Chapter 60060 Women’s Literary Society
There was no apprenticeship tea, no apprenticeship ceremony, and no witnesses, and Du Qingtang became Yao Xuan's only disciple.
Yao Xuan asked Du Qingtang what books he had read, and Du Qingtang told him in detail.
"Not bad." Yao Xuan showed approval. "Come to my residence tomorrow. If you're too busy preparing for the exam to come, you can come after the New Year."
Du Qingtang made a prompt decision and said, "I'm free tomorrow."
Yao Xuan responded: "The literary gathering hasn't ended yet, you should go back quickly."
Du Qingtang bowed and, turning around, spotted a middle-aged man in a dark ochre round-collared robe standing not far away. He paused and saluted again, "Greetings, Professor Wen."
Professor Wen Boqing: "......"
Yao Xuan, the headmaster who had stolen his friend's identity: "......"
Wen Boqing watched the whole process of his friend accepting a disciple. Worried about the presence of his new disciple, he tried to hold back his laughter until his stomach hurt. He nodded in agreement with a professorial air.
Du Qingtang took his leave, and Wen Boqing walked forward.
Yao Xuan looked up at the sky, his tone melancholy: "To be honest, I'm feeling a bit complicated right now."
Before he could even finish his words of explanation, Du Qingtang interrupted him.
Have you suspected his identity for a long time?
Okay, then I won’t explain it anymore and will instead express my intention to accept you as my disciple.
As a result, Du Qingtang knelt down and kowtowed, acknowledging him as his master after he had only said half of the speech he had prepared for a long time.
Wen Boqing was overjoyed: "Zi Jing, your little disciple is no ordinary person. Even you are unconsciously being led by her."
As the saying goes, those who are involved are often confused, while those who are not involved can see clearly.
He saw it all clearly from the side, but his friend didn't react until now.
Yao Xuan exhaled through his nose, feeling a little depressed, yet also a little proud: "You are worthy of being my disciple, Yao Zijing."
Wen Boqing asked with some ill intention, "Does Jingzhou know that he has a junior uncle who is five years younger than him?"
Yao Xuan's smile froze on his face. He coughed lightly and said, "I've been busy lately and haven't had time to tell him yet. It's not too late to write him now."
Wen Boqing suddenly stopped smiling and said seriously, "The Qi family is now severely weakened and their descendants are dwindling. Jingzhou has already become a juren before he even reached adulthood. I'm afraid they will set their sights on him."
Yao Xuan's smile suddenly turned cold. "So what? Qi Changqing's legitimate son is Qi Hezhang. What does that have to do with my grandson Yao Jingzhou?"
How could a fake who appeared out of nowhere be worthy of occupying the identity of the only son of his daughter and son-in-law and his only grandson?
If Jingzhou had not already drawn a clear line with the Duke of Changguo's Mansion and changed his surname from Qi to Yao, he might have fought for Jingzhou.
Now that the Qi family had been brutally exterminated, the only remaining descendants were undoubtedly targets standing in the open. He didn't want Yao Jingzhou to suffer any harm.
Wen Boqing sighed: "It's all retribution."
Yao Xuan remained silent.
When Qi Lianmao allowed his second son to kill his eldest son, he should have thought of this day.
Yao Xuan didn't want to talk about the past anymore. Every time he mentioned it, it would remind him of his own incompetence. The poisonous insect called hatred would madly gnaw at his heart, making him feel so painful that he wanted to die, but he could do nothing.
He could only wait.
Wait until the fight for the throne comes to an end, and wait until the culprit who caused him to lose his son is defeated.
Yao Xuan closed his eyes, his smile faded, leaving only a desolate look on his face.
Wen Boqing's eyes flashed with pity, and he patted his friend's shoulder: "Let's go fishing."
The two old friends who had been looking at each other for decades sat side by side by the pond. They looked at the water calmly and no one spoke.
......
Du Qingtang returned to the table, and Cao Xingcan raised his eyelids: "Why did you take so long? Many people asked me about you just now."
"I met the headmaster by the pond and became his disciple."
Cao Xingcan paused his drinking. "Become a disciple? Whose disciple?"
Du Qingtang poured himself a drink, the wine going down his throat, the taste was soft and slightly sweet: "Yuan Zhong asked even though he knew the answer."
Last month, Cao Xingcan came of age.
