was anticlimactic, and it became more and more scribbled as it went to the back, and there were even spots of ink on it.


    "Xue Tingxiang''s words are not bad, and there is no ink on the scroll, which is a good appearance. And Xue Juncai didn''t finish his silence, and there were mistakes and omissions, so Xue Tingxiang won this round."


    "Brilliant!" Xue Qingshan said in surprise, his eyes were full of disbelief, he wanted to say something, but was pulled by Yang Zhong.


    Xue Juncai didn''t raise his head until now, he raised his head stiffly and looked at Xue Tingxiang with red eyes.


    ...


    Next is the second round, and this round will return to the normal school exam homework.


    He Xiucai asked the question, and the two answered.


    "Seeking the ancients to seek the theory, how can you solve it if you let go of your worries?"


    "Search for the ancients and the ancient things, and read more wise and famous sayings, so that you can get rid of distracting thoughts and be at ease." Xue Juncai took a step forward and replied.


    "Meng Ke is dunsu, Shi Yu is upright. What''s the explanation for Lao Qian''s edict?" This sentence was asked by Xue Tingxiang.


    He pondered for a while, and said: "Mencius advocates simplicity, while Ziyu, the official historian, is upright. What he said is that a person should conform to the standard of the mean as much as possible. He must be hardworking and humble, be cautious, and know how to advise himself."


    "Saying the warning, what''s the next sentence?" When He Xiucai asked this sentence, he didn''t look at any of the two of them.


    Xue Juncai was still in a daze, but Xue Tingxiang had already replied: "I''m almost ashamed, Lin Gao is lucky."


    "Don''t talk about each other''s weaknesses, what''s the solution to relying on your own strengths?"


    This time Xue Juncai didn''t let up, and hurriedly said: "Don''t talk about other people''s shortcomings, and don''t rely on your own strengths to make progress." Before he finished speaking, his cheeks were hot, and he didn''t know whether it was embarrassment or self-ashamed.


    "Okay!" He Xiucai clapped his hands together, "All the answers are pretty good."


    Suddenly, he said again: "Shuixie."


    Xue Juncai was stunned for a moment, Xue Tingxiang''s eyes flashed, and he replied: "Shanzhai."


    Hearing this, Xue Juncai realized that He Xiucai was taking a pair test.


    Before schoolchildren enter university, in addition to the basic three hundred and thousand thousand, they also need to learn "Enlightenment of Rhythm", "Longwen Whip Shadow", "Children''s Learning Qionglin", "Zengguang Xianwen" and so on.


    Among them, "Enlightenment of Rhythm" and "Longwen Whip Shadow" teach children to understand the rules of rhythm and parallelism. In the process of learning Pingzheqie rhyme, at the same time begin to understand and master poetry rhyme, and acquire a large number of vocabulary and ancient allusions.


    Nowadays there is a saying that few schoolchildren who have been taught can''t match the right pair.


    Especially this simple pair and couplet.


    After suffering two losses in a row, Xue Juncai was obviously smarter. It was almost He Xiucai who asked the question. Answered successfully.


    It can be seen that Xue Juncai is doing well in his studies, and there are almost no pairs that He Xiucai can''t answer.


    "Recently, the old man sighed in his heart. He occasionally got something. He came up with an upper couplet, but so far he has not been able to get a suitable second couplet. This time I will test you two. It may be too difficult for you now, but give it a try. It doesn''t matter." He Xiucai withdrew his gaze and looked at Qiao Xiucai: "Brother Qiao, if you are interested, you can also try it, so as to relieve the pain of brooding for many days."


    Qiao Xiucai smiled slightly, knowing that this was He Xiucai''s desire to compete.


    As the saying goes, there is no first in writing, and there is no second in martial arts. In the nearby villages, he and He Xiucai were the only ones who passed the entrance examination. He Xiucai''s reputation in the outside world has never been prominent, and he can understand that he will compare.


    "Brother He, it''s okay to say."


    He Xiucai stroked his beard and said: "One person is great, and two are heaven. Heaven is greater than human affection, and human affection is greater than heaven."


    Xue Tingxiang''s eyes flashed, his eyes flicked across the faces of the first two people, and then fell on Xue Juncai''s face. Seeing him bow his head in thought, he also lowered his head.


    There was silence in the hall, no one dared to make a sound, and couldn''t figure it out that there were two juniors in the examination school, so how could these two match up.


    Suddenly, a clear high-five sounded.


    Qiao Xiucai clapped his hands and said, "Two trees make a forest, three trees make a forest. The forest is luxuriant, and the forest is luxuriant."


    Xue Tingxiang thought to himself: In fact, this pair is difficult to say, and it is not difficult to say that it is not difficult.


    He Xiucai''s one person turns into a big man, and two people turn into a sky, and the two lines of confrontation afterwards have the finishing touch. And Qiao Xiucai used two trees to form a forest, and three trees to form a forest, which is perfect.

 Chapter 252

    Xue Qingshan also went out, but instead of going to the field, he went to the town. It is said that some classmate in the town had an elder in his family celebrating a birthday.


    Now is the busy season, and there are not many schoolchildren in the school. The private schools in the countryside are like this. Every two seasons when the farming season is busy, the schoolchildren will be given holidays, so Xue Qingshan has been quite free recently. But no one cares about where he goes or not. When the school is on vacation, he is often not seen for several days.


    Zhao''er washed the dishes and chopsticks used by herself and the little man, and took them back to the kitchen. Mrs. Zhou was cooking pig food, while Tao''er was sweeping the yard. Seeing that she had nothing to do, Zhao''er found Heizi''s food bowl, and took a bowl from the leftover rice that was going to be mixed with pig grass to feed pigs later. , carrying it and walking out the door.


    Mrs. Zhou glanced at her back, but said nothing.


    The leftovers are for Heizi. Dogs in the country are like this. The owner eats dry food, and the dog drinks water. When the owner eats water, the dog usually starves. The country dogs are used to starvation, but Zhao''er usually pays little attention to sunspots, no matter good or bad, he always feeds him.


    Occasionally there are additional meals, of course, these are invisible to the human face.


    Anyway, Mrs. Zhao saw Zhao''er picking food out of her pig''s mouth and feeding it to the dog!


    She stepped out of the main room and saw this scene, her old face immediately pulled down, and she didn''t see her scolding Zhao''er, so she stood in front of the door and shouted at the direction of the kitchen: "Let you feed the pigs!" It¡¯s good for you, feed the food into the dog¡¯s mouth, such a big person is useless, and eating for nothing is not enough.¡±


    This clearly refers to Sang scolding Huai.


    In the kitchen, Mrs. Zhou didn''t speak. Tao''er, who was sweeping the yard, looked up at Grandma, endured it and continued to sweep the yard. Mrs. Zhao didn''t mention her name, who knows who she was scolding, if she stepped forward to intervene, she would only change the target and be scolded bloody.


    These are lessons learned.


    As soon as Zhao''er walked to the gate of the courtyard, she heard such scolding. She didn''t show any weakness, and turned her head to look at Zhao with a smile: "Grandma, are you scolding Third Aunt? If you scold Third Aunt, Third Aunt But it¡¯s too unfair. If you want to scold you, you should scold me. I scooped up the leftovers and planned to give Heizi to eat. Didn¡¯t I just think that Heizi would not be easy, so I would bring a rabbit to the house every now and then. You said we You can¡¯t do something that wants the cows to work without giving them grass, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Mrs. Zhao glared at Zhao''er angrily. She knew that this girl was not a cheap girl, so she scolded Mrs. Zhou, but she found her by herself. Just as he was about to say something, some of the women who passed by the gate of the courtyard smiled and said, "I saw Lian Xing''s family so energetic early in the morning."


    Someone next to him interjected: "Don''t talk about it, Ren Zhao''er is right. How can there be a cow that works without giving it grass?"


    "That''s right, Lian Xing''s family, it''s almost enough. Everyone in the village doesn''t like your big black dog. At this time when there is a rabbit shortage in the wild, it can fetch rabbits. What a smart beast. Usually In summer and autumn, voles, wild rabbits, and pheasants were often picked up at home, and they would be brought back if they didn¡¯t eat them. If you don¡¯t like Heizi, give it to our family, and your Uncle Shouxin has already taken a fancy to Heizi.¡±


    This is a Lianxing family, Mr. Xue and his aunt, known as Aunt Shouxin. Although he is ten years younger than Mrs. Zhao, but he is of a higher seniority.


    There are more than 200 households in Yuqing Village, with Xue and Zheng as the main surnames, and there are more than a dozen other households with mixed surnames. Since they all have the same surname, it is inevitable that every family is related, and some relationships can be pulled out of Wufu. But relatives are relatives, and when one is younger than others, one has to respect one another, so when this aunt Shouxin spoke, she sounded like an elder giving advice to younger generations.


    Mrs. Zhao was terribly blocked by these words, even though she was scolding, she was really reluctant to let her give Heizi to others. Just like what these people said, Heizi did bring some wild animals to his house at ordinary times, regardless of size, fat or thin, he always eats meat, and it is not easy for country people to eat meat.


    She kept a straight face and said nothing, but the trick in front of the door was on point: "Grandma Seven, this is not acceptable, Heizi is my lifeblood, you have made my lifeblood run away, I can''t live anymore."


    She smiled as soon as she said it, and said witty words in her mouth, and immediately made Aunt Shouxin laugh, pointing at her bit by bit, and said to others: "Look at this naughty girl, but she is not at all. You''re welcome. Please, please, Seventh Grandma doesn''t want you dog, so she won''t take away my son''s life."


    After talking and joking, Zhao''er sent the women away with a smile, and then turned around to feed Heizi.


    Mrs. Zhao glared at her, turned around and was about to enter the room, but just as she lifted her foot, she heard someone calling her from behind.


    "Mom, why are you standing here?"


    But Xue Cuiping, the eldest daughter of the Zhao family, came back.


    Xue Cuiping''s appearance is 60% similar to Zhao''s, but she has a pair of big almond eyes. She looked like she was in her twenties, and she was wearing a washed-out blue floral jacket with a pair of red-coloured wide-leg trousers underneath. She was holding a bamboo basket in her hand, which was covered with a layer of cloth, and she couldn''t see what was in it, and she was looking at Mrs. Zhao suspiciously.


    This really means that Cao Cao and Cao Cao will be here soon. The old man said before that the Zhao family is planning to get someone to report to Shangshui Village. This will save trouble.


    The mother and daughter walked into the house while talking, and soon disappeared behind the curtain of the main room door.


    Zhao''er squatted there watching Heizi eat, stroking its big head with her hand, but she was a little curious about how her aunt came back in time for the busy farming season.


    *


    "This can''t be done, mother, you are letting someone poke my spine!" In the main room, Xue Cuiping stood up after listening to Mrs. Zhao''s words.


    Mrs. Zhao hurriedly reached out to pull her, and at the same time gestured for her to keep her voice down so that no one could hear her.


    "Why not? You are Gouzi''s aunt, and you beat the younger brother and the second child. If this family says who the child wants to listen to, they will probably listen to you."


    Mrs. Zhao''s words are true. Xue Cuiping has been friends with her second child, Xue Qingsong since she was a child, and she and Mrs. Qiu also got along well when she was not married. When Xue Gouzi was born, she often hugged him.


    Xue Gouzi has been shy and introverted since he was a child, and since his second wife left, he has become more silent and gloomy. He often doesn''t see him say a word for ten days and a half months, and the members of the Xue family are only close to aunt Xue Cuiping.


    "But..." Xue Cuiping was full of embarrassment, and secretly said in her heart that she shouldn''t be coming back this trip. She never thought that she hadn''t finished her business before going back to her mother''s house, but this kind of thing would happen.


    "Don''t forget, your family Xingzi came to our private school, and your elder brother didn''t care about you. Now your elder brother needs your help, why don''t you want to ignore it, you are good, your elder brother is fine, The big house is promising, can it still make you suffer?"


    "Why don''t you tell the dog yourself, mother!"


    Mrs. Zhao has never been a patient person. She can speak so softly because Xue Cuiping is her daughter. Seeing her daughter pushing back and forth like this, and poking her heart with words, she immediately exploded: "If your mother can go and tell him, is it still necessary for you? Your mother can say this, can you say it? If you let outsiders You know, what has become of this?"


    Xue Cuiping was already irritated by her in-laws'' affairs, and when she saw her mother scolding herself, she immediately became annoyed: "Hey, the whole family will not go, and I am an outsider who asked me to be this villain? Even if an outsider finds out, it''s okay It¡¯s no use for me to be an aunt, and the second elder brother¡¯s family and adults are all dead, so why not force a child?!¡±


    Seeing her daughter''s voice getting louder, Mrs. Zhao was afraid that people would hear her, so she gave her a firm hand and scolded: "You are afraid that people will not hear you, right?"


    Naturally, Xue Cuiping didn''t want to have a falling out with her mother, so she muttered reluctantly: "Let me say, it''s not your mother''s business to be in charge of this matter, let the elder brother or sister-in-law handle the affairs of the elder brother''s house by himself. Let others do all the bad things." , their family is innocent, there is such a thing!"


    "Why are you talking about your elder brother? Your elder brother is a scholar, he wants to face and respect. Besides, he is ashamed of his second son, and he can''t do such a thing."


    Xue Cuiping''s lips parted, and she pressed down her full stomach.


    If he really felt ashamed of his second brother, would he still make such a fuss? In fact, over the years, Xue Cuiping has also seen through the behavior of this elder brother. If the elder sister-in-law is a smiley face, the elder brother is not a good person. Bad things have been done by others. It is obvious that their family has benefited, but they still pretend to be innocent.


    But so what if she knew, she was a married woman after all, she couldn''t shake the deep-rooted respect her parents had for her elder brother. As long as this kind of value is not broken for a day, the big house will always be the first in the family. In particular, she also has her own selfishness and her own reasons, so even if she knows what happened at home in the past two years, she can only ignore it against her conscience.


    She brushed back the hair that fell on her cheeks, and said: "Mother, let''s not talk about it, I came back this trip to borrow some wheat seeds, you also know my mother-in-law''s disease, because I was in a hurry to raise money last year The money for the medicine, and no seeds left..."


    Before she finished speaking, she was interrupted by Mrs. Zhao.


    Mrs. Zhao patted her hard twice: "Borrowing wheat seeds again, do you think your mother''s family has gold and silver, don''t you? With so many sons in the Liu family, let you, a daughter-in-law, come back to dig out her mother''s family!?"


    "mother¡­¡­"


    "Those head-cutting things in the Liu family, a house full of losers, a bunch of incompetent bastards, who can''t even support their mothers..." Mrs. Zhao scolded, and seeing Xue Cuiping crying, she beat her again. She said twice: "Go and deal with Gouzi, and mother will give you wheat seeds."


    "mother¡­¡­"


    "Go, don''t ink."


    *


    When he heard that his aunt had returned, Xue Gouzi felt a sense of fate in his heart.


    Afterwards, when Xue Cuiping opened the door curtain and walked in with a smile, he surprisingly didn''t feel sad at all.


    When Xue Cuiping was talking, Xue Gouzi was not actually listening, he was just thinking about all the strange things in and out of the dream.


    Xue Tingxiang also experienced such a thing back then, since his parents passed away one after another, he felt resentful towards Xue''s family in his heart. And these grievances accumulated little by little under Dafang''s hypocrisy and the acquiescence of his family members. Until this time, he still had the last bit of hope in his heart, but when even his closest aunt was standing on the opposite side, he completely collapsed in despair. Instead of being silent earlier, he chose to explode.


    In fact, what Dafang and even the Xue family were waiting for was his outburst. As long as he raises this matter himself, countless big hats will be put on his head. He had no ability to resist at all, and these people were all his elders, so his anger and unwillingness were all strangled to death in his infancy.


    This time, what happened in the dream happened again, what should he do?


    Xue Cuiping''s mouth was still opening and closing, it could be seen that she was a little guilty in front of this pale and frail nephew. But these guilty consciences were hidden behind her constantly opening and closing mouth. Xue Gouzi''s eyes were indifferent, but someone beside him couldn''t help it.


    Zhao''er''s face was ugly, but he still forced a smile: "Auntie, you see that the dog has been sick for a few days, and he just got better. He is not in good spirits. If there is anything to say, let''s talk about it later."


    In fact, Zhao''er knew that this day would come sooner or later, otherwise she wouldn''t be desperately trying to make money recently. But when the malice between relatives approached a little bit, and it was her little man who forced it, Zhao''er couldn''t ignore it.


    She knew that it was the relatives who hurt people the most, and she had suffered this kind of pain. When mother left, she promised her that she would take good care of the little man, she made an oath.


    At this moment, Zhao''er''s eyes were stern, which was a sign that the female beast was going crazy.


    Xue Cuiping was frightened by what Zhaoer saw in her eyes, she shook her head subconsciously, and smiled uncomfortably, she couldn''t believe that a girl''s eyes could be so scary.


    "Zhao''er, Auntie is here to enlighten the dog. Auntie is also doing it for the good of the dog, and for the good of the family..."


    "Auntie." Suddenly, Xue Gouzi spoke.


    Interrupting Xue Cuiping''s words also interrupted Zhao''er''s explosion at a critical point.


    Xue Cuiping hurriedly turned her head to look at him: "Dog, Auntie told you..."


    "Auntie, I didn''t understand what you said for a long time. What should the meaning of the family come first? Why does Kong Rong give up pears? What does elder brother need from me? Auntie, you don''t know that elder brother has everything, grandma Uncles and aunts love him too, and they bought good pens, inks, papers and inkstones. Every time he uses paper for calligraphy practice, I can only practice calligraphy with branches and write on the sand. The paper I occasionally use is the worst quality Zhaoer bought. The rice paper, the ink drops on it and it is printed.


    "Brother has a lot of books, but I only have a copy of "Children Learning Qionglin", which I bought when my father worked as a carpenter for a few months. I know that my reading is not as good as that of my elder brother, and my handwriting is not as good as that of my elder brother. So I dare not ask to be like him. I don¡¯t have anything, I really don¡¯t know what I can give up to my elder brother.¡±


    Xue Gouzi''s eyes were bright and moist, with a kind of bewilderment and doubt that was ignorant of the world. The envy in his expression implied inferiority, and there was also some sadness in the inferiority complex.


    In particular, he had just recovered from a serious illness, his face was pale, and he was so thin that only a bone remained. He said such words that really made the sad witnesses cry.


    These words left Xue Cuiping speechless, feeling distressed and ashamed of herself, feeling that she would have no face to see her second brother and sister-in-law if she died. But the situation at home is imminent. There are no seeds during the spring plowing, and the wheat seedlings are not cultivated in time. If this season is missed, the whole family will suffer from famine this year.


    She suddenly hardened her heart, licked her lips and said, "Auntie is talking about going to the school in the town. You see, your handsome elder brother is better at studying than you. He is at the critical moment. You should give up as a younger brother. Anyway, you are one year younger than him, so it won''t be too late to go again next year."


    Zhao''er turned around abruptly, and picked up the stick behind the door.


    At this moment, Xue Gouzi said again: "Why did you let me go? Didn''t I have to go? Uncle asked you to come? Did he forget what he promised my father before he died? It turns out that uncle said Treating me like my own son is all fake..."


    Zhao''er was in a turbulent mood, and it took him a while to regain his composure.


    After she calmed down, she asked Shen Ping: "Shopkeeper Shen, these clothes only cost two taels in total. Will the pawnshop lose money? Are you doing it just to take care of me..."


    Zhao''er didn''t finish the rest of the sentence, Shen Ping also understood.


    He laughed, but he appreciated Zhao''er''s frankness of not wanting to take advantage of others: "These were sold to a clothing store or an embroidery workshop, and the price was the same. Regardless of the quantity, there are not many good ones that can be sold at a reasonable price." The ones have already been picked away."


    Zhao''er thinks about it too, the eyes of the county people are naturally different from those of the country people, let alone this kind of big pawn shop, what is bad in their eyes is actually good for the country people to see.


    She breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "I want the bag of clothes from Shopkeeper Shen, and I''ll give you the money right now."


    "Are you rich now?"


    Of course she is rich, Zhao''er now has more than two taels of silver in total, and just now Su Lan gave her another five taels, which is naturally enough.

 Chapter 253

    "I know you don''t like me, but I''ve been like this for many years, and I can''t change it! I don''t plan to change it either!"


    "Look at Hong''er, does he look like you?"


    ...


    Xue Tingxiang suddenly felt that someone was shaking him. He opened his tired eyes and saw the dark inner room. Hu San''s face was no longer young, and even the lines on the curtain were so familiar. He was just dreaming.


    It''s just that the dream was too clear, the sorghum fragrance in the air, the curve of her stubbornly pursed mouth, all made him feel like he was actually there. And her tears from being angry, crystal clear and shining with colorful light, he wanted to reach out to touch it, but someone woke him up.


    "My lord, it''s time to drink the medicine."


    Xue Tingxiang was propped up and given medicine. He was terminally ill, and he had to be served even to drink medicine. How could he look like Xue Shoufu, an extremely human minister who had ruled the court for decades.


    Oh no, he is not the chief assistant now.


    He has already written a letter to beg for bones, intending to return to his hometown for the elderly, and the Holy Majesty has already agreed, but he has no home to return to and no relatives to rely on.


    In fact, he didn''t intend to go back.


    "Master Zhang, Mr. Wang, and Mr. Li and Mr. Cao all came to visit you, but they obeyed your orders and blocked the door. They come every day, and they are here again today. Would you like to see me?"


    What can they do? Didn''t they think that his illness was an expedient measure, waiting for him to stand up and continue to lead them to fight against the emperor, but he was really ill, terminally ill, and the medicine was useless.


    "not see."


    "My lord, please sleep a little longer."


    The room became quiet again, Xue Tingxiang''s eyelids began to get heavy again, he blinked again and again, and fell into sleep again.


    ...


    "How come Mr. Wang is free to visit this old man?"


    Wang Mingcheng''s eyes were a bit complicated, but he smiled on his face: "After all, I am a minister of the same court, and I should come to visit Mr. Shoufu because of emotion and reason."


    "I didn''t expect you, Wang Mingcheng, to say such hypocritical things, but to see if the old man is dying on behalf of the emperor?" Xue Tingxiang sarcastically said.


    He is obviously a haggard old man who is obviously dying, but just because of his calm, indifferent eyes that seem somewhat unpredictable, people dare not ignore him in the slightest.


    After all, this is Xue Shoufu, and the name alone is enough to intimidate everyone. That was Xue Tingxiang''s deep-rooted roots left by him after going through three dynasties and dozens of years, just like a towering ancient tree with intertwined roots, without him doing anything, just standing there is enough to make everyone daunting.


    If not, why would the new emperor have to exhaust all means, but still dare not act rashly, only dare to take that roundabout strategy.


    "It seems that my lord has misunderstood His Majesty a lot."


    Xue Tingxiang snorted and laughed, half closed his eyes, did not speak, and looked obviously too lazy to talk to him.


    "Actually, I''m here for myself. I just came to see how lonely and miserable the villain who abandoned his wife and son was now. I''m afraid Mr. Xue is dead now, and even a descendant in mourning None, in fact, Mr. Xue is too hard to see, it is just a show, just listen to it and watch it, how can you take the fake show as real and make yourself like this? Is it because of a disturbed conscience or fear? His true face is known by the world, he is reviled by others, and he will be stigmatized for thousands of years?"


    "you¡­¡­"


    "To say that you abandoned your wife and son is too much to save your face. It should be killing your wife and son, isn''t it, Mr. Xue?"


    No one knows about all this. The world only knows that Xue Shoufu had a first wife before Mrs. Xue, but they don''t know what happened to that first wife. After all, the time is too long, Xue Tingxiang has stood in the court hall for dozens of years, and his former, former and current opponents have all been trampled under his feet.


    People in the world only know that Mr. Shoufu is friendly and respectful to the corporals, but they don''t know that Mr. Shoufu also has a vicious side. In recent years, anyone who wanted to make a fuss about his past events all became lonely ghosts. No one knows how many ghosts have been added to it, and the only one who can know is Wang Mingsheng, the "bitter master".


    "You, you are..."


    Wang Mingcheng leaned closer to his face: "It''s a pity that my mother''s life is so bad, and so is my life. The sinking ship didn''t kill us, but was saved by others. Do you know that for so many years, day and night, I I want to see this scene every night. It''s a pity that your life is too long, and the power is in the hands of the people. I can only climb up step by step, to the position where I can step on you..."


    "You are... Hong''er..." Xue Tingxiang struggled to say this.


    Wang Mingsheng stood up straight and smiled heartily: "My name is not Hong''er, nor is my surname Xue, but my surname is Wang. My mother remarried, to the person who saved us...don''t get excited, even if You are dead now, and I am not your son..."


    Wang Mingsheng has always been known for being calm and introverted, hiding his secrets, and it was probably the first time he laughed so freely in front of people.


    "By the way, you don''t have to think that even if my official surname is Wang, I can still pass on the family lineage to your Xue family. Let me think about it. Yao Ji released the rumor that my official is as good as Long Yang back then, as if you ordered someone to do it. You really hit the mark, I don¡¯t like women, that¡¯s why I haven¡¯t married for many years..."


    He smiled and looked at the old man on the bed, seeing how shocked, disappointed and remorseful he was.


    But so what?


    He suddenly found that he was not as happy as he had imagined, and even this smile seemed too fake. He suddenly lost interest, flattened the corners of his mouth, brushed off his sleeves, and said, "Since Mr. Xue is fine, I will take my leave."


    ...


    "I didn''t, I didn''t..."


    "My lord, what are you talking about?"


    Hearing this voice, the fog in front of Xue Tingxiang suddenly dissipated, and he woke up suddenly from his dream. In front of the eyes is this dark inner room again, Hu San''s unattractive or even ugly face, the air is filled with a bitter smell of medicine, and there seems to be a decadent smell floating gently.


    Xue Tingxiang moved his lips, but no sound came out.


    "My lord, what did you say?"


    Hu San was very anxious, and kept asking, but Xue Tingxiang couldn''t speak at all. Hu San could only ask based on his own guess: "Are you thinking about the past? Don''t worry, your words have been passed on to Mr. Zhang , he already knows that Lord Wang is your only son, and will follow your instructions."


    Xue Tingxiang blinked his eyelids. Hu San thought he still had something to say, so he put his ear next to his mouth, but only heard one sentence: "I didn''t..."


    After that there is no text.


    When Hu San anxiously looked up, he saw Xue Tingxiang''s wide-open eyes and gray-blue face.


    He moved forward to touch the other person''s breath with shaking hands, but was so startled that he sat down on the ground.


    *


    The cold wind came in through the holed window paper, blowing Xue Gouzi''s face coldly.


    Shocked, he opened his eyes.


    What imprinted in my eyes was a small room with blue brick walls and black tile roof. The walls were plastered with white ash, but it looked gray. The beams of the house are log-colored, and because there is no dust, they are bare/exposed. There are several bamboo baskets hanging on them. There seems to be something in the baskets, and they are covered with blue cloth.


    He was lying on a kang with a half-new quilt covering his body. The quilt looked clean and tidy, but in fact the cotton wadding inside had hardened.


    Facing his kang feet, there is a row of dark brown kang cabinets, with brass bare nails inlaid with hinged leaves and copper tassel handles, and simple patterns of auspicious clouds and flowing water carved on them, which look thick and generous. . Although it is nothing in a rich family, it is already a piece of furniture that can be sold in a peasant family.


    There is no problem passing it down for generations!


    This is what his father said back then, and his father was the best carpenter in the village.


    Xue Gouzi felt his head hurt, as if he had been hit hard with a hoe. He wanted to support himself to sit up, but he was exhausted and fell back onto the kang again.


    It was only then that he realized that he was Xue Gouzi, the eldest son of the second room of the Xue family. Because of something that happened, he couldn''t think about it for a while, and he was so angry that he became ill for a while, and he had been sick for many days.


    He is not Xue Tingxiang, that Xue Tingxiang is the person in his dream.


    How could he be like that?


    In order to prove that all that was just a dream, he raised his hand to look at it.


    really! The hand in front of him was slender and fair, and he hadn''t developed the muscles and bones that a man should have. He was only fourteen this year, how could he live to be over seventy years old, and die in the end.


    Xue Gouzi let out a heavy breath, looked around again, and finally felt more at ease.


    Someone was talking outside, and the voice came in through the cracks in the window.


    "I''m talking about recruiting, it''s not my aunt talking about you, look at what you are now, a girl who stays at home all day, and learns from those small traders to do business. That business is what you can do. Did it? Look at your fourth uncle, you can¡¯t save a lot of money by running around outside every day, so don¡¯t worry about it, and if you have that little time, you can help fourth aunt with some work!¡±


    The voice sounded like a young woman, but the sarcasm in the words was too strong. It is said that appearance is born from the heart, and it is no wonder that Mrs. Sun has a mean face.


    This thought flashed subconsciously in Xue Gouzi''s mind, and then he was stunned. It''s true that he hated Fourth Aunt, but why would he miss her so much?


    Before he could figure out why, he heard the voice in his dream.


    "Fourth aunt, I would like to help you with some work, but you also know that the dog has been ill for a few days, and the family gave a few pennies for the medicine at first, but after taking it for half a month, grandma said that the family The money is not in hand, so I stopped the medicine. Gouzi is my man, I can''t just watch him be so sick, it''s not impossible for the fourth aunt to want me to help with the work, or you can lend me some money to buy medicine, I Can I pay you back slowly in the future?"


    The owner of the voice was a young girl, and the tone revealed a capable and crisp taste, mixed with a bit of teasing.


    That''s right, Zhao''er deliberately ran on the Sun family.


    Mrs. Sun has always had a temperament of only getting in and out, and it is more difficult to ask her to give out a penny, let alone lending it to the two half-children of the second room.


    Now there are only these two people left in the second room, the top door is only fourteen, but there is an older one, only sixteen, and it is still a girl''s family. Every time Mrs. Sun heard the rumors from the villagers that Zhao''er, a dead girl, had made some money by doing some business, she would be full of disbelief.


    What kind of business can this dead girl do to make money, but she digs three melons and two dates from the wild, and takes them out to trick the people in the city into exchanging a few pennies.


    "Your fourth aunt has no money to lend you. Our family''s money is all in mother''s place. You don''t care about mother''s going!" Sun patted her buttocks, stood up and went into the house, too lazy to talk nonsense with Zhao''er.


    "Since the fourth aunt has no money to lend me, and I don''t dare to take care of grandma, I can only figure out where to get some money to get some medicine for the dog!"


    Zhao''er''s voice was very loud, so naturally she was speaking not only to Mrs. Sun, but also to Mrs. Zhao who was sitting in the main room.


    Sure enough, Zhao''er entered the house with his front foot, and Mrs. Zhao stood at the door behind him and scolded Mrs. Sun: "You haven''t cleaned the pigsty, so you''re going back to the house to hold a corpse?"


    Zhao''er curled her lips, lifted the door curtain and walked in, bumping head-on into Xue Gouzi''s eyes looking at her.


    After breakfast, the men of the Xue family went to the field.


    Xue Qingshan also went out, but instead of going to the field, he went to the town. It is said that some classmate in the town had an elder in his family celebrating a birthday.


    Now is the busy season, and there are not many schoolchildren in the school. The private schools in the countryside are like this. Every two seasons when the farming season is busy, the schoolchildren will be given holidays, so Xue Qingshan has been quite free recently. But no one cares about where he goes or not. When the school is on vacation, he is often not seen for several days.


    Zhao''er washed the dishes and chopsticks used by herself and the little man, and took them back to the kitchen. Mrs. Zhou was cooking pig food, while Tao''er was sweeping the yard. Seeing that she had nothing to do, Zhao''er found Heizi''s food bowl, and took a bowl from the leftover rice that was going to be mixed in pig grass to feed pigs later. , carrying it and walking out the door.


    Mrs. Zhou glanced at her back, but said nothing.


    The leftovers are for Heizi. Dogs in the country are like this. The owner eats dry food, and the dog drinks water. When the owner eats water, the dog usually goes hungry. Country dogs in the countryside are used to starvation, but Zhao''er usually pays little attention to sunspots, no matter good or bad, he always feeds him.


    Occasionally there are additional meals, of course, these are invisible to the human face.


    Anyway, Mrs. Zhao saw Zhao''er picking food out of her pig''s mouth and feeding it to the dog!


    She stepped out of the main room and saw this scene, her old face immediately pulled down, and she didn''t see her scolding Zhao''er, so she stood in front of the door and shouted at the direction of the kitchen: "Let you feed the pigs!" It¡¯s good for you, feed the food into the dog¡¯s mouth, such a big person is useless, and eating for nothing is not enough.¡±


    This clearly refers to Sang scolding Huai.


    In the kitchen, Mrs. Zhou didn''t speak. Tao''er, who was sweeping the yard, looked up at Grandma, endured it and continued to sweep the yard. Mrs. Zhao didn''t mention her name, who knows who she was scolding, if she stepped forward to intervene, she would only change the target and be scolded bloody.

 Chapter 254

    Seeing that she was really in a bad shape, Mrs. Zhao came out of the room and said a few words. Mrs. Sun was even more anxious, and knew that she was really ashamed in front of the patriarch, but the chicken had wings, but she didn''t. It was only when the chicken lost its strength that Mrs. Sun grabbed it and cursed: "Run, run, run, it''s destined to be a dish in the pot, where are you going?"


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t look any further, and looked back.


    He knew why his uncle was so generous, and proposed to let him compete with Xue Juncai, because if there were no accidents, Xue Juncai would definitely win this match.


    In that dream, he had suffered such a loss, but it was not compared with Xue Juncai, but Zhao''er worked so hard to get money and sent him to Qinghe Academy. At that time, he was so stupid that he always blamed his unsatisfactory fate on the harshness of fate, thinking that it was not that he was not good, but that everyone did not give him a chance.


    When he first entered the Qinghe Academy, he was full of ambitions. He thought that he would definitely surpass Xue Juncai and prove that he was the most outstanding member of the Xue family, but the reality slapped him hard in the face. It was also at that time that he, who had never seen the world, understood the sinister intentions of his uncle. He did teach him to read, and he did ''read'' a lot of books, but he just read and didn''t understand the meaning of the scriptures.


    It was later learned that after schoolchildren learn to read, they use reading scriptures as the basis.


    First learn "Three Character Classic", "Hundred Surnames", "Thousand Characters", and then "Thousand Family Poems", "Children''s Learning Qionglin", "Longwenbianying", etc. After reading these, you can enter university and start Study and read the Four Books and Five Classics, etc.


    But at this stage, the teacher does not explain the meaning of the scriptures, that is to say, he just memorizes them by rote, clarifying the meaning of the words but not the meaning of the scriptures. Because people nowadays are used to thinking that children are just learning, it doesn¡¯t matter whether they understand it or not, as long as they remember it, and when they read a lot or for a long time, they will understand what it means.


    This is the so-called reading a thousand times, and its meaning is self-evident.


    When you can recite all these books fluently, and when you can learn to interpret the scriptures, you will get twice the result with half the effort.


    This time-saving, labor-saving and effective teaching mode is popular throughout Dachang, ranging from famous families to low-level sociology and village studies, and many of them are like this. This is especially popular in rural private schools, because there is only one teacher in the school, but it is not realistic to teach several or even dozens of people to explain the scriptures.


    But in fact, aristocratic families with some background would never teach their children this way. Because this teaching mode blindly emphasizes rote memorization, but ignores the truth that the classics are natural and logical.


    This is the pros and cons that ''he'' analyzed from the perspective of the overall situation after standing in the position of chief assistant.


    But at that time, he had just entered the library, because his uncle delayed explaining the meaning of the scriptures for him, and he didn''t understand that there was still a theory of explaining the scriptures. So when he first entered school, the teacher asked him if he had read it, and he replied that he had read it, but he couldn''t understand the scriptures.


    But now, it seems that the uncle is also aware of his own shortcomings, so he deliberately proposes this match, but in fact, he has already planned it, and he is destined to lose.


    Unfortunately, there was an accident.


    *


    Because there were guests at home, except for Mr. Xue and Xue Qingshan and his son, everyone was busy.


    After eating in the main room, the kitchen will start cooking other people''s lunch.


    During the period, Xue Taoer was also ordered to drink. There was wine and meat at the banquet in the main room, and the men exchanged glasses, and there was no way to see that there was any cleverness in the usual times. Especially Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng, the two drank very affectionately, and in the end they both got a little drunk.


    "Okay, don''t send it off, you''ll be there soon." Patriarch Xue waved his hand.


    After sending everyone out of the courtyard, this side started to clear the table and prepare meals. Mrs. Zhao originally wanted to take away the leftover meat and vegetables, but was stopped by Mr. Xue, saying that he was adding vegetables to everyone. People in the country are not rich, and it is commonplace for distinguished guests to leave and eat leftovers.


    The adults are all fine, Shuanzi and Maodan are eating deliciously.


    Zhao''er wanted to take the meal back to the house to eat, but was stopped by Xue Tingxiang, the two just kept their heads down and ate as before, without saying anything.


    Xue Juncai gave Xue Tingxiang a disdainful look.


    He had just accompanied Xue Qingshan to the table, and naturally he ate a lot of good food on the table, seeing that Xue Tingxiang could only eat leftovers, he was naturally full of sarcasm.


    He remembered what his father said to him before, Xue Gouzi would never win him.


    Thinking in his heart, he looked away, and said to Mr. Xue who was on the kang, "Grandpa, I''m going back to the house to read."


    Mr. Xue nodded. He also drank a little too much before, and now he is leaning on the kang smoking a cigarette to hangover.


    "Dog, eat more, brother is still waiting for you to beat me in five days." Xue Juncai suddenly said this when passing by Xue Tingxiang.


    Zhao''er immediately stood up and stared at him: "Can you talk? You''ve read the dog''s stomach after so many years of reading."


    Xue Juncai didn''t expect Zhao''er to show him such shame, his gentle face flushed red, but for some reason, he glanced at Zhao''er and held back.


    Mr. Xue shouted: "Juncai go back to the house!"


    Mrs. Zhou also hurriedly stood up to persuade Zhao''er, that''s all.


    After dinner, the two went back to the second room, and Zhao''er was still angry: "Don''t be angry, dog. When sister earns money, I will take you to the house and won''t be with them anymore."


    Xue Tingxiang was a little moved, but at the same time a little helpless: "You called me a dog again."


    Zhao''er groaned, then smiled and said: "I forgot, it won''t be like this in the future."


    Naturally, he couldn''t be angry with her, and then Zhao''er took the two clothes she changed yesterday and went out to wash, while Xue Tingxiang turned over the "Children''s Learning Qionglin" again.


    Looking at the book in his hand, which was transcribed on the worst bamboo paper and the footers were worn away, Xue Tingxiang felt a little worried. He actually didn''t want to read books, but Zhao''er couldn''t help but think that he should read more books now, and only by reading more books can he win against Xue Juncai more confidently.


    Little did he know that this book was different from the book, and it was useless to just read this book, but he would not tell her about it.


    He dug out the bamboo paper that Zhao''er bought for him from the kang cabinet. The cheapest bamboo paper cost 40 cents a knife. Such ''expensive'' paper was barely enough for practicing calligraphy. Even so, he is very precious at ordinary times, and he is reluctant to use it at all. If he can write on the sand, he will write on the sand, and if he can''t use the sand, he will write on the desk with water.


    Xue Tingxiang touched the stack of yellowed bamboo paper and sighed in his heart.


    ''Xue Tingxiang'' usually uses the highest quality Chengxin paper, so at this time he feels a little disgusted with the things that are usually precious.


    He spread out the papers on the kang table, stacked several sheets, and then cut them into the size of a book with a bamboo knife. In order to make room for the edge seam, he left some leeway and cut a thick stack before he found the inkstone with a corner missing and the ink ingot that had been used up and only a small piece remained.


    These are treasures that he is reluctant to use at ordinary times, but Xue Tingxiang doesn''t feel this way at all today. He added water to the inkstone, and then took the ink ingot to grind the ink, while grinding, he was thinking about something.


    After grinding the ink, he put the bald hair brush in the water bowl and wet it to clean it. After dipping in enough ink, he picked up the pen and wrote something on the paper.


    After writing a few words, he suddenly put down the pen, lifted the paper to look at it, and suddenly crumpled it.


    Mingming''s handwriting is fairly neat. Although he usually saves paper and ink, but because of years of hard work, his handwriting is not bad, but for some reason he just doesn''t like it.


    He closed his eyes slowly, calmed down for a while, and opened them again after a while. At this time, there was no one in the room, and anyone who was there could see a gleam of light flashing in Xue Tingxiang''s eyes. At the same time, his movement of grasping the pen was fast and steady, and with the help of a god, he wrote a series of small characters on the paper in a short time.


    These small characters suddenly became Yan style, then turned into pavilion style, and then turned into thin gold style again. At first, they were both tangible and boneless, but as they were written, their taste changed.


    The face and body are square and dense, the brushwork is thick, straight, open and full of vigor. That pavilion is physically strong and graceful, as if it was carved out of a block. And the thin gold body, the gold hook and iron painting, is full of arrogance, and the strokes are as sharp as cutting gold and jade.


    These three characters represent the whole life of ''Xue Tingxiang'', from the Yan style learned at the beginning of school, to the Guange style studied painstakingly for the imperial examination, to the thin gold style of the official residence.


    And so he wrote, oblivious to himself. Zhao''er came in during the period, but he didn''t dare to disturb him, so he quietly sat down on the edge of the kang.


    After writing for an unknown amount of time, he suddenly let out a long breath and put down his pen.


    He wrote two full sheets of paper.


    At this time, Xue Tingxiang had to admit that the magic of heaven was just a dream, and he actually possessed some of the things that he had in the dream.


    From the moment this dream appeared, Xue Tingxiang had been thinking about why he had such a dream. Now he understands, maybe he just wants him to make up for all the unsatisfactory dreams.


    And possessing everything of the "him" in the dream, he suddenly had great ambitions, and a surge of arrogance lingered in his heart.


    "I''m tired of writing, drink some water."


    Zhao''er brought water, Xue Tingxiang took it, and drank it in one gulp, it was very sweet.


    Only then did he lower his head to look at what he had written, and he actually spent two sheets of bamboo paper. Probably because Zhao''er was by his side, he suddenly remembered that she used to save money to buy paper for him, and felt a little distressed and guilty. He glanced at her and said in a low voice, "I actually wrote so much."


    How could Zhao''er not understand what he was thinking, so he chuckled and said, "Not much, not much, only two sheets. Paper is for use. I told you not to save paper a long time ago. It is used up. Let''s just buy it again."


    "I want to transcribe this book, so I try to write first, so as not to waste paper."


    "What book do you want to copy? Can you copy books too? Don''t you buy them?" Zhao''er was puzzled.


    Xue Tingxiang sighed in his heart. He really felt that he was really stupid before. He would rather borrow books from his uncle every time, or memorize them by rote, and never thought of copying books.


    Nowadays, the books sold in bookstores are rarely printed and expensive, so an industry of copying books has emerged. In this way, not only some poor scholars can get some money in exchange, but also those who want to buy books but suffer from poor pockets can get cheap.


    Of course, this copying is not something that can be done casually, it needs to be written very well.


    Xue Tingxiang boasted that his handwriting was not bad. Back then, many people begged for his calligraphy. Now that he needs a book, why can''t he copy it himself.


    the most important is--


    He glanced at Zhao''er.


    Zhao''er came all the way to the south of the city, before entering the archway where Shen''s house was located, he saw the two large flags more than five feet high erected in front of Shen''s residence.


    This is the Jinshi Jidi Banner, which can be set up only if someone in the family has won the Jinshi.


    This fame flagpole is divided into two structures, the flagpole sandwich stone and the flagpole.


    The flag buckets on the flagpoles are also exquisite. If you come from a serious imperial examination, you can stand up two flagpoles if you have passed the Jinshi in the palace examination. If it is the number one scholar, it will be the flagpole of three fights, and if there are members of the third rank or above in the clan, four fights can be set up.


    There are two large flags in front of the Shen family''s gate, one is three buckets and the other is four buckets. In other words, the Shen family once had a number one scholar, and had an important minister in the court.


    Zhao''er, a country girl, knows this because her second sister told her when she came to visit her.


    The main entrance, side entrance, and even the corner entrance were not accessible by Zhao''er''s identity, so she made a long detour before arriving at the back entrance of Shen''s residence.


    The back door was ajar, and Zhao''er didn''t dare to rush in, so he knocked on the door respectfully.


    The door opened with a creak, and a round woman came out from inside, and asked her, "Who are you looking for?"

 Chapter 255

    But Zhao''er has always been domineering, and never allowed anyone to call him a little man, and she would be anxious with anyone who said that. Because of this incident, she had fought with many girls and boys in the village, although some people still said behind their backs, no one dared to point fingers in front of others.


    Zhao''er always felt that the little man''s eyes were weird today, and he avoided them uncomfortably.


    She knew that the little man must be angry again, and he didn''t like her saying "the dog is my man" the most. Every time he heard her say such words, he would ignore her for a few days. In fact, Zhao''er has to face, but she is the child bride-in-law of the Xue family''s second room. If she didn''t claim to be like this, how could she have the right to challenge the fourth aunt, Sun''s.


    "Are you hungry? Look what I brought back for you?"


    Zhao''er turned her head and put all these troubles behind her, and took out a paper bag from her pocket. Opening the paper bag, there were two steamed steamed buns inside. They were white and plump, and people liked it just looking at them.


    "Eat quickly, while it''s still warm." She smiled and stuffed the paper bag into the little man''s hand, while putting the pannier on her shoulders in the corner.


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her.


    The girl in front of her was in her twenties and eighth year, and her skin was the wheat color common to girls in the country, but Zhao''er''s complexion was exceptionally different from others'', smooth and radiant, as if she had been smeared with honey. He has a tall nose bridge, a pair of medium-sized eyes, and swarthy pupils. When he smiles, there is a flash of inspiration in him, and he looks lively.


    Zhao''er''s stature is taller than ordinary girls, and she is well-developed, front/convex/backward, full of youthful vigor.


    It was so vivid, as vivid as in his dream.


    He unconsciously took the steamed stuffed bun and gnawed on it. Seeing this trick, he smiled even more happily. He went to the kitchen and poured him a bowl of water, which he placed next to his hand. On the other hand, he bent down to tidy up the scattered quilts on the kang, thinking about what to cook for him at night to nourish his body.


    Finally, the little man got better, so he had to continue to drink the medicine, and he had to drink a few more to strengthen it. From this, he naturally began to calculate the little money left in his hand, and think of a way to get some money, so as to solve the urgent need.


    "Have you eaten yet?" Xue Gouzi asked.


    This kind of behavior rarely happens to him, so Zhao''er can''t help but look up at the little man sitting on the kang.


    In fact, the little man has a handsome appearance, which is different from the fair skin of the countrymen. The corners of his eyes are slightly raised, and the curvature makes his face a little more delicate and handsome. It''s just that the little man always hangs his head halfway on weekdays, with a gloomy and silent temperament, and is too thin, so he is not conspicuous in front of others.


    Zhao''er''s eyes warmed up, her smile widened, and she said cracklingly, "Eat, I ate it outside, this is for you."


    After she finished speaking, she realized that she had slipped her mouth. She waited for the little man to show a disgusted expression, or to condemn her daughter''s family for running around, but he didn''t say anything, as if he had something on his mind. Head eating buns.


    Zhao''er couldn''t help heaving a sigh of relief, but at the same time felt a pain in his heart, and couldn''t help but said: "Dog, don''t worry too much. After all, you heard the words. Since you didn''t say it face-to-face, you can''t take it seriously. Even if it is true Don''t be afraid, sister earns money for your education."


    Xue Gouzi''s head still hurts a little, and he was dizzy. Zhao''er thought he had something on his mind, but in fact he was just thinking about that dream. Hearing Zhao''er''s words at this time, he suddenly remembered why he had this serious illness.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Gouzi''s serious illness came in a hurry due to stagnation of liver qi.


    Speaking of this, I have to talk about the general situation of the Xue family.


    Yuqing Village is a village located under Huyang Town, Xia County, Pingyang Prefecture. There are only more than 200 households in the village.


    The Xue family is one of them.


    However, the Xue family is different from other ordinary farmers, and it can be regarded as having some origins.


    The ancestor of the Xue family, that is, the grandfather of Mr. Xue, was a scholar. In a poor mountain depression like Yuqing Village, it is a great event for the ancestors to have a scholar.


    Because of this talented gentleman, the generation of the Xue family produced the head of the Xue clan, and there were several village elders in the clan, and finally had some say in Yuqing Village. At the same time, it is also a blessing for the younger generation. Mr. Xue''s father is hardworking and willing to work. With the help of the elders, he also slowly built up a family business.


    By the time of Mr. Xue''s generation, the Xue family already had more than 30 acres of fertile land, and several sons also had their own livelihoods. Their lives were enviably prosperous, and they could be regarded as a well-to-do family in the village.


    Mr. Xue and his mother-in-law Zhao have four sons and two daughters. The eldest son Xue Qingshan married his wife Yang, and they have two sons and a daughter. The eldest son Xue Juncai is fifteen years old, the second son Xue Youcai is ten years old, and the eldest daughter Xue Maner is married.


    The second child, Xue Qingsong, is a carpenter. He married his wife Qiu Shi and gave birth to a son, Xue Gouzi, who is fourteen years old. The third child, Xue Qingbai, is a farmer, married his wife Zhou, and gave birth to a son and a daughter. The eldest daughter, Xue Taoer, is thirteen years old this year, and the youngest son, Xue Shuanzi, is eight years old now. The fourth son, Xue Qinghuai, is a shopkeeper. He married his wife, Sun, and gave birth to a son named Xue Maodan, who is only four years old this year.


    As for the two daughters, the eldest daughter, Xue Cuiping, is already married, and the youngest daughter, Xue Cuie, is fourteen this year and is still in her boudoir.


    It is worth mentioning that nowadays there are parents who say that they do not separate their families. In addition, families in the countryside are ruled by clans, so Xue''s family has no separation.


    The Xue family has tasted the benefits of reading, so they have more vision than ordinary farmers. Xue Qingshan is smart since he was a child, and he is the eldest son. Mr. Xue has high hopes for him, and when he reaches the age of enlightenment, he spends money to send him to a private school.


    Xue Qingshan also strives for success. At the age of twenty, he passed the Tongsheng examination. Although he is still a scholar, he can be counted as a scholar who can be counted in ten miles and eight villages.


    Don''t underestimate Tongsheng! As the saying goes, scholars, farmers, businessmen, and scholars are the highest class of people in the current society. If ordinary people want to turn ordinary people into scholars, there is only one way to take the imperial examination. As for the imperial examination, it is only a matter of going to the west to learn Buddhist scriptures, and you have to go through various checkpoints and go through hardships before you can get it.


    If you want to embark on this path, you must first have the qualifications, and Tong Sheng is a person with this qualification. It is necessary to pass the county and government examinations to be called Tongsheng. As for the next step is to be a scholar, to become a scholar is to enter school, and it is also the first step to embark on the road of imperial examinations.


    It can be seen from this that Tong Sheng is not an ordinary person, so Xue Qingshan''s status in the Xue family can be imagined.


    But as I said before, the Xue family''s family background can only be regarded as a middle-level family in the countryside. If a family like this wants to support a scholar, it will almost exhaust all the human and financial resources of the family. Because the eldest son is the eldest son, who will set up a family in the future, and is talented and intelligent, the next few sons naturally have to give in.


    As for why Xue Gouzi became seriously ill, it has to be related to another old matter of the Xue family.


    Back then when Xue Qingshan was selected as a child student, he was considered a success at a young age. He was full of ambitions and wanted to pass the college examination in one fell swoop, and he could also be a scholar, but it was a pity that God did not follow his wishes.


    It was only a close call, and no one would be reconciled to it. Xue Qingshan could only calm down, work hard, and hope to win next time.


    After so many years of rushing away, the original smugness was completely devastated by the impact of reality. Xue Qingshan failed many exams, so he couldn''t stay at home and eat free food all the time. In desperation, he set up a private school in the village, which specializes in taking children from the village and several nearby villages to read and write, and they can more or less earn a living.


    With such convenient conditions, several children of Xue''s family naturally followed suit. The next few children are still young, and among the grandchildren, Xue Juncai, the eldest son of the big house, and Xue Gouzi of the second house have studied the longest.


    However, compared to his cousin Xue Juncai, Xue Gouzi is obviously not as good as he is because he is too weak. When he was young, he was always sick every day, which delayed a lot of homework.


    The time was stretched back to five years ago, this year the academic officer held a college examination in Fucheng, Xue Qingshan naturally would not miss it, he stopped his private school classes early and went to Fucheng to take the exam.


    It''s not easy to go out at this time, and besides, Mr. Xue was worried about his eldest son going out alone, so he asked his second son Xue Qingsong to accompany him. He always took care of him when he was usually on a business trip.


    That is to say, something happened on this trip, Xue Qingshan offended someone in Fucheng, Xue Qingsong was beaten all over his body in order to protect his eldest brother. In the end, the man was pulled back, but he died within a few days after he came back. Before he died, Xue Qingsong asked Xue Qingshan to promise himself that he would do everything in his power to confess Xue Gouzi.


    In fact, after giving way for others all his life, how could Xue Qingsong have no complaints in his heart, but he has a simple and honest nature, and he knows that his talent is not as good as that of his elder brother, so he has been making contributions in obscurity.


    But when it came to his own son, especially Xue Gouzi, who was weak since he was a child, he was not a farmer in any way, and he was dying, so Xue Qingsong took the opportunity to force his elder brother to make a promise.


    Xue Qingsong would do this, but he wanted to break the status quo that the Xue family''s resources had been leaning towards Dafang. The Xue family only had two scholars in the first room, and now there is a Xue Gouzi. The children in the third room were still young at that time, and the fourth child was not married yet. As long as Xue Qingshan agrees, others will naturally have nothing to say, and Xue Qingsong will do his best for his son Brown.


    Xue Qingshan agreed to the matter on the spot, crying blood, saying that he would treat Xue Gouzi as his own son, Xue Qingsong closed his eyes.


    Not long after that, Qiu Shi, who was already in poor health, became depressed and fell ill, and then passed away. Since then, Xue Gouzi has become a poor child without father and mother. Fortunately, there are grandparents and uncles, and Zhaoer, a child bride-in-law, so he doesn''t have to worry about food and clothing.


    In the following years, Xue Qingshan really treated Xue Gouzi like his own son. No one in the village would say that the boss of the Xue family raised his nephew as his own son. But as the saying goes, the human heart is the most fickle, and selfishness is the nature of human beings. As time passed, Da Fang gradually changed his attitude. Although he was in front of others, he was still the same as before, but only the person concerned would know what happened to him afterwards.


    This year, seeing that he had nothing to teach his son, Xue Qingshan decided to send Xue Juncai to the town school to study for two years.


    But it costs a lot of money to go to the school to study, not to mention the one-year study that costs two silver, the three festivals and six rituals of the husband, and the pen, ink, paper and inkstone used in daily life, all of which cost money. The Xue family has already been seriously injured because they confessed to Xue Qingshan, and how can they have money for the two children to go together.


    You can only take out one piece of money, that is to say, Xue Juncai and Xue Gouzi can only go to one.


    Xue Qingshan told the matter in front of the whole family, but Xue Gouzi didn''t say what he couldn''t say tactfully, but chose to remain silent.


    During that time, the atmosphere in the Xue family was weird, the old man Xue was frowning, and the grandmother Zhao was eccentric all day long, but the eldest couple were still the same as before, and they didn''t think it was a problem.


    I will not mention this, it is also a coincidence that Xue Gouzi accidentally overheard his eldest aunt Yang and fourth aunt Sun talking in secret, saying that he would let his parents-in-law come forward and let Xue Gouzi take the initiative to give up his place to study in the town , Xue Gouzi became seriously ill in a fit of rage.


    Thinking of this, Xue Gouzi felt uneasy for a while, and at the same time, many pictures appeared in his mind, which were just some of his previous dreams.


    The Xue Tingxiang in the dream also faced the same situation in the fourteenth year, and the other party''s temperament changed drastically after this incident, changing his previous disposition.


    Could it be that he is Xue Tingxiang, and that Xue Tingxiang is him? But why would he dream of these things!


    Xue Gouzi felt a throbbing pain in his head, the bun in his hand fell on the kang, and the water bowl next to him was also knocked over. Zhao''er heard the movement, rushed up and hugged him in his arms.


    "Dog, dog, don''t scare me!"


    "It won''t be bad luck all the time." Xue Tingxiang said.

 Chapter 256

    He laughed for a while, but he appreciated Zhao''er''s frankness of not wanting to take advantage of others: "These were sold to a clothing store or an embroidery workshop, and the price was the same. Regardless of the large quantity, there are not many good ones that can be sold at a reasonable price." The ones have already been picked away."


    Zhao''er thinks about it too, the eyes of the county people are naturally different from those of the country people, let alone this kind of big pawn shop, what is bad in their eyes is actually good for the country people to see.


    She breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "I want the bag of clothes from Shopkeeper Shen, and I''ll give you the money right now."


    "Are you rich now?"


    Of course she is rich, Zhao''er now has more than two taels of silver in total, and just now Su Lan gave her another five taels, which is naturally enough.


    At the same time, Shen Ping laughed a little, "Well, I forgot that you had visited her before, so I came here, so she wouldn''t take advantage of me." The voice was very small, almost like a murmur, and Zhao''er only paid attention to it. I had to look at the clothes, but I didn''t hear clearly.


    "I''ll find a guy to call a car for you, and you, a little girl, can''t transport these things."


    "Thank you, Shopkeeper Shen."


    After seeing off Zhao''er, Shen Ping turned around and went into the pawn shop.


    Although he is called the third shopkeeper, he is not the third shopkeeper of this store, but the third shopkeeper of the entire ''Herongsheng'', and he will only stay in Xia County permanently under his deliberate request.


    Shen Ping is the son of the Shen family, his father is the chief manager of the Shen residence, and he has been a servant with the third young master Shen Fu since he was a child. It was not until he became an adult that he was released to become a shopkeeper.


    "If she comes again next time, just do as I told you before."


    "Yes, shopkeeper."


    *


    Just after noon, the clerk Ah Cai came to deliver meals to Xue Tingxiang.


    Boss Chen said it was simple food, but in fact the food was not bad, with one meat and one vegetable, and one soup. Xue Tingxiang knew very well that Boss Chen was taking care of him deliberately. How could anyone hire someone to copy books, take care of tea and food, and the wages they paid were not low.


    It was because he knew it in his heart that he didn''t say no. In this case, the refusal retained his character, but it seemed too petty and hypocritical.


    It can only be repaid in the future, Xue Tingxiang thought lightly in his heart.


    After eating, when the man came to clean up the dishes, he said that he could rest for an hour. There is a chaise longue available in this room, and of course you can go to the front to read a book to pass the time.


    In fact, the latter sentence is the key point, Xue Tingxiang was not pretentious, after cleaning his hands, he went forward.


    This store may not seem big, but it has a lot of books of all kinds, ranging from rural tales to books about the imperial examination, and there are many books about the imperial examination.


    Since the former dynasty, the imperial examination has used eight-legged essays as the standard style, with strict regulations, and even restrictions on the length of sentences, the number of words, the level of rhymes, and even the scope of questions.


    Stereotype essays take questions from the Four Books and Five Classics, and are composed of eight parts: breaking the title, inheriting the title, starting the lecture, starting, starting the essay, middle section, back section, and binding the section. It seems rigid and rigid, but in fact it is not easy to do a good stereotyped essay. If you really think that only reading the Four Books and Five Classics is enough, you are wrong. Not to mention astronomy and geography, at least you have to be involved in all aspects, so that you can write a good article full of flowers and content.


    In that dream, Xue Tingxiang won the Jinshi with the 21st place in the second class, and was admitted to the Hanlin Academy after passing through the hall. He should have been on a steady rise since then, but because he offended someone, a majestic Hanlin was sent down. The kind of place where the birds don''t shit is an official.


    Xue Tingxiang pursed his lips slightly, feeling that he was thinking too much, after all, he is not even a child now, let''s think about the present.


    So, without thinking too much, he took out a book from the bookcase and read it quietly.


    During this period, customers from the bookstore came to sell some pens, ink, paper and inkstones, or came to buy books, always interrupting Xue Tingxiang''s reading.


    Seeing this, Boss Chen said: "Brother Xue, you can take the book to the back and read."


    Xue Tingxiang looked at him in surprise: "This..."


    "It''s okay, it''s not bad for your book."


    Xue Tingxiang was silent, bowed deeply in salute, and then went back.


    When Xue Tingxiang woke up, he heard Boss Chen talking outside and Zhao''er''s voice at the same time.


    "Where did you get this big bag?" Boss Chen looked at Zhao''er in surprise, and asked for the bag at her feet that was much bigger than her.


    Zhao''er was sweating profusely and said: "Uncle Chen, I got it from the county, and so did the man from the car dealership. They only helped me to the intersection and left me behind. I wanted to be dragged to the car dealership. But thinking that my brother is still here..."


    Boss Chen laughed, and called his assistant: "Ah Cai, come and help little brother Zhao''er carry the things in." Then he said to Zhao''er: "Come in and have a drink and rest before leaving."


    "Uncle Chen, what a shame."


    "When you were bargaining with me, you were never polite, but now you are more polite." Boss Chen pretended to stare.


    Generally speaking, Boss Chen is an elegant and humorous person.


    Xue Tingxiang also came out to help, and asked, "What''s in it? Why is it so heavy? Where did you get it?"


    Not to mention it was really heavy, Ah Cai tried a few times but couldn''t lift it, only three people could lift it.


    "I got it from a pawn shop. If I can sell this package, my sister will have enough money to send you to the Qinghe Academy."


    Zhao''er hadn''t realized that he had slipped up, but Xue Tingxiang had. He glanced at Boss Chen, and Zhao''er understood what he said at this moment, and looked at Boss Chen with some guilt: "Uncle Chen, I will explain to you later."


    She was a little anxious, and without asking the two of them to help, she lifted the big bag and carried it on her shoulders. The big bag pushed her to one side, but she still stopped, and she quickly carried the things inside.


    Ah Cai praised: "It doesn''t look like she is strong, she is so strong."


    Here, Xue Tingxiang looked at the back and pursed the corners of his mouth, while Boss Chen''s eyes darkened.


    Xue Tingxiang looked up at Boss Chen, and walked towards him.


    ...


    Zhao''er found a place to put down the big bag, then went to wash his hands and face to clean up his body, and then A Cai led him to see Boss Chen.


    Seeing Boss Chen, Zhao''er felt a little guilty. But she didn''t intend to continue to lie to Boss Chen, because Boss Chen is a good person. Not to mention the benefits he gave her before, just because he asked the little man to copy books for such a high price, let him read books here, and take care of the lunch at noon, Zhao''er can no longer continue to deceive.


    In fact, Zhao''er is not a liar, it''s just that she concealed her gender, and then the so-called workmanship is just collecting some vegetables and selling them to make some purses or something.


    "Uncle Chen..."


    Boss Chen sighed and waved his hands: "Okay, you don''t need to say anymore, you are a girl, and you are really embarrassing."


    Zhao''er looked surprised, her round eyes widened.


    Boss Chen laughed a little and said, "Your little husband has already told me everything."


    "He, what did he say..." Zhao''er stammered, still in disbelief. Because she knows that the little man always pays attention to face and has a lot of thoughts, and she doesn''t like to mention her as his child bride-in-law in front of outsiders, and the Xue family''s bad things.


    "I''ve said everything that needs to be said." After a pause, Boss Chen asked, "Look at how surprised you are, isn''t it still a secret?"


    Zhao''er laughed awkwardly, and faltered: "That''s not true, it''s just that he''s young, and people in our village hate him. People always think that I''m older than him, and my daughter-in-law teases men and laughs at him."


    The same sentence sounds different to different people.


    Boss Chen couldn''t help but want to laugh, but Xue Tingxiang outside had mixed feelings in his heart.


    That''s why she always called herself sister, so in the dream he was old, but she didn''t want to marry him. Or he ignored her wishes and insisted on marrying him with his parents'' orders.


    She actually understood her awkward state of mind. He told himself not to be surprised by what other people said, but he cared about it in his heart, so even if the two got married, they couldn''t do it together.


    She actually knew everything, yet she relied on him for everything! Follow him!


    While the mood was churning, the topic was changed inside.


    "I just heard from you that you plan to save money to send him to Qinghe Academy?"


    Zhao''er nodded, seeing the strange expression on Boss Chen''s face, she couldn''t help but ask, "Is that school bad?"


