Coming to a cliff, he nimbly climbed up using the vines. Halfway up the mountain, he found a small cave. He went in and soon passed through the mountain and reached the other side.
Outside the cave, there is a giant tree that is so large that a single tree forms a forest. Its crown stretches out like a small island. Children can jump directly onto the crown without worrying about falling.
Fortunately, the tree canopy was dense and his body was caught firmly by the branches.
He followed the vines entwined around the tree and nimbly made his way to its base. At the base, the roots were tangled and hanging in the air, forming a large tree hole that was about a hundred square meters in size.
The cave's condition could be summed up in one word: chaos. The only relatively clean spot was the stone coffin placed deep within the tree hollow.
An unshaven, unkempt man was pounding medicine at a wooden table, occasionally adding odd-looking objects. A bug crawled by, and the man casually grabbed it, tossed it into his mouth, chewed it, and swallowed it.
It was obvious that the child lived with this man. He walked to a corner of the cave, lay down on a piece of fur that was so dirty that its original color could not be seen, closed his eyes and fell asleep.
From beginning to end, the man didn't even look at him and was busy doing his own thing.
*
Deng Sheng's arrival made the village chief of Niukanzi Village more curious. He came to his home several times and tried to find out the retired old man's plans in a roundabout way, whether he wanted to settle down in the village for his retirement, and if so, whether he could set up a school to teach the children in the village to read and write.
"What are your plans for the future?" Xue Rong asked as he and Deng Sheng took a walk along the village path after dinner to help digest their food.
Deng Sheng scoffed, "What plans can I have? The Emperor will definitely not employ me again, and I will have to spend the rest of my life in the countryside."
As soon as Xue Rong heard this, he knew that his heart as a censor had not yet cooled down, and he still wanted to serve the country and the people. However, the emperor had finally found an opportunity to remove him, so how could he let him go back?
She comforted him, "There's nothing wrong with this rural area. At least it's quiet. Didn't you always tell me you wanted to find a beautiful place to live in seclusion and teach a few students in your spare time? What do you think of our place?"
"The scenery is nice, with mountains behind and water in front, and lush vegetation. Why, do you want me to be a free teacher in your village?" Deng Sheng glanced at Xue Rong.
Xue Rong didn't deny it either: "How about it? Are you willing to come?"
"Let's talk about it later." Deng Sheng said a little arrogantly.
At this time, a child was walking by with a cow. Seeing Xue Rong, he immediately stopped and greeted him. When it was Deng Sheng's turn, the child asked, "Are you the gentleman that Seventh Uncle invited?"
The child's eyes were clearly black and white, and there was obvious expectation in them.
Deng Sheng paused, put his hands behind his back, and nodded slightly: "Not bad."
Xue Rong's eyes were filled with laughter. Didn't this old guy just say "Let's talk about it later"? Now he has already entered the role of gentleman?
Children naturally have a sense of awe for teachers, and they immediately became a little reserved in front of Deng Sheng. However, as soon as they were out of the sight of Xue Rong and the others, they jumped up excitedly, laughed for a long time, and then ran around to tell others that they were going to have a teacher.
Now that we have a teacher, the clan school can naturally be established.
However, when the village held a clan school, Xue Huan was not in the village, but went to the neighboring Lijiazhuang.
The character she played, Si Ni'er, was not welcomed by the Xue family, but she had an in-law family who treated her very well. Every household in Lijiazhuang planted cherries, and the surrounding area called it Cherry Village.
It happened that the cherries on the farm were ripe recently, so her maternal family sent her uncle to pick up Xue Huan to eat the cherries.
After arriving there, Xue Huan rushed into the cherry orchard with several cousins and brothers. They climbed up the trees, sat on them, picked the cherry fruits and ate them. In the end, their teeth were sore that they couldn't even chew the food.
My aunt also prepared a cherry feast, using cherries in dishes such as fried cherries, sweet cherry soup, and cherry meat.
Let Xue Huan eat as many cherries as she wants at one time.
When she came back, my aunt picked out two large and colorful cherries and filled them with two large baskets for her.
After returning to the village, when passing the east side of the village, Xue Huan heard bursts of crisp reading sounds coming from that side, and guessed that the village clan school had been established.
In that era, being able to read and write was a luxury, so the children in the village cherished this opportunity and studied very hard with Mr. Deng Sheng.
After returning home, Xue Huan did not see Xue Rong, and guessed that he had gone out to see patients again. Xue Rong was a retired imperial physician with very good medical skills. After retiring and returning to his hometown, he became a country doctor, treating villagers in the surrounding area.
If he was just a country bumpkin, he wouldn't be able to become friends with Deng Sheng, the former censor.
Xue Huan washed a plate of cherries and put them on the table, waiting for him to come back to eat them, and then left a basket for Deng Sheng.
She plans to make kirsch from the rest.
While she was pitting the cherries, Grandma Xue's beloved grandson, Xue Jinbao, arrived.
"You're such a loser! My aunt is here and wants to introduce a marriage to your father."
Xue Jinbao's opening words made Xue Huan want to beat him up. He kept talking about losing money, a habit he'd learned from that awful old lady, Old Lady Xue.
What a naughty kid I am.
Besides, what do you mean by "your dad"? Si Ni'er's dad, Xue Lao Da, is Xue Jinbao's uncle in terms of seniority. This naughty kid really has no manners or upbringing.
Looking at Xue Jinbao's gloating expression, it was obvious that he thought she still cared about Boss Xue, so he told her the news on purpose to provoke her.
She has now been adopted by Xue Rong and is no longer a member of the Xue family. The foolishly filial Xue Lao Da has nothing to do with her. She doesn't care whether Xue Lao Da will remarry or not, but Xue Jinbao's behavior makes her very uncomfortable.
Naughty kid, you deserve a beating!
Xue Huan caught Xue Jinbao and beat him up, making him cry for his parents. Unfortunately, Xue Rong lived in a remote place with few houses nearby. No matter how loudly he cried, no one came to save him.
When his crying was not comforted or responded to, Xue Jinbao realized that something was wrong and stopped timidly.
At this time, Xue Huan asked again: "Why is Xue Cuihua so kind that she suddenly wants to introduce a marriage to your uncle?"
Xue Cuihua is the daughter of Mrs. Xue, the aunt that Xue Jinbao refers to. She married into the town and has since considered herself a city dweller, looking down on her brothers who live in the countryside. Every time she comes back, she is arrogant, as if to say, "I have become rich and am willing to come back to the village because I respect you."
Could it be that Old Mrs. Xue had a change of heart and didn't want Old Master Xue to continue being a widower? Xue Huan didn't believe it anyway.
If they wanted to introduce each other, they should have done it earlier. Why wait until now? Besides, marriage requires an engagement and a wedding banquet. Is Mrs. Xue willing to pay for Mr. Xue's marriage?
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