Chapter 153

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Unfortunately, there was an accident.

*

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Xue Juncai gave Xue Tingxiang a disdainful look.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He wrote two full sheets of paper.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

the most important is--

He glanced at Zhao'er.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

But got no answer from her.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mr. Xue really doesn't know.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hearing this, Patriarch Xue also frowned.

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

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

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

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

*

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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