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.