    "Take the road of opportunism, and it won''t last long."


    Zhao''er didn''t quite understand what he heard, but he also knew that it was not a good word.


    "If you want to help him find a good book academy, I have something to recommend. It''s just..." Boss Chen sighed suddenly: "Well, let me tell you that you don''t understand either. Let''s talk about it later."


    Zhao''er nodded in a daze.


    It was not too early to meet later, and the two planned to return to Yuqing Village.


    Because the big bag of clothes was too much, and it would be eye-catching to bring back, Boss Chen asked Zhao''er to put the things in his shop temporarily. Anyway, there are still a few vacant rooms behind the shop, so just find a place to put them.


    The two went back to the village by car, because after time, only the ox cart could be used, so the two sat on the ox cart and walked back bumping back and forth.


    Halfway along the road, a mule cart came head-on.


    The driver was a man, dark and tall. When he got closer, he could see his appearance clearly. He had thick eyebrows and tiger eyes, a high nose bridge, and he was very heroic. His sleeves were half rolled up above his elbows, and his arms seemed to be full of muscles. He looked like a powerful man.


    Xue Tingxiang saw the person coming at a glance, and his pupils shrank immediately.


    He glanced at Zhao''er next to him, saw her with her head half down, and he was relieved.


    But the visitor still saw them, his eyes lit up, and he raised his voice and shouted: "Zhaoer."


    Zhao''er looked over and immediately smiled: "Brother Jiang Wu, where are you going?"


    Jiang Wu tightened the reins and stopped the mule cart.


    "I''m going to town, are you going back? Get out of the car, and I''ll see you off."


    Zhao''er hesitated and said, "Don''t you still want to go to town? Anyway, we''ve already got in the car, so you should do your own work."


    "I don''t have anything to do. I just went to Lao Li''s place to have a look. Originally, my father said that I would go tomorrow and buy some things on the way back. It doesn''t matter whether I go or not. Come on, this car is slow and bumpy. My car is still faster." Jiang Wu said to Zhao''er with a smile, completely unaware that the face of the owner of the bullock cart turned black.


    Seeing this, Zhao''er didn''t let the owner of the ox cart stop, and jumped off from above. After taking two steps over there, I realized that I had forgotten the person.


    While letting the owner of the bullock cart stop, she said to Xue Tingxiang: "Come on down, let''s go back in Brother Jiang Wu''s car." With her beaming face, she was in a good mood.


    Xue Tingxiang''s face was a bit ugly, he glanced at Zhao''er, and then slowly got out of the car.

 Chapter 257

    In the second room, Zhao''er went to pour some hot water, and after washing their feet, they went to rest on the kang.


    A big Kang, two quilts, one for each person.


    But Zhao''er couldn''t sleep today, and when she came back from the main room, she was a little excited.


    She rolled over and over again.


    "You do not sleep?"


    It is reasonable to say that they would not rest so early, but today both of them have been busy all day, so they turned off the lights after recruiting children to go to the kang. However, there is a moon outside, and you can still see clearly in the room.


    Zhao''er sat up halfway, and moved to Xue Tingxiang''s side.


    "Dog, tell me what you meant when you scolded that old killer just now?"


    Zhao''er knows how to swear, and has sweared before, but she has never seen such a method of swearing. Yang Zhong was furious because of the swearing, and Xue''s family didn''t even know how to persuade him. From Zhao''er''s point of view, isn''t this the culmination of swearing, can you swear without uttering dirty words?


    She wants to learn this method, it will come in handy sometime.


    Xue Tingxiang turned over and gave her a backbone.


    Zhao''er poked his shoulder with her finger: "What''s wrong? Why are you angry again?"


    He didn''t move, and she moved closer.


    The two of them were only separated by one person, and they wore thin clothes when they slept. Zhao''er leaned over, and even though Xue Tingshan had his back on his back, he could still feel a wave of heat rushing towards him, mixed with a faint fragrance.


    There was a strange softness slightly attached to his shoulders, Xue Tingshan''s back was stiff, and she heard her say on top of her head: "Don''t take that old killer''s words to heart, it''s not that I said uncle and aunt are too narrow-minded." It¡¯s too much, and even made such a fuss, do you really think that grandpa will regret it? Even if the family doesn¡¯t say anything, there are still so many people watching outside, so don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll go to the school to make a decision.¡±


    She was very close to him, and the heat of her words sprayed on the tips of his ears, making him shiver again and again. At the same time, a hot numbness rushed from the tips of his ears to his neck, causing waves of unconscious trembling.


    His breathing was a little tight, and he couldn''t help turning over.


    Zhao''er was still talking, and she didn''t expect that he would turn over suddenly, and his face just crashed into her arms.


    Xue Tingxiang''s brain went blank for a moment, and he subconsciously fell backwards. It is obvious that it is about to leave at the touch of a touch, but it clearly feels a suffocating softness, and there is something faintly raised.


    He recalled some situations in the dream, and he only felt his nose was hot, as if something flowed out.


    "Are you alright?" Zhao''er heard a thud, saw him motionless, thought that something was wrong with him being bumped, hurriedly leaned over to look at his face.


    "Why are you panicking! Really. Come on, let me rub it for you."


    He covered his nose with one hand and pushed her with the other: "I''m fine, it doesn''t hurt." He quickly turned over and said falteringly: "It''s getting late, go to sleep."


    "You haven''t told me what you mean by that!"


    "It doesn''t mean anything, just let him take a pee and take a picture of himself!"


    "Ah?!" Zhao''er was stunned, and said after a while, "So that''s what he meant, then you just let him take a pee and take a picture of yourself, and you said so much."


    Seeing that he didn''t answer himself, Zhao''er sat for a while and then lay down.


    "Okay, go to bed now, I won''t disturb you anymore."


    *


    Yang Zhong stayed at Xue''s house for one night and left the next day.


    Because it was rushing to the busy farming season, the Xue family resumed their usual work, and no one mentioned the previous incident, as if nothing happened that night.


    Everything is so busy yet full of peace.


    On this day, Xue Tingxiang and Zhao''er went to town early in the morning.


    Different from the past, today Xue Tingxiang wore new clothes.


    The clothes were brought out overnight by Zhao''er, because Boss Chen said that he would take Xue Tingxiang to Qingyuan Academy. This trip is very meaningful, so naturally it can''t be as casual as before.


    The gray-blue cotton gown was made by Zhao''er after imitating those school shirts in the town. Although the style is simple, it looks extraordinarily straight and docile after being washed with starch. Although Xue Tingxiang is thin and thin, his shoulders are flat and his back is straight. Wearing this student shirt, he has a particularly graceful temperament.


    When they arrived at the place, Boss Chen took Xue Tingxiang out, while Zhao''er stayed at Dongliju.


    The two of them went all the way to the east of the town, the more secluded they became as they went outside, and after walking for almost a cup of tea, they saw a building with white walls and black tiles standing at the end of their line of sight.


    Seeing Xue Tingxiang''s gaze resting on the building, Boss Chen said: "That is the Qinghe Academy." After a pause, he raised his hand and pointed to a building not far behind the Qinghe Academy: "That is the Qinghe Academy. Academy."


    The two walked forward and passed Qinghe Academy, and saw that this academy was really extraordinary. The whole building exudes a magnificent temperament, the gate tower stands majestically, with a few golden characters "Qinghe Academy" written on the door plaque, and the two black-painted gates are closed tightly, with a look of repelling people thousands of miles away. momentum.


    "It''s too late for you to regret it now." Boss Chen said.


    Following the sound of talking, the two of them crossed the Qinghe Academy, only to see the obviously much dilapidated small courtyard not far away.


    The small courtyard is rigorous and simple, with clear water and white walls, and gray and black tiles. Even the door plaque is much smaller than that of the Qinghe Academy, with a few simple big-character books on it¡ª¡ª


    Qingyuan Academy.


    Obviously, no matter where you look at it, it is not as good as the Qinghe Academy, but standing under the square door plaque and looking at the words on it, Xue Tingxiang felt a peaceful and peaceful atmosphere.


    "Since the kid is here, I don''t intend to regret it."


    Boss Chen glanced at him appreciatively, and went to call the door.


    Not long after, an elderly Zhaifu opened the door from the inside.


    He seemed to know Boss Chen, and he led the two of them in without asking too much.


    This school may not seem big, but it is actually small but well-equipped. It is the same as a general school. After passing the screen wall, there is a lecture hall on the central axis. There are two houses on the left and right sides. The temple on the left is built to worship the saint Confucius, and the house on the right is the place where the gentleman sits and rests and collects books.


    After the lecture hall, there must be a shooting garden, a hall, a kitchen, etc. Xue Tingxiang knew the layout without looking. Because in his dream, he studied in Qinghe Academy for several years, but Qinghe Academy is much more spacious and grand than Qingyuan Academy.


    Boss Chen led Xue Tingxiang to the right side of the house with ease, and when he reached a wing room, he straightened his clothes and sleeves, and then brought Xue Tingxiang in.


    This wing room is furnished in a simple and elegant way, and there is a large painting on the central hall facing it, on which are written the words ''peace and distance''. Standing in front of the words was a thin middle-aged man, wearing a dark blue scribe shirt and a square scarf.


    When he heard the movement, he turned around, and saw that he had long eyebrows, a thin face, and a few strands of beard. Judging from his appearance, he is a very serious and rigid person, but his eyes are calm and deep, obviously a person of great wisdom.


    This person is Lin Miao, the owner of Qingyuan Academy.


    "Brother Anqi, I''m here to bother you again." Boss Chen cupped his hands with a smile.


    "The good brother of Mo."


    Lin Miao smiled, obviously he had a good relationship with Boss Chen. After the two exchanged pleasantries, Boss Chen pointed to Xue Tingxiang and said, "This is the young man I told you about."


    Lin Miao looked over.


    Obviously Xue Tingxiang has extensive knowledge, and he has never seen any kind of person in that dream, even the Ninth Five-Year Master, he has seen several, but there is an inexplicable sense of awe.


    "Boy Xue Tingxiang, I have met you." He clasped his hands together and bowed in salute.


    Lin Miao nodded: "Since you''re here, stay here. The school will open in ten days, so you can just come here when it''s time."


    "Mr. Xie."


    Boss Chen glanced at Lin Miao, as if he wanted to say something, seeing this, Xue Tingxiang tactfully said that he was going out for a walk, so he avoided going out.


    After Xue Tingxiang went out, Boss Chen said: "Brother An Qi, don''t you believe in the eyes of a younger brother? I have observed these days, and this son has a calm mind, is diligent and hardworking, and is quite talented in reading. He only needs one A good teacher, if there is a good teacher to guide, I think the future will be limitless in the future."


    The reason why Boss Chen said that was because Lin Miao''s performance was too plain. He originally thought that Lin Miao loves calligraphy, and after reading Xue Tingxiang''s calligraphy, and his lobbying, he should accept him as a student no matter what.


    This student is different from the students in the academy, and can be regarded as a student entering the room. As the saying goes, a teacher for a day is a father for life. A young child has more than one teacher from the beginning of school until he passes the exam/fame.


    When you start learning, you are called a teacher, that is, a teacher of enlightenment. The karma teacher is the teacher who teaches the karma, also known as the scripture teacher. Those who teach their work must pass on their scriptures, and those who pass on their scriptures must educate their people, so a teacher is extremely important to a student. There are also human teachers and seat teachers, which will not be mentioned here.


    As for what Boss Chen said about "accepting students", the teacher is more like a combination of a professional teacher and a human teacher to students. He not only needs to teach them, but also teaches them the principles of life, which is different from treating ordinary students. The teacher has to cultivate it carefully, and it can be regarded as inheriting his mantle.


    Of course, students have to pay relatively, and they must truly be teachers for one day and fathers for life. This kind of relationship is not father and son, but victory is father and son, which is very popular among scholars today. The intertwined relationship among scholars in Shilin was laid on this basis, and gradually developed into a towering tree.


    Lin Miao laughed: "You really value him very much."


    Boss Chen sneered: "If I didn''t miss you, you would think that I have the time to meddle in your business. Don''t forget the October competition, if Qingyuan Academy loses again this year..."


    Boss Chen didn''t say what he said next, but Lin Miao understood what it meant.


    He sighed softly: "Everything is determined by God, if it is the case in reality, you can''t force it."


    Boss Chen repeatedly shook his head and stomped his feet and said, "Oh, I''m not talking about you. Your temperament is the most troublesome. You talk about the way of a gentleman with others, but others never follow you. Year after year They were all defeated by that villain, and now there are no good seedlings who are willing to come here to study, what should we do in the long run."


    "Brother Mo Zhi, you don''t understand."


    "Yes, yes, I don''t understand, I just know that if this continues, the reputation of the Qingyuan Academy will be lost in your hands."


    After finishing speaking, both of them were silent.


    Lin Miao looked tired, and Boss Chen seemed to know that he had made a slip of the tongue. He slowed down his tone, and said, "I can''t do anything about you. Anyway, I brought him for you. I''m really optimistic about this child. As for the rest, you can figure it out yourself."


    Lin Miao nodded: "Brother Mo Zhi, thank you in advance for my brother, but the matter of accepting apprentices will be discussed later. Don''t worry, he has entered the Qingyuan Academy, and I will teach him carefully."


    Boss Chen also understood where his heart knot was, and he didn''t force it. The two chatted for a while, and Boss Chen said goodbye.

 Chapter 258

    The morning light was twilight, and the sky was just breaking. Most of the villagers in Yuqing Village got up very early.


    Smoke rose from the chimneys of many houses, and villagers walking in twos and threes on the village trails, either carrying hoes or pulling cattle, looked like they were going to the fields.


    It is the time of spring plowing, and the plan of the year lies in spring. If you are lazy at this time, you will cry when the harvest comes in autumn.


    Zhao''er woke up at this hour on time, and opened his eyes to find that the little man was still asleep.


    Not long after she fell asleep yesterday, the little man developed a fever again. After working for most of the night, luckily the fever subsided in the middle of the night.


    She sat up, raised her hand to touch the little man''s forehead, and made sure that her hands were not hot, then put on her clothes lightly and got off the kang.


    The first thing to do was to open the door, and Heizi, who had been restless for a long time, got out with a swish. Zhao''er also walked out of the room, and seeing Heizi rushing out of the courtyard to pee, she shook her head with a grin.


    At this time, someone had already woken up in the courtyard, it was the Zhou family of the third bedroom and his eldest daughter Xue Tao''er.


    Today it''s the third room''s turn to cook. The Xue family''s rule is that apart from the housework of each room, the work in the office is shared equally. One day per room, in rotation.


    The room responsible for cooking is not only responsible for the food and drink of the whole family, but also takes care of the livestock in the family. The Xue family raised two big fat pigs, and it was not an easy job to just serve these two ancestors every day. Not to mention feeding chickens, carrying water, and chopping firewood, so the female family members who do housework on this day do not have to go to the fields to work.


    It seems to be fair and just, but in fact everyone inside knows how.


    The eldest aunt Yang claimed that the man was a child student, and she was exceptionally superior at home. Since Xue Qingshan passed the child student examination, she never touched housework again. The key is that Mrs. Zhao is also looking towards her, so it''s not easy for others to question her.


    At first, it was Xue Gouzi''s mother, Mrs. Qiu, who finally came in, the third-bedroom Mrs. Zhou, and the two sisters-in-law finally shared the burden. Afterwards, Mrs. Qiu followed her deceased husband, and Mrs. Zhou was left alone. It was not until Mrs. Sun of the fourth room entered the door that she would be able to catch her breath again.


    It''s a pity that Mrs. Sun is lazy and playful. In fact, Mrs. Zhou still does most of the work.


    In the past, when Mrs. Qiu was still alive, Zhao''er also helped Mrs. Qiu to do it. After Mrs. Qiu passed away, Zhao''er was busy with the housework of the second room and had to do the work in the office. In addition, Zhao''er was still young at that time, Mr. Xue told her to take good care of Xue Gouzi and not to take care of the work at work.


    Zhao''er now has free time to go around and get some money, but she is a person who looks at her conscience and will help out as much as she can in her spare time. As for those who used words to squeeze her like Sun, her sharp tongue was not forgiving.


    Seeing Xue Taoer struggling to fetch water from the well, Zhao''er rubbed his face and went up to help her.


    Thirteen-year-old Xue Taoer is like a small flower in bud. Although she is not very beautiful, she is very delicate. Seeing Zhao''er coming to help her, she couldn''t help showing a smile and talking to her: "Sister Zhao''er, is the second brother better?" Xue Gouzi is the second grandson of the Xue family, so Xue Taoer called him the second brother .


    "I had a fever again last night, and it got better in the second half of the night." Zhao''er looked around curiously, and asked, "Why isn''t Third Uncle here?"


    Although Xue Qingbai is a bit honest and reticent, he always loves his wife and daughter. Whenever he meets the third room to cook, he will get up early to fill the water tank.


    The Xue family has its own well, but the well is too deep, and there is no pulley on the well, so it is really exhausting to draw water with the strength of the daughter''s family alone. That is to say, Zhao''er was naturally as strong as an ox, and his strength was no worse than that of ordinary middle-aged men, so he could pull the bucket out of the deep well very easily.


    "My father went to the field and said he would work for a while and return after breakfast."


    Xue Qingbai is an honest farmer. Unlike other brothers in the family who have other skills, he only knows how to farm, so he puts all his heart on the ground. The Xue family has a total of more than 30 mu of land, and now he, Mr. Xue and the fourth son Xue Qinghuai are all planted.


    Although the women of the Xue family also went to the fields, it was only during the busy farming season, and besides, the women only had so little strength, so how could they help. Fortunately, the three men from Xue''s family are all good hands in the field, and they are really too busy, so they hired part-time workers to help out for a few days, so they don''t have to worry about not being able to finish the work in the field.


    Just as he was talking, the door of the fourth room opened, and Xue Qinghuai walked out from inside.


    The men in the Xue family are all big, so Xue Qinghuai also inherited a tall body.


    He was born with thick eyebrows, tiger eyes and a high nose bridge. He was dressed in dark blue coarse cloth and short brown, and looked very heroic. In fact, the men of the Xue family are not bad looking, but the women of the Xue family are a little mediocre, but all the grandchildren are born well, and they are all top-notch in the village.


    "Zhaoer Taoer, you wake up so early." Xue Qinghuai walked over in a few strides, took the wooden bucket in Zhaoer''s hand, walked to the water tank, and poured water into the tank.


    "How can you two little girls do this kind of rough work? You go to do other things, and the fourth uncle is here to fetch water."


    Zhao''er and Tao''er didn''t refuse either, one went to the kitchen to help her mother cook, and the other took a basin to scoop up water for washing.


    As time passed, the rest of the Xue family got up one after another, and there were more and more voices in the yard. On the other side of the kitchen, Mrs. Zhou yelled to eat. Generally, country people don''t pay much attention to breakfast, and they have to set a table or something. They always serve a bowl with a bowl, and eat it at any place.


    Breakfast is two rice porridge, the so-called two rice porridge is porridge cooked from two kinds of rice. Yuqing Village does not grow rice, but only wheat, sorghum, millet, corn and other crops. Although farmers grow wheat, they seldom use it for their own food. They sell it for other grains.


    Even a well-to-do family like Xue''s family with surplus food did not eat fine grains all at once, but a mixture of coarse grains and fine grains. For example, today''s breakfast is two-rice porridge, which is a porridge cooked with millet, that is, yellow rice, and sorghum rice.


    Because it was a busy time of farming, it was cooked quite thickly. Although it didn''t hold up with chopsticks inserted, it was much better than the usual thin soup with little water.


    There is no way, the Xue family seems to have a decent family background in the village, but there are three scholars in the family. Not to mention Xue Gouzi, Guangda Fang and his son spend a lot of money every month, and it''s no wonder that Mrs. Zhao usually can pick up fleas to get a little blood.


    Zhao''er filled two bowls of porridge, put a few cornbreads on a thick porcelain plate, and put some pickles on the side, and took them back to the second room''s room.


    As soon as he entered the door, he saw Xue Gouzi sitting up from the kang.


    She hurriedly put the wooden tray on the square table, and came up to see him: "But he''s better? Are you hungry? Sister will bring you some porridge."


    Xue Gouzi looked at her with complicated eyes.


    After experiencing such a dream, he now doesn''t know how to face Zhao''er. As long as he saw her, he couldn''t help but think of him in his dream, those words scolded by others before he died. He also tried to find the cause of Zhao''er''s death in his memory, but it seemed that that memory was Xue Tingxiang''s most unbearable past, and he had no memory at all.


    In fact, Xue Gouzi was burned in a daze last night, and Xue Gouzi thought for a long time. He couldn''t figure out whether he was Xue Gouzi or Xue Tingxiang, whether that dream was true or not, whether he was thinking about it every day and dreaming at night , to have such an absurd dream.


    However, he also had an idea in his heart. If everything in that dream was true, several things should happen in succession. If these things happen, it means that his dreams are real.


    Thinking about something in his heart, he reached out to catch the bowl, only to realize that he didn''t even have the strength to hold the bowl. Luckily, Zhao''er caught the bowl quickly, so he didn''t spill it all over him.


    Xue Gouzi was a little embarrassed and anxious. It was very strange, obviously he would not have this kind of reaction in front of Zhao''er before, but I don''t know if it was a dream, and his state of mind had a strange change.


    Zhao''er laughed at him: "Why are you being polite with my sister? I forgot that when you were a child, you peed on the kang, and it was my sister who washed it for you."


    Zhao''er came to Xue''s house when he was seven years old, and Gouzi was only five years old at that time. It is very inexplicable for a child to pee on the kang. It is obvious that he has not urinated for a long time. I don''t know if he drank too much water before going to bed or what, but he actually peed on the kang.


    Since Qiu gave birth to the dog, her bones were not good, and it was winter again. In order to repay the kindness of the second wife, Zhao''er volunteered to wash the dirty clothes and pants for the dog. Since then, she started her career as a child bride.


    What Xue Gouzi hates the most is Zhao''er. He always likes to say inconspicuous things in front of him. You must know that as you get older, boys will lose face, how can you still be willing to listen to people mentioning such things, especially dogs are naturally sensitive. But today for some reason, he didn''t feel annoyed, only a little embarrassed.


    He was surprised by his own reaction, but Zhao''er had already fed him porridge with a wooden spoon. He subconsciously opened his mouth, and waited until the warm porridge blown by her was fed into his mouth, and he saw the smiling eyes of the other party.


    Those eyes were big and bright, as if there were stars hidden in them, and he couldn''t help but blush.


    Zhao''er smiled even more happily, and stuffed him with a tortilla: "Eat quickly, sister will cook eggs for you at noon."


    She was coaxing him like a child, Gouzi suddenly had this understanding.


    He was eating porridge from Zhao''er, thinking wildly in his mind, it was very chaotic.


    Just then, someone came to the door.


    It was Xue Qingshan.


    Exactly the same as in the dream.


    Xue Qingshan''s fair face was full of sighs and worries, he sighed and said a lot of words, the main idea was to let the dog recover well, don''t worry too much, there are grandparents and uncles at home, he can''t lose him.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Qingshan also followed the appearance and height of the man from the Xue family. He was also a weed in Yuqing Village in his early years, but unfortunately he got a little fatter as he got older.


    "Uncle still has to go to the private school, dog, take care of your illness, you are a child with a lot of thoughts." Sighing and patting his nephew on the shoulder, Xue Qingshan lifted the curtain and left.


    What is he doing?


    Zhao''er thought suspiciously. After thinking about it for a while, she couldn''t figure out why, so she stopped thinking about it and concentrated on feeding the dog porridge, but Xue Gouzi looked thoughtful.


    *


    In the main room, Mrs. Zhao is chatting with Mr. Xue about what happened yesterday.


    Mrs. Zhao was sewing an old dress in her hand, and said, "Let me tell you, you just like to spoil that little thing. You love him, but he doesn''t love you. Our family''s money doesn''t come from the river, just Because he didn''t want to show his illness to the whole family, he made a fuss after another, which is to make the family upside down."


    Mr. Xue was in his fifties, tall and tall, and his skin was black and red like that of a countryman who had been exposed to the sun for a long time. He was wearing dark blue coarse cloth pants, sitting cross-legged on the Kang, smoking a dry cigarette.


    Every time after dinner or before work, Mr. Xue always smoked for a while, otherwise he would feel exhausted.


    "Okay, Gouwazi is sick, who doesn''t have three illnesses and four pains." After a while, he said hoarsely.


    The patter, patter sounded again, and the lingering blue smoke swirled in the air, and then scattered in all directions. Behind it, the old face of Mr. Xue was hidden, looming.


    "But look how long he has been in trouble? Yesterday, more than one hundred coins were lost. How long will it take you to work hard in the field to earn more than one hundred coins! Boss has to leave another two hundred coins. It is said that someone in a classmate¡¯s family had a birthday, and there was a disaster just last year, and the tax was not exempted, but increased. Seeing that the boss said that he wanted to send Juncai to the town to study, it was another expense. How much money do you have? Withstood such a toss!"


    Seeing that his wife was so distressed, Mr. Xue sat up straight, tapped the cigarette pot on the kang table, and gave her a sideways look: "Your heart will be distressed if you spend a hundred yuan for a dog, and you will give it if the boss asks you for it? Not me Speaking of you, you are a parent and grandmother, so don''t be too biased, you don''t have to make the following little ones have conflicts."


    Upon hearing this, Mrs. Zhao didn''t want to. She slapped him across the kang table and said, "I''m biased? Don''t you?"


    He is also biased, but the boss is the most promising in the family, and the handsome is also the most outstanding among the grandchildren. It''s different to have a scholar in the family. No one will say that Xue Lianxing''s family is a decent person when they go out. If Dafang can produce a scholar, his Xue family will be honored.


    Just thinking of Xue Gouzi, Mr. Xue couldn''t help frowning.


    Of course he knew that the mother-in-law was very annoyed, Gou''er was too ignorant, the eldest owed the life to the second, but Xue''s family was in such a family situation, naturally they had to pay attention to their future.


    It''s not that Mr. Xue looks down on his grandson, but that Gou''er is really not comparable to a handsome boy, nor can he. It''s good to be strong, but you always have to look at the situation.


    "The boss''s daughter-in-law has already said several times that the school in the town cannot be delayed. The delay is half a year. The boss still wants to let Juncai try next year." Zhao added.


    "Back then, I promised my second child!" Old Master Xue sighed deeply, took two puffs of dry cigarettes, and coughed twice when he was choked.


    "Anyway, you can figure it out!" Zhao Shi was so angry that she threw the clothes aside, turned her head and leaned back on the kang, giving the man a backbone.


    Old man Xue slapped his mouth several times, and the gully on his face deepened: "You too, old woman, don''t you think that if outsiders know about this, we can still have face in the village?"


    "Then what do you think we should do? Let''s not do it?" Mrs. Zhao rolled over and sat up again, staring at Mr. Xue.


    "Of course it has to be done, it depends on how to do it. How about this, you ask Cuiping to come back tomorrow, and she has to do this matter."


    Zhao''er was in a turbulent mood, and it took him a while to regain his composure.


    After she calmed down, she asked Shen Ping: "Shopkeeper Shen, these clothes only cost two taels in total. Will the pawnshop lose money? Are you doing it just to take care of me..."


    Zhao''er didn''t finish the rest of the sentence, Shen Ping also understood.

 Chapter 259

    The morning light was twilight and the sky was breaking. Most of the villagers in Yuqing Village got up very early.


    Smoke rose from the chimneys of many houses, and villagers walking in twos and threes on the village trails, either carrying hoes or pulling cattle, seemed to be going to the fields.


    It is the time of spring plowing, and the plan of the year lies in spring. If you are lazy at this time, you will cry when the grain is harvested in autumn.


    Zhao''er woke up at this hour on time, and opened his eyes to find that the little man was still asleep.


    Not long after she fell asleep yesterday, the little man developed a fever again. After working for most of the night, luckily the fever subsided in the middle of the night.


    She sat up, raised her hand to touch the little man''s forehead, made sure that her hands were not hot, then put on her clothes lightly, and got off the kang.


    The first thing to do was to open the door, and Heizi, who had been restless for a long time, got out with a swish. Zhao''er also walked out of the room, and seeing Heizi rushing out of the courtyard to pee, she shook her head with a grin.


    At this time, someone had already woken up in the courtyard, it was the Zhou family of the third bedroom and his eldest daughter Xue Tao''er.


    Today it''s the third room''s turn to cook. The Xue family''s rule is that apart from the housework of each room, the work in the office is shared equally. One day per room, in rotation.


    The room responsible for cooking is not only responsible for the food and drink of the whole family, but also takes care of the livestock in the family. The Xue family raised two big fat pigs, and it was not an easy job to just serve these two ancestors every day. Not to mention feeding chickens, carrying water, and chopping firewood, so the female family members who do housework on this day do not have to go to the fields to work.


    It seems to be fair and just, but in fact everyone inside knows how.


    The eldest aunt Yang claimed that the man was a child student, and she was exceptionally superior at home. Since Xue Qingshan passed the child student examination, she never touched housework again. The key is that Mrs. Zhao is also looking towards her, so it''s not easy for others to question her.


    At first, it was Xue Gouzi''s mother, Mrs. Qiu, who finally came in, the third-bedroom Mrs. Zhou, and the two sisters-in-law finally shared the burden. Afterwards, Mrs. Qiu followed her deceased husband, and Mrs. Zhou was left alone. It was not until Mrs. Sun of the fourth room entered the door that she would be able to catch her breath again.


    It''s a pity that Mrs. Sun is lazy and playful. In fact, Mrs. Zhou still does most of the work.


    In the past, when Mrs. Qiu was still alive, Zhao''er also helped Mrs. Qiu to do it. After Mrs. Qiu passed away, Zhao''er was busy with the housework of the second room and had to do the work in the office. In addition, Zhao''er was still young at that time, Mr. Xue told her to take good care of Xue Gouzi and not to take care of the work at work.


    Zhao''er now has free time to go around and get some money, but she is a person who looks at her conscience and will help out as much as she can in her spare time. As for those who used words to squeeze her like Sun, her sharp tongue was not forgiving.


    Seeing Xue Taoer struggling to fetch water from the well, Zhao''er rubbed his face and went up to help her.


    Thirteen-year-old Xue Taoer is like a small flower in bud. Although she is not very beautiful, she is very delicate. Seeing Zhao''er coming to help her, she couldn''t help showing a smile and talking to her: "Sister Zhao''er, is the second brother better?" Xue Gouzi is the second grandson of the Xue family, so Xue Taoer called him the second brother .


    "I had a fever again last night, and it got better in the second half of the night." Zhao''er looked around curiously, and asked, "Why isn''t Third Uncle here?"


    Although Xue Qingbai is a bit honest and reticent, he always loves his wife and daughter. Whenever he meets the third room to cook, he will get up early to fill the water tank.


    The Xue family has its own well, but the well is too deep, and there is no pulley on the well, so it is really exhausting to draw water with the strength of the daughter''s family alone. That is to say, Zhao''er was naturally as strong as an ox, and his strength was no worse than that of ordinary middle-aged men, so he could pull the bucket out of the deep well very easily.


    "My father went to the field and said he would work for a while and return after breakfast."


    Xue Qingbai is an honest farmer. Unlike other brothers in the family who have other skills, he only knows how to farm, so he puts all his heart on the ground. The Xue family has a total of more than 30 mu of land, and now he, Mr. Xue and the fourth son Xue Qinghuai are all planted.


    Although the women of the Xue family also went to the fields, it was only during the busy farming season, and besides, the women only had so little strength, so how could they help. Fortunately, the three men from Xue''s family are all good hands in the field, and they are really too busy, so they hired part-time workers to help out for a few days, so they don''t have to worry about not being able to finish the work in the field.


    Just as he was talking, the door of the fourth room opened, and Xue Qinghuai walked out from inside.


    The men in the Xue family are all big, so Xue Qinghuai also inherited a tall body.


    He was born with thick eyebrows, tiger eyes and a high nose bridge. He was dressed in dark blue coarse cloth and short brown, and looked very heroic. In fact, the men of the Xue family are not bad looking, but the women of the Xue family are a little mediocre, but all the grandchildren are born well, and they are all top-notch in the village.


    "Zhaoer Taoer, you wake up so early." Xue Qinghuai walked over in a few strides, took the wooden bucket in Zhaoer''s hand, walked to the water tank, and poured water into the tank.


    "How can you two little girls do this kind of rough work? You go to do other things, and the fourth uncle is here to fetch water."


    Zhao''er and Tao''er didn''t refuse either, one went to the kitchen to help her mother cook, and the other took a basin to scoop up water for washing.


    As time passed, the rest of the Xue family got up one after another, and there were more and more voices in the yard. On the other side of the kitchen, Mrs. Zhou yelled to eat. Generally, country people don''t pay much attention to breakfast, and they have to set a table or something. They always serve a bowl with a bowl, and eat it at any place.


    Breakfast is two rice porridge, the so-called two rice porridge is porridge cooked from two kinds of rice. Yuqing Village does not grow rice, but only wheat, sorghum, millet, corn and other crops. Although farmers grow wheat, they seldom use it for their own food. They sell it for other grains.


    Even a well-to-do family like Xue''s family with surplus food did not eat fine grains all at once, but a mixture of coarse grains and fine grains. For example, today''s breakfast is two-rice porridge, which is a porridge cooked with millet, that is, yellow rice, and sorghum rice.


    Because it was a busy time of farming, it was cooked quite thickly. Although it didn''t hold up with chopsticks inserted, it was much better than the usual thin soup with little water.


    There is no way, the Xue family seems to have a decent family background in the village, but there are three scholars in the family. Not to mention Xue Gouzi, Guangda Fang and his son spend a lot of money every month, and it''s no wonder that Mrs. Zhao usually can pick up fleas to get a little blood.


    Zhao''er filled two bowls of porridge, put a few cornbreads on a thick porcelain plate, and put some pickles on the side, and took them back to the second room''s room.


    As soon as he entered the door, he saw Xue Gouzi sitting up from the kang.


    She hurriedly put the wooden tray on the square table, and came up to see him: "But he''s better? Are you hungry? Sister will bring you some porridge."


    Xue Gouzi looked at her with complicated eyes.


    After experiencing such a dream, he now doesn''t know how to face Zhao''er. As long as he saw her, he couldn''t help but think of him in his dream, those words scolded by others before he died. He also tried to find the cause of Zhao''er''s death in his memory, but it seemed that that memory was Xue Tingxiang''s most unbearable past, and he had no memory at all.


    In fact, Xue Gouzi was burned in a daze last night, and Xue Gouzi thought for a long time. He couldn''t figure out whether he was Xue Gouzi or Xue Tingxiang, whether that dream was true or not, whether he was thinking about it every day and dreaming at night , to have such an absurd dream.


    However, he also had an idea in his heart. If everything in that dream was true, several things should happen in succession. If these things happen, it means that his dreams are real.


    Thinking about something in his heart, he reached out to catch the bowl, only to realize that he didn''t even have the strength to hold the bowl. Luckily, Zhao''er caught the bowl quickly, so he didn''t spill it all over him.


    Xue Gouzi was a little embarrassed and anxious. It was very strange, obviously he would not have this kind of reaction in front of Zhao''er before, but I don''t know if it was a dream, and his state of mind had a strange change.


    Zhao''er laughed at him: "Why are you being polite with my sister? I forgot that when you were a child, you peed on the kang, and it was my sister who washed it for you."


    Zhao''er came to Xue''s house when he was seven years old, and Gouzi was only five years old at that time. It is very inexplicable for a child to pee on the kang. It is obvious that he has not urinated for a long time. I don''t know if he drank too much water before going to bed or what, but he actually peed on the kang.


    Since Qiu gave birth to the dog, her bones were not good, and it was winter again. In order to repay the kindness of the second wife, Zhao''er volunteered to wash the dirty clothes and pants for the dog. Since then, she started her career as a child bride.


    What Xue Gouzi hates the most is Zhao''er. He always likes to say inconspicuous things in front of him. You must know that as you get older, boys will lose face, how can you still be willing to listen to people mentioning such things, especially dogs are naturally sensitive. But today for some reason, he didn''t feel annoyed, only a little embarrassed.


    He was surprised by his own reaction, but Zhao''er had already fed him porridge with a wooden spoon. He subconsciously opened his mouth, and waited until the warm porridge blown by her was fed into his mouth, and he saw the smiling eyes of the other party.


    Those eyes were big and bright, as if there were stars hidden in them, and he couldn''t help but blush.


    Zhao''er smiled even more happily, and stuffed him with a tortilla: "Eat quickly, sister will cook eggs for you at noon."


    She was coaxing him like a child, Gouzi suddenly had this understanding.


    He was eating porridge from Zhao''er, thinking wildly in his mind, it was very chaotic.


    Just then, someone came to the door.


    It was Xue Qingshan.


    Exactly the same as in the dream.


    Xue Qingshan''s fair face was full of sighs and worries, he sighed and said a lot of words, the main idea was to let the dog recover well, don''t worry too much, there are grandparents and uncles at home, he can''t lose him.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Qingshan also followed the appearance and height of the man from the Xue family. He was also a weed in Yuqing Village in his early years, but unfortunately he got a little fatter as he got older.


    "Uncle still has to go to the private school, dog, take care of your illness, you are a child with a lot of thoughts." Sighing and patting his nephew on the shoulder, Xue Qingshan lifted the curtain and left.


    What is he doing?


    Zhao''er thought suspiciously. After thinking about it for a while, she couldn''t figure out why, so she stopped thinking about it and concentrated on feeding the dog porridge, but Xue Gouzi looked thoughtful.


    *


    In the main room, Mrs. Zhao is chatting with Mr. Xue about what happened yesterday.


    Mrs. Zhao was sewing an old dress in her hand, and said, "Let me tell you, you just like to spoil that little thing. You love him, but he doesn''t love you. Our family''s money doesn''t come from the river, just Because he didn''t want to show his illness to the whole family, he made a fuss after another, which is to make the family upside down."


    Mr. Xue was in his fifties, tall and tall, and his skin was black and red like that of a countryman who had been exposed to the sun for a long time. He was wearing dark blue coarse cloth pants, sitting cross-legged on the Kang, smoking a dry cigarette.


    Every time after dinner or before work, Mr. Xue always smoked for a while, otherwise he would feel exhausted.


    "Okay, Gouwazi is sick, who doesn''t have three illnesses and four pains." After a while, he said hoarsely.


    The patter, patter sounded again, and the lingering blue smoke swirled in the air, and then scattered in all directions. Behind it, the old face of Mr. Xue was hidden, looming.


    "But look how long he has been in trouble? Yesterday, more than one hundred coins were lost. How long will it take you to work hard in the field to earn more than one hundred coins! Boss has to leave another two hundred coins. It is said that someone in a classmate¡¯s family had a birthday, and there was a disaster just last year, and the tax was not exempted, but increased. Seeing that the boss said that he wanted to send Juncai to the town to study, it was another expense. How much money do you have? Withstood such a toss!"


    Seeing that his wife was so distressed, Mr. Xue sat up straight, tapped the cigarette pot on the kang table, and gave her a sideways look: "Your heart will be distressed if you spend a hundred yuan for a dog, and you will give it if the boss asks you for it? Not me Speaking of you, you are a parent and grandmother, so don''t be too biased, you don''t have to make the following little ones have conflicts."


    Upon hearing this, Mrs. Zhao didn''t want to. She slapped him across the kang table and said, "I''m biased? Don''t you?"


    He is also biased, but the boss is the most promising in the family, and the handsome is also the most outstanding among the grandchildren. It''s different to have a scholar in the family. No one will say that Xue Lianxing''s family is a decent person when they go out. If Dafang can produce a scholar, his Xue family will be honored.


    Just thinking of Xue Gouzi, Mr. Xue couldn''t help frowning.


    Of course he knew that the mother-in-law was very annoyed, Gou''er was too ignorant, the eldest owed the life to the second, but Xue''s family was in such a family situation, naturally they had to pay attention to their future.


    It''s not that Mr. Xue looks down on his grandson, but that Gou''er is really not comparable to a handsome boy, nor can he. It''s good to be strong, but you always have to look at the situation.


    "The boss''s daughter-in-law has already said several times that the school in the town cannot be delayed. The delay is half a year. The boss still wants to let Juncai try next year." Zhao added.


    "Back then, I promised my second child!" Old Master Xue sighed deeply, took two puffs of dry cigarettes, and coughed twice when he was choked.


    "Anyway, you can figure it out!" Zhao Shi was so angry that she threw the clothes aside, turned her head and leaned back on the kang, giving the man a backbone.


    Old man Xue slapped his mouth several times, and the gully on his face deepened: "You too, old woman, don''t you think that if outsiders know about this, we can still have face in the village?"


    "Then what do you think we should do? Let''s not do it?" Mrs. Zhao rolled over and sat up again, staring at Mr. Xue.


    "Of course it has to be done, it depends on how to do it. How about this, you ask Cuiping to come back tomorrow, and she has to do this matter."


    Zhao''er was not annoyed, but said aggrievedly: "Then how can the eldest aunt stay, she is not a woman? Besides, the dog can''t talk, I don''t look at it, I am afraid that what he said will anger me Lord."


    In fact, her subtext was just to say that she was afraid that others would bully Xue Tingxiang, and no one present could hear it.


    Mr. Xue stared at her. Now he really doubts that all this was made by this girl. He knew that Gou''er child was a bored gourd, why didn''t he go to the grave early and complained that he would not go later, but why did he go at this time.


    Thinking of all the disobedient things this girl did in the past, Mr. Xue felt disgusted in his heart. But he also knew that now was not the time to vent his anger, but to settle the matter.


    "Since you want to listen, then listen." The tone was the same as before, but anyone could hear the dissatisfaction in his voice.


    Zhao''er couldn''t hear it, so he stood aside.


    Seeing this, Mrs. Sun hurriedly dragged Xue Qinghuai to stay.


    "Since Zhao''er has stayed, let''s stay and listen too." She laughed along with her.


    Mr. Xue was immediately furious: "Since you want to listen, stay and listen."


    So everyone stayed, including the four-year-old Mao Dan, and even Mrs. Zhou, who was busy in the kitchen, stayed behind under the guise of cleaning the table.


    In the huge main room, only an oil lamp was lit on the square table. The wick was jumping and shadowy, and everyone''s eyes were on Mr. Xue. But he suddenly didn''t know where to start. He looked around everyone''s faces with heavy eyes, and finally fell on Xue Tingxiang''s face.


    "Actually, it''s nothing. I just want to talk about what the boss said a while ago that he wants to send the child to the school in the town."


    Zhao''er was inexplicably nervous, and couldn''t help but glance at Xue Tingxiang, and then went to see Mr. Xue.


    Dafang and his wife were overjoyed, they knew this would happen, and it was not in vain for them to swallow their anger for many days.


    Xue Qingshan couldn''t hide the joy on his face, he looked at Xue Tingxiang with pity and compassion, then looked at other people, and finally fell on Xue Tingxiang.


    "Dog, don''t be discouraged. You are still much worse than your talented brother. You will study with uncle for another two years, and then the family will send you to the town to study."


    This kind of tone was too stinging at this time, Zhao''er had a sneer on the corner of his mouth, and wanted to say something, but was pulled by Xue Tingxiang.


    Xue Qingshan took all of this into his eyes, and satirized in his heart, no matter how difficult this girl''s film is, she can only embarrass others on these trivial things, and it still doesn''t work when it comes to big things. He smiled, and said to Zhao''er: "Zhao''er, don''t be angry, uncle knows that you are high-minded, but high-mindedness can''t be eaten, don''t you?"


    No one in the room said anything.


    At this moment, Mr. Xue suddenly said angrily: "Boss, what are you talking about!"


    Xue Qingshan didn''t take it seriously: "Father, I''m not trying to persuade the dog not to be discouraged..."


    Old man Xue''s beard was shaking with anger, and he pointed at him with a cigarette pot: "You need to persuade, the one who is going to study in the town is not a handsome man, but a dog!"


    As soon as these words came out, one stone really stirred up a thousand waves.


    The room was silent for a moment, and soon Zhao''s slightly shrill voice broke the silence.


    "Old man, what are you talking about? What do you mean a person who is going to study in the town is not a talented person?"


    Xue Qingshan also said: "Father, did you say the wrong person in a muddle?"


    "Your father is not ignorant, and he didn''t say anything wrong. The one who goes to study in the town is a dog, not a genius!"


    After saying this, Mr. Xue seemed to have lost all his energy, and stopped talking. The eyes of the whole room kept looking back and forth at Xue Tingxiang and Xue Juncai, full of surprise.


    Xue Qingshan''s smile cracked, and Yang''s face was full of surprise.


    Xue Juncai''s handsome face flushed red, "Grandfather..."


    Mr. Xue waved his hand wearily: "Okay, let''s all go back to the house."


    With everything said like this, everyone had no choice but to leave, but Dafang''s family still stayed behind.


    As soon as everyone walked out of the main room, they heard a commotion inside.


    "Old man, please speak clearly, what do you mean it is a dog who is going to study in the town, not my handsome talent!"


    It was Zhao''s voice.


    There is also Xue Qingshan, mixed with Yang''s aggrieved and sharp cries, and Mr. Xue''s exhausted explanation.


    No secrets can be hidden under one roof, so everyone knows what''s going on.


    *


    Early the next morning, everyone got up.


    But the spirit is not very good, it can be seen that he didn''t sleep much at night. Especially Yang''s eyes were a little red and swollen, and she looked like she was crying.


    Xue Qingshan''s eyes were also full of bloodshot eyes, he looked at Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang with sinister eyes from time to time, but for some reason he didn''t say anything.


    The atmosphere was very depressing, no one spoke, everyone was there and doing what they were doing in an orderly manner, but the yard was surprisingly quiet.


    After breakfast, Mr. Xue took his hoe and planned to go to the field. Xue Qingbai and Xue Qinghuai didn''t dare to delay, one went to lead the cow out, the other picked up the iron plow, and followed him out the door.


    Xue Qingshan didn''t stay at home anymore, and then went out, but he didn''t know where he went.


    Unlike the rest of the Xue family, Zhao''er was very happy.


    Since she learned the ins and outs of the matter from Xue Tingxiang last night, she has fallen into uncontrollable excitement. Don''t say that she gloats, in her heart she should be a little man, and she is worrying about having no money in her hands. This news is tantamount to great joy for her.


    Knowing that the schoolchildren who go to the academy are very particular, she purposely found a piece of blue cloth that had been kept at the bottom of the box for a long time. This is Qiu''s dowry back then, and Qiu gave Zhao''er to make clothes, but unfortunately she has been reluctant to part with it, and now it is just right to use it as a school bag for Xue Tingxiang.


    After cutting the cloth, she began to sew with needles and threads, talking to Xue Tingxiang without saying a word. At this moment, the door curtain was suddenly lifted.


    It was Xue Youcai, the second boy of Dafang.


    Xue Youcai was only seven years old this year, but he was born fat and thick, and he was obviously spoiled. After he came in, he scolded Xue Tingxiang: "Just like you, you are still grabbing things from my elder brother, and you have the same name as a dog. You are no smarter than a dog."


    This kid''s tongue is really poisonous, and he is also used to by the elder couple, and he has always been a bully at home, making everyone angry. I saw signs of it a few years ago, but it''s a pity that Mrs. Yang has been protecting him, saying that he is still young and ignorant, but he has grown up in the past two years, but it is a pity that he is still ignorant.


    Zhao''er doesn''t like him, if anyone in this family beat Xue Youcai, it must be her. Xue Youcai was afraid of her, yet hated her, she stood up abruptly, before she could speak, Xue Youcai suddenly threw a bag of things in his hand. It hit the head and face, and it hurt people, and there was a strange smell in it.


    Zhao''er was hit twice, she subconsciously tried to hide, thinking of Xue Tingxiang on the kang, she turned her back to protect him. Xue Tingxiang was unprepared, she hugged her upright, obviously it was not appropriate, but he felt blushing and heart beating.


    After finally waiting for this wave to pass, Zhao''er let go of his hand, Xue Youcai had already run away, and the thing he used to hit them turned out to be dried cow dung.


    Zhao''er was so disgusted that she ran after her.


    She stopped Xue Youcai at the gate of the courtyard, grabbed him by the collar without saying a word, picked up a branch from a nearby wall, and lashed at him.


    "If I don''t beat you for three days, you dare to go to the house to expose the tiles..."


    Xue Youcai struggled to run away, but Zhao''er was so painful that he was whipped. Crying and shouting, he sat down on the ground and lay down on the ground.


    This looks like the posture that young children are accustomed to playing tricks on.


    There was such a big commotion outside that everyone in the room was startled out.


    Seeing Xue Youcai being beaten by Zhao''er, Mrs. Zhao exploded: "Who told you to beat my grandson, stop!"


    Zhao''er ignored her and scolded: "Do you still dare to do it in the future? Why don''t you learn how to throw bullshit like others! The words are quite vicious. Who taught you to speak like this? If you don''t speak clearly today, I will not only Hit you, I will take you to the river to wash your mouth later..."


    Mrs. Yang also came out, and she screamed: "Wang Zhaoer, you are crazy, you dare to hit Juncai!"


    "Auntie, why don''t you see what he has done? You didn''t learn well at a young age, like some women who uttered obscene language and threw cow dung on people. I''ll tell you now, your second brother has a name , called Xue Tingxiang, if you dare to tell me whether you are a dog or not in the future, I will beat you every time I see you!"


    Xue Youcai cried until tears and snot came out, but unfortunately no one came up to rescue him. Zhao was so angry that she jumped up and down, Yang wanted to stop Zhao''er, but was stopped by Heizi.


    You usually see this sunspot with a slumped head and no energy at all. He stopped in front of people, growled a warning in his voice, and showed his sharp teeth. Yang didn''t doubt that if she dared to go forward, she would The dog would pounce on her and give her a bite.

 Chapter 260

    She breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "I want the bag of clothes from shopkeeper Shen, and I''ll give you the money right now."


    "Are you rich now?"


    Of course she is rich, Zhao''er now has more than two taels of silver in total, and just now Su Lan gave her another five taels, which is naturally enough.


    At the same time, Shen Ping laughed a little, "Well, I forgot that you had visited her before, so I came here, so she wouldn''t take advantage of me." The voice was very small, like a murmur, and Zhao''er only cares about it. I had to look at the clothes, but I didn''t hear clearly.


    "I''ll find a guy to call a car for you, and you, a little girl, can''t transport these things."


    "Thank you, Shopkeeper Shen."


    After seeing Zhao''er off, Shen Ping turned around and went into the pawn shop.


    Although he is called the third shopkeeper, he is not the third shopkeeper of this store, but the third shopkeeper of the whole "Herongsheng". He will only stay in Xia County permanently under his deliberate request.


    Shen Ping is the son of the Shen family, his father is the chief manager of the Shen family, and he has been a servant with the third young master Shen Fu since he was a child. It was not until he became an adult that he was released to become a shopkeeper.


    "If she comes again next time, just do as I told you before."


    "Yes, shopkeeper."


    *


    Just after noon, the clerk Ah Cai came to deliver meals to Xue Tingxiang.


    Boss Chen said it was simple food, but in fact the food was not bad, with one meat and one vegetable, and one soup. Xue Tingxiang knew very well that Boss Chen was taking care of him deliberately. How could anyone hire someone to copy books, take care of tea and food, and the wages they paid were not low.


    It was because he knew it in his heart that he didn''t say no. In this case, the refusal retained his character, but it seemed too petty and hypocritical.


    It can only be repaid in the future, Xue Tingxiang thought lightly in his heart.


    After eating, when the man came to clean up the dishes, he said that he could rest for an hour. There is a chaise longue available in this room, and of course you can go to the front to read a book to pass the time.


    In fact, the latter sentence is the key point, Xue Tingxiang was not pretentious, after cleaning his hands, he went forward.


    This store may not seem big, but it has a lot of books of all kinds, ranging from rural tales to books about the imperial examination, and there are many books about the imperial examination.


    Since the former dynasty, the imperial examination has used eight-legged essays as the standard style, with strict regulations, and even restrictions on the length of sentences, the number of words, the level of rhymes, and even the scope of questions.


    Stereotype essays take questions from the Four Books and Five Classics, and are composed of eight parts: breaking the title, inheriting the title, starting the lecture, starting, starting the essay, middle section, back section, and binding the section. It seems rigid and rigid, but in fact it is not easy to do a good stereotyped essay. If you really think that only reading the Four Books and Five Classics is enough, you are wrong. Not to mention astronomy and geography, at least you have to be involved in all aspects, so that you can write a good article full of flowers and content.


    In that dream, Xue Tingxiang won the Jinshi with the 21st place in the second class, and was admitted to the Hanlin Academy after passing through the hall. He should have been on a steady rise since then, but because he offended someone, a majestic Hanlin was sent down. The kind of place where the birds don''t shit is an official.


    Xue Tingxiang pursed his lips slightly, feeling that he was thinking too much, after all, he is not even a child now, let''s think about the present.


    So, without thinking too much, he took out a book from the bookcase and read it quietly.


    During this period, customers from the bookstore came to sell some pens, ink, paper and inkstones, or came to buy books, always interrupting Xue Tingxiang''s reading.


    Seeing this, Boss Chen said: "Brother Xue, you can take the book to the back and read."


    Xue Tingxiang looked at him in surprise: "This..."


    "It''s okay, it''s not bad for your book."


    Xue Tingxiang was silent, bowed deeply in salute, and then went back.


    When Xue Tingxiang woke up, he heard Boss Chen talking outside and Zhao''er''s voice at the same time.


    "Where did you get this big bag?" Boss Chen looked at Zhao''er in surprise, and asked for the bag at her feet that was much bigger than her.


    Zhao''er was sweating profusely and said: "Uncle Chen, I got it from the county, and so did the man from the car dealership. They only helped me to the intersection and left me behind. I wanted to be dragged to the car dealership. But thinking that my brother is still here..."


    Boss Chen laughed, and called his assistant: "Ah Cai, come and help little brother Zhao''er carry the things in." Then he said to Zhao''er: "Come in and have a drink and rest before leaving."


    "Uncle Chen, what a shame."


    "When you were bargaining with me, you were never polite, but now you are more polite." Boss Chen pretended to stare.


    Generally speaking, Boss Chen is an elegant and humorous person.


    Xue Tingxiang also came out to help, and asked, "What''s in it? Why is it so heavy? Where did you get it?"


    Not to mention it was really heavy, Ah Cai tried a few times but couldn''t lift it, only three people could lift it.


    "I got it from a pawn shop. If I can sell this package, my sister will have enough money to send you to the Qinghe Academy."


    Zhao''er hadn''t realized that he had slipped up, but Xue Tingxiang had. He glanced at Boss Chen, and Zhao''er understood what he said at this moment, and looked at Boss Chen with some guilt: "Uncle Chen, I will explain to you later."


    She was a little anxious, and without asking the two of them to help, she lifted the big bag and carried it on her shoulders. The big bag pushed her to one side, but she still stopped, and she quickly carried the things inside.


    Ah Cai praised: "It doesn''t look like she is strong, she is so strong."


    Here, Xue Tingxiang looked at the back and pursed the corners of his mouth, while Boss Chen''s eyes darkened.


    Xue Tingxiang looked up at Boss Chen, and walked towards him.


    ...


    Zhao''er found a place to put down the big bag, then went to wash his hands and face to clean up his body, and then A Cai led him to see Boss Chen.


    Seeing Boss Chen, Zhao''er felt a little guilty. But she didn''t intend to continue to lie to Boss Chen, because Boss Chen is a good person. Not to mention the benefits he gave her before, just because he asked the little man to copy books for such a high price, let him read books here, and take care of the lunch at noon, Zhao''er can no longer continue to deceive.


    In fact, Zhao''er is not a liar, it''s just that she concealed her gender, and then the so-called workmanship is just collecting some vegetables and selling them to make some purses or something.


    "Uncle Chen..."


    Boss Chen sighed and waved his hands: "Okay, you don''t need to say anymore, you are a girl, and you are really embarrassing."


    Zhao''er looked surprised, her round eyes widened.


    Boss Chen laughed a little and said, "Your little husband has already told me everything."


    "He, what did he say..." Zhao''er stammered, still in disbelief. Because she knows that the little man always pays attention to face and has a lot of thoughts, and she doesn''t like to mention her as his child bride-in-law in front of outsiders, and the Xue family''s bad things.


    "I''ve said everything that needs to be said." After a pause, Boss Chen asked, "Look at how surprised you are, isn''t it still a secret?"


    Zhao''er laughed awkwardly, and faltered: "That''s not true, it''s just that he''s young, and people in our village hate him. People always think that I''m older than him, and my daughter-in-law teases men and laughs at him."


    The same sentence sounds different to different people.


    Boss Chen couldn''t help but want to laugh, but Xue Tingxiang outside had mixed feelings in his heart.


    That''s why she always called herself sister, so in the dream he was old, but she didn''t want to marry him. Or he ignored her wishes and insisted on marrying him with his parents'' orders.


    She actually understood her awkward state of mind. He told himself not to be surprised by what other people said, but he cared about it in his heart, so even if the two got married, they couldn''t do it together.


    She actually knew everything, yet she relied on him for everything! Follow him!


    While the mood was churning, the topic was changed inside.


    "I just heard from you that you plan to save money to send him to Qinghe Academy?"


    Zhao''er nodded, seeing the strange expression on Boss Chen''s face, she couldn''t help but ask, "Is that school bad?"


    "Take the road of opportunism, and it won''t last long."


    Zhao''er didn''t quite understand what he heard, but he also knew that it was not a good word.


    "If you want to help him find a good book academy, I have something to recommend. It''s just..." Boss Chen sighed suddenly: "Well, let me tell you that you don''t understand either. Let''s talk about it later."


    Zhao''er nodded in a daze.


    It was not too early to meet later, and the two planned to return to Yuqing Village.


    Because the big bag of clothes was too much, and it would be eye-catching to bring back, Boss Chen asked Zhao''er to put the things in his shop temporarily. Anyway, there are still a few vacant rooms behind the shop, so just find a place to put them.


    The two went back to the village by car, because after time, only the ox cart could be used, so the two sat on the ox cart and walked back bumping back and forth.


    Halfway along the road, a mule cart came head-on.


    The driver was a man, dark and tall. When he got closer, he could see his appearance clearly. He had thick eyebrows and tiger eyes, a high nose bridge, and he was very heroic. His sleeves were half rolled up above his elbows, and his arms seemed to be full of muscles. He looked like a powerful man.


    Xue Tingxiang saw the person coming at a glance, and his pupils shrank immediately.


    He glanced at Zhao''er next to him, saw her with her head half down, and he was relieved.


    But the visitor still saw them, his eyes lit up, and he raised his voice and shouted: "Zhaoer."


    Zhao''er looked over and immediately smiled: "Brother Jiang Wu, where are you going?"


    Jiang Wu tightened the reins and stopped the mule cart.


    "I''m going to town, are you going back? Get out of the car, and I''ll see you off."


    Zhao''er hesitated and said, "Don''t you still want to go to town? Anyway, we''ve already got in the car, so you should do your own work."


    "I don''t have anything to do. I just went to Lao Li''s place to have a look. Originally, my father said that I would go tomorrow and buy some things on the way back. It doesn''t matter whether I go or not. Come on, this car is slow and bumpy. My car is still faster." Jiang Wu said to Zhao''er with a smile, completely unaware that the face of the owner of the bullock cart turned black.


    Seeing this, Zhao''er didn''t let the owner of the ox cart stop, and jumped off from above. After taking two steps over there, I realized that I had forgotten the person.


    While letting the owner of the bullock cart stop, she said to Xue Tingxiang: "Come on down, let''s go back in Brother Jiang Wu''s car." With her beaming face, she was in a good mood.


    Xue Tingxiang''s face was a bit ugly, he glanced at Zhao''er, and then slowly got out of the car.


    The two got into the mule cart, and Jiang Wu drove the cart to Yuqing Village.


    "If I knew you were coming to the county today, I would have asked you to help me get my things back. Brother Jiang Wu, let me tell you, I found a business to do, and this business can make a lot of money. I definitely can''t do it alone. Why don''t we partner up and pay half a penny?"


    It wasn''t Jiang Wu''s first time doing business with Zhao''er. To be honest, before Zhao''er came to collect vegetables and sell them in the town, Jiang Wu helped her a lot.


    How much food can Zhao''er collect in other villages by herself, and besides, she doesn''t have a car, so it''s not convenient to go back and forth. But the Jiang family has a car, and the ancestors of the Jiang family were hunters. With this unique skill, the life of the Jiang family is very comfortable.


    The men of Jiang''s family don''t usually farm land, and the family''s more than 20 acres of land are rented out, and they only earn money by collecting rent and hunting with the men in the family. But hunting is not every day, so Jiang Wu is very free when he is not in the mountains, so he helps recruits to collect vegetables and so on, saying that the two share half and half, but Jiang Wu does not want the money every time .


    "But let me tell you first, if you don''t want to split the money, I won''t do this business with you."


    "Uncle Chen is acquainted with the owner of the Qingyuan Academy?" Seeing that Boss Chen was so indignant, Xue Tingxiang asked curiously.


    Boss Chen stroked his beard and said, "I''m ashamed to say that I was a classmate with him when I was young, but I was not good at studies and only passed the entrance examination as a boy student, but he was selected as a scholar in one fell swoop, and he was still a boy student. It''s a pity that the luck was bad, and he has not been able to pass the exam. It took him many years to pass the exam, and he had no intention of pursuing a career, so he returned to his hometown to inherit his father''s career in teaching and educating people."


    "It won''t be bad luck all the time." Xue Tingxiang said.


    If he remembers correctly, the whole town was a sensation when Director Lin of the Qingyuan Academy finally passed the exam three years later, and Gao Youzhi, the owner of the Qinghe Academy, was so angry that he almost vomited blood. At that time, he was planning to leave the Qinghe Academy to study at the Shen family''s ethnology, and happened to hear something about it.


    Boss Chen thought the young man was just comforting him, and smiled, "Thank you for your good words."


    Xue Tingxiang was not ambiguous either, and cupped his hands and said: "Thank you, Uncle Chen, for your suggestion, but there are still trivial matters at home that have not been dealt with. When everything is settled, I will go to the Qingyuan Academy to study."


    "You are straightforward, so you are not afraid of being implicated and hindering your fame?" Boss Chen asked curiously.


    "The kid hasn''t entered school yet, so why talk about fame? Besides, the imperial court has always attached great importance to the selection of talents. If they are really talented, presumably the magistrate Hu will not dare to stop them too much."


    "I can''t see that you have high ambitions. Well, since you dare to go, I will recommend you one or two. Although my classmate is rigid and dull, he is not good at words, but his knowledge is first-rate. Don''t dare It is no problem to teach a person to become a Jinshi, but a scholar is fine."


    "Then thank Uncle Chen first."


    *


    For several days, Xue Tingxiang and Zhao''er left early and returned late.


    Someone from Xue''s family asked twice, and Zhao''er said to take Xue Tingxiang out to get some fresh air, so as not to be overwhelmed. The people in the big room showed contempt, and Mr. Xue couldn''t help shaking his head. After that, no one asked any more questions, and most of them knew in their hearts that Xue Tingxiang was doomed. Maybe the two children in Erfang also have a lot of mentality, so they broke the cans and didn''t read books, but ran around playing.


    You must know that even if you are as qualified as Xue Juncai, you have to read books at home for many days to prepare.


    In the blink of an eye, it was five days.


    This day is no different from ordinary days.


    The farmhouse is always busy in the morning, and after a night, the family''s livestock have to be waited on, and the whole family has to be tossed about to eat. After breakfast, the men will go to the fields, and the women will do housework at home.


    If there is some difference, Xue Juncai had two more poached eggs in his bowl than others for breakfast.


    Because of Mr. Xue''s beating some time ago, Mrs. Zhao didn''t dare to openly fight against the big family members these days. Today, seeing that life is not normal, she couldn''t hold back.


    Originally, Xue Tingxiang didn''t have any, but Yang Shi saw that her father-in-law looked bad, so she took the initiative to ask Zhao Shi to ask for two eggs, and put them in the bowl for him.


    Xue Tingxiang wants to recruit one of them separately, but he doesn''t want to be recruited, but it''s a pity that he can''t be persuaded.


    For the sake of one egg, the two of you whispered one sentence at a time, while Mr. Xue''s expression on the top was particularly serious.


    But life in the country is like this, no matter how heavy your heart is, you can''t lose your livelihood. Especially when rushing for spring plowing, Mr. Xue still took his two sons to work in the fields for a while, and didn''t come back until the sun was high.


    The news about the competition between the two children of Xue''s family has been spread in Yuqing Village for a long time.


