Chapter 75 Chapter 75 School Tools.

Seeing that Ji Yuan was angry and Ji Zhi was always depressed, Cui Si couldn't strike up a conversation with them, so she walked further away and went to Feng's field to look for Feng Fuzhen.

The Feng family had plowed nearly a hundred acres of land. The iron plow was clumsy, and some corners near the ridges were not plowed. Bao was seen holding an iron spade, stepping on it, and prying the soil in the corners.

Feng Fuzhen used a wooden hoe to break up the large lumps of soil that had been turned up.

Cui Si originally thought Feng Fuzhen would be angry. After all, she had grown increasingly dissatisfied with the Ji family's second branch, and now there was a rumor that her sisters were going to the enlightenment class, so she said:

"Enlightenment is nothing. The only serious scholar in our village is your third uncle."

While looking up, I saw Feng Yun planting rice in the distance.

Hearing Aunt Xu calling him, he stood up and saw that he was a handsome man with some mud spots on his mouse-gray brown clothes.

Aunt Xu asked him to put down his work and go back to study, fearing that he would tire himself out. He said it didn't matter for a while, and continued to plant rice.

Cui Si's cheeks turned slightly red when she saw this.

Feng Fuzhen, who was standing by, said, "My third uncle is the only scholar in Bengu Village. Do you think that library will accept anyone who wants to learn from it?

After all, it was a famous bookstore in the surrounding area, but there was only one teacher. My third uncle wanted to go there for enlightenment, but he kept saying that the students were full and he didn't accept any students.

Later, I found an old gentleman who had retired from the army and went to his home to give him enlightenment. When he was twelve years old, because he was said to have good talent, he went to the scripture house next door to study, and he has been studying there ever since.

If Ji Erfeng spreads the news, and the library turns him away, I'll be waiting to see him make a fool of himself!

After hearing this, Mrs. Bao sighed and said, "Can't you little girls just play together peacefully?

It's like fighting cocks all day long. You won't have such a good time when you get married."

It is said that Ji Xu arrived at the county market and opened a tofu shop. All kinds of tofu, tofu skin and other things were neatly displayed on the wooden table.

Ji Feng was full of energy and said:

"It's so comfortable to ride in a bullock cart. My legs don't feel sore at all."

"Sister, I want to take Xiaozhu to stroll around the city." Since there were fewer customers, she said to Ji Xu.

Ji Xu was waving a whisk to shoo away the flying insects. With the arrival of spring and the slightly warmer weather, the flies and insects were more numerous. Hearing this, he said:

"The remaining things have been sold out. Sister will take you to go shopping. The county has reported two cases of thieves kidnapping and selling boys.

You are still young, so you must not leave my sight, otherwise I won’t bring you two here next time.”

The matter was of great importance, so she spoke with particular emphasis. Feng and Zhu were the governors, and when they heard about it, they immediately remembered that their sister had been kidnapped and sold a few years ago. How could they run around and stay quietly in the tofu shop?

At noon, the waiter from the small food stall across the street brought over three bowls of suochuang.

"Sister Ji, the noodles you ordered are the same as usual, with hot pork slices!"

When Ji Xu came to do business, he often ate the sou bing across the street. It was run by a couple and the cakes were delicious and the price was affordable.

The young man knew the place well, so he put the noodles on her wooden table and asked why her two sisters came. While they were chatting, his mother called him to put away the dishes, and he ran away.

I saw that the rope cake was a thin pancake cut into thin strips, floating in the soup like white silk, and there were also blanched cabbage and meat slices in it, and garnished with green chopped green onions.

There were not many customers at the moment, so the three of them knelt down at the wooden table and started eating.

"No wonder I saw that the business across the street was so good. This suowan is so delicious."

I've been hungry since this morning. Ji Feng ate with relish, and at the end, only some soup was left.

Ji Zhu was smaller in size and couldn't finish the huge bowl of noodle cakes. When there was some left, she put down her chopsticks and said she was full.

