After Zhu Ying got off school, she was thinking about Wang Chong, so she didn't go to the canteen first, but went back to the warehouse to look for him first.
Before entering the room from afar, he called out: "Brother Wang Chong, come down quickly, we are going to have dinner together."
Xiaochong had just memorized a volume of books and was a little tired. He immediately put down the books in his hands, said yes, and walked down from the attic to the dining hall with Zhu Ying.
Although they have only known each other for a day, Wang Chong and Zhu Ying have become very close to each other and are very familiar with each other.
After dinner, the two of them returned to the warehouse together and endorsed each other's books in the attic. Zhu Ying was stimulated by Wang Chong and worked ten times harder than usual. However, before he had finished memorizing half of the book, he heard Wang Chong repeat again.
After memorizing the entire volume, I felt very discouraged and secretly cried out: "Young brother Wang Chong, you really are not a human being."
A few days passed, dark clouds rushed over, and Master Xiao's identity was revealed. The incident gradually passed in Bailu Academy. Every day, there were fewer and fewer people waiting in front of Master Xiao's courtyard in the back mountain.
Xiaochong was promoted to Class B and gradually became familiar with the life in the academy. He had a kind-hearted nature and was used to being severely disciplined by his mother, so it didn't matter that his studies were harder.
On this day, Xiao Chong got up as usual and was about to go to study with Zhu Ying when he saw the old man who had arranged for him bring Liu Zi over. He called out and asked, "What's the matter?"
The sixth son has been in the country for a long time and has never seen the world. The academy is full of scholars who are studying. They speak and behave differently from their peers in the country. Everything they see along the way is new. They are very amazed. When they hear the call of their young master, they hurriedly reply.
: "The mistress has come to write home."
Xiaochong was so happy that he said, "Hurry up and talk to me." He took the letter and thought about going to class, so he said, "Wait for me outside the academy. I will write a letter to my mother later."
The old man still took Liuzi out. No one was allowed to wander around in the academy, and Liuzi could not wait in the academy.
Zhu Ying stayed with Wang Chong for a few days, and after knowing a little about his family situation, he thought: "I wonder how talented Mrs. Wang is to raise such an outstanding person as Wang Chong's younger brother."
Xiaochong had a strict upbringing and did not dare to say that his father was a minister in the court. He only said that he was an ordinary minor official. He did not say that his parents were not in harmony. He only said that his father was an official outside and his mother raised him alone, which was very hard.
Zhu Ying said with a smile: "Auntie must be worried about my little brother, why don't I ask for a leave for you and go back to read the letter first."
Xiaochong shook his head, opened the letter, took a look at it, glanced at ten lines, and said: "My mother didn't say anything, she just asked my family to send some clothes."
He received the letter with a calm expression on his face, but a little worried in his heart.
The letter from Wang Chong's mother was not about ordinary things. Strange things happened in the village. Dozens of villagers died suddenly in their dreams. Seven or eight outsiders also died. They died in different ways. Please give me a message.
Many monks and Taoists are useless.
Xiaochong's mother said in the letter that she had gone back to her parents' home in a neighboring county to take shelter temporarily so that her son would not have to worry.
Xiaochong thought to himself: "Fortunately, my mother has returned to my grandfather's house, otherwise I don't know how to worry as a human being."
"Why do people in the village die suddenly in their dreams? Why do outsiders die in different ways? Is it still related to the stone tablets in the mountains?"
His mother also told him in her letter that he must focus on his studies and prepare for the exam next year, and that he was not allowed to visit neighboring counties. Naturally, Xiaochong did not dare to disobey his mother's wishes, but he was extremely distressed.
"It's a pity that the black cloud is just a scrap of scraps, and it will never be able to regain its usefulness in the master's hands. How about I travel a thousand miles across the night to visit my mother?"
Xiao Chong sighed quietly. Seeing that he was unhappy, Zhu Ying tried to persuade him a few times, but Xiao Chong was still not in high spirits.
