Chapter 20020 She is a Woman
Du Qingtang had no idea of Yuan Sheng's plan. When lunch time came, she had just finished writing a policy paper and went to the kitchen to help.
Du Qiya was still chasing chickens in the yard. Relying on her large stature, she bent down and scooped up a small goose-yellow ball of fluff, which fell into her hands.
She laughed and acted fiercely: "My dear, even if you grow eight legs, you can't escape from my palm!"
The poor little chick was frightened by Du Qiya, and its fur stood on end. It sat in the palm of the scary two-legged beast's hand with its two thin legs limp, and its chirping sounded extremely helpless.
"What do you mean by eight legs? If it grows eight legs, is it still a chicken? Let it go quickly, don't scare it!"
When Yuanshi was not around, Du Wuya was the most senior in the Du family. At her command, Du Qiya reluctantly put down the chicks.
As soon as the chick landed on the ground, it ran away tremblingly, and its curved movement made Du Qiya giggle.
"Stop playing and come over here and cut the tofu."
"Here I come."
Du Qiya jumped into the kitchen, and Du Qingtang followed closely behind.
Soon, a rich aroma wafted from the kitchen.
The crucian carp soup is as white as milk, and is served with tofu sold by Liu Tongsheng's family and wild mushrooms picked from the mountains. The soup is thick and delicious, and just the smell makes people salivate and their appetites grow.
In addition, there are stir-fried lettuce, stir-fried bean curd sheets with pickles, and leftover braised pork offal.
There are three dishes and one soup, with a combination of meat and vegetables, and balanced nutrition.
"We never had such a rich New Year's meal in the past."
"We used to eat in the kitchen, but now that we've moved into a bigger house, we can even eat in the bright living room. It's great."
"It's cold, so the food gets cold quickly. Eat it quickly."
At Du Qingtang's command, the girls buried their heads in their food, wolfing it down without even bothering to speak.
The bright sunshine rushed into the main room through the open door, illuminating the dust floating in the air and the sparkling eyes of the girls.
They had never dared to imagine such a day before.
No more scolding or punishment, no more hunger or cold, and there is plenty of meat to eat.
Happiness came so unexpectedly that they felt warm in their bodies and hearts, so warm that their noses became sore and their eyes filled with tears.
I really hope this is not a dream.
If this is a dream, they hope never to wake up.
......
After eating and drinking, the girls prepared to wash the pots and dishes, and then do embroidery or wood carving as usual.
"Wait a moment." Du Qingtang asked them to sit down and took out his purse. "Divide the money first."
Du Wuya: "I don't need the money, Tang Ge'er, you can keep it for yourself."
Du Liuya: "That's right, they are all with you, so we are relieved."
Du Baya nodded like a chick pecking at rice. Du Qiya wanted to say something, but she bit her lip and finally kept silent.
Du Qingtang said, "I've said before that a girl can only be confident if she has money. You can divide this money between you. You can buy whatever you want later. Food, clothing, and daily necessities are all fine. As long as you are happy, that's all."
Seeing Du Qingtang's firm attitude, the girls had no choice but to agree.
Du Wuya raised a finger and said, "Just this once. From now on, if we make money, we'll keep it in your hands. If we need money, we'll ask you for it. Tang Ge'er, is that okay with you?"
Both sides took a step back, and Du Qingtang nodded: "Okay."
The total profit from selling fish and wood carvings was 160 coins, and each person received 40 coins.
The copper coins were cold and hard in their palms, but the girls' hearts felt like they were immersed in a hot spring, with warm currents gurgling and they couldn't stop smiling on their faces.
After dividing the money, Du Qingtang helped clean up the debris on the table and went back to the room to continue doing the questions.
In the evening, Du Qingtang wrapped a piece of bacon in oil paper and went to his third uncle's house.
There is an iron general hanging on the door of the old house next door, which shows that Yuanshi is still working like a slave in the Yuan family.
Du Qingtang didn't take her seriously. Some people deserve to suffer, and it's best to stay away from them so that you don't have to see them and won't be bothered by them.
Seeing his uncle, Du Qingtang explained his purpose: "I will be going to Qingyuan Academy to study tomorrow and will not be back until the end of the month. I am worried about my mother living alone in the old house, so please take care of her."
The third uncle readily agreed: "I don't want this meat, you take it back."
Du Qingtang didn't respond. He put down the bacon and walked away quickly. The old man was old and his legs were not good, so he couldn't catch up with him.
-
The next day, Du Qingtang left home before dawn.
After walking for half an hour, we arrived at Qingyuan Academy at dawn.
