Chapter 25
The diet and climate of Anle County are very similar to those of Shengdu, but Li Ang said that there is a very beautiful flower in Anle County called cough blood red. In spring, the flowers blooming on the trees are fragrant. In early summer, when the flowers fall, many women will catch them under the trees, wash them with clean water, add some stone powder, crush them, and dye cloth and nails.
The scroll that Li Ang brought had a red painting of coughing up blood.
"This flower is pink and white when it grows. As time goes by, it looks like the heart of the flower is coughing up blood, and the blood splashes onto the petals, so it got this name."
Many people are impressed by the paintings made by Li Ang, they are really vivid.
"Li Ang, can I dye my hair with the blood red color?" Xuanyu Fu was really curious and asked.
Master Yan did not stop him. He smiled and stroked his beard out of curiosity.
"Ah?" Li Ang was stunned. "Do you still want to dye your hair?"
No one has ever dyed it, and he doesn't know.
Who would dye their hair? The hair on your body is given by your parents. The classmates responded to Xuanyu Fu's words with a smile. Xuanyu Fu also smiled and said, "The New Year is coming soon. If my father agrees, then it's none of other people's business."
He wants to dye his hair red, so festive.
Yan Huaijin's pupils dilated slightly, and he tilted his head to look at Xuanyuefu. Xuanyuefu really had this idea. Xuanyuefu felt his deskmate's gaze and saw that he was shocked and looked at him seriously.
He suddenly realized that he had scared Jinjin.
Then I heard my deskmate say, "You are right."
Huh? Manyu Fu was surprised and leaned over to whisper, "You actually accepted it?"
“Would you force anyone else to dye their hair?”
"Of course not." Xuan Fu said affirmatively, and soon understood what Jin Jin meant. This child is really good. He accepts new ideas and respects his preferences. "Actually, it's not necessarily the case. I'm just curious about what color cough blood red can be dyed into. Li Ang said it's so beautiful. Aren't you curious? Don't you want to try it yourself?"
Yan Huaijin was slightly stunned. When he read books, there were many new and new things in them, but he only saw them in the books and never thought about doing it himself and seeing it for himself.
"Many blessings, you are right."
"Oh, I feel embarrassed when you praise me." It's really funny to hear my little classmate praising me in a serious manner.
Li Ang was a little absent-minded when he sat back in his seat after finishing his homework. He had only heard his grandmother talk about it yesterday. His grandmother had a smile on her face when she talked about it. She picked up a pen and drew flowers for him. She also asked the nanny to take out a silk handkerchief. His grandmother gently touched the silk handkerchief, sighed and said: It has faded. It was very bright when it was dyed, but it has become old after all.
My grandmother seemed to be talking about coughing up blood, or about her youth.
Then it was Yan Kai's turn. Yan Kai opened the food box. The snacks inside were green. He talked about the snacks and his hometown...
Xuanyuefu listened and supplemented his map. Yan Kai's home was west of Fujiang River, in a good place with mountains and water. The food there was lighter and not very spicy. They raised silkworms and made silk, and the silk was produced in abundance. The snack he brought was rice cake, which was made by boiling and filtering the leaves unique to his hometown, then mixing them with rice and mashing them into rice paste, which was then steamed. It tasted lightly fragrant, and a little bitter after chewing.
Yan Kai's grandfather liked to eat it very much, saying that bitterness was good and had a good taste. He ordered some from the vendors every year. Yan Kai didn't like to eat this before, thinking that his mouth would be slightly bitter after eating it. He still liked to eat desserts with milk and honey.
Manyu Fu also got a bite.
Yan Kai was about to close the lid of the lunch box when Master Yan said, "Why don't you invite the students to taste the flavors of home now?"
Xuanyunfu was the fastest to react. He sat in the first row and raised his hand the highest. He asked for a piece, cut it in two, handed one to Jinjin, and stuffed the other into his own mouth, saying vaguely, "Jinjin, you eat it."
My little deskmate is shy and very well-behaved, so he would definitely feel embarrassed to ask a classmate he is not familiar with for money.
He has the nerve! Hehehe.
Finally I got to eat the dim sum prepared by Yan Kaidai.
It tasted a bit bitter after eating. Manyufu thought that Yan Kai’s grandfather had lived in Shengdu with his son for many years. As the old man got older, he felt homesick and could not leave his hometown.
Let’s think of home through food.
"Who's next?" Master Yan asked after finishing his snack.
Xuanyi Fu immediately raised his hand. He also wanted to do a test in Tutor Yan's "Geography Class" - mainly because he couldn't do a test in Tutor Hu's class. The poor student was heartbroken, but now he has confidence again.