His former master, the chief academic officer of the Imperial College, gave him a courtesy name - Yuanzhong.
From then on, Du Qingtang and Fu Ci changed their name to "Yuan Zhong" to show their closeness.
Cao Xingcan expressed disdain for this, but never asked them to change their words.
Cao Xingcan tutted his words and put down his wine glass: "You are so lucky. You can find a great scholar to be your teacher just by taking a walk."
Du Qingtang glared at him and said firmly, "You are jealous."
Cao Xingcan's eyelids twitched: "I don't have it."
Du Qingtang exposed his duplicity: "Didn't you come to Qingyuan Academy just for my master?"
Cao Xingcan snorted coldly: "It's just what others say, don't take it seriously."
Du Qingtang: "Oh."
Cao Xingcan: “…”
In fact, the reason he returned to his hometown Baoding Prefecture to study was very small because of Yao Xuan, but more because of his elder brother, Cao Xingxuan.
Cao Xingxuan was very wary of Cao Xingcan and regarded him as an imaginary enemy, targeting him everywhere.
Cao Xingcan did not want his brothers, who were born of the same mother, to become enemies, so he took the initiative to propose studying at Qingyuan Academy.
Cao Xingcan lowered his eyes, not knowing what he was thinking. After a while, he asked again, "When will the apprenticeship ceremony be held?"
Du Qingtang held his chin with one hand, rubbing the cup wall with his fingertips, and said casually: "I have already become your disciple."
Cao Xingcan: “???”
He finally understood what was happening and laughed out loud: "You really are..."
Du Qingtang curled his lips and said, "How could I miss the olive branch extended by the great scholar of the time?"
Cao Xingcan chuckled, attracting the attention of people around him.
He ignored it and raised his glass: "Congratulations."
The two cups clinked together, making a soft "ding" sound.
Du Qingtang raised his head slightly and drank the wine in the glass.
Soon, the literary gathering came to an end and the readers dispersed one after another.
Du Qingtang and Cao Xingcan parted ways under the statue of Confucius, one went to the dormitory and the other returned to Cao's mansion.
As the sky gradually darkened, oil lamps were lit in the dormitory.
Fu Ci was sitting under the lamp practicing calligraphy. Seeing Du Qingtang come back, he turned around and asked, "Was this year's literary gathering interesting?"
"It's about the same as the year before last. Not very interesting. I won't go next year." Du Qingtang poured a glass of water to dilute the faint smell of alcohol in his mouth. "Half an hour ago, I became the disciple of the headmaster."
Fu Ci was stunned at first, but then he smiled: "This is good news. Shanzhang is a world-renowned scholar. Over the years, countless people have wanted to become his disciples, but he has rejected them all. Qingtang, you must have something extraordinary, so Shanzhang made an exception and accepted you as his disciple."
Du Qingtang felt relieved by these words, and a soft smile appeared on his face. "Fifth sister and the others will definitely celebrate when they find out. Come with me."
Fu Ci didn't refuse, but said bitterly, "Fifth sister always makes me eat vegetarian food, while you guys enjoy the feasts, and I'm watching from the side, my mouth is watering."
Du Qingtang suppressed a smile: "Just bear with it for another two years, and the seven hundred days will pass quickly."
Fu Ci: "...Qingtang!"
Du Qingtang laughed and extinguished the oil lamp: "We have to go back quickly. The day before yesterday I said I wouldn't go back today. If you keep dawdling, they might as well go to bed."
"Ah! Why didn't you say so earlier!"
Fu Ci didn't even bother to wash his brush, and ran all the way with his friend.
Arriving at the Du family courtyard, it was Du Qingju who opened the door. She thought it was dark and she was hallucinating: "Tang Ge'er and Awen? Why are you here?"
Without waiting for Du Qingtang to explain, Fu Ci announced loudly: "Qingtang has become Shanzhang's disciple. I came back specially to tell you this good news."
Sure enough, the girls were very happy.
Du Qingzhu personally cooked three dishes and a soup for Du Qingtang and Fu Ci.
At the dinner table, Du Qingmei mentioned the Qiongwen Literary Society: "When the society is officially established next year, I'm afraid it will be attacked by many scholars and cause a lot of criticism."
"But we have already prepared ourselves mentally. No matter how difficult it is, as long as we can help more women, we will be happy to do it even if it is a little hard," said Du Qinglan.
