Chapter 29 Guiding Learning What she saw was something like this, as if...

Xie Qi was a young man whose noble birth was often imperceptible unless he spoke.

He never had the arrogant look that aristocratic sons always had on his face. Sometimes even his clothes were surprisingly simple. Let alone brocade and fine clothes, when Shen Miao first met him on the canal boat, he was dressed even more simply than Shen Miao, who was poor.

Of course, Shen Miao was unaware that Xie Qi's habit of dressing simply was due to his experience of being robbed whenever he went out—dressing too well in public might not be a big deal for others, but on him it was like standing among a swarm of bees covered in nectar.

In the past, they had tried various methods to ward off bad luck, such as hiring a bodyguard or bringing more of their own servants and retainers. However, these methods only resulted in more harm to others and greater financial losses. As a result, Xie Qi and his entire family finally realized the truth.

It seems like God is targeting Ninth Brother alone!

After that, Xie Qi went out with only Yan Shu. The two of them went out quietly and anonymously, which seemed to be better.

Fortunately, Lady Xi taught him martial arts to strengthen his body from a young age; otherwise, given his fate, he would not have lived to this day.

Shen Miao, unaware of the details, was still thinking to herself: Even Uncle Shen would buy several sets of silk and satin to wear, but when she saw Xie Qi several times, the materials he wore were mostly plain cotton and silk, and the colors were rarely deep colors like vermilion or purple. Especially these past few days, for his grandfather's birthday celebration, he wore plain linen clothes with very few decorations, and the hairpins in his hair had been replaced with white jade.

"If you want to look good, wear mourning clothes..."

This saying actually... can be applied not only to women.

Xie Qi didn't seem to be planning to go out today. He was dressed in casual clothes, a plain white robe with wide sleeves, and his movements still had the style of the Wei and Jin dynasties. A light blue belt was loosely tied around his waist, which made his slightly thin body, which was unique to young men, appear even taller and more upright, like a green bamboo growing in the wind on a mountain cliff.

Startled by his sudden speech, Shen Miao turned around to look. Xie Qi also stepped into the room with his head down. Because of the heavy rain outside, his thick-soled wooden clogs were soaked with rainwater, making his sleeves and hem appear slightly transparent.

With a bundle of old books tucked under his arm, he flicked the water droplets off his sleeves, and Shen Miao smelled a faint fragrance.

I hadn't noticed it before, but today I could smell it. His clothes seemed to be scented with cedar, which, when mixed with the scent of grass stirred by the rain, smelled even more refreshing, as if he had just come from a cool, dewy forest.

After entering, he was unable to use his hands properly, but he still bowed slightly to Shen Miao and greeted her gently: "Madam Shen, the weather has been inconvenient these past two days, and I'm sorry to have troubled you to come back every day."

The world was damp, dusk was falling, and a white robe fluttered in the breeze.

What she saw was a person who seemed to have been cleansed by the spring rain.

Yan Shu skipped and hopped behind him, folded her umbrella and knocked the rain off at the threshold, and eagerly took credit from Shen Miao, saying, "Madam Shen, just now Xiang Jie told me that her brother is going to take the imperial examination for children. I was thinking that Ninth Brother has a lot of books that he used to take the exams, but he can't use them now. Why don't we lend them to her brother? Wouldn't that be perfect?"

Shen Miao suddenly came to her senses.

After finishing his sentence, Yan Shu hurriedly ran away, took out the silk fish-shaped steamed bun he hadn't finished eating from the vegetable basket behind Xiang Jie'er, and took a satisfying bite—luckily it was still hot! Chen Niangzi said that these fish-shaped red bean buns she baked must be eaten while they're hot, so the outer skin is crispy and tastes even better. He hadn't had enough yet!

I took a big bite, and the red bean paste inside seemed to have been pounded; it even had a slight stringy texture when I bit into it.

Yan Shu sat down next to Xiang Jie with satisfaction and continued eating with her. He nudged her arm enviously and sighed, "Xiang Jie, your older sister cooks such delicious meals. It's so good that you can eat them every day."