"Then many blessings will come."
Xuanyifu took his folded hand-written newspaper to the front of the classroom. He stood there and began to take apart his hand-written newspaper, and then hung it up - but he couldn't hang it up because there was no scroll.
"Then I'll hold it myself. Everyone, look here." Xuanyuefu began the "cultural performance". "Today I'm going to tell you about Wuzhou. You must have heard of Wuzhou, but you don't know where it is."
The whole class has indeed heard of the current emperor, the former King of Wuzhou.
Unexpectedly, Xuan Duofu was talking about Wuzhou. Some classmates curled their lips in disdain, thinking that Xuan Duofu was scheming and was deliberately trying to please the emperor. They didn't know where Xuan Duofu's godfather Xu Xiaoman was originally from, but it was definitely not from Wuzhou.
More students were curious, and many of Fu’s lessons immediately captured their curiosity.
They indeed only knew the King of Wuzhou, but not Wuzhou.
"Wuzhou is to the north of Shengdu, due north. It's very remote, with dense forests on the mountains, and the land is mostly gravel mixed with weeds and vegetation." Xuan Fu's chin pressed down on the hand-written newspaper, while gesturing, "We are now heading north from Shengdu, and it will take about two months to reach Wuzhou by car."
Master Yan saw a few landscape paintings on the wrinkled paper by Xuanfu, which were obviously not painted by Xuanfu. The tree branch next to it should be a tree branch, which was painted by Xuanfu...
His Majesty loves his son with the heart of a loving father.
"Twelve years ago, it was early winter in Wuzhou. The winter in Wuzhou was long, lasting for more than two months, and it snowed for a month. There was a little beggar on the street. He was either kidnapped or lost, and he didn't know..."
Wang Yuanyuan stood up straight outside the palace. He didn't expect that Xiao Duofu would start talking first, and his eyes would turn red as he listened...
Xuan Fu's story is very simple. It starts with Wang Banban's identity and talks about how the people of Wuzhou lived at that time. Wang Banban didn't say much about the hard times, but his father and the emperor brought it up last night when they drank too much.
He did not talk about political conspiracy, but only talked about the people's food, clothing and housing.
"In winter, we use charcoal for heating. One pound of charcoal costs fifty copper coins, and one pound of coal costs eighty copper coins. If it is the best coal that does not smoke, it will be even more expensive. Everyone will definitely say, what's so expensive about fifty copper coins?"
One scale weighs about fifteen or sixteen pounds.
"For the people of Wuzhou who still have land at home, a family of six would spend about one tael of silver a year on clothes, cloth and salt. Some people can save half a tael and that's enough."
"But in winter, the people have to buy charcoal. Wuzhou has a long winter, and tiles can freeze and crack during the coldest weather. People buy charcoal to keep warm. They don't light charcoal every day, but only when they can't stand the cold."
"Just to keep warm in the winter, it would cost at least half a tael of silver a month."
People usually live frugally, but in winter when their lives are at stake, they have no choice but to grit their teeth and spend money to buy charcoal.
"On weekdays, you can collect firewood for cooking or buy dry firewood, which is cheaper, or use wheat straw in the fields. But in winter, there are people guarding and selling charcoal and firewood."
At that time, the local tyrants made profits from this.
Some of the students present were getting impatient, saying that a scale of charcoal and coal only cost a few dozen copper coins, and Xuan Fu said that he was really poor. It was heard that his father was a beggar picked up by a vagrant, no wonder he liked to say these things.
He is a lowly and lowly person at heart.
Naturally, some students found it interesting, because they had never heard of or seen the lives of ordinary people, so they just listened for fun. Some people listened attentively and looked at Xuanfu seriously.
Yan Huaijin became very serious, thinking with a serious look on his face.
He followed his uncle all the way to Shengdu, and his food, clothing and other expenses were no different from those at home. Uncle Lin always said that the fourth young master had worked hard and was exhausted by the journey, but now, after hearing from many people, he felt that his journey was not difficult.
People’s lives are difficult.
"There is also little food. Some places are not suitable for growing food because the soil is sandy and gravelly. This is especially true in the northwest. When winter comes, people freeze to death on the roadside and in the city, and there are also many beggars."
Zhou Quan frowned, not daring to imagine how the people over there lived in winter. It must be a miserable scene, really terrifying.
"If left alone, the number of people will decrease. Later, the King of Wuzhou issued a decree to raise sheep." Xuanyifu's voice became clear when he mentioned 'raising sheep', and he finally talked about his favorite sheep.
