Volume 1 In the Countryside Chapter 9 Little Mister
Zhu Ying, who was unhappy, finished her dinner. The reason was different from being hungry at noon, because she only took one bite and found the food with a country flavor quite delicious. Of course, Zhang Shou's excellent cooking skills must not be wasted!
When washing her face and feet before going to bed at night, Miss Zhu was embarrassed to ask Wu for help again. However, no matter how careful she was, the front of her clothes was still mostly wet. Fortunately, she had to change into clothes that night, so she could only change into a set of undershirt and panties that Wu had found temporarily and had never worn before. Although they were a lot shorter, she could only make do with it as a temporary measure and she didn't care about the rough material.
The next time she slept, she, who would always choose a bed when she went out, actually had a sweet dream!
In the dream, Zhang Shou was no longer distant towards her, but smiled gently. In the end, she almost woke up with laughter!
When she opened her eyes again, she even heard her own laughter. After finally waking up a little, she immediately coughed and habitually called out to Zhan Jin, but when she got no response, she opened her eyes and looked around blankly. It took her a long while to realize that she was not at home, and Wu, who had been sleeping outside, was no longer there.
Zhu Ying sat up hurriedly and saw a clothes rack next to the bed with a set of men's clothes on it. Her eyes lit up and she quickly got out of bed, put on her shoes and went over to try them on.
After all, Zhang Shou's outfit was simple. She had just put it on and was looking at the young man in the bronze mirror who looked simple yet elegant. Then she heard Wu knocking on the door. It turned out that someone outside heard the noise and came to bring her hot water and breakfast.
After washing up with the help of Wu, Zhu Ying took a look at the simple but clean porridge and two small and exquisite white steamed buns. She saw that it was bright outside and asked without bothering to eat, "Aunt Wu, what time is it?"
"It's almost nine o'clock." Seeing the rich young lady gasp, Wu smiled and said, "This is the countryside, not the Duke of Zhao's mansion. It's okay to get up a little later. Ah Shou even told you to get up early before going out, saying that you should sleep a little longer."
Zhu Ying didn't pay attention to anything else and only heard two words: get out!
Thinking about how Zhang Shou had "disdained" her in the kitchen and at dinner yesterday, and now he had left her alone, she couldn't help but feel even more aggrieved. She, Miss Zhu, had just made a move, and countless noble sons in the capital were flocking to her, but he actually ran away! She hadn't done anything to him yet!
She snorted in anger and forced a smile: "I shouldn't have gotten up so late... By the way, where is Shou?"
After so many years, Wu no longer had much hope for this marriage, especially after being humiliated by Zhu Gongquan yesterday. But after Zhu Ying came back after taking Zhang Shou away for so long, her personality suddenly changed, and she decided to stay, and she was clearly curious about Zhang Shou. She felt happy, but also had an indescribable pride.
So what if he grew up in the countryside? That can't cover up the brilliance of my Ah Shou!
She immediately said with a smile: "A Shou can't stay idle at home. He is probably giving lessons to the young men in the village right now."
Zhu Ying could not help but be secretly surprised. She suppressed the urge to ask questions, nodded, and quickly finished her late breakfast. Then she asked Wu where Zhang Shou was giving a lecture. In the end, she didn't know the way, so she took Zhang's servant Ah Liu with her.
The Zhang family mansion is located at the entrance of the village. Zhu Ying only arrived here yesterday and already felt it was extremely simple and crude. Today, as she went deeper into the village, she finally realized what the infinitely beautiful rural life described in poems and songs was like in reality.
The houses along the road are of varying ages. Most of them have fallen into disrepair, with broken roof tiles and some even leaking air from all sides. The simple shacks made of bamboo fences and thatch emit a foul stench.
Of course, she had no idea that those last shacks were pig sties.
On the way, she finally managed to get a few words out of Ah Liu. It turned out that the village where the Zhang family lived was considered one of the "rich villages" in the capital where people could relatively have enough food and clothing, because the Zhang family used to collect very little rent and never exploited the villagers.
