Volume 5: Fellow Traveler Chapter 825 Practice
"It's the 20th day of the twelfth lunar month, and I can finally go home!"
When he finally opened his eyes early in the morning, this was the first thought of the Fourth Prince. In his previous life in the palace, he wanted to sneak out to see the outside world, but after sneaking out for so long, he felt that the outside world was just like this. Not only was it dirty, complicated, and troublesome, but his father and third brother were not there, and even Zhang Shou, the teacher, didn't come often!
"Only that annoying Zhang Chen!"
When the Fourth Prince said this instinctively, he suddenly heard a voice coming from outside the door: "You are talking bad about people behind their backs, don't you know how to be grateful? Xiao Huasheng and Xiao Cheng got up early. The villagers are planning to see us off today, so they are busy. If I hadn't told the village chief that you have been working hard these days, others would have thought you were arrogant!"
Hearing Zhang Chen's voice, the Fourth Prince jumped up in anger, and then found that the beds of Peanut and Xiao Cheng were empty. She knew that the two of them didn't call him because they wanted him to sleep a little longer. After all, when the Third Brother came last time, he brought him a large bag of notes and homework. That was not all. Zhang Shou later sent all the twelve volumes of "New Edition of Ge's Mathematics".
And Zhang Shou's original words were, you don't need to bring them back when you come back, just give them all to the children here. Maybe you can cultivate a mathematical genius... It makes him seem like he is not worth cultivating!
Therefore, the Fourth Prince has been studying very hard these days. Whenever he has free time during the day, he would think about the questions by himself, trying to complete the homework assigned by Zhang Shou to the Eastern Palace. Of course, most of the time it was in vain, and staying up late was inevitable. Although Xiao Huasheng and Xiao Cheng tried their best to dissuade him from studying late at night, he changed to memorizing formulas before going to bed.
So, while he was putting on his clothes quickly, he was complaining to Zhang Chen in a low voice that he always liked to pick on him and ridicule him. However, he thought that he must not be outside, but Zhang Chen was outside at this moment.
Although he and the Fourth Prince disliked each other, Zhang Chen had been living in this small Baijia Village for nearly a month. Living conditions were limited, and he had to face a group of stupid villagers and ignorant children. His mood went through many twists and turns, from being full of energy at the beginning to being listless in the middle and then to being energetic recently.
But this was not only because Zhang Shou came to visit them once and pointed out a shortcut to motivation, but also because Zhang Chen also saw the extraordinary efforts of the Fourth Prince. This effort was not only to desperately want to select one or two top students from those children to prove himself, but also because the Fourth Prince himself did not forget to study!
Zhang Chen almost forgot when was the last time he studied hard... After all, being a student under Zhang Shou of Banshan Hall was a relatively relaxing experience, because Zhang Shou's history lectures and general knowledge classes were very fascinating. As long as he listened carefully and took some notes, monthly exams and the like were very easy. What's more, sometimes he would flip through his father's collection of books when he was interested.
It was obvious that Zhang Shou's lectures were just to help these lazy students to broaden their horizons, think more, and read more. As for the four words "study hard"... Zhang Shou never told him that anyway!
Therefore, he would never sacrifice his sleeping time and rest time to study and do homework! Whether he or the fourth prince, they were born into a noble family and lived a comfortable life. Anyway, it was not their turn to take power. It was enough to do something to live up to their life. Why work so hard to learn so many things? Will they be useful in the future?
At this moment, Zhang Chen did not leave, but stood there quietly, hearing the rustling noises, yawns and complaints from time to time. After a long time, the fourth prince, who had learned to dress and wash , but was still not very fast, finally opened the door and came out, and then... naturally stared at Zhang Chen.
“You, you, you…”
"What do you mean by you? You have to remember in a place like this, don't say bad things about people behind their backs." Zhang Chen suddenly rubbed the Fourth Prince's head. Seeing that the boy jumped away like a rabbit and then glared at him angrily, he suddenly asked, "Is it worth it to study hard every day until so late?"
