Prime Minister

Chapter 9 Mencius
Yu put the food aside, but still said uneasy: "Please clarify with me first."

Zhang Shi smiled and said: "Miss, let me tell you the truth, we have made friends with nobles."

"Noble? Which noble? Who have you met today? Don't say one more sentence!" Yu asked.

Zhang Shi said: "Don't be annoyed, madam, today I saw Peng Xianwei. Do you think this is a great opportunity?"

Yu said, "Does Peng Xian see it for Xu Dutou's sake?"

Zhang Shi said with a smile on his face: "Peng County Lieutenant didn't tell me in detail, but what kind of person he is, his ancestor was a person who served in front of Taizu's saddle, and now he lives in this county, it is polite to speak to me today. , did not hold the air at all."

"Xu Dutou's affection is so great? You didn't ask carefully?" Yu shi finally had some doubts in his heart.

Zhang Shi smiled and said: "I only wanted to reverse the case all the way, but I didn't ask here. But whether he was introduced by Xu Dutou, I was introduced by him to meet Lingjun in the second hall, and he gave me advice all the way. How can I talk to you properly, what a person you are, I’m sweating so much that I don’t have time to think about other things.”

Yu shook her head. Although she did not know why Peng Xianwei did this, she always felt that there was no white pie in the sky, and Zhang Shi did not ask, but took other people's benefits. .

Yu asked, "Shiro, are you willing to give us justice?"

"What do you think this is?" Zhang Shi smiled and took out several silver ingots from the cloth pocket he was hiding.

"Didn't you say it was raw silk? Didn't the money get back?" Yu was surprised and delighted with the silver ingot in his hand.

"Wu Sishang was also taken, and all the money has been recovered. Today, you are very happy, and gave us more than 80 guan on the spot."

"More than 80 punctures? There's still half of it?"

Zhang Shi smiled and said, "Lingjun said that the other half of the money and the raw silk were brought into the case as evidence, and that they should be presented to Zhizhou, and they would not be able to get it back after going back and forth."

"Today, Lingjun was very polite to me and also mentioned the second brother, saying that the second brother had stabbed his name to ask Lingjun to extend his reputation for him. Lingjun praised the second brother not only for his excellent writing, but also for writing a good word. , looks like Wang Youjun! The second brother is still very important in his words."

Yu said: "When Zhao Yasi bullied our family, he didn't tell it, but then Lingjun started to read it."

"The money went into the yamen, and it's really not easy to get out. It said that he went to the state, but in fact, we asked people to intercede. Why didn't you ask for it in front of Lingjun?"

Zhang Shi said: "I can't say a few words when I see Lingjun, how can I think about it."

Yu shook his head slightly, there was always a stone in his heart that was hard to fall, and there was something wrong in the middle, but seeing so much money was more joy than worry.

"Although I didn't get back the 80 guan, but the more than [-] guan are considered lost and recovered." Yu Shi said, quietly took the silver from Zhang Shi's hand, and then complained: "Since you have taken the money, you can go straight. Going home and walking on the road to buy wine and meat, what if the money is taken away by someone?"

Zhang Shi laughed twice: "What Madam said is that you can collect the money yourself. I will raise the money and return it to Zhao Yasi tomorrow, so we don't have to sell the house, or even sell it."

Yu was originally delighted, but after thinking about it for a while, he said, "Although this house doesn't need to be sold, let's give it a go!"

"Why?"

"Look at what you think? Xi'er has to continue to study and find a brilliant teacher. How can I do it without ten and eight in a year, not to mention the cost of ink and paper."

"It makes sense. If it wasn't for the lady's reminder, I would have forgotten about this. This time the family suffered from the loss of not having a scholar. Not only Xi'er, but also the third brother also need to find a famous teacher and continue to read the book." Zhang Shi said. .

Hearing what Zhang Shi said, Yu was hesitant to say anything, and finally said: "Shiro, you might as well ask your uncle what he means, he doesn't seem to be interested in reading."

Zhang Shi suddenly remembered that his younger brother didn't seem to be interested in reading: "But what can the third brother do if he doesn't study at this age?"

Yu said, "You were in charge of the family shop at the age of 13, and now uncle is thirteen during Chinese New Year."

"But if uncle wants to find a job after two or three years, it's not too late to teach Xi'er to read at home, or when the family situation is better, it's not too late for uncle to go to study again."

Zhang Yue thought to himself, what my sister-in-law said was not true, how could she be willing to teach Zhangqiu to read by herself.

"This..." Zhang Shi hesitated a bit. "In the past, when the family had a hundred acres of farmland and a shop, the third brother refused to study hard. Now... how does the third brother plan?"

Zhang Yue replied, "Although I haven't done any hard work in studying Mongolia, I can still read and hyphenate words. But these days, I always want to read the teachings of sages, and I want to understand some of the truths that sages teach us to be human beings."

