Before he could get home, Bai Gui bumped into Bai Youde who came out to look for him.
"Where did you get the lantern?"
The first time he saw Bai Gui, the joy on Bai Youde's face turned into a stern look, "Didn't your husband teach you? Taking this lantern without asking is stealing. Please return this lantern to the concierge of the ancestral hall."
"
He saw that it was the red jujube lantern commonly used by the lame old man in the ancestral hall.
"Uncle Gouwa lent it to me. He said it was not safe for me to leave school too late, so he lent the lantern to me." Bai Gui was not surprised that Bai Youde made a fuss, so he blamed him.
Long-term workers like Bai Youde are often looked down upon by others.
When a person becomes poor and has no ability, even dogs will despise him.
The "goodwill" he has encountered now is probably one of the few that Bai Youde will encounter in his life.
This is similar to the fact that in previous lives, some children from poor families had toys far beyond those of their class, but they were not considered stolen, which is a strange thing.
"Really?" Bai Youde's tense face relaxed. He turned around and led the way. As he walked, he said: "Today, the young man went home and told me that you were given a copybook by your husband, and I also praised you.
He is a man who can learn his skills. He asked the kitchen to kill an old hen, make chicken soup and give it to our family, saying that it would bring honor to the Lu family."
"The master also said that from now on your repair will be taken care of by the Lu family."
"Every day you eat and drink with the eldest and second young masters. You can eat whatever the two young masters eat. This is the kindness the Lu family has given to our family. You have to remember it and repay it in the future."
"When you go to the two young masters, remember not to say the wrong thing or do the wrong thing to make others uncomfortable."
Bai Youde got cold feet and waited in the snow for two or three hours. Even if he stamped his feet, he felt the soles of his feet and body were bone-chilling cold. He took out the water gun pipe from his arms, lit it with a fire stick, took a puff, and paused.
Feeling warmer.
He thinks this is a good thing.
He can't afford Shu Xiu. Lu Zilin will tell him about it tonight, which will make him happy.
Now the long-term workers and servants of the Lu family are all envious of him for having given birth to a good baby.
From now on, when the two young masters of the Lu family grow up and take power, based on the friendship between the two young masters and Bai Gui, it will be Bai Gui who will be the accountant and housekeeper of the Lu family in the future.
Push open the door.
After entering the fire pit, Bai Youde brought out the hen soup that was heating on the stove. It was a large ceramic pot made of blue and white porcelain. It was whiter than the snowflakes on the snow. There was a layer of fat floating on the chicken soup, which was yellow and orange.
Extremely tempting.
"Well, I won't drink."
After a pause, Bai Gui dusted off the snowflakes from his shoulders.
Layers of snowflakes fell to the ground, soaking it all.
He was dressed in three layers, two layers of spring and summer thin shirts on the inside, and linen on the outside. There was a brazier in the school, so it wasn't too cold. It was three hundred steps away from home, so there was no need to prepare winter clothes.
"Why don't you drink it? This hen has been raised for five or six years and it smells delicious!"
Bai Youde was stunned for a moment and said in confusion.
He suddenly felt something bad and at a loss.
The hen soup that has been cooked for a long time in my hands is hot. I don't know whether to put it away or hold it in my hands to warm my body.
"If you drink the hen soup of the Lu family, you are a member of the Lu family. If you use the Lu family's bundles to repair, you will really become the servant of the two young masters. You will be controlled by others. This is not possible!"
Bai Gui shook his head firmly.
After taking Shu Xiu, he will definitely be restrained by the Lu family in the future. He did not say that he took the Lu family's money for nothing, but in turn ignored the Lu family. This is a white-eyed wolf, and his reputation will be ruined.
Looking at the hesitant Bai Youde, Bai Gui's face softened a little and he said softly: "Dad, do you think I am a good man?"
Is Mr. Lu Zilin a good person?
At this moment, Bai Youde was confused. If Lu Zilin is a good person, that would be true. The Lu family's wages are paid on time and are never in arrears. Every year, when wheat and corn are harvested, they can eat several times.
Dry.
Among all the wealthy owners, the Lu family can be considered a good one.