There were many carriages parked in front of the academy, with servants accompanying them. You didn't need to look to know that the people in the carriages were either rich or noble.
"Classmate Du!"
A familiar voice came from behind him, and Du Qingtang turned around and looked: "Classmate Fu."
That’s right, the person who came was Fu Wen, the fifth place in the admission assessment.
"What a coincidence! I just got here and you're here too, classmate Du." Fu Wen panted lightly, puffing out white mist from his breath. "Classmate Du, are you planning to stay in the dormitory or at home?"
Du Qingtang was about to answer when someone nearby exclaimed, "Look, it's the Cao family's carriage!"
Du Qingtang looked in the direction of the sound and saw a carriage made of rosewood slowly stop. The wooden sign hanging next to the carriage swayed in the wind, and the words "Cao Mansion" written in silver and iron were faintly visible.
"Cao family? Which Cao family?"
"Of course it's the Cao family of Xia Jing, the Cao family of Prime Minister Cao!"
The crowd exclaimed again.
"Could it be that the descendants of the Cao family also come to Qingyuan Academy to study?"
"Obviously." The man who first shouted had an unfathomable expression on his face. "It's said that he's the second-grandson of Prime Minister Cao, and his status is very noble."
"Xia Jing already has the Imperial College. Why didn't he go there, but instead traveled thousands of miles to Baoding Prefecture to study?"
The man thoroughly enjoyed the attention, raised his chin, and said with a touch of pride, "Mr. Cao highly respects Master Yao's knowledge and character, which is why he has come all the way here."
The crowd booed in surprise and pride.
"I see."
"Then you and I will become classmates with this Mr. Cao, right?"
"Born at the feet of the emperor, from a top family, Master Cao must be very knowledgeable. I really want to discuss this with him."
Du Qingtang looked away with a lack of interest. If he remembered correctly, Prime Minister Cao's second grandson was named Cao Xingcan. He was arrogant and looked down on others. He disdained to discuss knowledge with ordinary people. This man would probably be disappointed.
On the other hand, Fu Wen, standing aside, had a face full of longing and admiration: "The Prime Minister is the head of the civil service, the ultimate goal of all scholars in the world!"
Du Qingtang smiled. Once upon a time, she also dreamed of becoming a high-ranking official and being appointed as the Prime Minister.
Unfortunately, reality is cruel and it ended in vain.
"Let's go and register."
"Yeah, okay."
The two men came to the vermilion gate and registered according to the number on the license plate on the day of the assessment to indicate that they had reported.
"Number 18, Du Qingtang."
As soon as he finished speaking, countless eyes fell on Du Qingtang, either openly or secretly.
“She’s number one?”
"A little brat?"
"Don't judge a person by his appearance. In ancient times, Gan Luo became prime minister at the age of twelve. It's not impossible for him to be the first in his teens."
"Rare talents are not found everywhere, they are just like blind cats catching dead mice, they are just lucky."
The sound of discussions filled her ears, but Du Qingtang remained expressionless, as if she was not the one being pointed at, belittled and looked down upon.
The boy in charge of registration asked, "Are you living in the dormitory or going to school as a day student?"
Du Qingtang: "Live in the dormitory."
The little boy said, "The dormitory is for two people to a room. If you know someone well, you can form a roommate. Otherwise, we will be assigned randomly."
Du Qingtang pondered for a moment, looked to the right, and said earnestly, "Classmate Fu, how about you and I share a dormitory?"
Fu Wen looked surprised: "Me?"
Du Qingtang: "Yes, it's classmate Fu."
The reason why she chose Fu Wen was not only because she knew etiquette and how to proceed, but also because she was a woman.
Yes, she is a woman.
When they first met that day, Du Qingtang saw it at a glance.
She remembered that when she passed the imperial examination for the first time, the runner-up was a man from Baoding Prefecture named Fu Wen.
She still remembered that in the autumn of the same year, Fu Wen's sister Fu Ci, who was frail and sickly, often lived in temples and rarely appeared in public, passed away suddenly.
Fu Wen was in so much pain that she fainted several times during the funeral.
When this matter spread, Fu Wen was widely praised, and even Emperor Qingyuan married the princess to him because of his loyalty and righteousness.
The couple lived in harmony after marriage and had three sons and two daughters.
"Of course." Fu Wen's expression returned to normal, and his smile was still warm and harmless.
How can two women have children?
Or...
This Fu Wen is not that Fu Wen?
Du Qingtang raised his eyebrows slightly, things were getting interesting.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
