Chapter 81 You bastard, where are my eggs?
It was midday, and the sun was scorching. People were coming and going, and boats were coming and going all around.
Li Jun calmly looked at the person in front of him who was looking at him against the light, as if a heavy hammer had been driven into his chest, and an unknown emotion gradually spread.
This emotion was so unfamiliar that he felt completely lost. He stood there helplessly, unsure of how to react.
Jiang Nuanzhi's shadow fell perfectly over Li Junping's small figure.
Under such blinding gaze, she couldn't quite make out the child's expression. But after saying those words, she took his hand again and said, "So, let's go settle our wages first, and then go home. Okay?"
This time, Li Junping didn't refuse, letting her hold his hand. He just stared absentmindedly at Jiang Nuanzhi holding his hand, saying:
"Let's just go back. The foreman said that if we don't work a full day, we won't get paid."
Jiang Nuanzhi: "How can half a day's labor not count as labor? You should at least try, shouldn't you?"
Li Junping looked up and saw Jiang Nuanzhi wink at him mischievously.
Fifteen minutes later, the two of them, holding ten coins, rode Xiao Li slowly away.
Clutching the ten coins in his hand, Li Junping looked at Jiang Nuanzhi with suspicion in his eyes: "What method did you use to get the money back just now?"
Jiang Nuanzhi said, "It's nothing more than how adults get along."
Li Junping looked at her without hesitation and asked, "Did you hit him?"
Jiang Nuanzhi immediately frowned and shook her head: "No."
"Then why did he refuse to give me the money when I went to ask for it, and even got angry? But when you went, he changed his attitude and even handed me these ten copper coins."
Jiang Nuanzhi: "I just talked to him about some principles."
Li Junping: "I think I saw you throwing a punch at him from afar."
Jiang Nuanzhi: "Yes, using fists to reason is also a kind of reason."
Li Junping: "."
"I said, do you really have to talk to me with a black cloth covering your face?"
Li Junping's expression was somewhat indescribable.
Jiang Nuanzhi, who was sitting in front of him, had a black cloth covering her head from head to toe, even half of the hand holding the reins was covered.
People on the street turned their heads to look.
Jiang Nuanzhi: "What do you know, little brat? I call this physical sun protection, so I don't get tanned."
Li Junping: "."
All right.
“Ping’er, sit behind me and I’ll shield you from the sun so you don’t get tanned.”
As she spoke, she picked him up and tossed him behind her.
"I'm actually not afraid of the sun." She paused halfway through her sentence, then suddenly realized, "With your face covered by a black cloth, how can you see the road?"
Jiang Nuanzhi: "Oh, don't worry, you definitely won't fall."
Li Junping frowned, about to say something, when he suddenly smelled a strong stench of blood. Looking up slightly, he noticed that the long black cloth was soaked.
He reached out and touched it, realizing it was blood. His eyes suddenly turned cold: "Anuan, you're injured."
As he spoke, he lifted the black cloth draped over Jiang Nuanzhi's body.
"Ah, it's nothing, just a minor injury. I'll apply some wound medicine when I get back; I sold out of wound medicine today."
Jiang Nuanzhi said, seemingly unconcerned.
"How did your ointment sales go today? Who hurt you?"
"Everything went very smoothly. I made over thirty taels today. I'll show you when we get back."
"Then how did you get injured?"
"Oh, I just ran into a crazy girl when I was selling ointment. She mistook me for a bad guy and whipped me, but it's all over now, so don't worry about it."
Li Junping's small hand unconsciously groped around, and he asked casually, "Crazy girl? What's your name?"
"The shop owner calls her Miss Liu. I heard her brother works for the Sixth Prince in the capital. He's a wealthy man in our Liujiang County, very rich. Speaking of which, she even gave me two taels of silver today, so I guess I made a profit."
"Miss Liu," Li Junping murmured, repeating Jiang Nuanzhi's words, his eyes flickering.
"Anuan, stop for now. Let me treat your wound. I have some medicine with me."
Jiang Nuanzhi did not refuse and let him handle it.
As the two mounted their horses again, Li Junping realized something was wrong: "Weren't we going home? Where are you going?"
Jiang Nuanzhi: "Didn't you notice that I put a lot of things in the basket? They're all for your teacher. Let's go and pay your tuition now, and you can continue going to school tomorrow."
Li Junping listened with his lips pursed, and this time, he didn't say anything about him not going to school.
Jiang Nuanzhi breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that today's lesson had been quite effective.
Even after Li Junping rose to the rank of one of the Three Dukes in the book, he seemed to be constantly criticized by the upright officials.
The most important point is that he did not enter the officialdom through the proper channels, but rather through donation.
This matter is mentioned repeatedly in the book.
At this time, the imperial examination system was combined with schools. Candidates had to first obtain the qualification for admission, that is, become students, before they could participate in the imperial examinations.
The so-called proper path is for students to pass the examinations at various levels, including the preliminary examinations, the prefectural examinations, and the academy examinations, in order to participate in the imperial examinations.
Besides this route, another group of people entered the Imperial Academy as students and participated in the imperial examinations.
Among the students of the Imperial Academy, there were those granted imperial favor, those granted hereditary privilege due to their elders' meritorious service to the country, and those granted official positions through donations of money and valuables.
Students admitted to the Imperial Academy could also take the provincial and metropolitan examinations, but they were generally considered to be of a mixed class and were looked down upon by officials who were officially admitted to the academy. Coincidentally, Li Junping was one of the most despised students who had purchased his degree to become a student of the Imperial Academy.
His ability to win first place in the imperial examination demonstrates his inherent talent.
Now that there is an opportunity to let the child take a proper career path in government and avoid future troubles, why not do it?
The main problem is that Jiang Nuanzhi doesn't have the money to donate a place for him as a student in the Imperial Academy.
Jiang Nuanzhi had already found out the location of the academy.
However, when they arrived at the door, Li Junping pulled him to a small courtyard next door.
Jiang Nuanzhi was puzzled, so Li Junping explained, "Master Du's home is over here. He should be having lunch at home at this time."
As the two were talking, they suddenly heard a roar coming from inside the house!
"You heartless bastard, where are my eggs! Where are my eggs! I saved up these eggs by scrimping and saving to nourish my child! Where did they go? And where are the pancakes I made yesterday?"
"Could he really have been robbed? If I catch this guy, I'll chop off his hands! Then skin him alive! Then pull out his intestines and see what's inside, whether he's carrying his wife, children, and elderly parents!"
"Madam, please calm down. I ate those eggs, haha, I'm stuffed. I'll buy you and the children some more eggs next month when I get my paycheck."
"You ate it? Pah!"
"Open your mouth so I can see! Let me smell your burp and see if it smells like eggs?"
After saying that, a sob suddenly rang out: "Waaah, what sins have I committed! Du Songbai! If you don't explain yourself clearly today, I'm not finished with you! We're both teachers, but look at Master Zhu next door, his students bring him gifts every few days. And look at you, your house is almost empty!"
The child has been crying for days, begging for pea flour cakes, and what have you done? I couldn't even borrow money from you, and you even gave me the last half-basin of cakes. I ask you, are we going to live on air for the next few days?
① Partially selected from Baidu
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
