When Li and Zhan Feiyu were called to the Zhan family's old house by Shan Wazi, the main hall was full of people. It was too cold and the villagers watching the excitement were not willing to endure the cold outside.
Zhan Feiyu's wet hair was spread loosely, and her dark hair made her face fairer and more delicate. Coupled with her star-like black eyes, she looked so delicate that she didn't look like a child raised in a country farm.
"Little fish, come over to the brazier and grill it, don't let it freeze." The aunt shouted, pulling Zhan Feiyu to the brazier and sitting down.
The villagers crowded at the door and let Li into the house.
"Xiaoyu's hair hasn't dried yet. It can't be said that Xiaoyu set things off at Zhan Laoer's house."
"It's all nonsense. Dalinzi and Uncle Hu didn't see anyone."
"You see, she and Widow Liu don't know what they are whispering about."
The old patriarch and the village leader were sitting on the left and right sides of the square table. The food on the table had been cleared away by Mrs. Zhan and Mr. Ma.
Old man Zhan stood aside smoking a dry cigarette. After this series of events, old man Zhan seemed to have aged more than ten years and his body had become rickety.
"I made it clear before under the big banyan tree that although the fire was strange, it definitely had nothing to do with Xiaoyu!" Muramasa's voice was loud and his face was majestic.
"Zhou Tian was in a coma and didn't know what to ask. But Mrs. Liu, you and Liu Fu were awake, and the door bolt was fastened when the fire broke out. If I hear someone pouring dirty water on the little fish, don't blame me, the village leader."
Deal with her according to village rules!"
Facing Muramasa's sharp gaze, Widow Liu lowered her head with a stern expression, hiding the unwillingness and greed in her eyes.
She didn't know if it mattered, but all her belongings were burned down, there wasn't a grain of food in the kitchen, and she was cold and hungry in the winter. Let alone the New Year, she didn't know how to survive.
The village leader ignored Widow Liu, looked at little Yao and said sternly: "And you, you talk nonsense in the village as soon as you talk, Zhan Laoer is in control of you, but the clan cannot tolerate a woman who offends you, and there is no room for you in the clan.
Next time, take the divorce letter and go back to Yao's house!"
As long as the old clan leader and clan elders agree, the clan can divorce little Yao instead of Zhan Laoer.
"Second sister-in-law just feels bad and talks nonsense. Muramasa, I promise that second sister-in-law will not talk nonsense again, otherwise I will beat her up." Ma Shi pushed little Yao Shi and asked her to speak quickly.
After Mrs. Li moved out, everything from washing and cooking to cleaning the yard, from feeding chickens and ducks to taking care of the vegetable patch fell on the two sisters-in-law. Mrs. Ma was originally a lazy person, so she and Mrs. Yao spent all day doing these things.
Quarrel.
When she thought that if Little Yao was divorced, all these things would fall on her, Ma was so frightened that she almost pressed Little Yao's head to make her express her position.
"How can there be such a coincidence in the world, but the house of the three of us was burned down!" Little Yao looked at Zhan Feiyu with an angry look, this damn girl just wanted to avenge Dahuang!
Feeling that all his words were in vain, Muramasa looked at the stubborn little Yao family and was about to get angry but was interrupted by the old patriarch.
"Little Yao, as the saying goes, catch a thief and catch the stolen goods. If you accuse Li and Xiaoyu of setting fire to your three houses, you must provide evidence." The old patriarch is old and speaks slowly, but no one dares to neglect him.
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Without waiting for little Yao to retort, the old patriarch continued: "There are more than 100 households in the village, and there are more than 700 old and young. There are always some conflicts. According to you, if something happens to any family in the future, if you have a quarrel with that family,
Those who have passed are the culprits? Can they demand compensation?"
Women in the village often quarrel over trivial matters. I can't ask your family for money today, and you ask his family for money tomorrow. Then the village will be in chaos.
"I don't know what happened to other people's homes, but Xiaoyu must have ordered someone to do the arson!" Little Yao seemed to have grasped Zhan Feiyu's handle, his voice high and sharp.
"Zhuzhu always said that Baihu, who is highly skilled in martial arts, would be able to burn down the three houses of our family without anyone noticing. Who else could it be if he wasn't him? Is it really haunted?"
Although the people in the village are ignorant and believe in ghosts and gods, little Yao does not believe that it is Dahuang who is causing trouble.
