Facts have proved that Xu Sheng was overly worried. The Xu family is the Xu family after all, and they are indeed strict in their hospitality.
When Xu Sheng was young, before Xu Sheng was too depressed, two maids arrived carrying copper plates. The leader was slightly older, but only about seventeen or eighteen years old, followed closely by a little girl with a tall figure.
It's thin, at most thirteen or four.
The eldest maid was holding a small plate, while the little maid was holding a large plate.
"Sir, the ground is cold, why are you just sitting like this? You see, it's your first time here. We don't know your taste or any taboos. We just picked up a few things in the kitchen. If you're not used to it, just tell us.
We, we will tell the kitchen to make it according to your taste." The eldest maid said with a smile, turned sideways, and motioned the little maid to put the plate in her hand on the desk nearby. As soon as she opened the cover, it was steaming hot and fragrant.
Tangy.
"This book... is very interesting. I read deeply and forgot about it for a while. I didn't know why I sat down." Xu Sheng hurriedly got up from the ground and shook out his slightly wrinkled clothes.
"Sir, you are really a talented and knowledgeable person!" The little maid had already set out a set of tableware, turned around and smiled at Xu Sheng, sincerely praising him.
"Where, where?" Xu Sheng's face turned red and he didn't want to say any more. What could he say? You couldn't tell them that you were hungry and angry, sitting on the ground and patting your thighs, right? That would be too disrespectful.
.
Xu Sheng sat at the table and looked around. The food was pretty good and quite to his liking. There were fish and meat, stir-fried vegetables, fresh meatball soup, a total of four dishes, and a cup of soup made from who knows what.
The soup was light yellow jade in color. When Xu Sheng tasted it, he felt it was very refreshing and soft in the mouth.
Xu Sheng ate quite happily. The food tasted good and the portions were sufficient. The only thing that made him uncomfortable was that there were two girls standing next to him, looking at him intently from beginning to end.
"How about you guys have some too?"
"No, no," the two maids shook their heads and waved their hands, showing their inner rejection.
Putting aside the rules of the Xu family - servants are not allowed to eat with the host and guest, Xu Sheng's eating appearance alone is enough to intimidate people. He looks like he has never eaten in eight lifetimes, gobbling up and down, and it is really difficult to arouse the appetite of others.
.
"belch!"
After eating and drinking, Xu Sheng burped hard and half leaned on the chair, quite comfortable. For a moment, he felt like he was still at home in a trance, and couldn't help but pat his belly.
This scene completely messed up the two maids. Especially the little girl, whose face turned extremely ugly. Just now she was praising Xu Sheng as a talented and learned person, but she didn't expect that in the blink of an eye... she became a countrywoman.
Mr. Nomura!
To say that Xu Sheng is a scholar is of course nonsense. After all, he is not even a scholar, but it is not necessarily true that he is not. After all, he has read books for more than ten years, knows the classics, and can write poems and poems.
, and also learned good calligraphy.
It would be inappropriate to say that Xu Sheng was a villager in the mountains. After all, he had never plowed a field or let a cow live for a day. But it would not be appropriate to say that he was not. After all, he had grown up in the village.
Grow up, grow out of the mud.
Objectively speaking, he can be regarded as a half-dabbled scholar and a half-baked mountain villager.
"Oh, by the way, what's on your plate?" Xu Sheng struggled to suppress the churning feeling in his stomach, also known as burping, and pointed to the older maid and asked.
"Sir, this is your reward for this month."
"Feng Yin?!" Xu Sheng suddenly sat upright and exclaimed.
: “And there’s still money?!”
"That's natural. Mr. Xu works hard in the Xu family, and the Xu family will naturally not treat him badly." The eldest maid spoke proudly, sounding quite dignified.
The Xu family is really good at enslaving people!
Xu Sheng thought in his mind that this maid seemed to regard him as a member of the Xu family, even though she was just a servant. He stood up slowly, uncovered the red cloth on the plate, and took a closer look.
Oh!
There were neatly arranged silver ingots in several rows. After careful counting, there were thirty-six of them.
One piece is one tael, thirty-six pieces is thirty-six taels of silver.
A lot, really a lot. In today's world, except for a few very wealthy places such as Kyoto, a family's annual expenditure is only three to five taels. These thirty-six cars are about six to seven for an ordinary family.
annual expenses.
The Xu family, as expected of the Xu family, is too generous. How can a teacher receive such generous treatment?
Thirty-six taels a month, which is more than four hundred taels a year. This is a lot of money, comparable to the annual salary of a doctor from the Imperial College. A doctor from the Imperial College, with a fourth-rank official position, must at least be a Jinshi, even if he is a Jinshi
Li also had to be at the front, but what about Xu Sheng? He wasn’t even a scholar.
