Chapter 56

The school was built in the style of modern classrooms. The classrooms on the east side are for young children, that is, for lower grades, and the classrooms on the west side are for adult children. A playground was also built for students to run in the morning and shoot targets at other times.

That’s right, as a modern intellectual who has been a student for more than ten years, Lin Shuge said that how can you not do morning exercises, especially for adults, you must run.

Lin Shuge looked at a row of low houses in the distance, and He Yan said, "That's where the Master lives."

Since the school was not a non-profit institution, the salary paid to the teachers was not as high as that of Bitong Academy. The teachers could only be compensated with an extra dormitory.

He and He Yan were walking and talking when they heard the sound of the teacher leading the reading from inside. Lin Shuge looked out the window and saw several rows of students sitting inside, following the teacher in reciting The Analects.

Lin Shuge took a look inside. The teacher looked very young, but had a calm demeanor. He quoted from classics effortlessly and in a simple and easy-to-understand manner. He couldn't help but listen for a long while.

Under He Yan's expectant gaze, Lin Shuge had no choice but to go with him to an empty classroom with a large blackboard in front of it.

This is Lin Shuge's description of the method that Xiangli Gu came up with. It is made of several flat black stone slabs spliced ​​together. If there are not enough stone slabs, wooden boards dyed black with ink can also be used.

Chalk is made by grinding gypsum stone into powder and pouring water into a mold.

Lin Shuge took a piece of chalk and wrote down the 26 pinyin letters on the blackboard, read out their pronunciations one by one, and then wrote a few simple words and used pinyin to indicate their pronunciations.

Ancient phonetic notation was either direct phonetic, which is using the pronunciation of one character to represent another character. However, this method has a big disadvantage, that is, for people who are just beginning to learn to read, the character used to represent the pronunciation may not be recognized.

Therefore, the fanqie method was later used, which uses two Chinese characters to indicate pronunciation. The upper character of fanqie represents the initial consonant of the character being pronounced, and the lower character of fanqie represents the final vowel and tone of the character being pronounced. For example, "gu" is "guhuqie", and the pronunciation of "gu" is spelled out using the initial consonant of "gu" and the final vowel and tone of "hu".

However, the shortcomings are still obvious. The two fanqie characters may not be recognized, and the pronunciation is constantly changing with the times. The same character will change in different eras, and the resulting pronunciation will also be inaccurate.

Therefore, Lin Shuge directly uses modern simple pinyin to teach young children, at least to learn to read first and then read classics.

He Yan studied very hard. In this era, the systematic phonology of later generations had not yet been formed. This was the first time he heard such a novel way of phonetic notation. It could help to annotate new words quickly and was very suitable for young children.

He had a good memory and quickly learned the pronunciation of the letters. Seeing that he was studying very hard, Lin Shuge did not disturb him and left the classroom on his own.

Outside, Xiangli Gu and Zhou Du were following County Magistrate Li on a tour. Behind them was a large group of merchants. County Magistrate Li still had a childish heart and asked this and that. At the moment, he was playing with a crossbow in his hand.

Lin Shuge suggested setting up a handicraft class in the school, and Xiang Ligu would come to substitute for the class when he was free. After all, not all students were suitable for a career in officialdom or economics, and maybe a few good talents could be found.

Magistrate Li saw Lin Shuge and said, "Shuge, I heard that you made some new things for the school. Some people from the county academy are waiting for me outside the door. Why don't you go and send them away?"

"Yes, sir."

Lin Shuge pretended not to notice Xiang Ligu's eyes and winked at Zhou Du. Zhou Du smiled at him and quietly slipped out when Magistrate Li was not paying attention.

"Finally got out. It was boring to accompany the county magistrate on a tour. Let's go out and take a look at those teachers. When I wanted to ask them to come out, they all refused. Now they have the nerve to come to my door." Zhou Du complained as soon as he came out.

It was very lively outside the school today, with people sending their children to school, relatives of merchants, and people who were just watching the fun, crowding inside and outside.

When Lin Shuge came out, he saw several teachers from the academy walking back and forth anxiously. When they saw Lin Shuge coming out, they hurried over.

"Greetings to County Magistrate Lin and Chief Clerk Zhou."

Lin Shuge straightened his sleeves and said, "I heard that you all came to see me. What's the matter?"

