Chapter 118

Chickens clucked and clucked outside, but it was Mrs. Sun who slaughtered the chicken and made it run away.

Xue Tingxiang looked out the window, and saw that the chicken's neck was still bleeding, but it was running around in the yard, and Mrs. Sun followed behind chasing after him in a panic.

Seeing that she was really in a bad shape, Mrs. Zhao came out of the room and said a few words. Mrs. Sun was even more anxious, and knew that she was really ashamed in front of the patriarch, but the chicken had wings, but she didn't. It was only when the chicken lost its strength that Mrs. Sun grabbed it and cursed, "Run, run, it's destined to be a dish in the pot. Where are you going?"

Xue Tingxiang didn't look any further, and looked back.

He knew why his uncle was so generous and asked him to compete with Xue Juncai, because if there were no accidents, Xue Juncai would definitely win this match.

In that dream, he had suffered such a loss, but it was not compared with Xue Juncai, but Zhao'er worked so hard to get money and sent him to Qinghe Academy. At that time, he was so stupid that he always blamed his own failures on the harshness of fate, thinking that it was not that he was not good enough, but that everyone did not give him a chance.

When he first entered the Qinghe Academy, he was full of ambition. He thought that he would definitely surpass Xue Juncai and prove that he was the most outstanding person in the Xue family, but the reality slapped him hard in the face. It was also at that time that he, who had never seen the world, understood the sinister intentions of his uncle. He did teach him to read, and he did 'read' a lot of books, but he just read and didn't understand the meaning of the scriptures.

It was later learned that after schoolchildren learn to read, they use reading scriptures as the basis.

First learn "Three Character Classic", "Hundred Surnames", "Thousand Characters", and then "Thousand Family Poems", "Children's Learning Qionglin", "Longwenbianying", etc. After reading these, you can enter university and start Study and read the Four Books and Five Classics, etc.

But at this stage, the teacher does not explain the meaning of the scriptures, that is to say, he just memorizes them by rote, clarifying the meaning of the words but not the meaning of the scriptures. Because people nowadays are used to thinking that children are just learning, it doesn’t matter whether they understand it or not, as long as they remember it, and when they read a lot or for a long time, they will understand what it means.

This is the so-called reading a thousand times, and its meaning is self-evident.

When you can recite all these books fluently, and when you can learn to interpret the scriptures, you will get twice the result with half the effort.

This time-saving, labor-saving and effective teaching mode is popular throughout Dachang, ranging from famous families to low-level sociology and village studies, and many of them are like this. This is especially popular in rural private schools, because there is only one teacher in the school, but it is not realistic to teach several or even dozens of people to explain the scriptures.

But in fact, aristocratic families with some background would never teach their children this way. Because this teaching mode blindly emphasizes rote memorization, but ignores the truth that the classics are natural and logical.

This is the pros and cons that 'he' analyzed from the perspective of the overall situation after standing in the position of chief assistant.

But at that time, he had just entered the library, because his uncle delayed explaining the meaning of the scriptures for him, and he didn't understand that there was still a theory of explaining the scriptures. So when he first entered school, the teacher asked him if he had read it, and he replied that he had read it, but he couldn't understand the scriptures.

But now, it seems that the uncle is also aware of his own shortcomings, so he deliberately proposes this match, but in fact, he has already planned it, and he is destined to lose.

Unfortunately, there was an accident.

*

Because there were guests at home, except for Mr. Xue and Xue Qingshan and his son, everyone was busy.

After eating in the main room, the kitchen will start cooking other people's lunch.

During the period, Xue Taoer was also ordered to drink. There was wine and meat at the banquet in the main room, and the men exchanged glasses, and there was no way to see that there was any cleverness in the usual times. Especially Patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng, the two drank very affectionately, and in the end they both got a little drunk.

"Okay, don't send it off, you'll be there soon." Patriarch Xue waved his hand.

After sending everyone out of the courtyard, this side started to clear the table and prepare meals. Mrs. Zhao originally wanted to take away the leftover meat and vegetables, but was stopped by Mr. Xue, saying that he was adding vegetables to everyone. People in the country are not rich, and it is commonplace for distinguished guests to leave and eat leftovers.

The adults are all fine, Shuanzi and Maodan are eating deliciously.

Zhao'er wanted to take the meal back to the house to eat, but was stopped by Xue Tingxiang, the two just kept their heads down and ate as before, without saying anything.

Xue Juncai gave Xue Tingxiang a disdainful look.

He had just accompanied Xue Qingshan to the table, and naturally he ate a lot of good food on the table, seeing that Xue Tingxiang could only eat leftovers, he was naturally full of sarcasm.

He remembered what his father said to him before, Xue Gouzi would never win him.

Thinking in his heart, he looked away, and said to Mr. Xue who was on the kang, "Grandpa, I'm going back to the house to read."

Mr. Xue nodded. He also drank a little too much before, and now he is leaning on the kang smoking a cigarette to hangover.

"Dog, eat more, brother is still waiting for you to beat me in five days." Xue Juncai suddenly said this when passing by Xue Tingxiang.

Zhao'er immediately stood up and stared at him: "Can you talk? You've read the dog's stomach after so many years of reading."

Xue Juncai didn't expect Zhao'er to show him such shame, his gentle face flushed red, but for some reason, he glanced at Zhao'er and held back.

Mr. Xue shouted: "Juncai go back to the house!"

Mrs. Zhou also hurriedly stood up to persuade Zhao'er, that's all.