Zhang Shi said with pleasure: "The third brother has really grown a lot recently."

Yu said with a 'Is that so?' expression: "Shiro, this study of sutras is different from that of Fameng. Ordinary village school teachers cannot succeed, and you must find a teacher. My brother is Mingjing, and I invited several gentlemen back then. Even if you spend hundreds of thousands of dollars, you can’t find a way, and in the end, you can’t get into business.”

Zhang Yue understood that, for example, "Thousand Characters" can be taught by village scholars, but Mingjing is different, and he must understand the meaning of the scriptures.For example, Zhang Yue was able to recite the entire "Mencius" by heart, but he didn't know what it meant from the beginning to the end, so he had to ask a teacher to teach you how to study the scriptures.

If you want to make an example, you must also read a special commentary, which is the official standard answer.

Zhang Shi said with disapproval: "Third brother has been studying for a few years, even if he doesn't know the way, it's fine. In the future, I will ask Xu Du to find a calligraphy errand in the yamen. It's decent to be so free from the wind and the sun. The officials from the background can speak enough."

"What about Xi'er? He doesn't want to study scriptures and history in the future, and he starts writing essays? Can the family afford two scholars right now?" Yu interrupted.

Zhang Shi coughed twice, how could his own son not hurt?What's more, Zhangqiu really has the talent for reading, and Mr. Meng Xue praised him several times.

Zhang Shi said: "Of course Xi'er wants to study! In the future, let's live closer. In short, I will never treat you two women badly."

"I have nothing to say if you want the third brother to study, but where does the money come from? You need to make it clear!"

Zhang Yue said quickly, "Brother and sister-in-law, let's talk about this later, don't be in a hurry."

Zhang Shi disagreed and gritted his teeth: "In the end, it's still money. If you can't do it, you can borrow some more from Uncle Zhou. It's a big deal to give you some interest."

Zhang Yue was stunned when he heard this, big brother is addicted to what he eats.Yesterday, he said that he would no longer rely on Lao Taishan... Yes, this time he borrowed money from his wife and brother.

Yu seems to have become accustomed to it, but also seems to have been numb.

Yu said: "The matter of finding a teacher for my uncle can be slowed down for a while, but Lingjun and Peng Xianwei need to thank him first. Sooner or later, Lingjun will have to be transferred, but Peng Xianwei is different."

Zhang Shi said: "The lady is right. If it wasn't for the close care of Peng Xianwei and a lot of secret contributions this time, we are not people who don't know how to repay kindness. I plan to prepare [-] passes to thank others, will this be too much? lady?"

Yu shook his head and said: "In the future, our family will have to look after us everywhere in Pucheng. Although thirty passes are a lot, this money can't be saved. At least I'm not afraid that Zhao Yasi will embarrass us again."

Zhang Yue thought to himself that Yu really came from a big businessman, and he was knowledgeable.

Thinking of this, Zhang Yue said, "Brother and sister-in-law, you don't need to give it to Peng Xianwei."

"How does this make it?"

Zhang Yue said: "Peng Xianwei's nephew is my classmate and friend. This time I met Qiao San..."

Zhang Yue told the story one by one.

"Third brother, you are so tight, you don't say anything when you hold it in your stomach," Zhang Shixun said excitedly to his family: "I will say that third brother is promising, let's grow!"

Yu was surprised at first, and then said with relief: "I didn't expect my uncle to be able to talk to Peng Xianwei? Earlier, I was a little worried about whether Peng Xianwei had other thoughts. It's not good for us to receive favors. It turns out that my uncle is the one who walks the line, so now I can finally feel relieved."

After speaking, Yu finally smiled: "Uncle, this time, my sister-in-law is really impressed by you."

Zhang Yue said humbly: "Pengxian Wei doesn't like me, he likes the second brother."

Yu sternly said: "Uncle is humble. Sister-in-law doesn't want to carry a bad name. If you really want to study and make a name for yourself, I don't object, but does uncle care about himself in his heart?"

Zhang Yue said obediently, "sister-in-law taught me that in the past, I wasted time. Not only did I not study hard, but I also wasted my father and brother's money to save face among my classmates..."

Zhang Shi waved his hand and said, "A family of brothers said this."

Zhang Yue took out the "Mencius" from his arms and said: "The day our house was evacuated by Zhao Yasi, I kept this "Seven Chapters of Mencius", and I heard that my brother said that this book was left by my father. I carry this book and study hard every day, and I also ask my brother and sister-in-law to compare it."

Yu took the "Mencius" from Zhang Yue and asked: "In the past few days, you have been sleeping until you get up from three poles every day, how can you really recite it?"

Zhang Yue blushed slightly and said, "I don't dare to slack off."

Yu hesitated a little, turned the book to a certain volume and handed it to Zhang Shi.

