Chapter 53

Mr. Xue stared at her, he really suspected that all this was made by this girl. He knew that Gou'er was a bored gourd, why didn't he go to the grave early and complained that he would not go later, but he went at this time.

Thinking of all the disobedient things this girl did in the past, Mr. Xue felt disgusted in his heart. But he also knew that now was not the time to vent his anger, but to settle the matter.

"Since you want to listen, then listen." The tone was the same as before, but anyone could hear the dissatisfaction in his voice.

Zhao'er couldn't hear it, so he stood aside.

Seeing this, Mrs. Sun hurriedly dragged Xue Qinghuai to stay.

"Since Zhao'er has stayed, let's stay and listen too." She laughed along with her.

Mr. Xue was immediately furious: "Since you want to listen, stay and listen."

So everyone stayed, including the four-year-old Mao Dan, and even Mrs. Zhou, who was busy in the kitchen, stayed behind under the guise of cleaning the table.

In the huge main room, only an oil lamp was lit on the square table. The wick was jumping, and the shadows were faint, and everyone's eyes were on Mr. Xue. But he suddenly didn't know where to start. He looked around everyone's faces with heavy eyes, and finally fell on Xue Tingxiang's face.

"Actually, it's nothing. I just want to talk about what the boss said a while ago that he wants to send the child to the school in the town."

Zhao'er was inexplicably nervous, and couldn't help but glance at Xue Tingxiang, and then went to see Mr. Xue.

Dafang and his wife were overjoyed, they knew this would happen, and it was not in vain for them to swallow their anger for many days.

Xue Qingshan couldn't hide the joy on his face, he looked at Xue Tingxiang with pity and compassion, then looked at other people, and finally fell on Xue Tingxiang.

"Dog, don't be discouraged. You are still much worse than your talented brother. You will study with uncle for another two years, and then the family will send you to the town to study."

This kind of tone was too stinging at this time, Zhao'er had a sneer on the corner of his mouth, and wanted to say something, but was pulled by Xue Tingxiang.

Xue Qingshan took all of this into his eyes, and satirized in his heart, no matter how difficult this girl's film is, she can only embarrass others on these trivial things, and it still doesn't work when it comes to big things. He smiled, and said to Zhao'er: "Zhao'er, don't be angry, uncle knows that you are high-minded, but high-mindedness can't be eaten, don't you?"

No one in the room said anything.

At this moment, Mr. Xue suddenly said angrily: "Boss, what are you talking about!"

Xue Qingshan didn't take it seriously: "Father, I'm not trying to persuade the dog not to be discouraged..."

Old man Xue's beard was shaking with anger, and he pointed at him with a cigarette pot: "You need to persuade, the one who is going to study in the town is not a handsome man, but a dog!"

As soon as these words came out, one stone really stirred up a thousand waves.

The room was silent for a moment, and soon Zhao's slightly shrill voice broke the silence.

"Old man, what are you talking about? What do you mean a person who is going to study in the town is not a talented person?"

Xue Qingshan also said: "Father, did you say the wrong person in a muddle?"

"Your father is not ignorant, and he didn't say anything wrong. The one who goes to study in the town is a dog, not a genius!"

After saying this, Mr. Xue seemed to have lost all his energy, and stopped talking. The eyes of the whole room kept looking back and forth at Xue Tingxiang and Xue Juncai, full of surprise.

Xue Qingshan's smile cracked, and Yang's face was full of surprise.

Xue Juncai's handsome face flushed red, "Grandfather..."

Mr. Xue waved his hand wearily: "Okay, let's all go back to the house."

With everything said like this, everyone had no choice but to leave, but Dafang's family still stayed behind.

As soon as everyone walked out of the main room, they heard a commotion inside.

"Old man, please speak clearly, what do you mean it is a dog who is going to study in the town, not my handsome talent!"

It was Zhao's voice.

There is also Xue Qingshan, mixed with Yang's aggrieved and sharp cries, and Mr. Xue's exhausted explanation.

No secrets can be hidden under one roof, so everyone knows what's going on.

*

Early the next morning, everyone got up.

But the spirit is not very good, it can be seen that he didn't sleep much at night. Especially Yang's eyes were a little red and swollen, and she looked like she was crying.