The fourth prince did not expect to encounter such an abrupt question. After a pause, he said unhappily, "Of course it's not worth it. I don't want to be a master of mathematics... but I don't want to be left too far behind by my third brother! I don't want to be unable to follow up on what he says in the future, nor do I want to be unable to understand the books he reads in the future. Since he is so dedicated to learning, of course I can only sacrifice my life to accompany him!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he felt a pain in his forehead, and it turned out that he was hit on the head by Zhang Chen! He was furious and was about to fight back, but he saw Zhang Chen turned around and left, and even left a few words without looking back.
"Why should a child learn to talk like an adult? What's the point of sacrificing one's life for a gentleman? If you work too hard and ruin your health, His Royal Highness will worry. He and the teacher sent so many books here. Rather than really wanting you to catch up, it's better to say..."
Zhang Chen paused for a moment, and his voice also paused for a moment, then he laughed and said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince has learned bad things from your teacher. He didn't learn anything good, but he did learn some bad things. He must be teasing you. Maybe he has been studying too hard these days, so he wants you to have a taste of his hard work day and night!"
The fourth prince wanted to refute at first, but after listening to Zhang Chen's last words, his eyes became a little vague, because he felt that what Zhang Chen said was probably right and true.
The third brother who came to visit him that day looked completely different from the usual honest and simple, shy and timid third brother. Although he was still so close to him, he was always a little naughty and even a little like his younger brother's usual personality! Therefore, Zhang Chen's outrageous guess seemed to make him suddenly realize something.
But the Fourth Prince did not think there was anything wrong with his third brother. Instead, he felt that ever since the news of his appointment as the Crown Prince came out, the Third Prince had been on edge and striving to do his best. It was not bad for the Third Prince, who was praised by everyone as a virtuous Crown Prince, to have such a side to him.
Of course, he would never praise Zhang Chen. He snorted and followed him. But after walking a few steps, he felt empty in his stomach. Then he remembered that he hadn't eaten breakfast yet. At this time, Zhang Chen, who was walking in front, seemed to have eyes on his back. He said lightly: "In order to see us off, the villagers started working last night."
"But we know that we have to get back to Beijing as soon as possible, so the farewell lunch has become a farewell breakfast. You can eat as much as you want later. You won't die of fullness!"
The good words coming out of Zhang Chen's mouth always had a kind of irritating meaning, so the Fourth Prince was not willing to talk at all, and just snorted in annoyance. However, when he really arrived in front of the main house of the village chief's house, he saw that in this cold weather, there were people coming in and out of the yard. When they saw him and Zhang Chen, they called him Mr. Zhang and Mr. Zheng in a mess.
Originally, no one in this ordinary little village thought that learning to read and write was of any use. However, when Zhang Chen and the fourth prince showed their great abilities, and even the elders of a family whose son studied hard and made great progress could get the opportunity to do odd jobs or even work seriously in Tongzhou City to earn wages, things became different.
In recent days, those children in the village who originally did not want to study were chased by their parents with sticks in their hands and urged to study. Some even saw that their own children and grandchildren had no aptitude at all, so they did not care about the difference between boys and girls - anyway, the small village was not so poor and particular, so they directly sent their daughters and even granddaughters to study and learn to read together, hoping to produce a "talented girl" in their family.
She doesn't need to be a talented woman who can write poems and couplets, but just a talented woman who meets the standards of Mr. Zheng and Mr. Zhang.
Therefore, now that Zhang Chen and the Fourth Prince were about to go back, the men, women, old and young in the village were really reluctant to let them go. The adults were reluctant to give up the opportunities and benefits that Zhang Chen and the Fourth Prince brought them, and the jobs that they could not even reach on weekdays, while the children were also sad at the thought of never being able to eat maltose again or play with those novel toys that only people in the city had.
As for studying, most people can’t say whether they like it or not, and they will not hold a grudge against their parents for beatings - as a country kid, who doesn’t get beaten a few times a day for various reasons?
Therefore, the children who had received the adults' instructions swarmed up, wishing to hug the teacher and beg him not to leave. The chaotic noise made the Fourth Prince's ears hurt. He knew very well that among these little guys, there were those who didn't like to study and only wanted benefits, those who stayed because of their parents' pressure, and those who followed the crowd just to pretend...
There are probably only a few people who really can't bear to part with him.