Zhou Du watched from the side with a gloating look on his face.

A man in a blue robe said, "I heard that the school run by the adults has developed a thing called a blackboard. It can be written and erased. It can be used indefinitely without wasting ink and paper. It is very convenient for the teacher to teach."

The person next to him pulled him and signaled him to get to the point.

He paused, and then said, "We would like to buy a prescription from you, sir. I hope you can..."

Before he finished speaking, Zhou Du said indignantly: "The school was short of people at that time, and I wanted to ask you to lend me a few people. I don't remember you having this attitude."

The government-run schools allow students to study for free, which naturally does not benefit them in any way and will also cause them to lose a large number of students. These academies have long been prepared to watch the joke.

I didn't expect that there would be so many people coming here today. They eavesdropped secretly and heard about the blackboard. They thought they could buy the prescription from the government. After all, Lin Shuge's generosity was obvious to the whole county.

"I have no say over this recipe. It was thought up by the county magistrate and the county officials. I cannot make the decision alone. Please go back."

After saying that, he and Zhou Du left in anger.

Several people were left at a loss. Wasn't it said that County Magistrate Lin was very generous? Why is he so stingy this time? It's not like he's taking it for free. Besides, this is something that will benefit the local people and educate them. As the county magistrate, shouldn't he give a hand?

Someone nearby heard their conversation and joked, "You're still trying to take advantage of the government. I heard that when you asked them for help, they all pretended not to understand. Now you're asking for help."

"Hey, I heard that County Magistrate Lin often gives away prescriptions for free, as long as the things these people make are beneficial to the people."

"That's right. County Magistrate Lin is such a nice person, gentle and polite, but he even got mad at me."

Several people were squeezed to the point that their faces turned blue, but they did not dare to argue with others here. After all, County Magistrate Li was still in the school. If they angered County Magistrate Li again, they would be in big trouble.

They could only secretly think about how to make up for it and come back next time, but they all ran away in shame.

After the ceremony, Lin Shuge returned to the official residence and took the kitten from his colleague. It had just eaten and was sleeping soundly, looking innocent and naive.

No wonder everyone nowadays is a cat lover. When they see a cat, all worries and unhappiness disappear.

Zhou Du touched its soft belly and said, "This little ancestor is sleeping so soundly."

The kitten smacked its lips in its sleep, then held its head with its two front paws and continued to sleep soundly.

The series of actions made several colleagues in the clerk's residence feel itchy. Someone leaned over and asked, "Where did you get this little thing, sir?"

"It was given by a foreign merchant." Lin Shuge replied as he put the cat into its nest.

Several people had different thoughts in their minds, and they secretly decided that when they met foreign merchants in Guanshi in the future, they would ask if they had cats.

The day passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye it was time to get off duty. Lin Shuge carried the cat back home. The kitten had already woken up on the way, but it didn't make any noise or cry. It was indeed a cat that had crossed several borders and had seen the world. A mere two-legged animal on the street didn't scare it.

The streets were very busy in the afternoon. Looking at the increasing number of vendors on the street, Lin Shuge thought he should discuss with Magistrate Li about expanding the street. After all, the northwest was vast and sparsely populated, so there was no need to worry about running out of land.

Someone on the street was hawking to sell shallots, which are smaller than scallions but have a stronger flavor. Lin Shuge paid for a handful and can mix them with noodles or make scallion oil noodles.

After buying it, Lin Shuge saw a peddler selling a basket of alfalfa, so he reached out to stop him.

The peddler put down his load and saw Lin Shuge in his official uniform. He said timidly, "Sir, I just came to the county to sell vegetables. I have done nothing wrong."

Lin Shuge said with a smile: "I just want to buy the alfalfa you picked."

The vendor was relieved and grabbed a bag of alfalfa. "Sir, these are for you. My wife and I picked them in the fields."

There are many horse breeds in the northwest. After alfalfa was introduced here, it was generally planted to feed horses. It can not only be used as food for horses, but also fertilizes the soil.

However, the earliest batch is fresh and green, and it is very refreshing to eat cold after blanching.

Lin Shuge ignored him, asked him to help weigh a pound, paid the money, and walked away happily with the vegetables and the cat.

When someone nearby saw him leave, he said, "That person is County Magistrate Lin. How could he take advantage of ordinary people like us?"

The vendor asked in surprise, "Lin County Magistrate?"