Xue Qingshan's eyes were also full of bloodshot eyes, he looked at Zhao'er and Xue Tingxiang with sinister eyes from time to time, but for some reason he didn't say anything.

The atmosphere was very depressing, no one spoke, everyone was there and doing what they were doing in an orderly manner, but the yard was surprisingly quiet.

After breakfast, Mr. Xue took his hoe and planned to go to the field. Xue Qingbai and Xue Qinghuai didn't dare to delay, one went to lead the cow out, the other picked up the iron plow, and followed him out the door.

Xue Qingshan didn't stay at home anymore, and then went out, but he didn't know where he went.

Unlike the rest of the Xue family, Zhao'er was very happy.

Since she learned the ins and outs of the matter from Xue Tingxiang last night, she has fallen into uncontrollable excitement. Don't say that she gloats, in her heart she should be a little man, and she is worrying about having no money in her hands. This news is tantamount to great joy for her.

Knowing that the schoolchildren who go to the academy are very particular, she purposely found a piece of blue cloth that had been kept at the bottom of the box for a long time. This is Qiu's dowry back then, and Qiu gave Zhao'er to make clothes, but unfortunately she has been reluctant to part with it, and now it is just right to use it as a school bag for Xue Tingxiang.

After cutting the cloth, she began to sew with needles and threads, talking to Xue Tingxiang without saying a word. At this moment, the door curtain was suddenly lifted.

It was Xue Youcai, the second boy of Dafang.

Xue Youcai was only seven years old this year, but he was born fat and thick, and he was obviously spoiled. After he came in, he scolded Xue Tingxiang: "Just like you, you are still grabbing things from my elder brother, and you have the same name as a dog. You are no smarter than a dog."

This kid's tongue is really poisonous, and he is also used to by the elder couple, and he has always been a bully at home, making everyone angry. I saw signs of it a few years ago, but it's a pity that Mrs. Yang has been protecting him, saying that he is still young and ignorant, but he has grown up in the past two years, but it is a pity that he is still ignorant.

Zhao'er doesn't like him, if anyone in this family beat Xue Youcai, it must be her. Xue Youcai was afraid of her, yet hated her, she stood up abruptly, before she could speak, Xue Youcai suddenly threw a bag of things in his hand. It hit the head and face, and it hurt people, and there was a strange smell in it.

Zhao'er was hit twice, she subconsciously tried to hide, thinking of Xue Tingxiang on the kang, she turned her back to protect him. Xue Tingxiang was unprepared, she hugged her upright, obviously it was not appropriate, but he felt blushing and heart beating.

After finally waiting for this wave to pass, Zhao'er let go of his hand, Xue Youcai had already run away, and the thing he used to hit them turned out to be dried cow dung.

Zhao'er was so disgusted that she ran after her.

She stopped Xue Youcai at the gate of the courtyard, grabbed him by the collar without saying a word, picked up a branch from a nearby wall, and lashed at him.

"If I don't beat you for three days, you dare to go to the house to expose the tiles..."

Xue Youcai struggled to run away, but Zhao'er was so painful that he was whipped. Crying and shouting, he sat down on the ground and lay down on the ground.

This looks like the posture that young children are accustomed to playing tricks on.

There was such a big commotion outside that everyone in the room was startled out.

Seeing Xue Youcai being beaten by Zhao'er, Mrs. Zhao exploded: "Who told you to beat my grandson, stop!"

Zhao'er ignored her and scolded: "Do you still dare to do it in the future? Why don't you learn how to throw bullshit like others! The words are quite vicious. Who taught you to speak like this? If you don't speak clearly today, I will not only Hit you, I will take you to the river to wash your mouth later..."

Mrs. Yang also came out, and she screamed: "Wang Zhaoer, you are crazy, you dare to hit Juncai!"

"Auntie, why don't you see what he has done? You didn't learn well at a young age, like some women who uttered obscene language and threw cow dung on people. I'll tell you now, your second brother has a name , called Xue Tingxiang, if you dare to tell me whether you are a dog or not in the future, I will beat you every time I see you!"

Xue Youcai cried until tears and snot came out, but unfortunately no one came up to rescue him. Zhao was so angry that she jumped up and down, Yang wanted to stop Zhao'er, but was stopped by Heizi.

You usually see this sunspot with a slumped head and no energy at all. He stopped in front of people, growled a warning in his voice, and showed his sharp teeth. Yang didn't doubt that if she dared to go forward, she would The dog would pounce on her and give her a bite.

