Chapter 6 006 Daily Teacher
The fight between Zhu and Hu reached a fever pitch. Both of them had blood marks on their faces, and their clothes were torn into door curtains, hanging on their bodies in tatters.
Yuan Ping and Uncle Chen were no less capable. The former risked everything for Yuan Sheng's "innocence" and pinned Uncle Chen to the ground with his extraordinary weight, making him unable to move.
Uncle Bao arrived in time and rescued Uncle Chen. The two of them beat Yuan Ping so hard that he screamed.
Despite her good intentions, Du Qingtang did not sympathize with Mrs. Hu, Uncle Chen, or Uncle Bao. If they had not spread the rumors in her first life, she would not have been caught up in public opinion, and Du Baya would not have died.
"Tang Ge'er..."
Du Qingtang ignored Yuan's hesitation and turned back to his room to read.
After all, she is not a beginner. After several hours of unremitting efforts, she has regained her grasp of the Daxia language, but she is not proficient enough yet and needs to read and practice more.
Du Qingtang was immersed in the sea of books, so he didn't know that Yuan Shi had gone to the Yuan family to inquire about the truth.
"Is what Brother Chen said true? Brother Sheng is already married?"
Zhu paused applying the medicine to her face and laughed in anger, "You teamed up with Du Qingtang to smear Sheng Ge'er, and you still have the nerve to come to my house and make a fool of yourself?"
Yuan Shi was completely confused: "When did I ever slander Sheng Ge'er?"
Seeing that Yuan was still playing dumb, Zhu threw the bottle of powder at her face and slapped her repeatedly, saying, "Get out of here!"
Yuan covered her face and cried, then left in shame.
The more Zhu thought about it, the angrier she became. She couldn't swallow this anger anymore, so she picked up a fire poker and went straight to the Du family.
At the Du family, Du Qingtang was squatting by the well killing fish.
The son of the third uncle of the Du family next door caught some fish and shrimps and specially sent a silver carp and a carp.
The four girls were all working and had no hands free. Du Qingtang practiced a few large characters and her wrists felt a little sore, so she stopped to rest and planned to kill the fish to eat for lunch.
Du Qingtang killed the fish skillfully and threw the internal organs to feed the chickens.
"Tang'er, the water is ready." Du Qiya placed half a basin of well water next to her.
Du Qingtang washed the fish clean, and Du Qiya fetched water to rinse the blood off the kitchen knife.
Zhu came to the Du family and saw her so relaxed and happy, even in the mood to eat meat. She immediately flew into a rage: "Du Qingtang!"
Du Qingtang raised his eyes and chopped off the fish's head with his knife: "Aunt, do you want to talk to me about something?"
The fish body, which is as long as an adult's arm, can be braised. Later, go to Liu Tongsheng's house at the entrance of the village to buy a piece of tofu. A bowl of fish head tofu soup will make your tongue drop.
Just as he was thinking about it, the fish's tail suddenly bounced. Du Qingtang was not careful for a moment and the fish body flew out of his hand and hit Zhu's feet.
Du Qiya screamed, and Du Qingtang attacked like lightning - the hand holding the knife had a sharp blade. In the blink of an eye, he cut off a piece of Zhu's skirt, brushed against her cloth shoes, and chopped into the mud, penetrating three-quarters of the way.
"ah!"
If Zhu had not dodged in time and jumped three feet high, half of her foot would have been cut off.
Zhu was about to start scolding when she looked up and met Du Qingtang's eyes which clearly showed the word "intentional", and her heart suddenly sank.
Is it possible that the dead girl is possessed by some evil creature?
His eyes were sinister, as if he wanted to chop her into minced meat.
Looking at the shiny kitchen knife in Du Qingtang's hand and then at the fire poker in her own hand, Zhu shuddered and turned around and ran away.
What a mistake. She should have brought a knife with her.
If that damn girl went crazy and started hacking people, she would be completely powerless to resist and might even die on the spot.
It's a pity for her life. She wants to live a long life and watch Sheng Ge'er pass the imperial examination and become a high-ranking official. She is definitely not afraid of the dead girl!
Zhu came and left. Du Baya exclaimed, "Aunt is leaving so soon?"
Du Liuya passed by with firewood in her arms: "I thought she was going to mess up the house again like she did before."
Du Qiya smiled and said, "She was holding a fire stick in her hand. She must have come here to cause trouble. But our Tang Ge'er is so powerful that he scared her away."
Du Wuya was curious: "What scared you?"
Du Qiya deliberately exaggerated her words, saying how majestic Du Qingtang was, and successfully gained three pairs of admiring glances.