Mentioning this, Xiangjie suddenly became clever and tilted her head: "My older sister has a stall on Jinliang Bridge. If you want to eat here in the future, just come and find us, it's only a few steps away!"

Shen Miao couldn't help but laugh. This kid usually only knows how to eat, but she didn't expect him to be so quick to advertise!

Seeing that the two children were chatting happily again, she slowly turned her head. Xie Qi was placing the book in his hand on the table, slowly arranging it, saying as he did so, "Yan Shu came to borrow the books I used when I was young. However, I read too haphazardly when I was young, and I don't know where Shen Ge'er is now, so I brought them all. In a little while, I'll trouble Madam Shen to call Shen Ge'er over, and I'll ask him to find out. He won't have to read so haphazardly and waste his time."

This is like a senior student who got into Tsinghua or Peking University returning to give advice and share their experience with the next batch of students—what a rare opportunity! Especially since Xie Qi himself studied at Biyong Academy, he must be extremely familiar with the professors and lecturers there. He probably also knows what kind of exam questions they like to ask!

"It's truly Ji-ge's good fortune to have Ninth Brother guiding him! Ninth Brother, wait a moment, I'll call him right away." So that's why Yan Shu suddenly left! Shen Miao was overjoyed and quickly got up to thank him. Then she hurriedly lifted her skirt and went to the corridor to find Ji-ge, who was still engrossed in his studies.

Upon hearing this, Shen Ji was so shocked that he didn't even have time to react. He stood there blankly for a while, but Shen Miao was anxious. She grabbed his hand and pulled him into the kitchen.

He stumbled as he was pulled along, his heart pounding – he hadn't had a teacher to guide him lately and had been studying on his own, which had made him a little dizzy, but... was there really someone willing to give him some pointers?

Scholars often belittle each other, and reading is seen as a ladder to change one's social standing. Many people tightly clutch the little knowledge they possess, fearing that it might be learned by others, and are unwilling to tell anyone else.

Moreover, the Xie family was a prestigious clan. Shen Ji gradually became uneasy.

My elder sister had never witnessed the sycophantic and opportunistic atmosphere at Master Liu's private school. In the same dormitory, the students always surrounded those from gold and silver shops, silk shops, or large grain shops. Even when Master Liu was lecturing, he always let the wealthy students sit in the best seats in the dormitory, and he was more careful and patient in explaining problems to them.

Shen Ji was always the one who was neglected, and also the one who was always fooled and ridiculed.

It was after seeing all this that he hesitated as Shen Miao pulled him along.

“Ji-ge’er? Why aren’t you leaving?” Shen Miao realized she couldn’t pull him away. She turned around and saw him with his head slightly lowered. Her heart skipped a beat, and she seemed to understand something. She said gently, “Don’t worry, trust your older sister. Your older sister’s judgment of people is never wrong.”

Shen Ji felt awkward, and even he felt guilty after hearing these words. If his sister had good judgment, how could she have fallen for that Rong Dalang in the first place? But he didn't want to hurt his sister's feelings, so he swallowed his words and followed Shen Miao forward hesitantly.

Upon entering the kitchen, Shen Ji dared not embarrass his elder sister. Putting aside his unease, he first solemnly bowed to Xie Qi with his hands clasped, saying, "Greetings, Young Master Xie."

"Don't be like that." Xie Qi returned the greeting and then gently inquired what books he had already read and what he was currently studying. After asking carefully and patiently, he had a good idea of ​​what was going on, so he didn't exchange any more pleasantries. After thinking for a moment, he picked out three books and said, "Biyong Academy is different from other academies. It doesn't test you on primers like the *Zengguang Xianwen* or the *Three Character Classic*. You don't need to look at those. The summer exam for the Imperial Academy's children only admits children under ten years old, and it consists of five questions. The first question tests your knowledge of characters, from..." The Four Books will be selected for the children to copy. They must write neatly and without errors to pass. I've already seen your handwriting; you're practicing Yan Zhenqing's style, aren't you? For your age, it's already quite good. Don't worry about this first test. The second test will be on classical texts; you need to write a short essay, as long as it's fluent and substantive. The third test will be on composing a five-character, six-rhyme poem. This question ostensibly tests poetry writing, but it's actually testing rhyme and meter. Therefore, it would be more beneficial for you to memorize the rules of rhyme and meter than to study the books you're currently reading.”