At this moment, a surprised voice suddenly sounded outside the courtyard: "What are you doing?"

It was Xue Qingshan who came back from the outside, not only patriarch Xue and Zheng Lizheng, but also five or six villagers over half a hundred years old.

Seeing the situation at home like this, Xue Qingshan was surprised at first, then smiled wryly, and said to the people beside him: "I won't mention what outsiders say is right and wrong, just say that they are mean dogs, but there is absolutely no one Dare to do this. This girl has always been a pungent person, making troubles at home every now and then, if someone was really mean, she would have already caused a lot of trouble."

What you said made people feel inexplicable, but Zhao'er is not the master who allows people to slander, so he immediately retorted: "Uncle, what you said is a bit slanderous. I usually respect the elders at home. What nonsense is it? There is a reason for beating this kid today, and he actually scolded..."

Having said that, she was interrupted by Yang.

She came over anxiously and distressed, snatched Xue Youcai from Zhao'er's hand and cried, "How old is he, how old are you? He is just not sensible at this age, and you still care about him... "

Yang was crying, with a look of grievance and helplessness, Xue Qingshan was also sighing beside him, Zhao'er didn't know what the two couples were playing, it was over.

Her little face was flushed with anxiety, and she was about to explain again, when Xue Tingxiang who came out of the room grabbed her.

He took two steps forward, stood in front of Zhao'er, and first respectfully called Patriarch Xue, Zheng Lizheng and the few villagers. They are all from the same village, and you can't see them when you look up. As a junior, these are his elders.

After the proper etiquette passed, he explained to Yang: "I hope that my aunt will not be angry. Zhao'er was also impulsive. She saw that the talented boy called me the same name as a dog, and threw a lot of cow dung on me. That's why I hit the boy in a fit of anger."

Xue Tingxiang's behavior first gave people a good impression. As a scholar, you should be gentle and polite. Next, I will take advantage of the gap of the apology and explain the ins and outs of the matter in two sentences.

Zhao'er was not stupid, her mistake was that she was eager to explain everything clearly, so she couldn't help but talk too much, but Xue Tingxiang only talked about the main points and didn't mention anything else.

And he speaks very well, it is normal for children to be naughty, but it is worth considering when they are naughty enough to insult people as dogs, not to mention throwing cow dung on Xue Tingxiang, his elder brother. At the same time, it also explained for Zhao'er why she beat the talented boy so impulsively.

Sure enough, after hearing this, Patriarch Xue and the others inevitably turned to his side when they saw the forbearing expression on Xue Tingxiang's thin face.

"It won't be bad luck all the time." Xue Tingxiang said.

If he remembers correctly, the whole town was a sensation when Director Lin of the Qingyuan Academy finally passed the exam three years later, and Gao Youzhi, the owner of the Qinghe Academy, was so angry that he almost vomited blood. At that time, he was planning to leave the Qinghe Academy to study at the Shen family's ethnology, and happened to hear something about it.

Boss Chen thought the young man was just comforting him, and smiled, "Thank you for your good words."

Xue Tingxiang was not ambiguous either, and cupped his hands and said: "Thank you, Uncle Chen, for your suggestion, but there are still trivial matters at home that have not been dealt with. When everything is settled, I will go to the Qingyuan Academy to study."

"You are straightforward, so you are not afraid of being implicated and hindering your fame?" Boss Chen asked curiously.

"The kid hasn't entered school yet, so why talk about fame? Besides, the imperial court has always attached great importance to the selection of talents. If they are really talented, presumably the magistrate Hu will not dare to stop them too much."

"I can't see that you have high ambitions. Well, since you dare to go, I will recommend you one or two. Although my classmate is rigid and dull, he is not good at words, but his knowledge is first-rate. Don't dare It is no problem to teach a person to become a Jinshi, but a scholar is fine."

"Then thank Uncle Chen first."

*

For several days, Xue Tingxiang and Zhao'er left early and returned late.

Someone from Xue's family asked twice, and Zhao'er said to take Xue Tingxiang out to get some fresh air, so as not to be overwhelmed. The people in the big room showed contempt, and Mr. Xue couldn't help shaking his head. After that, no one asked any more questions, and most of them knew in their hearts that Xue Tingxiang was doomed. Maybe the two children in Erfang also have a lot of mentality, so they broke the cans and didn't read books, but ran around playing.