They know that the road ahead is bumpy, but they still have firm beliefs and their eyes are full of hope.
Fu Ci saw this and felt a little envious and a little admiring.
They are brave and united.
Women should unite and help each other.
It’s a pity that the secret of her identity is related to her life and cannot be known to others. Otherwise, she would also like to join the Qiongying English Society and contribute her own strength to the women of Qingyuan County.
On the way back to the dormitory, Fu Ci suddenly had an idea: "How about we help promote it in the academy?"
Du Qingtang objected, "The academy is full of men, many of whom are pedantic. They can't empathize with women, and they might even think the Qiong Ying Society is too unorthodox and shouldn't exist."
"If you and I spread the word, it won't help them, it might even backfire."
Fu Ci opened his eyes wide, not expecting his good intentions to bring trouble to the Qiong Ying Society. He shook his head like a rattle and said, "Forget it then."
Du Qingtang comforted him, "Don't worry, women's power should not be underestimated. They will definitely succeed."
......
The next day, after class, Du Qingtang went to find Yao Xuan.
Yao Xuan didn't waste any words. He first examined Du Qingtang in detail and then handed her a few question books. "These are what your nephew did in the past. He has now become a juren and is traveling to study. When he returns, I will introduce you to each other."
Du Qingtang knew her nephew whom she had never met.
Yao Jingzhou, formerly known as Qi Hezhou, was the son of the eldest son of Duke Changguo.
Duke Changguo announced to the public that his second grandson Qi Hezhou was missing. Outsiders thought he had died long ago, but in fact he was taken away by Yao Xuan and changed his name to Yao Jingzhou.
Du Qingtang pondered the feuds between Yao Xuan, Yao Jingzhou, the Duke of Changguo's Mansion, and even between the Imperial Concubine and the Second Prince. He remained expressionless as he took the booklet with both hands, "Thank you, Master."
Yao Xuan nodded: "If you don't know, feel free to ask me. There's an exam tomorrow, so go back and concentrate on studying."
"Yes, disciple, I'll take my leave."
-
On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, the bimonthly exam arrived as scheduled.
After answering the eight-legged essay and examination poetry, Du Qingtang took tests on arithmetic, calligraphy, etiquette, music, and riding and archery.
Except for arithmetic, the results of other subjects were announced on the spot, and Du Qingtang got A in all of them.
On the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month, New Year's Eve, the girls took a donkey cart back to Taoyuan Village.
After the New Year’s Eve dinner, Du Qingtang began to divide the money.
Over the past year, Du Ji Snacks made a total profit of eighty taels, which was divided equally into five parts, with each person getting sixteen taels.
Du Qingtang held the account book in his hand and said, "The 794 taels of silver earned from the investment will be put into the public treasury. I plan to buy a slightly larger house with a courtyard next year. I will have a separate room and a guest room where my elder sister and her friends can stay overnight, and Awen can stay too."
Du Qingmei asked, "How much does it cost to enter the yard?"
The yard they live in now is rented, and they haven't asked about it specifically.
Du Qingtang shook the pen slightly and rested his chin on it. "About one hundred taels. The exact amount depends on the size of the courtyard and the furnishings inside."
Du Qinglan clapped her hands and said, "That's enough. Tell everyone that I earned it from running the shop over the past two years."
"Great!" Du Qingzhu clapped her hands. "From now on, we'll have our own home in the county."
Du Qingju smiled, obviously in a good mood.
Du Qingtang sat next to his eighth sister, with a bitter medicinal scent faintly discernible in his nostrils. He turned his head and glanced at her.
Ever since Du Qingju became an apprentice at Huimin Medical Clinic and formally studied medicine, she has become much more lively and bright, with none of her previous timid and weak appearance.
Looking at Du Qingju and her three sisters who were working hard for their dreams, Du Qingtang often thought that not only did she have many regrets in her previous life, but the girls in the Du family also had regrets.
Unfortunately, they all passed away prematurely before their lives were fulfilled.
In this life, their wishes will surely come true.
Outside the window, there was the sound of lively firecrackers and the cheers of the children in the village.
"Happy New Year."
The thirteenth year of Qingyuan arrived.
......
On the first day of the first lunar month, people worship their ancestors and wish them a happy new year.