Shen Miao nodded repeatedly, a hint of relief on her face.

Fortunately, we came to the Xie family to make baked buns, fortunately we brought Ji-ge'er along, fortunately Xie Jiu-ge'er is so approachable and easy to get along with. All these fortunate circumstances made up for today's guidance, otherwise Ji-ge'er would have really gone astray without even realizing it!

Shen Miao also knew that the books Ji Ge'er had been copying and reading recently were completely unrelated to what Xie Qi had said. If Yan Shu hadn't suddenly had the idea to borrow books for Ji Ge'er today, they would never have known these inside stories, and all of Ji Ge'er's efforts these past few days would probably have been in vain.

"The fourth and fifth questions are both imperial edicts issued by the examiner's family in recent years..." Xie Qi said, his eyebrows curving slightly, his smile particularly mischievous, and he whispered, "These two questions don't require much knowledge, nor do you need to search everywhere for imperial edicts, let alone really analyze them word by word. These two questions are actually the easiest of the five questions. You just need to sing praises, and the more sycophantic the Emperor's wisdom and divine might, the better."

Shen Ji was stunned. "Huh? I didn't know it could be like that?"

Xie Qi's expression and tone remained unchanged, but his words were exceptionally insightful: "After all, the Imperial Academy is an official school established by the government. Most of its students will become officials in the future. To be an official, one must not only uphold ideals and justice and take it upon oneself to help the world, but also blend in with the world and understand the principles of being a person and an official. The first three questions test solid writing skills, while the last two test one's talent for dealing with people and situations."

Shen Ji had only ever heard of scholars needing integrity, refusing to bow to the powerful for a meager salary, and officials needing to be honest and speak out for the people, but he had never heard such pragmatic words before, and he was stunned. He repeatedly pondered Xie Qi's words in his heart, but being young, although he remembered them, he couldn't grasp the subtle and profound meaning in Xie Qi's tone.

Shen Miao understood, and couldn't help but glance at him. Xie Qi noticed her gaze, but just smiled.

Shen Miao then returned the smile.

This Xie Jiuge is really not from a noble family; he's quite a remarkable person.

After that, Xie Qi didn't say anything more, but handed the three books he had just selected to Ji Ge'er: "Read these three books first. If you can really read them carefully, you should have no problem with the summer exam next month. The small print inside is my own understanding and annotation. You can read it or not."

Shen Ji took the book; the warmth of Xie Qi's hand still lingered on it. The slight warmth spread like wildfire through his heart, igniting his fighting spirit and hope. Before his elder sister returned, he had heard too much belittling and contempt. Aunt Li said he wouldn't pass the Imperial Academy entrance exam; his classmates said he was delusional; Teacher Liu said he wasn't worthy of being a scholar; his aunt said he was only cut out to be an accountant.

He would never replace his pen even when it was worn out, and he didn't want to waste paper, so he mostly wrote on the ground with twigs.

But today some people say that as long as you read it carefully, there will be no problem.

His eyes stung a little, and he couldn't find the words to flatter him. So he could only stand up solemnly, bow deeply to Xie Qi, and say loudly, "Thank you for your guidance, Ninth Brother! I will definitely study hard and cherish these three books. I will never damage them."

Xie Qi seemed to have anticipated his grand gesture, and reached out to support Shen Ji's arm the moment he bent over: "There's no need to cherish it. Books are meant to be read, not placed on a shrine."

Shen Miao couldn't help but laugh. Hmm, those words were right up her alley.

Xie Qi then handed him a basket of almost brand-new writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones: "These are all my usual writing materials. Although they are not the expensive Xue Tao paper or Tonghu brushes, they are still quite handy. Take them, for future reference..."