You must know that even if you are as qualified as Xue Juncai, you have to read books at home for many days to prepare.

In the blink of an eye, it was five days.

This day is no different from ordinary days.

The farmhouse is always busy in the morning, and after a night, the family's livestock have to be waited on, and the whole family has to be tossed about to eat. After breakfast, the men will go to the fields, and the women will do housework at home.

If there is some difference, Xue Juncai had two more poached eggs in his bowl than others for breakfast.

Because of Mr. Xue's beating some time ago, Mrs. Zhao didn't dare to openly fight against the big family members these days. Today, seeing that life is not normal, she couldn't hold back.

Originally, Xue Tingxiang didn't have any, but Yang Shi saw that her father-in-law looked bad, so she took the initiative to ask Zhao Shi to ask for two eggs, and put them in the bowl for him.

Xue Tingxiang wants to recruit one of them separately, but he doesn't want to be recruited, but it's a pity that he can't be persuaded.

For the sake of one egg, the two of you whispered one sentence at a time, while Mr. Xue's expression on the top was particularly serious.

But life in the country is like this, no matter how heavy your heart is, you can't lose your livelihood. Especially when rushing for spring plowing, Mr. Xue still took his two sons to work in the fields for a while, and didn't come back until the sun was high.

The news about the competition between the two children of Xue's family has spread throughout Yuqing Village.

It's not that there are people who say strange things, but most people can still understand what old man Xue did. It's not easy for rural people to earn a little money, and no one's money comes from the big river. If there is a way, no one will do this.

Knowing that today is the day, let the children of the family watch in the village. Seeing a stranger go to Zheng Lizheng's house, these hairy kids ran into the field, shouting from a long distance, "Someone is coming from Lizheng's house". The adults stopped planting the land, so they picked up the hoes and rushed back.

Not long after, the big courtyard of Zheng Lizheng's house was full of people, and more villagers kept coming here.

There was a lot of commotion in the yard, everyone was gossiping and discussing today's matter at the same time.

In the room, Zheng Li was talking with a middle-aged man in a scholar's shirt and a flat scarf on his head.

This man had a thin and long face, his complexion was a little pale, and his eyes were slightly swollen. She doesn't look good, but her identity seems to be extraordinary, and she actually sits in the main seat.

And Zheng Lizheng could only sit on the sidelines.

His Gu Pan has a different temperament from ordinary people. This person is Qiao Xiucai, who has a reputation in the surrounding ten miles and eight villages.

Long before, Zheng Lizheng had thought about it. Xue Qingshan came forward to invite someone from the Xue family, if he didn't expect, it should be his father-in-law Yang Zhong, Yang Zhong is just a boy, so he will invite a scholar.

On the one hand, it seemed that he was impartial, and on the other hand, it was a good time to show his prestige.

"Qiao Xianggong, you drink tea, I will order someone to remind you."

Qiao Xiucai waved his hand indifferently: "Don't worry."

Just as he was talking, there was a commotion outside, but it was patriarch Xue who came with someone.

However, it was not Patriarch Xue who took the lead, but an old man over fifty years old. This old man is of medium stature, dressed the same as Qiao Xiucai, also wearing a scholar's shirt and a flat scarf, obviously even if he is not a scholar, he is still a child.

Sure enough, when Qiao Xiucai saw the old man, he quickly stood up from his chair and bowed to him.

"I never thought it would be Senior He, late born is so polite."

"Don't be too polite, just sit down."

This He Xiucai was the person invited by patriarch Xue to preside over this competition.

Zheng Lizheng was right, at first Xue Qingshan really planned to invite his father-in-law, but it was a pity that this matter was rejected by Patriarch Xue.

Patriarch Xue also only knew that Xue Qingshan was so stupid. They all said that he should not avoid relatives when he was a virtuous person, but this is not the way. Since he felt that the chances of winning were more than guaranteed, there was no need for people to make mistakes, so he took care of this matter.

He knew in his heart that the surname Zheng would not let go of the opportunity to show off, and if he came forward to invite someone, he must be a scholar. He originally planned to invite Qiao Xiucai, but he was a step late, so he had to delay the relationship and invite He Xiucai.