On the second day of the first lunar month, married women return to their parents' home.
Qinqishuhua brought her husband and children back, and taught the two girls who were about to get married some matters about marriage.
Until they left, the blush on Du Qingmei and Du Qinglan's faces had not faded, and their eyes were bright, filled with longing and expectation for marriage.
On the third day of the first lunar month, Du Qingtang visited Liu Tongsheng, carrying two pounds of pork and two cans of tea.
Liu Tongsheng smiled and said, "Everyone in the surrounding villages knows that Taoyuan Village has produced a young scholar. Some people even came to inquire about your marriage. Your second uncle and third uncle wanted to make the decision, but the village chief stopped them."
Du Qingtang didn't know that the second and third Du brothers were planning to arrange her marriage, but since Fang Honghai had taken action, she didn't have to care about those two cheap uncles who were full of bad intentions.
This time, Liu Tongsheng didn't give Du Qingtang any more questions. "I didn't even pass the academy exam back then. The provincial exam is beyond my knowledge. Now that you have Yao Daru as your teacher, just go to him if you have any questions."
"Learning without reflection is useless. You should not only observe and do more, but also think more. With your qualifications, you can definitely go further and stand higher."
The dream that he failed to realize back then may be realized in Du Qingtang and his grandson.
"Yes, I will follow your instructions."
Liu Tongsheng's expression eased slightly, and he called Liu Guang and Liu Yao over. "They passed the Tongsheng exam last year and plan to take the academy exam this year. I intend to send them to Qingyuan Academy. If they are lucky enough to pass, I hope you will take good care of them."
Du Qingtang looked at Liu Guang and Liu Yao.
After not seeing each other for a year, the two men have grown taller and become more calm, no longer as impetuous as before.
"The academy entrance exam isn't very difficult. With your level, it's no problem at all. Just prepare well."
Liu Guang and Liu Yao responded in unison.
Du Qingtang turned to Liu Tongsheng again: "Don't worry, I will."
Liu Tongsheng smiled slowly.
-
On the fifth day of the first lunar month, Du Qingtang and the girls returned to the county town.
Du Qingtang visited Yao Xuan with New Year gifts, and thereafter arrived at Yao's house on time at noon for several days in a row to receive Yao Xuan's one-on-one and meticulous teaching.
After the Lantern Festival, classes began at the academy, and Du Qingtang was promoted to Class C of the Scholar Class. Yao Xuan also changed the time he taught Du Qingtang from the original three hours to one and a half hours.
On the same day, Qiong English Publishing House was officially established.
Meng Qingyan invited many women in the city to participate in the Qushui Liushang banquet, and made public a series of regulations of the Qiongwen Literary Society, including but not limited to "the literary society only accepts women" and "women can read and write in the literary society."
In just three to five hours, the news spread throughout the city.
Ordinary people had no feelings about it, at most they would sigh that she was worthy of being the daughter of the county magistrate.
On the contrary, the reaction from the scholars in the city was extremely intense.
"Only accepting women? And allowing women to read and write? This is absolutely ridiculous!"
"How can a woman learn to read and write? Why should she learn to read and write? All a woman needs to do is to study the Rules and Precepts for Women and follow the Three Obediences and Four Virtues. The county magistrate's entire reputation has been ruined by his legitimate daughter!"
"My sister wants to join the Qiong Ying Society, but my father is keeping her at home. If she joins, how will she get married in the future?"
Inside the bookstore, many scholars expressed their opinions indignantly and strongly criticized the Qiong Ying Literature Society, as if the Qiong Ying Literature Society was some kind of anti-imperial organization and they wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible.
Fu Ci listened to the entire conversation from behind the bookshelf, feeling extremely complicated. He whispered to his friend, "Qingtang, you really are as predictable as a god."
The criticism continued, and some people even proposed writing a joint letter to County Magistrate Meng, asking him to close down the Qiong English Publishing House.
Fu Ci looked indignant: "They are well-read in the books of sages, so why do they want to stop women from learning to read and write?"
Du Qingtang flipped through the math problem book, all of them were new types of questions, got them!
She put the question book aside, picked up another one, and said slowly, "They are afraid."
Fu Ci was confused: "What are you afraid of?"
Du Qingtang said sarcastically, "They're afraid that women will become literate and wise, surpassing them. They're unwilling to stay in the backyard and bear children for them and take care of the household."
