Chapter 434: High Starting Point
Su Xueyi seemed to have thought of something and said, "The seats assigned to everyone in the examination hall before the joint examination were actually related to the results of the provincial examination. The seats for those with higher rankings were in the front. Some examiners will find the corresponding candidates based on this pattern and may even exchange the test papers..."
"So it's better if the seating in the exam room is random..."
"We can also arrange several examination halls, with candidates from each state in one place. Invigilators will be randomly assigned to exam halls in other states to supervise the exams. No one will know who is invigilating. The emperor will make all of this a temporary decision. This way, both candidates and examiners will have less chance of cheating..."
Su Xueyi had discussed this with Shen Yueyao before, and Shen Yueyao talked about some anti-cheating methods in the technological age.
Su Xueyi shared his suggestions with the emperor based on the situation of their imperial examinations.
The emperor became more and more excited as he listened, and his eyes were bright and shining as he looked at Su Xueyi.
Su Xueyi was looked at like this by the emperor. He coughed and said, "Your Majesty..."
The emperor came to his senses and said, "That's right, don't let Lord Su misunderstand."
The emperor was really excited when he heard this.
He wanted to select talents for the court, and what he was most worried about was cheating in the imperial examinations.
Once cheating occurs, the ones who suffer are the truly poor students.
They have studied hard for so many years, but someone impersonated them, or their excellent test papers were replaced by someone else.
The emperor felt very sad when he thought about the talented poor student who had been killed.
So after listening to Su Xueyi's words, I realized how good this suggestion was.
Because doing so is not troublesome and it also eliminates the possibility of cheating.
"Lord Su, your idea is very good."
After the emperor discussed the matter with Su Xueyi and determined a specific set of rules, Su Xueyi resigned and returned home.
After returning home, Su Xueyi realized that her mother and the others had returned.
Su Xueyi, who usually keeps her emotions to herself, now revealed a relaxed and happy smile.
Dabao and Erbao naturally rushed forward to get close to Su Xueyi.
Su Xueyi hugged them and talked to them for a while.
I also talked to Madam Su and the others.
Seeing that it was getting late, the family prepared to have dinner.
Shen Yueyao went to the kitchen to cook and asked Su Xueyi to chat with her mother and eldest brother.
Su Daya and Su Erya both wanted to get close to Shen Yueyao, so Su Erya hurriedly followed and said, "Aunt San, I'll help you cook."
"Third Aunt and me."
Shen Yueyao smiled and said, "Okay, let's go cook together."
Dabao and Erbao also want to follow Shen Yueyao.
"Help Mom cook."
"Light a fire for mother."
Both children know they have to work.
Dabao and Erbao followed Shen Yueyao, looking very attached to her.
Shen Yueyao felt sour and soft in her heart. Dabao and Erbao had not been with her for such a long time, and she missed them too.
In fact, it would have been better to bring Dabao and Erbao to Beijing together.
But she didn't know what the environment in Beijing was like at the time, and was worried that it would be unsafe to bring her eldest and second children with her.
Now that Su Xueyi has passed the imperial examination and has won first place, the emperor is protecting them, and she also has an imperial edict, so she doesn't have to worry about anything else.
Shen Yueyao gently took Dabao and Erbao's hands and said, "Okay, if you help me cook, I will be much more relaxed."
Although Shen Yueyao dotes on Dabao and Erbao, she never spoils them. She encourages them to do things when they should and will not cultivate their lazy habits.
Dabao and Erbao were very happy to hear what their mother said, and they couldn't wait to help their mother do more things to make her more relaxed.
Su Daya looked at Dabao and Erbao with envy, thinking how great it would be if Third Aunt was her mother.
It’s great to have such a gentle mother.
Su Erya's mother has been gone since she can remember, so she doesn't have much of an idea about her.
But both she and Daya actually felt a maternal affection from Aunt San.
They naturally became close to Third Aunt.
