The capital was very large, and Xu Guangqi's residence was far away from Hou Xun's. However, horses were not allowed in the city, so Zuo Mengeng had to take a carriage and take Hou Fangyu with him.
"Why do you like math?"
Zuo Mengeng was still surprised by the trend shown by Hou Fangyu.
Could it be that the original Prince Chaozong in history disappeared and transformed into a great mathematician?
Please, you have to follow the rules!
Otherwise, how could the story between you and Li Xiangjun be passed down?
Obviously, Hou Fangyu didn't know what his life would be like in a few years. Hearing Zuo Mengeng's question, he was filled with smiles.
"That time in Linqing, after Sister Ruolin taught me, my younger brother found that arithmetic is quite interesting. After arriving in the capital, he had nothing to do but study, so he had to study hard. But the more he understood, the more he discovered that arithmetic is so vast that he didn't even know its scope.
Exhausted."
Zuo Mengeng nodded, agreeing very much with his understanding.
Sample, you still don’t know how deep the pit of mathematics is.
However, he also learned about Hou Fangyu's current situation.
After following Hou Xun to the capital, Hou Xun was busy with government affairs and had nothing else to care about except his studies.
Hou Fangyu had no friends of the same age to play with in the capital, could not go out of the house, and could not see the prosperity of Jiangnan, so naturally he would not be close to any literati.
When you are bored, the only thing you can do is to have fun with numbers. As a result, you become addicted without realizing it.
Children's preferences are not fixed, and it is normal for their interests to change.
"If you like mathematics, just go to your sister Ruolin every day."
Hou Fangyu shook his head and said solemnly: "Men and women must be on guard."
Zuo Mengeng slapped him on the forehead.
"You little brat, what do you know about the defense between men and women?"
Hou Fangyu felt pain and looked over angrily.
"Brother Zuo is so rude."
Zuo Mengeng frightened him.
"Then do you want to go to the battlefield with me? I'll take you to see how a person's head is cut off?"
Hou Fangyu's face turned pale, his arms and legs trembled, and he kept shaking his head.
Looking at his appearance, Zuo Mengeng sighed.
"How can you be weak when you are in troubled times? Once you are weak, you will be like a pig or a sheep. When other people's butcher's knife is pointed at you, there is nothing you can do but kill with your hands. Boy, you can't just study, you must also continue to strengthen yourself. Only you can change
You have to be strong to protect yourself and those who need your protection."
Hou Fangyu seemed to understand, but it was clear that these words had entered his heart.
The carriage swayed and finally arrived at Xu Mansion.
Zuo Mengeng jumped out of the car and discovered that Xu Guangqi's mansion was not big or luxurious.
If it weren't for the "Xu Mansion" sign, I would have thought that the people living here were ordinary wealthy businessmen.
He walked to the door in person and said to the door: "Please tell me that Zuo Menggeng from Linqing has come all the way to pay a visit to Duke Xuan."
As soon as they heard his name, the two disciples instantly became excited.
"Ah, are you Young Master Zuo?"
Zuo Mengeng was stunned, didn't he know he was so famous?
"You know me?"
The two men nodded wildly, looking at him as if they were looking at an idol.
"Who in the whole family doesn't know that Mr. Zuo saved my Miss Sun?"
The other door is more alert.
"Master Zuo, wait a moment. I happen to be at home. I'll go and report."
It can be seen that the Xu Mansion is indeed not big. After a while, the sound of hurried footsteps came over.
Immediately afterwards, the door of the mansion opened and a young man rushed out and looked at Zuo Mengeng curiously.
"It turns out that my benefactor has arrived, I'm Xu Erjue."
This is the second eldest son of the Xu family and the brother who has the best relationship with Xu Ruolin.
Zuo Mengeng was busy bowing and saluting.
"I've met Brother Xu."
Xu Erjue looked at Zuo Mengeng's tall and straight body and couldn't help but feel dizzy.
There are many elegant and refined people in the south of the Yangtze River, but few are so majestic and majestic.
I don’t know why, but the image of Zuo Mengeng and Xu Ruolin standing together in my mind gradually turned into a flower and a bear.
Fortunately, the children of the Xu family have a profound education and do not show any trace of it.
What's more, Zuo Mengeng saved Xu Ruolin, and Xu Erjue was very enthusiastic.
"If you don't want to see anyone outside, just call me second brother."
As soon as he said this, Zuo Mengeng immediately understood the attitude of the Xu family towards him. This made him feel less worried about this trip.
After beating the snake with the stick, Zuo Mengeng changed his name again.
"My younger brother has met my second brother."
Xu Erjue pulled his sleeve and dragged it in.
"Come on, let's go. Grandpa was very happy when he heard that you were coming. He is waiting in the middle hall."
When he was about to enter, he even gave a special explanation.
"Originally, you are my little sister's savior, so you should open the middle door to greet me. But since you are one of my own family, there is no need to do this."
In ancient times, the most solemn gift to welcome guests was to open the central door to greet guests. But once you do this, it will appear that the relationship is not cordial enough.