"I ate roasted whole lamb yesterday. Wang Banban said that the lamb in Shengdu is not as tender as the lamb in Wuzhou, but I think it is delicious."
"My father said that in Wuzhou, the weather was cold and the land was hard. After the snow melted, spring came and the hard, sandy land suddenly sprouted a lot of green grass. The sheep were driven out by the villagers and were eating grass. "
"Later, as the number of sheep increased, the villagers who grazed the sheep became the children of the family. The children went to herd the sheep in groups and lay on the grass on the hillside. The adults would tan the sheepskin so that they could sell them or make them into sheepskin coats and hats. The inferior sheepskins were made into blankets to keep warm in winter."
There was a hint of relief in Taifu Yan's eyes. He could imagine that at the beginning, sheep were the people's precious property, just like the cattle of the people in the water towns. The adults drove them and grazed them diligently, but later, when there were more sheep, the shepherds were children.
This shows that the people of Wuzhou are living better than before.
"When winter comes, the people of Wuzhou slaughter sheep. The good parts are sold to the city in exchange for food. The remaining bones and scraps are eaten by the people themselves. They love to drink sheep soup, which is boiled with white radish and water. A big pot of soup is white. Add a little salt. It is warm to drink in one gulp. The soup is fresh and the meat is delicious. Sometimes they also add a handful of noodles."
Someone swallowed his saliva.
"The more affluent families eat roasted lamb. The lamb chops are tender and tasteless, so they are sprinkled with chili and cumin powder—" Xuanfu swallowed his saliva. He was so disappointing! "The roasted lamb chops are sizzling with oil, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The meat and bones are easy to separate. The meat is still pink and tender when you take a bite. It is soft and tender with the aroma of lamb oil, chili and cumin..."
When Taifu Yan heard Xuanyifu talk about the hardships of the people in Wuzhou, his face looked a little solemn but also a little relieved. Xuanyifu sympathized with the difficulties of the people and had a kind heart. His academic performance and writing were mediocre, so he just taught them.
Then a sharp turn.
Many people praised the various ways of eating lamb.
Master Yan: ...After hearing this, I felt a little hungry, and then I laughed. Never mind, Xuanyufu is still young, there is no rush.
The whole class was drooling.
"…I'm done. Thank you everyone."
Yan Huaijin said seriously: "Okay."
After sitting down, Xuanyuefu felt a little regretful, "I can't bring the roasted whole lamb."
"What you said makes me hungry. Is Wuzhou lamb really that delicious?" Li Ang said.
Xuanyu Fu: "It's delicious." He obviously had never eaten it, but for some reason, when he talked about Wuzhou lamb, it was as if he had experienced the taste personally, and his mouth was watering.
Another classmate went up to talk about his homework, so Li Ang sat down and stopped talking. He just talked in class because Xuanyifu's lamb was so delicious that he couldn't help it. Fortunately, Master Yan didn't blame him. Xuanyifu picked up his pen and started to complete his map.
He first learned about the Dasheng map from his classmates.
Although it is not complete, the general direction of the world is given, and it is more detailed, a living food map, which is very interesting. Finally, it was the turn of the little classmate to go on stage. Manyu Fu was very supportive. He was afraid that the little classmate was nervous, so he encouraged him: "You can do it! Don't be afraid! Don't be nervous!"
"Come on, Jinjin!"
Clapping, clapping.
A faint blush appeared on Yan Huaijin's serious little face.
He accompanied his uncle on his tour of official schools in various prefectures and counties. When his uncle gave lectures, he would sit next to him. There were hundreds or even thousands of people sitting in the audience, but he never felt nervous.
But...Xuan Fu was encouraging him.Xuan Fu didn't know that he wouldn't be nervous.
Yan Huaijin was absent-minded. When Duoyufu came up just now, he did not encourage him. He must do better next time.
That's what friends should be like.
The little classmate was small but very calm and composed. He also gave an "unscripted" report. He was really amazing. He was different. There was a handwritten report that was also a bit haphazard, but! He seduced the whole class. When he came down, everyone was greedy.
hey-hey.
Xuan Fu was taking notes while bragging about his little classmate, and he also didn't forget to brag about himself.
Before he knew it, the school bell rang. Xuanyuefu was a little reluctant to leave school because it was his first class. However, when Tutor Yan said the get out of class was over, he was still very happy. The happiest time was when school was over!
After Master Yan and the tutor left, the students in the class did not pack up their bags and leave, but were in high spirits. Those who did not report their homework today learned from their experience and walked quickly, saying to their companions, "Wait, I will bring you food tomorrow."