Shen Ji didn't dare to take it at all, but Yan Shu exclaimed "Oh!" and snatched it away, stuffing it directly into his arms.

"If you don't take it, Ninth Brother's arms will get sore!"

Shen Ji blushed, holding a pile of things and at a loss, he could only look at Shen Miao with his eyes.

Chen Miao bit her lower lip in annoyance. How should she repay this favor?

A box of egg yolk pastries seems too light.

Xie Qi, however, seemed to know what she was thinking. He turned to Shen Miao and smiled, "There's no need to say anything more. To me, this is just a very small matter, not worth mentioning. Neither Madam Shen nor Brother Shen need to take it to heart, nor feel uneasy or think about repaying. I did these things not to ask for anything in return. I have been helped by many people to survive in this world. Even that day on the boat, it was thanks to Madam Shen's bowl of hot soup noodles that we were able to keep our stomachs full of dry biscuits warm for several days. So Madam Shen, please accept it without worry, and Brother Shen, please focus on your studies."

Shen Miao found it a bit strange. What did it mean to survive only because of someone else's help? But before she could think about it further, Xie Qi had already stepped forward and gently patted Shen Ji's shoulder:

"See you at Biyong Academy in the future."

Xie Qi spoke softly, yet it deeply moved and encouraged Shen Ji, who nodded heavily.

No sooner had he finished speaking than another servant boy, about thirteen or fourteen years old and even more handsome, appeared outside. He had run so fast that his hat and turban had come loose, and he was panting heavily as he leaned against the doorframe: "Ninth Brother, what are you doing here? I've been looking for you everywhere..."

Yan Shu turned around and exclaimed, "Huh? Qiu Hao? What brings you here?"

"And you're still talking about it! You tricked Ninth Brother here without saying a word, making me search everywhere! But let's not talk about that now. My lord is looking for Ninth Brother. He said he's about to set off again. The Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate has arranged a very elegant banquet by the East Wind Pavilion at Jinming Pond and has invited my lord to attend."

Yan Shu looked out at the torrential rain, pointed at it, and said incredulously, "In this kind of weather, a banquet in the rain? Why doesn't that lord name it a 'drenched chicken banquet'? And the young master is really something, going by himself is one thing, but he always has to bring Ninth Brother along..."

Qiu Hao finally caught his breath and waved his hand: "There's no use saying all this. My lord is in a hurry, so I've prepared several more sets of clothes and ordered Zhou Er to get another, more stable carriage. I think that should be enough... Ninth Brother, let's go."

Xie Qi could only sigh helplessly, but when he turned around to say goodbye to Shen Miao and the others, he had already hidden his bad mood on his face. Looking at Shen Miao and her brother, his brows were still relaxed and his eyes were smiling gently: "I'm sorry for not entertaining you well today, Madam Shen. Then I'll take my leave first..."

Shen Miao suddenly remembered his egg yolk pastries and clapped his hands: "Ninth Brother, wait!"

Xie Qi was somewhat surprised, but Shen Miao had already turned around nimbly, lifted her skirt, and ran into the kitchen's side room.

She hurriedly took the egg yolk pastries that had already been baked and neatly placed in the food box, her forehead almost sweating with urgency, and handed the food box to Xie Qi.

Xie Qi paused for a moment, then didn't answer.

“I have nothing of value, and I suppose Ninth Brother doesn’t care for those things either. After thinking it over, the only thing I can do to thank you for your thoughtful care these past few days is to make some food.” Shen Miao pulled Xie Qi’s sleeve and made him grab the handle of the food box before she breathed a sigh of relief. She smiled up at him with her eyes crinkled, “This little bit is not enough to express my gratitude, but thank you very much for taking care of me these past two days. I hope you like these snacks.”

Xie Qi lowered his head slightly, and Shen Miao released his grip, causing his sleeve to fall down.

When he looked up again, he saw Madam Shen's smile in his eyes.

Her eyebrows and eyes were curved, and her eyes were as clear as water.