If Zuo Menggeng were the elder, he would not be able to open the middle door. But since he is the younger generation, the Xu family's approach is obviously to treat him as his nephew.
Zuo Mengeng said happily: "That's how it should be. How dare you work on Duke Xuanhu's noble body?"
After a while, the two of them exchanged a few words. Xu Erjue discovered that Zuo Mengeng was not a white-eyed person under his rough and arrogant appearance.
No wonder he could write articles like "The Wealth of Nations".
Although Xu Guangqi didn't let him read it at the time, he still saw it in Xu Ruolin's place later. The views in the book made him scratch his head and overjoyed.
Of the five brothers of the Xu family, the other four are good at studying. The only one I don't like is Xu Erjue, who is quite chivalrous and loyal.
When it comes to doing business, he is also quite talented. He is also the best at understanding "The Wealth of Nations".
Xu Erjue was about to pull him in when Zuo Mengeng remembered what he had forgotten and hurriedly pulled Hou Fangyu over and introduced him to Xu Erjue.
"This is the young master of Duke Hou Ruogu's residence. He is also very close to Ruolin and has come here to ask for advice on arithmetic."
Hearing that he was Hou Xun's son, Xu Erjue saluted him solemnly and did not show any contempt because of Hou Fangyu's young age.
Hou Fangyu's response was also polite and polite.
Seeing this, Zuo Mengeng shook his head, not knowing whether to approve or criticize this behavior.
Everyone entered the door and walked all the way to the main hall. Before they entered, they saw an old man with white hair and white hair sitting in the middle, looking anxiously towards this side.
Beside the old man, there is a touch of peerless brightness that is equally urgent, but has to be covered up from time to time.
Until Zuo Mengeng's figure appeared, the bright and beautiful figure rushed out. When he realized something was wrong, he couldn't help but put a little more force on the old man's hand, which made the old man wink and cough again and again.
Seeing Xu Guangqi about to stand up, Zuo Mengeng certainly couldn't watch. He quickly stepped forward and bowed deeply.
"Zuo Mengeng, a junior from our school, would like to pay my respects to Duke Xuan Hu."
Xu Guangqi still stood up and helped him up personally. When he looked at him again, he had to raise his head.
Xu Guangqi is not short, but Zuo Mengeng is even more majestic.
"What a young man, with quite a domineering spirit."
This compliment surprised everyone. But one look at Zuo Mengeng's figure showed that he was worthy of this praise.
Zuo Mengeng stood up and supported Xu Guangqi from the other side.
This time, he and Xu Ruolin served the elderly together.
The picture is so natural and harmonious that everyone feels that it should be like this.
Xu Erjue looked strange, coughed strangely, and looked at his little sister teasingly.
Xu Ruolin's cheeks had turned red with embarrassment and she didn't dare to respond at all, which made Xu Erjue very happy.
This little girl has been arrogant since she was a child. She really can't hold her head high in front of her brothers.
Nowadays it is rare to see her acting like a child, and she will be ridiculed in the future.
Zuo Mengeng didn't shy away from it. With a smile on his face, he looked at the beauty he had longed for. Although he didn't say a word, his hot eyes were enough to explain everything.
This bold gaze made Xu Ruolin even more irresistible. With her heartbeat erratic, she even took wrong steps.
I want to see him, but I am afraid of seeing him.
When you see him, you become a fool.
Fortunately, Zuo Mengeng was there and helped Xu Guangqi sit down again.
Zuo Mengeng introduced Hou Fangyu again. Xu Guangqi fell in love with this smart and well-behaved child. He took the exam and praised Hou Ruogu repeatedly for his skill in teaching his children.
These words coming out of Xu Guangqi's mouth were like a living advertisement for Hou Fangyu.
"Thanks to the gift from Duke Xuanhu last time, all those Western seeds have been planted. When the junior came, the growth was quite gratifying. It is expected that peppers and tomatoes will be harvested in more than a month. The farmers on the village are taking care of them.
If we do it, and there are scholars who can help record it, we should be able to get first-hand planting information. If corn, potatoes, etc. can really make up for the shortage of existing food, countless people can survive."
Zuo Menggeng reported on the situation of Western seeds, and Xu Guangqi was very happy after hearing this.
Although the names of many crops at this time were different from Zuo Mengeng's statement, Xu Guangqi also understood it.
It is originally a matter of translation, and Zuo Mengeng’s name is more appropriate.
What Xu Guangqi was happiest about was Zuo Mengeng's cautious attitude.
When Zuo Mengeng asked for seeds, although he was curious about the son of a military general caring about farming, he was also afraid that Zuo Mengeng would be rough in his work and ruin his hard work.
At this time, I heard about Zuo Mengeng's various measures, and even mobilized scholars to participate in planting and recording. This approach alone far surpassed many local officials in this era.
"I have obtained these seeds for many years. Due to my busy government affairs, I can only tinker with them a little in my spare time, but with little effect. If you can start from the root and study the method, you will definitely achieve something."
Xu Guang started to think, and even thought about whether to let Zuo Menggen stay in the capital and be taught by him personally, so that he might be able to make further progress in Western learning.