From the time Zhou Tian was thrown into the yard, the door bolts of Widow Liu's house were all in good condition, but she was eating in the main house, but the house was burned down. After being reminded by Zhan Laoer, little Yao thought of the adults from hundreds of households mentioned by Zhu Zhu.
Little Yao raised his voice and asked: "The servants and guards of the Zeng family are all practicing family members. They were kicked to the point of vomiting blood. What's the problem for such masters to come and set fire to our three houses?"
"It's really possible." A man who didn't believe in gods and ghosts murmured. If it was really done by a member of the Hundred Households of the Guard, then everything would make sense.
Zhan Feiyu, who was sitting on a small stool warming himself by the fire, stood up and looked at the proud little Yao family and couldn't help but laugh, "Second sister-in-law, do you know what grade of official Baihu is?"
"What does it have to do with me? Don't even think about using a high official to pressure me!" Xiao Yao replied harshly, glaring at Zhan Feiyu fiercely. If it hadn't been for adoption, this damn girl would have dared to talk to him like this, so he slapped her
Slapping her won't kill her!
Looking at the villagers who were also confused, Zhan Feiyu said loudly: "The hundred households in the guard house are from the sixth grade, which is one grade higher than County Magistrate Chen. In other words, I can also instruct Magistrate Chen to set fire to the village."
The people in the village were stunned, and then shook their heads, this is absolutely impossible!
No matter how talented Xiaoyu is, how can he still instruct the county magistrate if the government servants can be more polite by asking the horses to catch them? I don’t believe it even if I beat them to death, let alone let the county magistrate set fire to them. It is impossible for the ancestral graves of the three families to emit green smoke!
"If I can really let an adult from the sixth grade do things for me." Zhan Feiyu tilted his head and chuckled, his eyes full of contempt and indifference, "Who else do I need to be afraid of?"
On one side was Master Baihu, who was even more powerful than Magistrate Chen, and on the other was Mudleg, who was digging in the fields. Not to mention Zhan Feiyu burned down three houses, Master Baihu broke the legs of Zhan Dalang and the others.
What can they do?
I went to the government office to complain, but County Magistrate Chen was still a lower level. Even if he was at the same level, the county government could not control the health center.
Looking at Zhan Feiyu, who has a sweet smile but cold eyes, the villagers feel extremely strange and fearful.
Everyone suddenly realized that Zhan Feiyu was not just a seven-year-old girl. Behind her was Mrs. Lin who was a scholar, one of her parents was the county magistrate Chen, and there were also adults from hundreds of households who were highly skilled in martial arts. She was not someone who could be bullied by idiots like them.
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They don't even dare to offend the low-level government servants in the yamen, and they are even afraid of the local gangsters. What ability do they have to make noises with Xiaoyu?
Ignoring Widow Liu, Xiao Yao and others who were finally scared, Zhan Feiyu looked at the old patriarch and said seriously: "Grandpa, the teacher who gave me my enlightenment knew that I was adopted, so he asked Lord Baihu to give me money for my education.
, so the clan’s money should be used to help clansmen in need.”
Zhan Feiyu only saw it when he was packing his clothes. Five hundred taels of silver notes can be used by an ordinary farmer for a lifetime. Even if studying for the imperial examination consumes money, five hundred taels is enough.
"Grandpa, my mother and I will go back first." Zhan Feiyu said, without even looking at the expressions of other villagers, he took Li's hand and left.
The people crowded in the room immediately made a way out of the way. They were used to Zhan Feiyu's well-behaved and polite side, but now they looked at her indifferent attitude of not letting strangers in, and felt a little bit of fear inexplicably.
Instead of being angry because of Zhan Feiyu's strong attitude, the old patriarch smiled and stroked his beard.
The same is true for Muramasa and several clan elders. These old guys are just relying on their seniority and age, otherwise Xiaoyu would not need to be so polite to them.
"Okay, I won't talk nonsense on a cold day. Just think about why the horse catcher is so polite to Xiaoyu? Then think about how the Zeng family of Baofeng Buzhuang is so overbearing, why don't they pursue it?" After finishing speaking, the villager
He was looking at Zhan Laoer with a sullen expression mockingly.
No matter how shrewd and calculating he is, he is still just a fool. Although Xiaoyu is still a white man, he has a bright future. If Zhan Laoer doesn't stop, it will be too late to regret.
The people in the village may not be smart, but they are definitely not stupid. This is what the villagers say, and everyone has an account in their mind.