Madam Shen's features were not particularly exquisite. If she did not speak or smile, she would only look like a wooden beauty. But once she moved, it was as if a warm and powerful soul had awakened in her body. Every frown and smile made people feel inexplicably relaxed and comfortable.

Xie Qi's heart stirred slightly. He looked at the food box in his hand, and the smile in his eyes seemed to soften. "The spring break is coming to an end. I will be leaving the city to study in a couple of days. I will only have a bath every ten days after that. I'm afraid it will be difficult to taste Madam Chen's cooking again... Thank you. Then... I will accept it."

He paused for a moment, then remembered that today was the last day of the Buddhist ceremony, and that Madam Shen might not come to the Xie family again.

Then he added gently, "Goodbye, Madam Chen."

It was nearly dusk; the rain pattered, and the scent of grass filled the air. Xie Qi's wide, plain white sleeves seemed to be touched by the evening breeze, swaying gently like ripples in the wind. Shen Miao looked up at him, her heart softening, and smiled sincerely, offering her her best wishes:

"Yes, I wish Ninth Brother all the best in his studies, and that we will meet again someday."

***

Since returning from the Xie family, the lives of the three Shen siblings have returned to normal.

As usual, Shen Miao gets up early every day to go to the morning market. She already has a regular customer base for her hand-pulled pancakes and red bean buns, so she can sell them much more easily than before.

And in the daily routine of running her stall, she made several new friends besides Mei San Niang.

Originally, her stall was next to Mei San Niang's fragrant drink stall on the right and an old man selling shoes on the left. But after she hadn't set up her stall for three days, when she returned, the stall next to her on the left had been taken over by a young girl selling wooden hairpins and hair accessories. She looked younger than her, about fifteen or sixteen years old.

Mei San Niang said she was the daughter of the Mi family in the nearby Elm Tree Alley. Her father was a woodcarving master, and she had been learning woodcarving from him since she was a child. She was exceptionally talented in this art, so her father didn't adhere to the tradition of passing on his skills only to his sons and taught all his knowledge to his daughter.

Although Mi Xiaoniangzi's large furniture pieces are not yet well-carved, she is more than capable of carving small wooden hairpins.

This young lady, surnamed Mi, seemed a bit shy. She neither shouted nor solicited customers when setting up her stall. Instead, she set up a small table and sat behind it with a small carving knife, engrossed in carving wooden hairpins. However, her practice of carving and selling on the spot, and the fact that customers could place a deposit to have her customize new designs, attracted many onlookers, and her business was surprisingly good.

Seeing that her craftsmanship was indeed good, Shen Miao bought three hairpins: one was a butterfly-patterned flower hairpin, which was for Xiang Jie'er; another was a peach and double happiness hairpin, which was for herself; and the last one was a dragonfly-patterned hairpin, which was for Ji Ge'er.

In the Song Dynasty, both men and women could wear flowers in their hair. During festivals such as the Shangsi Festival and the Lantern Festival, the emperor would even personally bestow flowers upon his officials. The flowers bestowed upon officials of different ranks were not the same. Therefore, on major festival days, the streets were crowded with people, and everyone, regardless of gender, was dressed in flowers.

Some of these hair ornaments are made of seasonal fresh flowers, while others are made of gauze, wood carvings, or gold and silver flowers.

In Bianjing (Kaifeng), the market for hair ornaments has been consistently strong, but the competition is fierce.

Originally, Shen Miao didn't have many opportunities to talk to that young lady Mi, as she was busy making pancakes and Mi was busy carving flowers. But one day, perhaps seeing how well Mi was selling, another vendor selling silk hair ornaments soon appeared next to her. It was a woman dressed very fashionably, her hair adorned with all sorts of eye-catching hairpins of various sizes, and her calls were crisp and clear. She would call out melodiously from time to time: "Hair ornaments for sale! Peonies, peonies, roses, all kinds of flowers in bloom—" She quickly snatched away a lot of business.

