Chapter 171

That's right, it's a big deal to lose, she just needs to find money for him to study. Wasn't that the plan? !

Thinking of this, Zhao'er suddenly thought about it, and said: "Then prepare well, win if you can, don't be afraid if you can't win, at worst, sister will find money for you to study."

Zhao'er has never been a person who likes to ask for trouble. She turned her head and saw that the cow dung in the house hadn't been cleaned up, so she went to find a brush to clean the kang, and then went out to get a broom and a dustpan to sweep the floor.

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

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

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

Xue Tingxiang didn't look any further, and turned his gaze away.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Unfortunately, there was an accident.

*

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Xue Juncai gave Xue Tingxiang a disdainful look.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He wrote two full sheets of paper.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

the most important is--

He glanced at Zhao'er.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Xue Tingxiang was very clear in his heart, and understood what uncle meant. He smiled and said: "When my father was still alive, I asked my grandfather and uncle to help me choose one. Uncle refused because of his humble name. Now the court My son is also fourteen, so I can’t keep using her baby name, so I randomly picked one.”

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