Thinking about it again, Zhan Fei Yulian didn't want Shu Xiu, who earned 10 taels of silver a year in the clan, which meant that she was not short of money.
Thinking of Zhan Feiyu who had just left, he was wearing a cotton coat made of brand-new fabrics and leather boots on his feet. In the past, people in the village could still pretend to be benefactors. After all, the money for Xiaoyu's study came from the family, but now who dares
?
"Is this the end of it?" After everyone in the village left, little Yao clenched his fists angrily. The truth was in front of his eyes, but the villagers actually gave up.
Zhan Laosan rolled his eyes and said lazily, "Didn't Second Sister-in-law hear what Muramasa said? Even if the fire was set by Master Baihu, how many lives do you have to seek revenge on others?"
"I..." Little Yao's sharp voice stopped suddenly and he opened his mouth, but he didn't know what to say.
Old Man Zhan banged his pipe on the edge of the table twice, and looked at the noisy little Yao with a warning, "The third child can stand on the dock, thanks to the care of Captain Ma, it is also Xiaoyu's face, don't talk about it.
You Lilie who don’t know how to handle the door, think more about Dalang and Sanlang!”
Little Yao wanted to say that Zhan Laoer and Ma Captou were brothers, but when Ma Captou was about to arrest Liu Fu, Zhan Laoer also went over to make peace, but it was of no use at all.
As for why Zhan Dalang was kicked out of the private school, in the final analysis, it was Mrs. Lin who protected Zhan Feiyu, and she could go to the county school to study at any time, but Zhan Dalang could only stay at home, and there was no private school to accept him even if he had money.
Even though Mr. Zhan and Mr. Yao were full of unwillingness, jealousy, and hatred, they could only hold it in and endure it. They even felt that the attitude of Mr. Zhan and Mrs. Zhan towards their second wife had changed.
The old couple paid more attention to the third wife and even gave Ma Shi ten taels of silver to send Erlang to a private school in September next year.
…
The first winter snow has fallen, it is already the 25th of the twelfth lunar month, and the private school is on holiday, but Zhan Feiyu still goes to the private school on time.
"Xiaoyu got up so early." The uncle who was clearing the snow couldn't help but sigh. It was such a cold day. If it weren't for clearing the snow, he wouldn't be able to get up.
"No wonder he's good at studying. That bastard of mine is still dreaming." The neighbor next to him stopped his shovel. He used to think that Zhan Feiyu was a junior in the village, but now he is more in awe.
Private school, study room.
Master Lin put the charcoal basin at Zhan Feiyu's feet and analyzed the sample essay for her first, "The topic of this essay is very subtle: the sage's advice on how to hide should be revealed to those who are able to do so."
Last night, I almost practiced the saying "Read it a hundred times and you will see its meaning". Zhan Feiyu immediately said: "Two sentences of the question, clearly break the word 'Xing Zang', and secretly break the word 'I and you'."
"Yes, you can solve the problem from many angles. There are overt explanation, secret explanation, positive explanation, refutation, smooth explanation, and reverse explanation. However, when solving the problem, no matter who the sage or the person is, the name must be replaced by a substitute character, so Yan Yuan is replaced by the word capable."
Mrs. Lin explained in detail that after all, Zhan Feiyu had only a short time to study, so these were the things she needed to pay attention to.
Master Lin then asked: "How do you interpret the sentence in question?"
"Sage Confucius insisted on his own views on the issue of 'walking and hiding'. Because Yan Hui followed him closely, he could talk to him about this topic." Zhan Feiyu summarized it in four words: use equanimity to walk and hide.
It talks about a person's attitude towards the world. When he is used by the world, he will work hard; when he is not used by the world, he will retreat and live in seclusion.
I am a brick of the imperial court. I can move it wherever it is needed! If it is not needed, I can put it in a corner.
After a stick of incense, my frozen body warmed up, "You and I are the only ones involved in the changes in the gods, and there is no way to adapt..."
Zhan Feiyu finished reciting the penultimate paragraph of the article, which is the post-biography, "It is indeed the article of the Number One Scholar, majestic and full of meaning."
Master Lin smiled and said, "The writing is complete now. If there is no charm, how can it be a masterpiece?"
Zhan Feiyu looked at the last two sentences: There is such a husband, but I and you are the husband, and the return of this time is also joyful and silent. The whole article is concluded.