Du Qingtang grabbed the fish with one hand and poured out the blood in the basin with the other, washing it with clean water. "Auntie bullies the weak and fears the strong. Just be a little tough. Why use a butcher knife to kill a chicken?"
The same is true for Yuanshi. It can only be said that the two sisters-in-law are worthy of being from the same family.
Du Baya looked at Du Qingtang's calm profile. She didn't know if it was her illusion, but she always felt that Tang Ge'er had become a lot colder.
She thought so and asked so.
"Tang'er, did you encounter any difficulties in the private school?"
Du Qingtang hadn't told the Du family about her leaving the private school, planning to wait until she was admitted to the academy before telling them: "Why are you asking this?"
Du Baya pondered for a moment and spoke cautiously: "You don't seem very happy to come back this time."
Tangger was born thin and taciturn, and she was worried that he would be bullied in the private school.
Du Qingtang lowered his eyes, his expression normal: "No, I'm fine."
Du Baya breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good."
"Sixth sister, please go buy a piece of tofu." Du Qingtang sent the two fish to the kitchen and handed Du Liuya two coins. "We'll have fish head tofu soup for lunch."
Du Liuya swallowed her saliva and said, "Okay, I'll go right away!"
Du Wuya pushed Du Qingtang out of the kitchen, rolled up her sleeves to reveal her thin arms, and said, "Tang'er, go study. Leave this to me and your eighth sister."
Du Qiya volunteered: "I'll light the fire!"
Du Qingtang followed them and went back to his room to practice calligraphy until Du Baya knocked on the door: "Tang'er, it's time for dinner."
"Here I come." Du Qingtang put down his brush and used a homemade wooden paperweight to hold down the rice paper to prevent it from being blown away. He went outside to wash his hands first, and then went to the kitchen to eat.
The four girls were busy in and out, while Yuanshi sat there with a resentful look on her face, looking at Du Qingtang sadly.
Du Qingtang pretended not to see anything and helped out.
The fish head tofu soup is out of the pot, the milky white soup is filled with green onions, it is delicious and tempting.
Pickles are added to the braised fish, in addition to stir-fried vegetables and cold-mixed radish.
"Today's lunch is so sumptuous!" Du Qiya couldn't wait to try it.
Du Qingtang had just picked up his chopsticks when Yuan suddenly attacked: "Who told you to cook so many dishes? You're all starving, and you don't know how to save food. You finished two fish in one day, what are you going to eat tomorrow?"
Du Qingtang suddenly lost his appetite, and his irritability reached its peak at this moment: "If you don't want to eat, don't eat."
Yuan's throat choked.
"I don't believe you didn't see Fifth Sister and Eighth Sister cooking." Du Qingtang snatched Yuan's bowl and divided her portion of the mixed grain rice between himself and the four girls. "We are in the growing stage, and we can't force ourselves to eat less. So I can only force you to share your portion equally with us."
Du Wuya, Du Liuya and Du Baya looked at each other, not daring to move.
Du Qiya was brave and ate happily while holding the bowl.
Du Qingtang continued to criticize Yuan Shi: "It's so hard to get meat in the house, and everyone is so happy. Why are you making such a fuss? If you don't want to eat, then don't eat it. Don't eat it from now on. Going hungry will make your mind clearer, so you won't do stupid things all day long."
"I'm putting this out there today. Fifth sister, sixth sister, seventh sister, eighth sister, you are my witnesses. From now on, if you make trouble once, you will go hungry for a whole day."
"Get out now, right now. We need to eat."
Du Qingtang's ruthless words made Yuanshi feel like she was falling into an icy cave. She looked at the empty bowl, and then at her daughters' expressions, which were either indifferent, happy, or ignoring. Her heart felt like it was immersed in ice water, cold from head to toe.
"I, I am your mother. You are being unfilial and will be criticized by others. Aren't you afraid that your father will blame you for doing this?"
Du Qingtang invited the girls to eat, and used magic to defeat the magic: "At home, obey your father, after marriage, obey your husband, after your husband's death, obey your son. Now that our father is dead, I am the head of the family. If you don't listen to me, who will you listen to?"
"ah!"
Yuanshi was so devastated that she pushed the bowl away and ran out of the door.
Du Baya was soft-hearted and whispered to Du Qingtang: "Tang'er, aren't we doing this a bit too much..."
Du Qiya rolled her eyes and grumbled, "Ba Ya, you idiot. Tang Ge'er only punished me by not letting me eat for one day, but I haven't let us have a full meal in all these years. I even sent all the money we worked so hard to earn to my uncle's house. If I had to say it, I'd be the one who went the worst."