    It''s not that there are people who say strange things, but most people can still understand what old man Xue did. It''s not easy for rural people to earn a little money, and no one''s money comes from the big river. If there is a way, no one will do this.


    Knowing that today is the day, let the children of the family watch in the village. Seeing a stranger go to Zheng Lizheng''s house, these hairy kids ran into the field, shouting from a long distance, "Someone is coming from Lizheng''s house". The adults stopped planting the land, so they picked up the hoes and rushed back.


    Not long after, the big courtyard of Zheng Lizheng''s house was full of people, and more villagers kept coming here.


    There was a lot of commotion in the yard, everyone was gossiping and discussing today''s matter at the same time.


    In the room, Zheng Li was talking with a middle-aged man in a scholar''s shirt and a flat scarf on his head.


    This man had a thin and long face, his complexion was a little pale, and his eyes were slightly swollen. She doesn''t look good, but her identity seems to be extraordinary, and she actually sits in the main seat.


    And Zheng Lizheng could only sit on the sidelines.


    His Gu Pan has a different temperament from ordinary people. This person is Qiao Xiucai, who has a reputation in the surrounding ten miles and eight villages.


    Long before, Zheng Lizheng had thought about it. Xue Qingshan came forward to invite someone from the Xue family, if he didn''t expect, it should be his father-in-law Yang Zhong, Yang Zhong is just a boy, so he will invite a scholar.


    On the one hand, it seemed that he was impartial, and on the other hand, it was a good time to show his prestige.


    "Qiao Xianggong, you drink tea, I will order someone to remind you."


    Qiao Xiucai waved his hand indifferently: "Don''t worry."


    Just as he was talking, there was a commotion outside, but it was patriarch Xue who came with someone.


    However, it was not Patriarch Xue who took the lead, but an old man over fifty years old. This old man is of medium stature, dressed the same as Qiao Xiucai, also wearing a scholar''s shirt and a flat scarf, obviously even if he is not a scholar, he is still a child.


    Sure enough, when Qiao Xiucai saw the old man, he quickly stood up from his chair and bowed to him.


    "I never thought it would be Senior He, late born is so polite."


    "Don''t be too polite, just sit down."


    This He Xiucai was the person invited by patriarch Xue to preside over this competition.


    Zheng Lizheng was right, at first Xue Qingshan really planned to invite his father-in-law, but it was a pity that this matter was rejected by Patriarch Xue.


    Patriarch Xue also only knew that Xue Qingshan was so stupid. They all said that he should not avoid relatives when he was a virtuous person, but this is not the way. Since he felt that the chances of winning were more than guaranteed, there was no need for people to make mistakes, so he took care of this matter.


    He knew in his heart that the surname Zheng would not let go of the opportunity to show off, and if he came forward to invite someone, he must be a scholar. He originally planned to invite Qiao Xiucai, but he was a step late, so he had to delay the relationship and invite He Xiucai.


    After courteously giving way to each other, the two scholars sat down on the main seat.


    Zheng Lizheng and Patriarch Xue sat beside him.


    "Let Brother Lizheng worry about it."


    "Don''t bother, don''t worry, I''m the leader here, so I can''t show up if something happens in the village."


    A lot of back and forth, seemingly amiable, but there is a hint of wit hidden in the words. During this period, a few old people walked in from the outside, but they were a few old people from Yuqing Village, Mr. Xue, Xue Qingshan and others also came.


    Another uninvited guest was Xue Qingshan''s father-in-law Yang Zhong.


    Yang Zhong was in his fifties, with a chubby body. He didn''t look like a scholar, but a landlord with a fat brain. As soon as he came in, he joined Qiao Xiucai and He Xiucai, but unfortunately, these two scholars were not willing to talk to him, they said a few words with him, and then went to sit aside awkwardly.


    Xue Qingshan sat at the end.


    The Weng and the son-in-law are considered pretty people, and those who can sit here are all respectable people in the village, but because of the identity of this boy, they can also sit in the hall. One must know that even Mr. Xue doesn''t have a seat, so he can only stand aside.


    "I don''t know the real master, but he''s here?" He Xiucai asked when he saw that almost everyone had come.


    Patriarch Xue looked at Mr. Xue, and Xue Qinghuai hurriedly said, "Here we come."


    Just as he was speaking, the villagers surrounding the door made way, and two teenagers walked out from the crowd.


    These two teenagers are all dressed in short brown, and they can be seen from humble backgrounds at a glance.


    The one in the lead looks gentle and handsome, with a slender figure. Although the clothes are simple, he is quite personable. The one in the back is half a head shorter than the one in the front, his body seems a little weak, and he seems a little introverted, his eyelids are always half down, and he seems a little afraid of strangers.


    But when the two came to the hall and accepted the scrutiny of the crowd, they had some clues.


    The elder''s appearance is not bad, but he always pulls his sleeves intentionally or unintentionally, as if the clothes don''t fit well. But the young one has been standing neither humble nor overbearing, and the half-lidded eyelids not only do not make people feel contemptuous, but it feels like the respect that the younger generation should have for the elders.


    Therefore, it seemed that the older one looked directly into the eyes of everyone, which was a bit too abrupt. It is good to have self-confidence, but when the younger generation faces the elders, a humble and respectful attitude is indispensable.


    All this happened in an instant, and Qiao Xiucai and He Xiucai, who were seated in the main seats, had the initial judgment on these two young people.


    "Student Xue Juncai, student Xue Tingxiang, I have met all the elders."


    He Xiucai nodded, Qiao Xiucai nodded, and asked curiously, "Tingxiang? Does this name have a meaning?"


    Xue Tingxiang was taken aback, and Fang Zuoyi said: "Hey, it means to follow the tradition. The student''s great-great-grandfather was also a student, and the biggest regret in his life was that he failed to pass the exam. Although my Xue family came from a poor family, there are many generations. Forgetting the last wish of the ancestors, while settling down to live and work, he has been working hard to let the children of the clan read and write, and be able to understand the principles of life.


    "It should be noted that if you read a lot, you will have valleys in your heart, and you will have a poetic spirit in your stomach. The younger generation will inherit the last wish of the ancestors. Although they are not very knowledgeable at a young age, they have great ambitions. They hope that one day they can continue the path that their ancestors walked, and continue to do so. go down."

 Chapter 261

    "Dog, dog..."


    Xue Gouzi came back to his senses and looked at the face in front of him that had been entwined in his dreams for many years.


    "You''re right, I won''t think about it anymore." He paused, and then said, "I just want to say one thing, can you stop calling me a dog?"


    Zhao''er was puzzled and said, "But I didn''t call you that all the time. If you don''t call me a dog, what would you call it?"


    Xue Gouzi pondered for a moment, "Call me Ting Xiang."


    "Tingxiang? This is your own name? Gou''er, why did you give yourself such a name?" Immediately she understood, thinking of Dafang''s talented boy, because of his young age, he always carried People laugh at the same name as Gou''er and Heizi.


    A look of distress flashed in her eyes, and she nodded repeatedly: "Gou''er, no, Ting''er is a different scholar, and the name is so nice. From now on, my sister won''t call you Gou''er, and I won''t let outsiders call you that. It''s called Tingxiang." Anyway, in her heart, whatever the dog says is good,


    Xue Gouzi, no, he should be called Xue Tingxiang now, and he feels a little depressed. He is only less than two years younger than Zhao''er, but he is a deep ravine that he will not be able to cross in his entire life. Having said that, he said again: "Also, can you stop calling yourself sister to me in the future?"


    This time, Zhao''er was even more surprised, and even reached out to touch his forehead: "Ting''er, what''s wrong with you? Did you have some evil? You didn''t call me sister since you were a child."


    Xue Tingxiang took a deep breath and smiled: "But you are not my sister, you will be my wife in the future, how can a man call his wife a sister."


    He was originally pale, half leaning on the quilt at the top of the kang, suddenly smiled like this, his brows and eyes were clear and handsome, which gave people a feeling that they dare not look directly at him.


    Zhao''er''s face turned red all of a sudden, and he couldn''t make sense of what he said: "Dog, you, what are you talking about, I, I..."


    "Don''t you want to be my daughter-in-law and have a baby for me?" He moved closer.


    She stood up abruptly, and reprimanded: "You little kid, why are you talking about this? Your hair hasn''t grown fully yet!" She said a foul language that Xue Tingxiang didn''t like to hear the most, and she didn''t realize it: "You want to The thing to do is to take care of your body, as for these things, we will talk about them later!"


    Her eyes were fierce, and her tone was also fierce. After she finished speaking, she lowered her head and scooped rice from the bowl to Xue Tingshan''s mouth. He glanced at her, ate honestly, and suddenly became in a good mood.


    Maybe the two of them can change the way they get along in the future, and change it if they don''t like it, there is no need to wait for her to understand.


    *


    Zhao''er threw away the mess, turned around and went back to the house, leaving the whole family to finish their lunch in a depressing atmosphere.


    During this period, Sun had nothing to say to her, but no one paid any attention to her.


    Yang couldn''t eat, if it wasn''t for her parents-in-law, if she didn''t want to embarrass herself in front of the two younger siblings, she would have thrown her chopsticks and left. But now he can only suppress the aggrieved stomach, and eat the food in front of him like chewing wax.


    After dinner, Mrs. Sun took Mao Dan away, knowing that her son got into trouble today, and she was afraid that she would be angered later. Mrs. Zhou took Xue Taoer to clean up the table, and took the dishes and chopsticks to the kitchen to wash. Xue Qingbai helped her, Zhou could not carry such a pot of dishes by himself, usually when Xue Qingbai was not at home, she and her daughter could only carry them.


    Only Dafang, mother and son were left in the room, along with Mr. Xue and Mrs. Zhao.


    Yang stood up and wanted to go back to the East Chamber, but was stopped by Mr. Xue.


    Mr. Xue took out his dry pipe, took out some shredded tobacco grown by himself from the dark blue tobacco pouch, rolled it into a ball, pressed it into the tobacco pot, and then lit it with a torch.


    His movements are very slow, neither fast nor slow. Anyone who is familiar with Mr. Xue''s character knows that he has something on his mind.


    It''s true that there is something wrong, and if it''s not something, he won''t call his daughter-in-law to stop.


    "The handsome boy and the talented boy go back to the house first. Grandpa has something to say to your mother."


    Xue Youcai glanced at his mother and wanted to say something, but was dragged away by his elder brother Xue Juncai.


    "Father, just tell me if you have anything to say."


    Mrs. Yang is thirty-four this year. In the countryside, a woman in her thirties is no longer considered young. Here, the wind blows and the sun shines and eats, so the women look old.


    But Yang''s maintenance is very good, her face is like a disc, her skin is fair, and there are a few fine lines at the corners of her eyes. She was wearing a worn-out stone blue satin gown with make-up, her shiny black hair was pulled into a bun behind her head, a gilt hairpin was inserted into it, and a pair of old silver earrings were on her ears. It can''t be called onion tip, but it is also white and soft, wearing a gold ring.


    It is not an exaggeration to say that she is the grandma of the landlord''s family in this dress and bearing, even the Zhao family is not as good as her.


    With his old eyes, Mr. Xue moved Yang back and forth a few times, making her stand uneasy.


    Just as I was about to say something, my father-in-law said suddenly: "Boss daughter-in-law, how long have you been married to our family?"


    Yang was startled, and replied: "Seventeen years, my daughter-in-law married into the Xue family in the seventeenth year."


    "Then how will your mother and I treat you?"


    Yang''s heart skipped a beat: "Father and mother treat their daughter-in-law like their own daughters."


    Mr. Xue nodded, took a puff of the dry cigarette, and the light blue smoke began to linger on his old face again, making it difficult to see the expression on his face clearly.


    "You are the eldest daughter-in-law of our family, and your mother has always loved you. You and the boss have the same heart as your mother and I. I only wish that you can become a talent."


    Yang''s heart relaxed, and she couldn''t help laughing: "Juncai is serious about his studies, even my father said that he is a rare and good seedling, and it is no problem to be a scholar."


    Speaking of Xue Juncai who is the most proud, even Mr. Xue couldn''t help showing a smile.


    Seeing that the father-in-law''s face softened, Yang took advantage of the situation and said: "It''s just that you know, father, that when it''s time to end, you don''t have to just sit at home and study. Thinking back then, Juncai''s father also listened to my father''s words, I went to Qinghe Academy to study for two years, met some classmates, and registered in front of my husband. I took the opportunity to impress the county magistrate, and I passed the county exam. The ranking of the county exam As long as it is not bad, the government examination is not to say that it is sure, but it is half sure. It''s just that you have to rely on luck when you get to the hospital examination, and Juncai''s father is unlucky, so he will fail repeatedly."


    This is the real reason why Yang Shi is valued by the old couple in the Xue family, not only because her father is a child, but also because her father was kind to Xue Qingshan in the past.


    And Yang''s statement seems absurd, but it is true. The two county examinations are not as strictly controlled as the hospital examination, especially the county examination, which is presided over by the magistrate of the county.


    There are five county exams in total, and the results of the first exam are mainly to be judged. And this time, there are two stereotyped essays and one poem. As long as there are no typos and fluent essays, you can pass them all.


    Compared with people he doesn''t know well at all, the magistrate is still willing to pick people who are somewhat familiar.


    And going to a good school to study is to provide an opportunity to stand out in front of the county magistrate. Dachang has always attached great importance to the selection of talents. How many scholars can be produced in this county, and even a son can be a Jinshi, which is considered a political achievement. No matter how fatuous and incompetent the county magistrate, this kind of cutscene must go.


    And being able to enter a good school will not only increase your contacts, but also your vision.


    For example, the county examinations are nothing more than the Four Books and Five Classics and the sacred edicts. How to write and what taboos should not be violated all need guidance. No matter how wonderful your article is, if you violate taboos such as temple taboos, royal names, and holy taboos, you will not take it.


    And in places like the countryside, many private schools are opened by old children for the sake of making a living, and I still want to be a scholar to change my fortune, so how can I teach middle school children in every detail.


    Xue Qingshan himself was like this, that''s why he put all his energy into sending Xue Juncai to Qinghe Academy.


    Yang thought that her father-in-law wanted to tell her about sending Xue Juncai to the school, so she said this. Little did they know that her words really touched Mr. Xue''s mind, but Mr. Xue didn''t intend to tell her these things.


    Mr. Xue took a deep breath of dry cigarettes, and said: "The boss you said has been told to me, and we will talk about this matter later. You are Juncai''s mother, and there is nothing wrong with planning for your son, but you have to know that our family It¡¯s not just Dafang¡¯s family.¡±


    The father-in-law''s tone was a bit meaningful, Yang was startled for a moment, and forced a smile: "Father, of course my daughter-in-law knows that the Xue family is not just ours, but don''t worry, if Juncai''s father and Juncai are promising, they will never forget to be filial to you My mother." Seeing her father-in-law''s complexion was gloomy, she hurriedly added: "There are other people in the family, Juncai always remembers that he can study, thanks to a few uncles and aunts."


    Mr. Xue nodded: "If you understand, you should know that the other three families have been sacrificing for the eldest house. I won''t mention the far ones, just talk about the third and fourth children. The land in the house refers to the third and fourth children Kindly, your father is getting old, and his hands and feet are not as sharp as before. The fourth child has to pick up goods and sell them when he is busy with the house. I don¡¯t know how many pairs of shoes he has to wear out in a year, but all the money he earns is handed over to the public. , I haven¡¯t paid a penny. What is everyone working so hard for? It¡¯s not for our family, but for Dafang.¡±


    Yang''s complexion became forced: "Father, why is this all for our eldest family? Juncai''s father is promising, isn''t it because the Xue family has a good face? Because Juncai''s father was born in Tongsheng, no one in the village would look at us highly, even that The Zheng family, don¡¯t you also give us three points of courtesy to the Xue family. This is for the overall situation, for the future generations of our Xue family..."


    Old Master Xue sighed and interrupted: "Father understands what you said, and so does your mother. But as the saying goes, if the board is not on your body, of course you don''t feel pain. You put yourself in the position of the third and fourth child , What do you think? I have done the most work, and I can¡¯t even put my good words into my mouth, and it¡¯s all in other people¡¯s mouths.¡±


    These words were in line with what Zhao''er said just now, Yang''s face turned red immediately, her round face flushed red.


    "Father, why did you call this into my mouth, I..."


    Mr. Xue ignored her, and went to scold Mrs. Zhao again: "There is also you, who is biased in front of people. You just continue to do it, so that the third and fourth are chilled, and they make a fuss about separating from the family. You go there Planted for the boss and talented people to take the imperial examination!"


    At the end, his tone was full of sighs of hatred for iron.


    Mrs. Zhao didn''t want to listen to this anymore, and muttered: "What do you mean I am biased? Why am I biased? Didn''t I think that the boss and Juncai want to study, and studying is a waste of brain, so I should give them more supplements. Don''t those who are good? It fell into my mouth."


    The more she spoke, the angrier she became, and she couldn''t help cursing: "Separate the family, don''t they want to turn the world upside down, if the parents don''t separate, even if I can spare them, the ancestors'' family law can''t forgive them."


    Old Master Xue smiled wryly. If it wasn''t for these two old things and the family law of the ancestors, the family would not be like this a long time ago.


    He shifted his gaze to Mrs. Yang: "You also understand the situation at home. Can your mother and I manage it for a while, or for a lifetime? Since you want to send Juncai to study in the school in the town, you should win over the third and fourth bedroom. "


    "Father, I..."


    "In the past, your mother doted on you. I never said it. You can tell which is right and which is wrong. But from tomorrow onwards, you and the third and fourth families will share the work at home. "


    After Mr. Xue finished speaking, he stopped talking and just smoked his own cigarette with a sullen head. Yang couldn''t stand here either, and hurried out of the main room with her head down.


    *


    As soon as Mrs. Zhou cleaned up the kitchen and came out, she saw her sister-in-law returning to the east chamber with her head down, her expression was not very good.


    Her eyes flickered, and she glanced towards the south end of the west wing, which was a four-bedroom house.


    There was a faint person behind the window facing the courtyard in the fourth room, and Mrs. Zhou knew that Mrs. Sun had been watching the movement. She pretended not to notice, wiped her hands on the apron, and went back to the house.


    When it was time to cook in the evening, Mrs. Yang was wearing coarse clothes, which was rare, and came to the kitchen to compete with Mrs. Zhou for work.


    Mrs. Zhou couldn''t even refuse, so Mrs. Yang smiled and said that Mrs. Zhou had worked hard, so she just let her rest.


    Mrs. Zhou was pushed out of the kitchen by her, and she happened to meet Mrs. Sun who was standing at the door of the west chamber. There was also surprise in their eyes.


    But what surprised them was yet to come, because from this day on, Mrs. Yang changed her previous attitude and started doing all kinds of work. Although it was many years of not touching her hands, she was clumsy in doing things now, but she did it.


    Not only cooking, but also being very generous, often actively persuade Mrs. Zhao to take some money, or buy some meat or bring out some eggs, and cook dishes for the family to eat.


    The sparks that had been stirred up by Zhao''er''s words in the Xue family were suppressed just like that. During this period, Xue Tingxiang''s body finally recovered, and he had the strength to walk around.


    This day, after getting up early in the morning and having breakfast, Zhao''er planned to go to town.


    The rags she brought back from the embroidery workshop have all been made into things like purses and embroidered shoes. After saving for many days, it should be sold in the embroidery workshop.


    She put everything into the back basket, and before leaving, she told Xue Tingxiang that the weather was fine today and asked him to go out to bask in the sun more often.


    Xue Tingxiang nodded and agreed honestly, and then she went out with peace of mind.


    Not long after she left, Xue Tingxiang walked out of the house.


    The yard is very quiet, the curtains of the doors of each room are all lowered, and it is hard to see if anyone is there.


    He stood in front of the door for a while, then walked out of the gate, and Hei Zi, who was lazily basking in the sun, immediately stood up and went out together at his feet.


    Smoke rose from the chimneys of many houses, and villagers walking in twos and threes on the village trails, either carrying hoes or pulling cattle, looked like they were going to the fields.


    It is the time of spring plowing, and the plan of the year lies in spring. If you are lazy at this time, you will cry when the grain is harvested in autumn.


    Zhao''er woke up at this hour on time, and opened his eyes to find that the little man was still asleep.


    Not long after she fell asleep yesterday, the little man developed a fever again. After being busy for most of the night, luckily the fever subsided in the middle of the night.


    She sat up, raised her hand to touch the little man''s forehead, and made sure that her hands were not hot, then put on her clothes lightly and got off the kang.


    The first thing to do was to open the door, and Heizi, who had been restless for a long time, got out with a swish. Zhao''er also walked out of the room, seeing Heizi hurriedly running out of the courtyard to pee, she shook her head with a broken smile.


    At this time, someone has already got up in the courtyard, it is the Zhou family of the third bedroom and his eldest daughter Xue Tao''er.


    Today it''s the third room''s turn to cook. The Xue family''s rule is that apart from the housework of each room, the work in the office is shared equally. One day per room, in rotation.


    The room responsible for cooking is not only responsible for the food and drink of the whole family, but also takes care of the livestock in the family. The Xue family raised two big fat pigs, and it was not an easy job to just serve these two ancestors every day. Not to mention feeding chickens, carrying water, and chopping firewood, so the female family members who do housework on this day do not have to go to the fields to work.


    It seems to be fair and just, but in fact everyone inside knows how.


    The eldest aunt Yang claimed that the man was a child student, and she was exceptionally superior at home. Since Xue Qingshan passed the child student examination, she never touched housework again. The key is that Mrs. Zhao is also looking towards her, so it''s not easy for others to question her.


    At first, it was Xue Gouzi''s mother, Mrs. Qiu, who finally came in, the third-bedroom Mrs. Zhou, and the two sisters-in-law finally shared the burden. Afterwards, Mrs. Qiu followed her deceased husband, and Mrs. Zhou was left alone. It was not until Mrs. Sun of the fourth room entered the door that she would be able to catch her breath again.


    It''s a pity that Mrs. Sun is lazy and playful. In fact, Mrs. Zhou still does most of the work.


    In the past, when Mrs. Qiu was still alive, Zhao''er also helped Mrs. Qiu to do it. After Mrs. Qiu passed away, Zhao''er was busy with the housework of the second room and had to do the work in the office. In addition, Zhao''er was still young at that time, Mr. Xue told her to take good care of Xue Gouzi and not to take care of the work at work.


    Zhao''er now has free time to go around and get some money, but she is a person who looks at her conscience and will help out as much as she can in her spare time. As for those who used words to squeeze her like Sun, her sharp tongue was not forgiving.


    Seeing Xue Taoer struggling to fetch water from the well, Zhao''er rubbed his face and went up to help her.


    Thirteen-year-old Xue Taoer is like a small flower in bud. Although she is not very beautiful, she is very delicate. Seeing Zhao''er coming to help her, she couldn''t help showing a smile and talking to her: "Sister Zhao''er, is the second brother better?" Xue Gouzi is the second grandson of the Xue family, so Xue Taoer called him the second brother .


    "I had a fever again last night, and it got better in the second half of the night." Zhao''er looked around curiously, and asked, "Why isn''t Third Uncle here?"


    Although Xue Qingbai is a bit honest and reticent, he always loves his wife and daughter. Whenever he meets the third room to cook, he will get up early to fill the water tank.


    The Xue family has its own well, but the well is too deep, and there is no pulley on the well, so it is really exhausting to draw water with the strength of the daughter''s family alone. That is to say, Zhao''er was naturally as strong as an ox, and his strength was no worse than that of ordinary middle-aged men, so he could pull the bucket out of the deep well very easily.


    "My father went to the field and said he would work for a while and return after breakfast."


    Xue Qingbai is an honest farmer. Unlike other brothers in the family who have other skills, he only knows how to farm, so he puts all his heart on the ground. The Xue family has a total of more than 30 mu of land, and now he, Mr. Xue and the fourth son Xue Qinghuai are all planted.


    Although the women of the Xue family also went to the fields, it was only during the busy farming season, and besides, the women only had so little strength, so how could they help. Fortunately, the three men from Xue''s family are all good hands in the field, and they are really too busy, so they hired part-time workers to help out for a few days, so they don''t have to worry about not being able to finish the work in the field.


    Just as he was talking, the door of the fourth room opened, and Xue Qinghuai walked out from inside.


    The men in the Xue family are all big, so Xue Qinghuai also inherited a tall body.


    He was born with thick eyebrows, tiger eyes and a high nose bridge. He was dressed in dark blue coarse cloth and short brown, and looked very heroic. In fact, the men of the Xue family are not bad looking, but the women of the Xue family are a little mediocre, but all the grandchildren are born well, and they are all top-notch in the village.


    "Zhaoer Taoer, you wake up so early." Xue Qinghuai walked over in a few strides, took the wooden bucket in Zhaoer''s hand, walked to the water tank, and poured water into the tank.


    "How can you two little girls do this kind of rough work? You go to do other things, and the fourth uncle is here to fetch water."


    Zhao''er and Tao''er didn''t refuse either, one went to the kitchen to help her mother cook, and the other took a basin to scoop up water for washing.


    As time passed, the rest of the Xue family got up one after another, and there were more and more voices in the yard. On the other side of the kitchen, Mrs. Zhou yelled to eat. Generally, country people don''t pay much attention to breakfast, and they have to set a table or something. They always serve a bowl with a bowl, and eat it at any place.


    Breakfast is two rice porridge, the so-called two rice porridge is porridge cooked from two kinds of rice. Yuqing Village does not grow rice, but only wheat, sorghum, millet, corn and other crops. Although farmers grow wheat, they seldom use it for their own food. They sell it for other grains.


    Even a well-to-do family like Xue''s family with surplus food did not eat fine grains all at once, but a mixture of coarse grains and fine grains. For example, today''s breakfast is two-rice porridge, which is a porridge cooked with millet, that is, yellow rice, and sorghum rice.


    Because it was a busy time of farming, it was cooked quite thickly. Although it didn''t hold up with chopsticks inserted, it was much better than the usual thin soup with little water.


    There is no way, the Xue family seems to have a decent family background in the village, but there are three scholars in the family. Not to mention Xue Gouzi, Guangda Fang and his son spend a lot of money every month, and it''s no wonder that Mrs. Zhao usually can pick up fleas to get a little blood.


    Zhao''er filled two bowls of porridge, put a few cornbreads on a thick porcelain plate, and put some pickles on the side, and took them back to the second room''s room.


    As soon as he entered the door, he saw Xue Gouzi sitting up from the kang.


    She hurriedly put the wooden tray on the square table, and came up to see him: "But he''s better? Are you hungry? Sister will bring you some porridge."


    Xue Gouzi looked at her with complicated eyes.


    After experiencing such a dream, he now doesn''t know how to face Zhao''er. As long as he saw her, he couldn''t help but think of him in his dream, those words scolded by others before he died. He also tried to find the cause of Zhao''er''s death in his memory, but it seemed that that memory was Xue Tingxiang''s most unbearable past, and he had no memory at all.


    In fact, Xue Gouzi was burned in a daze last night, and Xue Gouzi thought for a long time. He couldn''t figure out whether he was Xue Gouzi or Xue Tingxiang, whether that dream was true or not, whether he was thinking about it every day and dreaming at night , to have such an absurd dream.


    However, he also had an idea in his heart. If everything in that dream was true, several things should happen in succession. If these things happen, it means that his dreams are real.


    Thinking about something in his heart, he reached out to catch the bowl, only to realize that he didn''t even have the strength to hold the bowl. Luckily, Zhao''er caught the bowl quickly, so he didn''t spill it all over him.


    Xue Gouzi was a little embarrassed and anxious. It was very strange, obviously he would not have this kind of reaction in front of Zhao''er before, but I don''t know if it was a dream, and his state of mind had a strange change.


    Zhao''er laughed at him: "Why are you being polite with my sister? I forgot that when you were a child, you peed on the kang, and it was my sister who washed it for you."


    Zhao''er came to Xue''s house when he was seven years old, and Gouzi was only five years old at that time. It is very inexplicable for a child to pee on the kang. It is obvious that he has not urinated for a long time. I don''t know if he drank too much water before going to bed or what, but he actually peed on the kang.

 Chapter 262

    She calculated in her mind what day it was today, and decided to visit her second sister.


    Zhao''er''s second sister, Wang Zhaodi, is not in Huyang Town, but works as a girl in Shen''s Mansion in Xia County. From Huyang Town to Xia County, it takes only half an hour to take a mule cart, but it is a bit expensive, 15 cents.


    By the time Zhao''er arrived at the county seat, it was three o''clock. This is the right time to meet someone. If it''s too early or too late, her second sister may not have time to see her, and she will have to wait for a long time.


    Zhao''er came all the way to the south of the city, before he entered the archway where Shen''s house was, he saw the two large flags more than five feet high erected in front of Shen''s house.


    This is the Jinshi Jidi Banner, which can be set up only if someone in the family has won the Jinshi.


    This fame flagpole is divided into two structures, the flagpole sandwich stone and the flagpole.


    The flag buckets on the flagpoles are also exquisite. If you come from a serious imperial examination, you can set up two flagpoles for the flag buckets if you are a Jinshi in the imperial examination. If it is the number one scholar, it will be a three-dou flagpole, and if there are members of the third rank or higher in the clan, four dou can be set up.


    The two big flags in front of Shen''s house, one is three buckets, the other is four buckets. In other words, the Shen family once had a number one scholar, and had an important minister in the court.


    Zhao''er, a country girl, knows this because her second sister told her when she came to visit her.


    The main entrance, side entrance, and even the corner entrance were not accessible to Zhao''er with her status. She made a long detour before arriving at the back entrance of Shen''s residence.


    The back door was ajar, and Zhao''er didn''t dare to rush in, so he knocked on the door respectfully.


    The door opened with a creak, and a round woman came out from inside, and asked her, "Who are you looking for?"


    This old lady is just a doorkeeper, but she is also wearing satin gowns and jewelry on her ears and hands, which is enough to show the wealth of the Shen family.


    The Shen family is indeed rich, and in this Xia County, it can be said that they are stomping their feet, and the county is about to tremble three times. The Shen Mansion here is the ancestral home of the Shen family, except for the Shen family''s uncle and second master who are officials outside, the rest of the Shen family live here.


    "Mother-in-law, I''m looking for Sulan. I''m her younger brother. I''m here to see her."


    This woman''s attitude is not warm, but she is not as inferior as a dog''s eye. At least from this trick, it can be seen that the rules of the Shen family must be very strict. She asked Zhao''er to wait, then closed the door and went inside.


    Zhao''er waited for a long time before the back door opened again, and a very beautiful woman came out from inside. I saw her radiant skin, phoenix eyes and vermilion lips, wearing a water-red jacket and a moon-white pleated skirt. A head of black and thick long hair was simply tied up in a bun, with a golden hairpin inserted into it.


    Obviously the clothes are ordinary, and the hair accessories are also ordinary, but wearing all these on her body gives her a sense of beauty that no one else has. Her chest is bulging, but her waist is very thin, she has a good figure.


    This person is Zhao''er''s second sister Wang Zhaodi, but she changed her name to Su Lan in Shen''s residence.


    Zhao''er couldn''t help frowning, since the last time she saw her second sister, her second sister has changed a lot. Not only the material of the clothes, but also the jewelry on his body, his complexion and even his figure have changed a lot.


    She was a little panicked, grabbed Su Lan, and went to the corner where there was no one nearby.


    "Sister, did you really do it?"


    Seeing her younger sister frivolously wrinkling her sleeves, Su Lan asked impatiently, "What can I do or not?"


    "It''s that, that..." Zhao''er hesitated for a while, and then said with a blushing face: "You can''t really be the housekeeper for the sixth young master, right?"


    The corners of Su Lan''s eyes twitched, and the corners of her mouth twitched: "Why do you care about these things?"


    "Sister!" Zhao''er couldn''t help stamping her feet.


    Su Lan looked at her younger sister, and remembered that she was sold by her family back then. Only younger sister Zhao''er found out her whereabouts from the matchmaker, and walked all day and night to see her by herself. At that time, she was full of panic, Zhao''er''s appearance made her know that she was not alone, and that no one would know that she would not die in this mansion, and she immediately softened her heart.


    She sighed lightly: "Didn''t I tell you before, I won''t go out of the house to go through that kind of hard life. Although I am a housekeeper now, but the sixth young master promised me that when grandma came in, I would give it to me." An aunt will do it."


    Zhao''er was so surprised that she couldn''t believe it. She knew it already, but she was still shocked when she learned from the second sister that she really did such a thing.


    For the first time in her life, she didn''t know what to say, so she hesitated for a while and said, "That''s it? If you treat someone like a child, you will be bullied by the big wife."


    Zhao''er''s only cognition told her that when she was young, she had few days to live comfortably.


    What the younger sister said made Su Lan feel extremely uncomfortable, and she waved her hand nonchalantly. On the snow-white and slender jade fingers, there is a golden opal ring on it, which exudes a faint light and is dazzling in the sun.


    "You don''t understand, and you don''t have to be afraid of me being bullied. As long as the sixth young master is on my side, even if the sixth grandma comes in later, she won''t dare to bully me."


    "Can¡­¡­"


    "Okay, don''t talk about me, your little husband is healed? I''m not talking about you. It''s better for you to come into the mansion to be a girl to be my company than to stay in that house and work hard." .Which woman is looking for a man who is not looking for someone who can protect herself. You are fine, but you are working outside to earn money to support your family.¡±


    "Isn''t he still young? Besides, sister, it''s not like you don''t know. If it weren''t for my mother and father, I''m afraid I would have been sold to nowhere. You were lucky enough to be sold into Shen''s residence. But there are also those who are unlucky and sold into that dirty place."


    Su Lan pressed her bright red lips tightly and did not speak.


    She was sold into Shen''s residence back then, it was not explained by good luck.


    In the sparkling eyes of the phoenix, all kinds of light returned to silence. She let out a breath and scolded: "That''s why I don''t want to see you the most. Every time you come, you make me angry and make me troubled."


    Zhao''er kicked the pebbles under his feet: "I just thought I haven''t seen you for a long time, so I came here to have a look at you."


    "How are you doing? The Xue family didn''t make things difficult for you, right? Just wait, when my sister becomes the sixth young master''s aunt, whoever bullies you in the future, I will help you deal with him."


    Zhao''er heard it warmly in her heart, and couldn''t help leaning over, hugging Su Lan''s slender waist coquettishly: "Sister, don''t worry, I''m so aggressive, who dares to bully me. You don''t know that the Xue family is such a moth." too much¡­¡­"


    She recounted what happened to Xue''s family recently.


    The corners of Su Lan''s mouth curled up when she heard this, and she said sarcastically: "So this is the human heart. Don''t try to test the human heart, it will usually disappoint you. Don''t rely on others, what you hold in your hands is the truth."


    Su Lan is a bit extreme, but Zhao''er knows why the second sister is like this. In fact, occasionally she will be extreme, but she rarely speaks out.


    "Then what do you do now? If your little man really loses, then he won''t be able to go to school? Have you ever thought about this matter, if you win, if you lose, it will be hard for the two of you The Xue family has a foothold."


    Of course Zhao''er understood this truth. She stood up straight and smiled: "Sister, I know. Don''t worry, I plan to find another way to do business. At worst, the two of us will be alone. Dog likes to learn, so let him learn." , until I can''t afford it anymore."


    Su Lan poked her forehead with her jade finger, hating iron and steel: "You still can''t confess, how old are you? After a day of good life, I think I can''t confess. Come on, don''t tell me The second sister doesn''t feel sorry for you, I have someone I know who is the third shopkeeper in ''He Rongsheng'', if you go to him, he can at least find a way for you to make some money."


    ''Herongsheng'' is the name of the pawn shop, there are many branches in Binh Duong Province, and there is one in Huyang Township. Zhao''er usually comes and goes in the town, so he has naturally heard of this name.


    "This is the Shen family''s business with Rongsheng? Sister, how do you know the three shopkeepers?"


    Su Lan''s eyes flashed a hint of complexity, and she said impatiently: "Don''t worry about it, you can go directly to a man named Shen Ping. Well, I won''t tell you anymore, the sixth young master will have lunch later Now, I have to go and wait, lest those little hoofs rush to the front to show courteousness again."


    After a pause, she took out something from her sleeve and stuffed it into Zhao''er''s hand: "Take it, it doesn''t matter if you really lose, let''s do it by ourselves first. The Shen family''s genealogy is famous in the whole Pingyang Mansion. Sister will become an aunt in the future, and see if I can ask the Sixth Young Master to let your little man come in as a companion or something. I really owe you in my previous life, and I have to worry about everything."


    Su Lan''s figure quickly disappeared through the door.


    Zhao''er stood where he was, looking down at the silver ingot in his hand. After a long time, Fang grabbed it tightly and left.


    *


    Zhao''er didn''t know where He Rongsheng in the county was, she had inquired along the way.


    When we got there, it was a coincidence that the third shopkeeper named Shen Ping was there.


    Shen Ping is a very young boy with a good appearance, very mature and stable. He was wearing a dark blue straight gown, and looked about twenty years old, but he did not expect to be the shopkeeper of a pawnshop.


    When he heard about Zhao''er''s purpose, his eyes flashed: "You are Zhao''er, I heard your sister said about you."


    Zhao''er didn''t expect that the second sister would tell Shen Ping her name, and she smelled something unusual. While speaking, Shen Ping had already led her in.


    "When your sister told me about you before, I was thinking about what kind of business would allow you to do it for a long time. After thinking about it, I think selling old clothes is quite suitable for a girl like you."


    The second sister even told her gender to the other party''s surprise, it didn''t last long, Zhao''er''s attention was attracted by Shen Ping''s words.


    "What is selling used clothes?"


    "You should know what a pawnshop is for. This pawnshop accepts everything, and you can pawn anything. The current period is divided into dead pawns and live pawns. If it is a live pawn, it means that the other party will come to redeem it. If it is a dead pawn, it means that the things are not needed. Of course, there are also those who do not redeem their living debts within the time limit, and naturally they become death debts.


    "These things are accepted by the pawn shop and exchanged for money to the owner. Naturally, they will be resold. For example, some old clothes that come from pawns are directly sold to embroidery workshops or clothing shops. If you are willing to do this business, you can buy them from Take some old clothes here and sell them back."


    Following Shen Ping''s narration, Zhao''er''s eyes flickered again and again, and he asked, "Then I don''t know what the price is? Is it calculated on a piece-by-piece basis, or what? Since it''s an old clothes, surely it won''t be as expensive as a new one, right?"


    Shen Ping glanced at her: "You are very smart." He turned around and went to the layman: "Come with me, I will take you to have a look."


    Zhao''er followed him all the way back, the yard behind the pawn shop was huge, it looked like it was a warehouse.


    On the way, he met a lot of people in pawnshops, and they were all respectful when they saw Shen Ping. Zhao''er followed him to a warehouse, but neither of them went in. A man who looked like a buddy dragged a large bag of things out, and opened the door in front of it.


    This big bag is full of clothes, some are worn out, some are 80% or 90% new, and some are even brand new. It seems that they have not been worn twice. The texture of the clothes is also various, some are made of cotton, some are made of silk, some are made of silk, but they are all of good quality, anyway, they are better than the coarse cloth clothes Zhao''er is wearing.


    "These are usually mixed together, because they are collected at a low price, so the asking price is not high. If you give me two taels of such a bag of clothes, it will be yours."


    Zhao''er couldn''t see through her eyes. In order to make sure that the business could be done, she went up to check it out.


    Such a package of clothes, at least a hundred pieces.


    Even if a piece of clothing sells for 20 Wen, it is enough for her to pay back. And some clothes are sold for more than twenty yuan just based on her visual inspection. What can be done with twenty renminbi, at least six or seven feet of cloth is needed to make a suit of clothes, and the worst cotton cloth is seven or eight renminbi.


    Not to mention that there are some good fabrics in it, and even some cotton clothes, even if you don''t sell them, you won''t lose money if you wear them yourself.


    Zhao''er was in a turbulent mood, and it took him a long time to regain his composure.


    After she calmed down, she asked Shen Ping: "Shopkeeper Shen, these clothes only cost two taels in total. Will the pawnshop lose money? Are you doing it just to take care of me..."


    Zhao''er didn''t finish the rest of the sentence, Shen Ping also understood.


    He laughed, but he appreciated Zhao''er''s frankness of not wanting to take advantage of others: "These were sold to a clothing store or an embroidery workshop, and the price was the same. Regardless of the quantity, there are not many good ones that can be sold at a reasonable price." The ones have already been picked away."


    Zhao''er thinks about it too, the eyes of the county people are naturally different from those of the country people, let alone this kind of big pawn shop, what is bad in their eyes is actually good for the country people to see.


    She breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "I want the bag of clothes from Shopkeeper Shen, and I''ll give you the money right now."


    "Are you rich now?"


    Of course she is rich, Zhao''er now has more than two taels of silver in total, and just now Su Lan gave her another five taels, which is naturally enough.


    At the same time, Shen Ping laughed a little, "Well, I forgot that you had visited her before, so I came here, and she won''t take advantage of me." The voice was very small, almost like a murmur, and Zhao''er only cared about it. I had to look at the clothes, but I didn''t hear clearly.


    "I''ll find a guy to call a car for you, and you, a little girl, can''t transport these things."


    "Thank you, Shopkeeper Shen."


    After seeing Zhao''er off, Shen Ping turned around and went into the pawn shop.


    Although he is called the third shopkeeper, he is not the third shopkeeper of this store, but the third shopkeeper of the entire ''Herongsheng'', and he will only stay in Xia County permanently under his deliberate request.


    Shen Ping is the son of the Shen family, his father is the chief manager of the Shen residence, and he has been a servant with the third young master Shen Fu since he was a child. It was not until he became an adult that he was released to become a shopkeeper.


    "If she comes again next time, just do as I told you before."


    "Yes, shopkeeper."


    *


    Just after noon, the clerk Ah Cai came to deliver meals to Xue Tingxiang.


    Boss Chen said it was simple food, but in fact the food was not bad, with one meat and one vegetable, and one soup. Xue Tingxiang knew very well that Boss Chen was taking care of him deliberately. How could anyone hire someone to copy books, take care of tea and food, and the wages they paid were not low.


    It was because he knew it in his heart that he didn''t say no. In this case, the refusal retained his character, but it seemed too petty and hypocritical.


    It can only be repaid in the future, Xue Tingxiang thought lightly in his heart.


    After eating, when the man came to clean up the dishes, he said that he could rest for an hour. There is a chaise longue available in this room, and of course you can go to the front to read a book to pass the time.


    In fact, the latter sentence is the key point, Xue Tingxiang was not pretentious, after cleaning his hands, he went forward.


    This store may not seem big, but it has a lot of books of all kinds, ranging from rural tales to books about the imperial examination, and there are many books about the imperial examination.


    Since the former dynasty, the imperial examination has used eight-legged essays as the standard style, with strict regulations, and even restrictions on the length of sentences, the number of words, the level of rhymes, and even the scope of questions.


    Stereotype essays take questions from the Four Books and Five Classics, and are composed of eight parts: breaking the title, inheriting the title, starting the lecture, starting, starting the essay, middle section, back section, and binding the section. It seems rigid and rigid, but in fact it is not easy to do a good stereotyped essay. If you really think that only reading the Four Books and Five Classics is enough, you are wrong. Not to mention astronomy and geography, at least you have to be involved in all aspects, so that you can write a good article full of flowers and content.


    In that dream, Xue Tingxiang won the Jinshi with the 21st place in the second class, and was admitted to the Hanlin Academy after passing through the hall. He should have been on a steady rise since then, but because he offended someone, a majestic Hanlin was sent down. The kind of place where the birds don''t shit is an official.


    Xue Tingxiang pursed his lips slightly, feeling that he was thinking too much, after all, he is not even a child now, let''s think about the present.


    So, without thinking too much, he took out a book from the bookcase and read it quietly.


    During this period, customers from the bookstore came to sell some pens, ink, paper and inkstones, or came to buy books, always interrupting Xue Tingxiang''s reading.


    Seeing this, Boss Chen said: "Brother Xue, you can take the book to the back and read."


    Xue Tingxiang looked at him in surprise: "This..."


    "It''s okay, it''s not bad for your book."


    Xue Tingxiang was silent, bowed deeply in salute, and then went back.


    When Xue Tingxiang woke up, he heard Boss Chen talking outside and Zhao''er''s voice at the same time.


    "Where did you get this big bag?" Boss Chen looked at Zhao''er in surprise, and asked for the bag at her feet that was much bigger than her.


    Zhao''er was sweating profusely and said: "Uncle Chen, I got it from the county, and so did the man from the car dealership. They only helped me to the intersection and left me behind. I wanted to be dragged to the car dealership. But thinking that my brother is still here..."


    Boss Chen laughed, and called his assistant: "Ah Cai, come and help little brother Zhao''er carry the things in." Then he said to Zhao''er: "Come in and have a drink and rest before leaving."


    "Uncle Chen, what a shame."


    "When you were bargaining with me, you were never polite, but now you are more polite." Boss Chen pretended to stare.


    Generally speaking, Boss Chen is an elegant and humorous person.


    Xue Tingxiang also came out to help, and asked, "What''s in it? Why is it so heavy? Where did you get it?"


    Not to mention it was really heavy, Ah Cai tried a few times but couldn''t lift it, only three people could lift it.


    "I got it from a pawn shop. If I can sell this package, my sister will have enough money to send you to the Qinghe Academy."


    Zhao''er hadn''t realized that he had slipped up, but Xue Tingxiang had. He glanced at Boss Chen, and Zhao''er understood what he said at this moment, and looked at Boss Chen with some guilt: "Uncle Chen, I will explain to you later."


    She was a little anxious, and without asking the two of them to help, she lifted the big bag and carried it on her shoulders. The big bag pushed her to one side, but she still stopped, and she quickly carried the things inside.


    Ah Cai praised: "It doesn''t look like she is strong, she is so strong."


    Here, Xue Tingxiang looked at the back and pursed the corners of his mouth, while Boss Chen''s eyes darkened.


    Xue Tingxiang looked up at Boss Chen, and walked towards him.


    ...


    Zhao''er found a place to put down the big bag, then went to wash his hands and face to clean up his body, and then A Cai led him to see Boss Chen.


    Seeing Boss Chen, Zhao''er felt a little guilty. But she didn''t intend to continue to lie to Boss Chen, because Boss Chen is a good person. Not to mention the benefits he gave her before, just because he asked the little man to copy books for such a high price, let him read books here, and take care of the lunch at noon, Zhao''er can no longer continue to deceive.


    In fact, Zhao''er is not a liar, it''s just that she concealed her gender, and then the so-called workmanship is just collecting some vegetables and selling them to make some purses or something.


    "Uncle Chen..."


    Boss Chen sighed and waved his hands: "Okay, you don''t need to say anymore, you are a girl, and you are really embarrassing."


    Zhao''er looked surprised, her round eyes widened.


    Boss Chen laughed a little and said, "Your little husband has already told me everything."


    "He, what did he say..." Zhao''er stammered, still in disbelief. Because she knows that the little man always pays attention to face and has a lot of thoughts, and she doesn''t like to mention her as his child bride-in-law in front of outsiders, and the Xue family''s bad things.


    "I''ve said everything that needs to be said." After a pause, Boss Chen asked, "Look at how surprised you are, isn''t it still a secret?"


    Zhao''er laughed awkwardly, and faltered: "That''s not true, it''s just that he''s young, and people in our village hate him. People always think that I''m older than him, and my daughter-in-law teases men and laughs at him."

 Chapter 263

    What good can we do at this time?


    Zhao''er had vigilance in his eyes.


    Xue Tao''er ran over, leaned closer and whispered, "It''s not my aunt''s father, he said he wants to talk to the dog."


    Xue Tingxiang also heard the movement outside the room and came out.


    "Don''t go, I''ll push it." Zhao''er knew that it would be no good for Yang Zhong to find a young man because of his elder status. Xue Jun was his grandson. And what happened before?


    "No problem."


    After saying this, Zhao''er was stunned for a moment, and Xue Tingxiang remembered that he would never speak like this.


    He smiled and said, "It''s okay, you''re still afraid that I won''t succeed if he eats it."


    "Can¡­¡­"


    At this time, Xue Tingxiang had already passed her to the main room, so she could only follow in a hurry.


    *


    Here in the main room, as expected, the wine is in full swing.


    Yang Zhong''s white and chubby face was flushed from drinking, and he looked slightly drunk. Mr. Xue''s dark red face glowed red under the light. Xue Qingshan also sat on the side, along with Xue Juncai, Xue Qingbai and Xue Qinghuai.


    Women are not at the table.


    Seeing Xue Tingxiang walking in, Yang Zhong said: "Our little talent is here, come and let me see."


    He waved his hands without treating himself as an outsider, and when Xue Tingxiang approached, he opened his drunken eyes and looked up and down: "I don''t see anything has changed, how did you become so promising?"


    As soon as these words were sarcasm, the court immediately fell silent.


    Xue Qingshan focused on eating vegetables between his sandwiches, as if he didn''t hear him. Xue Juncai seemed to be sitting upright, but in fact he was looking at this place intentionally or unintentionally.


    The rest of the Xue family were a little embarrassed, especially Mr. Xue, his face was a little stiff, but he hesitated to speak.


    Zhao''er was about to attack, when Xue Qinghuai suddenly stood up, smiled and picked up the wine bowl: "My father-in-law, I respect you for a bowl, this wine is brewed by my father himself, and most people can''t drink it when they come here. Don''t look at your old man When I came, I quickly dug a jar and said to drink a few more bowls with you."


    Yang Zhong looked at Xue Qinghuai with a smile, and without hesitation, he picked up the wine bowl and drank it down in one gulp, and ate a few mouthfuls of food. Taking advantage of the situation, Xue Qinghuai hurriedly winked at Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang, telling them to leave quickly.


    Xue Tingxiang smirked slightly, and planned to take Zhao''er away, and listened to Yang Zhong before he even took a step.


    "What''s the matter? Why is the elder leaving before he finished talking? Although I am not your own grandfather, I am also your own grandfather. Is this old man not paying attention to me, or what?"


    The hat was buttoned too big, Zhao''er was about to say something, Xue Tingxiang gave her a hand.


    He took two steps forward, pretending to be listening respectfully: "Since my in-laws and grandpas have taught me, I will just listen to you." After a pause, he continued: "It''s just that my in-laws and grandpas are also scholars, so I think they know how to be rude. reason"


    "According to what you little brat thinks, as an elder, I can''t say that you are a junior?"


    The smell of alcohol came straight to Xue Tingxiang''s face, and there was also a strange smell of various vegetables mixed in it.


    Xue Tingxiang did not evade, and nodded calmly: "Naturally."


    "Hey! Look! It''s really different."


    Yang Zhong tapped Xue Tingxiang a few times with his finger, and looked at the rest of Xue''s family with a smirk, and the villain first complained: "In-law, is this your family''s tutor?"


    It was obvious that Yang Zhong was here to make trouble, and of course it was for Xue Juncai. When he came back from Lizheng''s house before, Mr. Xue guessed that the big room would definitely make a fuss, but he didn''t expect that the fuss should be here.


    In fact, as the son and daughter-in-law, how could the married couple blatantly quarrel with Mr. Xue? After all, they swore before that whoever wins will go, and whoever loses should not complain. And Yang Zhong, as Xue Juncai''s grandfather, couldn''t be more appropriate to stand in for him. If it works, it''s good, if it doesn''t, it won''t hurt the relationship between father and son.


    "relatives by marriage¡­¡­"


    Mr. Xue was about to speak, but was interrupted by Xue Tingxiang''s voice.


    "Although my parents are both deceased, there are my grandfather, uncles, and other elders of the Xue family. Even if there is something wrong, it is not up to people of other surnames to point fingers here. Although my grandfather and my family are connected I want to kiss you, but I definitely didn''t go to the Xue family''s table, eat the Xue family''s food, and scold the Xue family for their reasons."


    Because there are guests, candles are rarely lit in the house, which illuminates the room brightly.


    Standing in the middle, the boy is thin and thin, but he is tall and straight. He was wearing a shabby clothes, the cuffs and the front of the clothes were a little white, but it made people feel an inviolable aura.


    "Could this be the way of in-laws and grandpas being guests? One day when I, the Xue family, went to your house as guests, I would point and point at the Yang family, and be eccentric. Presumably, my in-laws and grandpas would not be angry. After all, coming here is not indecent. Thanks ah Master is always the junior in the family and talks about his in-laws and grandpas, but the boy is only his in-laws and grandpas, he is a literati, he is respected by the younger generation as a person who understands etiquette, now it seems that it is nothing more than that!"


    "you--"


    There was silence in the room, and no one thought that Xue Tingxiang would explode on the spot regardless of his seniority.


    Xue Qingshan stopped eating, and suddenly felt restless.


    But he didn''t stand up to speak for his father-in-law. Xue Tingxiang''s hat was too big, which brought the face of the whole Xue family and even the Xue clan. If he speaks for it, he is echoing the fact that the face of the Xue family can be trampled on the ground by the Yang family.


    In particular, this is not in line with what he planned.


    Yang Zhong''s face was flushed red, and his lips trembled with anger: "You kid, you dare to teach your elders a lesson at such a young age."


    "Don''t dare! A gentleman is harmonious but different, and a villain is the same but not harmonious. The boy is just telling the truth. I also hope that the in-laws and grandparents should be cautious in their words and deeds, so that they can be the appearance of a gentleman."


    This is teaching myself through the words of the sage!


    Yang Zhong laughed back angrily, and pointed at him with his finger: "Okay, okay, it''s really amazing. After studying for a few days, people are different. You really think that it''s a big deal if you win the handsome talent today, even if you furious."


    "A gentleman has nothing to fight for, and he will definitely shoot! When he bows and rises, he goes down to drink, and his fight is also a gentleman."


    This sentence comes from the eight chapters of "The Analects of Confucius". It roughly means that a gentleman will not argue about anything. If there is a dispute, it must be upholding the way of a gentleman. Neither humble nor overbearing, neither angry nor complaining, and having fun with wine after the competition is the battle between gentlemen. It''s not that you must be flushed in the face, like a black-eyed chicken, that would be out of style.


    It is about being a person and dealing with affairs, and at the same time, it is using the words of the saints to ridicule Yang Zhong for not having the manners and tolerance of his elders, and to make things difficult for his juniors in order to protect his grandson.


    There were only four scholars present, and the others were all at a loss. They could only see that Xue Tingxiang was not at a disadvantage, but Yang Zhong was so angry that his seven orifices seemed to be smoking.


    Forget about Yang Zhong, Xue Qingshan and his son couldn''t help being a little bit surprised when he was angry.


    You must know that although Xue Tingxiang has studied the Four Books, he only understands the superficiality and does not understand the meaning of the scriptures. But just now he uttered two sentences in a row, both of which are from the Four Books, and if he didn''t understand the meaning of the scriptures, how could he use them to harm others.


    Could it be that someone taught him behind his back? No wonder his performance was so unexpected today.


    And right at this moment, other changes took place in the field.


    It was Yang Zhong who stood up in anger and wanted to teach Xue Tingxiang a lesson, but was stopped by Mr. Xue, Xue Qinghuai and Xue Qingbai.


    "Well, you little bastard, you have learned to swear before your hair grows."


    "A gentleman does not mirror water, but mirrors people. Mirroring water, the appearance of meeting, mirroring people, you can know good and bad, but if you want to come to your relatives and grandpas, you don''t understand this sentence."


    Xue Tingxiang had a smile on his face, obviously there was nothing wrong with that smile, even a bit shy, and his words were gentle and polite, but it made people taste a bit ironic.


    "I know if I understand you or not, I know you are swearing, I must teach you a lesson today!" Yang Zhong struggled to raise his hand, and at this moment, a violent shout sounded in vain.


    "Father-in-law!"


    It was Mr. Xue who spoke.


    "My father-in-law, I respect your in-laws, but this is my Xue family!"


    Mr. Xue''s complexion was very ugly. He had been tolerant just now because of the other party''s identity, but Xue Tingxiang was right. There was a whole family sitting in the room, all of whom were surnamed Xue. There was absolutely no reason for someone surnamed Yang to teach others a lesson. .


    No matter how much the family makes trouble, it is wrong for outsiders to intervene.


    There was silence in the room, only the sound of Yang Zhong panting heavily.


    The sound of a stool falling to the ground sounded, and it was Xue Qingshan who stood up.


    At this time, Yang Shi, who had been hiding in the house, also ran out, and said angrily and anxiously: "Father, what are you doing! Why did you drink some wine and start to make trouble."


    She explained to the dark-faced old man Xue: "Father, don''t blame me, my father is like this, when he starts to drink. Oh, father, what do you think you are making a fuss about?" Then she complained to Xue Qingshan: " Juncai''s father, and you too, why don''t you stop him from making trouble like this."


    Yang Zhongdao: "I''m making trouble, what''s wrong with me?! Xue Lianxing, don''t forget what you promised me back then. Juncai is your eldest grandson, so you plan to let it go?"


    "Father, stop talking, I''ll help you down to rest."


    The Dafang couple, one on the left and the other on the right, helped Yang Zhong out, and Yang Zhong seemed to be really drunk, shouting that you should really let go, and stumbled and was helped out by the couple.


    *


    Because of this commotion, the Xue family was extremely quiet afterwards.


    Mrs. Zhou originally asked Zhao''er and the two of them to eat, but they said they had eaten, so they went back to the house.


    A table of food and wine, only half eaten, old man Xue sat there alone, eating food and drinking wine, no one dared to disturb.


    Mrs. Zhao hid in the back room, don''t look at her usually yelling at Mr. Xue, but when Mr. Xue really got angry, she didn''t dare to make trouble.


    Xue Qinghuai walked to the table and sat down, saying: "Father, it''s getting late, let''s rest early."


    Mr. Xue nodded, but when he put down his chopsticks, he sighed again.


    Xue Qinghuai couldn''t help but persuaded: "Father, don''t think too much."


    "Look at the eldest couple. Why don''t you remember your kindness? The second has only been dead for a few years. Even if the child is not sensible, there is no need to do so."


    Xue Qinghuai understood what the old man meant, but he couldn''t answer these words well, so he could only say awkwardly: "Maybe the eldest brother and sister-in-law don''t know that the in-laws guild will make such a fuss."


    Mr. Xue snorted, but did not speak.


    "But Gouzi didn''t suffer, you see he was mad at sister-in-law."


    Hearing this, Mr. Xue couldn''t help but twitch his eyebrows and eyes: "I followed the second child."


    Xue Qingsong has this kind of temperament, usually taciturn, but don''t push him into a hurry, he can surprise everyone.


    "This big family has been living in harmony and beauty, but it''s getting more and more difficult." Mr. Xue sighed, probably because he drank some wine, and his emotions were particularly leaking.


    Xue Qinghuai didn''t respond.


    After a long time, Mr. Xue sighed: "Let your wife clean up this table, and you should go and rest earlier."


    "Hey, I''ll let her clean it up."


    Boss Chen stroked his beard and said, "I''m ashamed to say that I was a classmate with him when I was young, but I was not good at studies and only passed the exam as a boy student, but he was selected as a scholar in one fell swoop, and he was still a boy student. Unfortunately, bad luck, has not It took him many years to pass the exam, and he had no intention of pursuing a career, so he returned to his hometown to inherit his father''s career in teaching and educating people."


    "It won''t be bad luck all the time." Xue Tingxiang said.


    If he remembers correctly, the whole town was a sensation when Director Lin of the Qingyuan Academy finally passed the exam three years later, and Gao Youzhi, the owner of the Qinghe Academy, was so angry that he almost vomited blood. At that time, he was planning to leave the Qinghe Academy to study at the Shen family''s ethnology, and happened to hear something about it.


    Boss Chen thought the young man was just comforting him, and smiled, "Thank you for your good words."


    Xue Tingxiang was not ambiguous either, and cupped his hands and said: "Thank you, Uncle Chen, for your suggestion, but there are still trivial matters at home that have not been dealt with. When everything is settled, I will go to the Qingyuan Academy to study."


    "You are straightforward, so you are not afraid of being implicated and hindering your fame?" Boss Chen asked curiously.


    "The kid hasn''t entered school yet, so why talk about fame? Besides, the imperial court has always attached great importance to the selection of talents. If they are really talented, presumably the magistrate Hu will not dare to stop them too much."


    "I can''t see that you have high ambitions. Well, since you dare to go, I will recommend you one or two. Although my classmate is rigid and dull, he is not good at words, but his knowledge is first-rate. Don''t dare It is no problem to teach a person to become a Jinshi, but a scholar is fine."


    "Then thank Uncle Chen first."


    *


    For several days, Xue Tingxiang and Zhao''er left early and returned late.


    Someone from Xue''s family asked twice, and Zhao''er said to take Xue Tingxiang out to get some fresh air, so as not to be overwhelmed. The people in the big room showed contempt, and Mr. Xue couldn''t help shaking his head. After that, no one asked any more questions, and most of them knew in their hearts that Xue Tingxiang was doomed. Maybe the two children in Erfang also have a lot of mentality, so they broke the cans and didn''t read books, but ran around playing.


    You must know that even if you are as qualified as Xue Juncai, you have to read books at home for many days to prepare.


    In the blink of an eye, it was five days.


    This day is no different from ordinary days.


    The farmhouse is always busy in the morning, and after a night, the family''s livestock have to be waited on, and the whole family has to be tossed about to eat. After breakfast, the men will go to the fields, and the women will do housework at home.


    If there is some difference, Xue Juncai had two more poached eggs in his bowl than others for breakfast.


    Because of Mr. Xue''s beating some time ago, Mrs. Zhao didn''t dare to openly fight against the big family members these days. Today, seeing that life is not normal, she couldn''t hold back.


    Originally, Xue Tingxiang didn''t have any, but Yang Shi saw that her father-in-law looked bad, so she took the initiative to ask Zhao Shi to ask for two eggs, and put them in the bowl for him.


    Xue Tingxiang wants to recruit one of them separately, but he doesn''t want to be recruited, but it''s a pity that he can''t be persuaded.


    For the sake of one egg, the two of you whispered one sentence at a time, while Mr. Xue''s expression on the top was particularly serious.


    But life in the country is like this, no matter how heavy your heart is, you can''t lose your livelihood. Especially when rushing for spring plowing, Mr. Xue still took his two sons to work in the fields for a while, and didn''t come back until the sun was high.


    The news about the competition between the two children of Xue''s family has spread throughout Yuqing Village.


    It''s not that there are people who say strange things, but most people can still understand what old man Xue did. It''s not easy for rural people to earn a little money, and no one''s money comes from the big river. If there is a way, no one will do this.


    Knowing that today is the day, let the children of the family watch in the village. Seeing a stranger go to Zheng Lizheng''s house, these hairy kids ran into the field, shouting from a long distance, "Someone is coming from Lizheng''s house". The adults stopped planting the land, so they picked up the hoes and rushed back.


    Not long after, the big courtyard of Zheng Lizheng''s house was full of people, and more villagers kept coming here.


    There was a lot of commotion in the yard, everyone was gossiping and discussing today''s matter at the same time.


    In the room, Zheng Li was talking with a middle-aged man in a scholar''s shirt and a flat scarf on his head.


    This man had a thin and long face, his complexion was a little pale, and his eyes were slightly swollen. She doesn''t look good, but her identity seems to be extraordinary, and she actually sits in the main seat.


    And Zheng Lizheng could only sit on the sidelines.


    His Gu Pan has a different temperament from ordinary people. This person is Qiao Xiucai, who has a reputation in the surrounding ten miles and eight villages.


    Long before, Zheng Lizheng had thought about it. Xue Qingshan came forward to invite someone from the Xue family, if he didn''t expect, it should be his father-in-law Yang Zhong, Yang Zhong is just a boy, so he will invite a scholar.


    On the one hand, it seemed that he was impartial, and on the other hand, it was a good time to show his prestige.


    "Qiao Xianggong, you drink tea, I will order someone to remind you."


    Qiao Xiucai waved his hand indifferently: "Don''t worry."


    Just as he was talking, there was a commotion outside, but it was patriarch Xue who came with someone.


    However, it was not Patriarch Xue who took the lead, but an old man over fifty years old. This old man is of medium stature, dressed the same as Qiao Xiucai, also wearing a scholar''s shirt and a flat scarf, obviously even if he is not a scholar, he is still a child.


    Sure enough, when Qiao Xiucai saw the old man, he quickly stood up from his chair and bowed to him.


    "I never thought it would be Senior He, late born is so polite."


    "Don''t be too polite, just sit down."


    This He Xiucai was the person invited by patriarch Xue to preside over this competition.


