Chapter 179: The Examination and Teaching of Scholars
Zhuang Keqing slept soundly until dawn the next day.
As soon as she turned her head, she saw that the boy next to her was still dreaming. The faint morning light filtered in through the cracks in the window, and she happened to be able to clearly see his tall silhouette and long eyelashes.
A profile as beautiful as a painting fell into Zhuang Keqing's eyes. She seemed to be bewitched for a moment. She just stared at him fixedly until the eyelashes flicked without warning, and the obsidian hidden in them Her cold eyes reflected her crazy expression.
"Uh, good morning."
So embarrassing...
Caught peeping!
"morning."
However, Shen Ling didn't pay attention to her confused and flustered eyes. He just curled the corner of his mouth slightly, sat up, and took the lead in getting dressed and getting off the bed.
By the time Zhuang Keqing left the house, Qin Manzhi had already finished washing and had breakfast ready for the table.
"Ke'er, were you very tired yesterday?" She placed the spring cakes and stir-fried shredded pork with cabbage in her hands, "I wanted to wake you up for dinner, but Aling said you slept soundly and wouldn't let me. Noise you."
"It's okay. Eat more in the morning. Mom made your favorite pancakes. You can eat them later and take some more with you on the way."
"Thank you, mother."
Zhuang Keqing responded crisply and turned to the water tank to scoop out water for washing. Unexpectedly, when she came closer, she couldn't find her usual cup. When she turned around and was about to go to the house to ask her mother, she saw Shen Ling. He came over with his own cup and toothbrush in hand.
She had hired Qian Carpenter to make the toothbrushes a long time ago, and she had many of them at home. Even the ponytails on them were found after a long search in the town during a big market.
"Use this, add hot water, not ice."
The young man's voice was clear and gentle, but his words contained concern. Zhuang Keqing accepted it slowly, even forgetting to thank him.
The water in the cup was at the right temperature, and the toothbrush was dipped in green salt, which was the amount she usually used.
Zhuang Keqing sighed inwardly, how much virtue had she accumulated in her previous life to be able to marry this precious little girl home?
After washing, she returned to the main room.
Neither of the two people at the table used their chopsticks, but Qin Manzhi scooped out the meat porridge with a spoon and fed it to Aman.
"You guys eat first and leave as soon as possible after eating. People in the village are very particular about getting early for everything. If you go late, it will look rude to our family."
Amanbaba finished a spoonful in two mouthfuls and stretched out his fist to ask for more. Qin Manzhi took another mouthful and blew the cold air while talking without even raising his head.
"I have nothing to do at home, and I won't be making tofu today. I will go find your Aunt Li when I have free time, so don't worry about me."
"Um."
Zhuang Keqing nodded, made a spring pancake with shredded pork and had porridge.
When she hurriedly ate breakfast and went to the courtyard, Shen Ling had put all the gifts she wanted to give on Dahei's cart.
"We don't have anything today, why should we use a mule cart?"
Zhuang Keqing was puzzled.
It's not like you're hauling goods into town. There aren't many things in total, so just use a rattan basket. Each person can carry a little, not tired, and it's faster.
"You can take the car when you are tired."
Shen Ling didn't give her a chance to refuse at all, and he already led Dahei out of the yard while talking.
Zhuang Keqing was helpless. Her husband was too considerate. It was really shameful for her to refuse him again.
The two of them welcomed the morning light and walked out of the house. The dry and cold morning air penetrated into the nasal cavity, making their noses itch.
On the way, I met several villagers who went to work in the sweet potato factory. When they saw the young couple, they all took the initiative to smile and say hello. They also said that thanks to their blessing, they could now eat something dry, which was not the case before. Something that is unthinkable.
Following each other all the way out of the village, the two of them seized the time and finally arrived at the gate of Zhao Xiucai's courtyard just before the sun rose.
There were two people in a car, and there were gifts on them. They were all clearly visible. After a quick glance, you could see that they were rice, sugar, and meat. Not to mention the quantity, the packaging was carefully packed. I'm afraid it cost a lot of money.
Zhao Xiucai was not as enthusiastic as his wife when she saw the gift, but she was very happy to see Shen Ling.
The time last time was short and I didn't have time to test the child's knowledge more. Now Zhengke took the opportunity to give it a try. If he found a good seedling, he couldn't just let him go.
"You come with me."
After the young couple bowed, Zhao Xiucai waved to Shen Ling to enter the room, leaving Zhuang Keqing outside to talk to Mrs. Xiucai.
