Chapter 113 We're all family
Grandma Guo brought quite a lot of things this time; the ruts under the donkey cart were deep.
Since they hadn't fully settled in the city yet, Guo Baiwen and Chen Baoyue didn't bring much with them. Besides the necessary bedding and changes of clothes, they only brought some small items like jewelry and gold and silver.
As a result, this donkey cart brought not only pots and pans from the kitchen, but also dried meat and pickled vegetables from their own home. Grandma Guo even specially caught two old hens to bring along.
When we got to the yard, we found the chicken coop we had woven on the way, and we could take it out and use it right away.
"Why did you bring all this stuff?" Guo Baiwen asked, panting as he helped unload the things from the donkey cart, looking at the piles of items that were specially tied with hemp rope.
"Now that we're living in the city, our daily expenses are huge. We already have these things at home, so bringing them here means you won't have to buy them again!"
Grandma Guo had initially wanted the two of them to bring the things on the carriage, but considering that they hadn't decided where they would be staying yet, it would be inconvenient to carry such a large amount of stuff.
Now that it's the Dragon Boat Festival, they can all deliver the gifts.
Guo Baiwen had no choice but to shake his head helplessly at his grandmother's request.
Since we brought it all, I reckon just unpacking all this stuff must have taken a lot of effort, so all we can do now is quietly help carry it down.
Mr. and Mrs. Chen also brought a lot of newly made leather, which is warmer than cotton quilts in winter. Even if it is not used to make quilts, it can be used as lining for winter clothes.
Now that Guo Baiwen is a student, he inevitably needs to go out and socialize with others.
As the saying goes, clothes make the man, and even if you don't wear it yourself, it's still worthwhile to give away a piece or two of this fine leather as a gift.
After finally managing to unload and tidy up everything from the donkey cart, everyone was finally able to sit down and have a drink of water.
It was the first time anyone had ever been to the prefectural city, and now that they were in the courtyard that Guo Baiwen and his group had recently rented, they couldn't help but look around.
"This courtyard is big enough, and there are many rooms!"
The initial plan was to have a two-courtyard house, thinking that there might not be enough room for everyone in the family when they came, so that's why we finally settled on this location.
“The room was already prepared before you arrived,” Guo Baiwen pointed to the direction outside the door. “Take a short nap later, and we can go out for a stroll together in the afternoon.”
I know everyone's probably tired these past few days, so let's take advantage of the holiday to relax together.
Even Guo Baiwen, who had visited the city before, hadn't had a chance to properly explore it, either because of exams or moving.
So this time, we brought along family members who were also visiting for the first time. In addition to the novelty, everyone also had some sightseeing in mind.
The city truly lives up to its name. Even though it took almost a day to travel there, just standing in the middle of the street and looking around, one could see buildings of all sizes and rooftops of varying heights, and the shops and vendors hawking their wares were so numerous that one could not see an end of them.
Even ordinary pedestrians walking normally on the street rarely wear pudding.
No wonder everyone wants to go to big, nice places.
After a moment of reflection, everyone followed the crowd and headed towards the most bustling area in the city.
On the way, Guo Xiaohua was still thinking about the small mirror that Guo Baiwen had brought back for her last time, and she would often check on the stalls selling them on the street.
But it's no wonder she kept repeating it.
For this trip, Madam Lin specifically asked her to inquire more.
See if they still sell these small mirrors, so I can bring one back for her when I go back.
After hearing the reason, Guo Baiwen pretended not to know and vaguely said, "Let's walk around and look around, maybe we'll run into each other soon."
Who knows?
The Dragon Boat Festival in Fucheng not only features gatherings, but also acrobatics and dragon boat races, making it even more lively than in Xiuning County.
It's unclear whether everyone bought a mirror or not after walking around and browsing, but they did buy quite a few other small items.
Even Grandma Guo unconsciously kept reciting people's names while buying a lot of trinkets.
I plan to bring these to my acquaintances in Guojia Village on my way back.
We got tired of shopping, so we ate out for dinner.
It must be said that the salted egg yolk, preserved vegetable, and pork rice dumplings made by this restaurant have a very special flavor; at least they had never tried rice dumplings with this flavor before.
When things got interesting, Mr. and Mrs. Chen even bought a lot of raw rice dumplings from the shop, planning to pack them into gift boxes and take them back to give away.
After the Dragon Boat Festival, and after seeing off Grandma Guo and Mr. and Mrs. Chen, it was time for them to go to the prefectural school to continue their studies.
The teachers at the prefectural school were on a rotating schedule. One teacher might be in the morning, but another might be in the afternoon. After a week of classes, Guo Baiwen finally got to know all the teachers at the prefectural school, except for a few who were said to be not in the school.
The reason everyone is able to study here is for the purpose of taking the provincial examination or the metropolitan examination later.
The provincial examination, the metropolitan examination, and the college examination for students were different. They included more current affairs and new essays. So, in addition to the usual Four Books and Five Classics, the teachers would also talk about historical books and the laws and regulations of the current dynasty. How to write well was very important in the teaching here, but it also seemed not so important.