The man continued to ramble on: "We are still in Ganzhou, with such good officials. Look at the streets, there are many more people than in previous years. I heard that Qingquan County is plagued by bandits and people are starving to death. The officials don't care about the lives of the people."

The vendor nodded. "If you know it's County Magistrate Lin, how can I take his money? This year, my family used the plow issued by the government to grow crops quickly and well. My wife also made a lot of money from the woolen clothes she knitted. I heard that it was also County Magistrate Lin's idea."

"Yes, and there are also things that everyone in the county knows about these days."

The vendor asked, "What's going on?"

"As for the school, since it is opened for the first time, it only accepted a group of students. I heard that the government intends to run more than just this one?" the man whispered.

The vendor said anxiously, "If we can do more than one, then maybe my Ah Mao can go to school and become a scholar in the future."

"That's natural."

They both sighed at the same time: "I hope that County Magistrate Lin will always be in the county and be blessed by the gods from all directions."

Lin Shuge was unaware of their sighs. He returned home, fed the hungry kitten with goat milk, heated up the kang, and stuffed it into its nest. Looking at it crawling around in the nest after eating its fill, he chuckled and got up to cook for himself.

There is no one at home and I always feel empty. Now that I have a kitten, I feel less lonely.

He fetched a bucket of water from the yard, poured it into a wooden basin and washed the vegetables. While washing, he was thinking about giving the cat a name. He couldn't just keep calling the cat a cat.

This cat is snow-white all over. Dabu said it was from Daqin. He didn't know what breed it was, but it looked a bit like a lion cat, so let's call it Xiaobai.

A humble name is easy to maintain.

Lin Shuge estimated that Xiaobai would only live for a dozen days at most. There were no pet hospitals in this era, so he still had to be carefully cared for.

After washing the vegetables, he kneaded the dough and made a bowl of ramen, mixed it with a plate of alfalfa, and topped it with the green onions he had bought. It tasted very good.

After finishing the meal, I was about to clean up the dishes when I heard a noise coming from the door.

Lin Shuge quickly cleaned up the dishes and washed the pot. He was just about to make a basket of buns to eat tomorrow morning when he heard the noise getting louder and louder, as if it came directly into the alley.

After a while, someone started knocking on the door, and Lin Shuge had to open it, but he didn't expect that it was Dabu outside the door.

"Sir, I finally found your home." He asked and inquired along the way before he found this place.

Lin Shuge made way for him to come in, "What do you want from me?"

Dabu was a little embarrassed. "Thank you for your care, sir. I have already negotiated the business with the Zhou family and the Qian family, and will leave tomorrow. I came here today to thank you, sir. You are even more powerful than the gods of Wuran Mountain..."

"Stop, stop, stop. I don't buy it." Lin Shuge handed him a cup of tea.

Dabu smiled and stroked his curly hair. "My Lord once asked me to find some seeds, but I only thought about seeds. Last time, I saw that my Lord liked that plant, and suddenly I remembered that there is a plant that produces bright red fruits. The merchants in Daqin said it was the fruit of a fox."

He thought Lin Shuge liked this kind of ornamental plant, so he wanted to ask before leaving, hoping that he would benefit from bringing it back next time.

Fox fruit? red? Could it be tomatoes? Tomatoes were not introduced to Lin Shuge until the Ming Dynasty. Like peppers, they were also grown for viewing due to their bright colors. They were not eaten until the late Qing Dynasty.

"Does it have yellow flowers? Are there small thorns on the stems and leaves next to the fruit?"

"How does your Excellency know?" Dabu asked with his jade-colored eyes filled with confusion.

"Never mind how I know this, have you ever seen any weird plants, like ones that are poisonous if eaten?

Dabu tilted his head to think for a moment, then clenched his fist and said, “I suddenly remembered that I once saw a merchant from further west selling a kind of rhizome, but someone got poisoned after eating it.

"Is it round, brown on the outside and yellow on the inside?" Lin Shuge stood up excitedly.

Dabu was shocked again, "How did you know that, sir?"

Potatoes, have they already appeared in this era? Yes, isn’t the Qin Dynasty that Dabu was talking about Rome? The spread routes of many species in later generations originally went from the Mediterranean through the Silk Road to China. Maybe they just appeared earlier now?

