Chapter 181： Apprenticeship

Mr. Wu was speechless and picked up the paper written by Jiang Jiemo and looked at it carefully.

This child's character might not look amazing if applied to an older person, but he is only four years old.

A little kid over four years old can actually have such writing power, which is better than that of his own son when he was a child.

It would be a pity if such useful materials were buried in the countryside.

Mr. Wu lowered his head and stared at Jiang Jie: "Will you be my student?"

Jiang Jie blinked, remembering his sister's advice, and nodded: "Yes!"

Sister said that Grandpa Wu’s son might be a Jinshi, and Grandpa Wu must also be a very capable scholar. If I am lucky enough to have him as my teacher, it will not be a problem to be a scholar in the future.

If he is admitted as a scholar, his family's land will be tax-free. After he becomes a man, he can also wear colored clothes when walking outside. He does not have to be like his eldest cousin, who can only wear black and white, which is not good-looking at all.

Mr. Wu turned to look at Jiang Sanlang who was standing under the eaves in the distance and waved to him.

Jiang Sanlang hurried over and saluted Mr. Wu and Mrs. Wu.

Mr. Wu stroked his beard and said, "Jiang Cunzheng, I want to accept your son as my disciple. What do you think?"

Jiang Sanlang was stunned for a moment, thinking that he had heard wrongly. But he quickly came to his senses and bowed deeply to Mr. Wu, "It is an honor for my son to be favored by Mr. Wu. I am overjoyed. Our whole family is not unwilling."

Mr. Wu nodded: "Well, Jiang Jie will be my disciple from now on."

Hearing what Mr. Wu said, Yingbao was so excited that she gently pushed her brother and signaled him to kowtow and become his master.

Jiang Jie instantly understood what his sister meant, knelt down in front of the old gentleman, kowtowed three times, and shouted: "Master, I'm here, my disciple Jiang Jie kowtows to you!"

At first, because he knelt too quickly, he suddenly fell to the ground like a dog. Fortunately, he quickly got up and knelt down, and knelt down seriously.

Grandma Wu covered her mouth and kept laughing, and quickly helped the little baby up. "Oh, slow down, your face is bruised."

“No…” Jiang Jie touched his face, feeling a little embarrassed.

Mr. Wu: "Since you become my disciple, are you willing to live here from now on?"

Jiang Jie hesitated, turned to look at his sister, and then at his father. When he saw both of them nodding, he had no choice but to nod as well: "Yes. Then, can I still go home in the future?"

If you don’t let him go home, he will regret it and refuse to do so.

"Of course I can come back. I can give you a day off in ten and a half days." Mr. Wu said, stroking his beard.

Jiang Jie hesitated for a while, but nodded.

Coming out of the inner courtyard of the Yamen, Jiang Jie lowered his head and remained silent.

Jiang Sanlang carried him into the carriage and asked his little girl to accompany him and talk.

But Jiang Jie didn’t speak until he returned to Plum Blossom Alley.

Yingbao knew that his younger brother could not accept leaving home and studying away from his parents, so he patted his head and said softly:

"If you want to take the exam and become a county magistrate, you must have a good master. Did you see those students from the county school yesterday? Some of them are older than dad and are still studying in the school. Do you know why? "?"

Jiang Jie said dullly: "Because they failed the exam."

“That’s right. Do you think they always fail the exam?”

“Because there is no great master.”

“Haha, Xiaojie is so smart, he even knows this.” Yingbao clapped her hands and smiled: “Just because they didn’t have a good master when they were young, they are still studying when they are older than their father.”

Jiang Sanlang: ...how old do I have to be before my children dislike me?

Then Yingbao continued: "Do you want to study until you are old and fail the exam, or do you want to be taught by a master and pass the exam as a scholar early?"