After school at noon, he wrote a letter and gave it to Liuzi who was waiting outside the academy. Liuzi and Yue Yaer were a book boy and a personal maid, and they were young, so sending letters back and forth required Uncle Wang to travel.
Last time Uncle Wang went back to report that he was safe. This time he brought a letter. After getting Wang Chong's reply, he had to go to his maternal grandfather's house in the neighboring county to deliver it to his mistress. It was very hard.
After listening to the lecture during the day, Xiao Chong was distracted. He packed up his books and deliberately went to find Zhu Ying. He calculated the time, but seemed to be a little too late. He thought: "Let's go to Class A and take a look. If Senior Zhu is not here, I will go back and endorse it."
Xiaochong didn't have any good friends in his hometown. He studied hard all day long, but the children in the same village were all happy to play. They couldn't play together. Finally, he had a classmate like Zhu Ying who got along well with him, and he often missed being together.
He detoured to Class A, and sure enough he saw that the study hall was empty and no one was there, neither the teacher nor the students were there.
Xiaochong had expected it and was not disappointed. He was about to go back when he suddenly saw Zhu Ying coming in a hurry from a distance. He was waiting to greet him, but Zhu Ying had already gone to the back mountain.
Xiaochong was secretly amused and thought to himself: "It turns out that Senior Brother Zhu also wants to become a disciple of Master Xiao. I have never heard that there are other people living in the back hill of the academy."
Xiao Chong became curious and followed his friend on tiptoe, hoping to scare him.
Zhu Ying seemed to have something on his mind, so he didn't notice it. He walked out of the academy through a side door, went up the mountain, and ended up in a thatched cottage after half an hour.
A tall young man stood outside the thatched cottage, watching the storm.
Zhu Ying held up his hand as a courtesy and said with a respectful attitude: "Master is leaving?"
Xiaochong was greatly surprised and thought: "So this is Master Xiao!"
"I didn't expect that senior Zhu Ying has such a close relationship with this master that he already has the title of master."
He was just thinking wildly when he heard the young man smile and say, "Why did you bring your little friend here?"
"Young man behind the tree! I heard from my disciple that you don't need to hide anymore."
Xiao Chong was slightly surprised, hesitated for a moment, walked out of the hiding place, bowed, and said shyly: "The kid was curious and followed Brother Zhu here. It was not for the purpose of prying into the secrets."
He bowed deeply to Zhu Ying again and said, "I wanted to scare Brother Zhu, but this is very disrespectful. I also want to apologize to Brother Zhu!"
Zhu Ying gently covered her mouth but didn't say anything. She lowered her head and didn't know what she was thinking.
The young man smiled and said: "It doesn't matter, my whereabouts have been revealed. I don't want to stay for a long time. I will come back and give my disciple a few words before leaving."
Xiaochong bowed deeply again. He was apologizing just now, but this time he was giving a formal greeting and said: "Wang Chong, a student of Egret Academy, has met Master Xiao."
The young man smiled and said: "From now on, I will not teach at Bailu Academy. You don't need to call me Master. Just call me Mr. Xiao."
"It just so happens that I have something to tell my disciple. I don't need to betray anyone. You can come over and listen together."
Master Xiao walked leisurely into the thatched cottage. Xiao Chong came close to Zhu Ying and whispered: "I didn't mean it, so don't be angry."
Zhu Ying whispered: "I'm not angry."
Xiaochong was relieved, but Zhu Ying gently pulled his sleeve and led him straight into the thatched cottage.
There is very little furniture in the thatched cottage. There is a very large straw couch in the middle, and there is a low table on the straw couch, but nothing else.
Master Xiao sat upright behind the low table, pointed at the straw couch, and said, "Sit down."
Zhu Ying took Wang Chong and sat down at the low table, sitting opposite Master Xiao.
Master Xiao ignored Wang Chong and said to his disciple with a smile: "A beautiful young man in a green robe stands in front of a jade tree facing the wind. He writes thousands of poems in court and loves to escape to Zen when he is drunk."
"Escape from Zen is not necessarily possible, but running away from home is certain."