The teaching methods were quite different from those at Yangzheng Academy. The prefectural school here no longer had a teacher like Master Guo who could answer his questions at any time, so Guo Baiwen found his studies somewhat difficult during this period.
After each day's class, not only should you summarize the content of the lesson, but you should also go back and review all the knowledge points repeatedly so that you can remember them more firmly.
Compared to the Yangzheng Academy, which previously had separate schools for beginners and guilds, the students here were at least Xiucai (a degree in the imperial examination system). Regardless of their self-discipline in their studies, they could all talk fluently about various classic stories posed by the teachers, which certainly put a lot of pressure on those with weak foundations.
Guo Baiwen followed them, and every day he felt that there were new things he needed to learn and fill in the gaps in his knowledge. Apart from feeling unwell, he really couldn't find a reason to be lazy and not work hard.
After studying in this way for a while, it was time for the annual examination of the prefectural school, as usual.
Before the exam officially began, the teachers had already compiled all the questions from the provincial and metropolitan examinations in various prefectures and cities over the past ten years.
Because the books were placed in the library of the prefectural school, everyone could borrow them every day to copy down a few questions to answer. The teacher only said that at least three essays had to be submitted every ten days, and every ten days, which is a ten-day period, he would select the remarkable parts from these essays and announce them to the other students.
Guo Baiwen has written quite a few articles recently. It's unclear whether his abilities have improved, but he has certainly been able to solve problems and answer questions much faster than before.
Many of the key points for argumentation can be drawn from various books that have been read before, and practicing past exam questions before the exam can indeed open up a lot of ideas.
When the results of the annual exam came out, Guo Baiwen's ranking was not high.
Of the 140 students in the academy, he ranked 117th this time. Although his ranking was low, he was still given a 'first-class' grade by the academy's teachers because of his diligent daily studies.
Knowing that he still has a lot to work on, Guo Baiwen studies and practices calligraphy until late at night every day. In recent years, his height has taken shape and he is finally approaching his dream of reaching 1.8 meters tall.
Therefore, even if you go to bed a little later, it won't have any further impact.
He only fell asleep when he heard the night watchman's gong outside, and when he heard the rooster crow before dawn the next day, he got up again to start reciting his lessons.
Before I knew it, I had been studying at the prefectural school for over a year.
When Grandma Guo came to Fucheng to see him again during the Mid-Autumn Festival, she exclaimed in surprise that he had lost a lot of weight.
Looking at the tears in Grandma Guo's eyes, Guo Baiwen felt both amused and touched. "Grandma, I've just gotten a bit more muscular. I haven't lost much weight."
As he spoke, he raised both arms and made a pose that was popular with bodybuilders in his previous life, in front of Grandma Guo.
This playful act, which resembled a clown's antics, indeed made Grandma Guo laugh again.
"What nonsense are you spouting!"
As she spoke, she couldn't resist pinching his arm. "It does seem a bit stronger."
Indeed, ever since the Master said that besides knowledge, the most important thing for taking the exam is good health.
Whether it's your physical condition on the way to the exam or once you're in the exam hall, it's all linked to your final score.
Even though Guo Baiwen was studying very hard during this period, he would still go out with Chen Baoyue every day to stretch his muscles in the yard.
If there is more time, we will also do a section of Baduanjin (Eight Pieces of Brocade).
"Grandma can finally rest easy now, right?"
Grandma Guo rolled her eyes at him, holding the new winter clothes she had made, and while gesturing to the man, she said, "How could Grandma be worried? I just think you don't need to be in such a hurry. It's too hard for you to do nothing but study and review books every day."
In just a few years, they moved from Guojia Village to Xiuning County, and now they have moved from Xiuning County to Fucheng.
In another six months, Guo Xiaohua will be able to graduate from Lin Niangzi's apprenticeship.
I used to feel that time passed very slowly, and I was always thinking about how to make more grains grow in the fields so that people could have more to eat.
Now I feel that time flies by so fast, and before I know it, my family has undergone tremendous changes.
Guo Baiwen empathized with her and patted her on the shoulder to comfort her, saying, "Actually, I'm not in a big hurry either."
Since everyone around him was working hard, he wanted to do his part as well.
"We've gotten through those days before, and if we live our lives well from now on, things will only get better."
Speaking of this, Grandma Guo laughed, "In the past two years, I've saved up some money from the family shop. I'm planning to look around for suitable farmland with your Uncle Shi when winter comes. Who knows, we might be able to buy a few more acres then."
Even though they are no longer farmers, Grandma Guo still values her land and property very much.
But there's nothing wrong with that.
Guo Baiwen nodded, and couldn't help but say with emotion, "I've been busy with my studies lately, so I'm leaving the family matters to Grandma and Baoyue."
"We're all family, no need for such formalities."
Grandma Guo has always thought this way: she doesn't need to be rich or powerful; she's content with the peaceful and safe life her family is in now.
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