Xiaojie thought for a moment and said, "I want to pass the exam as soon as possible." He didn't want to study until he was older than his grandfather, and he wouldn't even be able to walk by then. Yingbao patted her younger brother's shoulder and encouraged him: "Yes, he has ambition. In the past, there was a little prodigy who passed the scholar examination at the age of ten, and passed the examination at the age of thirteen. At the age of sixteen, he went to the capital and passed the Jinshi examination. He knew that Jinshi How awesome, each of them can be a high official."

Jiang Jie’s eyes lit up when he heard this.

When he was a child, he often listened to his sister telling stories about students studying in school, and he especially longed for the outstanding students in the story who went to Beijing to take the exam.

Hitting the title on the gold medal list and being the top pick are not as attractive as the ghosts and ghosts he encounters on the way to the exam, so he must go to the exam early.

At the moment, his primary goal is to pass the talent examination first.

“Sister, when will I go to Grandpa Wu’s place to study?”

Having figured it out, Jiang Jie couldn’t wait to go to Grandpa Wu’s house to become his apprentice.

Yingbao smiled: "Dad has already gone to prepare for the apprenticeship ceremony. We will go there early tomorrow morning."

Early the next morning, Jiang Jie put on brand-new plain cloth clothes and trousers, combed his hair neatly, put on his cloth bag, climbed into the carriage and sat upright, looking like a proper little scholar.

Jiang Sanlang also put on clean plain cloth clothes, with six rituals and sash.

Yingbao didn't go this time because that kind of occasion was not suitable for people other than elders to watch.

Jiang Sanlang didn't come back until noon.

He said to his daughter with a face full of joy: "Xiaojie has become a disciple. Mr. Wu will let him live in the inner courtyard of the county government office. We will take Xiaojie home for one day on the first and fifteenth day of each month."

Ying Bao is also very happy. "On the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month, I will bring my mother to the county seat."

Jiang Sanlang also meant the same thing. He said with a smile: "Let's go home now and tell your mother the good news."

For rural children like them to be able to take Mr. Wu as their teacher, it is a blessing they have cultivated over several lifetimes.

Although Jiang Sanlang didn't know what Mr. Wu did before, he was a great person if he could teach a son like Magistrate Wu.

But then again, if it weren't for his little daughter, he wouldn't even be able to cross the threshold of the county government office, let alone establish a relationship with the county magistrate's family.

Hearing that he was going back now, Jiang Quan hurriedly climbed into the carriage.

Jiang Cheng was unwilling to leave and said he would stay in Meihua Lane to guard his home. Because carpenters come to the house every day to make furniture, someone must take care of them.

Actually, there was another reason why he didn't return to his hometown. The last marriage made Jiang Cheng feel that he couldn't hold his head high in the village. He just wanted to stay in the county town for the rest of his life and never go back.

Jiang Sanlang told Jiang Cheng a few words and then drove the carriage out of the city.

Driving quickly all the way, we finally returned to the village before dark.

Two puppies barked and ran over to greet their little master, their tails wagging like propellers.

“Dad! Sister!”

Jiang Wu hasn't seen his sister for several days. Every evening, he stands on the high fence and looks at the road into the village. Today he saw his carriage from a distance and quickly got off the fence and rushed out.

Yingbao jumped out of the carriage, first gave her second brother a bear hug, and then picked up the two dogs and petted them several times.

Chunniang also ran out and was stunned for a moment when she didn't see Jiang Jie: "Where is Xiaojie?"

Jiang Sanlang chuckled and said, "Xiaojie worshiped a master in the county town. From now on, he will live in his master's house. On the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month, you can come with me to the county town to visit him."

Chunniang was at a loss for a moment, remembering that her little girl took Xiaojie to see the county magistrate, and asked in disbelief: "Did Xiaojie become his teacher to Mr. Wu?"

Jiang Sanlang smiled and said in a low voice: "As long as the family knows about this, don't let outsiders know."

The network seems to be unstable recently, and the chapters I updated cannot be found on the APP.