I placed my feelings on her.
It's probably the same feeling as towards one's mother.
Shen Yueyao also felt sorry for Su Daya and Su Erya, so she tried her best to protect and teach them.
Shen Yueyao also sincerely protects Daya and Erya.
Shen Yueyao looked at Su Daya, Su Erya, Dabao and Erbao and said, "Do you want to eat anything? Let's eat tonight."
"There are plenty of ingredients in the kitchen, so we can cook anything."
Su Daya asked, "Aunt San, you are now a sixth-rank lady. Do you have to cook for yourself on weekdays?"
Shen Yueyao is now also a salaried person.
Shen Yueyao said: "Now that I can handle it, I am used to cooking by myself, so I didn't arrange for the maids to do it."
Shen Yueyao is used to taking care of Su Xueyi herself.
And if she is busy, Su Xueyi can also cook.
Su Xueyi did not express the idea that a gentleman should stay away from the kitchen.
Both she and Su Xueyi like to cook each other's favorite dishes.
She also liked to enjoy their own space and didn't want maids or servants watching them.
Besides, she was very busy on weekdays, mainly with the shop and business. She usually didn't stay at home and didn't need a maid to serve her.
Su Xueyi also has to be on duty every day.
However, the place where he was on duty was not far away, so Su Xueyi could go home for lunch if she wanted to.
If he is busy and wants to stay at the unit, Shen Yueyao will bring him lunch in the morning, and he can just heat it up in the Hanlin Academy.
Anyway, Shen Yueyao couldn't bear to see Su Xueyi eat poorly, so even if she asked him to bring his own lunch, she would prepare a rich meal for him at noon.
"Besides, cooking for my own family and seeing them enjoying the meal will also make me feel good."
Shen Yueyao enjoyed this feeling.
Especially when everyone looks happy while eating the food she cooks, she will also be very happy.
When Su Daya was a child, she lived in a marquis's mansion in the capital, and she had never seen anyone like her third aunt.
Aunt San's heart is full of love, love for her family.
With Aunt San around, they can feel at home and have a very warm feeling.
And they will be in a good mood after eating the delicious food made by Aunt San.
Su Erya said, "Aunt San, I feel really happy when I eat the food you cook. I look forward to the next day every day."
“When you eat delicious food, you won’t think about anything else. All that comes to mind is happy things.”
Ever since I started learning from Auntie San, I learned a lot and became able to cook delicious food. I no longer think about the time when the Su family was exiled.
Shen Yueyao smiled and touched Su Erya's hair. She understood Su Erya's thoughts and said, "This is called healing."
"Yes, yes, that's it."
Shen Yueyao looked at Su Erya and said, "You and Daya have both grown quite a bit taller."
The Su family members are good-looking. Su Daya and Su Erya are completely different types, but the girl is graceful and elegant, and just standing there is pleasing to the eye.
Su Daya is more quiet now, and will have a more beautiful look when she grows up. Su Erya will be more lively and cheerful, and will have a more lovely appearance.
Perhaps because she eats well, Su Erya still has a little baby fat on her cheeks.
It will look better if it grows longer.
No wonder the young master of the Cao family likes Su Daya.
It really is different.
Su Daya looked at her third aunt looking at her. She couldn't help but touch her face and said, "Third aunt, is there something on my face?"
"No, now our Daya has a good temperament and a beautiful appearance."
Shen Yueyao was sincerely praising Su Daya.
Su Daya was very embarrassed and her face turned red.
In fact, in the past few months in the village and when interacting with people, she has heard many people praise her.
However, Su Daya didn't care and thought that others were praising her because of her third aunt.
But now she thought about it carefully and understood what her third aunt said.
Aunt San said that temperament is something that cannot be learned.
She remembered that she used to like using rouge and powder, was competitive, always thought she was good enough, was very arrogant, and would not listen to others.