"Master, am I just talking without practicing?" Zhan Feiyu looked at Master Lin with a bitter look on his face, "Writing art is too difficult, I think it would be okay if I asked questions."
"Let's do the art work first, and we'll talk about policy later." Master Lin unceremoniously nipped Zhan Feiyu's little thoughts of escaping in the cradle.
The topics of Zhiyiwen are selected from the Four Books and Five Classics, and the answers must also be based on books such as "Commentaries on Chapters and Sentences of the Four Books" that are required for the imperial examination. They explain the meaning of the classics and cannot add their own opinions.
Art literature has high requirements on writing style and requires strict counterpoint, which is similar to parallel prose. It is the so-called speaking on behalf of the saint.
"But even if the policy question is not tested in the county examination, it will definitely be tested in the government examination and the college examination." Zhan Feiyu made his last desperate struggle.
To put it bluntly, policy questions are essays on current affairs. You can ask about civil affairs and people's livelihood; about strategies for governing the country; and about internal and external peace. Literary talent is secondary, and governing the country and bringing security to the country is the key.
The shocked Zhan Feiyu was extremely sad. When he saw the new crafting question handed over by Master Lin, his eyes widened suddenly and he lay on the desk helplessly, "Master, I want to rest for a while before fighting again!"
"Okay, you can rest." Looking at the naughty little girl, Mrs. Lin had a smile in her eyes.
In fact, Xiaoyu has already made rapid progress compared to when she first started writing art novels. However, she has only been studying for a short period of time and is not used to writing parallel prose. After three to five years, she will develop the habit and she will not be so bitter and resentful.
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After a day of classes, Zhan Feiyu left the private school feeling that all the energy in his body had been drained out by the little goblin Zhi Yiwen.
"Master, my mother's birthday is tomorrow, I'm asking for a day off!" Regardless of whether Master Lin agreed or not, Zhan Feiyu said nothing, ran with his short legs, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
"Dad, is she Xiaoyu?" Lin Xiuyuan, who came over and was about to say hello, stared dumbfounded at the round dumpling running wildly in the snow. The cloth bag slung across his body was swinging up and down. Unexpectedly, he thought there was something evil behind him.
The ghost is chasing.
"She's afraid that I won't be allowed to ask for leave." Mrs. Lin laughed and shook her head. No matter how smart she is, she is still a seven-year-old child.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at his son who was already at shoulder height beside him. Mrs. Lin looked at his pale and sickly face as soon as winter entered, "Xiuyuan, have you thought about what to do in the future?"
Lin Xiuyuan was born prematurely, his body was weak, and his career in the imperial examination had long been cut off. Although Lin Xiuyuan studied hard and diligently, he lacked a little talent.
If he can pass the examination as a scholar, he can take over a private school, but Master Lin knows Lin Xiuyuan's level, and he is afraid that he will be a child student for the rest of his life.
"Dad, I want to open a bookstore." Lin Xiuyuan replied in a low voice, with guilt on his face. He couldn't inherit his father's business because he was sorry for his father.
Master Lin thought about it for a long time, then raised his hand and patted Lin Xiuyuan's shoulder, "That's fine, when Xiaoyu gets the honors in the future, you won't have to worry about running out of business if you open a bookstore."
Hearing this joke, Lin Xiuyuan burst into laughter, "I am also Xiaoyu's senior brother."
Mrs. Wang stood at the corner of the corridor, listening to the conversation between father and son, with a hint of thoughtfulness in her expression.
In fact, in October, Mrs. Lin had mentioned that she would book Zhan Feiyu to Lin Xiuyuan. The two were brother and sister, childhood sweethearts and childhood sweethearts. It was a good story.
But Wang refused without thinking. At that time, Zhan Feiyu was still in the Zhan family and had no adopted children. The family was poor, and the only one who studied in a private school, Zhan Dalang, was incompetent. If he got married to the Zhan family, he would not be able to help.
Xiuyuan, those people from the Zhan family will still become a drag.
But Wang didn't expect that Zhan Feiyu was so talented in reading, and was so lucky that he was not only valued by County Magistrate Chen, but also valued by nobles, and even received letters of recommendation from the county school and the government school.
Mrs. Wang then mentioned the engagement of the two children again, but unfortunately this time Mrs. Lin disagreed, saying that Lin Xiuyuan was not worthy of Zhan Feiyu. This really made Mrs. Wang very angry, and she ignored Mrs. Lin for several days.