Sun Hong had just heard the whole story and felt very sympathetic towards Chen Ruiyang. In fact, he usually lived with his grandmother and only saw his parents during the holidays. Sometimes he would feel abandoned.
Feeling sorry for Chen Ruiyang at this moment was like secretly feeling sorry for himself. With the presence of his junior brother Chang Shi, the three of them quickly became friends.
As for the other young boys, they were all guests and naturally would not spoil the host's interest.
Of course, the most important thing is that the gadgets Chen Ruiyang brought were really to the teenagers' liking.
Chen Ruiyang talked about how powerful the wolves on the grassland were, distributed wolf tooth necklaces to his friends, said how delicious the roasted whole lamb on the grassland was, and showed everyone the jewel-inlaid dagger for cutting meat.
The young men were born and raised in Jiangnan, like flowers in a greenhouse. They had never experienced wind and rain, let alone the vast grasslands, the agile grassland wolf riders, the yurts everywhere, and the cattle and sheep everywhere...
After talking for a while, everyone ate the snacks brought by Chang Shi and discussed poetry again.
Sun Hong was originally worried that Chen Ruiyang didn't understand at all and would be embarrassed. He never expected that Chen Ruiyang also had substance in his words. Although his knowledge was slightly inferior to theirs, it was only slightly inferior.
Sun Hong asked on behalf of the curious teenagers, "Ruiyang, I didn't expect that you still have time to read after being away for so long?"
Chen Ruiyang smiled and said proudly, "When I was in trouble, I was rescued by my adoptive mother and her family. My adoptive mother treated me very well and taught me very strictly. All my clothes, shoes and socks were sewn by my adoptive mother. She would also teach me how to read and write, and would always bring a few books for me when she went out.
"You don't know how miserable it was for me to sit on horseback, feel the wind blowing, and spit out sand while reciting my lessons!"
The young people couldn't help laughing when they thought about that funny look. But after laughing, they liked Chen Ruiyang even more.
Even in the mud, I still yearn for light!
After the birthday party, the young men went home and told their parents and relatives about it. Some were disdainful, some were curious, and some agreed that their sons should spend more time with their new friends...
Chen Zhao was half drunk. On the way back in the carriage, he saw his nephew excitedly talking about his conversations and interactions with his new friends, which made him feel very uncomfortable.
If it weren't for the major changes in his family, my nephew would have been like this, a carefree and high-spirited young man.
Was it wrong for him to drag his nephew to avenge his biological father?
Yang Lihua and Zhuzhu were bored at home, so they went for a walk on the nearby streets. As soon as they arrived at the door, they saw a carriage coming in.
Zhuzhu was so happy that she waved her chubby little hands and kept shouting.
"Uncle, Brother Ruiyang!"
Chen Ruiyang quickly jumped down, ran forward and hugged his sister to show off, "Zhuzhu, I had some snacks from a shop, and they tasted very good. I asked for the location, and I'll take you there to buy some tomorrow."
"Yeah!" Zhuzhu nodded her little head happily and gave her brother a big kiss on the face.
Seeing that Chen Zhao was a little tipsy, Yang Lihua turned around and told Wang Saozi, the waitress, "Make a bowl of sobering soup for Uncle."
Mrs. Wang hurried over. Just as the hangover soup was being put into the pot, Wang Dahe came in and whispered, "Be careful what you say and do these two days. My uncle went out today, so he must have encountered something unpleasant. Be careful not to offend the master!"
Mrs. Wang asked curiously, "I don't see why Uncle is unhappy. What happened outside?"
"Shut up!" Wang Dahe scolded his wife in a low voice, "Put away your little thoughts and do whatever I tell you to do. Don't think that my uncle and aunt are kind people and think they are lazy. It's not easy to fool our master!"
"Oh, I know!" Mrs. Wang scolded, glaring at her husband and saying, "I'm not blind. The other day, I brought egg custard to Miss Zhuzhu, and she was fiddling with little toys. She kept calling me cousin, and the little toys in her hands were from all over the place, all prepared by our master. It shows that the master values the concubines and the others, so how dare I neglect them?"
"That's good. I'll go help feed the horses and fetch water." Wang Dahe was relieved and hurried off to do his work.
At this moment, in the main hall of the front yard, Chen Zhao also told about his encounter with Zheng Bingyi. At the end, he sighed, "Sister, if it weren't for these things, would Ruiyang also be like those young boys, happily going to school every day instead of following me to learn calculations?"
Yang Lihua quickly tried to comfort him, "Chen Zhao, you can't think like that. Of course, everyone hopes for a peaceful and smooth life, free of hardships and setbacks. But since it's already happened, we have to stand up straight and get through it.
"Although Ruiyang lost his innocent childhood, he is much more resilient and has grown a lot more than other children. This is something that others can only hope for!
"Besides, as a son, it is his responsibility to avenge his mother. If you have some free time, why not ask Ruiyang what he thinks."
As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Ruiyang walked in from outside with Zhuzhu in his arms.
He responded loudly, "My stepmother is right. I don't want to go to school. I want to avenge my mother. Even if I want to go to school, I have to wait until I have avenged myself and then take the top spot in the imperial examination to comfort my mother's spirit in heaven."
Chen Zhao understood his nephew's thoughts and put his worries to rest. Now he smiled and joked, "You have great ambitions, but it's a pity that becoming the top scholar requires more than just a few slogans. I'll find you a strict teacher later. Just stick with it for a few years."
Yang Lihua pulled Chen Ruiyang to sit down and smiled as she gave him some chicken soup. "Stepmother believes that Ruiyang will definitely be able to pass the imperial examination and become the top scorer. People who work hard are not as smart as our Ruiyang, and people who are smart are not as hardworking as our Ruiyang." Even during this period of time, Ruiyang did not forget to study, which was much better than Yonglu and Yongyue.
When they meet again in the future, they will probably be shocked and feel left far behind by you."
Zhuzhu followed suit, clapping her hands and shouting, "Brother Ruiyang is the best!"
Chen Ruiyang was dizzy after being punished by the mother and daughter, and repeatedly said that he must recite two more pages of the book tonight.
In the far north, a grain transport convoy was traveling on the official road. Everyone was happy as they saw they were getting closer and closer to the border.
Tai Yonglu sat on the shaft of the leading carriage. His cotton-padded jacket was so dirty that its original color could not be seen because it had not been washed for many days. He held the whip in his right hand and a dry and hard steamed bun in his left hand, chewing it bit by bit, while his eyes were staring around like an eagle, refusing to relax at any time.
The north wind made his face dark red, and it was obvious that he had been frostbitten for a long time.
A guard rode up from behind and asked loudly, "Manager Lu, where are we going to camp tonight?"
Tai Yonglu shook his head and replied, "We won't set up camp tonight. We'll continue our journey overnight. There are two gangs of bandits around here. They're not as numerous as us, but with food prices skyrocketing, we're worried they might take the risk and come and rob us. Let's walk all night and set up camp once we're out of their territory!"
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