Chapter 48 Chapter 48 What is the intention
After the Double Ninth Festival, time is like the money in your hands, slipping away without you knowing how.
In the blink of an eye, it was the beginning of winter, and Mrs. Jiang called He Ping and Chen Ling'an to her home for dinner.
I also asked Xiaoman to go find Chen Yanning. Unfortunately, my younger sister caught a cold and has been staying in the house to recuperate for the past two days. That's all I can do.
Looking at the table full of steaming dishes, He Ping's mouth was watering. "The food at the academy is simply inedible. It's freezing cold, and the rice porridge is frozen solid. They're afraid we'll die in comfort!"
Mrs. Jiang was heartbroken and quickly gave him a large portion of boiled dried bean curd with chopsticks. "I remember you liked this, but it's not as good as your master's wife's. Just have it."
He Ping cried out, "My godmother is jealous of my master's wife! I'm truly so charming, I've attracted two incredibly beautiful women to fight over my affections."
"You're being disrespectful! I'll tell your master's wife on you!" Mrs. Jiang scolded him with a laugh. She then asked if he had enough charcoal. "I have some top-quality charcoal here. It doesn't smell like smoke and burns very well. I'll load it with 300 kilograms. It'll be enough for the winter."
He Ping believed in not suffering unnecessary hardships, and he immediately took advantage of the situation. "Godmother, please give me a thicker set of bedding. There's no kang in Jinling, and it's damp and cold. I can't sleep."
As Mrs. Jiang ordered preparations, she lamented, "From the outside, Nancui Academy looks well-built, but the food and accommodation are so poor."
He Ping looked at Chen Ling'an with a smile, "Then we have to ask him."
Xiaoman: "What does this have to do with Chen Ling'an? Did he withhold the academy's stipend? Stop always blaming others."
He Ping teased, "Girls are extroverts, I've learned that. Hey, don't hit me. Nan Cui Academy was founded by Chen Ling'an's father. He prioritizes teaching over food and lodging. It was his father who set the rules. Just tell me if this matter has anything to do with him."
Chen Ling'an said calmly, "Building an academy requires a lot of money. Buying the land and building the house alone took up most of my father's savings. He was determined to make Nancui Academy the best academy in the world, and he also wanted to hire famous teachers at a high price."
"For students from poor families, my father waived their tuition fees, which was another expense. Food and drink were free, books and ink were free, two sets of blue clothes a year, and travel expenses were also given to students who couldn't afford to take the exams. Money was spent everywhere, like a bottomless pit."
"No one has mountains of gold and silver, so how can we expect to eat well and live well?"
He Ping slapped his head with a groan, clasped his hands together and said solemnly, "Your father is a man of high virtue and integrity, a true gentleman. I am sorry for the intrusion."
A hint of sneer appeared on Chen Ling'an's lips.
Gentleman? Only a fool would do!
After only three years, the academy could no longer survive and had to reduce the teachers' salaries and start charging for books, food and lodging. My father had intended to help the academy, but this caused many complaints from teachers and students.
My father was wronged, but not a single student stood up to speak for him!
Small favors create noble people, great favors create enemies. The world is cold and people's hearts are treacherous. It's just like this.
Later, Chen Shao took over the academy and started charging fees for everything. There was no such thing as free admission. He also set a minimum entrance fee, requiring students to pay silver if their grades weren't good enough, starting at 1,000 taels and going up to a higher limit.
Only those who are exceptionally outstanding or have a strong family background may be given a break.
My father hated this kind of behavior that corrupted the academic atmosphere the most. However, under Chen Shao's leadership, the academy not only did not decline, but instead continued to grow. Students from all over the country came to the academy because of its reputation, and it truly had the momentum to become "the best academy in the world."
What's even more ridiculous is that those students were so grateful to Chen Shao and regarded him as their second parent that they became the most determined group of people to follow Chen Shao.
He didn't want to be a fool like his father.
Chen Ling'an raised his glass and drank it all.
Mrs. Jiang's eyes showed a look of pity. She scooped a spoonful of scallion-fried tofu and put it into his bowl. "Tofu brings good fortune. Eating it will bring you luck and fortune. It will bring you a lot of blessings."
Chen Ling'an stared at the bowl in a daze.
"He doesn't like tofu." Xiaoman snatched his bowl and placed the tofu in front of her. "This blessing belongs to me. I'll be angry if anyone takes it away from me."
Mrs. Jiang: "Can you eat a whole plate? You have big eyes but a small stomach. Don't overeat."
"If I can't finish it, I'll continue eating tomorrow."
Mrs. Jiang shook her head and asked Chen Ling'an, "You never go to Linyuan once. Don't you miss your sister? The last time I went there, your sister asked about you."
Chen Lingan: "Not bad."
What did this mean? Mrs. Jiang didn't understand.
He Ping waved his hands: "Don't go now. Ever since the news of the teacher's return to Beijing spread, the line to see him stretches two miles every day! Even if the teacher says he won't see him, it can't stop these people. It makes me want to go after dark to get a free meal. It's like being a thief."
Mrs. Jiang smiled and did not mention the subject again.