    Zheng Lizheng was right, at first Xue Qingshan really planned to invite his father-in-law, but it was a pity that this matter was rejected by Patriarch Xue.


    Patriarch Xue also only knew that Xue Qingshan was so stupid. They all said that he should not avoid relatives when he was a virtuous person, but this is not the way. Since he felt that the chances of winning were more than guaranteed, there was no need for people to make mistakes, so he took care of this matter.


    He knew in his heart that the surname Zheng would not let go of the opportunity to show off, and if he came forward to invite someone, he must be a scholar. He originally planned to invite Qiao Xiucai, but he was a step late, so he had to delay the relationship and invite He Xiucai.


    After courteously giving way to each other, the two scholars sat down on the main seat.


    Zheng Lizheng and Patriarch Xue sat beside him.


    "Let Brother Lizheng worry about it."


    "Don''t bother, don''t worry, I''m the leader here, so I can''t show up if something happens in the village."


    A lot of back and forth, seemingly amiable, but there is a hint of wit hidden in the words. During this period, a few old people walked in from the outside, but they were a few old people from Yuqing Village, Mr. Xue, Xue Qingshan and others also came.


    Another uninvited guest was Xue Qingshan''s father-in-law Yang Zhong.


    Yang Zhong was in his fifties, with a chubby body. He didn''t look like a scholar, but a landlord with a fat brain. As soon as he came in, he joined Qiao Xiucai and He Xiucai, but unfortunately, these two scholars were not willing to talk to him, they said a few words with him, and then went to sit aside awkwardly.


    Xue Qingshan sat at the end.


    The Weng and the son-in-law are considered pretty people, and those who can sit here are all respectable people in the village, but because of the identity of this boy, they can also sit in the hall. You know, even Mr. Xue doesn''t have a seat, so he can only stand aside.


    "I don''t know the real master, but he''s here?" He Xiucai asked when he saw that almost everyone had come.


    Patriarch Xue looked at Mr. Xue, and Xue Qinghuai hurriedly said, "Here we come."


    Just as he was speaking, the villagers surrounding the door made way, and two teenagers walked out from the crowd.


    These two teenagers are all dressed in short brown, and they can be seen from humble backgrounds at a glance.


    The one in the lead looks gentle and handsome, with a slender figure. Although the clothes are simple, he is quite personable. The one in the back is half a head shorter than the one in the front, his body seems a little weak, and he seems a little introverted, his eyelids are always half down, and he seems a little afraid of strangers.


    But when the two came to the hall and accepted the scrutiny of the crowd, they had some clues.


    The elder''s appearance is not bad, but he always pulls his sleeves intentionally or unintentionally, as if the clothes don''t fit well. But the young one has been standing neither humble nor overbearing, the half-drooped eyelids not only do not make people feel contemptuous, but it feels like the respect that the younger generation should have for the elders.


    Therefore, it seemed that the older one looked directly into the eyes of everyone, which was a bit too abrupt. It is good to have self-confidence, but when the younger generation faces the elders, a humble and respectful attitude is indispensable.


    All this happened in an instant, and Qiao Xiucai and He Xiucai, who were seated in the main seats, had the initial judgment on these two young people.


    "Student Xue Juncai, student Xue Tingxiang, I have met all the elders."


    He Xiucai nodded, Qiao Xiucai nodded, and asked curiously, "Tingxiang? Does this name have a meaning?"


    Xue Tingxiang was taken aback, and Fang Zuoyi said: "Hey, I mean to follow suit. The student''s great-great-grandfather was also a student, and the biggest regret in his life was that he failed to pass the exam. Although my Xue family was born in a poor family, there are many generations. Forgetting the last wish of the ancestors, while settling down to live and work, he has been working hard to let the children of the clan read and write, and be able to understand the principles of life.

 Chapter 264

    Xue Tingxiang was not ambiguous either, and cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Uncle Chen, for your suggestion, but there are still trivial matters at home that have not been dealt with. When everything is settled, I will go to the Qingyuan Academy to study."


    "You are straightforward, so you are not afraid of getting involved and hindering your fame?" Boss Chen asked curiously.


    "The kid hasn''t entered school yet, so what are you talking about? Besides, the imperial court has always attached great importance to the selection of talents. If they are really talented, the magistrate Hu must not dare to stop them too much."


    "I can''t see that you have high ambitions. Well, since you dare to go, I will recommend you one or two. Although my classmate is rigid and dull, he is very knowledgeable. Don''t dare It¡¯s okay to teach a person to become a Jinshi, but a scholar is fine.¡±


    "Then thank Uncle Chen first."


    *


    For several days, Xue Tingxiang and Zhao''er left early and returned late.


    Someone from Xue''s family asked twice, and Zhao''er told him to take Xue Tingxiang out to get some fresh air, so as not to be overwhelmed. The people in the big room showed contempt, and Mr. Xue couldn''t help shaking his head. After that, no one asked any more questions, and most of them knew in their hearts that Xue Tingxiang was doomed. Maybe the two children of Erfang also have a lot of mentality, so they broke the cans and didn''t read books, but ran around to play.


    You must know that even with the qualifications of Xue Juncai, he still read books for many days at home to prepare.


    In the blink of an eye, it was five days.


    This day is no different from ordinary days.


    The farmhouse is always busy in the morning, and after a night, the family''s livestock have to be waited on, and the whole family has to be tossed about to eat. After breakfast, the men will go to the fields, and the women will do housework at home.


    If there is some difference, Xue Juncai had two more poached eggs in his bowl than others for breakfast.


    Because of Mr. Xue''s beating some time ago, Mrs. Zhao didn''t dare to openly fight against the big family members these days. Today, seeing that life is not normal, she couldn''t hold back.


    Originally, Xue Tingxiang didn''t have any, but Yang Shi saw that her father-in-law looked bad, so she took the initiative to ask Zhao Shi to ask for two eggs, and put them in the bowl for him.


    Xue Tingxiang wants to recruit one of them separately, but he doesn''t want to be recruited, but it''s a pity that he can''t be persuaded.


    For the sake of one egg, the two of you whispered one sentence at a time, while Mr. Xue''s expression on the top was particularly serious.


    But life in the country is like this, no matter how heavy your heart is, you can''t lose your livelihood. Especially when rushing for spring plowing, Mr. Xue still took his two sons to work in the fields for a while, and didn''t come back until the sun was high.


    The news about the competition between the two children of Xue''s family has spread throughout Yuqing Village.


    It''s not that there are people who say strange things, but most people can still understand what old man Xue did. It''s not easy for rural people to earn a little money, and no one''s money comes from the big river. If there is a way, no one will do this.


    Knowing that today is the day, let the children of the family watch in the village. Seeing a stranger go to Zheng Lizheng''s house, these hairy kids ran into the field, shouting from a long distance, "Someone is coming from Lizheng''s house". The adults stopped planting the land, so they picked up the hoes and rushed back.


    Not long after, the big courtyard of Zheng Lizheng''s house was full of people, and more villagers kept coming here.


    There was a lot of commotion in the yard, everyone was gossiping and discussing today''s matter at the same time.


    In the room, Zheng Li was talking with a middle-aged man in a scholar''s shirt and a flat scarf on his head.


    This man had a thin and long face, his complexion was a little pale, and his eyes were slightly swollen. She doesn''t look good, but her identity seems to be extraordinary, and she actually sits in the main seat.


    And Zheng Lizheng could only sit on the sidelines.


    His Gu Pan has a different temperament from ordinary people. This person is Qiao Xiucai, who has a reputation in the surrounding ten miles and eight villages.


    Long before, Zheng Lizheng had thought about it. Xue Qingshan came forward to invite someone from the Xue family, if he didn''t expect, it should be his father-in-law Yang Zhong, Yang Zhong is just a boy, so he will invite a scholar.


    On the one hand, it seemed that he was impartial, and on the other hand, it was a good time to show his prestige.


    "Qiao Xianggong, you drink tea, I will order someone to remind you."


    Qiao Xiucai waved his hand indifferently: "Don''t worry."


    Just as he was talking, there was a commotion outside, but it was patriarch Xue who came with someone.


    However, it was not Patriarch Xue who took the lead, but an old man over fifty years old. This old man is of medium stature, dressed the same as Qiao Xiucai, also wearing a scholar''s shirt and a flat scarf, obviously even if he is not a scholar, he is still a child.


    Sure enough, when Qiao Xiucai saw the old man, he quickly stood up from his chair and bowed to him.


    "I never thought it would be Senior He, late born is so polite."


    "Don''t be too polite, just sit down."


    This He Xiucai was the person invited by patriarch Xue to preside over this competition.


    Zheng Lizheng was right, at first Xue Qingshan really planned to invite his father-in-law, but it was a pity that this matter was rejected by Patriarch Xue.


    Patriarch Xue also only knew that Xue Qingshan was so stupid. They all said that he should not avoid relatives when he was a virtuous person, but this is not the way. Since he felt that the chances of winning were more than guaranteed, there was no need for people to make mistakes, so he took care of this matter.


    He knew in his heart that the surname Zheng would not let go of the opportunity to show off, and if he came forward to invite someone, he must be a scholar. He originally planned to invite Qiao Xiucai, but he was a step late, so he had to delay the relationship and invite He Xiucai.


    After courteously giving way to each other, the two scholars sat down on the main seat.


    Zheng Lizheng and Patriarch Xue sat beside him.


    "Let Brother Lizheng worry about it."


    "Don''t bother, don''t worry, I''m the leader here, so I can''t show up if something happens in the village."


    A lot of back and forth, seemingly amiable, but there is a hint of wit hidden in the words. During this period, a few old people walked in from the outside, but they were a few old people from Yuqing Village, Mr. Xue, Xue Qingshan and others also came.


    Another uninvited guest was Xue Qingshan''s father-in-law Yang Zhong.


    Yang Zhong was in his fifties, with a chubby body. He didn''t look like a scholar, but a landlord with a fat brain. As soon as he came in, he joined Qiao Xiucai and He Xiucai, but unfortunately, these two scholars were not willing to talk to him, they said a few words with him, and then went to sit aside awkwardly.


    Xue Qingshan sat at the end.


    The Weng and the son-in-law are considered pretty people, and those who can sit here are all respectable people in the village, but because of the identity of this boy, they can also sit in the hall. You know, even Mr. Xue doesn''t have a seat, so he can only stand aside.


    "I don''t know the real master, but he''s here?" He Xiucai asked when he saw that almost everyone had come.


    Patriarch Xue looked at Mr. Xue, and Xue Qinghuai hurriedly said, "Here we come."


    Just as he was speaking, the villagers surrounding the door made way, and two teenagers walked out from the crowd.


    These two teenagers are all dressed in short brown, and they can be seen from humble backgrounds at a glance.


    The one in the lead looks gentle and handsome, with a slender figure. Although the clothes are simple, he is quite personable. The one in the back is half a head shorter than the one in the front, his body seems a little weak, and he seems a little introverted, his eyelids are always half down, and he seems a little afraid of strangers.


    But when the two came to the hall and accepted the scrutiny of the crowd, they had some clues.


    The elder''s appearance is not bad, but he always pulls his sleeves intentionally or unintentionally, as if the clothes don''t fit well. But the young one has been standing neither humble nor overbearing, the half-drooped eyelids not only do not make people feel contemptuous, but it feels like the respect that the younger generation should have for the elders.


    Therefore, it seemed that the older one looked directly into the eyes of everyone, which was a bit too abrupt. It is good to have self-confidence, but when the younger generation faces the elders, a humble and respectful attitude is indispensable.


    All this happened in an instant, and Qiao Xiucai and He Xiucai, who were seated in the main seats, had the initial judgment on these two young people.


    "Student Xue Juncai, student Xue Tingxiang, I have met all the elders."


    He Xiucai nodded, Qiao Xiucai nodded, and asked curiously, "Tingxiang? Does this name have a meaning?"


    Xue Tingxiang was taken aback, and Fang Zuoyi said: "Hey, I mean to follow suit. The student''s great-great-grandfather was also a student, and the biggest regret in his life was that he failed to pass the exam. Although my Xue family was born in a poor family, there are many generations. Forgetting the last wish of the ancestors, while settling down to live and work, he has been working hard to let the children of the clan read and write, and be able to understand the principles of life.


    "It should be noted that if you read a lot, you will have hills and valleys in your heart, and you will have a poetic spirit in your stomach. The younger generation will follow the last wish of the ancestors. Although they are not very knowledgeable at a young age, they have great ambitions. They hope that one day they can continue the path that their ancestors walked, and continue to do so. go down."


    These words are very well-chosen, and the words are too polite, or they say something to study and become an official to serve the court, to establish a life for the people, and to bring peace to all generations. They are all suspected of deliberately showing off, which makes people laugh. After all, they are still brats, not even children.


    And Xue Tingxiang''s words just echoed his age and knowledge, and even because of the ancestor''s last wish, it added a bit of filial piety.


    After listening to Qiao Xiucai, he stroked his beard and said, "Okay! What a big ambition!"


    With this praise, everyone''s eyes were on Xue Tingxiang.


    Most people don''t understand what it means, they only think that Qiao Xiucai is exaggerating the dog of Xue''s second room, but they can understand but they have different thoughts.


    Shocked and complicated like patriarch Xue, the look in Xue Tingxiang''s eyes implied excitement and admiration. He is the head of the clan, and he always regards the glory of the clan as his great responsibility. Xue Tingxiang''s words not only praised his ancestors in front of others, but also inadvertently showed the unusualness of the Xue clan, which made his face extraordinarily honored. Unconsciously, he straightened his back.


    Some secretly scolded this son for being cunning, and even used the occasion to grandstanding.


    Still upholding the last wish of his ancestors, whoever asked him to uphold it was just bragging! Why didn''t I see that this son was so eloquent earlier.


    "The elders in your family took this name for you, and they have high hopes for you."


    When Qiao Xiucai said this, he was embarrassed again, but it was the Xue family who were embarrassed.


    Just when Patriarch Xue and the others were afraid that Xue Tingxiang would be ignorant to tell the reason, he saluted again and said: "This junior will definitely study hard and live up to the expectations of his family."


    Xue Qingshan couldn''t sit still.


    Today''s book is for the examination of Xue Juncai and Xue Tingxiang, who is eligible to enter the school. The exam hadn''t even started yet, but Qiao Xiucai''s words were intended to encourage and agree with the other party. The so-called failure before the battle was nothing more than that.


    He couldn''t help but interjected: "Seniors, can we start?"


    Only then did Qiao Xiucai realize that he had spoken too much, but once he said it, he would naturally not take it back, and Xue Qingshan''s words obviously made him feel embarrassed. There was a slight displeasure in his heart, so instead of avoiding it, he nodded appreciatively to Xue Tingxiang, and then went to take a sip of tea on the table.


    Between the actions, there was a sense of treating Xue Qingshan as nothing, which made his face darken immediately. But he didn''t dare to have any doubts at all, he just smiled and sat back.


    Qiao Xiucai put down the teacup, cupped his hands and said to He Xiucai: "Senior He, look at this¡ª"


    "Let''s begin then."


    "Are you a senior, or you are the main one."


    Qiao Xiucai is a polite word. He is only in his thirties, he is already a scholar, he may be able to raise a scholar in the future, but He Xiucai is already an old man, the possibility of being selected is very slim. That''s why it was obvious that He Xiucai was the main one, but when Qiao Xiucai spoke, He Xiucai didn''t interrupt him, and didn''t even blame him for taking the lead.


    This is the way of the imperial examination, which pays attention to qualifications and seniority, but also pays attention to potential.


    Talents like Yang Zhong who fail the exam all their lives will be old boys when they grow old. However, if one can pass the examination as a scholar, even if one is over half a hundred years old and the other is a young man with a weak crown, they can still be on equal footing and be friends with each other as peers.


    It''s like Xue Qingshan is about to call himself a junior in front of Qiao Xiucai, and he can only accept Qiao Xiucai''s embarrassment to him. Although Qiao Xiucai gave He Xiucai too much courtesy, He Xiucai put him first in words and deeds.


    Few of the people present understood these principles, but Xue Tingxiang did, which made him even more determined to be a scholar.


    "Where are you two in your studies now?"


    "I have finished studying the Four Books, and now I am diligently reading the "Book of Songs" among the Five Classics." Xue Juncai answered first.


    He Xiucai set his sights on Xue Tingxiang.


    He pondered for a while, and said: "After studying the four books, I can only read them, but I can''t understand them."


    He Xiucai didn''t say anything, but Zheng Lizheng said in confusion, "If I remember correctly, you and the talented boy Kaimeng came one after another. How could you have fallen behind so much in your studies?"


    Xue Tingxiang remained silent, but Xue Qingshan''s eyebrows twitched.


    "Are you rich now?"


    Of course she is rich, Zhao''er now has more than two taels of silver in total, and just now Su Lan gave her another five taels, which is naturally enough.


    At the same time, Shen Ping laughed a little, "Well, I forgot that you had visited her before, so I came here, and she won''t take advantage of me." The voice was very small, almost like a murmur, and Zhao''er only cared about it. I had to look at the clothes, but I didn''t hear clearly.


    "I''ll find a guy to call a car for you, and you, a little girl, can''t transport these things."


    "Thank you, Shopkeeper Shen."


    After seeing Zhao''er off, Shen Ping turned around and went into the pawn shop.


    Although he is called the third shopkeeper, he is not the third shopkeeper of this store, but the third shopkeeper of the entire ''Herongsheng'', and he will only stay in Xia County permanently under his deliberate request.


    Shen Ping is the son of the Shen family, his father is the chief manager of the Shen residence, and he has been a servant with the third young master Shen Fu since he was a child. It was not until he became an adult that he was released to become a shopkeeper.


    "If she comes again next time, just do as I told you before."


    "Yes, shopkeeper."


    *


    Just after noon, the clerk Ah Cai came to deliver meals to Xue Tingxiang.


    Boss Chen said it was simple food, but in fact the food was not bad, with one meat and one vegetable, and one soup. Xue Tingxiang knew very well that Boss Chen was taking care of him deliberately. How could anyone hire someone to copy books, take care of tea and food, and the wages they paid were not low.


    It was because he knew it in his heart that he didn''t say no. In this case, the refusal retained his character, but it seemed too petty and hypocritical.


    It can only be repaid in the future, Xue Tingxiang thought lightly in his heart.


    After eating, when the man came to clean up the dishes, he said that he could rest for an hour. There is a chaise longue available in this room, and of course you can go to the front to read a book to pass the time.


    In fact, the latter sentence is the key point, Xue Tingxiang was not pretentious, after cleaning his hands, he went forward.


    This store may not seem big, but it has a lot of books of all kinds, ranging from rural tales to books about the imperial examination, and there are many books about the imperial examination.


    Since the former dynasty, the imperial examination has used eight-legged essays as the standard style, with strict regulations, and even restrictions on the length of sentences, the number of words, the level of rhymes, and even the scope of questions.


    Stereotype essays take questions from the Four Books and Five Classics. It consists of eight parts: breaking the title, inheriting the title, starting the lecture, starting, starting the essay, middle section, back section, and binding the section. It seems rigid and rigid, but in fact it is not easy to do a good stereotyped essay. If you really think that only reading the Four Books and Five Classics is enough, you are wrong. Not to mention astronomy and geography, at least you have to be involved in all aspects, so that you can write a good article full of flowers and content.


    In that dream, Xue Tingxiang won the Jinshi with the 21st place in the second class, and was admitted to the Hanlin Academy after passing through the hall. He should have been on a steady rise since then, but because he offended someone, a majestic Hanlin was sent down. The kind of place where the birds don''t shit is an official.


    Xue Tingxiang pursed his lips slightly, feeling that he was thinking too much, after all, he is not even a child now, let''s think about the present.


    So, without thinking too much, he took out a book from the bookcase and read it quietly.


    During this period, customers from the book shop came to sell some pens, ink, paper and inkstones, or came to buy books, always interrupting Xue Tingxiang''s reading.


    Seeing this, Boss Chen said: "Brother Xue, you can take the book to the back and read."


    Xue Tingxiang looked at him in surprise: "This..."


    "It''s okay, it''s not bad for your book."


    Xue Tingxiang was silent, bowed deeply in salute, and then went back.


    When Xue Tingxiang woke up, he heard Boss Chen talking outside and Zhao''er''s voice at the same time.


    "Where did you get this big bag?" Boss Chen looked at Zhao''er in surprise, and asked for the bag at her feet that was much bigger than her.


    Zhao''er was sweating profusely and said, "Uncle Chen, I got it from the county, and so did the guy from the car dealership. They only helped me to the intersection and left me behind. I wanted to be dragged to the car dealership. But thinking that my brother is still here..."


    Boss Chen laughed, and called his assistant: "Ah Cai, come and help little brother Zhao''er carry the things in." Then he said to Zhao''er: "Come in and have a drink and rest before leaving."


    "Uncle Chen, what a shame."


    "When you were bargaining with me, you were never polite, but now you are more polite." Boss Chen pretended to stare.


    Generally speaking, Boss Chen is an elegant and humorous person.


    Xue Tingxiang also came out to help, and asked, "What''s in it? Why is it so heavy? Where did you get it?"


    Not to mention it was really heavy, Ah Cai tried a few times but couldn''t lift it, only three people could lift it.


    "I got it from a pawn shop. If I can sell this package, my sister will have enough money to send you to the Qinghe Academy."


    Zhao''er hadn''t realized that he had slipped up, but Xue Tingxiang had. He glanced at Boss Chen, and Zhao''er understood what he said at this moment, and looked at Boss Chen with some guilt: "Uncle Chen, I will explain to you later."


    She was a little anxious, and without asking the two of them to help, she lifted the big bag and carried it on her shoulders. The big bag pushed her to one side, but she still stopped, and she quickly carried the things inside.


    Ah Cai praised: "It doesn''t look like she is strong, she is so strong."


    Here, Xue Tingxiang looked at the back and pursed the corners of his mouth, while Boss Chen''s eyes darkened.


    Xue Tingxiang looked up at Boss Chen, and walked towards him.


    ...


    Zhao''er found a place to put down the big bag, then went to wash his hands and face to clean up his body, and then A Cai led him to see Boss Chen.


    Seeing Boss Chen, Zhao''er felt a little guilty. But she didn''t intend to continue to lie to Boss Chen, because Boss Chen is a good person. Not to mention the benefits he gave her before, just because he asked the little man to copy books for such a high price, let him read books here, and take care of the lunch at noon, Zhao''er can no longer continue to deceive.


    In fact, Zhao''er is not a liar, it''s just that she concealed her gender, and then the so-called workmanship is just collecting some vegetables and selling them to make some purses or something.


    "Uncle Chen..."


    Boss Chen sighed and waved his hands: "Okay, you don''t need to say anymore, you are a girl, and you are really embarrassing."


    Zhao''er looked surprised, her round eyes widened.


    Boss Chen laughed a little and said, "Your little husband has already told me everything."


    "He, what did he say..." Zhao''er stammered, still in disbelief. Because she knows that the little man always pays attention to face and has a lot of thoughts, and she doesn''t like to mention her as his child bride-in-law in front of outsiders, and the Xue family''s bad things.


    "I''ve said everything that needs to be said." After a pause, Boss Chen asked, "Look at how surprised you are, isn''t it still a secret?"


    Zhao''er laughed awkwardly, and faltered: "That''s not true, it''s just that he''s young, and people in our village hate him. People always think that I''m older than him, and my daughter-in-law teases men and laughs at him."


    The same sentence sounds different to different people.


    Boss Chen couldn''t help but want to laugh, but Xue Tingxiang outside had mixed feelings in his heart.


    That''s why she always called herself sister, so in the dream he was old, but she didn''t want to marry him. Or he ignored her wishes and insisted on marrying him with his parents'' order.


    She actually understood her awkward state of mind. He told himself not to be surprised by what other people said, but he cared about it in his heart, so even if the two got married, they couldn''t do it together.


    She actually knew everything, yet she relied on him for everything! Follow him!


    While the mood was churning, the topic was changed inside.


    "I just heard from you that you plan to save money to send him to Qinghe Academy?"


    Zhao''er nodded, seeing the strange expression on Boss Chen''s face, she couldn''t help but ask, "Is that school bad?"


    "Take the road of opportunism, and it won''t last long."


    Zhao''er didn''t quite understand what he heard, but he also knew that it was not a good word.


    "If you want to help him find a good book academy, I have something to recommend. It''s just..." Boss Chen sighed suddenly: "Well, let me tell you that you don''t understand either. Let''s talk about it later."


    Zhao''er nodded in a daze.


    It was not too early to meet later, and the two planned to return to Yuqing Village.


    Because the big bag of clothes was too much, and it would be eye-catching to bring back, Boss Chen asked Zhao''er to put the things in his shop temporarily. Anyway, there are still a few vacant rooms behind the shop, so just find a place to put them.


    The two went back to the village by car, because after time, only the ox cart could be used, so the two sat on the ox cart and walked back bumping back and forth.


    Halfway along the road, a mule cart came head-on.


    The driver was a man, dark and tall. When he got closer, he could see his appearance clearly. He had thick eyebrows and tiger eyes, a high nose bridge, and he was very heroic. His sleeves were half rolled up above his elbows, and his arms seemed to be full of muscles. He looked like a powerful man.


    Xue Tingxiang saw the person coming at a glance, and his pupils shrank immediately.


    He glanced at Zhao''er next to him, saw her with her head half down, and he was relieved.


    But the visitor still saw them, his eyes lit up, and he raised his voice and shouted: "Zhaoer."

 Chapter 265

    Generally, names are bestowed by the elders, not just chosen by the younger generation. It¡¯s fine if it¡¯s an ordinary villager, but Xue Tingxiang is a scholar, and a scholar should understand etiquette. Read.


    Xue Tingxiang was very clear in his heart and understood what uncle meant. He smiled and said: "When my father was still alive, I asked my grandfather and uncle to help me choose one. My uncle refused because of his humble name. Now the court My son is fourteen, so I can''t keep using her baby name, so I randomly picked one."


    As soon as this remark came out, Xue Qingshan''s face turned ugly again. Xue Tingxiang was obviously saying that he, an uncle, did not want to name him, because he deliberately belittled him. After all, since I have already learned, I should definitely not have a name,


    He forced a smile, and explained: "It''s not that Uncle sees that you are not in good health, and wants to name you after you are an adult. You can''t understand this painstaking effort. If Uncle doesn''t choose one for you now?"


    As he said that, without waiting for Xue Tingxiang to agree, he sighed and made a melancholy look, and said: "You have been weak since you were born, your father wished you a long life when he was alive, so my uncle named you Fushou, what do you think? ?¡±


    This name is really random, and I am not at all sorry for the name of Xue Qingshan, the only child born in Yuqing Village.


    Xue Tingxiang hesitated for a moment before refusing: "It''s still not uncle, Ting''er''s name has been decided, and I went to the grave to inform my parents before, there is absolutely no chance to change it."


    These words also made it clear why he went to the cemetery every year. Since Xue Tingxiang saw that Xue Qingshan had invited so many people and made such a fuss, he knew that the other party must have plans.


    Regardless of what he plans, he just blocks the way that the other party may use to make a fuss, and the rest is to wait and see what happens.


    Sure enough, Patriarch Xue''s face softened a little.


    Before that, he always thought that this matter was done on purpose by Erfang, just to compete with Juncai for the opportunity to study in Qinghe Academy. This time I came to see this young man is gentle and polite, neither humble nor overbearing, patriarch Xue has no fame, but he can know a few words, and he has been the patriarch for many years, so he has a good eye for people.


    He was very surprised, because he had seen Gouzi before, but he didn''t have a deep impression of him. The only impression he had was that he was an inconspicuous boy. Looking at it now, this son has grown up somewhat unexpectedly.


    But no matter how unexpected he was, patriarch Xue did not forget what he was doing here.


    Just a good impression on one side is not enough to make him shake the decision he has made. He had asked someone to test Juncai''s child, and he was much more knowledgeable than his two grandchildren. If it was said who the next child in Yuqing Village would be, Patriarch Xue felt that Xue Juncai was the most likely.


    Maybe not just a child, but a scholar.


    With two future talent seedlings and a young man who doesn''t know his depth, Patriarch Xue naturally knows how to do this multiple-choice question.


    However, the idea of ??helping Xue Qingshan before was dispelled. If Xue Qingshan couldn''t even handle a child, he didn''t deserve his attention.


    How could Xue Qingshan fail to see Patriarch Xue''s thoughts. In his eyes, this old man is a master who does not see rabbits and does not scatter eagles. He accepts the benefits he brings to the clan, but never knows how to give him something.


    If any clan has ethnology, the clan will not subsidize one or two. On the contrary, he worked for nothing all day long, and every time a certain family in the clan brought some random food, the patriarch called him over and asked him to accept it.


    To be generous with the generosity of others, to spend other people''s wealth, is merciless to others, and it is meaningless to oneself!


    Xue Qingshan sneered in his heart, but pretended to be a respectful petition, and invited Xue patriarch Zheng Lizheng and others into the house.


    Patriarch Xue and Zheng Li were sitting cross-legged on the kang, one on the left and one on the right, while the others were sitting on the stools below. Mrs. Yang and Mrs. Zhou were busy pouring tea, and even Xue Tao''er was sent to ask Mr. Xue to come home quickly.


    Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng both had the habit of smoking dry pipes, and they took out the pipes as soon as they sat down.


    Xue Qingshan hurriedly took a bag of tobacco leaves from his mother Zhao, and while serving them, he said: "This is grown by my father himself. It is usually a treasure. Uncle and Uncle Li should try it."


    "Your father''s shredded tobacco is good, but it''s too little." After lighting it, Zheng Lizheng took a deep breath and said with a smile.


    Xue Qingshan replied: "If Uncle Lizheng likes it, I''ll pretend to be with you when I leave later, so don''t dislike it."


    These are all polite words, everyone knows each other well, Zheng Lizheng nodded with a smile, and went straight to the point: "What is Shan Zi planning to invite some of us old guys over here this time?"


    Looking at Zheng Lizheng''s smiling face, Xue Qingshan scolded the old fox in his heart.


    Things would turn out like this, and he absolutely wouldn''t believe that this guy surnamed Zheng didn''t do anything inside. But that''s exactly how he invited Zheng Lizheng here today. After all, he is the Lizheng of Yuqing Village and his surname is Zheng, so he won''t be said to be covering up.


    Including the few villagers present today, Xue Qingshan was thinking about inviting them. There was one with the surname Zheng, one with the surname Xue, and two families with mixed surnames in the village, but they were all well-known in the village.


    "Is there a matter that requires a few elders to decide, or wait for my father, he is in the field and will be back soon."


    Just as he was talking about Mr. Xue, he came back. After coming in, he exchanged greetings for a while before sitting down and getting to the point.


    "It''s ashamed to say this. Some things in my family have made everyone laugh."


    Hearing this was the beginning of the words, except for Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng, everyone present felt a little embarrassed. After all, this is someone else''s family matter. It''s two different things.


    "Actually, to put it bluntly, it''s all caused by poverty. In the previous situation of our family, it wouldn''t be like this. One baby was given away, but the other was not."


    One was also surnamed Xue, and was of the same generation as Mr. Xue. An old man named Xue Lianhe sighed: "Lian Xing, don''t say that, your family is also in trouble."


    Old Master Xue sighed with a wry smile: "It''s difficult, it''s not difficult for anyone, this light is all on the surface. But no matter how difficult it is, if you want your baby to have a future, you have to pay for it. If you don''t give it to someone, you will be successful." There''s a problem."


    With trembling hands, he took out the dry pipe from his waist, lit it and took a puff, before he said, "The palms and backs of the hands are full of meat, and it hurts me to give up any one. In fact, this matter was discussed last year, and I have been procrastinating on it." I did it because I was afraid that the baby would feel uncomfortable. It is not easy for a peasant family like us to provide for a scholar. The family finally gave up Shanzi. Although he failed to pass the exam several times, he still did it for the village and for us. Guys did something.


    "For so many years, our family has been doing things in the village. Everyone has seen it. If it is far away, it will not be mentioned. Let''s talk about the private school in Shanzi. As long as you are from the village and your family is not rich, Shu Xiu will be later or even less. , our family never mentioned it. Why? It¡¯s because it¡¯s not easy for us country people to make a living, with our faces turned to the loess and our backs turned to the sky. If God doesn¡¯t show mercy, the whole family suffers from famine.


    "Actually, I''m not afraid of the laughter of my brothers and sisters. Back then, I worked hard to support Shanzi''s education, just thinking that if I really passed the exam, I would give my family some tax exemption."


    These words were to the point, and it seemed that they were just a few words lightly, but they didn''t go deeper, but they said that everyone had mixed feelings in their hearts.


    What Mr. Xue said is the truth, or the truth that is in line with people''s reality, that''s what makes it so complicated.


    Finally someone stood up and spoke out for the previous incident, "Brother Lianxing, stop talking about it, we can''t trust you? When people spread rumors in the village, we told the children at home, Brother Lianxing Not that kind of person. There are those who are grandpas, and those who don¡¯t love their grandchildren.¡±


    "Yes, yes, everyone can understand, who is not difficult."


    Seeing that everyone was echoing Mr. Xue''s words, only the one surnamed Zheng remained silent. Zheng Lizheng''s eyes flashed, and he said with a smile: "Everyone in the village has watched Shanzi''s contribution to our village. Everyone knows that Shanzi is benevolent and righteous. This is for everyone''s sake. There is just one sentence, I don''t know if I, an elder, should say it."


    "Uncle Lizheng, you are the Lizheng of our village, there is nothing inappropriate to say."


    Zheng Lizheng nodded: "It stands to reason that this is your family''s business, and I, an outsider, shouldn''t interfere. But Lian Xing said it before, the palms and backs of his hands are all flesh." He suddenly sighed, and said earnestly: " Shanzi, don''t forget why your second child didn''t exist, everyone here can understand, because we have lived for decades, and we have never seen anything in our lives, so we are afraid that outsiders will not understand."


    These words made Xue Qingshan''s complexion look ugly on the spot, but since he can arrange this scene, it''s not that he has no countermeasures.


    He immediately said: "Uncle Lizheng is right, so I discussed it with my father and planned to give the two children a chance. Let the two have a competition, the winner will enter the school, and the one who fails will learn two lessons at home." Years, let¡¯s talk about it later when we have a chance.¡±


    Upon hearing this, the people present looked at each other without much opinion. Especially with the previous foreshadowing, Xue Qingshan''s words seem to be reasonable, which makes people have nothing to choose.


    After all, no family is rich, and money does not come from the river.


    Everyone went to see Zheng Lizheng, Zheng Lizheng looked at everyone with a smile, and said: "Why are you all looking at me? Since Lian Xingjia has an idea, let''s look at his family. But how does this compare? We old guys don''t Literacy, let Shanzi be the judge?"


    After a pause, he shook his head: "No, no, Shanzi is Juncai''s father, so he should avoid suspicion, or choose someone else to convince everyone."


    He looked up at Xue Qingshan and smiled: "Shanzi, you won''t blame me, Uncle Li Zheng, for being too talkative, right? In fact, I''m doing it for your own good. We should be upright in our conduct and conduct."


    Xue Qingshan can''t wait to throw out this person who always ruins his good things, how can he not complain, but on the surface he can''t say that, he can only seem to ponder for a while, and said: "What Uncle Li Zheng said is that although I''m an uncle, so I still have to avoid suspicion. If not, let me invite one, and Uncle Lizheng invite one, and the two of them will come up with the questions on the spot, and the two younger ones will be tested."


    Zheng Lizheng looked at Xue Qingshan with squinted eyes, seeing his confident appearance, he had some bad premonitions in his heart. But he has intervened too much, and it would be too obvious to be picky, so he could only nod and smile in agreement, and praised Xue Qingshan that he is indeed a scholar, but his mind is different.


    The matter has been settled, and what follows is gossip.


    Since people were invited to the door, it would be unreasonable not to ignore the meal at noon, so Mr. Xue ordered a few daughters-in-law to go down to pack the lunch.


    Just now when the elders were talking inside, Xue Tingxiang and Xue Juncai were standing outside, so they naturally knew what happened.


    Zhao''er''s face was a bit ugly, but Xue Jun gave Xue Tingxiang a proud look, and then went in to talk with his father beside several elders, and naturally won another round of praise without mentioning it.


    Zhao''er couldn''t help pulling Xue Tingxiang back into the house, and said anxiously: "What should I do? If I had known this earlier, I would have refrained from beating you. Gou''er, it''s all my sister''s fault. My sister caused trouble for you. "


    She was anxious, and brought up the words of Sister Gou''er again.


    "Don''t be afraid, it''s okay."


    "Is it really okay?" Zhao''er turned back and forth on the spot and said, "But, what if we lose?"


    Xue Tingxiang squinted his eyes: "Don''t you believe me? Think I''m not as good as him?"


    Zhao''er immediately said: "How is it possible! My dog ??is the smartest, and I will be a scholar in the future to become a high official, and my sister is still waiting to enjoy the blessing of the dog!"


    Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang have said this sentence countless times.


    When he was a child, she would encourage him every time he showed signs of discouragement. She even thought so in her heart, so when everyone looked down on him and everyone thought he was not good enough, only she was the only one who kept talking to him like this, and even kept doing it with actions.


    It''s a pity that she didn''t enjoy his blessing, not even a single day.


    Obviously, all that was not what he experienced, it was just a dream of his, but every time Xue Tingxiang thought about it, he felt a great sense of sadness.


    He closed his eyes for a moment, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "Since you have said so, are you still afraid that I will lose?"


    That''s right, it''s a big deal and she loses. She just needs to find money for him to study. Wasn''t that the plan? !


    Thinking of this, Zhao''er suddenly thought about it, and said: "Then prepare well, win if you can, don''t be afraid if you can''t win, at worst, sister will find money for you to study."


    Zhao''er has never been a person who likes to ask for troubles. She turned her head and saw that the cow dung in the house hadn''t been cleaned up, so she went to find a brush to clean the kang, and then went out to get a broom and a dustpan to sweep the floor.


    Chickens clucked and clucked outside, but it was Mrs. Sun who slaughtered the chicken and made it run away.


    Xue Tingxiang looked out the window, and saw that the chicken''s neck was still bleeding, but it was flying around the yard, and Mrs. Sun followed behind chasing after him in a panic.


    Seeing that she was really in a bad shape, Mrs. Zhao came out of the room and said a few words. Mrs. Sun was even more anxious, and knew that she was really ashamed in front of the patriarch, but the chicken had wings, but she didn''t. It was only when the chicken lost its strength that Mrs. Sun grabbed it and cursed, "Run, run, it''s destined to be a dish in the pot. Where are you going?"


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t look any further, and looked back.


    He knew why his uncle was so generous, and proposed to let him compete with Xue Juncai, because if there were no accidents, Xue Juncai would definitely win this match.


    In that dream, he had suffered such a loss, but it was not compared with Xue Juncai, but Zhao''er worked so hard to get money and sent him to Qinghe Academy. At that time, he was so stupid that he always blamed his own failure on the harshness of fate, thinking that it was not that he could not do it, but that everyone did not give him a chance.


    When he first entered the Qinghe Academy, he was full of ambition. He thought that he would definitely surpass Xue Juncai and prove that he was the most outstanding person in the Xue family, but the reality slapped him hard in the face. It was also at that time that he, who had never seen the world, understood the sinister intentions of his uncle. He did teach him to read, and he did ''read'' a lot of books, but he just read and didn''t understand the meaning of the scriptures.


    It was later learned that after schoolchildren learn to read, they use reading scriptures as the basis.


    First learn "Three Character Classic", "Hundred Surnames", "Thousand Characters", and then "Thousand Family Poems", "Children''s Learning Qionglin", "Longwenbianying", etc. After reading these, you can enter university and start Study and read the Four Books and Five Classics, etc.


    But at this stage, the teacher does not explain the meaning of the scriptures, that is to say, he just memorizes them by rote, clarifying the meaning of the words but not the meaning of the scriptures. Because people nowadays are used to thinking that children are just learning, it doesn¡¯t matter whether they understand it or not, as long as they remember it, and when they read a lot or for a long time, they will understand what it means.


    This is the so-called reading a thousand times, and its meaning is self-evident.


    When you can recite all these books fluently, and when you can learn to interpret the scriptures, you will get twice the result with half the effort.


    This time-saving, labor-saving and effective teaching mode is popular throughout Dachang, ranging from famous families to low-level sociology and village studies, and many of them are like this. This is especially popular in rural private schools, because there is only one teacher in the school, but it is not realistic to teach several or even dozens of people to explain the scriptures.


    But in fact, aristocratic families with some background would never teach their children this way. Because this teaching mode blindly emphasizes rote memorization, but ignores the truth that the classics are natural and logical.


    This is the pros and cons that ''he'' analyzed from the perspective of the overall situation after standing in the position of chief assistant.


    But at that time, he had just entered the library, because his uncle delayed explaining the meaning of the scriptures for him, and he didn''t understand that there was still a theory of explaining the scriptures. So when he first entered school, the teacher asked him if he had read it, and he replied that he had read it, but he couldn''t understand the scriptures.


    But now, it seems that the uncle is also aware of his own shortcomings, so he deliberately proposes this match, but in fact, he has already planned it, and he is destined to lose.


    Unfortunately, there was an accident.


    *


    Because there were guests at home, except for Mr. Xue and Xue Qingshan and his son, everyone was busy.


    After eating in the main room, the kitchen will start cooking other people''s lunch.


    During the period, Xue Taoer was also ordered to drink. There was wine and meat at the banquet in the main room, and the men exchanged glasses, and there was no way to see that there was any cleverness in the usual times. Especially Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng, the two drank very affectionately, and in the end they both got a little drunk.


    "Okay, don''t send it off, you''ll be there soon." Patriarch Xue waved his hand.


    After sending everyone out of the courtyard, this side started to clear the table and prepare meals. Mrs. Zhao originally wanted to take away the leftover meat and vegetables, but was stopped by Mr. Xue, saying that he was adding vegetables to everyone. People in the country are not rich, and it is commonplace for distinguished guests to leave and eat leftovers.


    The adults are all fine, Shuanzi and Maodan are eating deliciously.


    Zhao''er wanted to take the meal back to the house to eat, but was stopped by Xue Tingxiang, the two just kept their heads down and ate as before, without saying anything.


    Xue Juncai gave Xue Tingxiang a disdainful look.


    He had just accompanied Xue Qingshan to the table, and naturally he ate a lot of good food on the table, seeing that Xue Tingxiang could only eat leftovers, he was naturally full of sarcasm.


    He remembered what his father said to him before, Xue Gouzi would never win him.


    Thinking in his heart, he looked away, and said to Mr. Xue who was on the kang, "Grandpa, I''m going back to the house to read."


    Mr. Xue nodded. He also drank a little too much before, and now he is leaning on the kang smoking a cigarette to hangover.


    "Dog, eat more, brother is still waiting for you to beat me in five days." Xue Juncai suddenly said this when passing by Xue Tingxiang.


    Zhao''er immediately stood up and stared at him: "Can you talk? You''ve read the dog''s stomach after so many years of reading."


    Xue Juncai didn''t expect Zhao''er to show him such shame, his gentle face flushed red, but for some reason, he glanced at Zhao''er and held back.


    Mr. Xue shouted: "Juncai go back to the house!"


    Mrs. Zhou also hurriedly stood up to persuade Zhao''er, that''s all.


    After dinner, the two went back to the second room, and Zhao''er was still angry: "Don''t be angry, dog. When sister earns money, I will take you to the house and won''t be with them anymore."


    Xue Tingxiang was a little moved, but at the same time a little helpless: "You called me a dog again."


    Zhao''er groaned, then smiled and said: "I forgot, it won''t be like this in the future."


    Naturally, he couldn''t be angry with her, and then Zhao''er took the two clothes she changed yesterday and went out to wash, while Xue Tingxiang turned over the "Children''s Learning Qionglin" again.


    Looking at the book in his hand, which was transcribed on the worst bamboo paper and the footers were worn away, Xue Tingxiang felt a little worried. He actually didn''t want to read books, but Zhao''er couldn''t help but think that he should read more books now, and only by reading more books can he win against Xue Juncai more confidently.


    Little did he know that this book was different from the book, and it was useless to just read this book, but he would not tell her about it.


    He dug out the bamboo paper that Zhao''er bought for him from the kang cabinet. The cheapest bamboo paper cost 40 cents a knife. Such ''expensive'' paper was barely enough for practicing calligraphy. Even so, he is very precious at ordinary times, and he is reluctant to use it at all. If he can write on the sand, he will write on the sand, and if he can''t use the sand, he will write on the desk with water.


    Xue Tingxiang touched the stack of yellowed bamboo paper and sighed in his heart.


    ''Xue Tingxiang'' usually uses the highest quality Chengxin paper, so at this time he feels a little disgusted with the things that are usually precious.


    He spread out the papers on the kang table, stacked several sheets, and then cut them into the size of a book with a bamboo knife. In order to make room for the edge seam, he left some leeway and cut a thick stack before he found the inkstone with a corner missing and the ink ingot that had been used up and only a small piece remained.


    These are treasures that he is reluctant to use at ordinary times, but Xue Tingxiang doesn''t feel this way at all today. He added water to the inkstone, and then took the ink ingot to grind the ink, while grinding, he was thinking about something.


    After grinding the ink, he put the bald hair brush in the water bowl and wet it to clean it. After dipping in enough ink, he picked up the pen and wrote something on the paper.

 Chapter 266

    The books in the bookcase are new and old, some are hardcover, which are worth a lot of money at first glance, and some are thread-bound, which looks a little rough. Most of them are transcribed copies. Generally, it is not sure that the book will be a good seller. The bookstore boss always asks someone to transcribe it, because if it is opened, thousands of copies will be printed.


    Zhao''er was familiar with the boss, and greeted her with a smile as soon as she entered the door. The strange thing was that the boss recognized her, and when he saw her, he smiled and asked her if she came to buy paper for her brother.


    Bringing this up is a bit old.


    At the beginning, Zhao''er felt sorry for Xue Tingxiang, so she saved some money to buy paper for him to practice calligraphy. Who would have thought that this paper was much more expensive than she imagined. Even the worst yellow bamboo paper costs 40 Wen a knife, but that day Zhaoer collected all the money on his body, but only 30 Wen.


    In order to get the boss to sell the paper to her at a lower price, Zhao''er worked with the boss for a long time. He even made up the pretense that he had a hard-working and studious younger brother, but unfortunately his parents died and his family was poor, so the boss agreed to sell it to her cheaply. Later, she came to buy it a few times, all at the previous price, but she became acquainted with Boss Chen.


    Boss Chen praised her for her noble character, earning hard money, but still supporting her younger brother''s education. Usually, when she comes to buy paper, she almost always buys half and gives half away.


    Normally, Zhao''er would accept this kind of talk with a cheeky face, but today with Xue Tingxiang around, she was inevitably a little embarrassed, for fear that Boss Chen would slip up and make the little man look down on her for lying.


    Zhao''er has suffered, so she knows the skills of survival, but the little man doesn''t, especially the scholar is very pedantic, so every time she encounters such a situation where the two people''s ideas conflict, she will always subconsciously go away. Avoid these.


    Within a day, two people said that they were his younger brothers, which made Xue Tingxiang very unhappy. Naturally, he didn''t notice Zhao''er''s hidden thoughts. When he came back to his senses, Zhao''er had already talked with the boss, and even showed him the copy of "Hundred Surnames" that he had copied overnight.


    "This is your brother? He looks handsome, but a little thinner." Boss Chen is a middle-aged man in his forties, with a goatee and elegant body. Wearing a scholar''s shirt, he doesn''t look like a business boss, but a scholar.


    "He was sick for a while a while ago, and he got better recently."


    "No wonder I haven''t seen you here for a long time." While talking, Boss Chen took the manuscript that Zhao''er handed over, whether it was bound or paper quality, it was very poor.


    He knew in his heart that this kind of peasant boy could not write very good characters, but he admired this young man named Zhao''er, so he planned not to criticize too much even if he really did not do well, just say some mild words and refuse it. up.


    If the level is not bad and the words can still be read, it is not impossible to give him some casual work, just as a help.


    But when Boss Chen saw the writing on the yellow bamboo paper, he was still taken aback.


    "He wrote this word?" Boss Chen looked at Xue Tingxiang in surprise, and went to flip through the manuscript in his hand.


    His expression was so weird that Zhao''er had a bad feeling in his heart. She couldn''t help wondering if the little man''s handwriting was not good, after all, no one had ever praised the little man''s handwriting, even Xue Qingshan said that his handwriting was like a spring worm and autumn snake.


    Although Zhao''er doesn''t know what spring worms and autumn snakes are, she understands the sad look on the little man''s face, and she knows it means poor writing.


    But she didn''t think it was the little man''s fault. He even had to pick and use the paper that could practice calligraphy. Can he write well? It was that time that she lost her temper, collected vegetables and sold them in the town, and saved a sum of money to buy Xue Tingxiang''s first piece of paper in her life.


    It was a whole knife, not a few pieces given as a charity from Xue Qingshan or Xue Juncai.


    Zhao''er''s head felt cold for a while, and she couldn''t help wondering if she was too blind to the little man at ordinary times, or if she flattered her too much. She was not afraid of anything else, but she was afraid that if Boss Chen said something unpleasant later, the little man would not be able to stand the blow.


    Thinking of this, she hurriedly turned her back and made a gesture to Boss Chen, leading him aside, then said to him in a low voice: "Uncle Chen, if my younger brother''s handwriting is really bad, can you..."


    "Can you do something?" Immediately, Boss Chen understood and said with a smile: "You kid too, even if you have a heart of love and affection, you should not deceive him, but point out his shortcomings, so that he will to make progress.¡±


    His voice was a bit loud, Xue Tingxiang over there must have heard it, Zhao''er blushed, but Na Na didn''t know what to say.


    Boss Chen said again: "But your brother''s handwriting is really good, he must be a famous teacher."


    He walked up to Xue Tingxiang in a few steps, and saluted with cupped fists: "I don''t know who my little friend is your teacher?" He said hesitantly in his eyes, because the poor boy in front of him, who was dressed in coarse cloth and short brown, really didn''t seem to be able to learn from anyone. Famous teachers.


    Just his words...


    Since Boss Chen runs a book shop, he is either a hobby or a ancestral business. In fact, Boss Chen has both, which can be regarded as the origin of family education. He also passed the exam several times when he was young, but he stopped at being a scholar. However, he was not interested in being an official, so he turned around and took care of his ancestral business. It is also a great thing in life to meet a few literary friends, play chess, drink tea, taste calligraphy and painting together.


    From his point of view, although this son''s handwriting is immature, he already has a strong character.


    We must know that the shape is easy to get, but the spirit is hard to find. Master Yan and Master Liu have always been collectively called "Yan Jin Liu Gu", which is enough to show the characteristics of Yan body. However, Xue Tingxiang''s calligraphy has already possessed its fundamentals. As long as it does not go astray, in time, he will definitely be a great calligrapher of a generation.


    How did he know that Xue Tingxiang deliberately hid the edge of his pen in order to hide himself, and it took most of the night to finish copying the book that could have been copied in half an hour at most. Otherwise, if the word is taken out, Boss Chen will definitely think it is someone''s calligraphy.


    Just when Boss Chen was thinking about it, Xue Tingxiang had already answered: "I don''t have a teacher."


    "Just copying?"


    "I''ve been to "Yan Qinli Monument" before."


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t lie, he did only copy "Yan Qinli Monument", this set of copybooks is Xue Qingshan''s favorite treasure, and he never let people touch it. And the reason why he was lucky enough to see and touch it once was that Xue Jun, who was still young at that time, was shown off in front of him.


    Because of this incident, he was extremely impressed with "Yan Qinli Monument", and even became obsessed with it. Later, after some money at home, Zhao''er bought a set with him, and the first font he learned was Yanti.


    "Just came across "Yan Qin Li Monument"?"


    Xue Tingxiang nodded.


    Boss Chen''s eyes became brighter, and he sighed after a long time: "Perhaps you have a talent in this field that is difficult for others to surpass. I hope you practice hard and don''t slack off. That''s all, let''s talk about business. Your handwriting is very good. In my opinion It''s passed here."


    He walked inside the counter, took a book and handed it to Xue Tingxiang.


    "I have a copy of "University Chapters and Sentences" here. You can take it back and try it out. I will provide the pen and ink. After copying, if the finished product is not inferior to the standard of this book, I will pay you a tael of silver."


    "One tael of silver? Uncle Chen, isn''t that too much?" Zhao''er asked in surprise.


    Uncle Chen laughed: "Do you know how many characters are in this book? And do you know how much money I will resell this book for?"


    After finishing speaking, he continued to say to Xue Tingxiang: "It is reasonable to say that it is to be copied in my book shop. If you take the book back and copy it, you need to pay some pledged money or things. I know your brother well, so forget it." Well, how long do you think it will take to finish copying?"


    Xue Tingxiang hesitated for a moment, and said: "Since Boss Chen has rules here, how about the boy copying here? I just hope that Boss Chen will be more flexible. Can you let the boy read a few books here in his spare time?"


    Boss Chen was taken aback for a moment, and then he understood. He took a deep look at this thin but neither humble nor overbearing boy.


    "Can!"


    "Then thank you Boss Chen first, don''t worry, the boy will definitely not damage the books here."


    Zhao''er kept silent until the end of the conversation, and then pulled Xue Tingxiang aside to speak.


    "Do you really want to copy books here? It would be nice to take it home. If you are afraid that Boss Chen won''t allow it, I still have some money to pledge."


    "You don''t think this is a good place."


    Xue Tingxiang looked back at the room full of books, he himself had only read a limited number of books, and in the memory of ''Xue Tingxiang'', many memories about this aspect were blurred.


    But life is his, and he wants to move forward step by step. It doesn''t mean that he has a dream, and he will definitely be the chief assistant in the future, and he will definitely be able to pass the Jinshi examination. After all, even Xue Tingxiang in the dream had to put in a lot of hard work and go through many detours before he could reach the first rank of official residence step by step.


    Of course Zhao''er understood what he meant, but she was very worried about suddenly leaving the little man outside alone. She was thinking about finding an excuse to stay here with him, but Boss Chen said from the side: "Okay, you don''t have to worry about your brother, can you lose it with me? You don''t have to sell vegetables to work today? Hurry up. "


    In the eyes of Boss Chen, Zhao''er is a hard-working brother who supports his younger brother by selling vegetables in the town.


    "Uncle Chen, I''m leaving now."


    She hurriedly took out a dozen or so copper coins from her pocket and handed them to Xue Tingxiang: "I should come to find you for lunch at noon, if not, you can buy it yourself, right here..."


    "Copy books here, and you can have a light meal at noon." Boss Chen interrupted again.


    Zhao''er was still rambling: "You still have the money, you can buy whatever you want, and I will pick you up in the afternoon."


    "You''d better pick up your work and finish it first, don''t worry your brother won''t lose it."


    This Uncle Chen!


    Zhao''er couldn''t go on talking anymore, and ran out of the bookstore almost in despair.


    After the person had left, Boss Chen teased with a smile: "Your brother treats you very well."


    Xue Tingxiang smirked, "It''s pretty good, like a little hen who doesn''t care about her chicks. For some reason, he actually thought of this sentence.


    After that, under the guidance of the shop assistant, he went to a room behind the shop.


    The layout of this room is simple, but it is elegant. It can be seen that Boss Chen is an elegant person. The best thing about this house is that there is a large window facing the outside yard, and there is a set of tables and chairs, which is completely different from Xue Tingxiang''s imagination of being hidden in a dark room without light.


    The clerk even brought a basin of water for him to wash his hands, prepared pens, ink, paper and inkstone, etc., and said he could call him if he had anything to do, so he went down.


    Xue Tingxiang came to the water basin, dipped his hands in the water, rubbed them gently a few times, and wiped them dry with a cloth towel beside him, before going to the desk and sitting down.


    He grinds the ink first. Grinding ink can well adjust people''s emotions and achieve a ''quiet'' state.


    After the ink was polished, his mind was empty at this moment. He rolled up his sleeves to write, and his hands were empty, only to realize that he was wearing a short brown at this time, where there were no sleeves, so naturally he was not afraid of staining the sleeves.


    All this was just for a moment, he didn''t care about it, and wrote quietly.


    But Boss Chen, who was standing outside the door, was a little skeptical, and couldn''t help but wonder if this son was from a famous family, but it''s a pity that his family has fallen, rather than a poor kid. His words and deeds, and even his demeanor, don''t look like those from a poor family at all.


    After thinking for a while, but unable to figure out why, Boss Chen shook his head and went back to the front.


    The mule named Daqing shook its head and snorted, which seemed to mean that if he dared to deduct my rations, I would slow down and let him carry it by himself.


    Zhao''er laughed loudly, pointed at Daqing and said, "Look, even Daqing protested."


    Jiang Wu looked sideways at the girl who was smiling wantonly, with a strange gleam in her eyes. Fortunately, Daqing knew the way and was docile, otherwise he would have ordered all three people in the car into the ditch beside the road.


    Seeing this scene, Xue Tingxiang''s face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.


    He was both annoyed and angry, he actually forgot about Jiang Wu.


    In that dream, Jiang Wu has been coveting Zhao''er.


    Jiang Wu was two years older than Zhao''er, but he never married. If Zhao''er hadn''t been his child bride-in-law, the Jiang family would have come to propose marriage a long time ago.


    Even so, Jiang Wu never gave up, and once even approached him and told him that he wanted to marry Zhao''er, telling him not to be so selfish, and letting Zhao''er go free. She also said that she and Zhao''er would support him to study together and treat him like a younger brother, that''s how he knew about it.


    Shocked and annoyed, he also remembered Zhao''er''s reluctance to marry him. He mistakenly thought that Zhao''er had an affair with Jiang Wu, so he borrowed his parents'' orders to forcefully marry her. Later, by chance, Only then did he realize that he had wronged her.


    This matter has always been a scar between the two, even though it was never mentioned again, there is a gap between them. Afterwards, he was busy starting his career, while Zhao''er was busy running business. The two met only once in a long time, and even when they met, they seldom talked again until he went to Beijing to rush for the exam after winning the exam.


    The he in the dream once thought after Zhao''er died, if he hadn''t been so despicable back then and forced Zhao''er by his parents'' orders, Zhao''er wouldn''t have died.


    But this kind of thought is like a superficial thought, it just passed by in a flash. At this time, thinking about it, he is probably despicable in his bones. Even if he is not the Xue Tingxiang in his dream, he never thought of letting him go.


    She was supposed to be his, and when he still half understood, someone would always point to her and say, this is his future wife, isn''t it?


    "Brother Jiang Wu, you''d better look at some roads, this road is uneven, don''t lead us all into a ditch."


    Xue Tingxiang''s voice successfully interrupted the chatting and laughing of Jiang Wu and Zhao''er, as if a very ignorant person suddenly appeared, making the already warm atmosphere suddenly cool down.


    Zhao''er laughed dryly: "Look at me, I was so focused on talking to you about the business that I forgot that you were still driving the car. Fortunately, Daqing is smart, otherwise I would have fallen."


    Da Qing called out, looking very complacent.


    Jiang Wu looked back subconsciously, just in time to meet the young man''s dark eyes. Those eyes made him inexplicably guilty, but soon he regained his confidence.


    He knew that the dogs of the Xue family didn''t like to recruit children, and he also knew that the second bedroom couple of the Xue family originally recruited children as daughters, not child brides. The child bride-in-law was only passed on from the villagers to the villagers, and it became true because of the entrustment of the second wife of the Xue family at the end of their lives.


    Not only that, but he also knew that Zhao''er only regarded the other party as a younger brother, and had no intention of marrying the other party.


    The young man was undoubtedly thin and thin, although he was handsome, there was still a bit of childishness on his face. Such a young man made the strong and powerful Jiang Wu inexplicably feel condescending. He smiled heartily and said indifferently: "Don''t be afraid, you dog, Brother Jiang Wu drives the car every day, and you can walk back with your eyes closed."


    Xue Tingxiang did not speak, but lowered his head with the corners of his lips pursed.


    Seeing this, Zhao''er immediately understood whether the title Gouzi made the little man feel uncomfortable again. But facing Jiang Wu, she couldn''t show a cold face, she could only smile and say: "Brother Jiang Wu, let me tell you that the dog has a name, it''s called Tingxiang, Xue Tingxiang."


    "It''s an elegant name."


    "Yeah, so don''t call me Gouzi Gouzi in the future, it''s weird."


    While speaking, the car had arrived at Yuqing Village.


    Jiang Wu inertially circled to the end of the village before stopping, Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang got out of the car.


    "When will the business be done? Tell me a time, and I will pick you up when the time comes."


    "Aren''t you going to be busy in the town tomorrow, and those clothes have to be tidied up. When I''m ready, I''ll go to your house and give you a letter."


    Zhao''er also thought that two days later would be the day when Xue Tingxiang and Xue Juncai competed, and she would not be in the mood to do business until this matter was over.


    "OK."


    *


    Now that the matter was settled, they said goodbye to each other.


    Jiang Wu drove the car home, while Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang went home together.


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t say anything along the way, but just walked silently.


    Zhao''er glanced at him: "What''s the matter? You seem a little unhappy. Did Brother Jiang Wu call you angry just now? He didn''t know you were famous. I told him that he would never That''s what it''s called."


    He suppressed the jealousy in his heart, and said in a muffled voice, "Why do you know him so well?"


    "Brother Jiang Wu, we''ve known each other since we were young. You forgot that Heizi was brought back by his dog after he gave birth to a cub. Brother Jiang Wu is a very nice person and has helped me a lot."


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t speak, but stopped.


    Zhao''er walked forward for a while, only to realize that he hadn''t followed.


    She came back in a few steps, and asked suspiciously: "What''s wrong with you, why are you so weird?"


    He held his breath: "Don''t forget, you are a man."


    Zhao''er was taken aback for a moment, then looked at him and laughed. But he just smiled and didn''t speak, which made Xue Tingxiang angry and annoyed.


    Don''t think about it, she must have thought of something good.


    Seeing his fair face flushed with anger, Zhao''er hurriedly said: "Okay, don''t be angry, I know I have a man."


    There was a teasing taste in her voice, knowing that she was coaxing him, his heart still jumped several times.


    With the experience in the dream, Xue Tingxiang knew that this was not the time to be awkward, besides, there was Jiang Wu watching over him, so he didn''t want to repeat the experience in the dream again.


    He couldn''t help but reiterated: "I''m also doing it for your own good, lest people in the village see and make irresponsible remarks." He didn''t dare to look at her, but stared at the ground beside him, with some confidence in his heart. Distracted.


    Seeing him confessing himself like an adult, with a fair face and a slightly childish face, I don''t know how to trick him and want to rub his head.


    She did the same, and said at the same time: "Well, well, you are right, I will listen to you."


    He suddenly became more angry, and a sense of powerlessness and discouragement came to his heart.


    Why does she always treat herself like a child!


    *


    Early the next morning, Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang went out.


    When I arrived, Dongliju had just opened, Xue Tingxiang went to the clean room yesterday to continue copying books, but Zhao''er went to the yard behind the shop.


    She discussed with Boss Chen and borrowed this place to pack her clothes. Zhao''er had seen those clothes before, they were all old clothes, since she wanted to make money, she couldn''t afford to sell them poorly, so she came here today mainly to do this job.


    She borrowed the bamboo mat used for drying books from the shop, poured out the big bag of clothes, first sorted them into men''s and women''s styles, and then divided them into several piles according to texture and thickness, and then began to check the clothes one by one for damage. The place.


    If there was a hole somewhere, she would sew it up with the needle and thread she brought. Zhao''er''s needlework is pretty good, but she can''t do embroidery or something, and she''s fine with sewing and making clothes.


    She managed to clean up a pile, and seeing that the sun was shining outside, she went to fetch water from the well in the courtyard. There is a pulley in the well, so it is very convenient to fetch water. Zhao''er fetched a basin of water, soaked the clothes in the big wooden basin, wiped the soap locust water and scrubbed it.


    After washing and rinsing, the rice soup in the kitchen is also ready.


    Although Boss Chen and the others don''t cook in the shop, they always need a place to boil water for tea and so on, so the shop also turned on the fire, and Zhao''er borrowed the stove to cook a big pot of rice soup.


    She brought out the boiled rice soup, poured it into the wooden basin, and added some water into it, it is most suitable if it is slightly hot. Fang poured all the washed clothes into it and kept stirring with a stick.


    Stir well, put half a cup of tea, pick up the clothes from the wooden basin, fetch water and rinse again.


    This is the so-called starched clothes. The clothes that have been washed are sticky and sticky. As long as they don''t fade, they look like new ones. Some people who are fastidious will iron it with an iron, but since there is no such condition, Zhao''er does not intend to do so.