Zhuang Keqing led Dahei into the yard, and then unloaded the things one by one.
White rice, sugar cubes, pork belly, fried fruits, small pastries...
It doesn't look obvious when placed in the car, but if you really want to carry it, it won't fit in your hands.
This time I saw it clearly, and took over one after another, carrying the heavy one. The scholar lady smiled like a flower.
Zhao Xiucai is an industrious scholar. He has read books all his life and has never been on the land for a few days since he was a child. In addition, most of the family's former ancestral land was sold for him to study, and now only a few acres are left. Susukada is farmed by his son, and the output is limited all year round. Although there is an elementary school in the village, it only collects some rice, grains and bacon for repairs, and there is basically no money.
To be honest, the economic situation of this family is not much better than that of well-to-do farmers, in fact, it is worse.
That's why the scholar lady greeted Zhuang Keqing so warmly, with such an attitude that she wished her husband could accept him as his disciple, so that he would be given generous gifts during the next New Year's Eve.
"Girl, don't worry about your husband-in-law's bond issue. It will be taken care of this time."
Zhuang Keqing helped others carry the things into the kitchen and replied with a smile, "Thank you, madam. These are just some of our thoughts. We will definitely come to visit you during the Chinese New Year."
As soon as she said this, Mrs. Xiucai was even more happy. She took her and started to talk about some details that needed to be paid attention to in preparing for the exam, such as what dry food to bring, whether to prepare pens and ink by yourself, etc.
Zhuang Keqing listened quietly and made a note of it in her mind, preparing to make a small list later so that she would not forget it again when the exam came.
On the other side of the hall, Zhao Xiucai was sitting at the square table, giving Shen Ling a lesson.
The questions in the county examination are relatively simple. They mainly test the candidates' basic knowledge. Except for poems and poems, they are basically the contents of the Four Books and Five Classics, which are not difficult.
Yes, there are also the Four Books and Five Classics here.
After the Qin Emperor, Han Dynasty, Wu Dynasty and Wu Dynasty, and the openness and prosperity of the Tang and Song Dynasties, history suddenly turned a corner at the end of the Southern Song Dynasty. Although the Mongols established the Yuan Dynasty, they failed to conquer the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty. Instead, Emperor Taizu Ji Lian led the peasant uprising successfully. The Dasheng Dynasty was established.
After that, Dasheng was indeed as prosperous as the country. Successive emperors did light corvees and low taxes, and took care of the people's livelihood. Until today's emperor, Emperor Hongren, was a wise emperor. He opened up the road to imperial examinations and selected people in an eclectic way. The people in the court and the public praise him like a tsunami, which shows that he is deeply popular among the people.
But let’s not mention how wise Emperor Dasheng is. Now in the main hall of this ordinary farmhouse in Sanlin Village, Zhao Xiucai twirled his sparse beard, glanced at Shen Ling in front of him, and saw the young man’s aloof demeanor. In the eyes.
Yes, just by looking at his appearance, you can tell that this person is neither arrogant nor impetuous, and has a calm mind. He only needs to take a few more questions to know whether this is an embroidered pillow.
"What books have you read before?"
"Students have only briefly read the four books, and have not had the opportunity to come into contact with poetry and policy theory."
"Hmm."
It sounds like the foundation is somewhat poor, Zhao Xiucai sighed.
It doesn't matter, let me ask some questions first and see how he answers.
"Since you said you have briefly read through the Four Books, I will test your basic recitation skills."
Zhao Xiucai narrowed his eyes and asked: "A gentleman is based on his roots, and the Tao is born from his roots. He is also a filial brother. This is the foundation of benevolence. How do you explain it?"
This article comes from "The Analects of Confucius" and should be the most basic.
Shen Ling picked it up with ease, as if he didn't need to think about it, "Wu means dedicated effort. The foundation is still the root. The benevolent person is the principle of love and the virtue of the heart. To be benevolent is like practicing benevolence. If you are doubtful, you will not dare to retreat. It’s also a question…”
"Destiny is called nature."
Zhao Xiucai interrupted hastily and then asked again, but this sentence came from "The Doctrine of the Mean" again.
"Ming is also a command. Xing is also a principle..."
Shen Ling still showed no signs of panic. The original text and the annotations were mixed together, and his answers were confident and fluent.
The two of them asked and answered questions, and in the end, Zhao Xiucai's old eyes were as wide as a cow's eyes, and he was speechless.
This, this is not a brief read. Even he can't guarantee to memorize it all, let alone mess up the order.