As the night deepened, He Ping touched his round belly contentedly and said goodbye to Mrs. Jiang and Xiaoman.
Because they were too full, he and Chen Ling'an strolled along the alley, chatting idly.
Basically, he was talking and Chen Ling'an was listening.
Seeing that the road ahead was about to split, He Ping sighed and suddenly said, "Since the teacher introduced you to the Qiandi, he knows which way you will take."
Chen Ling'an paused and stood there in a daze.
He Ping got on the carriage and left.
It was quiet all around. The round moon showed half of its face from behind the lotus clouds, and half of a human shadow appeared on the ground at the entrance of the alley.
Chen Ling'an approached calmly and shouted, "Get out!"
The man was so frightened that he jumped up and fell to the ground, crying and begging for mercy: "Don't kill me, don't kill me."
It’s Zhang Anyi.
Thinking of the good things her aunt had done, Chen Lingan snorted coldly: "You came to see Madam Jiang?"
Zhang Anyi nodded nervously.
Chen Ling'an felt even more fed up. The Zhang family was now extremely poor, and the adults were not easy to deal with. She must have been unable to bear it, so she came to ask Mrs. Jiang to take her in.
Her aunt is vicious and insidious, and she is too selfish. She looks timid and cowardly, but in fact she has a cold heart. Although she has not done anything evil, she does not deserve sympathy.
"Don't show up in front of them." Chen Ling'an stared at her coldly. "Next time, you won't be so lucky."
After saying that, he moved his feet away.
The blue bricks on the ground were broken.
Zhang Anyi screamed and ran away, crawling as if a ghost was chasing her.
She ran until her legs felt weak and she was out of breath. She then stopped and curled up in the corner, hugging her knees and crying.
Today she took the copper key to the pawnshop, thinking she would get a large sum of money and a large piece of land, but the pawnshop owner told her that the things had been confiscated by the government long ago.
She didn't believe it, but her aunt said the things were under her name and wouldn't be found.
The pawnshop staff told her to talk to the Jinyiwei, "There's no way they couldn't find out. If they didn't arrest you, just be happy."
She didn't know what to do, so she had to pawn the lapis lazuli her third sister had given her. The pawnshop said it was worthless and would only pay 20 taels if she was dead, and 10 taels if she was alive.
The third sister clearly said it was worth one hundred taels, so who was deceiving her?
She had a big meal and spent ten taels of silver. She kept the remaining silver close to her body and went to the yamen prison with the packed leftovers.
She cried and kowtowed continuously until her voice became hoarse and her head was bruised. Only then did the jailer let her in to see her aunt.
I don’t know if she was sick or beaten, but my aunt was like a thin candle. If you spoke loudly, it would be blown out.
The aunt's skinny hand tightly grasped her arm, and she uttered the word "Liu" with difficulty.
It's already this time, and he still wants her to go find Liu Jinshu. Fourth sister is so beautiful, but he doesn't even like her, so why would he take her in?
The aunt closed her eyes and took a deep breath, as if gathering her last bit of energy. "There's a pamphlet under the shrine. Take it... and go find Liu Jinshu."
After saying that, he fainted and no matter how much she cried and screamed, he didn't wake up.
Auntie didn't even eat a single bite of the food she brought.
After she was released from prison, she didn't have the courage to look for Liu Jinshu. After thinking it over again and again, she finally walked to the door of her wife's house.
My wife is kind-hearted and easily influenced, and she is naturally compassionate towards children, so she might keep her.
Just avoid the third sister.
But he met Chen Ling'an!
The last glimmer of hope was dashed, and Zhang Anyi was extremely desperate.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
The sound of gongs was heard, it was three o'clock in the first watch, and the curfew was about to begin. Zhang Anyi hurried home.
She entered through the side door and found no one on the street - Aunt Yao only left two maids and a servant for her eldest brother. The other servants were either sold or redeemed. The bustling Zhang family had become a deserted tomb.
Old Mrs. Bian was still awake, humming for water. Zhang Anyi went back to the house to hide the leftovers before hurried over.
A pot, empty.
The firewood was locked in Aunt Yao's yard, so she didn't dare to ask for it. She simply scooped a bucket of cold water and fed it to the old lady.
The old lady drank some water and then asked for food. Where was the food? Just half a vegetable pancake. It was fine for her, but her teeth couldn't chew it.
The old lady cursed loudly, and Zhang Anyi listened blankly, staring at the old lady's mouth opening and closing in a daze.
Maybe because I had a full stomach today, my mind is no longer groggy.
Why are you scolding her? Why is my aunt going to jail? You instructed my aunt to do all this. You should be the one suffering in jail.
You mean raising me? No, you brought me with you to take away the good things that belong to me.
Madam is very fair. Everything that Fourth Sister has, I also have. Silks, satins, gold and silver jewelry, all are now in your hands.
If I had stayed in the mansion and grown up with the Madam, I might have been her most beloved child. Why would I have ended up like this?
It's all your fault!
When Zhang Anyi came to his senses, the old lady was no longer moving.
She looked at the big hole on the old lady's head, and then at the bloody bronze Buddha statue in her hand.
