Chapter 9

Xie Chen was processing a rabbit outside the yard. He peeled the rabbit's fur very cleanly, thinking that he could use it to make a scarf for his brother after it was tanned. Compared with the cold winter in the northwest, Kyoto's winter can be considered warm.

Xie Chen had been sleeping on a warm kang since he woke up. He had never seen this kind of thing in Kyoto. He heard from Yuan that it was presented to the county magistrate by Lin Shuge. Although it was warm to sleep on, his brother had to go on duty during the day and the journey was long and cold. In the past, he went out hunting and hunted down a good fox fur. After making it into a fox fur coat, he gave it to his mother, who praised it for being beautiful and warm.

If we go out hunting, we might be able to get something good, one for my brother, Ayuan and Axuan each.

Since he was injured, he has been taken care of by Lin Shuge's two siblings. In fact, the family is not wealthy. Lin Shuge is busy every day, and with his injury, the expenses are naturally huge. He sees it and will naturally help to earn money to support the family after he recovers.

He was born into a wealthy family and had never worried about money. Even when faced with such a disaster, he would not complain about himself.

Xie Chen stood up and looked towards the east, which was the direction of Kyoto.

Smoke was curling up and voices were coming from the courtyard. Several people were helping Lin Shuge. From time to time, laughter could be heard, which was the long-lost smell of home.

"Zhongxuan, have you dealt with the rabbit? Why are you standing there in a daze?"

Lin Shuge waited for a long time but didn't see the processed rabbit. He thought something had happened to Xie Chen, so he had to come out to check it out himself.

Xie Chen turned around and saw Lin Shuge, who was wearing a green cotton robe. There was a questioning look in his eyes, but the look he gave him was very gentle.

With a smile on his face, he said, "Brother, it's ready," and took up the skin as if to take credit, "I'll make a scarf for you after the nitrate is ready."

"You also know how to nitre hides?"

“Yeah, I learned that before.”

As if remembering something, Lin Shuge said, "By the way, you will come with me to the county government office tomorrow and let Zhou Lingshi help you register your household registration. He will ask you some questions and you just need to answer them truthfully."

Xie Chen hummed and followed Lin Shuge to the kitchen.

In the kitchen, Zhou Du was sitting on a small stool chatting with Lin Qingyuan, while Lin Xuan was washing dried mushrooms beside him. These mushrooms were picked by Lin Xuan earlier, and Lin Shuge asked her to take them out to make mushroom soup.

"Why did you all come in?" Lin Shuge asked with a smile.

"Since I have nothing to do, I might as well go and see how Lin Lingshi shows off his cooking skills." Zhou Du reached out and threw the mushrooms in the basket out, causing Lin Xuan to roll her eyes.

Lin Shuge laughed, "Okay, the kitchen is almost full, you all go to the main room to warm up, I'm here. Axuan and Ayuan, these are enough, no need to wash."

After hearing this, several people went to the main house, and only Xie Chen stayed.

"Why aren't you going again?"

"I can't speak, so I'd better stay here and help you."

Lin Shuge looked at him and saw him saying seriously that he couldn't speak. He thought that it might be because he was young and didn't talk much and was afraid that he couldn't fit in the conversation.

"Well, help me chop up the rabbit."

As the sun sets in the west, a burst of delicious food wafts out from the kitchen. The few people have been hungry for a long time. As soon as they smell the delicious food, Zhou Du immediately rushes into the kitchen and asks anxiously, "Is it ready? Why does it smell so good?"

Lin Shuge scooped out the last chopstick of noodles and put it into the divided bowl, then smiled at him: "Okay, we can eat now."

Several people brought the food to the main room, and the aroma filled the air. The beef soup has been simmered for a long time, the broth is rich, the noodles are chewy and smooth, the soup base is mellow but not overpowering, and it complements the wheat aroma of the noodles. With the addition of dogwood juice, the chili oil wraps the noodles and beef, which is spicy and refreshing.

Zhou Du was the first to sigh: "Brother Huai Ting, this is so delicious. Real people don't show their faces. If you open a restaurant, you will definitely make a lot of money."

Lin Shuge served him a bowl of soup, "Okay, I'll open a restaurant when I can't do this anymore, you can come and support me, eat more food," and added a chopstick of food to Xie Chen, "Zhongxuan, try the spicy diced rabbit made from the rabbit you shot."

The rabbit was freshly hunted, so the meat was fresh and tender, the skin was fried crispy and spicy, and when you bite into it, the gravy is delicate and delicious.

"Mm, it's delicious. I came at the right time today."

"Of course, the food my eldest brother cooks is the best." Lin Qingyuan said proudly.

Xie Chen and Lin Xuan were quiet, but judging by the speed at which they picked up the food, it seemed that they were extremely satisfied.

Zhou Du enjoyed the meal very much. He turned on the green light and poured a glass for him and Lin Shuge. "Come on, Brother Huai Ting, this is for you. Thank you for your hospitality today."

Lin Shuge drank it all in one gulp, "Thank you for your care all the time."

These days, he has been helped by Zhou Du. It can be said that, apart from his family, Zhou Du is his first friend in this strange world.

"Okay, okay, thanks all the way. By the way, I have found out about the private school you asked me to find out about. Your brother and sister-in-law are here too. Ayuan, you have two choices."

Zhou Du smiled and glanced at the twins. He felt quite happy that he was not going to school anymore but was watching others go to school. "One is Bitong Academy and the other is Fengqi Academy. Bitong Academy is in Ganzhou County. The advantage is that it has a long history, a great reputation, and the teachers are knowledgeable. The dean is a famous scholar in our northwest. However, you need to take an examination to enter the academy. Fengqi Academy does not require an examination, so it is naturally not as famous as Bitong Academy. The advantage is that it is closer to you."

