Chapter 46: The Sloppy Old Man
Li Laoer was spitting so much that he almost spitted, but he still couldn't persuade the grocery store owner to help grind it into powder for free.
The boss also knew how difficult he was, and finally had no choice but to lend him the stone mill and pestle and mortar.
"You can grind it yourself. I won't charge you any money. But please stop talking. You are such a..."
Li Laoer smacked his lips and called Li Baisong and Li Yulan to follow the boss's son to the backyard of the grocery store.
The boss's son looked about the same age as Li Bosong, and he was dressed like a student with a square scarf on his head.
"The millstone and mortar are here, you can use them."
"Thank you, brother." Li Baisong bowed.
Du Ruliang, who was about to leave, glanced at Li Baisong again and said, "Brother, you are also studying."
"I've read some, but not much." Li Baisong said modestly with embarrassment.
Du Ruliang looked at Li Laoer again and was surprised to see the bamboo bucket in his hand. There were words engraved on the wall of the bucket, which was sharp and angular.
"Brother, your handwriting is quite good." Du Ruliang praised sincerely, "Are you recovering at home from an injury?"
Li Baisong nodded. "This injury will take some time to heal. May I ask what your name is, sir?"
"My last name is Du, and my given name is Ruliang."
"Li Bosong, fourteen years old."
"Only when winter comes do we realize that pine and cypress are the last to wither. A gentleman compares his virtue to that of a tree. Your father has high hopes for you, my brother, cypress and pine."
Li Baisong bowed again and said, "I am not as knowledgeable as Brother Ruliang. I don't know where the saying 'In winter, even pines and cypresses wither later' comes from?" His face showed obvious thirst for knowledge and shame.
"From the Analects of Confucius, Zihan, the ninth chapter..."
The two discussed the Analects of Confucius, and Li Bosong's memory of the Analects was "To learn and to practice it from time to time, is it not a pleasure?"
"I've only heard my classmates recite these few sentences, but I haven't yet understood their meaning." He lowered his head in shame again.
Faced with such a studious, intelligent and humble brother, Du Ruliang's desire to teach was surged.
"Learning and practicing it from time to time means..."
After Du Ruliang finished explaining, Li Baisong took the opportunity to ask, "I wonder which academy does Brother Ruliang attend? To be honest, my mother, seeing how studious I am, wants to send me to a private school for two years. My brothers also expressed their support, but we live in the countryside and know very little about private schools..."
Du Ruliang's eyes lit up even more, but he asked doubtfully, "Brother Bosong, didn't you just say we were classmates? You..."
"It's a long story. I used to study in Hedong Town. My teacher saw that I was injured and took pity on my poor family, so he canceled my salary and told me to go home and recuperate." Li Baisong smiled bitterly, but his smile contained so much.
Du Ruliang stared, there is such a thing.
It was obvious that there was a story behind these words, but the other person obviously didn't want to say more. They had just met each other, so Du Ruliang didn't dare to ask too many questions.
Du Ruliang's eyes suddenly lit up. If Li Baisong came to his academy to study, they would be classmates. Once they got to know each other better, they might find out the secrets involved.
"Brother Baisong, why don't you come and take a look at the private school where I study. It's just to the east of the county town. Our teacher is younger than Mr. Liao from Hedong Town. He passed the imperial examination ten years ago. Last year, the nephews of the teacher's family were admitted to the Fanqing Academy in the provincial capital. If you can enter the Fanqing Academy, there is a 50% chance of being admitted to the Imperial College in the future. If you enter the Imperial College, you will really be transformed." Du Ruliang's heart and eyes were full of yearning.
"I wonder which private school Brother Ruliang attends? What are the rules for admission?"
"Ah, the time for our teacher to accept students has passed. Brother Baisong has to wait until the next registration before the autumn harvest. Once you register, you can enroll after the autumn harvest. Alas..." Du Ruliang sighed as he spoke.
"But with Brother Baisong's talent, it's not impossible that Mr. Fan will make an exception. Let me tell you..." Du Ruliang told Li Baisong everything he knew about the Fan family private school and Mr. Fan. "Brother Baisong, why don't you give it a try? Or should I take you there right now?"
Li Baisong stopped him and said, "Brother Ruliang, wait a minute. How can I go to see the teacher empty-handed? Besides, it's not appropriate for me to go alone like this. It would be too rude. I have to go home and prepare with my mother. Thank you for telling me, Brother Ruliang. But I have one more thing I want to ask. What is the annual tuition fee for the Fan Family Private School?"
Du Ruliang's excited heart was forced to pause. He slowly exhaled, "Am I too impatient, or is Brother Baisong thoughtful? Our private school has an annual tuition of one and a half taels of silver. Well, the tuition is a bit high, but in the annual end-of-year assessment, the top five students can get a certain amount of tuition waived. The first place gets a 500-wen reduction, and so on."
Li Baisong bowed again to express his gratitude.
Li Laoer and Li Yulan also ground the seasonings they bought into powder and put them into bamboo tubes according to categories.
The bamboo tube was prepared last night by Li Laoer, Li Laosan and Li Laoda.
Li Laoer decided last night to go into the city today. Not only is it cheaper in the city, but the bosses in the city also have tools to help grind the flour.
Last time he cut and pressed it out little by little on the chopping board, but it took a lot of effort.
After saying goodbye to Du Ruliang, the three siblings left the grocery store and headed for the next stop, the livestock market.
"Little brother, are you going to attend that Fan Family Private School? It sounds good. This time, Mr. Fan won't reject you just because our family is poor, right?"
"I don't know yet. I'll go back and discuss it with Mom. The Fan family private school...hiss!"
Li Baisong, who was talking to Li Yulan, was accidentally bumped into by someone and stumbled. He covered his shoulder and hissed in pain.
"Are you okay, little brother?" Li Yulan was shocked and supported Li Baisong, looking at the person who bumped into Li Baisong.
He was a sloppy old man holding a wine gourd in his hand. His burps smelled of alcohol and were very pungent.
"How do you walk, old man? Look how you bumped into my little brother? How are you going to compensate him for something he's hurt?"
The slovenly old drunk shook his head and burped again. "I don't have any money, I can't pay you back."
"Hey you! Where did you get this wine if you have no money?"
"Why do you care where I came from? I told you that you guys were blind when you walked and hurt me." The sloppy old man pointed at the ground and lied. "Look, you guys spilled my wine. You should pay me!"
Li Laoer came back with a look of disgust on his face, his fist raised and a ferocious look on his face.
"Say it again, old man! You hit my brother and you dare to blackmail me?"
The old man saw Li Laoer raise his fist, snorted, and squatted down with his head in his hands. "Oh, someone's being beaten! Someone's being beaten to death! Come and see, these young people are bullying an old man and want to beat me to death. Is there any justice in the world?"
Li Laoer, Li Yulan, and Li Bosong: "..."
Li Laoer was furious and raised his fist to threaten the old man, "You old fool, tell me clearly who hit you!"
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