    During this period, Boss Chen came in. Seeing that Zhao''er was in full swing, he pointed to the various clothes hanging out in the yard and said with a smile, "It''s good for you, you take my place as your own. You make it look like a laundry room."

 Chapter 267

    This scene made many people stunned on the spot.


    Fortunately, Xue Tingxiang had quick eyesight and quick hands, and hugged Mao Wenhao just before he hit the pillar.


    Seeing that the situation was so dangerous, even the new emperor on the dragon chair couldn''t help wiping off a cold sweat.


    He hurriedly stood up and asked the eunuch beside him to see how Mao Wenhao was doing, and said angrily: "Speak well, you say you bumped into a pillar, you can''t talk about what you said, and you have to make some deadly remonstrance."


    The so-called civil and military remonstrance and military death battle have always been the highest honor for civil and military officials.


    Civil officials like dead remonstrance, and the new emperor has known this for a long time.


    It was supposed to express the fearlessness of daring to speak out directly, even at the risk of committing death, but it gradually evolved into a method used by courtiers to deal with the emperor. It means that if His Majesty does not listen to the old minister''s persuasion, the old minister will kowtow to death on the pillar.


    If you think that people are just threatening and won''t be serious, then you are wrong. Don''t look at those civil servants who have no power to restrain chickens, they seem to be quite cowardly.


    Because of such a death, his name will definitely be left in history.


    The minister who died admonishing him will be famous in history, and the emperor will also leave the name of a faint and tyrant in the history books. Not only can the emperor not retaliate against the descendants of his ministers, but he has to treat them kindly. Maybe in the future, he will cultivate a courtier who likes to control everything, and will kowtow to death as a threat at every turn.


    When this happened to others, such as my own father, Emperor Jiacheng, the third prince who was born as a prince at that time would at most scold him as pedantic.


    But if it was him himself, Xindi could truly experience this helpless and disgusting feeling.


    "Your Majesty can''t listen to advice, the old minister can only go down and talk to the first emperor." Mao Wenhao cried and struggled while crying: "Master Xue, don''t drag me, I will be crushed to death here today."


    "Stop it, I''ll ask them to go back to Beijing to ask about the situation. If there is really something corrupt and perverted, I will not forgive you lightly." In desperation, the new emperor said.


    "Is what His Majesty said true?"


    Seeing Yang Chonghua and others glaring at him angrily, the new emperor finally understood what he said.


    But at this moment, he backtracked, so what face did he have?


    I can only bite the bullet and say: "Of course it is true, Mr. Mao should not make trouble anymore. I planned it this way, but I didn''t expect you to bump into the pillar without explaining it. You are really, really too impatient..."


    The new emperor left in a hurry.


    With the sound of "Retreat", Mao Wenhao patted the ashes on his body and got up, gave Xue Tingxiang a disdainful look, and left triumphantly.


    However, all the officials around Xue Tingxiang were enraged, and they all scolded this person for being shameless.


    Xue Tingxiang couldn''t help shaking his head helplessly, but couldn''t say anything.


    Yang Chonghua glanced at him and left in a hurry.


    *


    At the back door of Duke Dingguo''s mansion, several carriages were parked.


    Several plainly dressed but beautiful women turned their heads and cried, but they couldn''t stop them at all. They had no choice but to let the maids help them into the carriage, and the carriage left here quickly.


    Zhong Qingyang, the son of Duke Dingguo and the commander-in-chief of the Fifth Army Battalion, was fined for half a year and ordered to release his concubine who violated the system. This was something that was unimaginable before, but today it really happened.


    Dingguo''s mansion was full of gloom, and the atmosphere was extremely gloomy.


    Seemingly a small matter, it just proved that the new emperor had the intention of attacking them.


    In fact, he should have expected it long ago, and even had precautions, but when it really happened, he was still somewhat incapable of accepting it.


    In Dingguogong''s study, Dingguogong, who is over seventy years old, sits behind the desk.


    His beard and hair are all white, and his face is majestic. It can be seen that he was also a hero when he was young.


    In fact, this was indeed the case. As a lieutenant general in the uprising in the past, he also made countless contributions in exchange for the position of duke.


    It''s a pity that the hero is late, and he is about to enter the coffin, but because of his grandson, he has fallen into such a situation.


    Because of the impeachment of a small censor, his family was swept away by the new emperor!


    This is the embarrassment of losing power, so Ding Guogong does not regret planning for his grandson at the beginning. If the Zhong family can produce a queen mother and their grandson becomes the emperor, at least the Zhong family will be able to keep their wealth and honor for another hundred years.


    Prosperity and wealth are based on a gamble, if it happens again, Ding Guogong will still choose this way. But he will definitely not underestimate that group of civil servants, those civil servants who only rely on a mouth, a pen, and a head, and are powerless.


    It''s not that Duke Ding didn''t pay attention to these civil servants, he just didn''t expect them to dare to set up such a big picture.


    Scholars are so cunning, the ancients did not deceive him.


    The current situation is that the new emperor is supported by those civil servants to ascend the throne, the second prince and Concubine Zhong are in a dilemma, and the Zhong family''s fate is only in the near future.


    Don''t complain about anything, only blame yourself for missing a move.


    "Father, we can''t sit still and wait for death, or the next time someone finds a reason for my Zhong family, seizes the military power, and the whole family will be wiped out." Zhong Qingyang said solemnly.


    If there is one, there are two, and sooner or later the butcher''s knife will come to your door.


    In the world, apart from the missing Emperor Jiacheng, only the second prince and his family knew the secret of the new emperor, so he would definitely not let the Zhong family off, even the second prince and even Concubine Zhong, now changed to Concubine Zhong Taigui.


    It was supposed to be evenly matched, but since the new emperor ascended the throne, the Zhong family can clearly feel that the balance is tilting a little bit as time goes by.


    This is the natural advantage of being an emperor, and he is famous for his teaching. So even those who followed the Zhong family and even the second prince began to hesitate, these are not good omens.


    "Then what do you think?"


    "We can cooperate with Xue Tingxiang!" Zhong Qingyang gritted his teeth.


    Duke Ding looked over.


    "Xue Tingxiang was the late emperor''s confidant and loyal. From what he has done since he returned to Beijing, it can be seen that he has suspicions, but there is no evidence. Regardless of whether this is the case, at least Ye Ju, Lin Miao and others are The late emperor''s confidantes, the return of these people will give him more help. If these people know that the late emperor is not dead, and the third prince is trying to usurp the throne, what do you think will happen to them?"


    "But our end will not be good. Don''t forget what the Zhong family and even the second prince did in it. Even if the former emperor returns to the court, he will not let the Zhong family go." Dingguo said.


    "Both left and right are dead, so it''s better to bet that the first emperor didn''t dare to show up because he was single and weak. And father, you forgot that you had been scruples about the love of the dead and kept the Zhong family from showing up, and the second prince made a move. I feel ashamed of such disobedience, and I have never come forward.


    "We can definitely say that they are using the name of the second prince. We were actually framed and framed. Even if the first emperor knew it well, even if he was concerned about the outside world, he would not do anything to the Zhong family. As long as we are honest and peaceful, Zhong The lives of hundreds of people in the clan can be saved."


    "But your sister." The bowl of medicine mixed with something was brought to Emperor Jiacheng by Concubine Zhong herself.


    "If my younger sister knows that this is beneficial to the Zhong family and the second prince, she will definitely understand. And my son has always felt that Xue Tingxiang seems to know something. He is just waiting. Maybe the first emperor will return soon. It''s time-"


    The study fell into a suffocating silence, and suddenly there was a beeping sound from the lamp wick.


    Duke Ding suddenly became sluggish, and said a little tiredly: "Let me think about it again."


    Think about it again, but Ding Guogong''s appearance is obviously moving his mind, it''s just that he was sad about the hurdle in his heart for a while, and he didn''t make a decision for the time being.


    Another day, Xue Tingxiang returned to the mansion in an official sedan chair.


    When walking halfway, suddenly the road ahead was blocked.


    It''s the Zhong family''s carriage.


    The guards on both sides mediated separately, and soon a road was vacated, and the Zhong family''s carriage gave way to one side, letting Xue Tingxiang''s sedan chair go first.


    Just as Xue Tingxiang opened the car curtain to look out, a face appeared in the carriage diagonally opposite, it was Zhong Qingyang.


    Between the interlaced eyes, they understand each other.


    Not long after, a car and a sedan headed in the same direction.


    *


    Tan Shoufu has been seriously ill all the time, and even the late Emperor Longyu was unable to stay in the couch after his death.


    The new emperor was sympathetic and spared him from entering the palace to cry. It is said that Tan Shoufu was so sad that he fainted on the sick bed several times, so that his body became weaker, and he almost went with the first emperor several times.


    Although he now occupies the position of chief assistant, the current cabinet is headed by Yang Chonghua. We all know that Tan Shoufu has recently resigned from office, so although Yang Chonghua does not have the name of Shoufu, some people have secretly called him Shoufu.


    It was another early morning, and all the officials stood in line according to their ranks, with civil officials on the left and military officials on the right.


    These are the usual old rules, where everyone stands, everyone knows it well.


    Yang Chonghua led the team and stood at the top on the left. The daughter-in-law for many years became a mother-in-law, Xu Shoufu was gone, Wu Ge was gone, and now it is finally his turn to lead.


    It was time to wait for the new emperor to come to court, so the surroundings were very quiet.


    At this moment, there was a commotion in the rear. Yang Chonghua only thought that some officials were late, and didn''t take it seriously.


    But gradually the commotion came behind him, he subconsciously turned around, and saw Tan Shoufu walking slowly towards him in a senile manner.


    In his slightly widened eyes, the other party passed him at an extremely slow speed, and stood in front of him.


    Therefore, he had to retreat three steps, and Feng Chengbao behind him also retreated, followed by a group of officials retreating one after another, and the group gradually calmed down.


    As if sensing Yang Chonghua''s surprise, Tan Shoufu smiled and nodded at him, but when he turned to the back, he was faintly apologetic.


    The surroundings are still quiet, but because of this, there are so many thoughts floating in the dark.


    The new emperor arrived soon, and after shouting long live, he sat down on the dragon chair.


    He seemed to be very surprised by Tan Shoufu''s appearance.


    Then the eunuch in charge of the court shouted: "If you have something to do, you will leave the court if you have nothing to do." The new emperor looked at Tan Shoufu with a smile and said, "Is Tan Aiqing in good health? You are unwell, and I have always been very concerned."


    Tan Shoufu knelt down tremblingly, and made a prostration.


    The new emperor paled in surprise, and hurriedly asked the eunuch beside him to help him up. Before the eunuch got down the steps, Tan Shoufu stood up tremblingly by himself, saying that he should not behave like this to His Majesty.


    "The old minister is ashamed. The corpse is a vegetarian meal. I asked the late emperor to resign several times. The late emperor was kind and loving, so he forced him to stay. So I can only have the audacity to stay in his position but not seek his own government. I am really ashamed, ashamed."


    In such a situation, the new emperor would naturally have to say some face-saving words: "Tan Aiqing is an old minister, and my father misses the past and respects him very much. With so many officials in my Dachang, there is no shortage of one or two ministers to handle affairs, but as long as my father sees that you are always there Chao, my heart is safe."


    This is not what the new emperor said, but a paraphrase of what Emperor Jiacheng once said.


    Emperor Jiacheng said words like this countless times, many times to Xu Shoufu, and many times to Tan Liang, which was really touching.


    Sure enough, when Tan Shoufu heard this, he wiped away his old tears, first crying about the benevolence and righteousness of the former emperor, and then saying that the new emperor will have the style of the first emperor, and that in the future he must be a generation of benevolent emperors.


    People like to hear good things, and Xindi especially likes to hear them. In fact, he often heard these words, but if they came from the mouth of the first emperor''s minister, it made him feel refreshed.


    "But the kindness between the former emperor and His Majesty is not the reason why the old minister can rely on his power. Today, the old minister came here with his sick body to ask his majesty to resign. The old minister has not returned to his hometown for many years, and now he may follow the late emperor someday." I have gone, I want to go back to my hometown to have a look, choose a place to bury the bones, wait for the deadline to come, and go down to serve the late emperor."


    This is a bit serious. In fact, whether you want to retire or not, you can still tell the difference through words. Tan Shoufu''s words clearly indicated that he had made up his mind to go.


    The new emperor was both surprised and embarrassed, but it was undoubtedly a good thing for Tan Shoufu to give up his position.


    He said some words of consolation and persuasion, seeing Tan Shoufu''s firm attitude, he could only reward him before deciding on the matter.


    "On this occasion, the old minister has another matter that needs to be reported to His Majesty. In fact, the old minister is mainly here for this purpose, and he has a heavy responsibility. Several times, the old minister was dying, so he came back with force."


    "Oh, I still don''t know what it is?"


    Tan Shoufu''s words not only aroused the curiosity of the new emperor, but also aroused the curiosity of many ministers. Some ministers standing behind looked at each other, wondering what was going on.


    "Actually, it''s an edict from the first emperor." Tan Shoufu quickly revealed the answer, but he didn''t take out anything, but began to lament the late emperor at length, and then revealed the origin of the edict.


    He is getting old, maybe he has been seriously ill several times in a row, and his speech is much slower than before.


    The key point is that he is not only slow, but also long-winded, and he always forgets the front after talking, and occasionally repeats what has been said before.


    If it was before, that''s all. Hun Dang will talk about him this morning.


    But now and then, everyone has never heard of any edict issued by the former emperor, and now a edict suddenly appeared, not to mention some ordinary ministers, even the new emperor Yang Chonghua and others are eager to know what the content is.


    "...On the day when Lord Xue went to Jiangnan, the old minister had an interview with the saint. His Majesty said that if the new policy can be carried out in the Jiangnan area, Master Xue''s merits are in the contemporary era. Afterwards, Lord Xue held a meeting to debate the new policy at the Suzhou Tribute Court. Scholars from all over the world gathered. The beneficiaries gathered. The scene of that day was sent to the capital through the mouths of the world and by express delivery. His Majesty was overjoyed and excited. Without going into details, he once called the old minister into the palace to talk. At this time, His Majesty I gave the old minister a handbook."


    After these words, the officials finally knew the general content of the former emperor''s edict.


    Is this related to Xue Shilang?


    For a moment, countless eyes swept over Xue Tingxiang who was standing in the rank of civil servants.


    "I still don''t know where the handwriting is, and what''s on it?" The new emperor finally asked what everyone wanted to know, and the breath that was pent up in his heart finally came out.


    It was still trembling as usual, making people want to rush up to pick it up for him.


    Tan Shoufu finally took out a roll from his sleeve.


    The roll seemed to be very important, and it was wrapped in a cloth towel. Untie one layer of the cloth towel, there is another layer inside, and it has been opened five or six layers before revealing what is underneath.


    All the officials and even the new emperor really suspected that Tan Shoufu did this on purpose, and he made them very upset anyway.


    "This handbook was originally created by His Majesty, but after writing it, His Majesty couldn''t bear to destroy it, and gave it to the old minister, saying that when the old man retires and returns to his hometown, this handbook will be published. Your Majesty is really a king of benevolence and righteousness." , the old minister really..."


    Tan Shoufu started crying again, which made people feel anxious and wanted to beat him up.


    After crying, Tan Shoufu casually handed the handbook to Yang Chonghua, saying: "Mr. Yang Ge, please help me read it. I can''t calm down at this time, and I really can''t bear to read this handbook."


    After Yang Chonghua opened the handbook, his eyes were focused on it.


    Surprise, embarrassment, and disbelief flashed in his eyes, and the old hand holding the handbook showed bruises.


    "Your Majesty said that with Master Xue''s achievements, he is worthy of this position, and there is no need to be restricted by his age and qualifications. Originally, when Master Xue came back from Guangdong, His Majesty had planned to let him join the cabinet. He just thought that he was young and wanted to suppress him. He can also take on greater responsibilities in the future... Hey, Master Yang, why don''t you read it?"


    Tan Shoufu opened his old and dim eyes and looked at Yang Chonghua behind him.


    "My official, my official..." Yang Chonghua smiled stiffly, and said, "I''m here to read it now. Young Fu Xue Tingxiang is amazingly talented. He became famous at a young age. He was ranked six yuan. Since he entered the court as an official, he has repeatedly made meritorious deeds..."


    In fact, this is a hand-picked order for Xue Tingxiang to join the cabinet. It is probably true as Tan Shoufu said, it was caused by the rise of Emperor Jiacheng, and it even said that he could be the head and assistant of the cabinet.


    Therefore, even if Xue Tingxiang was made the chief assistant without clearly pointing it out, Tan Shoufu took it seriously and made such a move.


    After the mantra was read, the hall was extremely quiet, and everyone''s eyes were on the neither humble nor overbearing young official standing there.


    In fact, if it is calculated according to merit, Xue Tingxiang is worthy of being the first assistant.


    Over the years he has been an official in the court, he has shown calmness, composure and sophistication, no less than some veteran officials who have been in the court for decades.


    But one must know that he is only in his thirties, and he has not even joined the cabinet, so how could he become the chief minister in one fell swoop. How should Yang Chonghua and Feng Chengbao, the veteran ministers who have been in the cabinet for many years, deal with themselves?


    But this is the imperial edict!


    Because of the implication represented by the word "first emperor", it even surpasses the new emperor.


    We must know that the rulers of heaven and earth are relatives and teachers, and Dachang governs the world with filial piety. How dare the new emperor refute the previous emperor''s handwriting?


    Since the new emperor came to the throne, the four ministers who were ordered by the first emperor''s edict seemed to be different from ordinary ministers. It stands to reason that the new emperor has come of age, and it seems that he is throwing away the basics and chasing after the end with a minister of Gu Ming. It can be understood that the previous emperor did not establish a prince, and the princes had never been trained and taught by the prince. It seems that they can understand this approach.


    But from the beginning to the end, everyone ignored one thing, that is Xue Tingxiang, Ye Ju and others.


    No one in the court knew that these people were the late emperor''s confidantes, who appointed Minister Gu Ming, but none of them were among them. Could it be that several people are not qualified enough, or they are not as familiar with the operation of government affairs as Yang Chonghua and others, it seems that this is not inexplicable.


    However, the appearance of this handwritten edict somewhat refuted the late emperor''s last edict.


    The first emperor obviously intended to let Xue Tingxiang take the position of chief assistant, if not now, it would be in the future.


    There was Xu Shoufu in the front, and Tan Shoufu in the back. Both of them were old and unrelenting. It was obvious that the former emperor deliberately kept people in order to balance.


    Because this phenomenon has been going on for a long time, the word Shoufu seems to be a noun for all officials, and not only one person has even guessed what kind of person is worthy of the position of Shoufu in Emperor Jiacheng''s mind.


    Now that the results are out, the first emperor downgraded talents in an eclectic manner. But the problem is that the minister who is so important, why is there no mention of it in the will?


    So, the so-called will, is it really the will that the late emperor himself said? Or did the minister in charge of drafting the will deliberately omit it?


    If everyone remembers correctly, the minister responsible for drafting the will was Yang Chonghua, and the ministers who were present that day were also the four Gu Ming ministers on the will.


    It is not that there are no other important ministers in the court, but only four of them were called, which is really intriguing.


    Mao Wenhao, who was standing behind, suddenly jumped out and said loudly: "That day when the edict was promulgated to the world, I was a little confused. Although I somewhat looked down on the character of Xue Shilang and his cabinet teacher Lin Miao, but With its merits, it is impossible not to mention the last sentence in the will.


    "Lord Yang, you drafted this posthumous edict. Can you explain to everyone why the content of the posthumous edict is contradicted by His Majesty''s earlier written edict? Could it be that you suppressed the newcomers and deliberately omitted Lord Xue?"


    Mao Wenhao''s words immediately caused a buzz of discussion in the hall.


    Yang Chonghua, who had always been prudent and low-key, turned red for the first time, and scolded: "You really don''t know what to say! That day, not only the old man was present, but also three other adults, and Mr. Zheng, the supervisor of etiquette, was there. You Do you mean that the old man can¡¯t make a lie?¡±


    Mao Wenhao squinted his eyes, took out the posture of hob meat, and said impassionedly: "Then who knows, that''s why I asked you adults to explain to me. We were not present, but everyone in the world knows that the will is as important as Mount Tai, and it is related to the stability of our Dachang Jiangshan, and there is no room for loss.


    "Others don''t care, I, Mao Wenhao, have been deeply favored by the late emperor. If this edict is not what the late emperor intended, I, Mao Wenhao, will absolutely deny it!"


    At this moment, the new emperor on the dragon chair suddenly supported his forehead with a painful look on his face.


    The eunuch on the side quickly moved closer and shouted: "Your Majesty, what''s wrong with you, Your Majesty?"


    The new emperor leaned weakly on the dragon chair and said, "I have a headache."


    "Your Majesty is tired. Since the death of the late emperor, His Majesty has stayed in front of the coffin for a few days and was busy with government affairs. This servant helped His Majesty to rest and passed on the imperial physician."


    Following the eunuch''s voice and emotion, the new emperor was escorted away, and the eunuch in charge of the court ceremony hastily shouted ''Back the court'', and then followed him away.

 Chapter 268

    Hearing this, Zhao''er immediately stopped in his tracks, and said with a smile, "Master, there''s something we can''t let us know. Since the dog is here, I''ll stay and listen too."


    Mr. Xue glanced at her, changed his usual disposition, and said in a bad tone: "What are you doing here, a woman? You have a role to listen to when a man talks?!"


    Zhao''er was not annoyed, but said aggrievedly: "Then how can the eldest aunt stay, she is not a woman? Besides, the dog can''t talk, I don''t look at it, I''m afraid that what he said will offend you." Lord."


    In fact, her subtext was just to say that she was afraid that others would bully Xue Tingxiang, and no one present could hear it.


    Mr. Xue stared at her. Now he really doubts that all this was made by this girl. He knew that Gou''er was a bored gourd, why didn''t he go to the grave early and complained that he would not go later, but he went at this time.


    Thinking of all the disobedient things this girl did in the past, Mr. Xue felt disgusted in his heart. But he also knew that now was not the time to vent his anger, but to settle the matter.


    "Since you want to listen, then listen." The tone was the same as before, but anyone could hear the dissatisfaction in his voice.


    Zhao''er couldn''t hear it, so he stood aside.


    Seeing this, Mrs. Sun hurriedly dragged Xue Qinghuai to stay.


    "Since Zhao''er has stayed, let''s stay and listen too." She laughed along with her.


    Mr. Xue was immediately furious: "Since you want to listen, stay and listen."


    So everyone stayed, including the four-year-old Mao Dan, and even Mrs. Zhou, who was busy in the kitchen, stayed behind under the guise of cleaning the table.


    In the huge main room, only an oil lamp was lit on the square table. The wick was jumping and shadowy, and everyone''s eyes were on Mr. Xue. But he suddenly didn''t know where to start. He looked around everyone''s faces with heavy eyes, and finally fell on Xue Tingxiang''s face.


    "Actually, it''s nothing. I just want to talk about what the boss said a while ago that he wants to send the child to the school in the town."


    Zhao''er was inexplicably nervous, and couldn''t help but glance at Xue Tingxiang, and then went to see Mr. Xue.


    Dafang and his wife were overjoyed, they knew this would happen, and it was not in vain for them to swallow their anger for many days.


    Xue Qingshan couldn''t hide the joy on his face, he looked at Xue Tingxiang with pity and compassion, then looked at other people, and finally fell on Xue Tingxiang.


    "Dog, don''t be discouraged. You are still much worse than your talented brother. You will study with uncle for another two years, and then the family will send you to the town to study."


    This kind of tone was too stinging at this time, Zhao''er had a sneer on the corner of his mouth, and wanted to say something, but was pulled by Xue Tingxiang.


    Xue Qingshan took all of this into his eyes, and satirized in his heart, no matter how difficult this girl''s film is, she can only embarrass others on these trivial things, and it still doesn''t work when it comes to big things. He smiled, and said to Zhao''er: "Zhao''er, don''t be angry, uncle knows that you are high-minded, but high-mindedness can''t be eaten, don''t you?"


    No one in the room said anything.


    At this moment, Mr. Xue suddenly said angrily: "Boss, what are you talking about!"


    Xue Qingshan didn''t take it seriously: "Father, I''m not trying to persuade the dog not to be discouraged..."


    Old man Xue''s beard was shaking with anger, and he pointed at him with a cigarette pot: "You need to persuade, the one who is going to study in the town is not a handsome man, but a dog!"


    As soon as these words came out, one stone really stirred up a thousand waves.


    The room was silent for a moment, and soon Zhao''s slightly shrill voice broke the silence.


    "Old man, what are you talking about? What do you mean a person who is going to study in the town is not a talented person?"


    Xue Qingshan also said: "Father, did you say the wrong person in a muddle?"


    "Your father is not ignorant, and he didn''t say anything wrong. The one who goes to study in the town is a dog, not a talent!"


    After saying this, Mr. Xue seemed to have lost all his energy, and stopped talking. The eyes of the whole room kept looking back and forth at Xue Tingxiang and Xue Juncai, full of surprise.


    Xue Qingshan''s smile cracked, and Yang''s face was full of surprise.


    Xue Juncai''s handsome face flushed red, "Grandfather..."


    Mr. Xue waved his hand wearily: "Okay, let''s all go back to the house."


    With everything said like this, everyone had no choice but to leave, but Dafang''s family still stayed behind.


    As soon as everyone walked out of the main room, they heard a commotion inside.


    "Old man, please speak clearly, what do you mean it is a dog who is going to study in the town, not my handsome talent!"


    It was Zhao''s voice.


    There is also Xue Qingshan, mixed with Yang''s aggrieved and sharp cries, and Mr. Xue''s exhausted explanation.


    No secrets can be hidden under one roof, so everyone knows what''s going on.


    *


    Early the next morning, everyone got up.


    But the spirit is not very good, it can be seen that he didn''t sleep much at night. Especially Yang''s eyes were a little red and swollen, and she looked like she was crying.


    Xue Qingshan''s eyes were also full of bloodshot eyes, he looked at Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang with sinister eyes from time to time, but for some reason he didn''t say anything.


    The atmosphere was very depressing, no one spoke, everyone was there and doing what they were doing in an orderly manner, but the yard was surprisingly quiet.


    After breakfast, Mr. Xue took his hoe and planned to go to the field. Xue Qingbai and Xue Qinghuai didn''t dare to delay, one went to lead the cow out, the other picked up the iron plow, and followed him out the door.


    Xue Qingshan didn''t stay at home anymore, and then went out, but he didn''t know where he went.


    Unlike the rest of the Xue family, Zhao''er was very happy.


    Since she learned the ins and outs of the matter from Xue Tingxiang last night, she has fallen into uncontrollable excitement. Don''t say that she gloats, in her heart she should be a little man, and she is worrying about having no money in her hands, this news is tantamount to great joy for her.


    Knowing that the schoolchildren who go to the academy are very particular, she purposely found a piece of blue cloth that had been kept at the bottom of the box for a long time. This is Qiu''s dowry back then, and Qiu gave Zhao''er to make clothes, but unfortunately she has been reluctant to part with it, and now it is just right to use it as a school bag for Xue Tingxiang.


    After cutting the cloth, she began to sew with needles and threads, talking to Xue Tingxiang without saying a word. At this moment, the door curtain was suddenly lifted.


    It was Xue Youcai, the second boy of Dafang.


    Xue Youcai was only seven years old this year, but he was born fat and thick, and he was obviously spoiled. After he came in, he scolded Xue Tingxiang: "Just like you, you are still grabbing things from my elder brother, and you have the same name as a dog. You are no smarter than a dog."


    This kid''s tongue is really poisonous, and he is also used to by the elder couple, and he has always been a bully at home, making everyone angry. I saw signs of it a few years ago, but it''s a pity that Mrs. Yang has been protecting him, saying that he is still young and ignorant, but he has grown up in the past two years, but it is a pity that he is still ignorant.


    Zhao''er doesn''t like him, if anyone in this family beat Xue Youcai, it must be her. Xue Youcai was afraid of her, yet hated her, she stood up abruptly, before she could speak, Xue Youcai suddenly threw a bag of things in his hand. It hit the head and face, and it hurt people, and there was a strange smell in it.


    Zhao''er was hit twice, she subconsciously tried to hide, thinking of Xue Tingxiang on the kang, she turned her back to protect him. Xue Tingxiang was unprepared, she hugged her upright, obviously it was not appropriate, but he felt blushing and heart beating.


    After finally waiting for this wave to pass, Zhao''er let go of his hand, Xue Youcai had already run away, and the thing he used to hit them turned out to be dried cow dung.


    Zhao''er was so disgusted that she ran after her.


    She stopped Xue Youcai at the gate of the courtyard, grabbed him by the collar without saying a word, picked up a branch from a nearby wall, and lashed at him.


    "If I don''t beat you for three days, you dare to go to the house to expose the tiles..."


    Xue Youcai struggled to run away, but Zhao''er was so painful that he was whipped. Crying and shouting, he sat down on the ground and lay down on the ground.


    This looks like the posture that young children are accustomed to playing tricks on.


    There was such a big commotion outside that everyone in the room was startled out.


    Seeing Xue Youcai being beaten by Zhao''er, Mrs. Zhao exploded: "Who told you to beat my grandson, stop!"


    Zhao''er ignored her and scolded: "Do you still dare to do it in the future? Why don''t you learn how to throw bullshit like others! The words are quite vicious. Who taught you to speak like this? If you don''t speak clearly today, I will not only Hit you, I will take you to the river to wash your mouth later..."


    Mrs. Yang also came out, and she screamed: "Wang Zhaoer, you are crazy, you dare to hit Juncai!"


    "Auntie, why don''t you see what he has done? You didn''t learn well at a young age, like some women who uttered obscene language and threw cow dung on people. I''ll tell you now, your second brother has a name , called Xue Tingxiang, if you dare to tell me whether you are a dog or not in the future, I will beat you every time I see you!"


    Xue Youcai cried until tears and snot came out, but unfortunately no one came up to rescue him. Zhao was so angry that she jumped up and down, Yang wanted to stop Zhao''er, but was stopped by Heizi.


    You usually see this sunspot with a slumped head and no energy at all. He stopped in front of people, growled a warning in his voice, and showed his sharp teeth. Yang didn''t doubt that if she dared to go forward, she would The dog would pounce on her and give her a bite.


    At this moment, a surprised voice suddenly sounded outside the courtyard: "What are you doing?"


    It was Xue Qingshan who came back from the outside, not only patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng, but also five or six villagers over half a hundred years old.


    Seeing the situation at home like this, Xue Qingshan was surprised at first, then smiled wryly, and said to the people beside him: "I won''t mention what outsiders say is right and wrong, just say that they are mean dogs, but there is absolutely no one Dare to do this. This girl has always been a pungent person, making troubles at home every now and then, if someone was really mean, she would have already caused a lot of trouble."


    What you said made people feel inexplicable, but Zhao''er is not the master who allows people to slander, so he immediately retorted: "Uncle, what you said is a bit slandering. I usually respect the elders at home. What nonsense is it? There is a reason for beating this kid today, and he actually scolded..."


    Having said that, she was interrupted by Yang.


    She came over anxiously and distressed, snatched Xue Youcai from Zhao''er''s hand and cried, "How old is he, how old are you? He is just not sensible at this age, and you still care about him... "


    Yang Shi was crying, with a look of grievance and helplessness, Xue Qingshan was also sighing beside him, Zhao''er didn''t know what the two couples were playing, it was over.


    Her little face was flushed with anxiety, and she was about to explain again, when Xue Tingxiang who came out of the room grabbed her.


    He took two steps forward, stood in front of Zhao''er, and first respectfully called Patriarch Xue, Zheng Lizheng and the few villagers. They are all from the same village, and you can''t see them when you look up. As a junior, these are his elders.


    After the proper etiquette passed, he explained to Yang: "I hope that my aunt will not be angry. Zhao''er was also impulsive. She saw that the boy called me the same name as a dog, and threw a lot of cow dung on me. That''s why I hit the boy in a fit of anger."


    Xue Tingxiang''s behavior first gave people a good impression. As a scholar, you should be gentle and polite. Next, I will take advantage of the gap of the apology and explain the ins and outs of the matter in two sentences.


    Zhao''er was not stupid, her mistake was that she was eager to explain everything clearly, so she couldn''t help but talk too much, but Xue Tingxiang only talked about the main points and didn''t mention anything else.


    And he speaks very well, it is normal for children to be naughty, but it is worth considering when they are naughty enough to insult people as dogs, not to mention throwing cow dung on Xue Tingxiang, his elder brother. At the same time, it also explained for Zhao''er why she beat the talented boy so impulsively.


    Sure enough, after hearing this, Patriarch Xue and the others inevitably turned to his side when they saw the forbearing expression on Xue Tingxiang''s thin face.


    As for the headache, even the doctor couldn''t tell what the cause was.


    After sending the doctor away, grandmother Zhao slapped her face on the spot.


    She looked like she was in her fifties, with her gray hair neatly pulled back behind her head. With a long face, the eyelids are a little sunken, and when the face is pulled, it becomes a triangular eye, which looks particularly unfriendly.


    Without Mrs. Zhao''s words, Mrs. Sun said: "Zhao''er, it''s not the fourth aunt talking about you, you girl likes to make a fuss. Could it be that you deliberately torment us all, even if you don''t like it..."


    Before she finished speaking, she was pulled by the man Xue Qinghuai.


    "Okay, let''s say a few words less, Zhao''er is not ignorant, and besides, the dog is already sick, so it''s better to find a doctor to take a look, so the family can rest assured."


    "I said less and said less, and I didn''t say anything..."


    "You also said..."


    The couple went out while chatting and tugging. The eldest aunt Yang smiled at Zhao''er, and then said to the mother-in-law: "Mother, let''s go too, let the dog have a good rest."


    Mrs. Zhao glanced at the dog on the kang, snorted coldly, turned her head and left. It can be seen from her posture that she is very angry.


    In fact, it is true. The Xue family can''t be called a rich family. It costs at least one or two hundred dollars to invite a doctor from the town. ! In particular, the doctor''s pulse just now confirmed Zhao''s guess that Xue Gouzi was deliberately pretending to be ill, and it was only strange that she was happy.


    Let Mrs. Zhao see that the two little boys in the second room are deliberately torturing the family, but since the eldest daughter-in-law has come forward to persuade her, Mrs. Zhao will naturally not say more.


    Generally speaking, among the three daughters-in-law of the Xue family, Yang is the one who wins Zhao''s heart the most. The eldest has an unusual status, and Zhao is willing to show the eldest daughter-in-law some face.


    After Mrs. Zhao and Mrs. Yang left, only the third uncle Xue Qingbai and the third aunt Zhou were left in the house. The two were not used to talking much, and they didn''t stay long, Zhao''er thought that the third uncle had worked hard just now, so he sent the two of them out with a smile.


    When he turned his head and came back, he saw Xue Gouzi lying on the kang with his eyes open, his eyes staring blankly, as if he had lost his mind.


    She didn''t think much about it, she came to the side of the kang and patted his head: "Dog, don''t think too much, they don''t believe that you are sick and have a headache, sister believes you. Take care of your illness and don''t think about it anymore. "


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her, his mouth was dry and his throat was tight: "Zhaoer..."


    "What''s wrong? Is there something uncomfortable?"


    Feeling these undelicate but very warm hands touching his head and face, Xue Gouzi had a sense of reality and gratitude that he had never had before.


    She wasn''t dead, and neither was he.


    Although he didn''t like some of her daily actions, and even hated her as his child bride-in-law, but he never thought of letting her die, so how could he be the one who killed his wife and son.


    But Xue Gouzi was still very flustered, because that dream was too real. After going through that dream for more than seventy years, it seemed that he had also experienced that life. But after waking up from the dream, the vicissitudes of life have changed, and he dare not look back.


    "Zhaoer..."


    "Why!"


    "Zhaoer..."


    "Um."


    "Zhaoer..."


    A hot stream suddenly flowed out unconsciously from the dry eye sockets.


    This scared Zhao''er quite a bit, and he didn''t care to think that the little man would never call her that, let alone let himself get close to him. He hugged his head into his arms and asked him anxiously up.


    Seeing that he didn''t speak, but just buried himself in his arms and cried, Zhao''er couldn''t help but wonder if those people made him think too much just now. According to Zhao''er, the little man has a lot of things on his mind, and he never speaks out, otherwise he wouldn''t have this serious illness.


    She patted him on the back, hugged him like she did when she was a child, and comforted him: "Don''t be afraid, dog, even if they don''t send you to study, sister will send you there, and sister will send you even if she sells everything." go."


    *


    After all, Xue Gouzi had just recovered from a serious illness, and after experiencing such an incident, he fell asleep after drinking some porridge for dinner.


    Zhao''er covered him with a quilt before tidying up the basket she had just brought back.


    The back basket is full of needlework and cloth, which are rags that Zhao''er bought in the embroidery workshop in the town. The reason why I started this business was because I used to recruit children to carry the finished purses for the women in the village to sell in the embroidery workshop.


    There is no adult in the second room. Although the family is in charge of eating, after all, the pen, ink, paper and inkstone used by Xue Gouzi to study, as well as the clothes, bedding and some odds and ends of the two people on weekdays, etc., all need money.


    Wanting to ask for money from Mrs. Zhao is more expensive than ascending to the sky, and although the uncle Xue Qingshan is determined to treat his nephew as if he were his own, but Zhao''er usually only sees the big family''s child with greasy lips, and Xue Juncai never Lack of pens, ink, paper and inkstones. In contrast, the little man was as thin as a bamboo pole, and he picked up a bald pen that Xue Qingshan didn''t use back then.


    Zhao''er has always been a strong one, she couldn''t bear to wrong the little man, so she could only find money everywhere by herself. There was no opportunity to make money in the countryside, so she went to the town to look around, as long as it was within her power and did not require capital, she would try to do it.


    In the past few years, she has collected vegetables from the village and sold them in the town, picked up work from the embroidery workshop and assigned them to women with good craftsmanship in the village, and usually went to the mountains to find mountain products to sell.


    And now this business has been done several times, Zhao''er has a sweet mouth and a thick face, the boss of the embroidery workshop can''t hold her back, so he sells the unwanted rags to her in bags. She took it back, sorted and cut it, and then asked the women in the village to help make purses and other things, and she could earn a lot of money by reselling them in the embroidery workshop. It is much better than before just receiving the purses made by others, and earning a penny for a few purses.


    If he hadn''t made some money from doing this business, he didn''t know when Xue Gouzi would recover from his serious illness. Mrs. Zhao would have given up the money to take the medicine a long time ago. I still have to hide it, for fear that other members of the Xue family will find out.


    Thinking of this, the corners of Zhao''er''s mouth tightened.


    She has always been agile in her hands and feet, and seeing that she picked out some usable cloth heads, she stopped tossing about. I chose clean ones and spread them out on a square table, and cut these strangely shaped cloth heads into a uniform shape with scissors.


    This is calculated by Zhao''er herself based on the amount of fabric needed to make a purse, no more and no less, she will not take out these rags for people to see.


    It is not easy for country people to earn a penny. If someone finds out, the designated way to earn money will be robbed within a few days.


    Zhao''er also wants to use this to make money for the little man to go to the town to study, so that she can only go to see Xue Jun, and her little man can also go. Zhao''er has always been prepared with both hands when doing things, and she knows in her heart that the big house will never let such a good thing happen to the little man.


    It is better to ask for others than to ask for yourself, and it is better to rely on yourself than to rely on mountains and rivers.


    Zhao''er has understood this truth since she was seven years old when she was going to be exchanged for money by her grandmother and father.


    After Zhao''er finished what she was doing, seeing the little man was fast asleep, and seeing that it was already dark outside, she wrapped the cloth she had arranged in something, and hurried out with it.

 Chapter 269

    "Dog, dog..."


    Xue Gouzi came back to his senses and looked at the face in front of him that had been entwined in his dreams for many years.


    "You''re right, I won''t think about it anymore." He paused, and then said, "I just want to say one thing, can you stop calling me a dog?"


    Zhao''er was puzzled and said, "But I didn''t call you that all the time. If you don''t call me a dog, what would you call it?"


    Xue Gouzi pondered for a moment, "Call me Ting Xiang."


    "Tingxiang? This is your own name? Gou''er, why did you give yourself such a name?" Immediately she understood, remembering that the talented boy in Dafang always carried his own name because of his young age. People laugh at the same name as Gou''er and Heizi.


    A look of distress flashed in her eyes, and she nodded again and again: "Gou''er, no, Ting''er is a different scholar, and the name is so nice. From now on, my sister won''t call you Gou''er, and I won''t let outsiders call you that. It''s called Tingxiang." Anyway, in her heart, whatever the dog says is good,


    Xue Gouzi, no, he should be called Xue Tingxiang now, and he feels a little depressed. He is only less than two years younger than Zhao''er, but he is a deep ravine that he will not be able to cross in his entire life. Having said that, he said again: "Also, can you stop calling yourself sister to me in the future?"


    This time, Zhao''er was even more surprised, and even reached out to touch his forehead: "Ting''er, what''s wrong with you? Did you have some evil? You didn''t call me sister since you were a child."


    Xue Tingxiang took a deep breath and smiled: "But you are not my sister, you will be my wife in the future, how can a man call his wife a sister."


    He was originally pale, half leaning on the quilt at the top of the kang, suddenly smiled like this, his brows and eyes were clear and handsome, which gave people a feeling that they dare not look directly at him.


    Zhao''er''s face turned red all of a sudden, and he couldn''t make sense of what he said: "Dog, you, what are you talking about, I, I..."


    "Don''t you want to be my daughter-in-law and have a baby for me?" He moved closer.


    She stood up abruptly, and reprimanded: "You little kid, why are you talking about this? Your hair hasn''t grown fully yet!" She said a foul language that Xue Tingxiang didn''t like to hear the most, and she didn''t realize it: "You want to The thing to do is to take care of your body, as for these things, we will talk about them later!"


    Her eyes were fierce, and her tone was also fierce. After she finished speaking, she lowered her head and scooped rice from the bowl to Xue Tingshan''s mouth. He glanced at her, ate honestly, and suddenly became in a good mood.


    Maybe the two of them can change the way they get along in the future, and change it if they don''t like it, there is no need to wait for her to understand.


    *


    Zhao''er threw away the mess, turned around and went back to the house, leaving the whole family to finish their lunch in a depressing atmosphere.


    During this period, Sun had nothing to say to her, but no one paid any attention to her.


    Yang couldn''t eat, if it wasn''t for her parents-in-law, if she didn''t want to embarrass herself in front of the two younger siblings, she would have thrown her chopsticks and left. But now he can only suppress the aggrieved stomach, and eat the food in front of him like chewing wax.


    After dinner, Mrs. Sun took Mao Dan away, knowing that her son got into trouble today, and she was afraid that she would be angered later. Mrs. Zhou took Xue Taoer to clean up the table, and took the dishes and chopsticks to the kitchen to wash. Xue Qingbai helped her, Zhou could not carry such a pot of dishes by himself, usually when Xue Qingbai was not at home, she and her daughter could only carry them.


    Only Dafang, mother and son were left in the room, along with Mr. Xue and Mrs. Zhao.


    Yang stood up and wanted to go back to the East Chamber, but was stopped by Mr. Xue.


    Mr. Xue took out his dry pipe, took out some shredded tobacco grown by himself from the dark blue tobacco pouch, rolled it into a ball, pressed it into the tobacco pot, and then lit it with a torch.


    His movements are very slow, neither fast nor slow. Anyone who is familiar with Mr. Xue''s character knows that he has something on his mind.


    It''s true that there is something wrong, and if it''s not something, he won''t call his daughter-in-law to stop.


    "The handsome boy and the talented boy go back to the house first. Grandpa has something to say to your mother."


    Xue Youcai glanced at his mother and wanted to say something, but was dragged away by his elder brother Xue Juncai.


    "Father, just tell me if you have anything to say."


    Mrs. Yang is thirty-four this year. In the countryside, a woman in her thirties is no longer considered young. Here, the wind blows and the sun shines and eats, so the women look old.


    But Yang''s maintenance is very good, her face is like a disc, her skin is fair, and there are a few fine lines at the corners of her eyes. She was wearing a worn-out stone blue satin gown with make-up, her shiny black hair was pulled into a bun behind her head, a gilt hairpin was inserted into it, and a pair of old silver earrings were on her ears. It can''t be called onion tip, but it is also white and soft, wearing a gold ring.


    It is not an exaggeration to say that she is the grandma of the landlord''s family in this dress and bearing, even the Zhao family is not as good as her.


    With his old eyes, Mr. Xue moved Yang back and forth a few times, making her stand uneasy.


    Just as I was about to say something, my father-in-law said suddenly: "Boss daughter-in-law, how long have you been married to our family?"


    Yang was startled, and replied: "Seventeen years, my daughter-in-law married into the Xue family in the seventeenth year."


    "Then how will your mother and I treat you?"


    Yang''s heart skipped a beat: "Father and mother treat their daughter-in-law like their own daughters."


    Mr. Xue nodded, took a puff of the dry cigarette, and the light blue smoke began to linger on his old face again, making it difficult to see the expression on his face clearly.


    "You are the eldest daughter-in-law of our family, and your mother has always loved you. You and the boss have the same heart as your mother and I. I only wish that you can become a talent."


    Yang''s heart relaxed, and she couldn''t help laughing: "Juncai is serious about his studies, even my father said that he is a rare and good seedling, and it is no problem to be a scholar."


    Speaking of Xue Juncai who is the most proud, even Mr. Xue couldn''t help showing a smile.


    Seeing that the father-in-law''s face softened, Yang took advantage of the situation and said: "It''s just that you know, father, that when it''s time to end, you don''t have to just sit at home and study. Thinking back then, Juncai''s father also listened to my father''s words, I went to Qinghe Academy to study for two years, met some classmates, and registered in front of my husband. I took the opportunity to impress the county magistrate, and I passed the county exam. The ranking of the county exam As long as it is not bad, the government examination is not to say that it is sure, but it is half sure. It''s just that you have to rely on luck when you get to the hospital examination, and Juncai''s father is unlucky, so he will fail repeatedly."


    This is the real reason why Yang Shi is valued by the old couple in the Xue family, not only because her father is a child, but also because her father was kind to Xue Qingshan in the past.


    And Yang''s statement seems absurd, but it is true. The two county examinations are not as strictly controlled as the hospital examination, especially the county examination, which is presided over by the magistrate of the county.


    There are five county exams in total, and the results of the first exam are mainly to be judged. And this time, there are two stereotyped essays and one poem. As long as there are no typos and fluent essays, you can pass them all.


    Compared with people he doesn''t know well at all, the magistrate is still willing to pick people who are somewhat familiar.


    And going to a good school to study is to provide an opportunity to stand out in front of the county magistrate. Dachang has always attached great importance to the selection of talents. How many scholars can be produced in this county, and even a son can be a Jinshi, which is considered a political achievement. No matter how fatuous and incompetent the county magistrate, this kind of cutscene must go.


    And being able to enter a good school will not only increase your contacts, but also your vision.


    For example, the county examinations are nothing more than the Four Books and Five Classics and the sacred edicts. How to write and what taboos should not be violated all need guidance. No matter how wonderful your article is, if you violate taboos such as temple taboos, royal names, and holy taboos, you will not take it.


    And in places like the countryside, many private schools are opened by old children for the sake of making a living, and I still want to be a scholar to change my fortune, so how can I teach middle school children in every detail.


    Xue Qingshan himself was like this, that''s why he put all his energy into sending Xue Juncai to Qinghe Academy.


    Yang thought that her father-in-law wanted to tell her about sending Xue Juncai to the school, so she said this. Little did they know that her words really touched Mr. Xue''s mind, but Mr. Xue didn''t intend to tell her these things.


    Mr. Xue took a deep breath of dry cigarettes, and said: "The boss you said has been told to me, and we will talk about this matter later. You are Juncai''s mother, and there is nothing wrong with planning for your son, but you have to know that our family It¡¯s not just Dafang¡¯s family.¡±


    The father-in-law''s tone was a bit meaningful, Yang was startled for a moment, and forced a smile: "Father, of course my daughter-in-law knows that the Xue family is not just ours, but don''t worry, if Juncai''s father and Juncai are promising, they will never forget to be filial to you My mother." Seeing her father-in-law''s complexion was gloomy, she hurriedly added: "There are other people in the family, Juncai always remembers that he can study, thanks to a few uncles and aunts."


    Mr. Xue nodded: "If you understand, you should know that the other three families have been sacrificing for the eldest house. I won''t mention the far ones, just talk about the third and fourth children. The land in the house refers to the third and fourth children Kindly, your father is getting old, and his hands and feet are not as sharp as before. The fourth child has to pick up goods and sell them when he is busy with the house. I don¡¯t know how many pairs of shoes he has to wear out in a year, but all the money he earns is handed over to the public. , I haven¡¯t paid a penny. What is everyone working so hard for? It¡¯s not for our family, but for Dafang.¡±


    Yang''s complexion became forced: "Father, why is this all for our eldest family? Juncai''s father is promising, isn''t it because the Xue family has a good face? Because Juncai''s father was born in Tongsheng, no one in the village would look at us highly, even that The Zheng family, don¡¯t you also give us three points of courtesy to the Xue family. This is for the overall situation, for the future generations of our Xue family..."


    Old Master Xue sighed and interrupted: "Father understands what you said, and so does your mother. But as the saying goes, if the board is not on your body, of course you don''t feel pain. You put yourself in the position of the third and fourth child , What do you think? I have done the most work, and I can¡¯t even put my good words into my mouth, and it¡¯s all in other people¡¯s mouths.¡±


    These words were in line with what Zhao''er said just now, Yang''s face turned red immediately, her round face flushed red.


    "Father, why did you call this into my mouth, I..."


    Mr. Xue ignored her, and went to scold Mrs. Zhao again: "There is also you, who is biased in front of people. You just continue to do it, so that the third and fourth are chilled, and they make a fuss about separating from the family. You go there Planted for the boss and talented people to take the imperial examination!"


    At the end, his tone was full of sighs of hatred for iron.


    Mrs. Zhao didn''t want to listen to this anymore, and muttered: "What do you mean I am biased? Why am I biased? Didn''t I think that the boss and Juncai want to study, and studying is a waste of brain, so I should give them more supplements. Don''t those who are good? It fell into my mouth."


    The more she spoke, the angrier she became, and she couldn''t help cursing: "Separate the family, don''t they want to turn the world upside down, if the parents don''t separate, even if I can spare them, the ancestors'' family law can''t forgive them."


    Old Master Xue smiled wryly. If it wasn''t for these two old things and the family law of the ancestors, the family would not be like this a long time ago.


    He shifted his gaze to Mrs. Yang: "You also understand the situation at home. Can your mother and I manage it for a while, or for a lifetime? Since you want to send Juncai to study in the school in the town, you should win over the third and fourth bedroom. "


    "Father, I..."


    "In the past, your mother doted on you. I never said it. You can tell which is right and which is wrong. But from tomorrow onwards, you and the third and fourth families will share the work at home. "


    After Mr. Xue finished speaking, he stopped talking and just smoked his own cigarette with a sullen head. Yang couldn''t stand here either, and hurried out of the main room with her head down.


    *


    As soon as Mrs. Zhou cleaned up the kitchen and came out, she saw her sister-in-law returning to the east chamber with her head down, her expression was not very good.


    Her eyes flickered, and she glanced towards the south end of the west wing, which was a four-bedroom house.


    There was a faint person behind the window facing the courtyard in the fourth room, and Mrs. Zhou knew that Mrs. Sun had been watching the movement. She pretended not to notice, wiped her hands on the apron, and went back to the house.


    When it was time to cook in the evening, Mrs. Yang was wearing coarse clothes, which was rare, and came to the kitchen to compete with Mrs. Zhou for work.


    Mrs. Zhou couldn''t even refuse, so Mrs. Yang smiled and said that Mrs. Zhou had worked hard, so she just let her rest.


    Mrs. Zhou was pushed out of the kitchen by her, and she happened to meet Mrs. Sun who was standing at the door of the west chamber. There was also surprise in their eyes.


    But what surprised them was yet to come, because from this day on, Mrs. Yang changed her previous attitude and started doing all kinds of work. Although it was many years of not touching her hands, she was clumsy in doing things now, but she did it.


    Not only cooking, but also being very generous, often actively persuade Mrs. Zhao to take some money, or buy some meat or bring out some eggs, and cook dishes for the family to eat.


    The sparks that had been stirred up by Zhao''er''s words in the Xue family were suppressed just like that. During this period, Xue Tingxiang''s body finally recovered, and he had the strength to walk around.


    This day, after getting up early in the morning and having breakfast, Zhao''er planned to go to town.


    The rags she brought back from the embroidery workshop have all been made into things like purses and embroidered shoes. After saving for many days, it should be sold in the embroidery workshop.


    She put everything into the back basket, and before leaving, she told Xue Tingxiang that the weather was fine today and asked him to go out to bask in the sun more often.


    Xue Tingxiang nodded and agreed honestly, and then she went out with peace of mind.


    Not long after she left, Xue Tingxiang walked out of the house.


    The yard is very quiet, the curtains of the doors of each room are all lowered, and it is hard to see if anyone is there.


    He stood in front of the door for a while, then walked out of the gate, and Hei Zi, who was lazily basking in the sun, immediately stood up and went out together at his feet.


    Xue Tingxiang was not ambiguous either, and cupped his hands and said: "Thank you, Uncle Chen, for your suggestion, but there are still trivial matters at home that have not been dealt with. When everything is settled, I will go to the Qingyuan Academy to study."


    "You are straightforward, so you are not afraid of being implicated and hindering your fame?" Boss Chen asked curiously.


    "The kid hasn''t entered school yet, so why talk about fame? Besides, the imperial court has always attached great importance to the selection of talents. If they are really talented, presumably the magistrate Hu will not dare to stop them too much."


    "I can''t see that you have high ambitions. Well, since you dare to go, I will recommend you one or two. Although my classmate is rigid and dull, he is not good at words, but his knowledge is first-rate. Don''t dare It is no problem to teach a person to become a Jinshi, but a scholar is fine."


    "Then thank Uncle Chen first."


    *


    For several days, Xue Tingxiang and Zhao''er left early and returned late.


    Someone from Xue''s family asked twice, and Zhao''er said to take Xue Tingxiang out to get some fresh air, so as not to be overwhelmed. The people in the big room showed contempt, and Mr. Xue couldn''t help shaking his head. After that, no one asked any more questions, and most of them knew in their hearts that Xue Tingxiang was doomed. Maybe the two children in Erfang also have a lot of mentality, so they broke the cans and didn''t read books, but ran around playing.


    You must know that even if you are as qualified as Xue Juncai, you have to read books at home for many days to prepare.


    In the blink of an eye, it was five days.


    This day is no different from ordinary days.


    The farmhouse is always busy in the morning, and after a night, the family''s livestock have to be waited on, and the whole family has to be tossed about to eat. After breakfast, the men will go to the fields, and the women will do housework at home.


    If there is some difference, Xue Juncai had two more poached eggs in his bowl than others for breakfast.


    Because of Mr. Xue''s beating some time ago, Mrs. Zhao didn''t dare to openly fight against the big family members these days. Today, seeing that life is not normal, she couldn''t hold back.


    Originally, Xue Tingxiang didn''t have any, but Yang Shi saw that her father-in-law looked bad, so she took the initiative to ask Zhao Shi to ask for two eggs, and put them in the bowl for him.


    Xue Tingxiang wants to recruit one of them separately, but he doesn''t want to be recruited, but it''s a pity that he can''t be persuaded.


    For the sake of one egg, the two of you whispered one sentence at a time, while Mr. Xue''s expression on the top was particularly serious.


    But life in the country is like this, no matter how heavy your heart is, you can''t lose your livelihood. Especially when rushing for spring plowing, Mr. Xue still took his two sons to work in the fields for a while, and didn''t come back until the sun was high.


    The news about the competition between the two children of Xue''s family has spread throughout Yuqing Village.


    It''s not that there are people who say strange things, but most people can still understand what old man Xue did. It''s not easy for rural people to earn a little money, and no one''s money comes from the big river. If there is a way, no one will do this.


    Knowing that today is the day, let the children of the family watch in the village. Seeing a stranger go to Zheng Lizheng''s house, these hairy kids ran into the field, shouting from a long distance, "Someone is coming from Lizheng''s house". The adults stopped planting the land, so they picked up the hoes and rushed back.


    Not long after, the big courtyard of Zheng Lizheng''s house was full of people, and more villagers kept coming here.


    There was a lot of commotion in the yard, everyone was gossiping and discussing today''s matter at the same time.


    In the room, Zheng Li was talking with a middle-aged man in a scholar''s shirt and a flat scarf on his head.


    This man had a thin and long face, his complexion was a little pale, and his eyes were slightly swollen. She doesn''t look good, but her identity seems to be extraordinary, and she actually sits in the main seat.


    And Zheng Lizheng could only sit on the sidelines.


    His Gu Pan has a different temperament from ordinary people. This person is Qiao Xiucai, who has a reputation in the surrounding ten miles and eight villages.


    Long before, Zheng Lizheng had thought about it. Xue Qingshan came forward to invite someone from the Xue family, if he didn''t expect, it should be his father-in-law Yang Zhong, Yang Zhong is just a boy, so he will invite a scholar.


    On the one hand, it seemed that he was impartial, and on the other hand, it was a good time to show his prestige.


    "Qiao Xianggong, you drink tea, I will order someone to remind you."


    Qiao Xiucai waved his hand indifferently: "Don''t worry."


    Just as he was talking, there was a commotion outside, but it was patriarch Xue who came with someone.


    However, it was not Patriarch Xue who took the lead, but an old man over fifty years old. This old man is of medium stature, dressed the same as Qiao Xiucai, also wearing a scholar''s shirt and a flat scarf, obviously even if he is not a scholar, he is still a child.


    Sure enough, when Qiao Xiucai saw the old man, he quickly stood up from his chair and bowed to him.


    "I never thought it would be Senior He, late born is so polite."


    "Don''t be too polite, just sit down."


    This He Xiucai was the person invited by patriarch Xue to preside over this competition.


    Zheng Lizheng was right, at first Xue Qingshan really planned to invite his father-in-law, but it was a pity that this matter was rejected by Patriarch Xue.


    Patriarch Xue also only knew that Xue Qingshan was so stupid. They all said that he should not avoid relatives when he was a virtuous person, but this is not the way. Since he felt that the chances of winning were more than guaranteed, there was no need for people to make mistakes, so he took care of this matter.


    He knew in his heart that the surname Zheng would not let go of the opportunity to show off, and if he came forward to invite someone, he must be a scholar. He originally planned to invite Qiao Xiucai, but he was a step late, so he had to delay the relationship and invite He Xiucai.


    After courteously giving way to each other, the two scholars sat down on the main seat.


    Zheng Lizheng and Patriarch Xue sat beside him.


    "Let Brother Lizheng worry about it."


    "Don''t bother, don''t worry, I''m the leader here, so I can''t show up if something happens in the village."


    A lot of back and forth, seemingly amiable, but there is a hint of wit hidden in the words. During this period, a few old people walked in from the outside, but they were a few old people from Yuqing Village, Mr. Xue, Xue Qingshan and others also came.

 Chapter 270

    Xue Tingxiang got out, stepped down from the post of Minister of the Household Department, and went home, his wife and children were hot on the kang.


    The small life is very nourishing, in addition to accompanying Zhaoer, he also gave advice on Xue Yaohong''s studies along the way.


    "Then that''s what you''re doing? This is killing a donkey. This official has not been promoted, and he has been kicked out of the official position." Zhao''er said.


    "You can''t see that your man is at leisure, don''t you?" Xue Ting, who was wearing a normal suit and half leaning on the kang, glanced at her and said.


    "That''s not true. Why do I feel that once this incident happens, it won''t stop. At that time, when you implemented the New Deal, I was afraid that you would be murdered. Later, when His Majesty was assassinated, I was afraid that our family It¡¯s all filled in. Yang Dang, Feng Dang, etc. have finally fallen, and now it¡¯s your turn to be angered by His Majesty. I haven¡¯t seen how much the imperial court has paid you, so why is this official so unstable.¡±


    "There''s nothing safe about being an official." Xue Tingxiang said with a sigh.


    "Then just be idle, and I can worry less."


    With that said, Zhao''er got off the kang, planning to meet the stewards from various places.


    She can''t leave Beijing now, and the business in various places depends on Gao Sheng and others who usually stay outside. As for her, shopkeepers and stewards from all over the world will come to her place three times a year, which can be regarded as a job report.


    This idea was given to her by Xue Tingxiang. In addition, Tailong Trading Company also set up a special monitoring team to go to various places to inspect.


    This is the first time shopkeepers from all over the world have come to Beijing, and Zhao''er has been busy with this for the past few days.


    Looking at the back of Zhao''er leaving, Xue Tingxiang picked up a book on the kang, smiled and lay down.


    Before reading two pages, I heard Ning Ning''s chattering voice from outside.


    "Father, let me tell you that the second brother bullied me again."


    Immediately afterwards, Tai Ge''er''s slow voice sounded: "I didn''t bully you, it was you who bullied me."


    "Ningning, why are you bullying your second brother again? Dad is making you more and more lawless, right?"


    Over the past few years, Xue Tingxiang has recognized her daughter''s true nature, and will not be deceived by her pitiful appearance. With great conscience, she discovered that the second son is the most pitiful in the family, and since then she has favored her son.


    From then on, Ning Ning''s life at home became more difficult, making her feel that the elder brother loved her the most.


    "Obviously the second brother bullied me, so why did I bully him?"


    "Why did your second brother bully you?"


    "I asked him to play with his golden abacus, but he won''t play with me..."


    How long can he be free?


    Listening to the fast and slow quarrels of the children, Xue Tingxiang thought of some things that happened in the court recently, thinking that this kind of trivial and leisurely life probably won''t be too long.


    With this in mind, he began to act as a peacemaker to mediate for his children.


    "You clearly know that your second brother''s golden abacus is a gift from your mother for his birthday. It''s a treasure. You are not willing to let your second brother play with your set of nine serial rings."


    "That was given to me by my elder brother."


    "You are reluctant to give your baby to your second brother to play with, so your second brother can''t be reluctant to give up your own baby, and don''t do to others what you don''t want..."


    *


    With Emperor Jiacheng''s order to close the case, the Great Purge finally came to an end.


    A group of civil officials headed by Yang Chonghua and others all beheaded for public display. Depending on the severity of the situation, some were executed by the whole family, and some family members were exiled, and they were not allowed to be officials within three generations.


    Although this situation is a bit miserable, it is much better than the previously expected result. Emperor Jiacheng, who was in a state of madness at that time, really made people think that these people would probably end up punishing the nine clans.


    After the chief culprit was punished, the other involved officials were punished for those who had real evidence, and those who had no real evidence were released.


    The court gradually calmed down, and everyone couldn''t help but breathe a sigh of relief.


    At the same time, Xue Tingxiang, who was temporarily dismissed from his official position because of offending Emperor Jiacheng, also came into people''s eyes.


    They all thought that he would come back soon, and it was very likely that he would go a step further, but there was no movement.


    Not only was there no movement from Emperor Jiacheng''s side, but also from Xue Tingxiang''s side, and even all the courtiers who had made friends with him remained silent.


    Could it be that the hero who welcomed the emperor and returned to the court is like this?


    But they didn''t speak, and naturally no one dared to intervene here.


    In private, some ministers in the court were talking about it, but they didn''t know that the one in Qianqing Palace had already turned his nose because of someone''s ignorance.


    "If I let him go, he will really go away, and he will resign and go home voluntarily. I will allow him to resign?"


    "I don''t know current affairs at all, and I don''t know how to be a second-rank official!"


    "If I annoy him, why won''t he come to beg?"


    Recently, this kind of scolding has always been heard in the Qianqing Palace, without warning or reason.


    Maybe Emperor Jiacheng was still ordering someone to pass on the meal to eat a moment ago, and then he cursed thoughtlessly. After scolding too much, scolding for a long time, they all know that they are scolding Mr. Xue.


    Li Shun carefully took a bowl of soup and medicine, and served Emperor Jiacheng to drink it.


    He was a chief eunuch promoted by Emperor Jiacheng after Zheng Ancheng. Having suffered from being betrayed by the people around him once, Emperor Jiacheng was not close to Li Shun, even rather strict, so Li Shun was cautious in everything he did.


    After Emperor Jiacheng finished drinking the decoction, Li Shun took the bowl of medicine, thinking of the second prince kneeling outside, he grimaced.