But these were all transmitted from America. Could it be that the earth’s map was different in this era?

No matter what, he was able to travel through time, so there are so many strange things. This is potato, maybe next time it will be corn. In later generations, potatoes were produced in abundance in the northwest, and the wide noodles produced in Dingxi were made of potatoes.

He cleared his throat and calmed his heart which was beating non-stop due to excitement. "Dab, please bring these two kinds of trouble back to me. Seeds are fine, but plants are better. I will reward you handsomely."

He stood up and went back to the house, and took out a bag of gems from the box. These were brought back by Xie Chen, who said they were captured trophies. Lin Shuge picked out a piece that looked inconspicuous and walked out.

"Take this as payment for your hard work. If you see a plant with broad branches and leaves, green fruit skin with neatly arranged yellow grains inside, and brown tendrils, bring it back." He handed the gem to Dabu.

Dabu, who was born in the Western Regions, really liked it and accepted it readily, and promised to bring back everything that Lin Shuge mentioned.

He hesitated to speak, glanced at Lin Shuge secretly, and asked, "Sir, how is the raccoon?"

Lin Shuge's expression turned cold. This man from the Western Regions, his gratitude was fake, but he really wanted to take the opportunity to see my cat, right? He glanced at Dabu suspiciously. Would this guy want to go back after seeing the cat recover?

Noticing Lin Shuge's expression, Dabu quickly explained, "Sir, I just want to take a look, I have no other intentions."

He wiped the sweat off his forehead in his heart, thinking that sending the raccoon away was indeed a favor to this adult. When he heard that he wanted to see a cat, all the hair on his body stood up.

Lin Shuge then let him go into the house and take the cat out. Xiaobai slept a lot today, and after eating, he kept biting the blanket in the nest and playing.

Dabu reached out and touched the top of its head. Xiaobai had forgotten about him and opened his mouth to bite it. Unfortunately, Dabu had thick skin and flesh, and Xiaobai's few teeth were unable to bite it.

"You little heartless boy! The adults take such good care of you." Seeing that the cat is full of energy and has gained a lot of weight, Dabu sighed sincerely.

After seeing the cat, Dabu said that he would leave Ganzhou tomorrow as he had to go back to organize the goods, so he said goodbye to Lin Shuge.

Looking at Dabu's back, Lin Shuge poked Xiaobai's round belly and said, "It seems that you still like it this way." After all, following Dabu means sleeping in the open air, and following him means you can have all the best food and drink.

However, if we really find potatoes, which are drought-resistant, high-yielding, and have a short growth cycle, they can be a lifesaver if we encounter a famine.

The next day, Lin Shuge got up and heated up two buns filled with radish. He bought them from an old woman's stall on the street a few days ago. In spring, the mountains are full of radish, and hardworking people will go up the mountain to pick up a basket of radish, wash them, and eat them themselves or sell them.

He chewed the bun numbly. Xiaobai had been making a fuss all night last night and he had to get up to feed it goat milk and help it with its bowel movements. He had hardly slept. Looking at the cat sleeping soundly in the bag, Lin Shuge poked its forehead in anger.

Xiaobai was poked awake, opened his little mouth and yawned, his eyes still sleepy as he looked at Lin Shuge mistily. Suddenly, he lost all energy.

When he arrived at the county government office, he put Xiaobai back in his old seat, fed him and started working.

As soon as Zhou Du arrived, he ran to play with the cat. After watching it for a while, he sighed and said, "How about keeping your cat in the county government office? I can play with it every day."

Lin Shuge was reading official documents. Something happened recently. Two minor clerks had a fight and it was quite a big fight. Lin Shuge was anxiously looking at the two men's confessions and ignored Zhou Du.

Zhou Du was indeed a little worried. "Something is wrong with this day this year. It hasn't rained much since the beginning of spring. Although we don't have much rain here, it's too little this year."

Lin Shuge put down his pen and looked at Zhou Du.

Zhou Du walked over quickly and said, "Didn't you notice? In previous years, there was more rain. Our county is fine because we have irrigation wheels to irrigate crops. It doesn't affect us. But I don't know how the neighboring Wei County and Longxi County are doing."

"Please don't cause any disaster." Zhou Du sighed.

As a modern man, Lin Shuge has long forgotten what it feels like to rely on the weather for a living, so he really didn't pay attention to the weather this year.