Du Wuya and Du Liuya looked at each other and remained silent tacitly.
Or perhaps it was silent approval.
Without Yuanshi's presence as a spoiler at the dinner table, everyone ate fish and drank fish soup. They ate up all the sauerkraut and tofu, and also picked up all the green vegetables and radishes.
Just as Du Qingtang said, they were in the growing period and had been malnourished for years. When they ate meat, they naturally gobbled it up and could never get enough.
Even the remaining soup was eaten by the four girls with pancakes.
After eating and drinking, Du Qingtang rinsed his mouth and went back to his room to continue practicing calligraphy.
-
Du Qingtang quickly mastered traditional Chinese characters and then delved into the Four Books and Five Classics.
Early that morning, Du Qingtang took down the bacon that Yuanshi had pickled for the Yuan family from the beam, cut off a palm-sized piece, and took it to Liu Tongsheng's house.
Du Qingtang had studied and received targeted education for the imperial examinations, but that was decades ago and she had long forgotten it. In order to ensure her admission to Qingyuan Academy, she decided to find herself a daily teacher.
The reason why Liu Tongsheng stopped at the level of a Tongsheng was that he had his leg broken by a carriage while taking the imperial examination. He was unable to receive timely medical treatment and was left with a lifelong illness. In terms of scholarship, he was actually better than Mr. Li.
Having his guidance is definitely better than crossing the river by feeling the stones.
When Du Qingtang arrived at the Liu family's house, Liu Tongsheng's wife, Sun, was sifting soybeans in the yard. Seeing her, she smiled and asked, "Brother Tang, are you here to buy tofu?"
"I'm here to see Grandpa Liu." Du Qingtang said straight to the point.
Sun noticed the bacon in her hand and nodded in understanding: "He is in the main room, go there by yourself."
Du Qingtang thanked him, offered the bacon after entering, and directly stated the purpose of his visit.
Liu Tongsheng put down his book and said slowly, "You want to take the entrance exam for Qingyuan Academy. Do you want me to give you some advice?"
Du Qingtang said respectfully, "That's right."
"Why don't you continue to stay at the Li family private school?" Liu Tongsheng said bluntly, "From what I know, Mr. Li is very knowledgeable."
Because there needs to be fate between teachers and students, she and Mr. Li are not suitable.
Du Qingtang thought about it and said, "I heard that the top five students in Qingyuan Academy can be exempted from tuition fees. I want to give it a try."
Liu Tongsheng knew the Du family's situation very well, but he also had a general idea of it. He sighed and said, "Then write one now and let me see how good you are."
He thought about it and quoted a sentence from the "Learning" chapter of the Analects: "If a gentleman does not take things seriously, he will not be respected; if he does not learn, his knowledge will not be solid. [1]"
Based on your understanding of this sentence, write an essay on the Four Books of at least 300 words.
If a gentleman does not respect himself, he will not be respected by others, and his knowledge will not be stable. [2]
The meaning of this sentence is very clear. It emphasizes the virtues and cultivation of a gentleman, so it is naturally not difficult to answer.
Du Qingtang answered quickly, and Liu Tongsheng was very satisfied after reading it.
"Good, write it like this." Liu Tongsheng praised, and assigned another question on the Five Classics and a policy essay.
Du Qingtang answered seriously, and Liu Tongsheng was quite satisfied: "That's all for today."
"The student will come to bother you again tomorrow." Du Qingtang's tone was somewhat tentative.
Liu Tongsheng twirled his beard and said, "Well, go ahead."
Du Qingtang stood up and bowed, then left the Liu family with the three articles he had just written.
Just as he was about to leave the house, he heard a loud shout from behind him: "Du Qingtang, come here!"
Following the sound, Yuan Sheng looked like he was possessed by a vengeful spirit, his eyes filled with rage that seemed to want to burn her to ashes.
Du Qingtang turned around and left.
She is not stupid. Rabies is contagious.
Yuan Sheng was anxious and rushed towards her with a fist: "Du Qingtang, don't refuse my toast and drink the forfeit!"
Seeing that the fist was about to fall, Du Qingtang ducked to avoid it and kicked him in the knee when he was caught off guard.
"ah!"
He used all his strength in this kick, and Yuan Sheng's legs softened and he fell to his knees in front of Du Qingtang.
Du Qingtang took advantage of the pain and kicked Yuan Sheng again, and this time Yuan Sheng fell to the ground.
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