As the sun set and the sky grew late, Mrs. Gu dragged her tired body back to the courtyard.
The head of the house, Sun Guchang, was about to get married. She had been busy all afternoon renovating and sweeping the west courtyard of the mansion. She was so tired that her back and legs ached. She accidentally knocked her leg, which turned purple. She limped when she walked and was hit by someone.
After saying a few words, I felt very bad.
But as soon as she entered the courtyard, she was pleasantly surprised to find her son Li Hui sitting under the jujube tree in the courtyard, chatting and joking with Chou Aunt. Gu's mood suddenly felt better. Her son came out of the room, looking in good spirits.
, this made her happy more than anything else.
"The madam is back. You must be exhausted. Take a rest." Chou Gu quickly stood up to greet her.
Li Hui stood up and saluted respectfully. Mrs. Gu came over with a happy face: "My son is well? He seems to be looking good."
Li Huidao: "It's completely fine. I'm sorry, my mother is worried."
Mrs. Gu said softly: "That's great. Mom is very happy. My son finally recovered."
Li Hui bowed and said, "Thank you for your hard work, mother. Please sit down and rest."
Gu nodded, walked slowly to the small table under the tree, and sat down on the short horse. Li Hui had already picked up the teapot and poured tea into the pottery bowl in front of Gu.
"Mom, please drink some tea and rest for a while before eating." Li Hui said with a smile.
Mrs. Gu nodded, picked up the bowl and smelled a refreshing fragrance. Looking carefully, there were some light yellow fine petals floating in the tea. The water was clear and slightly light yellow. She was surprised and said: "What is this?"
Chougu said with a smile: "Jujube tea, cooked by the young man, said it can relieve summer heat and nourish the stomach. The old slave didn't believe it, but it really tasted good after drinking it. I drank five or six bowls in one afternoon."
Gu smiled and said, "Oh? I'll give it a try."
Gu took a sip, and it was indeed refreshing, sweet, and filled with a light aroma. This was much better than drinking cold boiled water. Although the tea was warm, a refreshing fragrance flowed down the throat, making people feel very refreshed.
"Yes, when did Hui'er know these things? It's a good idea to use the jujube flowers to make tea." Mrs. Gu said with a smile.
"Isn't it? I still hate the trouble of sweeping up the falling jujube flowers every day. Who would have thought that you can use them to make tea, which is much better than drinking plain water. I don't dislike them anymore. The young man is smart." Chou Gu Gu
Said with a smile.
Mrs. Gu smiled and nodded, drank half a bowl of tea in one breath, and sighed comfortably.
Li Hui sat aside, looking at Gu's sunburned face. Gu was only thirty-five or six years old this year, but her face already had many wrinkles. There was some sadness in the corners of her eyebrows. She had been a widow for many years, and
The pressure of high school life made her look quite old. I couldn't help but feel a little sad for her.
"My son, why are you looking at me? My mother feels uncomfortable looking at me." Mrs. Gu laughed.
Li Huidao: "Mom, thank you for your hard work. My child is unfilial. You really shouldn't have to work so hard. I feel very ashamed."
Mrs. Gu was stunned and looked at Li Hui in surprise. She had never heard these words from her son before. This was the first time that Li Hui had said such words to her in his entire life. After his son became wise, he kept complaining about his poor background.
Being bullied by others, I am not polite when speaking to myself.
But I don’t blame him, because my love for him is selfless and does not ask for anything in return. Not only do I not blame him, but I also feel guilty when he complains. He has not had a father since he was a child, and he has been ignored by others since he was a child.
If he went too far, he would be forgiven.
"Why did Hui'er say such a thing? What are you afraid of if mother has to work hard? As long as our family is well, that will be fine." Mrs. Gu said softly.
Li Huidao: "The child has grown up. I can't let mother and Chou Aunt work hard from now on. The child has to take the responsibility to support mother and Chou Aunt."
Mrs. Gu and Chou Aunt both laughed. Li Hui suddenly said these words. Although they were touched, they also found them a bit funny. In their eyes, Li Hui was still a child who had not grown up, and these words were just words.
Just childish words.
"My son has grown up and is sensible. However, you don't have to worry about things at home. Mother will arrange it. My son will just study hard in the home school." Mrs. Gu said with a smile.
Li Hui frowned and said, "I don't plan to go to the private school. It won't be of much use."
Gu said angrily: "What are you talking about? As long as my son is educated, my mother can ask the master to arrange a good job, and I will have no worries about food and clothing in the future."
"If you marry a virtuous woman and have a few children, you will be harmonious." Chou Aunt nodded and smiled.
Mrs. Gu said with a smile: "Yes, in the past two years, my mother has been paying attention to see if there are any young ladies from good families. Please help me find an agreement for my son. My mother is waiting to have a grandson. Don't think too much."
Li Hui frowned and said: "Mother, I don't plan to live under someone else's roof for the rest of my life. Haven't you had enough over the years?"
Gu quickly looked around for fear of being overheard. Fortunately, it was already dusk, the sun had set, there was no sound nearby, and stars had suddenly appeared in the sky.
"Don't talk nonsense, Hui'er, mother is a member of the Gu family, how can she be called to live under someone else's roof? The master's family has already shown kindness to us mother and son by taking them in. We can't say that. Mother knows that you have been wronged, and those young men in the master's family have
They said some unpleasant things, and you feel unhappy. But you can't say such things. Remember the kindness of others, don't care about some words, and be more generous." Mrs. Gu said in a low voice.
