The two bearers had very strong legs and carried the warm sedan chair so fast that Shi Shuang could hardly keep up. In winter, the days are short and the nights are long, and it gets dark quickly. It was already completely dark just after they passed Xinghuā Temple. Moreover, it was the last night of October. There was definitely no moon. There were clouds in the sky, so even the stars were not visible. A sedan stopped in front of Wang Siren's house. The four walls and doors were tightly closed. Zhang Yuan got off the sedan and knocked on the door. Someone inside asked: "Who is it?"
The door opened quickly, and the old gatekeeper of the Wang residence came out with a lantern and said, "Master Zhang, why did you come here at night? Is there something urgent?"
Zhang Yuandao: "Teacher, please be in the mansion. I have something to report." "The master is here. He came back from the garden in Kuaiji Mountain in the evening." The old disciple quickly ordered a boy to go to the inner courtyard to report that Mr. Zhang was here. While welcoming Zhang Yuan in, Shi Shuang and the two bearers were asked to sit in the foyer of the hall to rest and drink hot tea.
Zhang Yuan has lived here for almost two months and is familiar with the roads. Every time he comes, he goes in by himself. There is no Wang servant to guide him. Zhang Yuan treats him as one of his own family members and walks alone through the hall with a lantern hanging. When he walked to the main hall of the front yard, his steps were a little heavy, feeling that he was ashamed of Teacher Wang's cultivation, but things were already like this, he had to face it, he had to make a choice. Sometimes it takes more courage to refuse than to fight for.
There were no lights in the main hall of the front yard, but there was light coming out of the study. Zhang Yuan was a little surprised, could Teacher Wang be here? When he walked to the door and took a look, he saw Miss Wang Yingzi, wearing a cold fur coat, sitting at the desk and holding on to something. The center forward Yang Hao wrote something seriously and did not dare to disturb him. He was about to retreat to the hall. At this time, Wang Yingzi in the study put down his pen and warmed his hands on the brass stove beside the inkstone. He looked up and saw a man in front of the door. A faint shadow passed by and he asked: "Who is it?"
Zhang Yuan then walked back, stood in the shadow of the lamp in front of the study door, bowed and said: "Young-looking little
Sister, it's me." Wang Yingzi said "Hey", stood up and said, "Why are you here? Is there anything wrong?" Zhang Yuan saw that Wang Yingzi looked as usual, and expected that the teacher had not told her about Hou Zhihan's proposal of marriage. , felt relieved and said with a smile: "I have something to tell the teacher. What is Miss Yingzi writing?" Wang Yingzi smiled and said: "I am also doing stereotyped writing. It's boring. It's good to kill time by doing stereotyped writing. You Come in, what are you doing standing outside, you are so cold and instigated."
Zhang Yuan said: "I'm waiting for the teacher to come out." Wang Yingzi said: "Is there anything important? Then I'll help you call daddy." He walked out holding the heater, but handed the heater to Zhang Yuan's arms. "You hold it first ." Zhang Yuan reached out to take it, and Wang Yingzi smiled slightly and walked to the inner courtyard.
Zhang Yuan held the brass heater in a daze, what a good junior sister, why should he choose? This thief, God, is just making fun of people. When he heard a clear cough, Wang Siren walked out and said: "Zhang Yuan "What's the matter with you coming so late?" Zhang Yuan thought to himself: "Teacher Wang arrived early but didn't show up. He looked at me and Wang Yingzi talking coldly. This shows that it's difficult to be a human being. You have to be cautious at all times." He quickly put the heater on the ground. He crossed his hands and saluted: "Teacher, the student has something important to report. Please forgive the student."
Wang Siren entered the study room with a "Oh" sound, looked at Zhang Yuan and said, "Come in and talk." Zhang Yuan picked up the floor heater, walked into the study room, put the heater on the desk, took two steps back and bowed with his hands lowered. Wang Siren looked at Zhang Wang Siren is a very smart person with sharp eyesight. From his simple movements, he can tell that Zhang Yuan seems to be a little anxious. Maybe this is Zhang Yuan's deliberate performance. He asked in a low voice: "Have you seen Hou County?" Ordered?"
Zhang Yuan bowed and lowered his head and said: "Teacher, the student is really ashamed. The student went to Mr. Shang Zhoude's house in Kuaiji early this morning and got engaged to Mr. Shang Zhoude's sister. I went to see Mr. Hou County Zun when I came back in the evening. Please be sure, teacher."
Forgive students and teachers for their kindness, students will never dare or forget it for the rest of their lives."
Wang Siren also stood and remained silent for a long time.
Zhang Yuan did not dare to move. He felt that the whole house suddenly became quiet. It seemed that everyone was holding their breath and concentrating. The soft and brisk footsteps broke the suffocating dullness. Miss Wang Yingzi appeared in front of the study to see her father.
Wang Siren was in the study, his eyes widened and he smiled and said: "When did dad come out? Why didn't I see it?" Wang Siren looked at the daughter he had always doted on, sighed in his heart, and said: "It's none of your business.
Let's go back."
Wang Yingzi agreed and gathered to leave. Wang Siren said: "Take your heater back with you. Zhang Yuan doesn't need it. He will go back immediately."
Wang Yingzi said "Oh" and came over to hold the heater. When she passed Zhang Yuan, she lowered her head forward and glanced at Zhang Yuan. She saw tears in Zhang Yuan's eyes. Wang Yingzi was surprised.
He turned around and said, "Dad, why did you scold Zhang Jiezi?"
Wang Siren said: "Nonsense, I didn't scold him." Wang Yingzi looked down at Zhang Yuan again and said, "Dad even scolded him to tears, but he still said he didn't scold him." Zhang Yuan forced a smile and said, "Teacher didn't.