Fu Ci's breathing stagnated, a chill rose on his back, and he couldn't help but shiver.
The truth...is this actually the case?
Fu Ci turned his head and stared at Du Qingtang's cold profile: "Qingtang is also a man, but you are completely different from them."
Du Qingtang remained calm and said, "My mother wanted a son her entire life, and my elder sister and the others suffered greatly from it. Growing up in this environment, I can more deeply understand the suffering of women."
Fu Ci sighed, "I hope the Qiong Ying English Society can withstand the rumors."
Du Qingtang believed it without a doubt: "Yes."
......
The Qiongying Literary Society became the target of criticism and denunciation by scholars, and Meng Qingyan and other women who joined the society were also criticized.
Fortunately, these women are all determined and have the unconditional support of their families. No matter how bloody and malicious the outside world is, they still hold their ground and come to the Qiongying English Society on time every day to write poems, read books and paint.
Three days passed in a flash, and apart from the original thirty members, no new people joined the society.
Even though they were mentally prepared, the women still felt a little disappointed.
"Those stinky men are so abominable. How does our being literate affect them?"
Du Qingzhu said angrily, "In my opinion, they are afraid that we will learn to read and write, awaken our self-awareness, and no longer be willing to serve them like slaves!"
"Sisters, don't be discouraged. This is a long and arduous struggle. If we are easily defeated, they will only become more aggressive and no woman will dare to stand up again."
“That’s right!”
Everyone swept away their dejection, cheered up again, and covered their ears, ignoring the opposing and slanderous remarks.
Finally, on the eighth day after the establishment of the Qiong English Society, it welcomed its first new member.
That evening, the women's expectations were once again dashed, and they prepared to go home and come back again tomorrow.
"Excuse me...is this the Qiong English Club?"
A soft voice sounded, revealing obvious uneasiness and timidity.
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw a girl about thirteen or fourteen years old. Her clothes were tattered and patched. She was carrying a bamboo basket half her height on her back. The basket was empty except for a few rotten vegetable leaves.
The girls in the Du family have been doing farm work since they were young, and it was obvious at a glance that this girl was probably from the countryside and came to the city to sell vegetables.
Meng Qingyan suppressed her joy and said, "This is the Qiong Ying Society."
The girl looked down at her shoes. "I, I heard you can read and write here. Is that true?"
"Of course it's true." Meng Qingyan paused and added, "Even if you have never learned to read, we can still teach you."
The girl quickly shook her head: "I can read, just not many."
She raised her head and quickly glanced at the pretty, well-dressed women. "I secretly learned to read from the village teacher. I only learned a few hundred words. Later, my parents found out and they didn't allow me to continue."
"I was selling vegetables at the market, and I heard that the Qiong English Club taught people to read and write, so..." The girl nervously grasped the bamboo basket's shoulder straps, "Can you guys continue teaching me?"
Meng Qingyan said without hesitation: "Of course."
The girl's eyes widened and her breathing became rapid. "I only have half an hour every day and I have to get home before dark. Is this okay?"
Meng Qingyan nodded again: "We are here every day, you can come anytime."
The girl took a deep breath and said loudly, "Then, then I want to join the Qiong English Club!"
The women looked at each other and smiled, welcoming him in unison.
The girl also smiled. It was obviously a very ordinary smile, but it was brighter than the sun.
In the following half month, Qiong Ying English Society welcomed five new members.
These five people were all women from poor families, but they all knew a few words.
The rhetoric against the Qiong English Society in the city has not stopped, but this is a good start anyway.
Perhaps one day in the future, the Qiong Ying English Society can grow and develop infinitely and help more women who are unwilling to be ordinary and have passion in their hearts.
-
In the last ten days of the first lunar month, Du Qingtang went to a brokerage firm and finally booked a house worth one hundred and twenty taels.
There are eight rooms in the house. In addition to the main hall and the kitchen, there are three rooms in the east and west. Even if Du Qingtang and the four girls all move in, there will still be three empty rooms left.
On the first day of February, Du Qingtang moved out of his current courtyard and moved into a new home with the girls.
Du Qingtang invited Fu Ci and Cao Xingcan, as well as eight sisters who were good at music, chess, calligraphy, painting, plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum, and the eleven of them had a lively dinner with wine to warm the house.