At that time, she thought she was beautiful, but no one ever praised her and no one was willing to interact with her.
Even when Su Erya wanted to talk to her, she hesitated and had to think it over carefully.
At that time, she seemed to be unwilling to listen to anyone, and she would even make some sarcastic remarks when people said something good for her.
But later she learned things from her third aunt and improved herself. Everyone said that she became gentle and elegant.
Su Daya also likes herself now.
Because she is much more confident now.
"Aunt San, thank you!"
Su Daya sincerely thanked her third aunt.
"Look at what you said. We don't need to say thank you to our family. Even if we come to the capital, we don't have to be afraid of anything when doing things."
"Uh-huh."
Dabao and Erbao looked at Su Daya.
Erbao said sweetly: "Sister Daya is pretty. Many people say that Sister Daya is beautiful."
Dabao said: "Well, Sister Daya is pretty."
Su Daya was amused by the two treasures' serious words.
Children are the worst at lying, their eyes are so sincere.
Everyone was busy in the kitchen, chatting and laughing happily.
It was still early, so there was no rush for dinner, but everyone liked hot pot, so Shen Yueyao prepared the hot pot ingredients.
All seasonings are available.
Dabao and Erbao helped to carry and wash the vegetables and were very busy.
When he runs, he makes very powerful kicks.
Su Erya said, "Aunt, Dabao and Erbao are very sensible back home. Everyone in the village uses Dabao and Erbao to teach the other kids a lesson."
"They often say, 'Look at Dabao and Erbao, they're only four years old, but they're so sensible and know so many things. You should play with them more and learn more...'"
As Su Erya spoke, she imitated the villagers' tone of voice.
Shen Yueyao was stunned for a moment and couldn't help laughing.
"In fact, the children in the village are very sensible and know how to help with housework."
If this were in the technological age, even if their children were still in kindergarten or elementary school, their parents would probably be reluctant to let them do any work.
But it’s different in the village. The children in the village are almost all raised freely. They are not so precious and don’t mind if they fall or get hurt.
No one is too pampered.
The children were playing happily among themselves.
Su Daya added, "But some are very naughty. Dabao, Erbao and his younger brothers go out to play, and when they come back their clothes are still clean. Many children go out to play and come back covered in mud. But the children in the village are all good-tempered and not spoiled..."
"I remember when I was a kid, at the Su family, when the major aristocratic families and noble families held banquets, people of the same age would play together, and if they accidentally bumped into each other, it would cause a big mess. It was really scary. Every time I went out to attend a banquet, I was told not to wander around, not to get into conflicts with others, not to talk nonsense... there were a lot of rules."
"Everyone speaks in a roundabout way, with multiple meanings hidden in one sentence. If you don't understand and are tricked, it will be a joke."
Su Erya exclaimed, "Should we attend such banquets in the future?"
Shen Yueyao said: "We won't do anything you don't want to do, and you don't have to attend the banquet if you don't want to."
"Besides, the Su family is now favored by the emperor. If we frequently attend banquets, it will give people the illusion that we are forming a clique for personal gain. We should just do what we want to do and not worry about anything else."
"Ever since your third uncle won the top spot in the imperial examination, more people have been paying attention to us, but I have declined all the invitations and calls."
"I've set up a class over at Zhuangzi, teaching the students how to read and write. Most of them are about your age. You've learned a lot, and you can also do accounting and checking, and embroider. You've learned a lot, and you can go give lectures and teach them later."
Su Daya and Su Erya were very excited when they heard this.
There was a look of anticipation in their eyes.
Su Erya asked, "Aunt San, can we really go and teach everyone?"
Chen Yueyao said, "Yes, of course you can. You are all good at reading, writing, and accounting, and you have seen a lot of things, so you can naturally teach them. Many of them can only recognize a small number of words. They used to live in the manor and usually helped with housework. They can't read and don't know how to learn to read, and no one will teach them..."
