Chapter 369： counting

The three brothers copied books at home for most of the day. Not only did their wrists hurt, but their necks, backs, and eyes also hurt.

I finally realized that Zhou Shan was in the mood to copy the Analects five times. Shouldn't he rest while writing, otherwise how can he persevere?

It's understandable to count how many words he wrote during the break. I don't know how many nights he copied, but he could still hang out with them all day during the ten-day break.

The boss no longer thinks it is a good thing not to go to school. He is locked up at home and copying books for a long time. He thinks it is more interesting to go to the academy.

After giving the copied book to my mother for inspection, they planned to take a nap, and with such a face, they were too embarrassed to go out.

Pei Xiu bound the Analects they copied. Ancient books are precious and should not be thrown away at will.

Now she also chooses a book to copy, as a practice calligraphy, writes a few pages a day, and then saves them one by one.

After the three brothers got up, they walked around the house and felt nothing to do.

"Oh, it's boring at home, it's better to go to the academy."

The second child also nodded, at least there are still classmates, and they can chat after class.

The boss also rarely wanted to go to the academy.

"No one should know us, let's go out for a walk?"

In the end, the three brothers couldn't bear it any longer, and went out with bruised noses and swollen faces.

However, it caused the people in the whole day to turn back frequently, making them embarrassed.

There are also enthusiastic people who asked them who beat them, and asked them to report to the official!

They stammered and didn't know how to answer, and they backed off before they went very far.

"Forget it, let's go home, there are so many people watching, and they are pulling us to ask, it's embarrassing." The boss has always been thick-skinned, and he couldn't resist the enthusiasm of the people.

The third child raised his head and stared at him: "It's not all because of you."

"You are still so righteous. If you don't slap me in the face, I definitely won't slap you in the face. I would have been merciful."

"If you don't ask us to make a gesture, we won't slap you in the face, it's all your fault."

"It's also your duty to coax the little sister. Who told you to sit and watch the play without moving."

"We coaxed, it was your turn."

The second child felt so embarrassed, the two were embarrassed to quarrel in the street, and they were not afraid of being heard laughing at them.

He quickly walked away from them.

Seeing a big man in front of him selling watermelons, he also felt thirsty, hot and thirsty.

"Uncle, how do you sell watermelons?"

The big man squatted there and smiled, the folds on his dark face were full of laughter, he had already seen the three brothers with blue and purple faces, and rubbed his hands at a loss, "Master Hui, this watermelon is worth a penny a pound. , Bao Tian, ​​really, you can buy one and eat it and see."

When the second child heard it, he thought it was quite cheap, and called out loudly to the two who were still arguing, "You two, stop arguing, come on, let's buy a watermelon and eat it back to relieve the heat."

When they heard the watermelon, they stopped arguing and trotted over together.

The people watching the excitement on both sides also understood that the three brothers actually fought because of coaxing their sister.

Shaking his head, he couldn't stop laughing, young man!

They don't have to decide who is right and who is wrong, they also bicker every day in the capital, which is also the fun between their brothers.

"Why are you selling this melon?" The two of them turned around and shook hands and asked aloud together.

The uncle smiled and said again, "A penny a pound is sweet, and you don't lie."

The boss patted the watermelon, "Have you bought the remaining three? This melon is not big, we have a lot of family, one or two shouldn't be enough." He also counted the servants.

Seeing that the other two agreed, the uncle smiled even deeper. Watermelons are an important source of income for their family. He can also collect them after the three are sold.

"Hey, okay, I'll weigh the melons now." He quickly put the watermelons in the basket and hooked them on a scale to weigh them.

"This is nine catties and three taels, this one is eight catties and fifty taels, and the last one is exactly ten catties."

After he finished speaking, he counted with his fingers, chanting words in his mouth, but after a long time, he couldn't figure out how much these three melons cost. The three young masters were still waiting, and he was sweating in a hurry.

Usually, people buy them one by one, and a few kilograms is a few cents, and the fraction is taken as a deduction from the weight of the basket.

The second child said thoughtfully: "Let me do the math for you. Nine jins and three taels are calculated as nine jins first, and eight jins and five taels are added to the three taels, and it becomes eight jins and eight taels. Is nine jins plus eight jins? Seventeen pounds?"

"Yes, yes." The uncle counted with his fingers and nodded excitedly, "Eight taels don't count, it's used as the weight of the basket."

"Okay then, these two seventeen pounds plus the last ten pounds, a total of twenty-seven pounds, right?"

"Yes, the young master is right."

The second child took out a bunch of money and counted twenty-seven coins for him, "You can count it to see if it is twenty-seven."

I saw the uncle put dozens of them aside, then counted ten more and put them aside, and finally counted seven, and said cheerfully: "Yes, let the young masters laugh, we country people who have not gone to school only have dozens of them. numbers."

"It doesn't matter." They have seen many people who are only a few dozen people.

The three of them walked back holding a watermelon and discussed the matter.

"I think it's a bit difficult for the common people to learn Chinese characters~ but the arithmetic is still very simple. It shouldn't be difficult to memorize one to one hundred."

"Yes, once you reach ten you can count, and when you reach one hundred, it's not difficult. Even if no one teaches you, you can read it a few times to the common people."

"This is also a big problem. The magistrates of each county are not all capable of practical work. How can I think of visiting each village and asking them to teach you how to count."

"Counting can be used in daily life, and it is more practical for the common people. Counting from one to one hundred should also be popularized by the whole people."

The words of the three brothers also fell into the ears of the prince who was waiting in the carriage.

He happened to pass by here when he was out of the palace to do business. He thought of a new roast duck restaurant opened nearby. It was said that the taste was good, so he ordered someone to buy it and waited in the car by himself. I didn't expect to hear these words.

He also listened to their conversation with the big man just now. I think what the three brothers said is reasonable.

It is impossible for all the people to be literate, and the people have to work hard every day for two meals, so how can they have the spare money to read and read.

Simple arithmetic is different. Knowing how to count can also bring convenience to their daily life, just like the big man just now.

If he encounters a treacherous person, he will lose a few pennies, and it will be a big loss for him.

The prince was thinking in the car, if it would be feasible for the common people to memorize the numbers within 100. This is as long as word of mouth, no pen, ink, paper and inkstone.

After returning to the East Palace, he also mentioned the three brothers' remarks to the Crown Princess.