The Bookish Scholar of the Red Mansion

next day

Chen Heng got up early, followed his sister Chen Qing to finish housework, and then sat at the door of his house waiting for Gu's signal. The sunlight shifted, and the closer it got to noon, the less Chen Heng dared to move.

The way he sat upright made Chen Huaijin, who had just come back from the fields, look strange. Standing in front of Chen Heng, he coughed and showed his elder attitude: On such a beautiful day, why are you sitting at the door if you don't go out to play.

It's funny to say that Chen Heng, the second uncle, was used to being a promiscuous person, and he didn't even look upright in front of his grandfather. But he prefers to act serious in front of the younger generation, and likes to show off the style of his elders.

As the elder brother, Chen Qi is the complete opposite. He doesn't like to talk in front of his elders. After closing the door and facing his wife and children, he looked very lively.

Second uncle, don't worry about me. Sister Chen Qing put down the needlework in her hand and said with a smile, After feeding the chickens in the morning, he just sat there and didn't move. I asked him, but he didn't say anything.

Are you feeling unwell? Chen Huaijin was a little worried. Seeing Chen Heng shaking his head, he didn't think about it. He quietly took out something from his arms and handed it to Chen Heng's hand. My second uncle went to the county a few days ago and saw it. I bought it for you. When you eat it, be careful not to let the second sister see it.

Chen Heng took the thing wrapped in yellow paper. As soon as he weighed it, he guessed that it contained snacks such as candy. He quickly showed a smile and said, Thank you, uncle.

Chen Huaijin touched Chen Heng's little head lovingly and walked directly into the back room. He originally had a son and a daughter, but unfortunately the eldest son died of illness when Chen Heng was one year old. The second sister Chen Huaijin refers to is his only daughter, named Chen Xian, who is one year older than Chen Heng.

Because her parents are the only one doting on her, and she is a young girl, it is inevitable that she has a bit of a shrewd temperament. After the second aunt Li became pregnant again this year, the second sister's temper was often unstable.

When Chen Huaijin left, Chen Heng opened the yellow paper and found that the contents were familiar to him. It was maltose that he had often eaten in his previous life. But in today's Chen family, this is a rare thing. If you want to go out with it, just carry two large pieces of silver in your pocket and look very cool.

Chen Huaijin only gave him a small piece. Seeing that it was difficult to split it into two halves, Chen Heng rushed to his sister Chen Qing and stuffed the whole piece into her arms.

Brother, don't you want to eat?

Chen Qing's face was full of surprise.

Sister, please eat for me. Chen Heng grinned, showing his teeth, and pointed at one of them, I want to replace my teeth.

Chen Qing agreed and was about to say wait until Chen Heng's teeth fell out before eating again. Chen Heng had already picked up the candy and stuffed it into his sister's mouth. He was an only child in his previous life, but now he has a sister who is three years older than him. It is really interesting to get along with him.

Seeing this, Chen Qing could only smile and narrow her eyes. In fact, she loves sweets. This matter had long been discovered by Chen Heng. It's just that farmers' children don't eat much on weekdays, so Chen Qing just hides it.

Come here and see how the size of this dress has changed? Chen Qing picked up the dress on his knees and pulled Chen Heng over to show it.

This dress was worn by Chen Qing when he was a child. There are some patterns on it, but who cares about this among peasants? Chen Heng allowed his sister to drive him, talking about embarrassing things about children in the same village.

The two siblings were quarreling again, and their mother, Mrs. Gu, shouted from the back room, saying that lunch was ready, and asked Chen Heng to come and run errands.

I've been waiting all morning, just waiting for this moment.

Chen Heng took three steps at a time and rushed into the house. After a while, he left home carrying a food box. Master Wang's home is not far away, after all, Shanxi Village is not big.

Only a few dozen steps away, Chen Heng hurried to his master's house, but he was dumbfounded. The Prince's house is very lively, and many famous adults in the village who he can name are busy here.

How could I still leave an impression on Mrs. Wang in such a lively situation? Chen Heng couldn't help but thought to himself: These days, scholars are still influential.

Among the adults, Chen Qi was found. As soon as he put down the food box, he was ordered by Chen Qi to go home for dinner. After eating the food box, Chen Qi said he would take it back.

Well, I guess this is called self-defeating. Chen Heng had no choice but to go home. I decided to wait for the next opportunity. After all, if I can run away, a monk cannot run away from the temple.

But he waited for two months.

…………

Wang Xianming sat at home, put down the books he had read so well, and sighed sadly. His appearance attracted the attention of his wife Liu, who couldn't help but joke.

It's been more than a month since I've been home, why are you still looking so sad?

Wang Xianming just shook his head, unwilling to reveal his feelings. He is forty-nine years old. Although he failed the imperial examination many times, fortunately he worked hard when he was young and passed the examination as a boy.