    "What are you worried about? I''m not as worried as you are yet." Emperor Jiacheng said with a sidelong glance at him.


    Li Shun was an honest man, and Emperor Jiacheng promoted him to serve him because he saw that he was honest. Seeing His Majesty asking such a question, he immediately knelt on the ground in fright, and whispered: "The second prince is here again, kneeling outside."


    Since Emperor Jiacheng returned to the palace, the second prince would come to Qianqing Palace to kneel for a while every day.


    The time is variable. It''s also because Li Shun is an honest person who can''t hide things in his heart. If it was the former Zheng Ancheng, he knew that Emperor Jiacheng didn''t want to see anyone, so he would never mention that person, so he didn''t have to make himself unhappy. But when he came to Li Shun''s place, usually he would confide everything in a short time.


    Emperor Jiacheng knew that, sometimes he would let the second prince kneel, and sometimes let him go.


    But if it¡¯s gone today, it will come again tomorrow, day after day.


    The second prince came here to ask for forgiveness. The fate of the third prince really frightened him. He thought that a tiger''s poison would not eat its offspring, and that the third son would be a dragon''s son no matter how bad he was.


    Not only the third prince was gifted to death, but also the Ma family who had been promoted to the empress dowager and later became the sin concubine. Of course, Zheng Ancheng was indispensable. Zheng Ancheng was ordered to be smashed by Emperor Jiacheng, which was the first torture since the founding of the Dachang Dynasty.


    The tragic deaths of these people frightened the Second Prince and Concubine Zhong Gui.


    Although he knew that his father would not do anything to him because of his past mistakes, but the second prince was still afraid.


    Not only was he afraid that he would end up miserable, but also since Emperor Jiacheng returned to the palace, Dingguo''s mansion was confiscated, and now everyone in the Zhong family was imprisoned in the clan''s mansion, and their fate was uncertain.


    "Let him go, I won''t see him!"


    Li Shun was not surprised by this kind of answer, and hurried out to spread the word.


    Outside, the second prince''s face turned ashen when he heard this sentence, but he didn''t say anything, he just kowtowed on the spot, stood up and left.


    Looking from a distance, the originally tall and straight back turned a little stooped at some point.


    Looking at his receding back, Li Shun, holding Fuchen in his arms, shook his head and sighed.


    If I knew today, why bother.


    ...


    Li Shun didn''t dare to stay outside for long, and quickly entered the hall.


    Unexpectedly, just as he was going out, Emperor Jiacheng, who was leaning on the heated Kang, suddenly had a new idea.


    "Xue Tingxiang''s wife has meritorious service in escorting her. She was ordered to be named Mrs. Zhao Guo, and her crown and clothes are as high as that of a lady. Go spread the word and let the cabinet draw up an order."


    Hearing this, Li Shun didn''t have time to think about it, so he hurriedly obeyed his orders and went out again.


    It was only when he walked out of the Qianqing Palace that he thought about it carefully, and he couldn''t help but sigh.


    His Majesty had a temper tantrum with Mr. Xue, so he named Mrs. Xue instead. Now Master Xue is at home, but his wife has been conferred the title of Mrs. Zheng Yipin, how can a husband have any face.


    To put it bluntly, he was actually trying to force Mr. Xue to come back, saying that he couldn''t do it, he had to come like this.


    *


    When the imperial decree arrived at Xue''s residence, Xue Tingxiang and Zhao''er were taking Ningning and Tai Ge''er to watch the puppy.


    Last winter, Heizi passed away, at the end of his life.


    Heizi is very old, very few dogs can live to his age, and he can play with a few children in his early years, but in the next few years he can''t walk anymore, and his teeth have lost all his teeth.


    Obviously knowing that this is the reincarnation of heaven, but it is normal, Zhao''er and the children still shed tears. Especially Xue Yaohong, he has the deepest relationship with Heizi among the three children, and he has been depressed for many days.


    The key point is that he claims to be the big brother, even if he is depressed, he still has to force a smile, which makes Zhao''er feel distressed when he sees it.


    In order to amuse the children and get used to having a dog at home, Xue Tingxiang asked someone to get a dog from Yuqing Village.


    That is, the chubby little milk dog in front of him.


    He looks exactly the same as Heizi when he was a child, with dark eyes and a black nose, as black as a small piece of charcoal. According to seniority, it should be Heizi''s great-grandson, the seed left by a little bitch in his harem when Heizi was still in Yuqing Village.


    It was also a coincidence that Xue Tingxiang sent someone back to deliver the letter this time, and a dog in the village had just given birth. After careful calculation, he actually had something to do with Heizi, so he sent the one that most resembled Heizi.


    The puppies are more than two months old, just when they are naughty.


    The kennel that Chunlan and the others made of high-quality silk for it was torn apart by it. This dog didn''t have the slightest awareness of having done something bad, and even rushed up to bite Xue Tingxiang''s robe corner ferociously.


    Xue Tingxiang kicked it away, but it still refused to let go, making Zhao''er laugh, saying that when Heizi first brought him back, he didn''t want to see Xue Tingxiang the same way.


    Don''t look at Xue Tingxiang''s nickname is Gouzi, but he was not treated by the dogs in the village when he was a child.


    At this moment, a servant reported the imperial decree from the palace.


    Everyone thought that Mo was the imperial decree to call Xue Tingxiang back to court, so Zhao''er specially drove him back to the house and changed his clothes.


    Xue Tingxiang was a little reluctant, Zhao''er didn''t even bother to give him a look. When she couldn''t see it, he was actually very happy.


    The two finally packed up and went to the front yard. It was Li Shun who came with the imperial edict himself.


    As Li Shun emerged beside Emperor Jiacheng, this eunuch who had been silent for the first half of his life finally became a big celebrity in the palace.


    Li Shunneng came to proclaim the decree, which represented the great face of the sky, and because of this, everyone in the Xue family was beaming.


    "Following the imperial decree of Chengyun, Xue Tingxiang''s wife, Wang Shi, has made meritorious service in escorting her husband, and she will not let her eyebrows be subdued... Today, she is named Mrs. Zhao, and her crown and clothes are of the rank of Mrs. Gong and Mrs. This is my honor!"


    Zhao''er couldn''t react for a while, but Li Shun smiled and glanced at her, and she hurriedly knelt down to accept the order to thank her.


    "Madam, please. Madam, this is the first time since the founding of our Dachang Dynasty. Since your Majesty returned to the palace, the court affairs have been busy. No, as soon as I took the time, I remembered Madam and dragged the old man It would be good for you to ask Miss Ning, you can go to the palace to play when you are free."


    Zhao''er was smiling all over his face, but there were many surprises behind the smile.


    She thought the edict was for men this time, but she didn''t expect it to be for her.


    Li Shun said that this was the first time in the world, and she could understand what it meant.


    Since the previous dynasty, the rank of the wife has followed the rank of her husband, that is to say, the husband is a high-rank official title, and the wife is a high-rank official.


    A wife cannot surpass her husband.


    In the Tang and Song dynasties, the wife of this country was awarded to a certain meritorious woman alone, independent of her husband. That is to say, divorce from the husband, no matter what rank the husband is, it will not affect the wife.


    In particular, Mrs. Zhao Guo, because of her official title, is one level higher than Mrs. Zheng Yiming.


    To put it in the vernacular, among the married women, the rank of the empress and empress dowager is higher than that of Mrs. Zhao Guo. But under normal circumstances, it definitely can''t be calculated like this. If you compare the wife of a minister with the emperor''s family, isn''t it just looking for trouble?


    "I''m really ashamed of being a concubine." Zhao''er said politely.


    "How can you be ashamed of receiving it, Madam deserves it, deserves it." Li Shun smiled all over his face.


    After passing through the main hall, it is natural to invite the servants to sit in and drink tea. It is also necessary to seal a big red seal before leaving.


    But when the Xue family is in such a position, Jane is in the heart of the emperor, even if the Xue family offers Li Shunsai benefits, he may not dare to accept it.


    After sitting for a while, Li Shun said goodbye, and Xue Tingxiang sent him out of the gate.


    Before leaving, Li Shun quietly said to Xue Tingxiang: "Lord Xue, just give in to His Majesty. Your Majesty''s dragon body is not good, so why be so stubborn."


    This is a line added by Li Shun himself. Originally, Emperor Jiacheng granted Zhao''er Mrs. Zhao Guo.


    Because his superfluous words made Emperor Jiacheng''s angry behavior look childish and ridiculous.


    Emperor Jiacheng didn''t know about this, knowing that he probably swallowed Li Shun alive.


    Xue Tingxiang smiled, but did not speak, and Li Shun couldn''t say any more, so he could only leave with a sigh.


    *


    When Xue Tingxiang turned his head back, he realized that Zhao''er, who should have been happy, didn''t seem so happy.


    It''s not that he''s unhappy, it''s just that he''s calm.


    Not only Zhao''er was calm, even the maids around her were calm, it seemed that Mrs. Zhao Guo''s imperial order was nothing to be surprised about.


    Thinking about what Li Shun said before, Xue Tingxiang touched his nose in embarrassment.


    It''s just that Zhao''er doesn''t say anything, as a husband, he can''t explain it with a straight face, and he is actually not unhappy or anything. If you really explain it like this, I''m afraid it will be superfluous.


    In the end, Zhao''er didn''t hold his breath, and took a nap after eating to persuade him a few words.


    "Why don''t you just give in to His Majesty? He is the king, and you are the minister. If you stay so stiff, you will suffer."


    "What''s wrong with me? I have no official position and a light body, and I enjoy leisure." Whoever said Master Xue doesn''t care anymore, more or less cares, look at what he said, it''s sour.


    Zhao''er knew him too well, so she glanced at him when she heard the words, and said, "Don''t talk about saving face, pretend I don''t know that even if you are idle at home, you still go to Mr. Where are they just drinking tea and gossiping? Your majesty is your majesty after all, and your health is not good. Why is it because of your face that you are giving me this imperial order today? Your majesty has already expressed his intentions, so you can use the slope to get off the donkey .¡±


    "You don''t understand." Seeing Zhao''er''s wide-open eyes, he sighed and said: "I know this matter well, don''t think too much about it."


    "Is there really a count?" Zhao''er looked at him, and then said: "Well, then you can count it."


    *


    This stalemate did not last too long, because Liaodong ignited the flames and finally broke the situation.


    Since Taizu drove the group of golden men out of the customs, they have been eyeing Dachang all these years, and from time to time they want to go south to make something happen.


    The Jin people are brave and good at fighting, while Dachang values ??civility over martial arts. Although it has changed a lot over the years, it has always been at a stalemate with the opponent. It can only keep the opponent from the border of Liaodong, but cannot wipe out the opponent.


    The Jin people established the country as early as the former dynasty, also known as the Later Jin. Heituala is the capital of the Jin people. Over the years, when Dachang rectified all the cancerous tumors in the dynasty, the other party has also accumulated national strength.


    Mostly because they thought they could finally wrestle with Dachang, maybe they could break through the border defense line in one fell swoop and march south. At that time, they will no longer repeat the mistakes of their ancestors, but will occupy the entire Central Plains. This time the Jin people''s offensive was quite fierce, and the battle in Liaodong was tense again and again, and several acropolises had been lost along the border of Liaodong.


    When the battle report was sent, all the people in the court were united in the same hatred, so naturally they had to be united with the outside world.


    On this occasion, Xue Tingxiang took the initiative to enter the palace. I don''t know what he said to Emperor Jiacheng.


    In fact, it''s not a big deal, it''s just that the emperor lost face, and being a courtier deliberately made face for him, but at the same time doing face for the emperor, being a courtier also needs some face, that''s why this trouble happened.


    After Emperor Jiacheng reorganized the imperial court, the candidate for Minister of the Household Department has been pending, obviously waiting for Xue Tingxiang.


    This is a statement. And every time there is a big war, food and grass must go first, and these need to be prepared by the Ministry of Households. This war just gives the monarch and his ministers a good opportunity to step down.


    After some discussions, the imperial court selected several brave generals to go to Liaodong.


    And at this moment, the Fifth Prince Qi Zhan suddenly called for troops to fight.


    The third prince''s treason was exposed, and he was in trouble after all. Although he didn''t get involved in the whole matter, but he himself has a very good friendship with the third prince, but he violated the emperor''s taboo.


    Among the several adult princes now, the second prince persevered every day to seek Emperor Jiacheng''s forgiveness, while the fourth prince changed his previous high-profile style and kept a low profile to the extreme.


    The only one who stands out is Mo Jia, who is considered to be the oldest prince except the late prince in terms of age.


    According to the order of the teeth, he should be the first prince, but unfortunately he has a foreign blood, and a while ago there was a wind of becoming a prince in the court. Emperor Jiacheng directly made him the King of Lu, which can be regarded as a complete rejection of Mo Jia''s qualifications to inherit the throne.


    In fact, I also want to know that the Central Plains Dynasty has always attached importance to orthodoxy and blood, so how could it be possible to choose a prince with foreign blood as the prince. Even if Emperor Jiacheng agreed, the courtiers below would not agree.


    Maybe in some matters, they fight on their own, and they always like to fight to the death, but they pay special attention to the succession of the great system, and their attitudes are the same.


    That''s why Emperor Jiacheng''s appearance turned into a one-sided situation. A big rebellion and conspiracy to usurp the throne was enough to shoot the third prince to death on the spot.


    It was obvious that Emperor Jiacheng had no plans to establish a heir for the time being, and the fifth prince could not let himself be in such an embarrassing situation forever, and could only find his own way out, which is why he invited troops to fight this time.


    Emperor Jiacheng agreed, and the fifth prince packed his bags and left Beijing.


    His departure from the capital did not attract much attention, and the world only thought that he was implicated by the third prince and exiled.


    In fact, it''s fine to leave, maybe there is a wider world waiting for him outside.


    *


    As time passed day by day, the war in Liaodong has been in a stalemate.


    Dachang lost and won sometimes. It didn''t suffer any big losses, but it didn''t take advantage of it either.


    Just when the autumn wind was blowing, the fifth prince suddenly led his troops to smash Guangning City, which was occupied by the Jin people. Since then, it has been out of control, and they have taken back three lost acropolises.


    The imperial court ushered in a great victory, and Emperor Jiacheng, Longyan Dayue, named him King of Zhenbei.


    For a while, the fifth prince became famous, and the courtiers who were already opposed to the prince were ready to move again, so please make the fifth prince the prince. Now that there is no direct descendant, and the other princes are either unknown or still young, the fifth prince seems to be a very good candidate.


    It''s a pity that this matter was dismissed by Emperor Jiacheng. He also changed his previous arbitrariness and claimed that he had left a secret edict. When he died, it would be the day when the future successor of Dachang would come to light.


    In order to win the trust of his ministers, he even pulled Ye Ju, Lin Miao and others to testify that he had hidden the secret edict under the upright plaque of the Qianqing Palace.


    In fact, this is just a delay, anyway, Xue Tingxiang knows that there is nothing behind it.


    Naturally, a great victory in the war cannot be done without rewards for meritorious deeds, and that¡¯s all for the Liaodong side. Xue Tingxiang, Minister of the Household Department in the capital, was ordered by Emperor Jiacheng to enter the Zhiwenyuan Pavilion because of his meritorious service in preparing military rations.


    The courtiers were not surprised when the imperial decree was issued, on the contrary, they felt that it should have been so long ago.


    However, the thirty-three-year-old Ge Lao, although he deserved his name, is enough to make people jealous.

 Chapter 271

    "Tingxiang? This is your own name? Gou''er, why did you give yourself such a name?" Immediately she understood, thinking of Dafang''s talented boy, because of his young age, he always carried People laugh at the same name as Gou''er and Heizi.


    A look of distress flashed in her eyes, and she nodded repeatedly: "Gou''er, no, Ting''er scholars are different, and the name is so nice. From now on, my sister won''t call you Gou''er, and I won''t let outsiders call you that. It''s called Tingxiang." Anyway, in her heart, whatever the dog says is good,


    Xue Gouzi, no, he should be called Xue Tingxiang now, and he feels a little depressed. He is only less than two years younger than Zhao''er, but he is a deep ravine that he will not be able to cross in his entire life. Having said that, he said again: "Also, can you stop calling yourself sister to me in the future?"


    This time Zhao''er was even more surprised, and even stretched out his hand to touch his forehead: "Ting''er, what''s wrong with you? Did you have some evil? You didn''t call me sister since you were a child."


    Xue Tingxiang took a deep breath and smiled: "But you are not my sister, you will be my wife in the future, no man calls his wife a sister."


    He was originally pale, half leaning on the quilt at the top of the kang, suddenly smiled like this, with clear eyebrows and eyes, which gave people a feeling that they dare not look directly at him.


    Zhao''er''s face turned red all of a sudden, and he couldn''t make sense of what he said: "Dog, you, what are you talking about, I, I..."


    "Don''t you want to be my daughter-in-law and have a baby for me?" He moved closer.


    She stood up abruptly, and reprimanded: "You little kid, why are you talking about this? Your hair hasn''t grown fully yet!" She said a foul language that Xue Tingxiang didn''t like to hear the most, and she didn''t realize it: "You want to The thing to do is to take care of your body, as for these things, we will talk about them later!"


    Her eyes were fierce, and her tone was also fierce. After she finished speaking, she lowered her head and scooped rice from the bowl to Xue Tingshan''s mouth. He glanced at her, ate honestly, and suddenly became in a good mood.


    Maybe the two of them can change the way they get along in the future, and change it if they don''t like it, there is no need to wait for her to understand.


    *


    Zhao''er threw away the mess, turned around and went back to the house, leaving the whole family to finish their lunch in a depressing atmosphere.


    During this period, Sun had nothing to say to her, but no one paid any attention to her.


    Yang couldn''t eat, if it wasn''t for her parents-in-law, if she didn''t want to embarrass herself in front of the two younger siblings, she would have thrown her chopsticks and left. But now he can only suppress the aggrieved stomach, and eat the food in front of him like chewing wax.


    After dinner, Mrs. Sun took Mao Dan away, knowing that her son got into trouble today, and she was afraid that she would be angered later. Mrs. Zhou took Xue Taoer to clean up the table, and took the dishes and chopsticks to the kitchen to wash. Xue Qingbai helped her, Zhou could not carry such a pot of dishes by himself, usually when Xue Qingbai was not at home, she and her daughter could only carry them.


    Only Dafang, mother and son were left in the room, along with Mr. Xue and Mrs. Zhao.


    Yang stood up and wanted to go back to the East Chamber, but was stopped by Mr. Xue.


    Mr. Xue took out his dry pipe, took out some shredded tobacco grown by himself from the dark blue tobacco pouch, rolled it into a ball, pressed it into the tobacco pot, and then lit it with a torch.


    His movements are very slow, neither fast nor slow. Anyone who is familiar with Mr. Xue''s character knows that he has something on his mind.


    It''s true that there is something wrong, and if it''s not something, he won''t call his daughter-in-law to stop.


    "The handsome boy and the talented boy go back to the house first. Grandpa has something to say to your mother."


    Xue Youcai glanced at his mother and wanted to say something, but was dragged away by his elder brother Xue Juncai.


    "Father, just tell me if you have anything to say."


    Mrs. Yang is thirty-four this year. In the countryside, a woman in her thirties is no longer considered young. Here, the wind blows and the sun shines and eats, so the women look old.


    But Yang''s maintenance is very good, her face is like a disc, her skin is fair, and there are a few fine lines at the corners of her eyes. She was wearing a worn-out stone blue satin gown with make-up, her shiny black hair was pulled into a bun behind her head, a gilt hairpin was inserted into it, and a pair of old silver earrings were on her ears. It can''t be called onion tip, but it is also white and soft, wearing a gold ring.


    It is not an exaggeration to say that she is the grandma of the landlord''s family in this dress and bearing, even the Zhao family is not as good as her.


    With his old eyes, Mr. Xue moved Yang back and forth a few times, making her stand uneasy.


    Just as I was about to say something, my father-in-law said suddenly: "Boss daughter-in-law, how long have you been married to our family?"


    Yang was startled, and replied: "Seventeen years, my daughter-in-law married into the Xue family in the seventeenth year."


    "Then how will your mother and I treat you?"


    Yang''s heart skipped a beat: "Father and mother treat their daughter-in-law like their own daughters."


    Mr. Xue nodded, took a puff of the dry cigarette, and the light blue smoke began to linger on his old face again, making it difficult to see the expression on his face clearly.


    "You are the eldest daughter-in-law of our family, and your mother has always loved you. You and the boss have the same heart as your mother and I. I only wish that you can become a talent."


    Yang''s heart relaxed, and she couldn''t help laughing: "Juncai is serious about his studies, even my father said that he is a rare and good seedling, and it is no problem to be a scholar."


    Speaking of Xue Juncai who is the most proud, even Mr. Xue couldn''t help showing a smile.


    Seeing that the father-in-law''s face softened, Yang took advantage of the situation and said: "It''s just that you know, father, that when it''s time to end, you don''t have to just sit at home and study. Thinking back then, Juncai''s father also listened to my father''s words, I went to Qinghe Academy to study for two years, met some classmates, and registered in front of my husband. I took the opportunity to impress the county magistrate, and I passed the county exam. The ranking of the county exam As long as it is not bad, the government examination is not to say that it is sure, but it is half sure. It''s just that you have to rely on luck when you get to the hospital examination, and Juncai''s father is unlucky, so he will fail repeatedly."


    This is the real reason why Yang Shi is valued by the old couple in the Xue family, not only because her father is a child, but also because her father was kind to Xue Qingshan in the past.


    And Yang''s statement seems absurd, but it is true. The two county examinations are not as strictly controlled as the hospital examination, especially the county examination, which is presided over by the magistrate of the county.


    There are five county exams in total, and the results of the first exam are mainly to be judged. And this time, there are two stereotyped essays and one poem. As long as there are no typos and fluent essays, you can pass them all.


    Compared with people he doesn''t know well at all, the magistrate is still willing to pick people who are somewhat familiar.


    And going to a good school to study is to provide an opportunity to stand out in front of the county magistrate. Dachang has always attached great importance to the selection of talents. How many scholars can be produced in this county, and even a son can be a Jinshi, which is considered a political achievement. No matter how fatuous and incompetent the county magistrate, this kind of cutscene must go.


    And being able to enter a good school will not only increase your contacts, but also your vision.


    For example, the county examinations are nothing more than the Four Books and Five Classics and the sacred edicts. How to write and what taboos should not be violated all need guidance. No matter how wonderful your article is, if you violate taboos such as temple taboos, royal names, and holy taboos, you will not take it.


    And in places like the countryside, many private schools are opened by old children for the sake of making a living, and I still want to be a scholar to change my fortune, so how can I teach middle school children in every detail.


    Xue Qingshan himself was like this, that''s why he put all his energy into sending Xue Juncai to Qinghe Academy.


    Yang thought that her father-in-law wanted to tell her about sending Xue Juncai to the school, so she said this. Little did they know that her words really touched Mr. Xue''s mind, but Mr. Xue didn''t intend to tell her these things.


    Mr. Xue took a deep breath of dry cigarettes, and said: "The boss you said has been told to me, and we will talk about this matter later. You are Juncai''s mother, and there is nothing wrong with planning for your son, but you have to know that our family It¡¯s not just Dafang¡¯s family.¡±


    The father-in-law''s tone was a bit meaningful, Yang was startled for a moment, and forced a smile: "Father, of course my daughter-in-law knows that the Xue family is not just ours, but don''t worry, if Juncai''s father and Juncai are promising, they will never forget to be filial to you My mother." Seeing her father-in-law''s complexion was gloomy, she hurriedly added: "There are other people in the family, Juncai always remembers that he can study, thanks to a few uncles and aunts."


    Mr. Xue nodded: "If you understand, you should know that the other three families have been sacrificing for the eldest house. I won''t mention the far ones, just talk about the third and fourth children. The land in the house refers to the third and fourth children Kindly, your father is getting old, and his hands and feet are not as sharp as before. The fourth child has to pick up goods and sell them when he is busy with the house. I don¡¯t know how many pairs of shoes he has to wear out in a year, but all the money he earns is handed over to the public. , I haven¡¯t paid a penny. What is everyone working so hard for? It¡¯s not for our family, but for Dafang.¡±


    Yang''s complexion became forced: "Father, why is this all for our eldest family? Juncai''s father is promising, isn''t it because the Xue family has a good face? Because Juncai''s father was born in Tongsheng, no one in the village would look at us highly, even that The Zheng family, don¡¯t you also give us three points of courtesy to the Xue family. This is for the overall situation, for the future generations of our Xue family..."


    Old Master Xue sighed and interrupted: "Father understands what you said, and so does your mother. But as the saying goes, if the board is not on your body, of course you don''t feel pain. You put yourself in the position of the third and fourth child , What do you think? I have done the most work, and I can¡¯t even put my good words into my mouth, and it¡¯s all in other people¡¯s mouths.¡±


    These words were in line with what Zhao''er said just now, Yang''s face turned red immediately, her round face flushed red.


    "Father, why did you call this into my mouth, I..."


    Mr. Xue ignored her, and went to scold Mrs. Zhao again: "There is also you, who is biased in front of people. You just continue to do it, so that the third and fourth are chilled, and they make a fuss about separating from the family. You go there Planted for the boss and talented people to take the imperial examination!"


    At the end, his tone was full of sighs of hatred for iron.


    Mrs. Zhao didn''t want to listen to this anymore, and muttered: "What do you mean I am biased? Why am I biased? Didn''t I think that the boss and Juncai want to study, and studying is a waste of brain, so I should give them more supplements. Don''t those who are good? It fell into my mouth."


    The more she spoke, the angrier she became, and she couldn''t help cursing: "Separate the family, don''t they want to turn the world upside down, if the parents don''t separate, even if I can spare them, the ancestors'' family law can''t forgive them."


    Old Master Xue smiled wryly. If it wasn''t for these two old things and the family law of the ancestors, the family would not be like this a long time ago.


    He shifted his gaze to Mrs. Yang: "You also understand the situation at home. Can your mother and I manage it for a while, or for a lifetime? Since you want to send Juncai to study in the school in the town, you should win over the third and fourth bedroom. "


    "Father, I..."


    "In the past, your mother doted on you. I never said it. You can tell which is right and which is wrong. But from tomorrow onwards, you and the third and fourth families will share the work at home. "


    After Mr. Xue finished speaking, he stopped talking and just smoked his own cigarette with a sullen head. Yang couldn''t stand here either, and hurried out of the main room with her head down.


    *


    As soon as Mrs. Zhou cleaned up the kitchen and came out, she saw her sister-in-law returning to the east chamber with her head down, her expression was not very good.


    Her eyes flickered, and she glanced towards the south end of the west wing, which was a four-bedroom house.


    There was a faint person behind the window facing the courtyard in the fourth room, and Mrs. Zhou knew that Mrs. Sun had been watching the movement. She pretended not to notice, wiped her hands on the apron, and went back to the house.


    When it was time to cook in the evening, Mrs. Yang was wearing coarse clothes, which was rare, and came to the kitchen to compete with Mrs. Zhou for work.


    Mrs. Zhou couldn''t even refuse, so Mrs. Yang smiled and said that Mrs. Zhou had worked hard, so she just let her rest.


    Mrs. Zhou was pushed out of the kitchen by her, and she happened to meet Mrs. Sun who was standing at the door of the west chamber. There was also surprise in their eyes.


    But what surprised them was yet to come, because from this day on, Mrs. Yang changed her previous attitude and started doing all kinds of work. Although it was many years of not touching her hands, she was clumsy in doing things now, but she did it.


    Not only cooking, but also being very generous, often actively persuade Mrs. Zhao to take some money, or buy some meat or bring out some eggs, and cook dishes for the family to eat.


    The sparks that had been stirred up by Zhao''er''s words in the Xue family were suppressed just like that. During this period, Xue Tingxiang''s body finally recovered, and he had the strength to walk around.


    This day, after getting up early in the morning and having breakfast, Zhao''er planned to go to town.


    The rags she brought back from the embroidery workshop have all been made into things like purses and embroidered shoes. After saving for many days, it should be sold in the embroidery workshop.


    She put everything into the back basket, and before leaving, she told Xue Tingxiang that the weather was fine today and asked him to go out to bask in the sun more often.


    Xue Tingxiang nodded and agreed honestly, and then she went out with peace of mind.


    Not long after she left, Xue Tingxiang walked out of the house.


    The yard is very quiet, the curtains of the doors of each room are all lowered, and it is hard to see if anyone is there.


    He stood in front of the door for a while, then walked out of the gate, and Hei Zi, who was lazily basking in the sun, immediately stood up and went out together at his feet.


    Xue Qingshan''s face was a little ugly, and at the same time he was a little surprised.


    His nephew has always been reticent, and he can''t make a fart with three sticks. He only acted out this way because he counted on Erfang''s two petty tempers.


    But after all, he lived older than Xue Tingxiang, so naturally he would not forget to do superficial work.


    He sighed: "The boy was spoiled by his mother, and it''s also my uncle who can''t discipline well. Uncle is here to accompany you."


    Xue Tingxiang hurriedly backed away and said: "Uncle, don''t say that, Ting''er is a junior, he can''t bear it."


    "Ting''er? I didn''t expect you to give yourself a name." Xue Qingshan laughed, and also wanted to point out that Xue Tingxiang''s name was not correct, and he was not as sensible and polite as he appeared on the surface.


    Usually names are bestowed by the elders, not just chosen by the younger generation. It¡¯s okay for ordinary villagers, but Xue Tingxiang is a scholar, and a scholar should know how to be polite. Read.


    Xue Tingxiang was very clear in his heart, and understood what uncle meant. He smiled and said: "When my father was still alive, I asked my grandfather and uncle to help me choose one. Uncle refused because of his humble name. Now the court My son is also fourteen, so I can¡¯t keep using her baby name, so I randomly picked one.¡±


    As soon as this remark came out, Xue Qingshan''s face turned ugly again. Xue Tingxiang was obviously saying that he, as an uncle, did not want to name him, and deliberately belittled him. After all, since I have been educated, I should definitely not have a name,


    He forced a smile, and explained: "It''s not that Uncle sees that you are not in good health, and wants to name you after you are an adult. You can''t understand this painstaking effort, if Uncle doesn''t choose one for you now?"


    As he said that, without waiting for Xue Tingxiang to agree, he sighed and made a melancholy look, and said: "You have been weak since you were born, and your father wished you a long life when he was alive, so my uncle named you Fushou, what do you think? ?¡±


    This name is really random, and I am not at all sorry for the name of Xue Qingshan, the only child born in Yuqing Village.


    Xue Tingxiang hesitated for a moment before refusing: "It''s still not uncle, Ting''er''s name has been decided, and I went to the grave to inform my parents before, there is absolutely no chance to change it."


    These words also made it clear why he went to the cemetery every year. Since Xue Tingxiang saw that Xue Qingshan had invited so many people and made such a fuss, he knew that the other party must have plans.


    Regardless of what he plans, he just blocks the way that the other party may use to make a fuss, and the rest is to wait and see what happens.


    Sure enough, Patriarch Xue''s face softened a little.


    Before that, he always thought that this matter was done on purpose by Erfang, just to compete with Juncai for the opportunity to study in Qinghe Academy. This time I came to see this young man is gentle and polite, neither humble nor overbearing, patriarch Xue has no fame, but he can know a few words, and he has been the patriarch for many years, so he has a good eye for people.


    He was very surprised, because he had seen Gouzi before, but he didn''t have a deep impression of him. The only impression he had was that he was an inconspicuous boy. Looking at it now, this son has grown up somewhat unexpectedly.


    But no matter how unexpected he was, patriarch Xue did not forget what he was doing here.


    Just a good impression on one side is not enough to make him shake the decision he has made. He had asked someone to test Juncai''s child, and he was much more knowledgeable than his two grandchildren. If it was said who the next child in Yuqing Village would be, Patriarch Xue felt that Xue Juncai was the most likely.


    Maybe not just a child, but a scholar.


    With two future talent seedlings and a young man who doesn''t know his depth, Patriarch Xue naturally knows how to do this multiple-choice question.


    However, the idea of ??helping Xue Qingshan before was dispelled. If Xue Qingshan couldn''t even handle a child, he didn''t deserve his attention.


    How could Xue Qingshan fail to see Patriarch Xue''s thoughts. In his eyes, this old man is a master who does not see rabbits and does not scatter eagles. He accepts the benefits he brings to the clan, but never knows how to give him something.


    If any clan has ethnology, the clan will not subsidize one or two. On the contrary, he worked for nothing all day long, and every time a certain family in the clan brought some random food, the patriarch called him over and asked him to accept it.


    To be generous with the generosity of others, to spend other people''s wealth, is merciless to others, and it is meaningless to oneself!


    Xue Qingshan sneered in his heart, but pretended to be a respectful petition, and invited Xue patriarch Zheng Lizheng and others into the house.


    Patriarch Xue and Zheng Li were sitting cross-legged on the kang, one on the left and one on the right, while the others were sitting on the stools below. Mrs. Yang and Mrs. Zhou were busy pouring tea, and even Xue Tao''er was sent to ask Mr. Xue to come home quickly.


    Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng both had the habit of smoking dry pipes, and they took out the pipes as soon as they sat down.


    Xue Qingshan hurriedly took a bag of tobacco leaves from his mother Zhao, and while serving them, he said: "This is grown by my father himself. It is usually a treasure. Uncle and Uncle Li should try it."


    "Your father''s shredded tobacco is good, but it''s too little." After lighting it, Zheng Lizheng took a deep breath and said with a smile.


    Xue Qingshan replied: "If Uncle Lizheng likes it, I''ll pretend to be with you when I leave later, so don''t dislike it."


    These are all polite words, everyone knows each other well, Zheng Lizheng nodded with a smile, and went straight to the point: "What is Shan Zi planning to invite some of us old guys over here this time?"


    Looking at Zheng Lizheng''s smiling face, Xue Qingshan scolded the old fox in his heart.


    Things would turn out like this, and he absolutely wouldn''t believe that this guy surnamed Zheng didn''t do anything inside. But that''s exactly how he invited Zheng Lizheng here today. After all, he is the Lizheng of Yuqing Village and his surname is Zheng, so he won''t be said to be covering up.


    Including the few villagers present today, Xue Qingshan was thinking about inviting them. There was one with the surname Zheng, one with the surname Xue, and two families with mixed surnames in the village, but they were all well-known in the village.


    "Is there a matter that requires a few elders to decide, or wait for my father, he is in the field and will be back soon."


    Just as he was talking about Mr. Xue, he came back. After coming in, he exchanged greetings for a while before sitting down and getting to the point.


    "It''s ashamed to say this. Some things in my family have made everyone laugh."


    Hearing this was the beginning of the words, except for Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng, everyone present felt a little embarrassed. After all, this is someone else''s family matter. It''s two different things.


    "Actually, to put it bluntly, it''s all caused by poverty. In the previous situation of our family, it wouldn''t be like this. One baby was given away, but the other was not."


    One was also surnamed Xue, and was of the same generation as Mr. Xue. An old man named Xue Lianhe sighed: "Lian Xing, don''t say that, your family is also in trouble."


    Old Master Xue sighed with a wry smile: "It''s difficult, it''s not difficult for anyone, this light is all on the surface. But no matter how difficult it is, if you want your baby to have a future, you have to pay for it. If you don''t give it to someone, you will be successful." There''s a problem."


    With trembling hands, he took out the dry pipe from his waist, lit it and took a puff, before he said, "The palms and backs of the hands are full of meat, and it hurts me to give up any one. In fact, this matter was discussed last year, and I have been procrastinating on it." I did it because I was afraid that the baby would feel uncomfortable. It is not easy for a peasant family like us to provide for a scholar. The family finally gave up Shanzi. Although he failed to pass the exam several times, he still did it for the village and for us. Guys did something.


    "For so many years, our family has been doing things in the village. Everyone has seen it. If it is far away, it will not be mentioned. Let''s talk about the private school in Shanzi. As long as you are from the village and your family is not rich, Shu Xiu will be later or even less. , our family never mentioned it. Why? It¡¯s because it¡¯s not easy for us country people to make a living, with our faces turned to the loess and our backs turned to the sky. If God doesn¡¯t show mercy, the whole family suffers from famine.


    "Actually, I''m not afraid of the laughter of my brothers and sisters. Back then, I worked hard to support Shanzi''s education, just thinking that if I really passed the exam, I would give my family some tax exemption."


    These words were to the point, and it seemed that they were just a few words lightly, but they didn''t go deeper, but they said that everyone had mixed feelings in their hearts.


    What Mr. Xue said is the truth, or the truth that is in line with people''s reality, that''s what makes it so complicated.


    Finally someone stood up and spoke out for the previous incident, "Brother Lianxing, stop talking about it, we can''t trust you? When people spread rumors in the village, we told the children at home, Brother Lianxing Not that kind of person. There are those who are grandpas, and those who don¡¯t love their grandchildren.¡±


    "Yes, yes, everyone can understand, who is not difficult."

 Chapter 272

    Zhao''er came all the way to the south of the city, before he entered the archway where Shen''s house was, he saw the two large flags more than five feet high erected in front of Shen''s house.


    This is the Jinshi Jidi Banner, which can be set up only if someone in the family has won the Jinshi.


    This fame flagpole is divided into two structures, the flagpole sandwich stone and the flagpole.


    The flagpoles on the flagpoles are also exquisite. If you have a serious background in the imperial examination, and you have passed the Jinshi in the imperial examination, you can set up two flagpoles for the flagpoles. If it is the number one scholar, it will be a three-dou flagpole, and if there are members of the third rank or above in the clan, four dou can be set up.


    There are two big flags in front of Shen''s house, one is three buckets, the other is four buckets. In other words, the Shen family once had a number one scholar, and had an important minister in the court.


    Zhao''er, a country girl, knows this because her second sister told her when she came to visit her.


    The main entrance, the side entrance, and even the corner entrance were not accessible to Zhao''er with her status. She made a long detour before arriving at the back entrance of Shen''s residence.


    The back door was ajar, and Zhao''er didn''t dare to rush in, so he knocked on the door respectfully.


    The door opened with a creak, and a round woman came out from inside, and asked her, "Who are you looking for?"


    This woman is just a gatekeeper, but she also wears satin gowns and jewelry on her ears and hands, which is enough to show the wealth of the Shen family.


    The Shen family is indeed rich, and in this Xia County, it can be said that they are stomping their feet, and the county is about to tremble three times. The Shen Mansion here is the ancestral home of the Shen family, except for the Shen family''s uncle and second master who are officials outside, the rest of the Shen family live here.


    "Mother-in-law, I''m looking for Sulan. I''m her younger brother. I''m here to see her."


    This woman''s attitude is not warm, but she is not as inferior as a dog''s eye. At least from this trick, it can be seen that the rules of the Shen family must be very strict. She asked Zhao''er to wait, then closed the door and went inside.


    Zhao''er waited for a long time before the back door opened again, and a very beautiful woman came out from inside. I saw her radiant skin, phoenix eyes and vermilion lips, wearing a water-red jacket and a moon-white pleated skirt. A head of black and thick long hair was simply tied up in a bun, with a golden hairpin inserted into it.


    Obviously the clothes are ordinary, and the hair accessories are also ordinary, but wearing all these on her body gives her a sense of beauty that no one else has. Her chest is bulging, but her waist is very thin, she has a good figure.


    This person is Zhao''er''s second sister Wang Zhaodi, but she changed her name to Su Lan in Shen''s residence.


    Zhao''er couldn''t help frowning, since the last time she saw her second sister, her second sister has changed a lot. Not only the material of the clothes, but also the jewelry on his body, his complexion and even his figure have changed a lot.


    She was a little panicked, grabbed Su Lan, and went to the corner where there was no one nearby.


    "Sister, did you really do it?"


    Seeing her younger sister frivolously wrinkling her sleeves, Su Lan asked impatiently, "What can I do or not?"


    "It''s that, that..." Zhao''er hesitated for a while, and then said with a blushing face: "You can''t really be the housekeeper for the sixth young master, right?"


    The corners of Su Lan''s eyes twitched, and the corners of her mouth twitched: "Why do you care about these things?"


    "Sister!" Zhao''er couldn''t help stamping her feet.


    Su Lan looked at her younger sister, and remembered that she was sold by her family back then. Only younger sister Zhao''er found out her whereabouts from the matchmaker, and walked all day and night to see her by herself. At that time, she was full of panic, Zhao''er''s appearance made her know that she was not alone, and that no one would know that she would not die in this mansion, and she immediately softened her heart.


    She sighed lightly: "Didn''t I tell you before, I won''t go out of the house to go through that kind of hard life. Although I am a housekeeper now, but the sixth young master promised me that when grandma came in, I would give it to me." An aunt will do it."


    Zhao''er was so surprised that she couldn''t believe it. She knew it already, but she was still shocked when she learned from the second sister that she really did such a thing.


    For the first time in her life, she didn''t know what to say, so she hesitated for a while and said, "That''s it? If you treat someone like a child, you will be bullied by the big wife."


    Zhao''er''s only cognition told her that when she was young, she had few days to live comfortably.


    What the younger sister said made Su Lan feel extremely uncomfortable, and she waved her hand nonchalantly. On the snow-white and slender jade fingers, there is a golden opal ring on it, which exudes a faint light and is dazzling in the sun.


    "You don''t understand, and you don''t have to be afraid of me being bullied. As long as the sixth young master is on my side, even if the sixth grandma comes in later, she won''t dare to bully me."


    "Can¡­¡­"


    "Okay, don''t talk about me, your little husband is healed? I''m not talking about you. It''s better for you to come into the mansion to be a girl to be my company than to stay in that house and work hard." .Which woman is looking for a man who is not looking for someone who can protect herself. You are fine, but you are working outside to earn money to support your family.¡±


    "Isn''t he still young? Besides, sister, it''s not like you don''t know. If it weren''t for my mother and father, I''m afraid I would have been sold to nowhere. You were lucky enough to be sold into Shen''s residence. But there are also those who are unlucky and sold into that dirty place."


    Su Lan pressed her bright red lips tightly and did not speak.


    She was sold into Shen''s residence back then, it was not explained by good luck.


    In the sparkling eyes of the phoenix, all kinds of light returned to silence. She let out a breath and scolded: "That''s why I don''t want to see you the most. Every time you come, you make me angry and make me troubled."


    Zhao''er kicked the pebbles under his feet: "I just thought I haven''t seen you for a long time, so I came here to have a look at you."


    "How are you doing? The Xue family didn''t make things difficult for you, right? Just wait, when my sister becomes the sixth young master''s aunt, whoever bullies you in the future, I will help you deal with him."


    Zhao''er heard it warmly in her heart, and couldn''t help leaning over, hugging Su Lan''s slender waist coquettishly: "Sister, don''t worry, I''m so aggressive, who dares to bully me. You don''t know that the Xue family is such a moth." too much¡­¡­"


    She recounted what happened to Xue''s family recently.


    The corners of Su Lan''s mouth curled up when she heard this, and she said sarcastically: "So this is the human heart. Don''t try to test the human heart, it will usually disappoint you. Don''t rely on others, what you hold in your hands is the truth."


    Su Lan is a bit extreme, but Zhao''er knows why the second sister is like this. In fact, occasionally she will be extreme, but she rarely speaks out.


    "Then what do you do now? If your little man really loses, then he won''t be able to go to school? Have you ever thought about this matter, if you win, if you lose, it will be hard for the two of you The Xue family has a foothold."


    Of course Zhao''er understood this truth. She stood up straight and smiled: "Sister, I know. Don''t worry, I plan to find another way to do business. At worst, the two of us will be alone. Dog likes to learn, so let him learn." , until I can''t afford it anymore."


    Su Lan poked her forehead with her jade finger, hating iron and steel: "You still can''t confess, how old are you? After a day of good life, I think I can''t confess. Come on, don''t tell me The second sister doesn''t feel sorry for you, I have someone I know who is the third shopkeeper in ''He Rongsheng'', if you go to him, he can at least find a way for you to make some money."


    ''Herongsheng'' is the name of the pawn shop, there are many branches in Binh Duong Province, and there is one in Huyang Township. Zhao''er usually comes and goes in the town, so he has naturally heard of this name.


    "This is the Shen family''s business with Rongsheng? Sister, how do you know the three shopkeepers?"


    Su Lan''s eyes flashed a hint of complexity, and she said impatiently: "Don''t worry about it, you can go directly to a man named Shen Ping. Well, I won''t tell you anymore, the sixth young master will have lunch later Now, I have to go and wait, lest those little hoofs rush to the front to show courteousness again."


    After a pause, she took out something from her sleeve and stuffed it into Zhao''er''s hand: "Take it, it doesn''t matter if you really lose, let''s do it by ourselves first. The Shen family''s genealogy is famous in the whole Pingyang Mansion. Sister will become an aunt in the future, and see if I can ask the Sixth Young Master to let your little man come in as a companion or something. I really owe you in my previous life, and I have to worry about everything."


    Su Lan''s figure quickly disappeared through the door.


    Zhao''er stood where he was, looking down at the silver ingot in his hand. After a long time, Fang grabbed it tightly and left.


    *


    Zhao''er didn''t know where He Rongsheng in the county was, she had inquired along the way.


    When we got there, it was a coincidence that the third shopkeeper named Shen Ping was there.


    Shen Ping is a very young boy with a good appearance, very mature and stable. He was wearing a dark blue straight gown, and looked about twenty years old, but he did not expect to be the shopkeeper of a pawnshop.


    When he heard about Zhao''er''s purpose, his eyes flashed: "You are Zhao''er, I heard your sister said about you."


    Zhao''er didn''t expect that the second sister would tell Shen Ping her name, and she smelled something unusual. While speaking, Shen Ping had already led her in.


    "When your sister told me about you before, I was thinking about what kind of business would allow you to do it for a long time. After thinking about it, I think selling old clothes is quite suitable for a girl like you."


    The second sister even told her gender to the other party''s surprise, it didn''t last long, Zhao''er''s attention was attracted by Shen Ping''s words.


    "What is selling used clothes?"


    "You should know what a pawnshop is for. This pawnshop accepts everything, and you can pawn anything. The current period is divided into dead pawns and live pawns. If it is a live pawn, it means that the other party will come to redeem it. If it is a dead pawn, it means that the things are not needed. Of course, there are also those who do not redeem their living debts within the time limit, and naturally they become death debts.


    "These things are accepted by the pawn shop and exchanged for money to the owner. Naturally, they will be resold. For example, some old clothes that come from pawns are directly sold to embroidery workshops or clothing shops. If you are willing to do this business, you can buy them from Take some old clothes here and sell them back."


    Following Shen Ping''s narration, Zhao''er''s eyes flickered again and again, and he asked, "Then I don''t know what the price is? Is it calculated on a piece-by-piece basis, or what? Since it''s an old clothes, surely it won''t be as expensive as a new one, right?"


    Shen Ping glanced at her: "You are very smart." He turned around and went to the layman: "Come with me, I will take you to have a look."


    Zhao''er followed him all the way back, the yard behind the pawn shop was huge, it looked like it was a warehouse.


    On the way, he met a lot of people in pawnshops, and they were all respectful when they saw Shen Ping. Zhao''er followed him to a warehouse, but neither of them went in. A man who looked like a buddy dragged a large bag of things out, and opened the door in front of it.


    This big bag is full of clothes, some are worn out, some are 80% or 90% new, and some are even brand new. It seems that they have not been worn twice. The texture of the clothes is also various, some are made of cotton, some are made of silk, some are made of silk, but they are all of good quality, anyway, they are better than the coarse cloth clothes Zhao''er is wearing.


    "These are usually mixed together, because they are collected at a low price, so the asking price is not high. If you give me two taels of such a bag of clothes, it will be yours."


    Zhao''er couldn''t see through her eyes. In order to make sure that the business could be done, she went up to check it out.


    Such a package of clothes, at least a hundred pieces.


    Even if a piece of clothing sells for 20 Wen, it is enough for her to pay back. And some clothes are sold for more than twenty yuan just based on her visual inspection. What can be done with twenty renminbi, at least six or seven feet of cloth is needed to make a suit of clothes, and the worst cotton cloth is seven or eight renminbi.


    Not to mention that there are some good fabrics in it, and even some cotton clothes, even if you don''t sell them, you won''t lose money if you wear them yourself.


    Especially all the books he has learned since he was a child. He had flipped through the memory of that dream before, and he had memories of some bibliographies in elementary school and even college, but his memory was extremely vague, and many of the more detailed things had been forgotten.


    He thought about the reason, and felt that "he" seemed to be very disgusted with the memory of studying hard in the cold window, so he always adopted an evasive attitude. In addition, the Xue Tingxiang in the dream has lived for more than seventy years. Since he passed the Jinshi examination, he has been obsessed with officialdom battles, but he doesn''t care about his own knowledge.


    After so many years, his memory is more about the ups and downs of the officialdom, the various forces in the party struggle, and the speculation of the people, rather than the original essence of a scholar.


    Seriously speaking, ''Xue Tingxiang'' is not a real scholar, he is just a politician.


    But obviously he doesn''t need these things now, as if a young child has a sword, he knows the significance of these things to his future. But today a young child needs nothing more than a piece of clothing, or just food and clothing.


    But these memories have already begun to affect his own memory. He doesn''t want to forget what he has learned. What he needs to do now is to consolidate his memory and combine with ''Xue Tingxiang''''s advanced understanding of many things. This is the right way.


    And the best way to master it is nothing more than copying books.


    Obviously this yellow bamboo paper is of very low quality, the brush strokes should not be light or heavy, the ink will be uneven if it is light, and it will smudge if it is heavy, but Xue Tingxiang writes on it like flowing clouds and flowing water as if there is nothing. The handwriting on it is full and round, and it is extraordinarily majestic.


    Zhao''er held his breath and didn''t even dare to make a sound. His eyes fell on Xue Tingxiang, who was writing vigorously. Suddenly, he had the illusion that a little man had grown up.


    Xue Tingxiang quickly wrote a sheet, and he was about to take it away to dry, Zhao''er quickly took it, and spread it carefully on the kang. Her eyes were attracted by those words. She couldn''t tell how beautiful they were, but felt like a painting.


    And during this period, Xue Tingxiang wrote another one.


    In this way, Xue Tingxiang wrote and asked children to dry it. After a while, the kang was covered with paper.


    A book of the Three Character Classic does not contain more than a thousand characters, and Xue Tingxiang finished it very quickly.


    He put down the pen, took a deep breath, and moved his wrist a few times. He hadn''t written at such a high density for a long time, and it was a challenge to his wrist strength.


    "Actually, I can copy books to subsidize my family." He said suddenly.


    He had been thinking about this for a long time. In his dream, he only read books blindly. He really managed to "keep his ears off the outside world and read only the books of sages and sages".


    The former "he" was helpless and emotional about this situation, but he had more than enough energy, and Zhao''er was really capable, and he had a talent that no one else had in business, and he answered everything in every detail, and never let him go. He worries about money, so he doesn''t think about it anymore.


    Looking back, he realized that ''he'' cared more about this matter than he imagined. Now that he can earn one or two silver coins to support his family, why not give it a try.


    How can a man be raised by a woman, he should be the one who shelters her from the wind and rain. He didn''t understand at this time in the dream, but fortunately he understands now.


    "Copy books to make money?" Zhao''er shook her head again and again: "How can I do that? It''s hard work and hurts my eyes."


    "How can you say so exaggeratedly? Look, I just copied a book in a short while." He organized all the pages of the book into a pile, and gave it to Zhao''er for her to bind.


    "Copying books can not only earn money, but also read books. Why not do it. I remember that there are bookstores in the town that will find some poor scholars to help copy books and sell them. You go to the town tomorrow and bring this book to the bookstore. Look at the shop owner, if it¡¯s feasible, you can help me pick up a book and try it when you come back.¡±


    Having said that, he paused for a moment: "Well, I''ll go with you, and we''ll go to town together tomorrow."


    "Is this really possible?" Zhao''er always hesitates when it comes to matters involving little men.


    "There''s nothing wrong with it."


    *


    Now that the matter was settled, the two of them woke up early the next day and went out without even having breakfast at home.


    Yuqing Village is a small village located under Huyang Town. In fact, Huyang Town is also Huyang Township, just named after the town. There are dozens of villages like this in Huyang Township, and Yuqing Village is one of the larger villages.


    From Yuqing Village to the town, if walking, it takes nearly an hour. If you take an ox cart or a mule cart, it will be faster, and there are carts from the village below to the town every day. Bullock carts are slow and cheap, and you can take one ride for two pennies. Mule carts are expensive, and one person gets four renminbi, but the speed is not comparable to that of ox carts.


    Going out of Yuqing Village, walked to a fork in the road, and walked west for a while, Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang stopped and stood under the big tree by the roadside to wait for the bus.


    Although their clothes were simple, they were both neat and tidy, especially Zhao''er, who was wearing a man''s clothes.


    "It turns out that every time you go out, you have to walk through the vegetable field behind, just to change into this clothes?"


    Zhao''er nodded, feeling a little guilty. But now that she has made a decision, she has prepared for the worst. Fortunately, Xue Tingxiang only showed a trace of surprise when he saw it, but he didn''t show much disgust.


    "It''s more convenient to go out in this way. You can''t recognize me as a girl."


    Xue Tingxiang pursed his lips and glanced at her.


    The young man in front of him looks handsome. From a man''s point of view, he looks a little thinner, but there is really no sign of a daughter''s family. He observed carefully, only to find that Zhao''er had thickened his eyebrows, and he did not know how to do it on his chest, but it became flat.


    She also seemed to find that the little man''s eyes stayed on her chest for too long, Zhao''er explained: "This is too inconvenient, so I wrapped it with a cloth."


    She spoke very disapprovingly, as if she was talking about what we have for lunch, but Xue Tingxiang felt like he was reckless.


    He recalled the dream in which Zhao''er''s breasts were very plump, and he suddenly felt afraid that she would be crushed, so he couldn''t help but ask, "Won''t she be crushed?"


    Zhao''er was a little surprised when she heard that, but she didn''t think too much about it, so she said, "It''s useless anyway."


    Just as she was talking, she saw a mule cart approaching not far away, so she waved there. Naturally, she didn''t notice that Xue Tingxiang''s expression was very strange.


    Seeing that he was riding in a mule cart instead of an ox cart, Xue Tingxiang couldn''t help being a little surprised. He only knew that the mule cart was much more valuable than the ox cart. Zhao''er gave the money for the car, and pulled him into the car: "This car is faster, and it will be here in a while." In fact, Zhao''er was afraid that he would not be able to stand the bumps of the bullock cart after recovering from a serious illness, so he took the mule cart if he had one.


    The middle-aged man driving the car smiled and said, "My little brother is insightful. This car is not only fast, but also stable. It is not comparable to a bullock cart. By the way, this is your brother?"


    Xue Tingxiang, who was called his younger brother, turned dark.


    It''s not surprising that people say that he is Zhao''er''s younger brother, and he is also dressed as a man. He is obviously thinner than Zhao''er, and he is half a head shorter.


    Zhao''er was stunned for a moment, then nodded with a smile: "Yes, it''s my younger brother."


    While speaking, the middle-aged man had already driven the mule cart forward.


    This car is indeed much faster than the bullock cart, and it runs without bumps. The car will stop at intervals to pick up one or two people. This special extended car can seat twelve people. The roof of the car is specially customized, and some not-too-heavy things can be placed on it.


    By the way, the biggest advantage of taking this mule cart is that there is a carriage to keep out the dust, so you don''t have to find a place to pack yourself when you arrive in the town.


    "When I have money in the future, I will also buy this car." Zhao''er couldn''t help but said to Xue Tingxiang, finally showing a little childishness.


    "Will you rush?"


    She froze for a moment, then said: "I can''t rush, I can learn."


    The problem is that you have done everything, even drive the car by yourself, so why do you need a man? Xue Tingxiang thought silently in his heart, and then realized that in his dream, it seemed that he was really useless as a man.


    It seems that he will learn to drive in the future. Xue Tingxiang made a secret decision.


    *


    After the mule cart was full of people, it finally stopped halfway to pick up people.


    After about a quarter of an hour, the city wall of Huyang Town could be seen in the distance.


    The mule cart stopped not far from the city gate, and everyone in the cart got off, Zhao''er took Xue Tingxiang to the town.


    This Huyang Town is neither big nor small. Zhao''er used to go to Dongshi mostly, and Dongshi sells the most groceries, but this time he mainly went to the bookstore, so he was going to Nanshi.


    The former dynasty emphasized civility over military affairs. This kind of folk custom did not die out after the war at the end of the previous dynasty. On the contrary, it was because the Tai/Zu Emperor of Dachang came to power at the beginning because he was a supporter of the civil servants in the previous dynasty. It is popular.


    Even illiterate ordinary people can say that everything is inferior, only reading is high, which is evident.


    Even in a small place like Huyang Town, any family with some spare money would send their children to a private school for two years. It is best to be able to test for fame and fame. If you can''t test for merit and fame, you can get a few words, and the workmanship is cheaper.


    This kind of folk custom has led to quite a few bookstores and book shops in the town. For example, there is a street in Nanshi that sells pens, ink, paper and inkstones, as well as other supporting facilities, all of which are business for scholars.


    Although Zhao''er is not a scholar, she has bought bamboo paper for Xue Tingxiang a few times, so she is familiar with the place. However, she did not lead Xue Tingxiang to go immediately, but went around to a place with a lot of food stalls, found a noodle stall, and planned to go there after breakfast.


    "The meal in the morning is the most important. We missed breakfast because we were in a hurry. Sharpening knives is not a mistake for woodcutters. Let''s go when we are full."


    The owner of the Zhaoerguan noodle stall ordered two bowls of sliced ??noodles.


    This noodle is a unique food in Pingyang Prefecture. It is made of buckwheat noodles and sorghum noodles. It is black and red in color.


    "The sliced ??slices here are very delicious, try it."


    Xue Tingxiang tasted it, and it was really delicious.


    Not to mention the craftsmanship, at least the portion is large, and the ingredients are sufficient, unlike Xue''s food, which is reluctant to put oil and salt, and tastes bland.


    But the price is also expensive, Xue Tingxiang finished a large bowl of jerky slices, and gave eight Wen when he asked his son to settle the bill, which means that this bowl of jerky slices is almost enough to buy half a catty of meat. .


    "Is it delicious?" Zhao''er was still asking him when he was walking towards Nanshi.


    "It''s just a bit expensive."


    It is indeed a little expensive for Xue Tingxiang. He has no pocket money since he was a child, and the only chance to have some money in his hands is the few pennies given by Mr. Xue every year.


    In his dream, these few pennies were really nothing, but it was these two weird thoughts mixed together that made Xue Tingxiang feel weird.


    "Why is it expensive? It''s not expensive. You don''t come to the town often, but you come here once after all. Naturally, I will take you to have a good meal."


    It''s really a good meal, don''t look at Zhao''er''s face without changing her face, but in fact, when she came to the town alone before, she would buy a steamed bun at most when she was hungry.


    She has never been reluctant to bear with herself, and always wants to save more, but she is very willing to bear with Xue Tingxiang, and she is at her wit''s end. So every time Xue Tingxiang thought of everything in his dream, he couldn''t believe that he would be the one who killed his wife and children.


    "When I earn money by copying books, I will bring you to eat every day." He couldn''t help but said.


    The sun had already come out, and the pale golden sunlight shone on the young boy''s still immature face. His fair face was like the finest white jade, with fine fluff on it. The slightly pale lips were pursed lightly at this moment, and it could be seen that the young man was a little uncomfortable. He didn''t dare to look directly at her, but looked aside.


    Zhao''er''s smile got bigger and bigger, and he couldn''t help stretching out his hand to rub his head: "Silly dog, you can only make a few money by copying books, how can you come to eat that every day." There was a pampering expression in his expression.


    But the voice was silenced in his dark pupils, and Zhao''er finally realized what he said and did.


    She was a little guilty, and it was strange, she had never been afraid of a little man before, but since he recovered from his illness this time, she has become a little afraid of him occasionally.


    It must be her illusion!


    She withdrew her hand, looked left and right, suddenly her eyes lit up, and said: "Look, we''re here." As she spoke, she walked into the bookstore first.


    In the second room, Zhao''er went to pour some hot water, and after washing their feet, they went to rest on the kang.


    A big Kang, two quilts, one for each person.


    But Zhao''er couldn''t sleep today, and when she came back from the main room, she was a little excited.


    She rolled over and over again.


    "You do not sleep?"


    It is reasonable to say that they would not rest so early, but today both of them have been busy all day, so they turned off the lights after recruiting children to go to the kang. However, there is a moon outside, and you can still see clearly in the room.


    Zhao''er sat up halfway, and moved to Xue Tingxiang''s side.


    "Dog, tell me what you meant when you scolded that old killer just now?"


    Zhao''er knows how to swear, and has sweared before, but she has never seen such a method of swearing, and Yang Zhong is so annoyed by the swearing, and Xue''s family doesn''t even know how to persuade him. From Zhao''er''s point of view, isn''t this the culmination of swearing, can you swear without uttering dirty words?


    She wanted to learn this method, and it would come in handy.


    Xue Tingxiang turned over and gave her a backbone.


    Zhao''er poked his shoulder with her finger: "What''s wrong? Why are you angry again?"

 Chapter 273

    Hearing this, Zhao''er stopped immediately, and said with a smile, "Master, there''s something we can''t let us know. Since the dog is here, I''ll stay and listen too."


    Mr. Xue glanced at her, changed his usual disposition, and said in a bad tone: "You woman, what are you doing here? You have a role to listen to when a man talks?!"


    Zhao''er was not annoyed, but said aggrievedly: "Then how can the eldest aunt stay, she is not a woman? Besides, the dog can''t talk, I don''t look at it, I''m afraid he will say something and offend you." Lord."


    In fact, her subtext was just to say that she was afraid that others would bully Xue Tingxiang, and no one present could hear it.


    Mr. Xue stared at her, he really suspected that all this was made by this girl. He knew that Gou''er was a boring gourd, why didn''t he go to the grave early and complained that he would not go later, and why did he go at this time.


    Thinking of all the disobedient things this girl did in the past, Mr. Xue felt disgusted in his heart. But he also knew that now was not the time to vent his anger, but to settle the matter.


    "Since you want to listen, then listen." The tone was the same as before, but anyone could hear the dissatisfaction in his voice.


    Zhao''er couldn''t hear it, so he stood aside.


    Seeing this, Mrs. Sun hurriedly dragged Xue Qinghuai to stay.


    "Since Zhao''er has stayed, let''s stay and listen too." She laughed along with her.


    Mr. Xue was immediately furious: "Since you want to listen, stay and listen."


    So everyone stayed, including the four-year-old Mao Dan, and even Mrs. Zhou, who was busy in the kitchen, stayed behind under the guise of cleaning the table.


    In the huge main room, only an oil lamp was lit on the square table. The wick was jumping and shadowy, and everyone''s eyes were on Mr. Xue. But he suddenly didn''t know where to start. He looked around everyone''s faces with heavy eyes, and finally fell on Xue Tingxiang''s face.


    "Actually, it''s nothing. I just want to talk about what the boss said a while ago that he wants to send the child to the school in the town."


    Zhao''er was inexplicably nervous, and couldn''t help but glance at Xue Tingxiang, and then went to see Mr. Xue.


    Dafang and his wife were overjoyed, they knew this would happen, and it was not in vain for them to swallow their anger for many days.


    Xue Qingshan couldn''t hide the joy on his face, he looked at Xue Tingxiang with pity and compassion, then looked at other people, and finally fell on Xue Tingxiang.


    "Dog, don''t be discouraged. You are still much worse than your talented brother. You will study with uncle for another two years, and then the family will send you to the town to study."


    This kind of tone was too stinging at this time, Zhao''er had a sneer on the corner of his mouth, and wanted to say something, but was pulled by Xue Tingxiang.


    Xue Qingshan took all of this into his eyes, and satirized in his heart, no matter how difficult this girl''s film is, she can only embarrass others on these trivial things, and it still doesn''t work when it comes to big things. He smiled, and said to Zhao''er: "Zhao''er, don''t be angry, uncle knows that you are high-minded, but high-mindedness can''t be eaten, don''t you?"


    No one in the room said anything.


    At this moment, Mr. Xue suddenly said angrily: "Boss, what are you talking about!"


    Xue Qingshan didn''t take it seriously: "Father, I''m not trying to persuade the dog not to be discouraged..."


    Old man Xue''s beard was shaking with anger, and he pointed at him with a cigarette pot: "You need to persuade, the one who is going to study in the town is not a handsome man, but a dog!"


    As soon as these words came out, one stone really stirred up a thousand waves.