Fu Ci was still in mourning, so Du Qingmei thoughtfully prepared several vegetarian dishes for her.
Fu Ci: “…”
Looking at his friends and Du's sister who were eating heartily, Fu Ci couldn't help but shed tears from the corners of his mouth.
In the third year of junior high school, Liu Guang and Liu Yao passed the assessment and entered the introductory class D.
The two brothers stayed in the dormitory. Du Qingtang took some time to visit them. Seeing that they were studying hard and keeping everything in order, he left with peace of mind.
......
On the eighth day of the second lunar month, Du Qingmei got married.
On March 16, Du Qinglan got married.
After marriage, the two sisters lived in harmony with their husbands.
The Guo and Gu families did not think there was anything wrong with their daughters-in-law running a snack shop in public, nor did they stop them from participating in a series of activities in the Qiongying English Society. Even someone as picky as Du Qingtang was very satisfied with the two families.
However, the girls have to run the shop and take care of the Qiongying English Society, so they are inevitably too busy to do everything.
So they discussed with Du Qingtang and hired two cooks and two waiters.
Together with the two women from before, even if they were not there, we could still handle it.
In April, Du Qingju formally became Dr. Qu's disciple and his last disciple.
In fact, from the very beginning, Doctor Qu did not take Du Qingju seriously.
Studying medicine is hard work. Over the years, countless apprentices have given up studying medicine because they couldn't stand the hardship.
Du Qingju is a girl, and if Du Qingtang had not given her the formulas of talcum powder and frostbite cream for free, Doctor Qu would never have kept her as an apprentice.
But no one expected that Du Qingju could persevere.
Seeing that she was hardworking and capable, and learned things quickly, Doctor Qu paid her some attention and occasionally gave her personal guidance.
By now, Du Qingju's medical skills are on par with those of the young doctors in Huimin Medical Clinic.
After careful consideration, Doctor Qu did not want to miss out on such a talented child, so he decided to take her in as his apprentice.
After Du Qingtang and his seven sisters learned about it, they all put down what they were doing and rushed home to celebrate Du Qingju's successful apprenticeship.
At the dinner table, everyone was drinking, eating, and chatting happily.
As she laughed, Du Qingqin suddenly burst into tears: "Life is getting better and better. Two years ago, I never dared to dream of such a life with no worries about food and drink."
These words made everyone's eyes tear up.
Du Qingzhu sniffed, holding back tears, and said loudly: "We are just at the beginning now, and it will only get better in the future!"
“Yes, it’s getting better and better!”
The main room was filled with laughter again.
Du Qingtang turned the wine glass, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the wall of the glass, with a smile in the corners of his eyes and eyebrows.
-
In late summer, there was an autumn rain at night and the temperature dropped sharply.
On his day off, Du Qingtang went to Yao's house as usual to receive Yao Xuan's teachings.
After the three-hour one-on-one class ended, Yao Xuan invited Du Qingtang to dinner and handed her a few exercise books. "New exercises from Beizhili. Go back and try them. If you don't understand, come and ask me."
"Thank you, Master."
Du Qingtang held the inscription book in his hand, bowed respectfully, left the study and left the Yao family.
The Yao family is not far from the Du family, and it only takes a quarter of an hour to walk there, but it takes at least half an hour to walk to the academy.
Du Qingtang was too lazy to go back to the academy, so he simply left Fu Ci alone in the dormitory and planned to stay at home tonight.
Passing by a pastry shop, Du Qingtang bought a few pieces of Poria cocos cakes.
Du Qingzhu and Du Qingju both love sweets, but eating too much sweets is bad for the teeth and will make you fat. Du Qingtang has always restricted them and only allows them to eat once every two weeks.
It has been exactly half a month since I last had pastries.
Du Qingtang walked out of the pastry shop carrying an oil-paper bag and found that there was a bustling and noisy crowd in front of him.
When I got closer, I saw that it was a brother and sister selling themselves to bury their mother.
The brother and sister were both under ten years old, with pale faces, thin bodies, and ragged clothes. They knelt on the street like kittens, with their heads down and sobbing.
Their mother's body was placed in front of them, covered only with a straw mat.
There were many people watching, but they were all there to watch the fun.
"Five taels of silver, do you really think I'm a sucker?"