Ji Feng felt it was a pity, so he moved over and took a few bites. His stomach felt uncomfortable, so he paused and burped.

Seeing this, Ji Xu said, "Don't overdo it, there's nothing left."

As he said this, he took the bowl away.

Ji Feng said, "I've eaten the meat slices in here. It would be a shame to leave them alone. They don't take up much space in my stomach."

Upon hearing this, Jizhu also picked up the wooden chopsticks, and the two of them finished eating the meat together.

After a while, the boy came to collect the dishes and chopsticks. She continued to sell for another half an hour, then closed the stall and took her to go shopping.

Feng and Zhu were so excited that they walked in the tunnel, pointing at the shops left and right and chatting.

"Sister, is that a bookstore?"

In that shop, the shelves on both sides were filled with bamboo slips. At that time, paper was rare, and the slips were all made of bamboo or wood. There were bamboo slips strung together into volumes, rolled up into rolls; there were also single wooden slips, one foot long and wide, stacked in piles.

The two sisters entered the bookstore, their eyes wide open with curiosity and joy.

"Those are books? No wonder they say scholars have to have smart brains. How can they remember so many books?" Ji Feng was speechless.

"Buy some pens, inks and inkstones for children's early education." Ji Xu said to the shopkeeper.

Later, I picked out four rabbit-hair brushes, two ink sticks with plum blossom patterns, two square and round inkstones, and a hundred thin sheets of paper.

A 笘 is a blank wooden tablet used by children to write on. It is certainly not as light and convenient as paper, but it is the only one available nowadays.

"Girl, you should buy a bookcase. Look at my bookcase, it's made of fir wood and has two layers. One layer is for utensils, and the other layer can also hold a food box. It's very convenient."

The shopkeeper showed it to me. It was a long, rectangular wooden box with a handle on it and a wooden baffle in the front. When it was pulled upwards, two layers of space were revealed inside.

Ji Xu saw that some of the children who were being taught to read were also carrying these book boxes, so he bought two.

Remembering the sound of reading I heard outside the library, I bought two copies of "Jijiupian" for calligraphy practice. They were bamboo scrolls. Books are precious nowadays and are still covered with cloth bags.

"By the way, we should also buy two desks and two cushions."

In this way, you can have a learning environment at home.

After thinking for a moment, he changed his words and said, "Three futons."

It is more comfortable to kneel on a cushion, and she needs to use a cushion when kneeling every day, otherwise her knees will not be able to bear it in a few years.

When he walked out of the door, Ji Feng looked at the bookstore with a look of astonishment and said:

"It shouldn't be called a bookstore, it should be called a money-selling store. I went in and stood there for a short while, and already 1,500 coins were gone. It's really scary."

Ji Xu smiled and touched the back of her head and said, "The purpose of making money is to live a better life. Once you spend the money, you can earn more. It's not worth it."

It was not easy to carry all these items with me, so I left them temporarily in the bookstore and agreed with the shopkeeper to take them when I left. Now, holding hands, they turned a corner and entered the bamboo shop.

"Sister, what are we doing here?" Ji Feng asked.

"I heard from Anai of the Gan family that the library provided a small stove for heating the pot. I brought firewood with me and heated up my lunch there.

From now on, I will carry you to the library in the morning and pick you up from school in the afternoon. You can have lunch there.

I'll buy two food boxes to hold dry food, rice, or bread for you."

The food box was about one foot long and half a foot wide, made of tightly woven bamboo. The lid was closed and tied with a rope to prevent food from spilling. Of course, dry food or cakes could be put in directly, but for rice, I'm afraid I'd have to put two bowls in it.

Later he bought a piece of light green fine cloth, and loaded all these things onto the cart, drove it to Duting, untied the ox from the stable, harnessed the cart, and drove home.

The notice offering a reward of fifty taels of silver was still posted on the wall of Duting Gate.