If it is true as Zhou Du said, drought caused by too little rain would be a tragedy in ancient times. Lin Shuge thought of the shocking words he saw when reading history books and felt quite worried.

Seeing Lin Shuge's expression, Zhou Du said, "But maybe I'm just worrying too much. It will rain in a few days. There's no point in us worrying."

He shook his head and sat down to work.

Lin Shuge looked at the sky outside. The sun was shining brightly and it was getting hotter and hotter. He hoped there would be no drought.

The sun was setting. Lin Shuge stood up and stretched his sore waist, then fed Xiaobai. The little guy was well-behaved. He didn't cry when he was hungry, but lay in the nest chewing his feet.

When Zhou Du saw that he was going to feed the cat, he immediately dropped the work in his hands and said, "I'll do it, I'll feed it this time."

Lin Shuge had no choice but to step aside and let him come.

"It's growing so fast. It will be able to run and jump in a while." Zhou Du said while touching its round belly after feeding it.

"By the way, I saw a pastry shop on the street a few days ago. The pastries sold there were all ones I had never seen before. Was it your work?" Zhou Du asked while holding Xiaobai.

He had worked as an assistant at Lin Shuge's house before, and these cakes looked very familiar, very similar to the cakes he had worked hard for for a long time but still hadn't been able to eat.

Lin Shuge watched him stroking his cat with one hand while looking at him with an accusing look, and said with a smile: "Didn't I give you another one later?"

On the day of Shangsi Festival, a cake was sent to Lin Xuan, and Lin Shuge also specially asked someone to send a small one to Zhou Du.

"You're still talking about this. The one you gave me was too small. I didn't get much at all. The old lady at home likes it, my sister-in-law likes it, and my niece likes it more. I can't fight with them for it. My old lady made the decision and left me a small piece, which is not even enough to fill the gap between my teeth." He pinched two fingers for comparison.

"Tell me quickly, is it you?" After Xiaobai was full, he made a fuss and wanted to move, so Zhou Du had to put him back into the nest.

"I gave you the recipe." Lin Shuge spread his hands.

Zhou Du slammed the table, "I knew it was you. Tell me quickly, who is the owner of this store? Let me see if I recognize him." He frowned and thought for a while, "Could it be Xu Yu?"

"It's Principal Leshan." Lin Shuge lowered his head and wrote a few words, then replied.

"Principal Le? How could she, a principal of a college, think of selling cakes?" Zhou Du walked up to Lin Shuge with a sly smile, "As expected, we have become close to you. Everyone seems to be obsessed with money. My brother is now busy with these things all day long. My little niece keeps asking me where her father is and why he hasn't come back yet."

Lin Shuge put down the brush in his hand and squinted his eyes to look at Zhou Du, who looked heartless and had no idea how expensive firewood and rice were.

“You’ll know when you have no money.”

Zhou Du touched his chin and said, "That's true. County Magistrate Li will go to inspect the academies tomorrow. Will you go?"

Since it was related to the education of a county, County Magistrate Li would visit some local academies every year to learn about the teaching conditions and students' learning situation. Just like the inspections by leaders in later generations, Lin Shuge would naturally go with him.

"Go, the master has ordered you and I to go together." Lin Shuge replied.

"I want to go too?" Zhou Du wailed, "Don't you know that some academies like to be built on mountains? It takes me half my life to climb them once. I don't know why these people build their academies so high? Fortunately, Bitong Academy is in the county, so I didn't have to climb mountains when I went to school."

"Studying requires a quiet environment. The mountains are sparsely populated, so it is suitable for building a college."

As the two were talking, a messenger suddenly came to report that the craftsman who had gone to the Eternal Tunnel had returned.

Lin Shuge's eyes were filled with joy and he immediately stood up from his seat. Before Zhou Du could react, he had already run out of the official residence.

When Lin Shuge arrived, several craftsmen were talking excitedly to Xiang Ligu and the others, and two escorting soldiers were standing quietly beside them.

When everyone saw Lin Shuge arriving, they all bowed.

"No need to be so polite. Is everything going well?" Lin Shuge asked.

The craftsman saluted and said, "Everything went well. After I arrived at the Duwei Mansion, Duwei Zhao personally met us and asked the craftsmen in the Duwei Mansion to learn how to make new farm tools from us. After the craftsmen learned how to make new farm tools, they went to the fields to try them out one by one. Then the guard sent his personal guards to take us back."