"A thin coffin costs only one or two taels of silver. These two siblings are as skinny as kittens. If you buy them back, you can't make them work. Don't buy two ancestors back."
"Let's go, there's nothing to see. Don't let me be affected by the bad luck of the dead."
The onlookers almost blocked half of the street. Du Qingtang walked through the crowd and glanced at the slightly older boy inadvertently, his eyes fixed.
Just at this moment, a woman dressed in red and green and with heavy makeup came over, waving a round fan.
There were strong men on both sides of her clearing the way, and the people gave way when they saw her.
The woman came to the girl, pinched her thin chin, forced her to raise her head, and her nails painted with nail polish dug into her flesh. The girl's eyes turned red instantly.
The woman looked at the girl as if she were a piece of pork on a chopping board. "She has a good foundation. She will be a beauty when she grows up."
The girl struggled in pain, and the boy pushed the woman's hand away and protected his sister behind him.
The woman's face darkened, she wiped her hands with a handkerchief and threw it away casually: "Two taels of silver, and I'll take her away."
The boy's eyes were fierce, like a wolf cub: "I want to be with my sister!"
The woman shook her head: "You are as thin as a monkey. If you go to the building, I will have to give you food. It's not worth it."
Someone curiously asked: "Who is she?"
"She is the madam of Chunxianglou."
"Wow! So she bought this girl because she wanted her to do..."
"The girls in Chunxianglou are all trained from a young age, that's why they are all so beautiful and talented."
The men looked at each other with smiles that could only be understood but not expressed in words.
Du Qingtang: “…”
So disgusting.
Du Qingtang's gaze shifted downwards, landing on the boy's hand protecting his younger sister. He suddenly stepped forward and asked, "Can I buy you for five taels of silver?"
The boy looked up at Du Qingtang, his eyes moving slightly: "Yes, five taels of silver, not even a tael less."
Du Qingtang took out a silver coin from his waist pouch and placed it on the ground next to the boy. "Five taels of silver. Come with me."
The madam was originally planning to have her thugs forcibly take the girl away, but unexpectedly, Cheng Yaojin appeared and her face suddenly darkened: "I was the one who fell in love with this girl first. Don't you understand the principle of first come, first served?"
Du Qingtang looked at her coldly: "I paid five taels of silver."
The madam screamed, "I must take this girl away today!"
Du Qingtang: "I paid five taels of silver."
Madam: "You know I am..."
Du Qingtang: "I paid five taels of silver."
Everyone: “Puff——”
Madam: “…”
The madam's eyes glared, and she was about to have her thugs teach Du Qingtang a lesson when someone in the crowd shouted, "Isn't this Mr. Du?"
"What is Mr. Du?"
"Who is the scholar?"
"That's her, Du Qingtang, the Scholar Du. She's one of the top three scholars in Baoding Prefecture." The bearded man pointed at Du Qingtang. "Do you remember me, Scholar Du? I used to eat at your snack bar all the time. I went out of town this year and just came back recently. Last night I told my wife that I was going to Du's Snack Bar to bring her some food."
Of course Du Qingtang remembered that this person was the first customer of Du Ji Snacks: "Du Ji Snacks is having a promotion, and regular customers can enjoy half price."
The bearded man was overjoyed: "Then I have to go there quickly!"
The madam panicked for a moment, but quickly calmed down and smiled: "It's really like a flood that has washed away the Dragon King Temple. I didn't recognize you as Mr. Du. Since you want these two siblings, I will give them to you."
Du Qingtang: "I paid five taels of silver."
Madam: “…”
The madam's throat choked, her face stiff. "Yes, yes, yes, you paid five taels of silver, and these two people should belong to you."
Du Qingtang ignored her, walked up to the boy, and whispered his address: "Come to this place to find me after you bury your mother."
The boy kowtowed to Du Qingtang and said, "Yes, thank you very much, sir."
......
When I got home, Du Qingzhu and Du Qingju had not returned yet.
After my fifth and sixth sisters got married, they spent significantly less time in the shop. Now they only come once every ten days or half a month.
Du Qingtang could also understand that after getting married, she had to maintain a marital relationship and also go to the Qiong English Society to teach people to read and write. In June this year, she gave the contract of Du Ji Snacks to Du Qingzhu and let her take full responsibility. She only needed to distribute dividends to her and Du Qingju at the end of the year.