    The room was silent for a moment, and soon Zhao''s slightly shrill voice broke the silence.


    "Old man, what are you talking about? What do you mean a person who is going to study in the town is not a talented person?"


    Xue Qingshan also said: "Father, did you say the wrong person in a muddle?"


    "Your father is not ignorant, and he didn''t say anything wrong. The one who goes to study in the town is a dog, not a talent!"


    After saying this, Mr. Xue seemed to have lost all his energy, and stopped talking. The eyes of the whole room kept looking back and forth at Xue Tingxiang and Xue Juncai, full of surprise.


    Xue Qingshan''s smile cracked, and Yang''s face was full of surprise.


    Xue Juncai''s handsome face flushed red, "Grandfather..."


    Mr. Xue waved his hand wearily: "Okay, let''s all go back to the house."


    With everything said like this, everyone had no choice but to leave, but Dafang''s family still stayed behind.


    As soon as everyone walked out of the main room, they heard a commotion inside.


    "Old man, please speak clearly, what do you mean it is a dog who is going to study in the town, not my handsome talent!"


    It was Zhao''s voice.


    There is also Xue Qingshan, mixed with Yang''s aggrieved and sharp cries, and Mr. Xue''s exhausted explanation.


    No secrets can be hidden under one roof, so everyone knows what''s going on.


    *


    Early the next morning, everyone got up.


    But the spirit is not very good, it can be seen that he didn''t sleep much at night. Especially Yang''s eyes were a little red and swollen, and she looked like she was crying.


    Xue Qingshan''s eyes were also full of bloodshot eyes, he looked at Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang with sinister eyes from time to time, but for some reason he didn''t say anything.


    The atmosphere was very depressing, no one spoke, everyone was there and doing what they were doing in an orderly manner, but the yard was surprisingly quiet.


    After breakfast, Mr. Xue took his hoe and planned to go to the field. Xue Qingbai and Xue Qinghuai didn''t dare to delay, one went to lead the cow out, the other picked up the iron plow, and followed him out the door.


    Xue Qingshan didn''t stay at home anymore, and then went out, but he didn''t know where he went.


    Unlike the rest of the Xue family, Zhao''er was very happy.


    Since she learned the ins and outs of the matter from Xue Tingxiang last night, she has fallen into uncontrollable excitement. Don''t say that she gloats, in her heart she should be a little man, and she is worrying about having no money in her hands, this news is tantamount to great joy for her.


    Knowing that the schoolchildren who go to the academy are very particular, she purposely found a piece of blue cloth that had been kept at the bottom of the box for a long time. This is Qiu''s dowry back then, and Qiu gave Zhao''er to make clothes, but unfortunately she has been reluctant to part with it, and now it is just right to use it as a school bag for Xue Tingxiang.


    After cutting the cloth, she began to sew with needles and threads, talking to Xue Tingxiang without saying a word. At this moment, the door curtain was suddenly lifted.


    It was Xue Youcai, the second boy of Dafang.


    Xue Youcai was only seven years old this year, but he was born fat and thick, and he was obviously spoiled. After he came in, he scolded Xue Tingxiang: "Just like you, you are still grabbing things from my elder brother, and you have the same name as a dog. You are no smarter than a dog."


    This kid''s tongue is really poisonous, and he is also used to by the elder couple, and he has always been a bully at home, making everyone angry. I saw signs of it a few years ago, but it''s a pity that Mrs. Yang has been protecting him, saying that he is still young and ignorant, but he has grown up in the past two years, but it is a pity that he is still ignorant.


    Zhao''er doesn''t like him, if anyone in this family beat Xue Youcai, it must be her. Xue Youcai was afraid of her, yet hated her, she stood up abruptly, before she could speak, Xue Youcai suddenly threw a bag of things in his hand. It hit the head and face, and it hurt people, and there was a strange smell in it.


    Zhao''er was hit twice, she subconsciously tried to hide, thinking of Xue Tingxiang on the kang, she turned her back to protect him. Xue Tingxiang was unprepared, she hugged her upright, obviously it was not appropriate, but he felt blushing and heart beating.


    After finally waiting for this wave to pass, Zhao''er let go of his hand, Xue Youcai had already run away, and the thing he used to hit them turned out to be dried cow dung.


    Zhao''er was so disgusted that she ran after her.


    She stopped Xue Youcai at the gate of the courtyard, grabbed him by the collar without saying a word, picked up a branch from a nearby wall, and lashed at him.


    "If I don''t beat you for three days, you dare to go to the house to expose the tiles..."


    Xue Youcai struggled to run away, but Zhao''er was so painful that he was whipped. Crying and shouting, he sat down on the ground and lay down on the ground.


    This looks like the posture that young children are accustomed to playing tricks on.


    There was such a big commotion outside that everyone in the room was startled out.


    Seeing Xue Youcai being beaten by Zhao''er, Mrs. Zhao exploded: "Who told you to beat my grandson, stop!"


    Zhao''er ignored her and scolded: "Do you still dare to do it in the future? Why don''t you learn how to throw bullshit like others! The words are quite vicious. Who taught you to speak like this? If you don''t speak clearly today, I will not only Hit you, I will take you to the river to wash your mouth later..."


    Mrs. Yang also came out, and she screamed: "Wang Zhaoer, you are crazy, you dare to hit Juncai!"


    "Auntie, why don''t you see what he has done? You didn''t learn well at a young age, like some women who uttered obscene language and threw cow dung on people. I''ll tell you now, your second brother has a name , called Xue Tingxiang, if you dare to tell me whether you are a dog or not in the future, I will beat you every time I see you!"


    Xue Youcai cried until tears and snot came out, but unfortunately no one came up to rescue him. Zhao was so angry that she jumped up and down, Yang wanted to stop Zhao''er, but was stopped by Heizi.


    You usually see this sunspot with a slumped head and no energy at all. He stopped in front of people, growled a warning in his voice, and showed his sharp teeth. Yang didn''t doubt that if she dared to go forward, she would The dog would pounce on her and give her a bite.


    At this moment, a surprised voice suddenly sounded outside the courtyard: "What are you doing?"


    It was Xue Qingshan who came back from the outside, not only patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng, but also five or six villagers over half a hundred years old.


    Seeing the situation at home like this, Xue Qingshan was surprised at first, then smiled wryly, and said to the people beside him: "I won''t mention what outsiders say is right and wrong, just say that they are mean dogs, but there is absolutely no one Dare to do this. This girl has always been a pungent person, making troubles at home every now and then, if someone was really mean, she would have already caused a lot of trouble."


    What you said made people feel inexplicable, but Zhao''er is not the master who allows people to slander, so he immediately retorted: "Uncle, what you said is a bit slandering. I usually respect the elders at home. What nonsense is it? There is a reason for beating this kid today, and he actually scolded..."


    Having said that, she was interrupted by Yang.


    She came over anxiously and distressed, snatched Xue Youcai from Zhao''er''s hand and cried, "How old is he, how old are you? He is just not sensible at this age, and you still care about him... "


    Yang Shi was crying, with a look of grievance and helplessness, Xue Qingshan was also sighing beside him, Zhao''er didn''t know what the two couples were playing, it was over.


    Her little face was flushed with anxiety, and she was about to explain again, when Xue Tingxiang who came out of the room grabbed her.


    He took two steps forward, stood in front of Zhao''er, and first respectfully called Patriarch Xue, Zheng Lizheng and the few villagers. They are all from the same village, and you can''t see them when you look up. As a junior, these are his elders.


    After the proper etiquette passed, he explained to Yang: "I hope that my aunt will not be angry. Zhao''er was also impulsive. She saw that the boy called me the same name as a dog, and threw a lot of cow dung on me. That''s why I hit the boy in a fit of anger."


    Xue Tingxiang''s behavior first gave people a good impression. As a scholar, you should be gentle and polite. Next, I will take advantage of the gap of the apology and explain the ins and outs of the matter in two sentences.


    Zhao''er was not stupid, her mistake was that she was eager to explain everything clearly, so she couldn''t help but talk too much, but Xue Tingxiang only talked about the main points and didn''t mention anything else.


    And he speaks very well, it is normal for children to be naughty, but it is worth considering when they are naughty enough to insult people as dogs, not to mention throwing cow dung on Xue Tingxiang, his elder brother. At the same time, it also explained for Zhao''er why she beat the talented boy so impulsively.


    Sure enough, after hearing this, Patriarch Xue and the others inevitably turned to his side when they saw the forbearing expression on Xue Tingxiang''s thin face.


    Bringing this up is a bit old.


    Back then, Zhao''er felt sorry for Xue Tingxiang, so she saved some money to buy paper for him to practice calligraphy. Who would have thought that this paper was much more expensive than she imagined. Even the worst yellow bamboo paper costs 40 Wen a knife, but that day Zhaoer collected all the money on his body, but only 30 Wen.

 Chapter 274

    Xue Tingxiang was not ambiguous either, and cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Uncle Chen, for your suggestion, but there are still trivial matters at home that have not been dealt with. When everything is settled, I will go to the Qingyuan Academy to study."


    "You are straightforward, so you are not afraid of being implicated and hindering your fame?" Boss Chen asked curiously.


    "The kid hasn''t entered school yet, so what are you talking about? Besides, the imperial court has always attached great importance to the selection of talents. If they are really talented, the magistrate Hu must not dare to stop them too much."


    "I can''t see that you have high ambitions. Well, since you dare to go, I will recommend you one or two. Although my classmate is rigid and not good at speech, his knowledge is first-rate. Don''t dare It¡¯s okay to teach a person to become a Jinshi, but a scholar is fine.¡±


    "Then thank Uncle Chen first."


    *


    For several days, Xue Tingxiang and Zhao''er left early and returned late.


    Someone from Xue''s family asked twice, and Zhao''er told him to take Xue Tingxiang out to get some fresh air, so as not to be overwhelmed. The people in the big room showed contempt, and Mr. Xue couldn''t help shaking his head. After that, no one asked any more questions, and most of them knew in their hearts that Xue Tingxiang was doomed. Maybe the two children of Erfang also have a lot of mentality, so they broke the cans and didn''t read books, but ran around to play.


    You must know that even with the qualifications of Xue Juncai, he still read books for many days at home to prepare.


    In the blink of an eye, it was five days.


    This day is no different from ordinary days.


    The farmhouse is always busy in the morning, and after a night, the family''s livestock have to be waited on, and the whole family has to be tossed about to eat. After breakfast, the men will go to the fields, and the women will do housework at home.


    If there is some difference, Xue Juncai had two more poached eggs in his bowl than others for breakfast.


    Because of Mr. Xue''s beating some time ago, Mrs. Zhao didn''t dare to openly fight against the big family members these days. Today, seeing that life is not normal, she couldn''t hold back.


    Originally, Xue Tingxiang didn''t have any, but Yang Shi saw that her father-in-law looked bad, so she took the initiative to ask Zhao Shi to ask for two eggs, and put them in the bowl for him.


    Xue Tingxiang wants to recruit one of them separately, but he doesn''t want to be recruited, but it''s a pity that he can''t be persuaded.


    For the sake of one egg, the two of you whispered one sentence at a time, while Mr. Xue''s expression on the top was particularly serious.


    But life in the country is like this, no matter how heavy your heart is, you can''t lose your livelihood. Especially when rushing for spring plowing, Mr. Xue still took his two sons to work in the fields for a while, and didn''t come back until the sun was high.


    The news about the competition between the two children of Xue''s family has spread throughout Yuqing Village.


    It''s not that there are people who say strange things, but most people can still understand what old man Xue did. It''s not easy for rural people to earn a little money, and no one''s money comes from the big river. If there is a way, no one will do this.


    Knowing that today is the day, let the children of the family watch in the village. Seeing a stranger go to Zheng Lizheng''s house, these hairy kids ran into the field, shouting from a long distance, "Someone is coming from Lizheng''s house". The adults stopped planting the land, so they picked up the hoes and rushed back.


    Not long after, the big courtyard of Zheng Lizheng''s house was full of people, and more villagers kept coming here.


    There was a lot of commotion in the yard, everyone was gossiping and discussing today''s matter at the same time.


    In the room, Zheng Li was talking with a middle-aged man in a scholar''s shirt and a flat scarf on his head.


    This man had a thin and long face, his complexion was a little pale, and his eyes were slightly swollen. She doesn''t look good, but her identity seems to be extraordinary, and she actually sits in the main seat.


    And Zheng Lizheng could only sit on the sidelines.


    His Gu Pan has a different temperament from ordinary people. This person is Qiao Xiucai, who has a reputation in the surrounding ten miles and eight villages.


    Long before, Zheng Lizheng had thought about it. Xue Qingshan came forward to invite someone from the Xue family, if he didn''t expect, it should be his father-in-law Yang Zhong, Yang Zhong is just a boy, so he will invite a scholar.


    On the one hand, it seemed that he was impartial, and on the other hand, it was a good time to show his prestige.


    "Qiao Xianggong, you drink tea, I will order someone to remind you."


    Qiao Xiucai waved his hand indifferently: "Don''t worry."


    Just as he was talking, there was a commotion outside, but it was patriarch Xue who came with someone.


    However, it was not Patriarch Xue who took the lead, but an old man over fifty years old. This old man is of medium stature, dressed the same as Qiao Xiucai, also wearing a scholar''s shirt and a flat scarf, obviously even if he is not a scholar, he is still a child.


    Sure enough, when Qiao Xiucai saw the old man, he quickly stood up from his chair and bowed to him.


    "I never thought it would be Senior He, late born is so polite."


    "Don''t be too polite, just sit down."


    This He Xiucai was the person invited by patriarch Xue to preside over this competition.


    Zheng Lizheng was right, at first Xue Qingshan really planned to invite his father-in-law, but it was a pity that this matter was rejected by Patriarch Xue.


    Patriarch Xue also only knew that Xue Qingshan was so stupid. They all said that he should not avoid relatives when he was a virtuous person, but this is not the way. Since he felt that the chances of winning were more than guaranteed, there was no need for people to make mistakes, so he took care of this matter.


    He knew in his heart that the surname Zheng would not let go of the opportunity to show off, and if he came forward to invite someone, he must be a scholar. He originally planned to invite Qiao Xiucai, but he was a step late, so he had to delay the relationship and invite He Xiucai.


    After courteously giving way to each other, the two scholars sat down on the main seat.


    Zheng Lizheng and Patriarch Xue sat beside him.


    "Let Brother Lizheng worry about it."


    "Don''t bother, don''t worry, I''m the leader here, so I can''t show up if something happens in the village."


    A lot of back and forth, seemingly amiable, but there is a hint of wit hidden in the words. During this period, a few old people walked in from the outside, but they were a few old people from Yuqing Village, Mr. Xue, Xue Qingshan and others also came.


    Another uninvited guest was Xue Qingshan''s father-in-law Yang Zhong.


    Yang Zhong was in his fifties, with a chubby body. He didn''t look like a scholar, but a landlord with a fat brain. As soon as he came in, he joined Qiao Xiucai and He Xiucai, but unfortunately, these two scholars were not willing to talk to him, they said a few words with him, and then went to sit aside awkwardly.


    Xue Qingshan sat at the end.


    The Weng and the son-in-law are considered pretty people, and those who can sit here are all respectable people in the village, but because of the identity of this boy, they can also sit in the hall. You know, even Mr. Xue doesn''t have a seat, so he can only stand aside.


    "I don''t know the real master, but he''s here?" He Xiucai asked when he saw that almost everyone had come.


    Patriarch Xue looked at Mr. Xue, and Xue Qinghuai hurriedly said, "Here we come."


    Just as he was speaking, the villagers surrounding the door made way, and two teenagers walked out from the crowd.


    These two teenagers are all dressed in short brown, and they can be seen from humble backgrounds at a glance.


    The one in the lead looks gentle and handsome, with a slender figure. Although the clothes are simple, he is quite personable. The one in the back is half a head shorter than the one in the front, his body seems a little weak, and he seems a little introverted, his eyelids are always half down, and he seems a little afraid of strangers.


    But when the two came to the hall and accepted the scrutiny of the crowd, they had some clues.


    The elder''s appearance is not bad, but he always pulls his sleeves intentionally or unintentionally, as if the clothes don''t fit well. But the young one has been standing neither humble nor overbearing, the half-drooped eyelids not only do not make people feel contemptuous, but it feels like the respect that the younger generation should have for the elders.


    Therefore, it seemed that the older one looked directly into the eyes of everyone, which was a bit too abrupt. It is good to have self-confidence, but when the younger generation faces the elders, a humble and respectful attitude is indispensable.


    All this happened in an instant, and Qiao Xiucai and He Xiucai, who were seated in the main seats, had the initial judgment on these two young people.


    "Student Xue Juncai, student Xue Tingxiang, I have met all the elders."


    He Xiucai nodded, Qiao Xiucai nodded, and asked curiously, "Tingxiang? Does this name have a meaning?"


    Xue Tingxiang was taken aback, and Fang Zuoyi said: "Hey, I mean to follow suit. The student''s great-great-grandfather was also a student, and the biggest regret in his life was that he failed to pass the exam. Although my Xue family was born in a poor family, there are many generations. Forgetting the last wish of the ancestors, while settling down to live and work, he has been working hard to let the children of the clan read and write, and be able to understand the principles of life.


    "It should be noted that if you read a lot, you will have hills and valleys in your heart, and you will have a poetic spirit in your stomach. The younger generation will follow the last wish of the ancestors. Although they are not very knowledgeable at a young age, they have great ambitions. They hope that one day they can continue the path that their ancestors walked, and continue to do so. go down."


    These words are very well-chosen, and the words are too polite, or they say something to study and become an official to serve the court, to establish a life for the people, and to bring peace to all generations. They are all suspected of deliberately showing off, which makes people laugh. After all, they are still brats, not even children.


    And Xue Tingxiang''s words just echoed his age and knowledge, and even because of the ancestor''s last wish, it added a bit of filial piety.


    After listening to Qiao Xiucai, he stroked his beard and said, "Okay! What a big ambition!"


    With this praise, everyone''s eyes were on Xue Tingxiang.


    Most people don''t understand what it means, they only think that Qiao Xiucai is exaggerating the dog of Xue''s second room, but they can understand but they have different thoughts.


    Shocked and complicated like patriarch Xue, the look in Xue Tingxiang''s eyes implied excitement and admiration. He is the head of the clan, and he always regards the glory of the clan as his great responsibility. Xue Tingxiang''s words not only praised his ancestors in front of others, but also inadvertently showed the unusualness of the Xue clan, which made his face extraordinarily honored. Unconsciously, he straightened his back.


    Some secretly scolded this son for being cunning, and even used the occasion to grandstanding.


    Still upholding the last wish of his ancestors, whoever asked him to uphold it was just bragging! Why didn''t I see that this son was so eloquent earlier.


    "The elders in your family took this name for you, and they have high hopes for you."


    When Qiao Xiucai said this, he was embarrassed again, but it was the Xue family who were embarrassed.


    Just when Patriarch Xue and the others were afraid that Xue Tingxiang would be ignorant to tell the reason, he saluted again and said: "This junior will definitely study hard and live up to the expectations of his family."


    Xue Qingshan couldn''t sit still.


    Today''s book is for the examination of Xue Juncai and Xue Tingxiang, who is eligible to enter the school. The exam hadn''t even started yet, but Qiao Xiucai''s words were intended to encourage and agree with the other party. The so-called failure before the battle was nothing more than that.


    He couldn''t help but interjected: "Seniors, can we start?"


    Only then did Qiao Xiucai realize that he had spoken too much, but once he said it, he would naturally not take it back, and Xue Qingshan''s words obviously made him feel embarrassed. There was a slight displeasure in his heart, so instead of avoiding it, he nodded appreciatively to Xue Tingxiang, and then went to take a sip of tea on the table.


    Between the actions, there was a sense of treating Xue Qingshan as nothing, which made his face darken immediately. But he didn''t dare to have any doubts at all, he just smiled and sat back.

 Chapter 275

    The room was very quiet, the eyes of the young man on the kang darkened, and there was a trace of vicissitudes that did not match his age.


    Looking at such a little man, Zhao''er was afraid to go forward. It took a while to come over, sitting on the edge of the Kang, hesitantly said: "Dog, are you okay?"


    Looking at the worried face of the other party, Xue Gouzi smiled: "I''m fine."


    Zhao''er pursed her lips tightly, and patted his head: "Believe me, sister, one day we won''t have to ask for anyone."


    *


    Xue Cuiping left without even eating lunch, and when she left, she took a bag of wheat seeds Mrs. Zhao gave her.


    No one knew what she had said to Mrs. Zhao, and what Mrs. Zhao had said to her. All in all, when eating lunch at noon, Mrs. Zhao''s and Mrs. Yang''s faces were so ugly that Mrs. Sun and Mrs. Zhou were cautious.


    Zhao''er never looked at these things. After the rice was put on the table, she took two bowls to serve the rice first and then add the vegetables. Lunch can''t be called rich, it''s just millet rice, and the dishes are stuffed white rice and radish, as well as some homemade pickles. There is also meat, all big fat meat, a small plate, placed in front of the men.


    Men have to work in the fields and eat meat to gain strength.


    Zhao''er didn''t want to eat meat either, the meat cooked by Zhou''s was greasy and greasy, which made people feel unappetizing. She put some hot dishes and pickles into the bowl as usual, but she didn''t put much, but Mrs. Zhao suddenly dropped her chopsticks.


    "Just such a little food, the two of you can eat this? Hungry ghost reincarnation or something?"


    This is very hurtful and slaps face, but anyone with some self-esteem can''t stand it, but Zhao''er is used to it. Zhao Shi is like this, whoever makes her dissatisfied, she can use various methods to get back sick.


    She was not annoyed, and continued to pick up vegetables. She originally planned to pick up only those, but because of Mrs. Zhao''s words, she deliberately picked up two more chopsticks.


    "I can''t help Grandma, the dog needs to take care of himself, if there''s nothing good to feed him, he has to be full to eat." As she spoke, she suddenly turned her head and said to Mrs. Zhou: "Third Aunt, wash the vegetables next time." You call me Caicai, our family is not a family that is too poor to eat, but there are scholars in the family, and there is a master who is a child. Although grandma lives carefully on weekdays, she is not a person who does not let people eat food. "


    When it comes to pointing at Sang and scolding Huai, Zhao''er thinks she can''t lose to anyone, especially since she is holding her breath in her heart.


    Sure enough, Mrs. Zhao was immediately annoyed: "No matter how rich a family is, they can''t afford you to eat so much. You can eat more than anyone else if you don''t work every day. A stupid girl like you, if it wasn''t for our family, He was kicked out a long time ago."


    Zhao''er immediately put away her smile: "Grandma, you are wrong to say that. I came to the house when I was seven years old, and I didn''t do any work inside and out? When my father died, I wore a filial piety and kept my spirit. When my mother died, I waited on her bed day and night for more than half a year. I was the daughter-in-law of the second room, and I paid the end of my life for the second wife.


    "But grandma, don''t dislike me as a granddaughter-in-law who is talkative. People are divided into three or six grades according to how much they eat. Some people don''t know how to wipe the oil on their mouths when they eat delicious food. They can be replaced by others. If you eat some rotten white song, it will become a waste of food. There are more than a dozen chickens in this house, and there are no fewer eggs. Taoer and I feed them every day, and I don¡¯t know where the eggs have gone. Gouzi¡¯s disease I ate one egg so far, don¡¯t let me raise the chicken next time, anyway, I can¡¯t eat it, whoever eats it will raise it.¡±


    These words made everyone''s faces look ugly, among them Dafang''s mother and son had the most wonderful complexions, red and white, just like a dyeing workshop.


    This person who steals food without rubbing oil on his mouth is exactly what Dafang said. Mrs. Zhao is picky, but she doesn''t pick on her elder son and grandson. Mrs. Yang and her youngest son naturally follow suit. The seven-year-old boy looked annoyed, and seemed to want to say something, but was pulled by Yang severely.


    Sifang''s hairy egg is still young, and his mouth is also greedy, and he has long been tired of eating Baisong. As soon as I heard the egg, I couldn''t help it, and shouted to Mrs. Sun: "Mom, I want to eat eggs, I want to eat eggs..."


    In the silent main room, I heard the sharp cry of a child, which made my forehead throb.


    Mrs. Sun was so annoyed by crying, she couldn''t help but slap her on the face: "What''s the trouble, what kind of eggs are you eating, how can there be any eggs for you!" His tone was also a little offended.


    To put it bluntly, who doesn''t complain in his heart, but just endures it all the time.


    Maodan was slapped and cried even louder. Mrs. Zhao was already furious, but seeing this, she immediately shifted her target: "Mr. Sun, you are doing well, and you beat my grandson."


    Mrs. Sun was always afraid of Mrs. Zhao, so she smiled awkwardly and said, "Mother, Mao Dan is making a fuss about eating eggs. How can there be eggs for him?" The mother and son went to look at it three times.


    Mr. Xue has always ignored the affairs of his daughters-in-law, so he couldn''t help it now.


    With a dark face, he patted the table: "What a fuss, what a fuss!" The legs of the square table were swayed, and the bowls and plates bounced up and down, making crisp noises.


    Zhao''er didn''t pretend to be dead, and complained to him: "Grandfather, it''s not that grandma dislikes me and Gouzi for eating hazelnuts."


    As soon as she put the bowl on the table, she covered her face and began to cry: "I just ate such a mouth-watering meal, and I didn''t even see any traces of oil, so I called it Hu Chi Hai Sai, and I served it to others." Look, people will die laughing when they see it. If grandma really dislikes Gouzi and me, why don''t we separate our second room, and we will never eat and drink at home again."


    Hearing the word ''separation'', Mr. Xue twitched his brows subconsciously, and scolded: "What kind of family is divided, no one is allowed to mention the separation!" He seemed to feel that his tone was too harsh, and he slowed down his tone: "Your grandmother is angry with you because of your aunt''s family troubles, but you are a junior, how can you talk back to your elders."


    He turned his head and scolded Zhao again: "I said every day that you don''t have a long memory, and you have lived your whole life in the belly of a dog. Why are those eggs stored there? They are so stinky that you can''t bear to eat them! Third daughter-in-law, go get some Let¡¯s fry this one up, let¡¯s add a dish for everyone.¡±


    Just like that, Mr. Xue''s words successfully silenced everyone.


    Zhao''er''s eyes flickered, she was not lying when she said that she wanted to separate, but it was a pity that she was stillborn the first time she said it. But it''s true, how could Mr. Xue allow the second bedroom to separate the family? If the news spread, it would become a whole family bullying the two children. Besides, Mr. Xue still wants to twist the whole family into one rope so that the Xue family can provide another scholar.


    Putting these things aside, even though there was a commotion, the entire Xue family had a meal.


    Zhou scrambled a large bowl of eggs and reserved a bowl for Zhao''er.


    This behavior is a bit intriguing, you must know that the third wife and his wife are usually taciturn, they are old scalpers in Xue''s family, and they rarely help the two children of the second room to talk.


    But Zhao''er didn''t think much about it, everyone in this big family has their own thoughts, and she can''t control anyone''s thoughts, just don''t make her anxious.


    She returned to the house with the food, and smiled at Xue Gouzi when she entered the door: "Look, dog, there are eggs for lunch."


    *


    Looking at the bright smile on the girl''s face, Xue Gouzi''s eyes flashed with complexity.


    Although he was in the house, the movements in the main room were not missed.


    Zhao''er is like this, aggressive and hot, and he never cares what others think of him when he does things. In the past, he cared very much, and always felt that she was embarrassing him and doing him a disservice. He failed to dissuade him many times, and because of some other things, he hid his hatred for her in his heart.


    Little did he know that he was the one who was hypocritical and stupid, but it was a pity that by the time he understood it, it was already too late.


    "In order to eat an egg, you quarrel with Grandma."


    It wasn''t until he said it that he realized that he hadn''t changed his awkward speech pattern before, so she must have misunderstood him. Sure enough, a dark color flashed across Zhao''er''s face, and he smiled again: "He Xue Jun can eat it, and my dog ??can eat it too. Come and eat, make up your body, and you will recover soon."


    Look, that''s how she is, she always treats him like a child, saying "my dog", but in fact he is no longer a child. But the teenager''s mentality is sensitive and worrying, ''he'' doesn''t like all this, but he doesn''t know how to express it, so his discomfort slowly ferments into disgust and subconscious avoidance.


    Xue Gouzi didn''t know why he thought of this, he just felt that he had become very strange now, as if he had become two people, one was Xue Gouzi and the other was Xue Tingxiang. And every time something about Zhao''er came up, a voice murmured in his mind, as if telling him his true thoughts deep in his heart.


    While thinking, something was fed to his mouth, and he looked down to see that it was a fried yellow, crispy and soft egg.


    "Third aunt also scrambled the eggs well. The dog took a big bite and grew taller and stronger after eating it."


    As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Zhao''er regretted it.

 Chapter 276

    "Ting''er? I didn''t expect you to give yourself a name." Xue Qingshan laughed, and also wanted to point out that Xue Tingxiang''s name was not correct, and he was not as sensible and polite as he appeared on the surface.


    Generally, names are bestowed by the elders, and should not be chosen randomly by the younger generation. It is fine if it is an ordinary villager, but Xue Tingxiang is a scholar, and a scholar should understand etiquette. Read.


    Xue Tingxiang was very clear in his heart and understood what uncle meant. He smiled and said: "When my father was still alive, I asked my grandfather and uncle to help me choose one. My uncle refused because of his humble name. Now the court My son is fourteen, so I can''t keep using her baby name, so I randomly picked one."


    As soon as these words came out, Xue Qingshan''s face turned ugly again. Xue Tingxiang was obviously saying that he, as an uncle, didn''t want to name him, with the intention of deliberately belittling him. After all, since I have already learned, I should definitely not have a name,


    He forced a smile, and explained: "It''s not that Uncle sees that you are not in good health, and wants to name you after you become an adult. You can''t understand this painstaking effort. If Uncle doesn''t choose one for you now?"


    As he said that, without waiting for Xue Tingxiang to agree, he sighed and made a melancholy look, and said: "You have been weak since you were born, and your father wished you a long life when he was alive, so my uncle named you Fushou, what do you think? ?¡±


    This name is really random, and I am not at all sorry for the name of Xue Qingshan, the only child born in Yuqing Village.


    Xue Tingxiang hesitated for a moment before refusing: "It''s still not uncle, Ting''er''s name has been decided, and I went to the grave to inform my parents before, there is absolutely no chance to change it."


    These words also made it clear why he went to the cemetery every year. Since Xue Tingxiang saw that Xue Qingshan had invited so many people and made such a fuss, he knew that the other party must have plans.


    Regardless of what he plans, he just blocks the way that the other party may use to make a fuss, and the rest is to wait and see what happens.


    Sure enough, Patriarch Xue''s face softened a little.


    Before that, he always thought that this matter was done on purpose by Erfang, just to compete with Juncai for the opportunity to study in Qinghe Academy. This time I came to see this young man is gentle and polite, neither humble nor overbearing, patriarch Xue has no fame, but he can know a few words, and he has been the patriarch for many years, so he has a good eye for people.


    He was very surprised, because he had seen Gouzi before, but he didn''t have a deep impression of him. The only impression he had was that he was an inconspicuous boy. Looking at it now, this son has grown up somewhat unexpectedly.


    But no matter how unexpected he was, patriarch Xue did not forget what he was doing here.


    Just a good impression on one side is not enough to make him shake the decision he has made. He had asked someone to test Juncai''s child, and he was much more knowledgeable than his two grandchildren. If it was said who the next child in Yuqing Village would be, Patriarch Xue felt that Xue Juncai was the most likely.


    Maybe not just a child, but a scholar.


    With two future talent seedlings and a young man who doesn''t know his depth, Patriarch Xue naturally knows how to do this multiple-choice question.


    However, the idea of ??helping Xue Qingshan before was dispelled. If Xue Qingshan couldn''t even handle a child, he didn''t deserve his attention.


    How could Xue Qingshan fail to see Patriarch Xue''s thoughts. In his eyes, this old man is a master who does not see rabbits and does not scatter eagles. He accepts the benefits he brings to the clan, but never knows how to give him something.


    If any clan has ethnology, the clan will not subsidize one or two. On the contrary, he worked for nothing all day long, and every time a certain family in the clan brought some random food, the patriarch called him over and asked him to accept it.


    To be generous with the generosity of others, to spend other people''s wealth, is merciless to others, and it is meaningless to oneself!


    Xue Qingshan sneered in his heart, but pretended to be a respectful petition, and invited Xue patriarch Zheng Lizheng and others into the house.


    Patriarch Xue and Zheng Li were sitting cross-legged on the kang, one on the left and one on the right, while the others were sitting on the stools below. Mrs. Yang and Mrs. Zhou were busy pouring tea, and even Xue Tao''er was sent to ask Mr. Xue to come home quickly.


    Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng both had the habit of smoking dry pipes, and they took out the pipes as soon as they sat down.


    Xue Qingshan hurriedly took a bag of tobacco leaves from his mother Zhao, and while serving them, he said: "This is grown by my father himself. It is usually a treasure. Uncle and Uncle Li should try it."


    "Your father''s shredded tobacco is good, but it''s too little." After lighting it, Zheng Lizheng took a deep breath and said with a smile.


    Xue Qingshan replied: "If Uncle Lizheng likes it, I''ll pretend to be with you when I leave later, so don''t dislike it."


    These are all polite words, everyone knows each other well, Zheng Lizheng nodded with a smile, and went straight to the point: "What is Shan Zi planning to invite some of us old guys over here this time?"


    Looking at Zheng Lizheng''s smiling face, Xue Qingshan scolded the old fox in his heart.


    Things would turn out like this, and he absolutely wouldn''t believe that this guy surnamed Zheng didn''t do anything inside. But that''s exactly how he invited Zheng Lizheng here today. After all, he is the Lizheng of Yuqing Village and his surname is Zheng, so he won''t be said to be covering up.


    Including the few villagers present today, Xue Qingshan was thinking about inviting them. There was one with the surname Zheng, one with the surname Xue, and two families with mixed surnames in the village, but they were all well-known in the village.


    "Is there a matter that requires a few elders to decide, or wait for my father, he is in the field and will be back soon."


    Just as he was talking about Mr. Xue, he came back. After coming in, he exchanged greetings for a while before sitting down and getting to the point.


    "It''s ashamed to say this. Some things in my family have made everyone laugh."


    Hearing this was the beginning of the words, except for Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng, everyone present felt a little embarrassed. After all, this is someone else''s family matter. It''s two different things.


    "Actually, to put it bluntly, it''s all caused by poverty. In the previous situation of our family, it wouldn''t be like this. One baby was given away, but the other was not."


    One was also surnamed Xue, and was of the same generation as Mr. Xue. An old man named Xue Lianhe sighed: "Lian Xing, don''t say that, your family is also in trouble."


    Old Master Xue sighed with a wry smile: "It''s difficult, it''s not difficult for anyone, this light is all on the surface. But no matter how difficult it is, if you want your baby to have a future, you have to pay for it. If you don''t give it to someone, you will be successful." There''s a problem."


    With trembling hands, he took out the dry pipe from his waist, lit it and took a puff, before he said, "The palms and backs of the hands are full of meat, and it hurts me to give up any one. In fact, this matter was discussed last year, and I have been procrastinating on it." I did it because I was afraid that the baby would feel uncomfortable. It is not easy for a peasant family like us to provide for a scholar. The family finally gave up Shanzi. Although he failed to pass the exam several times, he still did it for the village and for us. Guys did something.


    "For so many years, our family has been doing things in the village. Everyone has seen it. If it is far away, it will not be mentioned. Let''s talk about the private school in Shanzi. As long as you are from the village and your family is not rich, Shu Xiu will be later or even less. , our family never mentioned it. Why? It¡¯s because it¡¯s not easy for us country people to make a living, with our faces turned to the loess and our backs turned to the sky. If God doesn¡¯t show mercy, the whole family suffers from famine.


    "Actually, I''m not afraid of the laughter of my brothers and sisters. Back then, I worked hard to support Shanzi''s education, just thinking that if I really passed the exam, I would give my family some tax exemption."


    These words were to the point, and it seemed that they were just a few words lightly, but they didn''t go deeper, but they said that everyone had mixed feelings in their hearts.


    What Mr. Xue said is the truth, or the truth that is in line with people''s reality, that''s what makes it so complicated.


    Finally someone stood up and spoke out for the previous incident, "Brother Lianxing, stop talking about it, we can''t trust you? When people spread rumors in the village, we told the children at home, Brother Lianxing Not that kind of person. There are those who are grandpas, and those who don¡¯t love their grandchildren.¡±


    "Yes, yes, everyone can understand, who is not difficult."


    Seeing that everyone was echoing Mr. Xue''s words, only the one surnamed Zheng remained silent. Zheng Lizheng''s eyes flashed, and he said with a smile: "Everyone in the village has watched Shanzi''s contribution to our village. Everyone knows that Shanzi is benevolent and righteous. This is for everyone''s sake. There is just one sentence, I don''t know if I, an elder, should say it."


    "Uncle Lizheng, you are the Lizheng of our village, there is nothing inappropriate to say."


    Zheng Lizheng nodded: "It stands to reason that this is your family''s business, and I, an outsider, shouldn''t interfere. But Lian Xing said it before, the palms and backs of his hands are all flesh." He suddenly sighed, and said earnestly: " Shanzi, don''t forget why your second child didn''t exist, everyone here can understand, because we have lived for decades, and we have never seen anything in our lives, so we are afraid that outsiders will not understand."


    These words made Xue Qingshan''s complexion look ugly on the spot, but since he can arrange this scene, it''s not that he has no countermeasures.


    He immediately said: "Uncle Lizheng is right, so I discussed it with my father and planned to give the two children a chance. Let the two have a competition, the winner will enter the school, and the one who fails will learn two lessons at home." Years, let¡¯s talk about it later when we have a chance.¡±


    Upon hearing this, the people present looked at each other without much opinion. Especially with the previous foreshadowing, Xue Qingshan''s words seem to be reasonable, which makes people have nothing to choose.


    After all, no family is rich, and money does not come from the river.


    Everyone went to see Zheng Lizheng, Zheng Lizheng looked at everyone with a smile, and said: "Why are you all looking at me? Since Lian Xingjia has an idea, let''s look at his family. But how does this compare? We old guys don''t Literacy, let Shanzi be the judge?"


    After a pause, he shook his head: "No, no, Shanzi is Juncai''s father, so he should avoid suspicion, or choose someone else to convince everyone."


    He looked up at Xue Qingshan and smiled: "Shanzi, you won''t blame me, Uncle Li Zheng, for being too talkative, right? In fact, I''m doing it for your own good. We should be upright in our conduct and conduct."

 Chapter 277

    In fact, her subtext was just to say that she was afraid that others would bully Xue Tingxiang, and no one present could hear it.


    Mr. Xue stared at her, he really suspected that all this was made by this girl. He knew that Gou''er was a bored gourd, why didn''t he go to the grave sooner and complained that he would not go later, but why did he go at this time.


    Thinking of all the disobedient things this girl did in the past, Mr. Xue felt disgusted in his heart. But he also knew that now was not the time to vent his anger, but to settle the matter.


    "Since you want to listen, then listen." The tone was the same as before, but anyone could hear the dissatisfaction in his voice.


    Zhao''er couldn''t hear it, so he stood aside.


    Seeing this, Mrs. Sun hurriedly dragged Xue Qinghuai to stay.


    "Since Zhao''er has stayed, let''s stay and listen too." She laughed along with her.


    Mr. Xue was immediately furious: "Since you want to listen, stay and listen."


    So everyone stayed, including the four-year-old Mao Dan, and even Mrs. Zhou, who was busy in the kitchen, stayed behind under the guise of cleaning the table.


    In the huge main room, only an oil lamp was lit on the square table. The wick was jumping and shadowy, and everyone''s eyes were on Mr. Xue. But he suddenly didn''t know where to start. He looked around everyone''s faces with heavy eyes, and finally fell on Xue Tingxiang''s face.


    "Actually, it''s nothing. I just want to talk about what the boss said a while ago that he wants to send the child to the school in the town."


    Zhao''er was inexplicably nervous, and couldn''t help but glance at Xue Tingxiang, and then went to see Mr. Xue.


    Dafang and his wife were overjoyed, they knew this would happen, and it was not in vain for them to swallow their anger for many days.


    Xue Qingshan couldn''t hide the joy on his face, he looked at Xue Tingxiang with pity and compassion, then looked at other people, and finally fell on Xue Tingxiang.


    "Dog, don''t be discouraged. You are still much worse than your talented brother. You will study with uncle for another two years, and then the family will send you to the town to study."


    This kind of tone was too stinging at this time, Zhao''er had a sneer on the corner of his mouth, and wanted to say something, but was pulled by Xue Tingxiang.


    Xue Qingshan took all of this into his eyes, and satirized in his heart, no matter how difficult this girl''s film is, she can only embarrass others on these trivial things, and it still doesn''t work when it comes to big things. He smiled, and said to Zhao''er: "Zhao''er, don''t be angry, uncle knows that you are high-minded, but high-mindedness can''t be eaten, don''t you?"


    No one in the room said anything.


    At this moment, Mr. Xue suddenly said angrily: "Boss, what are you talking about!"


    Xue Qingshan didn''t take it seriously: "Father, I''m not trying to persuade the dog not to be discouraged..."


    Old man Xue''s beard was shaking with anger, and he pointed at him with a cigarette pot: "You need to persuade, the one who is going to study in the town is not a handsome man, but a dog!"


    As soon as these words came out, one stone really stirred up a thousand waves.


    The room was silent for a moment, and soon Zhao''s slightly shrill voice broke the silence.


    "Old man, what are you talking about? What do you mean a person who is going to study in the town is not a talented person?"


    Xue Qingshan also said: "Father, did you say the wrong person in a muddle?"


    "Your father is not ignorant, and he didn''t say anything wrong. The one who goes to study in the town is a dog, not a genius!"


    After saying this, Mr. Xue seemed to have lost all his energy, and stopped talking. The eyes of the whole room kept looking back and forth at Xue Tingxiang and Xue Juncai, full of surprise.


    Xue Qingshan''s smile cracked, and Yang''s face was full of surprise.


    Xue Juncai''s handsome face flushed red, "Grandfather..."


    Mr. Xue waved his hand wearily: "Okay, let''s all go back to the house."


    With everything said like this, everyone had no choice but to leave, but Dafang''s family still stayed behind.


    As soon as everyone walked out of the main room, they heard a commotion inside.


    "Old man, please speak clearly, what do you mean it is a dog who is going to study in the town, not my handsome talent!"


    It was Zhao''s voice.


    There is also Xue Qingshan, mixed with Yang''s aggrieved and sharp cries, and Mr. Xue''s exhausted explanation.


    No secrets can be hidden under one roof, so everyone knows what''s going on.


    *


    Early the next morning, everyone got up.


    But the spirit is not very good, it can be seen that he didn''t sleep much at night. Especially Yang''s eyes were a little red and swollen, and she looked like she was crying.


    Xue Qingshan''s eyes were also full of bloodshot eyes, he looked at Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang with sinister eyes from time to time, but for some reason he didn''t say anything.


    The atmosphere was very depressing, no one spoke, everyone was there and doing what they were doing in an orderly manner, but the yard was surprisingly quiet.


    After breakfast, Mr. Xue took his hoe and planned to go to the field. Xue Qingbai and Xue Qinghuai didn''t dare to delay, one went to lead the cow out, the other picked up the iron plow, and followed him out the door.


    Xue Qingshan didn''t stay at home anymore, and then went out, but he didn''t know where he went.


    Unlike the rest of the Xue family, Zhao''er was very happy.


    Since she learned the ins and outs of the matter from Xue Tingxiang last night, she has fallen into uncontrollable excitement. Don''t say that she gloats, in her heart she should be a little man, and she is worrying about having no money in her hands. This news is tantamount to great joy for her.


    Knowing that the schoolchildren who go to the academy are very particular, she purposely found a piece of blue cloth that had been kept at the bottom of the box for a long time. This is Qiu''s dowry back then, and Qiu gave Zhao''er to make clothes, but unfortunately she has been reluctant to part with it, and now it is just right to use it as a school bag for Xue Tingxiang.


    After cutting the cloth, she began to sew with needles and threads, talking to Xue Tingxiang without saying a word. At this moment, the door curtain was suddenly lifted.


    It was Xue Youcai, the second boy of Dafang.


    Xue Youcai was only seven years old this year, but he was born fat and thick, and he was obviously spoiled. After he came in, he scolded Xue Tingxiang: "Just like you, you are still grabbing things from my elder brother, and you have the same name as a dog. You are no smarter than a dog."


    This kid''s tongue is really poisonous, and he is also used to by the elder couple, and he has always been a bully at home, making everyone angry. I saw signs of it a few years ago, but it''s a pity that Mrs. Yang has been protecting him, saying that he is still young and ignorant, but he has grown up in the past two years, but it is a pity that he is still ignorant.


    Zhao''er doesn''t like him, if anyone in this family beat Xue Youcai, it must be her. Xue Youcai was afraid of her, yet hated her, she stood up abruptly, before she could speak, Xue Youcai suddenly threw a bag of things in his hand. It hit the head and face, and it hurt people, and there was a strange smell in it.


    Zhao''er was hit twice, she subconsciously tried to hide, thinking of Xue Tingxiang on the kang, she turned her back to protect him. Xue Tingxiang was unprepared, she hugged her upright, obviously it was not appropriate, but he felt blushing and heart beating.


    After finally waiting for this wave to pass, Zhao''er let go of his hand, Xue Youcai had already run away, and the thing he used to hit them turned out to be dried cow dung.


    Zhao''er was so disgusted that she ran after her.


    She stopped Xue Youcai at the gate of the courtyard, grabbed him by the collar without saying a word, picked up a branch from a nearby wall, and lashed at him.


    "If I don''t beat you for three days, you dare to go to the house to expose the tiles..."


    Xue Youcai struggled to run away, but Zhao''er was so painful that he was whipped. Crying and shouting, he sat down on the ground and lay down on the ground.


    This looks like the posture that young children are accustomed to playing tricks on.


    There was such a big commotion outside that everyone in the room was startled out.


    Seeing Xue Youcai being beaten by Zhao''er, Mrs. Zhao exploded: "Who told you to beat my grandson, stop!"


    Zhao''er ignored her and scolded: "Do you still dare to do it in the future? Why don''t you learn how to throw bullshit like others! The words are quite vicious. Who taught you to speak like this? If you don''t speak clearly today, I will not only Hit you, I will take you to the river to wash your mouth later..."


    Mrs. Yang also came out, and she screamed: "Wang Zhaoer, you are crazy, you dare to hit Juncai!"


    "Auntie, why don''t you see what he has done? You didn''t learn well at a young age, like some women who uttered obscene language and threw cow dung on people. I''ll tell you now, your second brother has a name , called Xue Tingxiang, if you dare to tell me whether you are a dog or not in the future, I will beat you every time I see you!"


    Xue Youcai cried until tears and snot came out, but unfortunately no one came up to rescue him. Zhao was so angry that she jumped up and down, Yang wanted to stop Zhao''er, but was stopped by Heizi.


    You usually see this sunspot with a slumped head and no energy at all. He stopped in front of people, growled a warning in his voice, and showed his sharp teeth. Yang didn''t doubt that if she dared to go forward, she would The dog would pounce on her and give her a bite.


    At this moment, a surprised voice suddenly sounded outside the courtyard: "What are you doing?"


    It was Xue Qingshan who came back from the outside, not only patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng, but also five or six villagers over half a hundred years old.


    Seeing the situation at home like this, Xue Qingshan was surprised at first, then smiled wryly, and said to the people beside him: "I won''t mention what outsiders say is right and wrong, just say that they are mean dogs, but there is absolutely no one Dare to do this. This girl has always been a pungent person, making troubles at home every now and then, if someone was really mean, she would have already caused a lot of trouble."


    What you said made people feel inexplicable, but Zhao''er is not the master who allows people to slander, so he immediately retorted: "Uncle, what you said is a bit slanderous. I usually respect the elders at home. What nonsense is it? There is a reason for beating this kid today, and he actually scolded..."


    Having said that, she was interrupted by Yang.


    She came over anxiously and distressed, snatched Xue Youcai from Zhao''er''s hand and cried, "How old is he, how old are you? He is just not sensible at this age, and you still care about him... "


    Yang was crying, with a look of grievance and helplessness, Xue Qingshan was also sighing beside him, Zhao''er didn''t know what the two couples were playing, it was over.


    Her little face was flushed with anxiety, and she was about to explain again, when Xue Tingxiang who came out of the room grabbed her.


    He took two steps forward, stood in front of Zhao''er, and first respectfully called Patriarch Xue, Zheng Lizheng and the few villagers. They are all from the same village, and you can''t see them when you look up. As a junior, these are his elders.


    After the proper etiquette passed, he explained to Yang: "I hope that my aunt will not be angry. Zhao''er was also impulsive. She saw that the talented boy called me the same name as a dog, and threw a lot of cow dung on me. That''s why I hit the boy in a fit of anger."


    Xue Tingxiang''s behavior first gave people a good impression. As a scholar, you should be gentle and polite. Next, I will take advantage of the gap of the apology and explain the ins and outs of the matter in two sentences.


    Zhao''er was not stupid, her mistake was that she was eager to explain everything clearly, so she couldn''t help but talk too much, but Xue Tingxiang only talked about the main points and didn''t mention anything else.


    And he speaks very well, it is normal for children to be naughty, but it is worth considering when they are naughty enough to insult people as dogs, not to mention throwing cow dung on Xue Tingxiang, his elder brother. At the same time, it also explained for Zhao''er why she beat the talented boy so impulsively.


    Sure enough, after hearing this, Patriarch Xue and the others inevitably turned to his side when they saw the forbearing expression on Xue Tingxiang''s thin face.


    "Ting''er? I didn''t expect you to give yourself a name." Xue Qingshan laughed, and also wanted to point out that Xue Tingxiang''s name was not correct, and he was not as sensible and polite as he appeared on the surface.


    Usually names are bestowed by the elders, not just chosen by the younger generation. It¡¯s okay for ordinary villagers, but Xue Tingxiang is a scholar, and a scholar should know how to be polite. Read.


    Xue Tingxiang was very clear in his heart, and understood what uncle meant. He smiled and said: "When my father was still alive, I asked my grandfather and uncle to help me choose one. Uncle refused because of his humble name. Now the court My son is also fourteen, so I can¡¯t keep using her baby name, so I randomly picked one.¡±


    As soon as this remark came out, Xue Qingshan''s face turned ugly again. Xue Tingxiang was obviously saying that he, as an uncle, did not want to name him, and deliberately belittled him. After all, since I have been educated, I should definitely not have a name,


    He forced a smile, and explained: "It''s not that Uncle sees that you are not in good health, and wants to name you after you are an adult. You can''t understand this painstaking effort, if Uncle doesn''t choose one for you now?"


    As he said that, without waiting for Xue Tingxiang to agree, he sighed and made a melancholy look, and said: "You have been weak since you were born, and your father wished you a long life when he was alive, so my uncle named you Fushou, what do you think? ?¡±


    This name is really random, and I am not at all sorry for the name of Xue Qingshan, the only child born in Yuqing Village.


    Xue Tingxiang hesitated for a moment before refusing: "It''s still not uncle, Ting''er''s name has been decided, and I went to the grave to inform my parents before, there is absolutely no chance to change it."


    These words also made it clear why he went to the cemetery every year. Since Xue Tingxiang saw that Xue Qingshan had invited so many people and made such a fuss, he knew that the other party must have plans.


    Regardless of what he plans, he just blocks the way that the other party may use to make a fuss, and the rest is to wait and see what happens.


    Sure enough, Patriarch Xue''s face softened a little.


    Before that, he always thought that this matter was done on purpose by Erfang, just to compete with Juncai for the opportunity to study in Qinghe Academy. This time I came to see this young man is gentle and polite, neither humble nor overbearing, patriarch Xue has no fame, but he can know a few words, and he has been the patriarch for many years, so he has a good eye for people.


    He was very surprised, because he had seen Gouzi before, but he didn''t have a deep impression of him. The only impression he had was that he was an inconspicuous boy. Looking at it now, this son has grown up somewhat unexpectedly.


    But no matter how unexpected he was, patriarch Xue did not forget what he was doing here.


    Just a good impression on one side is not enough to make him shake the decision he has made. He had asked someone to test Juncai''s child, and he was much more knowledgeable than his two grandchildren. If it was said who the next child in Yuqing Village would be, Patriarch Xue felt that Xue Juncai was the most likely.


    Maybe not just a child, but a scholar.


    With two future talent seedlings and a young man who doesn''t know his depth, Patriarch Xue naturally knows how to do this multiple-choice question.


    However, the idea of ??helping Xue Qingshan before was dispelled. If Xue Qingshan couldn''t even handle a child, he didn''t deserve his attention.


    How could Xue Qingshan fail to see Patriarch Xue''s thoughts. In his eyes, this old man is a master who does not see rabbits and does not scatter eagles. He accepts the benefits he brings to the clan, but never knows how to give him something.


    If any clan has ethnology, the clan will not subsidize one or two. On the contrary, he worked for nothing all day long, and every time a certain family in the clan brought some random food, the patriarch called him over and asked him to accept it.


    To be generous with the generosity of others, to spend other people''s wealth, is merciless to others, and it is meaningless to oneself!


    Xue Qingshan sneered in his heart, but pretended to be a respectful petition, and invited Xue patriarch Zheng Lizheng and others into the house.


    Patriarch Xue and Zheng Li were sitting cross-legged on the kang, one on the left and one on the right, while the others were sitting on the stools below. Mrs. Yang and Mrs. Zhou were busy pouring tea, and even Xue Tao''er was sent to ask Mr. Xue to come home quickly.


    Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng both had the habit of smoking dry pipes, and they took out the pipes as soon as they sat down.


    Xue Qingshan hurriedly took a bag of tobacco leaves from his mother Zhao, and while serving them, he said: "This is grown by my father himself. It is usually a treasure. Uncle and Uncle Li should try it."


    "Your father''s shredded tobacco is good, but it''s too little." After lighting it, Zheng Lizheng took a deep breath and said with a smile.


    Xue Qingshan replied: "If Uncle Lizheng likes it, I''ll pretend to be with you when I leave later, so don''t dislike it."


    These are all polite words, everyone knows each other well, Zheng Lizheng nodded with a smile, and went straight to the point: "What is Shan Zi planning to invite some of us old guys over here this time?"


    Looking at Zheng Lizheng''s smiling face, Xue Qingshan scolded the old fox in his heart.


    Things would turn out like this, and he absolutely wouldn''t believe that this guy surnamed Zheng didn''t do anything inside. But that''s exactly how he invited Zheng Lizheng here today. After all, he is the Lizheng of Yuqing Village and his surname is Zheng, so he won''t be said to be covering up.

 Chapter 278

    Jiang Wu looked helpless, but with a smile in his eyes: "Okay, I can''t do it according to what you say, but I don''t need to pay half of it. After all, this is a deal you got, so I''ll help you run some errands or something. Twenty-eight, you eight and I two."


    "How can it be done on February 8th? I will definitely use your car when the time comes. Your Daqing mule is not considered labor? Daqing, look, Brother Jiang Wu said that you are not considered labor, and even your rations will be deducted."


    The mule named Daqing shook its head and snorted, which seemed to mean that if he dared to deduct my rations, I would slow down and let him carry it by himself.


    Zhao''er laughed loudly, pointed at Daqing and said, "Look, even Daqing protested."


    Jiang Wu looked sideways at the girl who was smiling wantonly, with a strange gleam in her eyes. Fortunately, Daqing knew the way and was docile, otherwise the three people in the car would have been taken into the ditch beside the road.


    Seeing this scene, Xue Tingxiang''s face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.


    He was both annoyed and angry, and he actually forgot about Jiang Wu.


    In that dream, Jiang Wu has been coveting Zhao''er.


    Jiang Wu is two years older than Zhao''er, but he has never married. If Zhao''er hadn''t been his child bride-in-law, the Jiang family would have come to propose marriage a long time ago.


    Even so, Jiang Wu never gave up, and once even approached him and told him that he wanted to marry Zhao''er, telling him not to be so selfish, and letting Zhao''er go free. She also said that she and Zhao''er would support him to study together and treat him like a younger brother, that''s how he knew about it.


    Shocked and annoyed, he also remembered Zhao''er''s reluctance to marry him. He mistakenly thought that Zhao''er had an affair with Jiang Wu, so he borrowed his parents'' orders to forcefully marry her. Later, by chance, Only then did he realize that he had wronged her.


    This matter has always been a scar between the two, even though it was never mentioned again, there is a gap between them. Afterwards, he was busy starting his career, while Zhao''er was busy running business. The two met only once in a long time, and even when they met, they seldom talked again until he went to Beijing to rush for the exam after winning the exam.


    The he in the dream once thought after Zhao''er died, if he hadn''t been so despicable back then and forced Zhao''er by his parents'' orders, Zhao''er wouldn''t have died.


    But this kind of thought is like a superficial thought, it just passed by in a flash. At this time, thinking about it, he is probably despicable in his bones. Even if he is not the Xue Tingxiang in his dream, he never thought of letting him go.


    She was supposed to be his, and when he still half understood, someone would always point to her and say, this is his future wife, isn''t it?


    "Brother Jiang Wu, you''d better look at some roads, this road is uneven, don''t lead us all into a ditch."


    Xue Tingxiang''s voice successfully interrupted the chatting and laughing of Jiang Wu and Zhao''er, as if a very ignorant person suddenly appeared, making the already warm atmosphere suddenly cool down.


    Zhao''er laughed dryly: "Look at me, I was so focused on talking to you about the business that I forgot that you were still driving the car. Fortunately, Daqing is smart, otherwise I would have fallen."


    Da Qing called out, looking very complacent.


    Jiang Wu looked back subconsciously, just in time to meet the young man''s dark eyes. Those eyes made him inexplicably guilty, but soon he regained his confidence.


    He knew that the dogs of the Xue family didn''t like to recruit children, and he also knew that the second bedroom couple of the Xue family originally recruited children as daughters, not child brides. The child bride-in-law was only passed on from the villagers to the villagers, and it became true because of the entrustment of the second wife of the Xue family at the end of their lives.


    Not only that, but he also knew that Zhao''er only regarded the other party as a younger brother, and had no intention of marrying the other party.


    The young man was undoubtedly thin and thin, although he was handsome, there was still a bit of childishness on his face. Such a young man made the strong and powerful Jiang Wu inexplicably feel condescending. He smiled heartily and said indifferently: "Don''t be afraid, you dog, Brother Jiang Wu drives the car every day, and you can walk back with your eyes closed."


    Xue Tingxiang did not speak, but lowered his head with the corners of his lips pursed.


    Seeing this, Zhao''er immediately understood whether the title Gouzi made the little man feel uncomfortable again. But facing Jiang Wu, she couldn''t show a cold face, she could only smile and say: "Brother Jiang Wu, let me tell you that the dog has a name, it''s called Tingxiang, Xue Tingxiang."


    "It''s an elegant name."


    "Yeah, so don''t call me Gouzi Gouzi in the future, it''s weird."


    While speaking, the car had arrived at Yuqing Village.


    Jiang Wu inertially circled to the end of the village before stopping, Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang got out of the car.


    "When will the business be done? Tell me a time, and I will pick you up when the time comes."


    "Aren''t you going to be busy in the town tomorrow, and those clothes have to be tidied up. When I''m ready, I''ll go to your house and give you a letter."


    Zhao''er also thought that two days later would be the day when Xue Tingxiang and Xue Juncai competed, and she would not be in the mood to do business until this matter was over.


    "OK."


    *


    Now that the matter was settled, they said goodbye to each other.


    Jiang Wu drove the car home, while Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang went home together.


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t say anything along the way, but just walked silently.


    Zhao''er glanced at him: "What''s the matter? You seem a little unhappy. Did Brother Jiang Wu call you angry just now? He didn''t know you were famous. I told him that he would never That''s what it''s called."


    He suppressed the jealousy in his heart, and said in a muffled voice, "Why do you know him so well?"


    "Brother Jiang Wu, we''ve known each other since we were young. You forgot that Heizi was brought back by his dog after he gave birth to a cub. Brother Jiang Wu is a very nice person and has helped me a lot."


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t speak, but stopped.


    Zhao''er walked forward for a while, only to realize that he hadn''t followed.


    She came back in a few steps, and asked suspiciously: "What''s wrong with you, why are you so weird?"


    He held his breath: "Don''t forget, you are a man."


    Zhao''er was taken aback for a moment, then looked at him and laughed. But he just smiled and didn''t speak, which made Xue Tingxiang angry and annoyed.


    Don''t think about it, she must have thought of something good.


    Seeing his fair face flushed with anger, Zhao''er hurriedly said: "Okay, don''t be angry, I know I have a man."


    There was a teasing taste in her voice, knowing that she was coaxing him, his heart still jumped several times.


    With the experience in the dream, Xue Tingxiang knew that this was not the time to be awkward, besides, there was Jiang Wu watching over him, so he didn''t want to repeat the experience in the dream again.


    He couldn''t help but reiterated: "I''m also doing it for your own good, lest people in the village see and make irresponsible remarks." He didn''t dare to look at her, but stared at the ground beside him, with some confidence in his heart. Distracted.


    Seeing him confessing himself like an adult, with a fair face and a slightly childish face, I don''t know how to trick him and want to rub his head.


    She did the same, and said at the same time: "Well, well, you are right, I will listen to you."


    He suddenly became more angry, and a sense of powerlessness and discouragement came to his heart.


    Why does she always treat herself like a child!


    *


    Early the next morning, Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang went out.


    When I arrived, Dongliju had just opened, Xue Tingxiang went to the clean room yesterday to continue copying books, but Zhao''er went to the yard behind the shop.


    She discussed with Boss Chen and borrowed this place to pack her clothes. Zhao''er had seen those clothes before, they were all old clothes, since she wanted to make money, she couldn''t afford to sell them poorly, so she came here today mainly to do this job.


    She borrowed the bamboo mat used for drying books from the shop, poured out the big bag of clothes, first sorted them into men''s and women''s styles, and then divided them into several piles according to texture and thickness, and then began to check the clothes one by one for damage. The place.


    If there was a hole somewhere, she would sew it up with the needle and thread she brought. Zhao''er''s needlework is pretty good, but she can''t do embroidery or something, and she''s fine with sewing and making clothes.


    She managed to clean up a pile, and seeing that the sun was shining outside, she went to fetch water from the well in the courtyard. There is a pulley in the well, so it is very convenient to fetch water. Zhao''er fetched a basin of water, soaked the clothes in the big wooden basin, wiped the soap locust water and scrubbed it.


    After washing and rinsing, the rice soup in the kitchen is also ready.


    Although Boss Chen and the others don''t cook in the shop, they always need a place to boil water for tea and so on, so the shop also turned on the fire, and Zhao''er borrowed the stove to cook a big pot of rice soup.


    She brought out the boiled rice soup, poured it into the wooden basin, and added some water into it, it is most suitable if it is slightly hot. Fang poured all the washed clothes into it and kept stirring with a stick.


    Stir well, put half a cup of tea, pick up the clothes from the wooden basin, fetch water and rinse again.


    This is the so-called starched clothes. The clothes that have been washed are sticky and sticky. As long as they don''t fade, they look like new ones. Some people who are fastidious will iron it with an iron, but since there is no such condition, Zhao''er does not intend to do so.


    During this period, Boss Chen came in. Seeing that Zhao''er was in full swing, he pointed to the various clothes hanging out in the yard and said with a smile, "It''s good for you, you take my place as your own. You make it look like a laundry room."


    Nowadays, there are places like starch washing rooms. Some people don''t want to wash their clothes at home, so they will send their clothes to the starch washing room for washing. Inexpensive and saves time and effort.


    Knowing that Boss Chen was joking with himself, Zhao''er also joked: "After what Uncle Chen said, it opened my eyes again. When I don''t have any business to do, I will buy a laundry room. When the time comes Uncle Chen will bring you the clothes, and I will wash them for you without charge."


    "You girl, you are really a good businessman." Boss Chen shook his head and laughed, and went back to the front.


    The room where Xue Tingxiang copied the books was in this yard, and the big window happened to be facing the yard, so Zhao''er''s every word and deed could be seen by him.


    Usually he can concentrate on nothing else, but today he is always going to see her intentionally or unintentionally.


    Seeing her tossing around in the yard, seeing her very lively face under the sun, seeing the beads of sweat on her forehead, she had no intention of copying the book at all, and only copied less than two pages in one morning.