Zhang Shi held it and said, "Just this "Li Lou", third brother, where did you memorize it?"

Zhang Yue said: "It's brother, I'll try to memorize one or two. Mencius said: "Li Lou's bright, Gongshuozi's cleverness, if you don't follow the rules, you can't make a party member: Shi Kuang is smart, and if you don't follow the six rules, you can't correct the five syllables; The way, without benevolent governance, cannot govern the world peacefully..."

Zhang Yue memorized one article from beginning to end without pausing.Zhang Shiyu looked at Zhang Yue with a face full of surprise, is this the previous Zhang Yue?Is it really the old Zhangyue?

Zhang Shi said in a trembling voice, "How did the third brother memorize such a thick book?"

Zhang Yue said: "It may be that our father is blessed by the sky."

Zhang Shi's eyes were slightly red and he said: "Daddy likes that the children in the family can study the most. If he knows about it, I don't know how happy he is."

Seeing her husband doing the same, Yu said, "It's good that the third brother has this heart, but I hope that the study will have a beginning and an end in the future."

"Thank you, sister-in-law." Zhang Yue stood up and bowed.

Zhang Shi hurriedly smiled and said, "Third brother, I'll say your sister-in-law is reasonable!"

Yu said angrily, "Don't try to praise me in a different way. Did the yamen know it beforehand?"

Zhang Shi thought about it and said, "But I still want to thank Peng Xianwei, and I will ask him to help me when I get the other half of the money back, otherwise the yamen will not know how long it will take. Tomorrow we will prepare some water gifts and go to Peng's house, and we will also prepare some tea and fruits. , I would like to thank Baochang’s neighbors for their help these days, you should agree to me, lady.”

Yu pursed his lips and said with a smile: "It seems like I'm not pulling out a hair. I'm going to cook and tidy up the food. Uncle eats more today."

After speaking, Yu put the tender chicken in a bowl, heated the wine in the pot, and cooked a pot of vegetables.

Yu poured two bowls of wine and said, "Uncle, drink one too?"

"Thank you sister-in-law."

Yu poured another bowl.

Zhang Shi drank half a cup of wine and suddenly said, "I don't know where the second brother is at the moment? Are you eating well? Are your clothes warm?"

Zhang Yue secretly sighed that the eldest brother still misses the second brother.

Yu shook his head and filled a bowl full of rice and said, "Eat your fill first and then drink."

"Alright." Zhang Shi put down the wine and picked up the bowl.

Zhang Yue also put down the wine cup, and now the family is eating with big mouthfuls.Although there is meat in the meal, it is still the standard dish of the southerners, according to Sima Gong's 'rice, rice, soup and fish'.

History records that the Jin army retreated north after failing to attack the Song Dynasty, "abandoning the mountain of millet", while the Song army "many people from Fujian, Jiangsu and Zhejiang could not eat millet, so there were daily deaths."

I also like to eat rice.One day without a bowl of fragrant rice on the stomach, I always feel that there is something missing and a little unsatisfactory.

Zhang Yue watched Zhang Qiu put his face into the bowl and ate it extraordinarily sweet.

Zhang Yue tore a chicken leg and put it into Zhangqiu's bowl.Zhangqiu raised his head, his eyes full of little stars looked at him and said, "Third Uncle, can Xi'er be eaten?"

"Ah."

Zhangqiu glanced at the Yu family, then took a bite of the chicken thigh, full of happiness.

Zhang Yue also enjoyed his meal, and finally scooped up the fish soup and soaked it in the rice, rolled his chopsticks and finished it with a scramble, and then walked to the side of the tank to wash the bowl with loofah.

In the past, there was a servant in the family, and he threw the bowl away, but now he can't live the life of the young master...

Zhang Shi said vaguely to the family behind the ears: "I can't be sorry for my lady... It's me who failed my father's entrustment, and I didn't manage the family well and take good care of the second brother. A well-off family, so far I can barely even get enough food and clothing. , I'm really useless."

"Shiro, what are you talking about? The family and everything are prosperous, and the days will be better in the future."

"I'm afraid that I will suffer the lady in the future..."

Yu said softly: "As long as you have me and Xi'er in your heart, no matter how hard it is, you will make it."

The words became lighter, Yu picked up the tableware and Zhang Shi played with Zhang Qiu.

Zhang Yue also finished washing his tableware and went to the door to look.

At this moment, the sound of twilight drums sounded in Huanghua Temple on the mountain, and it was time for the monks to have evening classes. Under the twilight, the usually noisy Shuinan Xinjie was quiet.

The neighbors have all lit up their lamps, the old men and men have been sitting at the table drinking and eating, the housewives are still busy in the kitchen, the children are laughing and playing, and the aroma of the food is wafting far away along the night wind.

This world's fireworks, clutches and [-] flavors are all in the firewood, rice, oil and salt of every household.

(End of this chapter)