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."
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."
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—"
"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.
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."
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——
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."