    Boss Chen walked in to take a look, and followed his gaze to Zhao''er: "You are lucky to have such a woman at the booth."


    Xue Tingxiang did not speak.


    Boss Chen said again: "By the way, how far have you reached in your studies?"


    "I have finished studying the four books, but I can only read them, but I can''t understand them."


    "It''s okay to be able to read but not understand. Now that you have entered the university, you should start to learn Mingjing. However, in that kind of country school, many teachers themselves have only a half-knowledge, and they can''t teach anything. You can read more when you have nothing to do. Reading books like "Four Books Chapters" and "Zhu Zi Ji Zhu" can''t help you fully understand the scriptures, but they are somewhat helpful. The most important thing is to find a good school with good teachers to guide you. "Boss Chen pointed out.


    After a pause, he said again: "I heard from Zhao''er that he wanted to send you to the Qinghe Academy. Instead of spending a lot of money to go to that kind of place, I suggest that you go to the Qingyuan Academy."


    "Qingyuan Academy?" Xue Tingxiang asked in a daze.


    Boss Chen thought he didn''t know, or was deceived by rumors like those ordinary people, and said: "This Qingyuan Academy is one of the oldest schools in Huyang Township, and it used to be famous throughout Xia County. In our township, half of the people who pass the county examination every year come from the Qingyuan Academy, and there are not a few of them who pass the exam. It¡¯s just that the Qinghe Academy has risen suddenly in the past few years, and it seems to have declined.¡±


    Boss Chen''s voice was low, as if he was sighing infinitely, and suddenly turned high, quite angry: "Everyone in the world values ??fame and fortune, and is easily deceived by false appearances. They don''t know that the Qinghe Academy is using opportunism. The owner Gao Relying on his relationship with County Magistrate Hu, Youzhi became attached to him, and all the money allocated by the imperial court to the county to support local social studies and village studies flowed into the Qinghe Academy, and the two of them made a lot of money and filled their own pockets.


    "And the owner of the Qingyuan Academy is an upright person, and he doesn''t want to be with him. In addition, the Qingyuan Academy has a lot of preferential treatment for the children of poor families. Without this silver subsidy, we can only encourage and support it. The county that presides over the county examination Lingdu looked at Qinghe Academy differently, and even the students who wanted to enroll flocked there. This has changed, and the reputation of Qingyuan Academy has gradually declined in recent years."


    Xue Juncai raised his head in disbelief, he couldn''t believe that he didn''t even think about it, how could Xue Tingxiang have it.


    I saw that gentle and thin young man with his hands behind his back, walking back and forth in the hall for a few steps, Fang said: "If you take the bait, you are an old man, and if you take the bait, you are a test. The old man takes the test for the children, and the children get the test for the old."


    In fact, Xue Tingxiang is not good at reciting poems and fighting against each other, but he can''t hold back that the person in his dream has lived a long life and has a wide market. There used to be a long-standing joke among scholars¡ª¡ª


    It is said that there was a gray-haired scholar who took the exam, and the examiner knew from his appearance that he was an old boy who had repeatedly failed the exam, so he intentionally made things difficult for him: "I have a couplet, if you can match it, I will take it." you."


    The old boy felt bitter in his heart, but he didn''t dare to give up.


    The chief examiner asked the question: "If you take the bait, you are old; if you take the bait, you are a tester. If you are old, you will be a child, and if you are a child, you will be old."


    The old boy bowed to Rao, and replied: "One person is great, and two are heaven. Heaven is greater than human affection, and human affection is greater than heaven."


    This flattery was so exquisite that the examiner was too embarrassed to go back on his word, so he had no choice but to choose him as a scholar.


    In fact, upon hearing this story, one knew it was made up. Anyone who has participated in the hospital examination should know what the situation will be. How can the examiner take the initiative to test an old student? The examiner and the examinee will not talk to each other, and it is also for avoidance.


    It was obviously made up by a failed scholar, and it was used as a comforting chat, and because it made people laugh, it spread among scholars. It even extended to the fact that any official in the DPRK was released as an academic officer, or presided over a new department examination, and the official who had a good relationship with him could not help telling the last sentence, but don''t be ''human beings are too big''.

 Chapter 279

    In fact, Xue Gouzi is only beautiful with these eyes. He has been weak since he was born, and the second wife and his wife managed to support him, and they are usually spoiled. The boys of his age in the village are all dark-skinned and strong like a calf, but he is pale, emaciated, silent and taciturn.


    But Zhao''er has always been domineering, and never allowed anyone to call him a little man, and whoever said she was in a hurry. Because of this incident, she had fought with many girls and boys in the village, although some people still said behind their backs, after all no one dared to point fingers in front of others.


    Zhao''er always felt that the little man''s eyes were weird today, and he avoided them uncomfortably.


    She knew that the little man must be angry again, and he didn''t like her saying ''the dog is my man'' the most. Every time he heard her say such words, he would ignore her for a few days. In fact, recruiting children is also shameful, but she is the child bride-in-law of the second room of Xue''s family. If she didn''t claim to be like this, how could she have the right to challenge the fourth aunt, Sun''s.


    "Are you hungry? Look what I brought back for you?"


    Zhao''er turned her head and put all these troubles behind her, and took out a paper bag from her pocket. Open the paper bag, there are two steamed buns inside, they are white and plump, and people like it when they look at them.


    "Eat quickly, while it''s still warm." She smiled, stuffed the paper bag into the little man''s hand, and put the pannier on her shoulders in the corner.


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her.


    The girl in front of her was in her twenties and eighth year, and her skin was the wheat color that is common among girls in the country, but Zhao''er''s complexion was very different from others, it was smooth and radiant, as if she had been smeared with honey. He has a tall nose bridge, a pair of medium-sized eyes, and swarthy pupils. When he smiles, there is a flash of inspiration in him, and he looks lively.


    Zhao''er''s stature is taller than ordinary girls, and she is well-developed, front/convex/backward, full of youthful vigor.


    It was so vivid, as vivid as in his dream.


    He unconsciously took the steamed stuffed bun and gnawed on it. Seeing this trick, he smiled even more happily. He went to the kitchen and poured him a bowl of water, which he placed next to his hand. On the other hand, he bent down to tidy up the scattered quilts on the kang, thinking about what to cook for him at night to nourish his body.


    Finally, the little man got better, so he had to continue to drink the medicine, and he had to drink a few more to strengthen it. From this, he naturally began to calculate the little money left in his hand, and think of a way to get some money, so as to solve the urgent need.


    "Have you eaten yet?" Xue Gouzi asked.


    This kind of behavior rarely happens to him, so Zhao''er can''t help but look up at the little man sitting on the kang.


    In fact, the little man has a handsome appearance, which is different from the fair skin of the countrymen. The corners of his eyes are slightly raised, and the curvature makes his face a little more delicate and handsome. It''s just that the little man always hangs his head halfway on weekdays, with a gloomy and silent temperament, and is too thin, so he is not conspicuous in front of others.


    Zhao''er''s eyes warmed up, her smile widened, and she said cracklingly, "Eat, I ate it outside, this is for you."


    After she finished speaking, she realized that she had slipped her mouth. She waited for the little man to show a disgusted expression, or to condemn her daughter''s family for running around, but he didn''t say anything, as if he had something on his mind. Head eating buns.


    Zhao''er couldn''t help heaving a sigh of relief, but at the same time felt a pain in his heart, and couldn''t help but said: "Dog, don''t worry too much. After all, you heard the words. Since you didn''t say it face-to-face, you can''t take it seriously. Even if it is true Don''t be afraid, sister earns money for your education."


    Xue Gouzi''s head still hurts a little, and he was dizzy. Zhao''er thought he had something on his mind, but in fact he was just thinking about that dream. Hearing Zhao''er''s words at this time, he suddenly remembered why he had this serious illness.


    Seriously speaking, Xue Gouzi''s serious illness came in a hurry due to stagnation of liver qi.


    Speaking of this, I have to talk about the general situation of the Xue family.


    Yuqing Village is a village located under Huyang Town, Xia County, Pingyang Prefecture. There are only more than 200 households in the village.


    The Xue family is one of them.


    However, the Xue family is different from other ordinary farmers, and it can be regarded as having some origins.


    The ancestor of the Xue family, that is, the grandfather of Mr. Xue, was a scholar. In a poor mountain depression like Yuqing Village, it is a great event for the ancestors to have a scholar.


    Because of this talented gentleman, the generation of the Xue family produced the head of the Xue clan, and there were several village elders in the clan, and finally had some say in Yuqing Village. At the same time, it is also a blessing for the younger generation. Mr. Xue''s father is hardworking and willing to work. With the help of the elders, he also slowly built up a family business.


    By the time of Mr. Xue''s generation, the Xue family already had more than 30 acres of fertile land, and several sons also had their own livelihoods. Their lives were enviably prosperous, and they could be regarded as a well-to-do family in the village.


    Mr. Xue and his mother-in-law Zhao have four sons and two daughters. The eldest son Xue Qingshan married his wife Yang, and they have two sons and a daughter. The eldest son Xue Juncai is fifteen years old, the second son Xue Youcai is ten years old, and the eldest daughter Xue Maner is married.


    The second child, Xue Qingsong, is a carpenter. He married his wife Qiu Shi and gave birth to a son, Xue Gouzi, who is fourteen years old. The third child, Xue Qingbai, is a farmer, married his wife Zhou, and gave birth to a son and a daughter. The eldest daughter, Xue Taoer, is thirteen years old this year, and the youngest son, Xue Shuanzi, is eight years old now. The fourth son, Xue Qinghuai, is a shopkeeper. He married his wife, Sun, and gave birth to a son named Xue Maodan, who is only four years old this year.


    As for the two daughters, the eldest daughter, Xue Cuiping, is already married, and the youngest daughter, Xue Cuie, is fourteen this year and is still in her boudoir.


    It is worth mentioning that nowadays there are parents who say that they do not separate their families. In addition, families in the countryside are ruled by clans, so Xue''s family has no separation.


    The Xue family has tasted the benefits of reading, so they have more vision than ordinary farmers. Xue Qingshan is smart since he was a child, and he is the eldest son. Mr. Xue has high hopes for him, and when he reaches the age of enlightenment, he spends money to send him to a private school.


    Xue Qingshan also strives for success. At the age of twenty, he passed the Tongsheng examination. Although he is still a scholar, he can be counted as a scholar who can be counted in ten miles and eight villages.


    Don''t underestimate Tongsheng! As the saying goes, scholars, farmers, businessmen, and scholars are the highest class of people in the current society. If ordinary people want to turn ordinary people into scholars, there is only one way to take the imperial examination. As for the imperial examination, it is only a matter of going to the west to learn Buddhist scriptures, and you have to go through various checkpoints and go through hardships before you can get it.


    If you want to embark on this path, you must first have the qualifications, and Tong Sheng is a person with this qualification. It is necessary to pass the county and government examinations to be called Tongsheng. As for the next step is to be a scholar, to become a scholar is to enter school, and it is also the first step to embark on the road of imperial examinations.


    It can be seen from this that Tong Sheng is not an ordinary person, so Xue Qingshan''s status in the Xue family can be imagined.


    But as I said before, the Xue family''s family background can only be regarded as a middle-level family in the countryside. If a family like this wants to support a scholar, it will almost exhaust all the human and financial resources of the family. Because the eldest son is the eldest son, who will set up a family in the future, and is talented and intelligent, the next few sons naturally have to give in.


    As for why Xue Gouzi became seriously ill, it has to be related to another old matter of the Xue family.


    Back then when Xue Qingshan was selected as a child student, he was considered a success at a young age. He was full of ambitions and wanted to pass the college examination in one fell swoop, and he could also be a scholar, but it was a pity that God did not follow his wishes.


    It was only a close call, and no one would be reconciled to it. Xue Qingshan could only calm down, work hard, and hope to win next time.


    After so many years of rushing away, the original smugness was completely devastated by the impact of reality. Xue Qingshan failed many exams, so he couldn''t stay at home and eat free food all the time. In desperation, he set up a private school in the village, which specializes in taking children from the village and several nearby villages to read and write, and they can more or less earn a living.


    With such convenient conditions, several children of Xue''s family naturally followed suit. The next few children are still young, and among the grandchildren, Xue Juncai, the eldest son of the big house, and Xue Gouzi of the second house have studied the longest.


    However, compared to his cousin Xue Juncai, Xue Gouzi is obviously not as good as he is because he is too weak. When he was young, he was always sick every day, which delayed a lot of homework.


    The time was stretched back to five years ago, this year the academic officer held a college examination in Fucheng, Xue Qingshan naturally would not miss it, he stopped his private school classes early and went to Fucheng to take the exam.


    It''s not easy to go out at this time, and besides, Mr. Xue was worried about his eldest son going out alone, so he asked his second son Xue Qingsong to accompany him. He always took care of him when he was usually on a business trip.


    That is to say, something happened on this trip, Xue Qingshan offended someone in Fucheng, Xue Qingsong was beaten all over his body in order to protect his eldest brother. In the end, the man was pulled back, but he died within a few days after he came back. Before he died, Xue Qingsong asked Xue Qingshan to promise himself that he would do everything in his power to confess Xue Gouzi.


    In fact, after giving way for others all his life, how could Xue Qingsong have no complaints in his heart, but he has a simple and honest nature, and he knows that his talent is not as good as that of his elder brother, so he has been making contributions in obscurity.


    But when it came to his own son, especially Xue Gouzi, who was weak since he was a child, he was not a farmer in any way, and he was dying, so Xue Qingsong took the opportunity to force his elder brother to make a promise.


    Xue Qingsong would do this, but he wanted to break the status quo that the Xue family''s resources had been leaning towards Dafang. The Xue family only had two scholars in the first room, and now there is a Xue Gouzi. The children in the third room were still young at that time, and the fourth child was not married yet. As long as Xue Qingshan agrees, others will naturally have nothing to say, and Xue Qingsong will do his best for his son Brown.


    Xue Qingshan agreed to the matter on the spot, crying blood, saying that he would treat Xue Gouzi as his own son, Xue Qingsong closed his eyes.


    Not long after that, Qiu Shi, who was already in poor health, became depressed and fell ill, and then passed away. Since then, Xue Gouzi has become a poor child without father and mother. Fortunately, there are grandparents and uncles, and Zhaoer, a child bride-in-law, so he doesn''t have to worry about food and clothing.


    In the following years, Xue Qingshan really treated Xue Gouzi like his own son. No one in the village would say that the boss of the Xue family raised his nephew as his own son. But as the saying goes, the human heart is the most fickle, and selfishness is the nature of human beings. As time passed, Da Fang gradually changed his attitude. Although he was in front of others, he was still the same as before, but only the person concerned would know what happened to him afterwards.


    This year, seeing that he had nothing to teach his son, Xue Qingshan decided to send Xue Juncai to the town school to study for two years.


    But it costs a lot of money to go to the school to study, not to mention the one-year study that costs two silver, the three festivals and six rituals of the husband, and the pen, ink, paper and inkstone used in daily life, all of which cost money. The Xue family has already been seriously injured because they confessed to Xue Qingshan, and how can they have money for the two children to go together.


    You can only take out one piece of money, that is to say, Xue Juncai and Xue Gouzi can only go to one.


    Xue Qingshan told the matter in front of the whole family, but Xue Gouzi didn''t say what he couldn''t say tactfully, but chose to remain silent.


    During that time, the atmosphere in the Xue family was weird, the old man Xue was frowning, and the grandmother Zhao was eccentric all day long, but the eldest couple were still the same as before, and they didn''t think it was a problem.


    I will not mention this, it is also a coincidence that Xue Gouzi accidentally overheard his eldest aunt Yang and fourth aunt Sun talking in secret, saying that he would let his parents-in-law come forward and let Xue Gouzi take the initiative to give up his place to study in the town , Xue Gouzi became seriously ill in a fit of rage.


    Thinking of this, Xue Gouzi felt uneasy for a while, and at the same time, many pictures appeared in his mind, which were just some of his previous dreams.


    The Xue Tingxiang in the dream also faced the same situation in the fourteenth year, and the other party''s temperament changed drastically after this incident, changing his previous disposition.


    Could it be that he is Xue Tingxiang, and that Xue Tingxiang is him? But why would he dream of these things!


    Xue Gouzi felt a throbbing pain in his head, the bun in his hand fell on the kang, and the water bowl next to him was also knocked over. Zhao''er heard the movement, rushed up and hugged him in his arms.


    "Dog, dog, don''t scare me!"


    Because of Zheng Lizheng''s words, the eyes of He Qiao and the two scholars were all on Xue Tingxiang''s face.


    Naturally, they didn''t understand the clues of this, and they only thought that Zheng Lizheng suddenly mentioned whether there was something hidden in it. After all, they all knew before coming that this was a competition between two descendants of the same family.


    What is compared is knowledge, and what is compared is also future.


    They were all from humble backgrounds, and of course they knew how difficult it was to study in a farming family, so before Xue Tingshan said that the Xue family never forgot to cultivate their children and grandchildren while they settled down, Qiao Xiucai praised them greatly.


    Because he knew that this matter seemed insignificant, but it was actually too difficult for farmers. How many families had the idea of ??changing their own destiny by reading books.


    It can be said that those who are born in a poor family in the countryside and can achieve great fame have all experienced great hardships. The starting point is much lower than others. It takes countless efforts to catch up with others, and at the same time they have to face all kinds of cruel competition.


    This kind of competition is not only between classmates, but also between the same clan, and even one''s own brothers.


    If you succeed, the sea and the sky will be bright, and you will not be an ordinary person since then. If you fail, you will put down the book and pick up the hoe, and face the loess and the sky for the rest of your life.


    It is because they understand this kind of cruelty that the two of them can''t help but wonder whether this son deliberately said that his knowledge is weak, or he just wants to pull his brother to reduce the difficulty of the question. But this is a double-edged sword. After all, it is a disadvantage to oneself to lose one''s studies to others.


    These thoughts only happened in an instant, and because of the sudden attention of He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai, Xue Qingshan''s eyebrows jumped wildly, for fear that Xue Tingxiang would say something amazing again. At this moment, he couldn''t care less about why Xue Tingxiang knew the explanation of the scriptures, and he completely forgot that his previous idea was that Xue Tingshan didn''t understand the scriptures, and it would be easy for his son to beat him.


    This is also true for Patriarch Xue. If something happens in the clan that cannot be seen by others, it is limited to the clan. If it happens in public, it will be a bit ugly.


    The eyes of the two seemed to have needles, and they were anxiously focused on Xue Tingxiang''s face. Unexpectedly, he smiled shyly and said: "The boy was weak and sick when he was young, so he inevitably fell behind."


    Xue Qingshan hurriedly laughed and said: "That''s exactly the case. Don''t be afraid that the two seniors will laugh at me. My nephew is talented and intelligent, but his weak body hinders his studies."


    Patriarch Xue also nodded in agreement.


    Others didn''t know what was going on, they just opened their eyes and watched. Only Zheng Lizheng seemed to realize that there was something wrong, but he couldn''t tell the details, so he could only keep silent.

 Chapter 280

    What good can we do at this time?


    Zhao''er had vigilance in his eyes.


    Xue Tao''er ran over, leaned closer and whispered, "I''m not my aunt''s father, he said he wants to talk to the dog."


    Xue Tingxiang also heard the movement outside the room and came out.


    "Don''t go, I''ll push it." Zhao''er knew that it would be no good for Yang Zhong to find a young man because of his elder status, and Xue Jun was his grandson. What about the previous incident?


    "No problem."


    Having said this, Zhao''er was taken aback for a moment, and Xue Tingxiang remembered that he would never speak like this in normal times.


    He smiled and said, "It''s okay, you''re still afraid that I won''t succeed if he eats it."


    "Can¡­¡­"


    At this time, Xue Tingxiang had already passed her to the main room, so she could only follow in a hurry.


    *


    Here in the main room, as expected, the wine is in full swing.


    Yang Zhong''s white and chubby face was flushed from drinking, and he looked slightly drunk. Mr. Xue''s dark red face shone red under the light. Xue Qingshan also sat on the side, along with Xue Juncai, Xue Qingbai and Xue Qinghuai.


    Women are not at the table.


    Seeing Xue Tingxiang walking in, Yang Zhong said: "Our little talent is here, come and let me see."


    He waved his hands without treating himself as an outsider, and when Xue Tingxiang approached, he opened his drunken eyes and looked up and down: "I don''t see anything has changed, how did you become so promising?"


    As soon as these words were sarcasm, the court immediately fell silent.


    Xue Qingshan focused on eating vegetables between his sandwiches, as if he didn''t hear him. Xue Juncai seemed to be sitting upright, but in fact he was looking at this place intentionally or unintentionally.


    The rest of the Xue family were a little embarrassed, especially Mr. Xue, his face was a little stiff, but he hesitated to speak.


    Zhao''er was about to attack, when Xue Qinghuai suddenly stood up, smiled and picked up the wine bowl: "My father-in-law, I respect you for a bowl, this wine is brewed by my father himself, and most people can''t drink it when they come here. Don''t look at your old man When I came, I quickly dug a jar and said to drink a few more bowls with you."


    Yang Zhong looked at Xue Qinghuai with a smile, and without hesitation, he picked up the wine bowl and drank it down in one gulp, and ate a few mouthfuls of food. Taking advantage of the situation, Xue Qinghuai hurriedly winked at Zhao''er and Xue Tingxiang, telling them to leave quickly.


    Xue Tingxiang smirked slightly, and planned to take Zhao''er away, and listened to Yang Zhong before he even took a step.


    "What''s the matter? Why is the elder leaving before he finished talking? Although I am not your own grandfather, I am also your own grandfather. Is this old man not paying attention to me, or what?"


    The hat was buttoned too big, Zhao''er was about to say something, Xue Tingxiang gave her a hand.


    He took two steps forward, pretending to be listening respectfully: "Since my in-laws and grandpas have taught me, I will just listen to you." After a pause, he continued: "It''s just that my in-laws and grandpas are also scholars, so I think they know how to be rude. reason"


    "According to what you little brat thinks, as an elder, I can''t say that you are a junior?"


    The smell of alcohol came straight to Xue Tingxiang''s face, and there was also a strange smell of various vegetables mixed in it.


    Xue Tingxiang did not evade, and nodded calmly: "Naturally."


    "Hey! Look! It''s really different."


    Yang Zhong tapped Xue Tingxiang a few times with his finger, and looked at the rest of Xue''s family with a smirk, and the villain first complained: "In-law, is this your family''s tutor?"


    It was obvious that Yang Zhong was here to make trouble, and of course it was for Xue Juncai. When he came back from Lizheng''s house before, Mr. Xue guessed that the big room would definitely make a fuss, but he didn''t expect that the fuss should be here.


    In fact, as the son and daughter-in-law, how could the married couple blatantly quarrel with Mr. Xue? After all, they swore before that whoever wins will go, and whoever loses should not complain. And Yang Zhong, as Xue Juncai''s grandfather, couldn''t be more appropriate to stand in for him. If it works, it''s good, if it doesn''t, it won''t hurt the relationship between father and son.


    "relatives by marriage¡­¡­"


    Mr. Xue was about to speak, but was interrupted by Xue Tingxiang''s voice.


    "Although my parents are both deceased, there are my grandfather, uncles, and other elders of the Xue family. Even if there is something wrong, it is not up to people of other surnames to point fingers here. Although my grandfather and my family are connected I want to kiss you, but I definitely didn''t go to the Xue family''s table, eat the Xue family''s food, and scold the Xue family for their reasons."


    Because there are guests, candles are rarely lit in the house, which illuminates the room brightly.


    Standing in the middle, the boy is thin and thin, but he is tall and straight. He was wearing a shabby clothes, the cuffs and the front of the clothes were a little white, but it made people feel an inviolable aura.


    "Could this be the way of in-laws and grandpas being guests? One day when I, the Xue family, went to your house as guests, I would point and point at the Yang family, and be eccentric. Presumably, my in-laws and grandpas would not be angry. After all, coming here is not indecent. Thanks ah Master is always the junior in the family and talks about his in-laws and grandpas, but the boy is only his in-laws and grandpas, he is a literati, he is respected by the younger generation as a person who understands etiquette, now it seems that it is nothing more than that!"


    "you--"


    There was silence in the room, and no one thought that Xue Tingxiang would explode on the spot regardless of his seniority.


    Xue Qingshan stopped eating, and suddenly felt restless.


    But he didn''t stand up to speak for his father-in-law. Xue Tingxiang''s hat was too big, which brought the face of the whole Xue family and even the Xue clan. If he speaks for it, he is echoing the fact that the face of the Xue family can be trampled on the ground by the Yang family.


    In particular, this is not in line with what he planned.


    Yang Zhong''s face was flushed red, and his lips trembled with anger: "You kid, you dare to teach your elders a lesson at such a young age."


    "Don''t dare! A gentleman is harmonious but different, and a villain is the same but not harmonious. The boy is just telling the truth. I also hope that the in-laws and grandparents should be cautious in their words and deeds, so that they can be the appearance of a gentleman."


    This is teaching myself through the words of the sage!


    Yang Zhong laughed back angrily, and pointed at him with his finger: "Okay, okay, it''s really amazing. After studying for a few days, people are different. You really think that it''s a big deal if you win the handsome talent today, even if you furious."


    "A gentleman has nothing to fight for, and he will definitely shoot! When he bows and rises, he goes down to drink, and his fight is also a gentleman."


    This sentence comes from the eight chapters of "The Analects of Confucius". It roughly means that a gentleman will not argue about anything. If there is a dispute, it must be upholding the way of a gentleman. Neither humble nor overbearing, neither angry nor complaining, and having fun with wine after the competition is the battle between gentlemen. It''s not that you must be flushed in the face, like a black-eyed chicken, that would be out of style.


    It is about being a person and dealing with affairs, and at the same time, it is using the words of the saints to ridicule Yang Zhong for not having the manners and tolerance of his elders, and to make things difficult for his juniors in order to protect his grandson.


    There were only four scholars present, and the others were all at a loss. They could only see that Xue Tingxiang was not at a disadvantage, but Yang Zhong was so angry that his seven orifices seemed to be smoking.


    Forget about Yang Zhong, Xue Qingshan and his son couldn''t help being a little bit surprised when he was angry.


    You must know that although Xue Tingxiang has studied the Four Books, he only understands the superficiality and does not understand the meaning of the scriptures. But just now he uttered two sentences in a row, both of which are from the Four Books, and if he didn''t understand the meaning of the scriptures, how could he use them to harm others.


    Could it be that someone taught him behind his back? No wonder his performance was so unexpected today.


    And right at this moment, other changes took place in the field.


    It was Yang Zhong who stood up in anger and wanted to teach Xue Tingxiang a lesson, but was stopped by Mr. Xue, Xue Qinghuai and Xue Qingbai.


    "Well, you little bastard, you have learned to swear before your hair grows."


    "A gentleman does not mirror water, but mirrors people. Mirroring water, the appearance of meeting, mirroring people, you can know good and bad, but if you want to come to your relatives and grandpas, you don''t understand this sentence."


    Xue Tingxiang had a smile on his face, obviously there was nothing wrong with that smile, even a bit shy, and his words were gentle and polite, but it made people taste a bit ironic.


    "I know if I understand you or not, I know you are swearing, I must teach you a lesson today!" Yang Zhong struggled to raise his hand, and at this moment, a violent shout sounded in vain.


    "Father-in-law!"


    It was Mr. Xue who spoke.


    "My father-in-law, I respect your in-laws, but this is my Xue family!"


    Mr. Xue''s complexion was very ugly. He had been tolerant just now because of the other party''s identity, but Xue Tingxiang was right. There was a whole family sitting in the room, all of whom were surnamed Xue. There was absolutely no reason for someone surnamed Yang to teach others a lesson. .


    No matter how much the family makes trouble, it is wrong for outsiders to intervene.


    There was silence in the room, only the sound of Yang Zhong panting heavily.


    The sound of a stool falling to the ground sounded, and it was Xue Qingshan who stood up.


    At this time, Yang Shi, who had been hiding in the house, also ran out, and said angrily and anxiously: "Father, what are you doing! Why did you drink some wine and start to make trouble."


    She explained to the dark-faced old man Xue: "Father, don''t blame me, my father is like this, when he starts to drink. Oh, father, what do you think you are making a fuss about?" Then she complained to Xue Qingshan: " Juncai''s father, and you too, why don''t you stop him from making trouble like this."


    Yang Zhongdao: "I''m making trouble, what''s wrong with me?! Xue Lianxing, don''t forget what you promised me back then. Juncai is your eldest grandson, so you plan to let it go?"


    "Father, stop talking, I''ll help you down to rest."


    The Dafang couple, one on the left and the other on the right, helped Yang Zhong out, and Yang Zhong seemed to be really drunk, shouting that you should really let go, and stumbled and was helped out by the couple.


    *


    Because of this commotion, the Xue family was extremely quiet afterwards.


    Mrs. Zhou originally asked Zhao''er and the two of them to eat, but they said they had eaten, so they went back to the house.


    A table of food and wine, only half eaten, old man Xue sat there alone, eating food and drinking wine, no one dared to disturb.


    Mrs. Zhao hid in the back room, don''t look at her usually yelling at Mr. Xue, but when Mr. Xue really got angry, she didn''t dare to make trouble.


    Xue Qinghuai walked to the table and sat down, saying: "Father, it''s getting late, let''s rest early."


    Mr. Xue nodded, but when he put down his chopsticks, he sighed again.


    Xue Qinghuai couldn''t help but persuaded: "Father, don''t think too much."


    "Look at the eldest couple. Why don''t you remember your kindness? The second has only been dead for a few years. Even if the child is not sensible, there is no need to do so."


    Xue Qinghuai understood what the old man meant, but he couldn''t answer these words well, so he could only say awkwardly: "Maybe the eldest brother and sister-in-law don''t know that the in-laws guild will make such a fuss."


    Mr. Xue snorted, but did not speak.


    "But Gouzi didn''t suffer, you see he was mad at sister-in-law."


    Hearing this, Mr. Xue couldn''t help but twitch his eyebrows and eyes: "I followed the second child."


    Xue Qingsong has this kind of temperament, usually taciturn, but don''t push him into a hurry, he can surprise everyone.


    "This big family has been living in harmony and beauty, but it''s getting more and more difficult." Mr. Xue sighed, probably because he drank some wine, and his emotions were particularly leaking.


    Xue Qinghuai didn''t respond.


    After a long time, Mr. Xue sighed: "Let your wife clean up this table, and you should go and rest earlier."


    "Hey, I''ll let her clean it up."


    Bringing this up is a bit old.


    Back then, Zhao''er felt sorry for Xue Tingxiang, so she saved some money to buy paper for him to practice calligraphy. Who would have thought that this paper was much more expensive than she imagined. Even the worst yellow bamboo paper costs 40 Wen a knife, but that day Zhaoer collected all the money on his body, but only 30 Wen.


    In order to get the boss to sell the paper to her at a lower price, Zhao''er worked with the boss for a long time. He even made up the pretense of having a hard-working younger brother, but unfortunately both parents died and his family was poor, so the boss agreed to sell it to her cheaply. Later, she came to buy it several times, all at the previous price, but she became acquainted with Boss Chen.


    Boss Chen praised her for her noble character, earning hard money, but still supporting her younger brother''s education. Usually, when she comes to buy paper, she almost always buys half and gives half away.


    Normally, Zhao''er would accept this kind of talk with a cheeky face, but today with Xue Tingxiang around, she was inevitably a little embarrassed, for fear that Boss Chen would slip up and make the little man look down on her for lying.


    Zhao''er has suffered, so she knows the skills of survival, but the little man doesn''t, especially the scholar is very pedantic, so every time she encounters such a situation where the two people''s ideas conflict, she will always subconsciously go away. Avoid these.


    Within a day, two people said that they were his younger brothers, which made Xue Tingxiang very unhappy. Naturally, he didn''t notice Zhao''er''s hidden thoughts. When he came back to his senses, Zhao''er had already talked with the boss, and even showed him the copy of "Hundred Surnames" that he had copied overnight.


    "This is your brother? He looks handsome, but a little thinner." Boss Chen is a middle-aged man in his forties, with a goatee and elegant body. Wearing a scholar''s shirt, he doesn''t look like a business boss, but a scholar.


    "He was sick for a while a while ago, and he got better recently."


    "No wonder I haven''t seen you here for a long time." While talking, Boss Chen took the manuscript that Zhao''er handed over, whether it was bound or paper quality, it was very poor.


    He knew in his heart that this kind of peasant boy could not write very good characters, but he admired this young man named Zhao''er, so he planned not to criticize too much even if he really did not do well, just say some mild words and refuse it. up.


    If the level is not bad and the words can still be read, it is not impossible to give him some casual work, just as a help.


    But when Boss Chen saw the writing on the yellow bamboo paper, he was still taken aback.


    "He wrote this word?" Boss Chen looked at Xue Tingxiang in surprise, and went to flip through the manuscript in his hand.


    His expression was so weird that Zhao''er had a bad feeling in his heart. She couldn''t help wondering if the little man''s handwriting was not good, after all, no one had ever praised the little man''s handwriting, even Xue Qingshan said that his handwriting was like a spring worm and autumn snake.


    Although Zhao''er doesn''t know what spring worms and autumn snakes are, she understands the sad look on the little man''s face, and she knows it means poor writing.


    But she didn''t think it was the little man''s fault. He even had to pick and use the paper that could practice calligraphy. Can he write well? It was that time that she lost her temper, collected vegetables and sold them in the town, and saved a sum of money to buy Xue Tingxiang''s first piece of paper in her life.


    It was a whole knife, not a few pieces given as a charity from Xue Qingshan or Xue Juncai.


    Zhao''er''s head felt cold for a while, and she couldn''t help wondering if she was too blind to the little man at ordinary times, or if she flattered her too much. She was not afraid of anything else, but she was afraid that if Boss Chen said something unpleasant later, the little man would not be able to stand the blow.


    Thinking of this, she hurriedly turned her back and made a gesture to Boss Chen, leading him aside, then said to him in a low voice: "Uncle Chen, if my younger brother''s handwriting is really bad, can you..."


    "Can you do something?" Immediately, Boss Chen understood and said with a smile: "You kid too, even if you have a heart of love and affection, you should not deceive him, but point out his shortcomings, so that he will to make progress.¡±


    His voice was a bit loud, Xue Tingxiang over there must have heard it, Zhao''er blushed, but Na Na didn''t know what to say.


    Boss Chen said again: "But your brother''s handwriting is really good, he must be a famous teacher."


    He walked up to Xue Tingxiang in a few steps, and saluted with cupped fists: "I don''t know who my little friend is your teacher?" He said hesitantly in his eyes, because the poor boy in front of him, who was dressed in coarse cloth and short brown, really didn''t seem to be able to learn from anyone. Famous teachers.


    Just his words...


    Since Boss Chen runs a book shop, he is either a hobby or a ancestral business. In fact, Boss Chen has both, which can be regarded as the origin of family education. He also passed the exam several times when he was young, but he stopped at being a scholar. However, he was not interested in being an official, so he turned around and took care of his ancestral business. It is also a great thing in life to meet a few literary friends, play chess, drink tea, taste calligraphy and painting together.


    From his point of view, although this son''s handwriting is immature, he already has a strong character.


    We must know that the shape is easy to get, but the spirit is hard to find. Master Yan and Master Liu have always been collectively called "Yan Jin Liu Gu", which is enough to show the characteristics of Yan body. However, Xue Tingxiang''s calligraphy has already possessed its fundamentals. As long as it does not go astray, in time, he will definitely be a great calligrapher of a generation.


    How did he know that Xue Tingxiang deliberately hid the edge of his pen in order to hide himself, and it took most of the night to finish copying the book that could have been copied in half an hour at most. Otherwise, if the word is taken out, Boss Chen will definitely think it is someone''s calligraphy.


    Just when Boss Chen was thinking about it, Xue Tingxiang had already answered: "I don''t have a teacher."


    "Just copying?"


    "I''ve been to "Yan Qinli Monument" before."


    Xue Tingxiang didn''t lie, he did only copy "Yan Qinli Monument", this set of copybooks is Xue Qingshan''s favorite treasure, and he never let people touch it. And the reason why he was lucky enough to see and touch it once was that Xue Jun, who was still young at that time, was shown off in front of him.


    Because of this incident, he was extremely impressed with "Yan Qinli Monument", and even became obsessed with it. Later, after some money at home, Zhao''er bought a set with him, and the first font he learned was Yanti.


    "Just came across "Yan Qin Li Monument"?"


    Xue Tingxiang nodded.


    Boss Chen''s eyes became brighter, and he sighed after a long time: "Perhaps you have a talent in this field that is difficult for others to surpass. I hope you practice hard and don''t slack off. That''s all, let''s talk about business. Your handwriting is very good. In my opinion It''s passed here."


    He walked inside the counter, took a book and handed it to Xue Tingxiang.


    "I have a copy of "University Chapters and Sentences" here. You can take it back and try it out. I will provide the pen and ink. After copying, if the finished product is not inferior to the standard of this book, I will pay you a tael of silver."


    "One tael of silver? Uncle Chen, isn''t that too much?" Zhao''er asked in surprise.


    Uncle Chen laughed: "Do you know how many characters are in this book? And do you know how much money I will resell this book for?"


    After finishing speaking, he continued to say to Xue Tingxiang: "It is reasonable to say that it is to be copied in my book shop. If you take the book back and copy it, you need to pay some pledged money or things. I know your brother well, so forget it." Well, how long do you think it will take to finish copying?"


    Xue Tingxiang hesitated for a moment, and said: "Since Boss Chen has rules here, how about the boy copying here? I just hope that Boss Chen will be more flexible. Can you let the boy read a few books here in his spare time?"


    Boss Chen was taken aback for a moment, and then he understood. He took a deep look at this thin but neither humble nor overbearing boy.


    "Can!"


    "Then thank you Boss Chen first, don''t worry, the boy will definitely not damage the books here."


    Zhao''er kept silent until the end of the conversation, and then pulled Xue Tingxiang aside to speak.


    "Do you really want to copy books here? It would be nice to take it home. If you are afraid that Boss Chen won''t allow it, I still have some money to pledge."


    "You don''t think this is a good place."


    Xue Tingxiang looked back at the room full of books, he himself had only read a limited number of books, and in the memory of ''Xue Tingxiang'', many memories about this aspect were blurred.


    But life is his, and he wants to move forward step by step. It doesn''t mean that he has a dream, and he will definitely be the chief assistant in the future, and he will definitely be able to pass the Jinshi examination. After all, even Xue Tingxiang in the dream had to put in a lot of hard work and go through many detours before he could reach the first rank of official residence step by step.


    Of course Zhao''er understood what he meant, but she was very worried about suddenly leaving the little man outside alone. She was thinking about finding an excuse to stay here with him, but Boss Chen said from the side: "Okay, you don''t have to worry about your brother, can you lose it with me? You don''t have to sell vegetables to work today? Hurry up. "


    In the eyes of Boss Chen, Zhao''er is a hard-working brother who supports his younger brother by selling vegetables in the town.


    "Uncle Chen, I''m leaving now."


    She hurriedly took out a dozen or so copper coins from her pocket and handed them to Xue Tingxiang: "I should come to find you for lunch at noon, if not, you can buy it yourself, right here..."


    "Copy books here, and you can have a light meal at noon." Boss Chen interrupted again.


    Zhao''er was still rambling: "You still have the money, you can buy whatever you want, and I will pick you up in the afternoon."


    "You''d better pick up your work and finish it first, don''t worry your brother won''t lose it."


    This Uncle Chen!


    Zhao''er couldn''t go on talking anymore, and ran out of the bookstore almost in despair.


    After the person had left, Boss Chen teased with a smile: "Your brother treats you very well."


    Xue Tingxiang smirked, "It''s pretty good, like a little hen who doesn''t care about her chicks. For some reason, he actually thought of this sentence.


    After that, under the guidance of the shop assistant, he went to a room behind the shop.

 Chapter 281

    He knew he was dreaming again.


    This dream appeared in his life for decades, day and night, entangled, it seems to be deep into the bone marrow, but also like flesh and blood. I can''t throw it away, I can''t dig it away, and if I don''t come for a day, it seems that something is missing.


    But he had never had such a clear dream, so clear as if it was real.


    "Dog, why do you think you are so stubborn? Isn''t my money your money? What do you think I earn money for? Isn''t it just to support your education and make you feel proud?"


    "Why do you say you are so stubborn! You say you are so stubborn, who are you showing your stubbornness to?!"


    "I know you don''t like me, but I''ve been like this for many years, and I can''t change it! I don''t plan to change it either!"


    "Look at Hong''er, does he look like you?"


    ...


    Xue Tingxiang suddenly felt that someone was shaking him. He opened his tired eyes and saw the dark inner room. Hu San''s face was no longer young, and even the patterns on the curtains were so familiar. He was just dreaming.


    It''s just that the dream was too clear, the sorghum fragrance in the air, and the curve of her stubbornly pursed lips made him feel like he was actually there. There are also her tears from being angry, crystal clear and shining with colorful light, he wanted to reach out to touch it, but someone woke him up.


    "My lord, it''s time to drink the medicine."


    Xue Tingxiang was propped up and given medicine. He was dying of illness, and he had to be served by someone even to drink medicine. How could he look like that extremely human minister Xue Shoufu who had ruled the court for decades.


    Oh no, he is not the chief assistant now.


    He has already written a letter to beg for the bones, intending to return to his hometown for the elderly, and the Holy Majesty has already agreed, but he has no home to return to, no relatives to rely on.


    In fact, he didn''t intend to go back.


    "Master Zhang, Mr. Wang, and Mr. Li and Mr. Cao all came to visit you, but they obeyed your orders and blocked the door. They come every day, and they are here again today. Would you like to see me?"


    What can they do? Didn''t they think that his illness was an expedient measure, waiting for him to stand up and continue to lead them to fight against the emperor, but he was really ill, terminally ill, and the medicine was useless.


    "not see."


    "My lord, please sleep a little longer."


    The room became quiet again, Xue Tingxiang''s eyelids began to get heavy again, he blinked again and again, and fell into sleep again.


    ...


    "How come Mr. Wang is free to visit this old man?"


    Wang Mingcheng''s eyes were a bit complicated, but he smiled on his face: "After all, I am a minister of the same court, and I should come to visit Mr. Shoufu because of emotion and reason."


    "I didn''t expect you, Wang Mingcheng, to say such hypocritical things, but to see if the old man is dying on behalf of the emperor?" Xue Tingxiang sarcastically said.


    He is obviously a haggard old man who is obviously dying, but just because of his calm, indifferent eyes that seem somewhat unpredictable, people dare not ignore him in the slightest.


    After all, this is Xue Shoufu, and the name alone is enough to intimidate everyone. That was Xue Tingxiang''s deep-rooted roots left by him after going through three dynasties and dozens of years, just like a towering ancient tree with intertwined roots, without him doing anything, just standing there is enough to make everyone daunting.


    If not, why would the new emperor have to exhaust all means, but still dare not act rashly, only dare to take that roundabout strategy.


    "It seems that my lord has misunderstood His Majesty a lot."


    Xue Tingxiang snorted and laughed, half closed his eyes, did not speak, and looked obviously too lazy to talk to him.


    "Actually, I''m here for myself. I just came to see how lonely and miserable the villain who abandoned his wife and son was now. I''m afraid Mr. Xue is dead now, and even a descendant in mourning None, in fact, Mr. Xue is too hard to see, it is just a show, just listen to it and watch it, how can you take the fake show as real and make yourself like this? Is it because of a disturbed conscience or fear? His true face is known by the world, he is reviled by others, and he will be stigmatized for thousands of years?"


    "you¡­¡­"


    "To say that you abandoned your wife and son is too much to save your face. It should be killing your wife and son, isn''t it, Mr. Xue?"


    No one knows about all this. The world only knows that Xue Shoufu had a first wife before Mrs. Xue, but they don''t know what happened to that first wife. After all, the time is too long, Xue Tingxiang has stood in the court hall for dozens of years, and his former, former and current opponents have all been trampled under his feet.


    People in the world only know that Mr. Shoufu is friendly and respectful to the corporals, but they don''t know that Mr. Shoufu also has a vicious side. In recent years, anyone who wanted to make a fuss about his past events all became lonely ghosts. No one knows how many ghosts have been added to it, and the only one who can know is Wang Mingsheng, the "bitter master".


    "You, you are..."


    Wang Mingcheng leaned closer to his face: "It''s a pity that my mother''s life is so bad, and so is my life. The sinking ship didn''t kill us, but was saved by others. Do you know that for so many years, day and night, I I want to see this scene every night. It''s a pity that your life is too long, and the power is in the hands of the people. I can only climb up step by step, to the position where I can step on you..."


    "You are... Hong''er..." Xue Tingxiang struggled to say this.


    Wang Mingsheng stood up straight and smiled heartily: "My name is not Hong''er, nor is my surname Xue, but my surname is Wang. My mother remarried, to the person who saved us...don''t get excited, even if You are dead now, and I am not your son..."


    Wang Mingsheng has always been known for being calm and introverted, hiding his secrets, and it was probably the first time he laughed so freely in front of people.


    "By the way, you don''t have to think that even if my official surname is Wang, I can still pass on the family lineage to your Xue family. Let me think about it. Yao Ji released the rumor that my official is as good as Long Yang back then, as if you ordered someone to do it. You really hit the mark, I don¡¯t like women, that¡¯s why I haven¡¯t married for many years..."


    He smiled and looked at the old man on the bed, seeing how shocked, disappointed and remorseful he was.


    But so what?


    He suddenly found that he was not as happy as he had imagined, and even this smile seemed too fake. He suddenly lost interest, flattened the corners of his mouth, brushed off his sleeves, and said, "Since Mr. Xue is fine, I will take my leave."


    ...


    "I didn''t, I didn''t..."


    "My lord, what are you talking about?"


    Hearing this voice, the fog in front of Xue Tingxiang suddenly dissipated, and he woke up suddenly from his dream. In front of the eyes is this dark inner room again, Hu San''s unattractive or even ugly face, the air is filled with a bitter smell of medicine, and there seems to be a decadent smell floating gently.


    Xue Tingxiang moved his lips, but no sound came out.


    "My lord, what did you say?"


    Hu San was very anxious, and kept asking, but Xue Tingxiang couldn''t speak at all. Hu San could only ask based on his own guess: "Are you thinking about the past? Don''t worry, your words have been passed on to Mr. Zhang , he already knows that Lord Wang is your only son, and will follow your instructions."


    Xue Tingxiang blinked his eyelids. Hu San thought he still had something to say, so he put his ear next to his mouth, but only heard one sentence: "I didn''t..."


    After that there is no text.


    When Hu San anxiously looked up, he saw Xue Tingxiang''s wide-open eyes and gray-blue face.


    He moved forward to touch the other person''s breath with shaking hands, but was so startled that he sat down on the ground.


    *


    The cold wind came in through the holed window paper, blowing Xue Gouzi''s face coldly.


    Shocked, he opened his eyes.


    What imprinted in my eyes was a small room with blue brick walls and black tile roof. The walls were plastered with white ash, but it looked gray. The beams of the house are log-colored, and because there is no dust, they are bare/exposed. There are several bamboo baskets hanging on them. There seems to be something in the baskets, and they are covered with blue cloth.


    He was lying on a kang with a half-new quilt covering his body. The quilt looked clean and tidy, but in fact the cotton wadding inside had hardened.


    Facing his kang feet, there is a row of dark brown kang cabinets, with brass bare nails inlaid with hinged leaves and copper tassel handles, and simple patterns of auspicious clouds and flowing water carved on them, which look thick and generous. . Although it is nothing in a rich family, it is already a piece of furniture that can be sold in a peasant family.


    There is no problem passing it down for generations!


    This is what his father said back then, and his father was the best carpenter in the village.


    Xue Gouzi felt his head hurt, as if he had been hit hard with a hoe. He wanted to support himself to sit up, but he was exhausted and fell back onto the kang again.


    It was only then that he realized that he was Xue Gouzi, the eldest son of the second room of the Xue family. Because of something that happened, he couldn''t think about it for a while, and he was so angry that he became ill for a while, and he had been sick for many days.


    He is not Xue Tingxiang, that Xue Tingxiang is the person in his dream.


    How could he be like that?


    In order to prove that all that was just a dream, he raised his hand to look at it.


    really! The hand in front of him was slender and fair, and he hadn''t developed the muscles and bones that a man should have. He was only fourteen this year, how could he live to be over seventy years old, and die in the end.


    Xue Gouzi let out a heavy breath, looked around again, and finally felt more at ease.


    Someone was talking outside, and the voice came in through the cracks in the window.


    "I''m talking about recruiting, it''s not my aunt talking about you, look at what you are now, a girl who stays at home all day, and learns from those small traders to do business. That business is what you can do. Did it? Look at your fourth uncle, you can¡¯t save a lot of money by running around outside every day, so don¡¯t worry about it, and if you have that little time, you can help fourth aunt with some work!¡±


    The voice sounded like a young woman, but the sarcasm in the words was too strong. It is said that appearance is born from the heart, and it is no wonder that Mrs. Sun has a mean face.


    This thought flashed subconsciously in Xue Gouzi''s mind, and then he was stunned. It''s true that he hated Fourth Aunt, but why would he miss her so much?


    Before he could figure out why, he heard the voice in his dream.


    "Fourth aunt, I would like to help you with some work, but you also know that the dog has been ill for a few days, and the family gave a few pennies for the medicine at first, but after taking it for half a month, grandma said that the family The money is not in hand, so I stopped the medicine. Gouzi is my man, I can''t just watch him be so sick, it''s not impossible for the fourth aunt to want me to help with the work, or you can lend me some money to buy medicine, I Can I pay you back slowly in the future?"


    The owner of the voice was a young girl, and the tone revealed a capable and crisp taste, mixed with a bit of teasing.


    That''s right, Zhao''er deliberately ran on the Sun family.


    Mrs. Sun has always had a temperament of only getting in and out, and it is more difficult to ask her to give out a penny, let alone lending it to the two half-children of the second room.


    Now there are only these two people left in the second room, the top door is only fourteen, but there is an older one, only sixteen, and it is still a girl''s family. Every time Mrs. Sun heard the rumors from the villagers that Zhao''er, a dead girl, had made some money by doing some business, she would be full of disbelief.


    What kind of business can this dead girl do to make money, but she digs three melons and two dates from the wild, and takes them out to trick the people in the city into exchanging a few pennies.


    "Your fourth aunt has no money to lend you. Our family''s money is all in mother''s place. You don''t care about mother''s going!" Sun patted her buttocks, stood up and went into the house, too lazy to talk nonsense with Zhao''er.


    "Since the fourth aunt has no money to lend me, and I don''t dare to take care of grandma, I can only figure out where to get some money to get some medicine for the dog!"


    Zhao''er''s voice was very loud, so naturally she was speaking not only to Mrs. Sun, but also to Mrs. Zhao who was sitting in the main room.


    Sure enough, Zhao''er entered the house with his front foot, and Mrs. Zhao stood at the door behind him and scolded Mrs. Sun: "You haven''t cleaned the pigsty, so you''re going back to the house to hold a corpse?"


    Zhao''er curled her lips, lifted the door curtain and walked in, bumping head-on into Xue Gouzi''s eyes looking at her.


    As for the headache, even the doctor couldn''t tell what the cause was.


    After sending the doctor away, grandmother Zhao slapped her face on the spot.


    She looked like she was in her fifties, with her gray hair neatly pulled back behind her head. With a long face, the eyelids are a little sunken, and when the face is pulled, it becomes a triangular eye, which looks particularly unfriendly.


    Without Mrs. Zhao''s words, Mrs. Sun said: "Zhao''er, it''s not the fourth aunt talking about you, you girl likes to make a fuss. Could it be that you deliberately torment us all, even if you don''t like it..."


    Before she finished speaking, she was pulled by the man Xue Qinghuai.


    "Okay, let''s say a few words less, Zhao''er is not ignorant, and besides, the dog is already sick, so it''s better to find a doctor to take a look, so the family can rest assured."


    "I said less and said less, and I didn''t say anything..."


    "You also said..."


    The couple went out while chatting and tugging. The eldest aunt Yang smiled at Zhao''er, and then said to the mother-in-law: "Mother, let''s go too, let the dog have a good rest."


    Mrs. Zhao glanced at the dog on the kang, snorted coldly, turned her head and left. It can be seen from her posture that she is very angry.


    In fact, it is true. The Xue family can''t be called a rich family. It costs at least one or two hundred dollars to invite a doctor from the town. ! In particular, the doctor''s pulse just now confirmed Zhao''s guess that Xue Gouzi was deliberately pretending to be ill, and it was only strange that she was happy.


    Let Mrs. Zhao see that the two little boys in the second room are deliberately torturing the family, but since the eldest daughter-in-law has come forward to persuade her, Mrs. Zhao will naturally not say more.


    Generally speaking, among the three daughters-in-law of the Xue family, Yang is the one who wins Zhao''s heart the most. The eldest has an unusual status, and Zhao is willing to show the eldest daughter-in-law some face.


    After Mrs. Zhao and Mrs. Yang left, only the third uncle Xue Qingbai and the third aunt Zhou were left in the house. The two were not used to talking much, and they didn''t stay long, Zhao''er thought that the third uncle had worked hard just now, so he sent the two of them out with a smile.


    When he turned his head and came back, he saw Xue Gouzi lying on the kang with his eyes open, his eyes staring blankly, as if he had lost his mind.


    She didn''t think much about it, she came to the side of the kang and patted his head: "Dog, don''t think too much, they don''t believe that you are sick and have a headache, sister believes you. Take care of your illness and don''t think about it anymore. "


    Xue Gouzi glanced at her, his mouth was dry and his throat was tight: "Zhaoer..."


    "What''s wrong? Is there something uncomfortable?"


    Feeling these undelicate but very warm hands touching his head and face, Xue Gouzi had a sense of reality and gratitude that he had never had before.


    She wasn''t dead, and neither was he.


    Although he didn''t like some of her daily actions, and even hated her as his child bride-in-law, but he never thought of letting her die, so how could he be the one who killed his wife and son.


    But Xue Gouzi was still very flustered, because that dream was too real. After going through that dream for more than seventy years, it seemed that he had also experienced that life. But after waking up from the dream, the vicissitudes of life have changed, and he dare not look back.


    "Zhaoer..."


    "Why!"


    "Zhaoer..."


    "Um."


    "Zhaoer..."


    A hot stream suddenly flowed out unconsciously from the dry eye sockets.


    This scared Zhao''er quite a bit, and he didn''t care to think that the little man would never call her that, let alone let himself get close to him. He hugged his head into his arms and asked him anxiously up.


    Seeing that he didn''t speak, but just buried himself in his arms and cried, Zhao''er couldn''t help but wonder if those people made him think too much just now. According to Zhao''er, the little man has a lot of things on his mind, and he never speaks out, otherwise he wouldn''t have this serious illness.


    She patted him on the back, hugged him like she did when she was a child, and comforted him: "Don''t be afraid, dog, even if they don''t send you to study, sister will send you there, and sister will send you even if she sells everything." go."


    *


    After all, Xue Gouzi had just recovered from a serious illness, and after experiencing such an incident, he fell asleep after drinking some porridge for dinner.


    Zhao''er covered him with a quilt before tidying up the basket she had just brought back.


    The back basket is full of needlework and cloth, which are rags that Zhao''er bought in the embroidery workshop in the town. The reason why I started this business was because I used to recruit children to carry the finished purses for the women in the village to sell in the embroidery workshop.


    There is no adult in the second room. Although the family is in charge of eating, after all, the pen, ink, paper and inkstone used by Xue Gouzi to study, as well as the clothes, bedding and some odds and ends of the two people on weekdays, etc., all need money.


    Wanting to ask for money from Mrs. Zhao is more expensive than ascending to the sky, and although the uncle Xue Qingshan is determined to treat his nephew as if he were his own, but Zhao''er usually only sees the big family''s child with greasy lips, and Xue Juncai never Lack of pens, ink, paper and inkstones. In contrast, the little man was as thin as a bamboo pole, and he picked up a bald pen that Xue Qingshan didn''t use back then.


    Zhao''er has always been a strong one, she couldn''t bear to wrong the little man, so she could only find money everywhere by herself. There was no opportunity to make money in the countryside, so she went to the town to look around, as long as it was within her power and did not require capital, she would try to do it.


    In the past few years, she has collected vegetables from the village and sold them in the town, picked up work from the embroidery workshop and assigned them to women with good craftsmanship in the village, and usually went to the mountains to find mountain products to sell.


    And now this business has been done several times, Zhao''er has a sweet mouth and a thick face, the boss of the embroidery workshop can''t hold her back, so he sells the unwanted rags to her in bags. She took it back, sorted and cut it, and then asked the women in the village to help make purses and other things, and she could earn a lot of money by reselling them in the embroidery workshop. It is much better than before just receiving the purses made by others, and earning a penny for a few purses.


    If he hadn''t made some money by doing this business, he didn''t know when Xue Gouzi would recover from his serious illness. Mrs. Zhao would have given up the money to get the medicine for a long time ago, and Zhao''er used his own money to catch the medicines later. I still have to hide it, for fear that other members of the Xue family will find out.


    Thinking of this, the corners of Zhao''er''s mouth tightened.


    She has always been agile in her hands and feet, and seeing that she picked out some usable cloth heads, she stopped tossing about. I chose clean ones and spread them out on a square table, and cut these strangely shaped cloth heads into a uniform shape with scissors.


    This is Zhao''er''s own calculation based on how much fabric is needed to make a purse, no more and no less, she will not take out these rags for people to see.


    It is not easy for country people to earn a penny. If someone finds out, the designated way to earn money will be robbed within a few days.


    Zhao''er also wants to use this to make money for the little man to go to the town to study, so that she can only go to see Xue Jun, and her little man can also go. Zhao''er has always been prepared with both hands when doing things, and she knows in her heart that the big house will never let such a good thing happen to the little man.


    It is better to ask for others than to ask for yourself, and it is better to rely on yourself than to rely on mountains and rivers.


    Zhao''er has understood this truth since she was seven years old when she was going to be exchanged for money by her grandmother and father.


    After Zhao''er finished what she was doing, seeing the little man was fast asleep, and seeing that it was already dark outside, she wrapped the tidy cloth in something, and hurried out with it.


    Under the night, Yuqing Village was exceptionally peaceful, and the light silver moonlight shone on the trails in the village. Although the road was still unclear, it was not completely dark after all.


    Zhao''er walked all the way and didn''t even startle a dog.


    This is not an ability that ordinary people can have. You must know that in places like the countryside, almost every household has a dog. Dogs are very alert at night, and whenever someone walks past the door, they bark wildly. Even if a petty thief came to the door, he would have been scared away by the dog long ago.


    Zhao''er also developed this ability after walking a lot at night.


    Of course, it was also related to the sunspot following her legs.


    Heizi is a country dog, but it is stronger and bigger than ordinary dogs. There are not many dogs in Yuqing Village that can beat Heizi, and it is because of Heizi that Zhao''er dares to walk alone at night.


    She went all the way to a family''s house with ease, and it was strange that the other party knew that she would come at this time and left the door open for her. As soon as she entered the door, the family''s dog rushed over. Before she could reach her, a black shadow rushed over and threw the other person to the ground. The dog was so frightened that it fell on the ground and stopped barking.


    Zhao''er gloated at the side: "I don''t have a long memory!"


    At this time, a person came out of the house, and he smiled as he walked up to the front: "This black man is here to bully our family Wangcai again, Zhao''er, come in and sit down."


    "Aunt Osmanthus, I won''t go in, I''m still rushing back."


    Zhao''er handed over the things in his hands to the visitor, took some things from the other person, wrapped them in cloth, and then went to the next household.


    Zhao''er went to five families.


    She is anxious to make money, but there are few women in the village who are good at needlework, and she needs to find someone who is tight-lipped and reliable. shit money.


    The reason why she said that was because when she collected vegetables from the village and sold them in the town, she was publicized by people who didn''t know the door, causing her to be pointed at all day long. She was not afraid of being pointed out, but these things finally reached the ears of the little man, and some villagers made fun of him, which caused a lot of conflicts between her and the little man. And after that, she won''t receive any vegetables in the village, even if someone sells them to her, it will be at a high price.


    In the end, she had no choice but to go to other villages to collect vegetables. It was not a waste of time. Since then, Zhaoer has developed a memory.


    When Zhao''er came home, Xue Gouzi on the kang was still sleeping soundly.


    She went to get some water to wash her face and wipe her hands before getting on the kang. The second room only had this kang, and she had slept with Xue Gouzi since she was a child, and she was used to it.


    Heizi slept under the kang, just now when he invited his son into the house, he slid in at his feet and chose a random place to lie down. It seems that the dog''s eyes have been closed, but in fact the two ears are standing up, and they move from time to time.


    Before Zhao''er lay down, she bullied herself over to look at the little man, and touched his forehead, before falling asleep in peace.


    *


    Compared with the second room because of the sparse population, there are only two rooms and one kang, the treatment of the first room is obviously much better. The entire three east rooms were occupied by the big room, and at this time in the east room, Mrs. Yang was talking to Xue Qingshan.


    Yang narrated what happened during the day, Xue Qingshan immediately frowned after listening.


    He was not at home during the day, so naturally he didn''t know what happened at home. Nowadays, some respectable families will invite scholars to preside over their weddings and funerals, but where rural families can afford to hire scholars, some will invite children to make up the number.


    No matter how they are all scholars, they are different from ordinary people.


    Today, Xue Qingshan was invited by a family in a nearby village to have a wedding. It doesn''t matter what the etiquette is.


    But the people in the countryside are poor, so the happy money will not be too much, at most a few tens of pennies.


    Xue Qingshan likes this kind of work the most. Every time at this time, he will randomly assign articles to memorize for the students in the school, and then go out for a whole day, and no one will say anything. What he likes is not only having money to take, but also when this time is his happiest time.


    He was sitting in the position of the guest of honor, and the men who came to have a wedding banquet were all proud to have a conversation with him.


    He is the master of Tongsheng!


    Of course, it would be even better if Tongsheng could be replaced by a scholar, Xue Qingshan would have dreamed of it. But for so many years, he has more or less self-knowledge, so he can''t help pinning his hopes on his son.


    It''s a pity that someone is blocking this way now.


    Xue Qingshan drank a lot of wine, his chubby face was flushed, and he was holding his breath in his heart, so he spit and scolded: "What kind of moth is this son of a bitch, I really want to open a dyeing workshop just to give him some color. !"


    Yang sighed faintly: "Who told you that you agreed to the second child so easily at the beginning, but now it''s hard to get off the tiger because of our talents."


    "In that situation back then, the second child seemed to be honest, and he wanted to accompany his elder brother when he was about to die. If I knew that he was paying attention that day, I would have found a way to shut him up, but so many people I was present, and the accident happened because of me, if I don''t even agree to this matter, how can I gain a foothold in front of others."


    Of course, Mrs. Yang knew this truth, but she couldn''t calm down. Just because of that bullshit promise, Da Fang kept her hands tied. Her son wanted to go to the library to study, but he had to hide and beg the other party to show his respect.


    She was always proud and arrogant, so naturally the more she thought about it, the more annoyed she became, her eyes sparkled, but she sneered on her face: "Because he fell ill suddenly, originally Dad planned to make decisions for us, so we can only endure it. But he has been sick for these days, and today he has such a scene, and my mother is already annoyed. I asked the fourth daughter-in-law to tell my mother that the dog is probably pretending to be sick. I think my mother has already decided that he is pretending. sick."


    Xue Qingshan''s eyes lit up: "That''s good, I''ll go talk to my parents tomorrow and let them put this matter into practice." He put his arms around Yang''s shoulders with a smile, and said: "My wife is smarter. , Prepared a backhand early."


    Yang gave him an angry look, and the two of them rested together, without speaking for a whole night.


    Without Mrs. Zhao''s words, Mrs. Sun said: "Zhao''er, it''s not the fourth aunt talking about you, you girl likes to make a fuss. Could it be that you deliberately torment us all, even if you don''t like it..."


    Before she finished speaking, she was pulled by the man Xue Qinghuai.


    "Okay, let''s say a few words less, Zhao''er is not ignorant, and besides, the dog is already sick, so it''s better to find a doctor to take a look, so the family can rest assured."


    "I said less and said less, and I didn''t say anything..."


    "You also said..."


    The couple went out while chatting and tugging. The eldest aunt Yang smiled at Zhao''er, and then said to the mother-in-law: "Mother, let''s go too, let the dog have a good rest."


    Mrs. Zhao glanced at the dog on the kang, snorted coldly, turned her head and left. It can be seen from her posture that she is very angry.