His scalp exploded and the Buddha statue fell to the ground with a bang.
She ran to the gate of Aunt Yao's courtyard, panting, crying for help, "The old lady is dying, Aunt, please save her."
Aunt Yao didn't want to intervene, but her crying was too shrill, and she was afraid of disturbing the neighbors, so she had to put on her clothes.
Seeing the blood on Zhang Anyi's hands and clothes, Aunt Yao was so shocked that she could hardly speak. "What did you do?"
Zhang Anyi sobbed and told what happened.
"Dead?"
"It seems... dead."
Aunt Yao's head buzzed, and she slapped Zhang Anyi in the face, wishing she could strangle him to death. "You did this on purpose, deliberately destroying my son!"
The crime of parricide is punishable by death by slow slicing, and all relatives living together will be punished as well.
At the very least, the son will lose his fame and honor, and at worst he will be exiled!
The little bitch wanted to drag them down with her. Aunt Yao was so angry that she pulled out her hairpin and stabbed them randomly without thinking.
Zhang Anyi covered her face and screamed, but did not run away.
"Stop screaming!" After all, Aunt Yao had some concerns, so she stopped and went to the old lady's yard with her.
Restraining their fear, Aunt Yao and Zhang Anyi worked together to lift the old lady, moving her step by step, and threw her into the well in the backyard along with the blood-stained Buddha statue.
After scrubbing the floor and burning the bedding, they finally cleaned up the yard before dawn.
Aunt Yao left a message of "Take care of yourself" and left. Zhang Anyi was exhausted, so tired that he didn't even feel fear. He went back to his room and fell asleep. When he woke up, it was already the next morning.
A new wall was built in the house, separating her room.
The fear of murder slowly came over her, and she felt a chill on her back. She always felt that her grandmother was standing behind her, staring at her with cloudy eyes.
She didn't dare look back, and tremblingly found the booklet that her aunt mentioned.
The densely packed tiny handwriting records the third sister's food, clothing, housing and transportation.
The record started from the first day my third sister arrived at the Zhang family and continued until the day my aunt was taken away.
It is a daily record of where I went, who I met, what I did, what I wore, what I ate... It was very detailed at the beginning, but gradually became simpler, especially the last dozen pages, which only had a date and were almost blank.
Would Liu Jinshu be interested in this?
She didn't believe it, but she had no other way to go, so she held the booklet and waited on the road that Liu Jinshu had to take to go out.
Coincidentally, I saw Liu Jinshu not long after waiting.
Zhang Anyi rushed to him and knelt down, holding up the booklet and saying that it belonged to her third sister and she was willing to give it to him. She begged him to give her food and was willing to be her slave or maid.
Secretary Liu Jin thought of her and said, "You are Mr. Zhang's sister. How can you be a slave? Even if you are willing, I will not accept you."
Zhang Anyi cried anxiously, "If you don't want me, I'll just die."
What kind of words are these! Liu Jinshu was furious, and he acted like a heartless man who played with women.
At this moment, Zhang Anyi's stomach growled loudly.
Liu Jinshu suddenly realized and touched his sleeve. He was in a hurry to go out today and didn't bring any money.
He took off the Hetian jade bead pendant from his belt, handed it to her and said, "It's worth two hundred taels. Sell it and live a good life. Don't underestimate yourself."
Having said this, he took the booklet from her hand and walked away hurriedly without paying any attention to how she kowtowed and thanked him.
Liu Jinshu didn't want the booklet. He took it just to tell Zhang Anyi that the money and goods had been paid for and they owed nothing to each other, so he shouldn't treat him as a benefactor.
Since it belongs to Xiaoman, I should find a chance to return it to her.
But he felt like he had something inside him, and he always wanted to open it and see what was inside. Even though he knew that looking through other people's things was a despicable act and not what a gentleman should do, he could not suppress the urge.
Sitting in the Hanlin Academy, he was absent-minded for the whole morning. He, who never made mistakes, actually copied several ancient books incorrectly.
After sitting in boredom for a while, Liu Jinshu simply threw down his pen and went outside to get some fresh air.
It is winter now. The grass and trees by the roadside are shivering in the cold wind, making a slight whistling sound, and are showing signs of decay.
He felt an inexplicable palpitation in his heart.
I heard men talking and laughing in front of me. I looked up and saw Chen Lingan and several civil servants.
Liu Jinshu almost thought he was seeing things. There were actually civil servants willing to make friends with Chen Lingan!
Could it be that the rumors in the capital are true: Mr. Lin Ting and Chen Ling'an have a past relationship, and it was he who recommended Chen Ling'an to the current emperor.
These people want to get in touch with Mr. Lin Ting through Chen Ling'an?
Suddenly thinking of his mother's crying, he felt even more upset and couldn't help but smile bitterly. Who would have thought that Xiaoman would have such a great fortune!
The person opposite was getting closer and closer, and Liu Jinshu walked straight forward without avoiding or giving way.
He forgot what was in his sleeve.
His shoulder was suddenly twisted by Chen Ling'an's collision, and the booklet fell to the ground with a snap.
Chen Lingan's pupils suddenly widened: Zhang Xiaoman?
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