Seeing Zhang Chen scolding and chasing people away with a stern face, he was about the same age as them, even younger than some of them, but he couldn't resist their soft and hard persuasion. At this moment, he heard a voice like a savior: "What are you making a fuss about? It's the New Year. Mr. Zhang and Mr. Zheng are both city people. They stayed here to teach you for a month. Are you not satisfied?"
The one who came out to play the villain was the village chief who had the final say in the village. When he came out and shouted, a group of noisy children immediately scattered like birds and beasts. After driving away these noisy guys, he came forward with a smile on his face, bowing and apologizing to the Fourth Prince and Zhang Chen.
He knew the identities of these two people. Seeing those idiots and stupid kids in the village making them so anxious, he was scared to death. But after several days, although the two of them got angry sometimes, they never really left in anger.
Therefore, he prepared for today's farewell banquet early, hoping to do his best so that people would remember their time in Baijia Village when they returned. However, Zhang Chen became impatient after he had just said a few polite words.
"Why are you talking so much nonsense! So many of you have been busy here since early in the morning, and you must be starving. Now that the one who is supposed to stay in bed has arrived, let's eat! I don't believe that after seeing the delicious food, those guys will have the time to try to keep us!"
The Fourth Prince was immediately furious when Zhang Chen openly called him a bed-slacker. However, after he finished speaking, he went in and clapped his hands to signal for the meal to begin. There was indeed a roar of approval from inside, mixed with the adults' scolding. After thinking about it, he warned himself in his heart not to quarrel with Zhang Chen at a time like today. There was no benefit in winning the quarrel!
So the fourth prince didn't even look at the smiling village chief, and strode in. Sure enough, he saw a group of children inside, ignoring the adults' scolding and beatings, and desperately stuffing food into their mouths. Looking around, the various dishes that were originally carefully prepared on the round tables were already in a mess, although they were not messy.
He didn't need to look back to know how annoyed and embarrassed the village chief's face was, but he had been here for a month and of course knew that it was a pipe dream to ask for any etiquette here. Therefore, seeing that Zhang Chen had already gone to the main table and picked up a steamed bun to eat, he also went forward and sat down next to Zhang Chen without any hesitation, but grabbed a steamed roll without saying a word.
This kind of behavior, which would be criticized as rude in the palace or at other banquets, was a relief to the village chief. He did not bother to scold the villagers who could not even control their own children. He walked forward quickly, sat down next to the fourth prince, and carefully complained about the villagers' rudeness. Then he carefully asked, "Will you come back after you go back?"
Why come back? To live in a shabby house, look at the same unchanging scenery, and waste your precious time on a bunch of shabby kids who are not even talented or hardworking? Are you just bored?
Zhang Chen, who had always been perfunctory with the village chief, said directly this time: "Even if we come next time, we will send someone else. But I will take Bai Shanshan and Bai Xiaoshui, who were diligent in their studies, back with me first to let people take a look at them. After the New Year, they will go to the Beijing Public School to study. Oh, of course, what I promised before will count. One of their families can go to Fuping Goods Store in Tongzhou City to work as a clerk."
As soon as these words came out, the noise around them stopped temporarily, and the villagers who were scolding the children quieted down for a moment, but they exploded again in the next moment. The two children who were named were still a little confused, but their elders did look proud and contented, not to mention how happy they were.
So, the next moment, the other children who were busy eating were unlucky again. Thinking of missing the opportunity to make money, their parents and elders didn't care about the occasion, dragged their own naughty children to fight, even mixed doubles, triples, quads... In this chaotic atmosphere, the fourth prince, who had eaten a steamed bun in no time, suddenly stopped.
He suddenly stepped hard on Zhang Chen, and when everyone gasped and was about to get angry, he asked in a low voice: "Where are Xiao Huasheng and Xiao Cheng? Didn't you just say they are helping here too?"
With just a few words, Zhang Chen instigated a group of parents to beat their children. Finally, he felt that his anger caused by these ignorant guys these days had eased. When the Fourth Prince stepped on his foot, he was about to get angry, but when he heard someone asking this, he couldn't help but be stunned. Then he looked around and found that the pair of brothers who were inseparable were indeed missing.
Just as he was about to ask the village chief, he heard Peanut's voice outside: "Zheng Yan, Zhang Chen, Miss Ye is here!"