The two men were all smiling. Captain Zhao was very pleased to see that the new farm tools were very effective in plowing and irrigating the land. He rewarded them with a lot of money. Together with the share from the tunnel chief, they had a great harvest on this trip.

Originally, they were reluctant to travel so far to the Duwei Mansion, but they did not expect to encounter an unexpected surprise, so they decided to go again next time.

Lin Shuge comforted them with a few words, asked about the use of the curved plow and the barrel cart over there, and then let them rest.

Two soldiers had been waiting nearby and they looked young. Lin Shuge thought of Xie Chen and, out of love for him, invited them to his home for dinner.

The two were a bit shy, and when Lin Shuge invited them, they blushed and declined. But when they realized they couldn't refuse anymore, they could only follow Lin Shuge back home.

Looking at Lin Shuge who was walking in front holding a cat, both of them knew that he was the tunnel leader's brother. He was indeed gentle, considerate, and handsome. No wonder the tunnel leader's usually calm expression would always be touched every time he heard news about him.

When they arrived home, Lin Shuge asked the two to sit down and drink tea. He also brought some snacks and pork jerky to fill their stomachs first. Then he went to the kitchen and cooked several dishes in a short while.

The two of them were at the age when young boys could eat their father out of money. When they saw the delicious food, they started to use their chopsticks very quickly and ate so much without even raising their heads.

Well, the ribs are tender, the meatballs are juicy, the water shield is green, and the buns in my hand are delicious too.

They already knew that the stuffed wheat food in their hands was called baozi. The filling of the buns is ground radish, a common wild vegetable in the mountains in spring. When Lin Shuge saw it on the street, he bought a lot of it. After washing it, he made buns with the radish, which tasted very good.

The two of them didn't say anything, just made satisfied "hmm" sounds. After a while, they had swept away all the food on the table and burped.

Looking up, they saw Lin Shuge's smiling face and felt a little embarrassed. They actually let their immediate superior's brother cook for them, and he ate all the food as if he had never eaten before.

But how come County Magistrate Lin, who looks weak and frail, cooks such delicious meals? Isn’t it said that a gentleman should stay away from the kitchen?

"Are you full? If not, do you have more buns?" Lin Shuge asked with concern.

"Enough...enough, thank you very much, sir." One of the soldiers scratched his head and said embarrassedly.

The other one rushed to clean up the dishes and offered to wash them, but was persuaded by Lin Shuge.

The two followed Lin Shuge's home nervously. They were attracted by the delicious food and only remembered their business after they finished eating. They hurriedly ran out to take a cage from the horse.

"Sir, this is what the tunnel commander told you."

Another person took out a letter from his pocket and said, "This is a letter from home."

Lin Shuge took them one by one, and when he looked closely, he found that it was actually a pigeon. A smile appeared in Lin Shuge's eyes. With the pigeon, it would be much more convenient for him and Xie Chen to exchange letters.

He thanked the two soldiers with a smile, stuffed a bag of coins into them, asked them to help Xie Chen carry some things, and then sent them out.

In the letter, Xie Chen reported his safety to him and said that there was an old soldier in the army who was good at raising pigeons. The old soldier was greedy for the food he brought, so he exchanged a small bag of pork jerky for the pigeon, and they could use the pigeon to send messages in the future. His tone was cheerful and Lin Shuge could sense his happiness through the words.

The letter also expressed a few words of missing someone in a subtle and tactful way, which were obviously words that were not said when they parted that day. Lin Shuge blushed a little. Such a straightforward expression was not like Xie Chen's character. It was expected that it was written when he missed her most. The handwriting was a little sloppy, and he must have been embarrassed.

Lin Shuge put the letter away, fed the pigeons some water, and went to clean up and wash up.

The next day, Lin Shuge followed Magistrate Li to inspect various academies. The mountain road was winding and the morning dewdrops dripped and splashed on his robe, making it slightly wet. He gently gathered his clothes and followed Magistrate Li.

Changqing Academy is built on a mountain. In the distance, there are clouds and mist, and the mountains are green and looming, just like a fairyland. Lin Shuge took a deep breath of the mountain air, feeling refreshed, and looked into the distance.