I used to work as a teacher in Taixing County, and my life was pretty easy. I thought life would go on like this, but then I thought that Li Xiucai came to the county last year. As soon as he arrived in the county, he accepted many students in the name of teaching.

Although Taixing County is not big, it is still big enough for Wang and Li to make a living together. The bad thing is that there are two children in his school. Because the elders think that the name Xiucai Gong is more catchy, they arranged to drop out of school. The sexy operation of transferring schools.

We are all literati, Wang Xianming is not willing to accept this kind of cowardice, not to mention that he thinks that he is only a boy at forty-nine, while the other party is only in his early thirties and is already a scholar. In anger, he closed the school and returned to Shanxi Village.

But although this Shanxi Village is quiet and peaceful, it is also really boring. What's the point of living if I stay at home doing nothing all day long? The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, so Wang Xianming had no choice but to pick up the book and continue reading.

Although Mrs. Liu didn't know, she could guess Wang Xianming's troubles, and couldn't help but said half jokingly, half teasingly: They say that this old boy is a young scholar, so he took a detour when he saw it. You couldn't lose your dignity and insisted on going back to the village. Now I still sigh from time to time, I guess I still have resentment in my heart.

Since you can't swallow this breath, why not find some children from the village and teach them carefully.

Maybe there will be one or two talents in the future who can help you regain your reputation. It's better than you being pedantic at home every day, which even makes me upset.

Hearing Liu's words, Wang Xianming raised his eyebrows and couldn't help but retorted: I've been walking around the village a lot lately, and I've seen all the mud monkeys there. Are there any people there who are willing to work hard to study?

Mrs. Liu sneered and said, Is it possible that you weren't like this when you were a child? Teaching and educating people is still ahead of educating people. Isn't it ridiculous for you to make judgments without even being taught.

Wang Xianming did not dare to speak. His father-in-law was his mentor, so he respected and loved Mrs. Liu. He could only nod his head and said: Madam is right, since Madam has given the order. Then I will ask someone to send a message tomorrow, saying that I am going to accept some students, so that they can prepare for cultivation as soon as possible.

He was so in tune with the situation and agreed so easily. Ms. Liu couldn't help but wonder whether Wang Xianming had already planned it, and was just worried about losing face in front of him, so he acted strangely all day long.

What a cunning old man, he insists on waiting for himself to say this. Liu Shisheng, who was rich and fair, just shook his head and laughed, presumably because he did not want to expose Wang Xianming's thoughts.

But she suddenly frowned and said in confusion: It's our own village, do we still need to practice cultivation?

Madam, you don't know. If you don't restrain yourself, I'm afraid those mud monkeys won't study hard. Wang Xianming hurriedly explained that his family is not short of money at the moment. People in Taixing County are richer than people in Shanxi Village.

Hearing Wang Xianming's explanation, Mrs. Liu couldn't help but nod. It was indeed true. He also warned: If you don't like it, return it to others. Don't do bad things with good intentions and ruin your own reputation.

Wang Xianming nodded in agreement.

Soon, the news that Master Wang wanted to accept a disciple spread in Shanxi Village and neighboring villages. Adults flocked to Wang's house carrying various things.

Mrs. Wang also accepted them all and ordered all the children to stay. It really opened the door to teach everyone.

…………

Naturally, the Chen family also received the news. Chen Heng was interested on the spot, but he didn't dare to tell his parents yet. Just because these days, studying is really expensive.

Let’s not talk about the Four Books and Five Classics for now. If you bring your own teaching materials, you can still make do with them. But this ink, paper and inkstone is a water-drop stone grinder, which really costs a lot of money.

Although Lao Chen's family has cows and chickens, their life in the village is pretty good. But to support a scholar for ten years is still very difficult and difficult.

What's more, now that the second uncle's wife, Mrs. Li, is pregnant, the family's expenses are very tight. Grandma also hoped that her second aunt would give birth to another fat boy in the family. Compared with her second aunt, Chen Heng felt that he could still endure his studies.

You must know that even for Wang Xianming, when he was studying in his early years, his family sold several acres of farmland so that he could continue to support his education as a child student. Their family's life gradually improved after Wang Xianming became a teacher.

It was also because Wang Xianming failed the college entrance exams many times that he reluctantly came to teach. If I say too much, it will be Wang Xianming’s tears. We can only seize the bridge with thousands of troops and horses, and we don’t know where to go to sum up.

No rush, no rush, I'm only five years old, I still have time.

Chen Heng comforted himself in this way. It was just his desire to study that prompted him to pass by Mrs. Wang's courtyard from time to time. Listening to the sound of reading aloud from inside, he was in a trance.

He wants to study!