The next day, the woman selling silk hair accessories called out again, "Hair accessories for sale—"

As Shen Miao was making pancakes, she suddenly heard Mi Xiaoniangzi shout at the top of her lungs, "Me too!"

She burst out laughing.

Mi Xiaoniangzi turned to look at her innocently, and Shen Miao quickly withdrew her smile, then cut a piece of red bean bun and handed it to her. Mi Xiaoniangzi timidly took it and shyly thanked her in a low voice. That's how the two of them became acquainted.

My other friend is a bit special... a big tabby cat that comes to the bridge on time every day to mooch fried chicken cutlets. This tabby cat is quite majestic, with tattoos on its arms and back, and it always walks with its head held high and chest out, just like a big tiger.

One day, no one knows where it came from, it suddenly twitched its nose, squatted in front of Shen Miao's stall and refused to leave. It even went around to the back of the stall and raised its tail to rub against Shen Miao's legs.

The fur on Chenmiao's skirt got all tangled from the friction.

But she was also touched by the gentle touch, so when there were no customers, she cracked open an egg, fried it separately, and squatted down to feed it to the dog.

I casually reached out and stroked the tabby cat's fur.

It slurped its food with gusto, and even stuck its rear end up for Chenmiao to pat.

"Oh, you really know how to enjoy yourself." Despite her words of disgust, Shen Miao's hands were already busy serving the big raccoon, making it slurp as it ate.

After serving her guests, Mei San Niang heard a cat meowing, turned around, and chuckled, arms crossed, "Chen Niangzi, you're in trouble! This cat is notorious for being clingy around here. Once you feed it, it won't leave. Let me tell you, there used to be a young man named Gui under this bridge. I don't know what he did for a living, but he would go fishing under this bridge. Sometimes he would only catch one or two fish a day. This cat was very obedient and would sit beside him every day waiting for him to catch a fish. All the little fish that young man Gui worked so hard to catch ended up in the cat's mouth. And that's not all. Fishing is all about luck. When young man Gui didn't catch any fish, he would turn around and meet the cat's two expectant eyes. How could he bear it? He would have to slink away and go buy two fish to feed it."

As Shen Miao borrowed a ladle of water from Mei San Niang to wash her hands, she suddenly realized: No wonder this raccoon's fur was so shiny and glossy, it's really amazing!

As Mei San Niang had predicted, after Shen Miao fed it once, it came to the stall every day to wait. Shen Miao didn't want to feed it fried meat with soy sauce and salt, so she followed in the footsteps of Gui Xiao Lang Jun and specially boiled a small piece of chicken for it every day. Sometimes, when there were too many customers and they were in too much of a hurry, she was so busy that her back ached from standing. When she turned around, she could see Xiang Jie'er holding the big tabby cat and dozing off against the bridge pier.

As the sunlight grew stronger, a child and a cat slept sprawled out, their bodies glistening in the sunlight and exuding a fluffy scent.

She watched quietly for a while, and the fatigue in her body seemed to dissipate.

The same thing happened that day. Shen Miao sold out of hand-pulled pancakes and steamed buns. Xiang Jie'er also squatted down and held the tabby cat's front paw, bidding it a reluctant farewell. Shen Miao had originally intended to take the cat home and raise it, but the cat seemed unwilling. After eating and enjoying Xiang Jie'er's chubby little hands brushing its fur and patting its bottom, it leisurely licked its paw, jumped onto the bridge pier, and then took a few steps down the bridge to patrol along the alleys on both sides of Jinliang Bridge.

It turns out it has claimed both streets of Jinliang Bridge as its own territory.

Shen Miao realized it once again, shaking his head and sighing: So it wasn't Mimi, it was Sang Biao!

So Shenmiao had no choice but to establish a platonic friendship with the giant raccoon.

After saying goodbye to Maomao today, she and Xiangjie, as usual, carried their shoulder poles into the alley. Before they even entered, they heard several women gathered together talking.

I also heard her name.

Shen Miao raised an eyebrow: Yes, her peaceful days seemed to be mixed with some increasingly complete and bizarre stories, and these stories were all born from the mouths of these aunts.