"No matter your age, as long as you can read and write, you can teach them."
Su Daya and Su Erya learned to read and write from Old Madam Su since they were young.
They had no problem learning to read and write. Later, Shen Yueyao taught them how to count using Arabic numerals and her unique accounting and bookkeeping methods, which they learned quickly.
If women could take the imperial examinations, Shen Yueyao felt that with Su Daya and Su Erya's abilities, they would have no problem passing the examination to become a scholar.
In this era, it is difficult for ordinary people to have the opportunity to study.
Not to mention that the tuition fee is so expensive.
Shen Yueyao prepared pens, ink, paper and inkstone for the school, so there would be no problem for Su Daya and Su Erya to teach.
"Everyone is good at different things, and everyone learns things at different speeds. Some people learn numbers quickly, some have good memories, some are slow to learn words, and some are dexterous..."
However, at this time, Shen Yueyao thought that if an express delivery station was built in the future, the people who worked there must be able to read and write.
When people send something, they should at least write down their address.
But some people are just slow in learning to read.
Shen Yueyao thought about it and thought that maybe it was because people in this era were literate and did not use the pinyin notation method in the technological age. In this era, people almost all used similar Chinese characters to mark things.
This is indeed a slow way to memorize words.
Shen Yueyao wrote words directly in the fairy tale books she gave to Dabao and Erbao, because Dabao and Erbao mostly recognized those words, and if they didn’t recognize them, they could remember them by asking her once.
Perhaps he inherited Su Xueyi's photographic memory and learned to read quickly.
Shen Yueyao didn't use special pinyin to mark anything.
But at this time Shen Yueyao thought of the pinyin method.
Yes, she can bring out the pinyin and let everyone learn it first. Once they know the pinyin, they can use it to mark the characters, and they will be able to recognize words faster.
Shen Yueyao felt a little excited when she thought of this.
She thought that after dinner she would have something to do in the evening.
When the time comes, she will light the candles and take out the pinyin table.
If everyone under me knows pinyin and can recognize words, it will be convenient to help record everything in the future.
Everyone can read and write, so they can play a greater role in helping her do things.
At this time, Su Daya didn't know that her third aunt had already thought of pinyin.
Su Daya felt that Third Auntie's asking her to teach people to read and write was a sign of her trust in her. "Third Auntie, don't worry, I will definitely teach everyone well."
Su Erya also nodded seriously.
They felt that they could do a lot of meaningful things by following Aunt San.
There is no need to be bound by rules like women in the boudoir.
When Dabao and Erbao helped Shen Yueyao wash the vegetables, they chattered a lot to their mother.
Talked a lot about what I saw and heard along the way.
"Mom, I also drew a picture."
Shen Yueyao asked with interest: "Oh? Did you draw a picture?"
"What did you draw?"
Dabao said, "It's the scenery painted on the road, the scenery I like."
Erbao said, "Uncle said that we can draw what we see and hear on the road. When we grow up, we will find it very useful when we look at it."
Dabao said, "Mom, I can also draw fairy tales, but there are no stories."
Shen Yueyao's expression changed.
The comic books and fairy tale books she had drawn before were all painted in watercolor colors, so that the eldest and second children could understand the stories intuitively.
It can also deepen memory. Of course, she also taught Dabao and Erbao how to draw in the same way.
The two babies are smart and learn things quickly.
"Mom, can I take a look?"
Shen Yueyao was cutting mutton slices and asked Dabao and Erbao.
The two treasures happily hurried back to show their mother the paintings they had drawn.
Dabao and Erbao ran back to the house.
Looking at their figures, Shen Yueyao couldn't help but smile.
After a while, Dabao and Erbao came back running.
"Mom, let me show you."
"Mom, this is what I drew, and this is what my brother drew."
Dabao took out his and his brother's things and showed them to Shen Yueyao.
When Shen Yueyao saw this, she was really shocked.