As for Du Qingmei and Du Qinglan, they had their own shops and 166 taels of silver as dowry. Du Qingtang obtained their consent and decided not to give them any dividends starting this year.
After Du Qingtang finished drinking a cup of tea, the brother and sister came all the way and knelt down to kowtow as soon as they entered the door.
"Young Master."
"Get up." Du Qingtang looked at them intently for a few seconds, then suddenly waved to the girl, "Come forward."
The girl subconsciously looked at her brother. The boy's body tensed for a moment, and he quickly lowered his head and secretly pushed the girl.
The girl came forward timidly. Du Qingtang pulled her in front of him, stroked her hair, and asked her some questions in a random manner.
"What's your name?"
"Aran."
"How old are you?"
"Four years old."
Du Qingtang asked a lot of irrelevant questions, and the brother and sister's tense nerves gradually relaxed until -
"Can you also shrink bones?"
A'ran was stunned for a moment, then his eyes widened in horror.
The boy's pupils suddenly shrank, and the pretended restraint and uneasiness faded away, and murderous intent filled his eyes.
Du Qingtang was calm and composed: "Don't panic. If I had any ill intentions, I would have exposed your tricks on the street long ago."
The boy's eyes flashed, and his childish voice became deep: "How did you know that?"
Du Qingtang just smiled without saying anything. Her half-smile made A'ran, who was closest to her, turn pale and his breathing tremble.
The boy took a deep breath and closed his eyes tightly.
With a creepy "click" sound, the boy disappeared, and was replaced by a young man with a handsome face and slender hands and feet.
Du Qingtang raised his eyebrows slightly: "I ask, you answer."
The boy hesitated for a moment and said, "Okay."
"What's your name?"
"Ruan Liang, Ruan Ran."
"Your story."
Ruan Liang paused and told the truth.
Three years ago, Ruan Liang's second uncle killed his parents in order to seize the family property.
Ruan Liang noticed something and fled with Ruan Ran overnight.
In order to eradicate the culprits, Uncle Ruan has been sending people to track down the whereabouts of the brother and sister.
During these three years, Ruan Liang practiced martial arts while fleeing, hoping that one day he would be able to kill the murderer of his father and mother.
But before he could take revenge, Ruan Ran fell ill.
The doctor said that her health was not suitable for moving around, otherwise her life would be in danger.
Ruan Liang naturally did not want his sister, with whom he depended on for everything, to die in infancy, and he was also worried that his whereabouts would be discovered by his second uncle's men, so he resorted to this desperate measure.
"Where did the body come from?"
"I just picked it up from a mass grave."
Du Qingtang: “…”
Du Qingtang gently stroked Ruan Ran's hair with one hand and tapped the table with the other. The rhythmic "tapping" sound fell into Ruan Liang's ears, like the horn of death.
"This is all my idea. It has nothing to do with A'ran. If you let her go, I'll let you do whatever you want with me."
Du Qingtang shook his head.
Ruan Liang's heart sank to the bottom.
Just as he was about to fight hard, Du Qingtang spoke slowly: "Have you ever killed anyone?"
Ruan Liang felt a glimmer of hope and quickly replied, "Yes, I have killed more than one person."
"Very good." Du Qingtang clapped his hands. "I will recognize Ruan Ran as my adopted sister, protect her, take care of her, and do my best to make her recover."
Even though the brother and sister had experienced many twists and turns, she never did business at a loss.
"In exchange, you must go to Xiajing for me and serve me after I have avenged my great vengeance. The term is ten years."
Ruan Liang looked at his sister, who was full of fear, and said with a wry smile, "Do I have the right to refuse?"
Of course not.
He got the answer from Du Qingtang's indifferent eyes and said resignedly, "You asked me to go to Xiajing, do you want me to kill someone?"
"Yes..." Du Qingtang paused, "There's no need to kill him, just cripple his hand."
She originally wanted Ruan Liang to kill Qi Heming and strip him of the skin that belonged to "Qi Hezhang", but she changed her mind at the last minute.
A cunning rabbit has three burrows, so Qi Heming won’t die so easily.
Rather than injuring him once, neither lightly nor seriously, and then having him change his skin and identity, it would be better to just cripple his hand.
If a civil servant loses the hand that holds a pen, can he continue to serve as an official?
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