"I guess it's time for you to come. Look, I've saved all this for you."

Butcher Li smiled and took out a long piece of pork meat from the cool bucket under the long table.

She is familiar with Butcher Li and is used to buying meat here.

The meat was a good combination of fat and lean meat. When they set out early in the morning, Ji Xu asked Butcher Li to leave it for her. If she had bought it in advance, it would have become stale after being dried in the sun, so she agreed to come and get it later.

"Have you prepared your supplies? Okay, I won't keep you away any longer. They'll be done with school later, so you should go visit Master Yang, right?"

Ji Xu took the meat, smiled and drove away.

Feng Fuzhen, who was holding the basket tightly at the back, saw the desk and other things on the back of the ox cart, all of which were used for studying. Her third uncle was the only one in her family who had these things. She curled her lips and said angrily:

"Do you really think that library accepts anyone, cat or dog?"

"Let's go, Fuzhen."

Mrs. Xu counted the money and called out.

The grandmother and granddaughter came to the village market to sell water chestnuts.

Feng Fuzhen turned around and said, "Auntie, Third Uncle is almost done with school. Shall we go to the Jingshe Hall to pick him up and go back together?"

The scripture house where Feng Yun studied the classics was only half a mile away from the library where he was first enlightened. He could hear the sound of reciting books from one end to the other.

She wanted to go and see for herself how the Xu girl would make a fool of herself and see how she was turned away. Thinking of this, even the water chestnut seller felt less uncomfortable.

At this time, from the ox cart with squeaking wheels, the tile house could be seen from afar, and there was a crowd of vehicles in front of the door.

Ji Feng couldn't help but pat her clothes, turned around and patted Ji Zhu clean, straightened the corners of her clothes, and asked:

"Xiaozhu, do you still remember how to say hello?"

Ji Zhu was about to stand up respectfully, but was held down and told, "Be careful not to fall down and fall off the car, then sit down and tell me about it."

Ji Zhu's voice was crisp, like a freshly-bitten pear, and she said sweetly:

"Hello, Master Yang. I am Jizhu, six years old, and I hope to be accepted into your family."

Ji Feng smiled and said, "That's it. Don't be timid later."

She was as bright as a firecracker, while Ji Zhu was more reserved, so Ji Xu had taught her in advance at home.

"Auntie, the Sutra Hall will be closed for a while. There are a lot of people there. Let's go there and talk to people. We can also keep an eye on this side." Feng Fuzhen pointed to the library over there.

Old Lady Xu knew that the library was for children's enlightenment. She had heard about the Ji sisters in the fields early in the morning. She saw them getting off the ox cart at the door of the library. How could she not know what her granddaughter was thinking? But she also went there with the intention of watching the fun.

There were many adults here. When they heard that Xu's son was studying scriptures next door, they all said:

"Incredible! I wonder how your family became a disciple of that great scholar?"

Xu smiled and said, "It all depends on his talent."

The gate opened and children came out. Behind them came Master Yang, a scroll in one hand, and came out. When he saw Ji Xu waiting under the peach tree in front of his house, he was very surprised and called out:

"Yu Niang! Look who's here? Hurry up and kill the chicken and make some meat!"

While leading them into the courtyard, the courtyard door was closed by a child, blocking Feng Fuzhen's anxious and angry gaze.

He angrily said, "Who is Ji Xu to Master Yang? Is she worthy of being killed for chicken soup?"

Instead of being turned away as she expected, she was politely invited in. Feng Fuzhen was so angry that her face turned stern, and Aunt Xu beside her also lost the mood to chat with others.

"Grandmother, Feng and Zhu's parents-in-law won't really be able to go to their parents' home for enlightenment, right?" Feng Fuzhen asked. In fact, she was thinking the same thing in her heart. If they also went, her idea would be even stronger.

"The Sutra Hall has been dismissed. Let's go over there and wait for your uncle." Aunt Xu said, and then changed the subject.