She didn't expect that Dabao and Erbao were so good at drawing.
It has the characteristics of both ink painting and watercolor painting.
It is equivalent to drawing with ink and then adding color.
Each painting was drawn at a certain place, depicting the local scenery, including cruise ships, docks, restaurants, and people.
Shen Yueyao knew that Su Xueyi had taught the two treasures how to paint before.
Although their paintings were different from the real ones, they made every scene and character clear.
Shen Yueyao suddenly had an idea in her mind and asked, "Do you know where this is?"
"I know. This is our capital city, this is Yunzhou, this is..."
Shen Yueyao praised: "You are great, mother is so proud just watching you."
"You can write down the place you went to and write down your travel notes, such as what you bought at the place and whether you thought it was delicious..."
Shen Yueyao encourages Dabao and Erbao to do what they can do.
The food culture of this era is backward, but each place has its own food characteristics, and the cakes in different places are different.
And the prices are different too.
"Do you all still remember the characteristics of the food in each place?"
Shen Yueyao knew that Dabao and Erbao had good memories.
Dabao and Erbao nodded vigorously and said, "Mom, I remember everything."
"Yeah, we remember."
Chen Yueyao said, "You can draw food. You can add food pictures based on your memory and combine them with scenery pictures to make a food travelogue. That way, if others see your drawings, they can also know what local food is available and what its characteristics are..."
Shen Yueyao tried her best to express her meaning to them in simple words.
"Mom can help you replenish it later."
On the way to the capital, she and Su Xueyi naturally experienced the customs and folkways of various places.
In this era, there are many travel notes and miscellaneous records, which mostly record some local customs and folkways, but there are no records of local delicacies.
It would be great if the eldest and second child could draw and write it down.
Shen Yueyao had already discussed with Su Xueyi and decided to arrange for Dabao and Erbao to attend the children's study class at the Imperial College.
It's like a children's class.
However, there are places available for children's classes and there are exams required.
Shen Yueyao thought that if Dabao and Erbao went to school, they could take out the picture album and look at it with their classmates, so that everyone could also learn a lot, which might make it easier to help Dabao and Erbao integrate into the class.
It will also be beneficial for them to encourage them to do more things and stimulate their interests and hobbies.
Dabao and Erbao listened to their mother's words carefully, and they understood what she meant at once.
I wish I could go back and start painting right away.
Shen Yueyao told them not to worry, just take some time every day to paint, and the two brothers could paint and discuss together.
In this way, Dabao and Erbao will have something to do in the unfamiliar environment of Beijing and will not feel uncomfortable adapting. On the contrary, because they have busy things to do, they will forget many uneasy emotions.
Even when Su Xueyi first came to the capital, she was a little uncomfortable to adapt.
I got busy and slowly adapted to the environment here.
So she also encouraged her eldest and second child to have things to do.
Moreover, drawing and recording things can deepen the memory of the two babies and help them write articles.
Moreover, this is not just mechanical writing, but doing something that interests you. Writing as if it were fun can stimulate your interest and hobby.
I don’t rule out writing articles in the future, and maybe I will still like to write about them.
Shen Yueyao said: "If you have any questions, you can ask mother."
"Uh-huh."
The eldest and second babies nodded cutely.
Shen Yueyao looked at them and thought they were all very cute.
So sensible and obedient.
There is almost no need to worry about taking care of the eldest and second children.
Su Daya and Su Erya both looked at Aunt San with admiration.
Aunt San always thinks of many things and ideas that others can't think of.
In this case, the eldest and second children will be well enlightened and have a higher starting point than others.
…
Preparing hot pot is much faster, and when eating, the family sits together with endless things to talk about, and the atmosphere is full of joy.
Su Xiuye couldn't help but think of the time when he was in the Su Mansion. There were many rules at that time, and people were not allowed to talk while eating or sleeping.
But at that time, family members rarely communicated with each other.
