Chapter 50
In front of so many children, Jiang Wanning didn't want to argue with him any more. It happened that school would be over in half an hour at most, so it wouldn't be a problem even if he was allowed in.
Jiang Wanning nodded slightly: "Young Master, please find a place to sit by yourself."
There were not many empty seats in the classroom, and most of them were in the back row. The low tables here were originally prepared for children and teenagers. Feng He, an adult man, had to curl up his legs when sitting down, which was actually not very comfortable.
But he didn't care at all, his eyes always following Jiang Wanning, watching her looking between the low tables, watching her correcting the children with incorrect posture, and finally watching her review the whole day's homework with everyone.
Jiang Wanning pointed out a few people and said, "These are the ones who made the most progress in today's class. You can come to me after class to get some candied fruit. The others can also come and take a look at their sandboxes. I hope you can improve tomorrow."
"Also, you've all been enrolled for a while now. Tomorrow, I'll be giving you a baseline test to assess your learning outcomes. The results will be shared with parents, so please be prepared."
"Then today's class is over. Everyone, be careful on your way home and don't play around."
Normally, the busiest time in the school was after school. However, today, after Jiang Wanning finished speaking, no one moved for a long time until someone timidly asked, "What if I don't do well on the test..."
Jiang Wanning was tidying up the desk. Hearing this, she smiled gently, "Of course I won't punish you. But I'm afraid I can't control what your parents do."
"!"Help!
Thinking of their parents' dusters, brooms and horse whips, many people shuddered and couldn't help wailing.
The classroom, which had been quiet just now, suddenly became lively. Especially those who were usually lazy and idle, they immediately jumped up and looked for help everywhere: "Brother! Brother, please help me, please tell me again what you learned last month--"
Jiang Wanning just smiled, waved and called away those who could receive prizes, and let the rest make as much noise as they wanted.
But this time Dabao and Pang Liang were unable to go with them. They had studied with Jiang Wanning for a longer period of time. Many children in the school knew about it, and now they were surrounded by people trying to find out the content of the test.
Feng He was sitting in the back, looking a little dazed.
The children were only focused on tomorrow's quiz, and no one came to talk to him. He sat for a while, then quickly stood up and chased after them.
At this time, Jiang Wanning had already brought the children home and distributed the candied sweet fruits that she had prepared in advance to them. She also gave some extra to a few of them and asked them to share them with their brothers and sisters at home.
After they left the Lu family, Feng He knocked on the door and went in. Jiang Wanning was not surprised to see him following her.
"Excuse me, Young Master, is there anything else that brings you here?" Jiang Wanning politely invited him in. Since it was not convenient to entertain guests in the room, she asked him to sit at the stone table in the yard and went into the house to bring him some tea.
Things are different now. After all, now that she lives in town, Jiang Wanning will also prepare some tea at home. It is definitely not as good as the delicacies in the restaurant, but it is not impolite to use it to entertain guests.
Seeing her busying around, Feng He wanted to tell her not to be so formal, but Jiang Wanning's eyes never fell on him. Feng He had no choice but to wait for her to finish cleaning up.
However, he didn't know that Jiang Wanning deliberately slowed down her movements and didn't really want to get along with him in private.
Unfortunately, it was only noon, and there was still some time before Lu Shang came back. Even if Jiang Wanning was slow, she would eventually have to sit down, and she would have to face Feng He.
Feng He had no objection to waiting at this moment, but Liu Shun, who was following him, was a little reluctant.
After Jiang Wanning sat down, Liu Shun muttered in a low voice: "Madam Lu is really busy..."
"What nonsense are you talking about!" Feng He's face changed and he scolded softly. Seeing that Jiang Wanning probably didn't hear him, he felt a little relieved. Then he said, "There's nothing for you to do here. Go wait over there."
"Hey, young master——" Liu Shun was shocked.
However, Feng He was eager to verify his guess, so he waved his hand impatiently and sent Liu Shun to stand at the foot of the wall, keeping a distance from him so that he would not hear anything he shouldn't hear.
Only Jiang Wanning felt a little uneasy when she saw this. She unconsciously rubbed the teacup in her hand and asked after a long while, "What's this, Young Master?"
Feng He forced a smile, trying to maintain his composure. "To be honest, I saw your calligraphy last time. I thought it was magnificent, and I wanted to make friends, but trivial matters kept me from doing so."
"Luckily, my friendship with Brother Lu has grown stronger, which gave me the opportunity to sit with Madam. My judgment that day turned out to be correct. Madam is very talented. Not only does she have a beautiful handwriting, she even took on the role of the female teacher in the alley."
Feng He bowed and said, "This is the first time I've seen a female teacher, but if it's Madam doing it, it doesn't seem like there's anything to be surprised about."
Jiang Wanning didn't let down her guard at his compliment, and she forced a smile. "Young Master, you're too kind. I can only roughly read a few characters. As for teaching in the alley, it's just because the children are still young and want to learn something. Young Master is always busy, so how can he have time to come to the school?"
Feng He smiled and passed it over without explaining. He then changed the subject and asked, "I wonder who taught you calligraphy, Madam? Although I am not very talented, I know that your calligraphy skills are not acquired overnight. I really admire you."
Since he could just pass it by, if Jiang Wanning didn't want to talk about something, she could just smile and say nothing.
Feng He was not one to give up easily. "I wonder if Madam has ever seen the book that Brother Lu gave me?"