"The scenery is nice. If you don't have anything important to do today, it would be a great pleasure to boil a pot of tea with spring water and enjoy the scenery." Zhou Du saw that he looked relaxed and said comfortably.

Lin Shuge said, "Hmm," "The headmaster of Changqing Academy must be a person who is devoted to nature and has a carefree temperament."

Zhou Du shook his head and said with a smile, "He chose this place simply because he didn't have the money to buy land in the county." He thought for a moment and said, "But if you say he likes mountains and rivers and avoids the world, it makes sense."

Lin Shuge stopped and looked at him.

"He was a man of outstanding talent, and studied under a great scholar of the time, but he strayed from the orthodox path, and everything he did and said was contrary to his teacher, who disliked him. However, he was also very good at poetry and classics. His article 'Ode to the Evil Bird' cursed all the evil villains, but because it was so well written, it was passed on by everyone." Zhou Du explained.

Lin Shuge thought: This person is more like the famous scholar of Wei and Jin Dynasties, who was devoted to mountains and forests, arrogant because of his talent, and unrestrained and willful.

"As a result, he became very famous, and many people came to him because of his reputation. Some of them came just for his name. He would often see through these people and chase them out. He said that he would only accept disciples if he had a good impression of them, and would not accept people like this."

Lin Shuge became more and more curious and asked, "What is this person's name?"

Zhou Du picked up a round leaf at random. "His name is Ye Qi," he glanced at Magistrate Li quietly, "Let me tell you, this guy dislikes our Magistrate for being too old-fashioned, and the two of them are often unhappy."

This is strange. Although County Magistrate Li looks serious, he actually has a very good temper. The fact that Ye Qi has a conflict with him shows that this Ye Qi is indeed weird.

"We're here." County Magistrate Li coughed lightly.

What caught the eye were a few sparse bamboos with yellow leaves, as if they were malnourished. The academy was very simple, with a thatched roof and a few houses. It was far less majestic than the Bitong Academy.

There were several people standing in front of the door. The one leading the group had wide sleeves and a wide belt, with his sleeves slightly rolled up. He looked very handsome, but there was a playful smile between his eyebrows. Behind him followed several disciples, all dressed the same way.

"Mr. County Magistrate, you are here early this time." Ye Qi said with a smile on his face.

"He's saying that the county magistrate forgot about this place last year and was late." Zhou Du whispered to Lin Shuge.

Lin Shuge watched him and Magistrate Li talking back and forth, then stepped back and continued to listen to the gossip.

After the two exchanged cordial and friendly greetings, Ye Qi finally said, "Mr. County Magistrate has come from afar, and my academy doesn't have much to offer. Please feel free to do as you please."

After he said hello, he left leisurely. A disciple stood up and saluted, "Masters, please come this way."

The disciple led everyone to a room, served tea and snacks, and talked with Magistrate Li, his words and behavior being very polite.

Lin Shuge took a sip of the tea. The tea tasted light with a hint of bitterness and a mellow aftertaste. It was very delicious. He couldn't help but drink several sips.

The disciple noticed Lin Shuge's actions and silently added tea several times, introducing: "This tea was picked and roasted by the master himself. If County Magistrate Lin likes it, you can give him a few bags."

Seeing him handling his things like a master, Lin Shuge couldn't help but look at him several times.

"I'm a student." He introduced himself.

Judging from his simplicity and honesty, it seems that Ye Qi does not admire Confucius, but Laozi and Zhuangzi.

"Thank you, but since it belongs to the headmaster, I don't want to steal it away from you." Lin Shuge refused.

Jian Su said, "It's just a few packets of tea. Sir, you don't care about these things. Besides, Sir likes the character of County Magistrate Lin, so he is naturally very happy."

Zhou Du next to him gloated a little, "Lin County Magistrate should accept it. Not everyone can see Ye Shanchang."

Lin Shuge had no choice but to thank Jiansu.

Seeing that everyone had rested enough, Jiansu took them to visit the academy. Then, a flute sound came from somewhere, brisk and interesting, and it was unknown what tune it came from.

Everyone looked over there, but Jiansu acted as if he didn't hear anything and led Lin Shuge and the others to the other side.

After walking for several steps, Lin Shuge didn't see any students reading. Just as he was feeling puzzled, he heard the sound of arguing coming from the woods.