Li Hui lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then said: "My mother taught me that, but I don't plan to go to this school. I will go out to find something to do tomorrow. Even if I carry a bag of firewood, it will be fine. I have made up my mind, please accept my mother's permission."
Mrs. Gu looked at her son helplessly and thought to herself: What can you do? You can't do the hard work outside. Can you carry firewood or carry a load? My son, you don't know the world.
It's difficult.
But these words cannot be said out loud, as it will hurt the son's self-esteem. Besides, the son wants to share the burden of the family. This intention is good, but it cannot be discouraged. After all, the family situation is not good.
I only have myself to blame.
In her mind, Mrs. Gu placed all the blame on herself.
When dinner was served, it was a bit dull. Gu was worried about her son's thoughts and thought about how to dispel his thoughts. But Li Hui looked calm, ate very sweet, and seemed to have decided to go out and do hard work.
But in fact, Li Hui knew in his heart that he couldn't do those things.
Li Hui has thought very clearly in the past two days. The Eastern Jin Dynasty was an era of solidified classes, and it was difficult for ordinary people to have a chance to break through their own destiny. There was no imperial examination system here, but something called the 'Nine-Rank Zhongzheng System'
The inspection and promotion system means that the Zhongzheng officials appointed by the imperial court are responsible for selecting, evaluating and appointing talents.
It sounds very good, but the Zhongzheng system is controlled by aristocratic families, and the children of aristocratic families are given priority in selection. This is an open rule that is accepted by everyone. This is the so-called "high-grade non-disciplined people, low-grade non-disciplined people".
A true portrayal.
Although Li Hui has been studying in the Gu family school, this kind of study is meaningful to the descendants of the Gu family, but has no practical significance to himself. As a person with a foreign surname, no matter how good he is in reading,
There is no chance to enter the official career.
Li Hui is seventeen years old. Although he has not reached the age of adulthood, he is actually regarded as an adult man. Moreover, the soul in Li Hui's body is already that of a twenty-six-year-old adult man, and he has more talents than this era.
With sixteen hundred years of knowledge and experience, there is no need to waste time in a private school.
With his current family background, he doesn't seem to have the conditions to start a business. It's not like Li Hui has never thought about making soaps, perfumes, opening restaurants, etc., like the protagonists in the time-travel novels he has read, and making a lot of money. But obviously,
This is unrealistic.
Firstly, it is difficult to make a living, and there is no capital to invest. Secondly, I don’t know how to do these things, and there is no way to start. If I had known that I was going to time travel, I would have learned a few money-making skills and brought them over. Unfortunately, I only have some common sense.
Apart from knowledge, the professional knowledge I learned in college is useless these days.
Li Hui thought very clearly that the first priority when traveling here is not to take things for granted, but to understand the rules of the era, adapt to the rules of this era, and find ways to use these rules.
Therefore, in fact, Li Hui does not seem to be dissatisfied with the Gu family as he said, but wants to leave the Gu family and go out on his own. On the contrary, his real idea is to rely on the big tree of the Gu family. Here, how much does he want to do?
There is still some connection with the Gu family of Wu County, but once they leave the Gu family, they will be nothing.
The reason why he told his mother that he wanted to go out to find a job was just a test to get her mother to agree that he would no longer go to the private school to study. Because, Li Hui knew in his heart that his mother would definitely not let him go out to do hard work. In this way, he would
I can discuss the next steps with her.
After dinner, Chou Gu took the dishes and chopsticks to clean up. Li Hui poured a cup of jujube tea for Gu and sat at the table with her. The heat of the evening dissipated and a cool breeze blew. There were stars in the sky and summer insects chirped in the yard.
Several fireflies flew back and forth in the air, flickering on and off when they flapped their wings. Li Hui looked at it in trance. Except for seeing it when he was a child, he never saw fireflies flying again.
"Hui'er, if you really don't want to go to school, my mother will support you. However, you can't go out to do things. Your body has been weak since childhood, and you can't do those heavy things. If your muscles and bones are injured, and your body is exhausted, you won't be able to do it.
Okay. Do you want your mother to worry about you every day?" Mrs. Gu slowly swallowed a mouthful of sweet water and said softly.
Li Hui turned around and said: "My child naturally doesn't want to worry you, but my child can't just rely on my mother's work at home to support myself. I have to find something to do."
Mrs. Gu pondered: "Otherwise, tomorrow I will go and ask the master's family if there is any errand that is suitable for my son to do. Even if it is running errands and being a follower, it would be good. It is better than being outside."
It's better to be a coolie, and my mother can rest assured."
Li Hui nodded and said: "That's fine."
Mrs. Gu sighed softly and said thoughtfully: "However, this matter may not be possible. Mother is not sure whether the master will agree to it. After all... after all..."
Gu did not continue, but Li Hui understood what she was going to say. Although she was nominally a member of the Gu family of Wu County, she could not influence anything. The Gu family of Wu County actually had nothing to do with her.
"Mom, don't worry too much, just give it a try. It doesn't matter whether you succeed or not, there is always a way, there is always a way." Li Hui said softly.
Mrs. Gu nodded slightly, thinking in her mind that since she requested it, she would ask Gu Qian, the second uncle of the host's family, tomorrow. He was quite kind, and it was he who sent the message back then to leave her mother and son in Wu County. She took her four-year-old Hui'er with her.
When he came back, many people in the master's family did not agree and wanted him to remarry someone else. Maybe his second uncle Gu Qian could help him again in this matter.