Lin Shuge thought about it carefully. As a parent, he definitely wants his children to go to a better school. This has been the common wish of parents for thousands of years. However, he considers himself to be quite open-minded and he has to ask the child's own opinion.

"Ayuan, which academy do you want to go to?"

Lin Qingyuan blinked, a little embarrassed, "Brother, I want to go to Bitong Academy, but will it be troublesome to go to school?"

"Don't worry about that. I haven't told you yet, but I plan to rent a house in the county town in the spring. After all, it's not convenient for me to go to work every day, and I feel uneasy leaving you guys at home."

Lin Qingyuan's eyes sparkled, that meant he could live in the county town and go to school.

“However, you have to work hard on your own for the admission test,” Lin Shuge said.

"Is the assessment difficult?" Lin Qingyuan had a trace of uneasiness on his face.

Zhou Du looked relaxed, "It's not difficult. You won't be tested on Xun Zuan Pian when you enter school at your age, nor will you be asked to write poems or fu. At most, you will be tested on some chapters of Shi and Shu."

"Xun Zuan Pian" is the textbook for children to learn to read. Lin's father and mother always attached great importance to their children's education. Although the three brothers and sisters were not extremely learned, they were well-read.

Lin Qingyuan breathed a sigh of relief, "Then I feel relieved."

Lin Shuge asked again: "What about A Xuan?"

Lin Xuan, who was standing next to her, was suddenly called and dropped the chopsticks in her hand in surprise.

She stared at Lin Shuge in disbelief. Big brother meant that she could go to school too?

"It's hard to find a girls' academy, but I've been able to find one with my magical powers. It's called Du Heng Academy. All the girls study there. The owner is also a famous talent, but she has a weird temper. She selects her students herself. A Xuan has to go and meet her in person."

"This is not difficult. With Axuan's character and intelligence, who can not like her?" Lin Shuge said with a smile.

"Brother, I...I will never let you down." The little girl's eyes were slightly red.

Lin Shuge ruffled her hair.

"Now that I've had enough food and drink, I'll take my leave," Zhou Du stood up and said to everyone.

"It's getting late, why don't you stay here for one night?" Lin Shuge advised.

"I dare not. My father has set a rule that men and women in the clan are not allowed to stay out the night before they reach adulthood. If I don't come back, my father will break my legs. I guess my servants will come to pick me up."

Sure enough, there was a neighing sound from the door, and Zhou Du immediately rushed out, saying as he ran: "Don't come out."

Lin Shuge followed him out and stared at Zhou Du for a long while, making Zhou Du feel uncomfortable. "Go ahead and ask. Haven't you been holding it in for a whole day?"

Zhou Du said embarrassedly: "You know everything. It's just that your description was so horrible at the time that I couldn't help but be a little scared."

"Well, I've only heard of that punishment but never seen it. I just wanted to scare him, but I didn't expect to scare you."

Zhou Du scratched his head. "It's okay. It sounded scary at the time, but later I was just curious, but it was difficult to ask you. Now I know, I don't have to toss and turn thinking about it tonight."

Zhou Du looks careless and heartless on the surface, but he is actually very thoughtful.

"See you on duty tomorrow. Remember to bring your children with you." After saying that, he got into the carriage and waved to Lin Shuge. The servants drove the carriage towards the county town.

Lin Shuge waved at him from a distance.

"Gone?" asked Xie Chen who caught up with them.

"Let's go. Let's go back."

"good."

The night swallowed up the last ray of light, and the entire sky was covered in darkness. The two of them cleaned up the table and went to rest.

…

The New Year is approaching, and the officers on duty at the county government office have become absent-minded. They just want to take a quick day off and go home to celebrate the New Year. However, something big happened yesterday, so the two of them didn't dare to be too reckless today.

One of them gathered his sleeves, nudged the officer next to him with his elbow and said, "Did you hear what happened yesterday? After the county lieutenant sealed the city gate, he finally caught the spy."

The officer next to him suddenly woke up from his sleep: "Spy, what spy? I was not on duty yesterday, so I really don't know."

The man showed a look of knowing everything. "Wasn't it the La Festival yesterday? Someone was causing trouble in Guanshi. It turned out that this person was also a spy who sneaked in. He was caught on the spot by Lin Lingshi and Zhou Lingshi and handed over to the county lieutenant."

He paused for a moment, waiting for the officer next to him to look anxious, before he said, "The spy confessed quickly. Based on his description, the county lieutenant quickly identified the suspect and arrested him."

"But? Do you know why it was so easy for that man to confess?" He looked around and asked in a low voice.

"Why? Tell me quickly."

"It was Lin Lingshi. I heard from the brothers in the prison that Lin Lingshi threatened to use some kind of severe torture on him, which frightened him so much that he immediately confessed."

The other person took a deep breath and said, "What kind of punishment is so terrible? Lin Lingshi usually looks gentle and polite, but I didn't expect he has this side."

"That is to say, otherwise he would have been a Lingshi at the age of seventeen, and he was also valued by the county magistrate. Unlike that Cui Lingshi, the county magistrate personally interrogated him last night and found out that he actually accepted bribes and exchanged Guanchuan for money. The Guanchuan used by the spy was made by him."

"It's really hateful. If Lin Lingshi hadn't caught the spy, if intelligence was leaked, who knows how many people would have died when the barbarians invaded the border."

The officer's father died in a war with foreign tribes. He hated traitors the most. When he heard about what Cui Yan had done, he gritted his teeth in anger.

"Hey, Lin Lingshi, why are you so early today?"