It’s still good this way. The family can talk to each other, discuss things, and the relationship is deeper than before.
In the past, Su Xiuye was used to being silent and keeping his thoughts to himself.
But now he understands that speaking out one's ideas and discussing them with others is actually a very good feeling.
When the whole family works together as one, it makes people feel motivated.
Shen Yueyao said: "Mom, big brother, our house has several separate courtyards, and we have converted them into a kang. If you want to sleep on the kang, you can sleep on it. The weather is warm now, so just burn some firewood. It will be warm in a while."
It's already early May, and summer is almost here.
However, it is still very cold in the morning and evening in early May, so everyone may have gotten used to sleeping on the heated kang.
"I also bought some charcoal, and the firewood was sent over from the manor."
The people in the village knew that she might need firewood, so they didn't need to tell everyone. They all actively chopped a lot of firewood and asked someone to deliver it to her.
So there is enough firewood even for cooking and heating the kang.
So the charcoal I bought at the beginning was not very useful.
I remember when I first arrived in the village, I couldn’t even afford to buy charcoal.
Things are very expensive in Beijing now, but everyone can afford them.
After dinner, Shen Yueyao took out some silver notes and gave each person a thousand taels of silver note, saying, "This is pocket money. Mother, big brother, go buy whatever you like in the capital. Don't be reluctant to spend it. If it's not enough, I have more here."
Su Daya and Su Erya also received one thousand taels.
Of course, the eldest and second child are young, so adults usually buy things for them.
In order to treat them equally, Shen Yueyao gave Dabao ten taels of silver and Erbao ten taels of silver.
Liang Bao smiled happily holding the silver.
This is the money my mother gave me.
My mother gave it to me!
Shen Yueyao was afraid that everyone would be reluctant to buy things when they came to the capital.
The prices in the capital are really high. Vegetables and meat are twice as expensive as in the north, not to mention other things.
Including clothes and jewelry. Although the fabrics are good and the jewelry is exquisite, they are also expensive.
Madam Su and the others looked at the banknotes given by Shen Yueyao, and their hearts were warm and touched. Yao Niang was so kind.
So thoughtful and warm-hearted, he always thinks of everything.
Madam Su said, "Yao Niang, we have money in our hands. The dividends and bonuses you give us every month are very generous. We don't need this at all."
Su Xiuye nodded and said, "Yes, the winery's dividends are very generous."
Shen Yueyao doesn’t give her family members bonuses, she gives them not only wages and bonuses but also dividends.
Even Su Daya and Su Erya have it.
Everyone has a lot of silver and banknotes in their hands.
Neither Su Daya nor Su Erya is wanted.
They only thought about helping Third Aunt. Third Aunt was very good to them. Not only did she teach them things so that they could learn skills, she also gave them dividends from the workshop. They could even earn money by lying down.
Workshop dividends are not comparable to bonuses.
These were all given to me for free by my third aunt.
They can't push their luck any further.
Besides, they would feel bad if they took it.
Everyone insisted on not taking it, so Shen Yueyao had no choice but to keep it for now.
After dinner, the family chatted for a while and then everyone went to rest.
Shen Yueyao and Su Xueyi went to the study.
Su Xueyi went to sort out some information about her duty.
Shen Yueyao took out paper and pen and started writing pinyin.
Write out the pinyin and then write out the common combinations.
Then, mark the pinyin on common characters so that you can read the characters by looking at the pinyin.
Then write some commonly used similar words together.
Su Xueyi was almost done with her work and wanted to call Yao Niang to rest together.
But when he saw Yao Niang busying herself beside him with great interest, he wondered if she was drawing some design or decoration drawings or something.
But when he tilted his head and saw the symbols on each word, Su Xueyi was stunned.
I just think these things seem to be very useful.
Su Xueyi seemed to be thinking about something, and asked, "Yao Niang, what are these? Are they used to mark words?"
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