You scolded me because I remembered something sad.
Wang Yingzi looked at her father suspiciously, then at Zhang Yuan, then walked away with the heater in her arms.
After Wang Yingzi left, Wang Siren finally said: Today I named her Wang Duanshu, Yingzi is just her nickname. Because when she was a baby, she loved to laugh, and her eyes would stare when she smiled, and she would be very lively.
If she is heroic, call her Yingzi. Now that she has grown hair, she should have a famous name. I hope she will be dignified and virtuous in the future and not be as willful as before. I will send you out. Go back early and don't worry your mother.
." After that, he walked out the door.
Zhang Yuanpao knelt down and said: "Miss Yingzi is very good, but the student does not have this blessing. Please forgive the student, teacher."
Wang Siren stopped, stretched out his hand to pull Zhang Yuan up, and said: "I have no other intention of telling you about Yingzi's childhood. I just want to say it out of nowhere. Just like reciting poems and composing, I am moved by my emotions.
I don't blame you, I just feel helpless." Zhang Yuan said: "Then students can come often to greet the teacher and ask for advice?" Wang Siren looked at him, laughed, and said, "I, Wang Siren, am so narrow-minded.
Is it possible that you can’t be my son-in-law, or even my student?”
Zhang Yuan saluted deeply: "Thank you very much, teacher, thank you very much, teacher."
Wang Siren saw Zhang Yuan out and asked the doorman to lend Shi Shuang a lantern. He watched Zhang Yuan get on the sedan and go out of the wall door, and then turned back. He didn't want to go back to the inner courtyard for a while, so he went to the study room in the front yard to sit for a while and read the bookcase.
Reading the eight-part essay written by his daughter, he shook his head and smiled bitterly, thinking: "No matter how good my daughter's eight-part essay is, what's the use? It's just a waste of time. If it's a man, he should be a scholar." Hearing the sound of footsteps, Wang Siren nodded.
Without raising his head, he said, "Why did you come out again!" Wang Yingzi held the heater, looked into the study, and asked, "Dad, Zhang Jiezi left just now?" Wang Siren said "hmm".
Wang Yingzi walked in and asked again: "Zhang Jiezi is so strange tonight. What happened?"
Wang Siren said: "Zhang Yuan said that he was going to be engaged to the daughter of Qu of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, so he came to inform me, the teacher." Yingzi almost dropped the brass heater in his hand to the ground, and was stunned for a while before saying: "Zhang Jiezi is here.
We're engaged, it's so urgent." He murmured and turned back, walked to the door and turned back to ask: "Then he won't come again in the future?,...
Wang Siren said: "You will still come, Mr. Zhang Yuan is still my student, Wang Siren.
Seeing his daughter's back disappearing into the light and shadow in front of the door, Wang Siren sat back on the official chair with resignation. He usually didn't think so, thinking that his daughter was young and ignorant and didn't understand the style. But when he left, he leaned against the door and looked back at his last words.
Some idiots are clearly deeply in love, so what should we do?
It was nearly midnight when Zhang Yuan returned home. Zhang's mother, Mrs. Lu, was sitting in the front yard waiting for her son to come back. When she heard the bamboo fence door ringing, she quickly walked to the door and asked: "My son, sir, did you not blame you?"
Zhang Yuandao said: "Sir, you still treat your child well, but the child himself feels very guilty." Zhang's mother, Lu, took her son's hand back to the inner courtyard. Seeing her son's unhappy look, she comforted him: "My son, don't feel guilty. This is not the case."
It's your fault, then Miss Wang can find another good match." The next morning, Zhang Yuan went to Xi Zhang to tell Zhang Rushuang, his uncle of the clan, about meeting Teacher Wang last night. Zhang Rushuang nodded and said: "It's better to calm down like this.
An is a cheerful and open-minded person and won't blame you. You should go to his place often. The friendship between teacher and student cannot be weakened. Also, the marriage with the Shang family should be arranged as soon as possible."
After meeting Zhang Rushuang, his uncle, Zhang Yuan went to the county government office to see Magistrate Hou. Magistrate Hou had just returned to the mansion from handling official duties at Rijiantang. He was warming himself by the brazier. After hearing Zhang Yuan's apology, he said, "Teacher,
I don’t blame you, how can I blame you, Zhang Yuan, continue to study hard, get good grades in early and high school, and become famous in your job. There are always opportunities to repay the teacher’s kindness. Marrying the teacher’s daughter is not necessarily just to repay the kindness.” At this point, Hou
The county magistrate laughed and said: "Don't worry too much about this matter. Concentrate on studying. In three months, the county examination will be held. You are famous now, but everyone's eyes are also staring at you. During the county examination,
Your eight-part essay must be well written and cannot be inferior to the one written by Ming Lun Tang against Yao Fu. Do you understand what this county means?"
Zhang Yuan bowed and said: "I understand my academic responsibilities. I will write two articles a day. I dare not slack off." Seeing that the Honorable Lord Hou had no other instructions, he stood up and left.
Magistrate Hou said: "It's already noon. Let's have lunch here and have two drinks with the county. It's really cold today, I'm afraid it's going to snow." Looking out the door, there seemed to be tiny white butterflies flying.
, and then I heard someone shouting from far and near: "It's snowing"
"It's snowing"
……”…………”
Hou Zhihan stood up and walked to the eaves, looking at the snow that was falling more and more densely, and said to himself: "The auspicious snow heralds a good year. I only hope that the weather will be good in the coming year and the people will live and work in peace and contentment. If there is a disaster year, it will be really difficult for me to be an official."