But in his heart, Bai Youde, like Liu Mouer, believed that Lu Zilin was a wicked man and not a good person. He had kicked out the widows of several households in Bailu Village. Although he saved the widow's life for a while, he also ruined it.
Widow's chastity.
Kicking down a widow’s door at night is one of the four great vices!
Looking at Bai Youde's expression, Bai Gui also roughly figured out Bai Youde's thoughts. He knew his father Mo Ruozi. He pondered for a while and said: "Dad, why do you think Mr. kept his forehead for so long? It was to teach him Confucian classics.
If you learn Confucian classics, you can take the imperial examination. The teacher said that you are the smartest in the school and can become a scholar... But if you become a servant, you will not even be qualified to take the imperial examination. I was just thinking of telling you about this. I moved out from the Lu family.
!”
It is true that servants are not qualified to take the imperial examination.
But the long-term worker actually only has a contractual relationship with his master, and is not a real servant.
"What?"
"Xiu Cai Gong?"
Bai Youde thought about it. He put down the porcelain pot containing hen soup and wandered back and forth for a while. This determination was not easy to risk. His family could rely on the Lu family to survive. Once they ran out of food, they would starve to death.
But to become a scholar is to bring glory to one's family.
Even if Bai Youde dies and goes to hell, he can still have the honor to see his ancestors.
"I still have a few taels of silver from selling mountain products, which is enough to support me..."
Bai Gui took out a few taels of broken silver from his arms.
The price of silver in modern times is low, with one gram costing only three or four yuan. In the Qing Dynasty, one tael of silver cost about 37.4 grams, which means that one tael of silver is equivalent to more than one hundred yuan. Bai Gui's money was at least
It can be exchanged for thirty or forty taels of silver.
Looking at the money in Bai Gui's hand, Bai Youde felt some confidence, "Okay, at worst, I can become a Mai Ke next year. I can save a few months of food and make money."
A few taels of silver can be enough for a year if you live frugally.
Although it is somewhat unkind to not be an employee of the Lu family, and the Lu family has not treated him badly over the years, for the sake of Bai Gui's future, this risk is still worth taking.
Lay out a piece of bamboo paper and use a pebble at one corner to act as a ballast.
The air was a bit cold and biting. Bai Gui breathed into the palms of his hands and gently ground a small piece of pine smoke ink with his hands. There was no finished ink for sale these days, so he had to grind it himself.
Zishui County is close to the Qinling Mountains, and there are many pine trees in the Qinling Mountains, so there are many ink makers.
"Han Guan Yi" written by Ying Shao of the Eastern Han Dynasty records: "Shang Shu Ling, Pu, Cheng, Lang, Yue gave Yu Mi a big ink and a small ink to Yu Mi."
And this Yumo is located in Qianyang County, Qin Province, close to the Qinling Mountains.
Ink is divided into pine smoke ink and oil smoke ink. Pine smoke ink is made from soot burned from pine trees. It is characterized by dark color, poor gloss, and light gum. It is only suitable for writing. Oil smoke ink is made from animal or vegetable oils.
, black and bright in color, such as tung smoke ink, which is mostly used in traditional Chinese painting.
Bai Gui used cheap pine smoke ink. This time he did not use the old pen given by Xu Xiucai. Instead, he took out a small regular script brush he bought, put ink on it, and began to write and copy books.
A few days ago, when the fort was being built, straw mats were collected from the village. Since Bai Youde had free time on weekdays, he made straw mats for sale. So after that, he had quite a bit of money, so he went to the town and bought Bai Gui a knife of bamboo paper and paper.
A few pieces of pine smoke ink.
As for the book, I was short of money and it was too expensive, so I didn’t want to buy it.
"Sir, this old book is much better than other people's new books. The new book does not have the annotations and notes written by you. I'm afraid this is also your intention..."
Bai Gui opened the book and looked at the annotations written in small regular script. He couldn't help but feel even more grateful to Xu Xiucai.
Originally, it was already late enough to go to evening school today, so it was not appropriate to copy books anymore.
But in order to give Bai Youde confidence, Bai Gui could only hold the light, stay up late, and not waste any time studying.