It is now the rice harvest season. There are few middle-aged men and women in the village. Most farmers are busy working in the fields, and even the older children are no exception. Those who do not have their own rice fields will naturally help other families harvest rice. When their own wheat or cotton fields are harvested in the future, those who have received help will return the work time. This is also one of the systems that Zhang Shou has promoted for three years.
Of course, Zhu Ying didn’t know this. She just thought that most of the people she saw on the street were three or four-year-old children running around.
Thinking of what Zhang Shou said yesterday, "Who knows that every grain of rice on the plate is the result of hard work?", Zhu Ying could not help but have a deeper understanding of poem.
But at this moment, a few children ran past her playing and fighting. Besides their laughter, there were also a few scattered lines of poetry floating in the wind.
"I left Baidi in the morning amidst the colorful clouds, and returned to Jiangling a thousand miles away in one day..."
"Two orioles sing in the green willows, a line of egrets fly in the blue sky..."
If Zhu Gongquan were here, he would probably be embarrassed to death when he thought about how he swore yesterday that farm boys didn't understand poetry!
Miss Zhu suddenly had such an irrelevant thought, and then she asked Ah Liu behind her: "Did Ah Shou teach you this?"
"Yeah." Ah Liu's answer was as simple as ever. But this did not prevent Miss Zhu from beaming with joy and feeling proud.
Zhang Shou is really capable!
Zhu Ying had already experienced the mute personality of the Zhang family's male servant along the way, and was too lazy to ask any more questions because she was choked to death. But after walking a few steps, she heard someone reciting "One one is like one, two twos are like four" in a yard.
She didn't think that there was anyone in this rural farm family who would know how to teach children the Nine-Nine Song, so she simply stood outside the low fence and looked into the yard. She saw a boy with a baby voice using a small stick to whip another younger child to recite the Nine-Nine Song.
"How can you be so stupid! The teacher said that if you can recite the whole thing and get every correct sentence, you will get maltose! Sweet maltose!"
Although people were referring to him as the young master, Zhu Ying instinctively felt that it was Zhang Shou who taught the Nine-Nine Song and also who taught how to recite poems.
She was in a better mood and couldn't help but curl her lips, then quietly left. Soon, she followed the silent Ah Liu to a house in the village that seemed to be quite tidy. She was wondering what kind of lesson Zhang Shou was teaching, but she didn't expect to hear a cheerful shout.
"Thanks to the young master, my uncle just found an opportunity for me to get through the door. I never thought I could really pass the exam!"
Passed the exam? What do you mean by passed the exam? Could it be that Zhang Shou could teach a student who passed the exam to become a scholar or a juren? That would be amazing!
Zhu Ying was extremely curious, but when she took another step closer, she heard Zhang Shou laugh.
"You spent three years reading and writing. How many tree branches did you wear out? And how much money did you spend on paper and pens to learn to read and write well? Besides, you studied math for three years and used an abacus for three years. You can do a hundred mental arithmetic questions in a hundred breaths, and you only make one mistake. This level of literacy and math is rare among people your age, and it is also rare among people older than you."
"Moreover, you said last time that the Shuntian Prefecture Yamen is holding an examination for Lingshi this time. That is a new policy after the new prefect took office. The papers will be reviewed by Song Tuiguan, who he values the most. Although there is a possibility of fraud by those clerks, there must be a few to keep things in good shape. In this case, and you have a way, if you fail the exam again, your father will drag you to kneel in the ancestral hall!"
Examination for Lingshi? What the hell is this? Zhu Ying was completely stunned. She racked her brains but couldn't figure out what kind of official position Lingshi was.
Just at this moment, she heard another congratulations from inside.
"Deng Xiaodai, you are wearing the official robes thanks to the young master. Shouldn't you prepare a table of wine and treat the young master?"
Hearing the word "official robe", Zhu Ying pondered it carefully, and the curious look in her eyes suddenly dimmed, and she turned away unhappily.
What on earth was she expecting? Zhang Shou's poor handwriting showed that his knowledge must be limited. Therefore, being able to train a minor official in this rural farm was naturally a great honor!
If all else fails, as long as the Duke Zhao's Mansion can give him a hand, and as long as his aptitude is not bad, he will surely excel... Of course, to achieve this, first of all, his father and eldest brother must return victoriously and safely!