Jiang Wanning smiled faintly: "I haven't noticed it before."
"That book is a must-have for today's scientific expeditions. While the book itself is rare, the annotations within are even more valuable. Putting aside the profound content, even the notes alone are excellent."
"I once asked the teacher in the mansion to take a look at it. He even joked that even if I couldn't understand the annotations, it would be good to just treat it as a calligraphy piece and practice calligraphy according to it."
Hearing this, Jiang Wanning could no longer maintain her expression.
Feng He just didn't have much talent in imperial examinations, but a man who could manage his family business in an orderly manner couldn't be a fool. He would get to the bottom of anything with the slightest clue.
Jiang Wanning lowered her head slightly: "What does the young master want to say?"
Feng He's voice became even lower. "I heard that Madam's surname is Jiang... Did you know that one of the editors of 'Current Affairs' also has the same surname as you?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Wanning suddenly looked up.
Feng He's expression was serious, and he lowered his eyes and asked, "I just want to ask Madam, do you recognize the old man that Brother Lu mentioned?"
Jiang Wanning's chest heaved violently, and it took a long time for it to calm down. Her voice was cold, "Whether you recognize me or not, what does the young master want?"
"If the Young Master feels that the man is untrustworthy and cannot help you pass the college entrance examination as you wish, or if he is concerned about some secular opinion, I will tell my husband and ask him to reject that gentleman."
Feng He's expression changed: "That's not what I meant!"
"What does the young master mean?" Jiang Wanning didn't even notice that she had gradually regained her composure.
"I, I just - I just want to ask..." Feng He felt that what he said was unreliable, but he knew in all honesty that he had been testing her for such a long time and she really had no bad intentions.
Any scholar knows the brilliance of "On Current Affairs", and the one who can annotate the content of the book so concisely can only be someone who has studied it in depth or the editor.
Feng He also wondered if it was the Grand Secretary Jiang who came here in person.
But he had made careful inquiries and learned that the Grand Secretary Jiang had been convicted years ago and his entire family had been exiled to the cold and desolate land in the far north. As a criminal, he could not possibly stop there and would rather die in the north.
On the contrary, the female relatives who were exiled together might be left behind due to accidents.
A woman who can read and write is quite common in Tang Town.
But what if this person could write characters that ordinary people couldn't, and happened to have the surname Jiang, and even more coincidentally, she was also the descendant of a criminal official, and was bought by someone for money...
Eliminate all impossibilities, and the remaining speculation, no matter how outrageous, must be the truth.
After spending half an hour in the school, Feng He had gone from shock to suspicion to calmness. He later chased Jiang Wanning home to ask, just wanting to get a definite answer.
It may sound absurd for a woman to be a teacher.
But people still say that merchants are of low status and cannot enter officialdom, yet he still persisted for so many years.
Feng He just wanted to get an answer, but he didn't expect to miss out on asking the noble person he had finally met. The young lady of a prestigious university scholar's family must also be incredibly talented. If he let this one go, where would he find a second one?
Feng He had some indecent thoughts about Jiang Wanning during his brief meeting with her before, but now all he had left was respect and expectation.
As long as Jiang Wanning can help him pass the imperial examination and become a scholar, he would be willing to accept her as not only his teacher but also his mother!
Fortunately, he didn't say what he was thinking, otherwise he might have been beaten up by several people.
Jiang Wanning took a deep breath and said, "Then I dare to ask the Young Master, even if I find out, what happens next?"
"Later..." Feng He stammered for a long time before speaking honestly, "Brother Lu said that the old master didn't want to be born, so I naturally didn't dare to disobey him. But the master is so talented, and I can't let him worry about it in vain."
He cheered up and said, "If my lady doesn't mind, I will prepare a generous gift when I get back. It will be my thanks for your guidance. I hope you will accept it."
Having said that, many things have actually been made clear.
Jiang Wanning was in a state of mixed emotions. After a long silence, she finally said, "Since that gentleman said there's no need to become a disciple or to offer a thank-you gift, there's no need to bother with the Young Master's affairs. Besides, this is a matter between my husband and the Young Master, so it's your responsibility to discuss it."
"I am just a woman in the back house, and it is enough for me to do my job well."
"Then..." Feng He's palms were sweating, "Can I still attend classes as an auditor in the future?"
Jiang Wanning said helplessly, "The children in the school are no more than a teenager. All I teach them is literacy and arithmetic. The young master has already received enlightenment from a wise master, so there is no need to learn again. Besides, learning more about these things is useless."
"Then what should I do?" Feng He spoke more humbly.
Jiang Wanning pondered for a moment. "Hasn't the Young Master collected the test questions? Just answer them first."
"Okay, okay! I'm already answering, but I might not be answering it very well. I hope the madam—I mean, that old gentleman, I hope that gentleman will forgive me."
Jiang Wanning didn't respond, but instead asked, "It's getting late. Young Master, would you like to have lunch at my humble abode?"
"No, no, I won't bother you anymore. Madam, please be busy. I'll leave now!" Feng He didn't dare to eat the meal she cooked herself. He immediately stood up, bowed again and again, and the corners of his mouth almost stretched to his ears.
"Liushun is gone!" He said hello and solemnly said goodbye to Jiang Wanning. Before leaving, he added, "When Brother Lu comes back, please ask Madam to send someone to let me know so that we can discuss the business matters in detail."
Jiang Wanning agreed, stood up and watched him leave.
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