At this thought, Xu Sheng was still a little happy in his heart, but then he thought again: I'm so happy. If you get a doctorate from the Imperial College, you can make contributions, and if you leave, you can study hard and write books. What about him? I'm afraid he will have to live under someone else's side for the rest of his life.
I live off the Xu family.
When he thought that his ambitions were hard to achieve, and his way up the ladder was cut off, Xu Sheng couldn't help but feel sad, so he could only comfort himself by looking at the white money.
However, in the eyes of the two maids, he turned into... greedy for money.
"Sir, sir" the eldest maid called twice, and Xu Sheng finally came back to his senses. He noticed something was wrong in the eyes of the two girls, and he coughed twice to cover up his embarrassment.
"Look, have you finished eating? If so, we will remove these tablewares. What else can we do?" There was a slight urging in the maid's tone. You know, in many places where the rules are very important,
If you are disrespectful to your guest, you will be punished. However, the maid really doesn't like Xu Sheng and wishes she could leave as soon as possible.
"Oh, you've finished eating. You should collect it quickly. If you have something to do, do it quickly. Don't delay here."
"Then sir, let's take our leave."
"Farewell"
The two maids were very quick with their hands and feet. In the blink of an eye, the table returned to its original state. They both saluted, closed the door and ran away as fast as they could.
Xu Sheng was the only one left in the empty room, accompanied by only a few large shelves of ancient books. It must be said that he felt a little lonely.
He flipped through the books randomly, unable to calm down. When he thought of the unattainable fame and fame, what was the use of reading?
Xu Sheng threw down the book, opened the door, and subconsciously raised his head, seeing the starry night again.
"It's just" he said to himself: "What does God have to do with me?"
Aimless and unconscious, under the starry night, in Xu's house, twenty-two-year-old Xu Sheng felt so peaceful for the first time, and at the same time so... frustrated. He stood blankly, as if
A statue.
...
A long time, but it didn't seem to be a long time. A moment of solitude seemed like eternal silence. Xu Sheng blinked, and then took a long breath. The depression in his heart was swept away, and a light he had not seen for a long time rose in his eyes.
Just now, he seemed to have entered a strange space, a mysterious realm.
It's like reincarnation, and like being above the void, observing the various aspects of life. In the "short but long" time, he has lived through hundreds of generations and various lives.
"No one is perfect, never has been." Xu Sheng said in a deep voice, as if he was facing himself and the world.
Yes, it has been like this since ancient times. No matter who you are, no matter how powerful you are, how talented, unparalleled in mind, or outstanding in appearance, you will always have flaws, unchangeable regrets, and an irreversible past.
Only flaws are real, and regrets are deep. There is never smooth sailing and eternal singing. Even the ancient great powers in myths and legends had to go through a life of nine deaths, all kinds of hardships, and bone-breaking pain before they could ascend to a high position and look down on the world.
For the first time, Xu Sheng felt that he was being hypocritical. Maybe he had indeed suffered some setbacks, but so what? Who has not experienced suffering? Who is not there in the world's sea of suffering?
If fame is over, what's the problem? Is there only one avenue in the world: fame? Just look at the Xu family, which has never been an official, and still stands in Nanjun for hundreds of years without falling; Emperor Wu of this dynasty, who cannot read Chinese characters, still develops thousands of miles of territory; the previous dynasty
Yuan Tianshi came out of the mountain at the age of fifty-four. His disciples spread all over the nine states, and his teachings are still popular today.
Xu Sheng gave himself a slap in the heart. He was only twenty-two years old. He had no illness and had enough food and clothing. How could he lose his ambition like this? How could he be in panic and confusion all day long?
Being born in the mother's womb is not a choice; being buried in the loess is a destined destination. The process between life and death is an infinite possibility that can be grasped.
The reason why a person can be famous throughout the ages and be famous for generations is because of this process; the reason why a person can be infamous for thousands of years and be reviled by the world is also because of this process.
So...Xu Sheng made a decision. Regardless of anything else, he didn't care about the past, forget about what happened behind him, he just firmly grasped the process and walked the journey between life and death.
He looked up at the starry sky again and smiled to himself. As long as he existed, as long as he raised his head and looked at the starry sky, as long as he meditated against the starry sky, no one could deny the relationship between them.
Maybe the starry sky is boundless, unfathomable, and bottomless; maybe life is as insignificant as an ant in front of the starry sky, but no one can erase the connection between the two.
What makes people better than the stars is that people can look up at the stars and know that they are looking up, but the stars know nothing about it.
A little lovesickness, a little sadness,
A hint of joy and a hint of sadness.
I invite the breeze to drink,
Don’t be friends with Mingyue.
For some reason, Xu Sheng remembered the first poem he wrote when he was fourteen. He always thought it was his best poem.
At this time, there is wind but no bright moon, and there is no good wine in the mood, but the real intoxicating thing is never just wine.