It was the 15th day of the twelfth lunar month, and the Chinese New Year was only half a month away. Zhang Hulan remembered that Ye Hongyun said they would return to the capital on the 20th day of the twelfth lunar month, so she sent the sausages a few days in advance.
In addition to sausages, Zhang Hulan also gave two cured pork trotters.
I'm going to the county town today, and I'll stop by the pawnshop to see if I can buy a suitable servant.
Zhang Hulan handed the sausages and cured pig's feet to Ye Hongyun's maid and said, "Madam, these sausages and pig's feet cannot be covered up. They need to be aired out. I was afraid that the master's wife would return to the capital early, so I brought them here in advance."
Ye Hongyun smiled and said, "Thank you very much!"
"You are too polite, Madam. Madam and the Master have helped me a lot. I don't have anything good to give Madam, so I will just give you some food that I made myself."
Ye Hongyun asked: "How do you eat this sausage?"
"Wash it with hot water, boil the whole thing in a pot for a quarter of an hour, then slice it and eat it. You can also slice it first, then put it on a plate and steam it. But don't slice it and then boil it in a pot, otherwise the flavor of the sausage will be lost."
Ye Hongyun tilted her head to look at the maid, who quickly said, "I've made a note of this."
Zhang Hulan then asked Ye Hongyun: "Madam, I want to ask, I want to send my three nephews to school after the New Year. Do you know which academy is better?"
Ye Hongyun said: "Of course the county school is the best."
Ye Hongyun thought for a moment and asked, "Has your nephew ever been to school?"
Zhang Hulan shook her head, "I've never read it."
“Then they can’t get into the county school.”
Ye Hongyun explained, "To enter the county school, students must have at least completed elementary school. If you have never been to school before, you cannot enter."
"You should send them to elementary school first. Elementary schools are easy to find. There are several in the county. But you have to look carefully to find one. A good teacher is very important."
"It's just that I'm not sure which elementary school is better. I'll ask the master, he should know better."
Ye Hongyun immediately asked the maid to go to the front hall to find Wu Deyong, but Wu Deyong did not come because he was very busy. If he wanted to return to the capital, he had to arrange the affairs of the county government.
Wu Deyong gave the maid a note, and the maid took the note back and said, "Madam Zhang, the master asked you to take this note to the Weixin Academy in the south of the city to find the headmaster."
Zhang Hulan quickly took the note and said, "Thank you very much!"
Zhang Hulan did not stay long. After saying goodbye to Ye Hongyun, he left the county government office.
Luo Changqi asked: "Shall we go to the dental clinic now?"
"No, let's go to the Weixin Academy in the south of the city first."
"Is your eldest niece looking for academies for some of your nephews and grandnephews?"
Zhang Hulan nodded, "Yes, the county magistrate introduced me."
Luo Changqi smiled and said, "My niece has a very good relationship with the county magistrate and his wife."
Zhang Hulan smiled and said, "The county magistrate and his wife are both very nice. County Magistrate Wu is a rare good official."
Luo Changqi nodded, "County Magistrate Wu is indeed a good official, otherwise the people in the county would have had a hard time this year."
The two asked about the specific location of Weixin Academy and then arrived at the gate of Weixin Academy.
Zhang Hulan stepped forward and said to the gatekeeper of the academy, "Sir, we are here to look for the headmaster."
The doorman asked, "What do you want to see Fushanzhang for?"
"I have three children who want to study in the academy. The county magistrate asked me to find the headmaster."
When the doorman heard that it was the county magistrate who sent him here, he glanced at Zhang Hulan and nodded, saying, "Wait a moment, I'll go and inform him."
The doorman also had a limp and walked with a limp.
After a long while, the doorman came back and said, "Go in. Turn left and then right, and then go straight ahead. There is a small wooden house at the end, and the headmaster is there."
"Okay, thank you, sir!"
Zhang Hulan entered the academy alone, while Luo Changqi was guarding outside.
Zhang Hulan found the wooden house according to what the doorman said.
I knocked on the door gently, and a voice came from inside, "Come in."
Zhang Hulan pushed the door open and walked in. In the room, cigarette smoke was curling up. An old man with completely white hair was reading a book attentively. Tea was boiling on the small stove next to the old man. The tea was bubbling and steam was rising.
Zhang Hulan greeted him and said, "Greetings, Master Fushan!"
Fu Xiyang nodded slightly.
Zhang Hulan presented the note from Wu Deyong to Fu Xiyang and said, "Master Fu, I was introduced by the county magistrate. I want to send my three nephews to study at the academy."
Fu Xiyang nodded slightly again, just glanced at the note, and then said, "Did you bring the child?"
"not yet."
Fu Xiyang asked again: "How old is the child? Has he read it before?"
Zhang Hulan replied: "One is thirteen, one is eleven, and the other is seven."
"It's normal for a seven-year-old not to have read, but the other two, one thirteen and one eleven, have never read. Why didn't they let them read before?"
"Before, my family was poor and couldn't afford tuition, so I delayed my studies for a few years. Now that my family is better off, I want to send my children to study here."
Fu Xiyang nodded again and asked, "What is your purpose in sending your children to school?"
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