Someone passed by Xuanfu and said, "Who hasn't eaten roasted whole lamb?"
"Eat it, eat it, eat it all. I think you're like a roasted whole lamb." Manyu Fu shouted back at the other party, even yelling, "Whose family are you from?"
The other person was so scared that his face changed and he ran away very fast.
Xuan Xu Fu: ...The royal family's children are really asking for trouble. I still think he is the same as before. You are sarcastic to me. This prince will not tolerate you!
"He is my cousin." Li Ang said.
Xuanyu Fu said, "Are you on good terms with him?" Without waiting for Li Ang to answer, "I can tell from the first glance that he is not a good person. He is a cheap person who flirts first. He is nothing like you."
Li Ang smiled, because his cousin's last name was Zhong. In the past, he was taken to banquets by his grandmother during festivals, and everyone praised his cousin. But with Xuanyufu, that was not what he cared about.
"Let's not talk about him." Although he and his cousin didn't get along well, they were relatives after all, so Li Ang didn't want to make a fuss.
Xuan Fu nodded. He didn't even know the other person's name. He looked at Li Ang again. Li Ang disliked his cousin, but he didn't tell him his name when he asked. It seemed that he didn't want to cause a fuss.
He gave Li Ang face.
In fact, he can solve the problem by himself and will not complain. Many blessings: lonely, very open-minded.
"Li Ang, can you help me ask if you have any cough blood red at home? Can it be dried and preserved?" Xuanyu Fu was still curious about this. "I heard you say it's only available in early summer, and it's already late autumn now."
"Okay." Li Ang agreed.
Several people were chatting while packing their schoolbags. Zhou Quan said he had to leave first because it was getting late and he had to review his lessons when he got home. Xuanyunfu immediately remembered that Master Hu had assigned him homework in the morning, and he sighed: "Ah~~~~"
His sighs were so loud that they lingered in my ears for three days.
Zhou Quan and Li Ang both laughed. Li Ang said, "How about I stay and help you with the article?"
Manyufu was a little moved, but——
"I'll help Duo Fu." Yan Huaijin said seriously, "I'll wait for my uncle to go back together. There's no rush."
Li Ang looked at Xuanyu Fu. Xuanyu Fu immediately smiled and said, "You and Zhou Quan can go back. I have Jinjin."
"Okay." Li Ang agreed.
After Li Ang and Zhou Quan left, Xuanyufu and Yan Huaijin stayed to continue reviewing. Yan Huaijin said, "Don't you want Li Ang to help you?"
Xuanyuefu was surprised that his little classmate could actually see it.
"Not really." Xuan Fumo was flipping through a book while saying, "Li Ang and I are friends, but he's a little weird. Whenever I need anything, he'll help me first without any conditions. I feel a little embarrassed."
Li Ang was more grateful to him, and he was not used to it, which was his problem.
"I hope Li Ang has his own time and preferences. If one day he rejects me, I will be happier." Xuan Fu said. He saw that his little classmate looked puzzled, so he pretended to be an adult and said in a profound way: "You are still young, you don't understand~"
He even raised his hand and pinched his deskmate's hair.
Hehe. Acting like an adult.
Because Yan Huaijin was smart and steady since childhood, he had his own ideas as he grew up after his enlightenment. The elders in his family treated him like an adult, but Xuanfu was not like that. Xuanfu treated Yan Huaijin like a child.
It's just... very different.
Yan Huaijin lowered his eyes and hummed. Seeing Xuanyuefu's smiling face, he said, "Let's review the lessons."
“…”No hehe.
"Did you do that on purpose?"
Yan Huaijin raised the corners of his mouth slightly and hummed.
Xuanyunfu: "..." His little classmate looked very calm, but unexpectedly he was also petty. This was a counterattack against the pinch he had just given her. Since they were all going to review their lessons, he couldn't help but pinch her again!
Xuanyunfu looked at Yan Huaijin and laughed again.
Yan Huaijin felt amused and handed over his manuscript.
"Compare the two and ask me if you don't understand."
There was a lot of slop in his writing, but he still had to do his homework, so he just resigned himself to his fate and lowered his head. He was stunned when he saw Jinjin's notebook. He read it carefully, his eyes lit up, and he suddenly looked at his deskmate, and then hugged him.
"Yan Jinjin, you are so nice!!!"
Yan Huaijin was embraced by Xuanyifu, and was slightly surprised. What Yan Jinjin? He understood that Xuanyifu gave him a nickname, and he was not unhappy. He was even a little happy. He pursed his lips and said seriously: "You can't understand the article because it doesn't explain its meaning directly."