After dinner, the two went back to the second room, and Zhao'er was still angry: "Don't be angry, dog. When sister earns money, I will take you to the house and won't be with them anymore."

Xue Tingxiang was a little moved, but at the same time a little helpless: "You called me a dog again."

Zhao'er groaned, then smiled and said: "I forgot, it won't be like this in the future."

Naturally, he couldn't be angry with her, and then Zhao'er took the two clothes she changed yesterday and went out to wash, while Xue Tingxiang turned over the "Children's Learning Qionglin" again.

Looking at the book in his hand, which was transcribed on the worst bamboo paper and the footers were worn away, Xue Tingxiang felt a little worried. He actually didn't want to read books, but Zhao'er couldn't help but think that he should read more books now, and only by reading more books can he win against Xue Juncai more confidently.

Little did he know that this book was different from the book, and it was useless to just read this book, but he would not tell her about it.

He dug out the bamboo paper that Zhao'er bought for him from the kang cabinet. The cheapest bamboo paper cost 40 cents a knife. Such 'expensive' paper was barely enough for practicing calligraphy. Even so, he is very precious at ordinary times, and he is reluctant to use it at all. If he can write on the sand, he will write on the sand, and if he can't use the sand, he will write on the desk with water.

Xue Tingxiang touched the stack of yellowed bamboo paper and sighed in his heart.

'Xue Tingxiang' usually uses the highest quality Chengxin paper, so at this time he feels a little disgusted with the things that are usually precious.

He spread out the papers on the kang table, stacked several sheets, and then cut them into the size of a book with a bamboo knife. In order to make room for the edge seam, he left some leeway and cut a thick stack before he found the inkstone with a corner missing and the ink ingot that had been used up and only a small piece remained.

These are treasures that he is reluctant to use at ordinary times, but Xue Tingxiang doesn't feel this way at all today. He added water to the inkstone, and then took the ink ingot to grind the ink, while grinding, he was thinking about something.

After grinding the ink, he put the bald hair brush in the water bowl and wet it to clean it. After dipping in enough ink, he picked up the pen and wrote something on the paper.

After writing a few words, he suddenly put down the pen, lifted the paper to look at it, and suddenly crumpled it.

Mingming's handwriting is fairly neat. Although he usually saves paper and ink, but because of years of hard work, his handwriting is not bad, but for some reason he just doesn't like it.

He closed his eyes slowly, calmed down for a while, and opened them again after a while. At this time, there was no one in the room, and anyone who was there could see a gleam of light flashing in Xue Tingxiang's eyes. At the same time, his movement of grasping the pen was fast and steady, and with the help of a god, he wrote a series of small characters on the paper in a short time.

These small characters suddenly became Yan style, then turned into pavilion style, and then turned into thin gold style again. At first, they were both tangible and boneless, but as they were written, their taste changed.

The face and body are square and dense, the brushwork is thick, straight, open and full of vigor. That pavilion is physically strong and graceful, as if it was carved out of a block. And the thin gold body, the gold hook and iron painting, is full of arrogance, and the strokes are as sharp as cutting gold and jade.

These three characters represent the whole life of 'Xue Tingxiang', from the Yan style learned at the beginning of school, to the Guange style studied painstakingly for the imperial examination, to the thin gold style of the official residence.

And so he wrote, oblivious to himself. Zhao'er came in during the period, but he didn't dare to disturb him, so he quietly sat down on the edge of the kang.

After writing for an unknown amount of time, he suddenly let out a long breath and put down his pen.

He wrote two full sheets of paper.

At this time, Xue Tingxiang had to admit that the magic of heaven was just a dream, and he actually possessed some of the things that he had in the dream.

From the moment this dream appeared, Xue Tingxiang had been thinking about why he had such a dream. Now he understands, maybe he just wants him to make up for all the unsatisfactory dreams.

And possessing everything of the "him" in the dream, he suddenly had great ambitions, and a surge of arrogance lingered in his heart.

"I'm tired of writing, drink some water."

Zhao'er brought water, Xue Tingxiang took it, and drank it in one gulp, it was very sweet.

Only then did he lower his head to look at what he had written, and he actually spent two sheets of bamboo paper. Probably because Zhao'er was by his side, he suddenly remembered that she used to save money to buy paper for him, and felt a little distressed and guilty. He glanced at her and said in a low voice, "I actually wrote so much."

How could Zhao'er not understand what he was thinking, so he chuckled and said, "Not much, not much, only two sheets. Paper is for use. I told you not to save paper a long time ago. It is used up. Let's just buy it again."

"I want to transcribe this book, so I try to write first, so as not to waste paper."

"What book do you want to copy? Can you copy books too? Don't you buy them?" Zhao'er was puzzled.

Xue Tingxiang sighed in his heart. He really felt that he was really stupid before. He would rather borrow books from his uncle every time, or memorize them by rote, and never thought of copying books.

Nowadays, the books sold in bookstores are rarely printed and expensive, so an industry of copying books has emerged. In this way, not only some poor scholars can get some money in exchange, but also those who want to buy books but suffer from poor pockets can get cheap.

Of course, this copying is not something that can be done casually, it needs to be written very well.

Xue Tingxiang boasted that his handwriting was not bad. Back then, many people begged for his calligraphy. Now that he needs a book, why can't he copy it himself.

the most important is--

He glanced at Zhao'er.

"Dog, where is this going?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*

Houshan is called Houshan, the mountain behind Yuqing Village.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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