When everyone approached, they could clearly hear that it was a few students arguing about a few words in the sutra. They were arguing so hard that their faces turned red. When they heard the voices from this side, they restrained their expressions and saw the people in official uniforms, and then they bowed and said, "Greetings to all the adults, and to Senior Brother Su."

Magistrate Li waved his hand and said, "Everyone, stand up. No need to be so polite."

A student with a childish face said to Jiansu: "Brother, we have different opinions on the questions assigned by the teacher today. We really can't..."

Jian Su smiled and said, "The song just now in the forest was "Spring Folding"."

When the disciple heard this, he immediately smiled, saluted Lin Shuge and others, and ran away happily.

Lin Shuge couldn't help but laugh when he saw this scene. Zhou Du asked, "Do you know what this means? This scene was not performed in previous years."

"What was the situation like in previous years?" Lin Shuge asked back.

"In previous years, naturally, Dean Ye and the county magistrate would exchange greetings and walk around and that was it. After all, there are other academies." Zhou Du said, looking at him with an inquiring look.

"Who do you think was playing the flute just now?" Lin Shuge asked calmly.

"The person playing the flute...you said it was Ye Shanchang?"

Jian Su shook his head and said to the crowd, "The teacher is used to being willful. When he is in a good mood, he will help students answer their questions and solve their doubts. When he is in a bad mood, he will let students scratch their heads and remain unmoved. He just lets us argue with each other to see who can convince whom."

"Then how do we judge whether he is in a good mood? Could it be the flute sound just now?" Zhou Du suddenly realized.

Jian Su nodded, "The gentleman's flute music today is brisk and straightforward, I guess he is in a good mood."

Zhou Du looked up at the sky in silence, secretly complaining, "I have never seen such a teacher. It's not that teaching or not depends on his mood."

Lin Shuge said: "Evergreen Academy has few students, but all of them are outstanding. I think it has something to do with the way of Master Ye. Confucius once said: 'If you are not angry, you will not be enlightened; if you are not frustrated, you will not speak out.' I think indulging yourself is fake, but inspiring students is real. As for playing the flute, you should really follow your heart."

Jian Su smiled without saying anything and led everyone back. The sounds of birds could be heard from the woods from time to time. The sunlight shone through the branches, and mottled shadows fell on the ground. For a while, the only sound was the sound of stepping on the leaves.

Suddenly, a lazy voice came, "My Lord County Magistrate, you have seen and understood today, these are the only people in my academy, you should return my Baopu as soon as possible, Jiansu alone cannot handle these monkeys, and they come to me again one after another."

Ye Qi was wearing an outer coat, standing facing the wind, with the mountain breeze filling his sleeves, floating like an immortal, followed by the little disciple who had just run away.

Embrace simplicity? Lin Shuge suddenly remembered the young man he met in the school. Lin Shuge glanced at County Magistrate Li and it seemed that the two had a good relationship.

Magistrate Li looked up at the sky and said calmly, "Baopu is knowledgeable and calm. Lend him to me for a few more days. The school has just opened and I cannot leave him for the time being."

Ye Qi's eyes turned to Lin Shuge, "I heard that County Magistrate Lin has created a batch of new things for the new school, but my academy is not suitable for them." There was regret in his eyes, but a fox smile on his lips.

Lin Shuge smiled and said, "If the dean is interested, I can have someone make a batch of them for you to carry with you." For someone like Ye Qi who can teach anywhere, it would be perfect to make him a small blackboard that he can carry with him.

Ye Qi walked over slowly and saluted lazily, "Thank you very much, County Magistrate."

"You're welcome, Mr. Shan."

Ye Qi pulled his long sleeves and stretched, "It's getting late, I won't keep you guys for dinner," and then winked at Jian Su.

Jian Su ignored him. "Please come this way, everyone." He held a few bags in his hands. "The academy is simple and inconvenient to invite you to have lunch. Just now, I received a message from Bitong Academy that lunch has been prepared for you in the dining hall, and Dean Han is also waiting for you."

He handed over the thing in his hand again, "This is what the gentleman prepares for the county magistrate every year. It has a very good calming effect."

"This is prepared for County Magistrate Lin and Chief Clerk Zhou." He spoke slowly and it was very comfortable to listen to. The gift was also very appropriate, neither appearing expensive nor lacking in thoughtfulness.

"Thank you." Lin Shuge took the tea in his hand.