Xuan Fu was extremely moved because his desk mate helped him translate classical Chinese into plain language. He didn't know what to say, so he let go of his desk mate and wanted to kiss him - but he held back so as not to scare him.
"Thank you, Yan Huaijin." Xuanyufu said solemnly.
Yan Huaijin: "Xuan Duofu, we are friends, no need to be polite."
"I still have to thank you." Xuanyifu smiled happily. Thinking of something, he lowered his head slightly and put his head in front of his deskmate, saying generously, "You can pinch my hair. Only my father and uncle have pinched my hair."
The emperor father pinched it secretly while he was sleeping. Humph, don't think he doesn't know because he is asleep!
Yan Huaijin was stunned again, and then laughed.
Many blessings are really interesting.
He was not polite. Yan Huaijin stretched out his little hand, pinched the bun of Duofu's hair seriously and solemnly, and then pressed the corner of his mouth upwards and said seriously, "It's time to review the lessons."
"Okay, okay, I'll listen to you." Xuanyu Fu stood at attention and started reading.
With the translation as a reference, it is much easier to read the article. There is even a reading comprehension experience of my deskmate at the bottom of the article...
It was getting late, and the tutor came in to ask Yan Huaijin to leave, "Master Yan is waiting for you outside the palace gate."
Xuan Fu just realized that the palace gate was about to be locked, so he immediately packed his schoolbag and quickly packed up his deskmate. He carried his deskmate's schoolbag on his back and held his deskmate's hand, "I'll take you out."
He was afraid that his reading would delay Jinjin's leaving the palace.
Foreign officials were not allowed to stay overnight in the palace without being summoned. The punishment could be serious or minor - it depended on what the censors said. At the most serious level, it was suspected of causing chaos in the harem, and their bodies were not upright and their hearts were not loyal. Once the palace gates were locked, they would not be opened easily unless there was an imperial order.
"Okay." Yan Huaijin watched Xuan Duofu carrying his schoolbag and holding his hand.
Xuanyu Fu walked quickly and said to Wang Banban, "Banban, I'll take Jinjin out first."
"Okay, young master, take your time, there's no rush." Wang Yuanyuan said behind him.
Today, Xiao Duofu was so engrossed in reading that he forgot the time. Who would dare to believe this? Wang Yuanyuan was proud, and her eyes were filled with love as she looked at the little prodigy holding hands with Xiao Duofu.
Love the house and love the dog.
Xuanyu Fu carried two schoolbags and sent Jinjin to Youye Gate out of righteousness. He stood there panting, handed the schoolbags to his deskmate without even looking at him, and waved: "See you tomorrow. I'll bring you milk. Bye, Jinjin."
"See you tomorrow, may you be blessed." Yan Huaijin was a little out of breath after running all the way, so he waved goodbye and left while holding his schoolbag.
So Wang Yuanyuan caught up with him, took the little boy's schoolbag and took a look -
"Young Master, you took the wrong bag."
Many blessings:!!!
I looked back at the right door and it was closed.
A bolt from the blue.
"Doesn't that mean...ah? Ah! Ah!" Xuanyun Fu looked up to the sky and burst into tears. He finally felt that the difficulty level of the homework assigned by Tutor Hu had decreased a bit, but it turned out that he took the wrong schoolbag, and Jinjin's notes and his books were all in the hands of his little deskmate.
Tomorrow morning, when Master Hu randomly checks recitation in class,
Xuanyuefu originally wanted to howl a little. If it was God's will, then it was no wonder that he didn't study. But when he thought about his six-year-old desk mate translating texts for him, he felt a little sorry for him if he didn't make progress.
He immediately swallowed back his frustrated words and said, "I'll go to bed early tonight and get up early for school tomorrow. I should be in time. Jinjin will be there at 7 o'clock. Wang Banban, you must wake me up early tomorrow."
An hour is definitely enough time to copy the text.
He memorized a lot today.
In the car, Yan Huaijin also realized that he had taken the wrong schoolbag, but he did not open it. However, Duo Xuanfu was in a hurry to pack it and did not fasten the belt tightly. When he got off the car, the things in the bag fell out, and Yan Huaijin picked them up himself...
There is a sheep drawn on the folded paper.
Yan Huaijin looked at the sheep, and Taifu Yan beside him also saw it. After getting off the car, he asked the housekeeper: "Are there any sheep in the mansion? Let's have sheep for dinner."
The author has something to say:
I forgot to say: Cubs are just Cubs, genuine Cubs.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
