Chapter 57 Examination
The sky was getting light, and soft light quietly fell into the courtyard.
Hu Zi got up early, had a simple meal, then mounted his horse and left Taohua Village, heading northeast of Annan County.
Yesterday, the young lady solemnly instructed him to go to the county town to find out whether there were any extra rice seedlings in the villages outside Annan County.
This matter is of great importance and concerns the livelihood of thousands of people in the village in the coming year, so it cannot be taken lightly.
Hu Zi was fully aware of the responsibility on his shoulders and secretly made up his mind to do his best to complete the task.
Besides, the young lady had come to him specially last night and decided to double his salary considering that he had to handle several jobs and had a lot of complicated tasks.
Such generous treatment made Hu Zi feel warm inside. He worked even harder, as if he had endless energy.
I recalled seeing Kangzi yesterday when I followed the young lady into the county town. He was also a servant, but because he had received an elite education from the young master since childhood, he was able to help the young lady manage the property and even get a 10% share of the profits.
That's 10%! Hu Zi secretly clicked his tongue, imagining how much wealth that would be, and couldn't help but feel a little jealous.
At that time, he thought silently in his heart that if the young lady entrusted him with such an important task, he would definitely be able to do it brilliantly.
Unfortunately, his parents were not the young lady's trusted nanny and housekeeper, and he himself was not a family-born child. He did not have the same unique opportunity as Kangzi, who could follow the prince in and out of the palace since he was a child and gain more experience.
However, things took a turn for the worse. The lady actually told him in person that she would pay him the processing fee, and the fee would be doubled!
When Hu Zi was in the Marquis's mansion, he was a second-class servant with a monthly allowance of only five coins. Now that his allowance has doubled, he can get one ounce and five coins a month, which is a considerable sum.
Although there is still a big gap compared to Kangzi's 10% profit, Huzi firmly believes that as long as he works wholeheartedly for the lady and works diligently, he will be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with Kangzi one day.
So without Gu Jiayue noticing, the people under her had quietly started a silent competition. Everyone was working hard, hoping to stand out in front of the young lady.
Not long after Hu Zi left, everyone in the Gu family got up.
Today everyone will go to the fields and check the seedlings one by one, keep the good ones and pull out the bad ones.
Gu Jiayue had just finished washing up when she saw Goudan rushing into the yard in a hurry.
The little guy was running out of breath, with beads of sweat on his forehead and half a pancake in his mouth.
As he ran, he raised his hand and wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking a little embarrassed.
"Master." Goudan ran to Gu Jiayue and stopped, breathing slightly heavily, with a shy smile on his face, and said respectfully.
Gu Jiayue looked at the child in front of her, whose face was flushed and breathless, and asked with a gentle smile in her eyes: "Why are you running like this?"
Goudan lowered his head slightly, a blush on his face, and said shyly, "I left home a little late today. I'm afraid I'll miss my study time."
Gu Jiayue nodded slightly, "Sit down first, I'll go wake Yuhe up."
Alas, we're both seven years old, but Goudan is so studious and eager to learn, cherishing the opportunity to study. And what about Gu Yuhe? Even with the sun high in the sky, almost reaching his butt, he's still sound asleep.
Gu Jiayue walked into the room. She saw Gu Yuhe with his legs spread wide apart, revealing his white belly, liquid leaking from the corners of his mouth, and snoring intermittently. She had no idea what was happening outside.
Gu Jiayue felt a little depressed for a moment. Oh, it's a blessing for the child to be able to eat and sleep. Don't be angry, don't be angry!
After she had prepared herself mentally, she walked to the bed and gently rocked Gu Yuhe. "Yuhe? Yuhe? Get up and study."
Gu Yuhe frowned and turned over, pushing her hand away. He smacked his lips and muttered softly, "Delicious, meaty, fragrant... hehe."
Hey, this kid not only stays in bed, but is also dreaming?
Gu Jiayue took a deep breath. She finally understood why her colleagues in her previous life were unwilling to put their children in the same class as her.
It’s really the same thing, but it’s so infuriating when your own children do it!
She called out twice more, but Gu Yuhe still didn't respond. He was already sleeping like a piglet. She had no choice but to raise her voice and yell, "Gu Yuhe!"
Gu Yuhe, who was sleeping, suddenly heard the shout. He was so scared that his whole body shuddered and he woke up from his sweet dream in an instant.
He sat up in a panic, looking at Gu Jiayue standing beside the bed with a sullen expression, like a little devil seeing the King of Hell. He smiled ingratiatingly at first, then hurriedly put on his clothes. He didn't even have time to properly tidy up his shoes before rushing out the door.
As he ran, he said, "Sister, I woke up a long time ago. I was just reading silently in bed with my eyes closed."
Gu Jiayue looked at his flustered appearance, the corners of her mouth slightly raised, revealing a slightly teasing smile, "Oh, that's better."
Forget it, it’s not okay to have a big kid so early in the morning, so let him go for now.
By the time Gu Yuhe finished washing up, had breakfast and sat down at the desk, Goudan had already written three large characters from memory.
Goudan's handwriting was neat and beautiful, with a sense of seriousness and concentration between the strokes. Although the writing was not very good, it was clear that the writer took every word seriously. And the latter one was better than the previous one.
However, Gu Yuhe's handwriting still looked like a dog's crawl.
Gu Jiayue felt a little depressed and asked everyone to put away the textbooks and papers on the table. "We don't have class today. We have an exam."
She took out a few pieces of paper covered with words and waved them.
"Second sister, what is the exam?" Gu Yuhe looked confused, his eyes full of doubts, and couldn't help but ask.
As soon as he said this, he saw Gu Jiayue staring at him closely. Her eyes seemed to be able to see through his thoughts, making him feel uncomfortable.
Only then did he suddenly realize that he should call her "Teacher" during class.
So he quickly corrected himself and said, "Master, I was wrong. I just didn't know what an exam was."
I secretly muttered to myself, this second sister is becoming more and more majestic. Just a glance from her can make me so nervous.
"The exam is to check your learning progress for the past month through some questions. This exam is divided into two subjects, liberal arts in the morning and mathematics in the afternoon. Gu Yuhe, move your desk and chair about one meter to the left. Zhigeng, the same goes for you. The four of you should move apart and you are not allowed to cheat from each other." Gu Jiayue explained patiently.
During this period, Gu Jiayue's small classroom has become more and more professional.
At first, the children could only study on the table where they ate. Although the table was not small, it always left some stains when eating. Studying on it would easily dirty the books.
So Jiayue specially asked her uncle to help build five desks.
Five desks were arranged under the peach tree in the courtyard. They studied there every morning and moved into the main room in the afternoon if the sun was strong. It was very flexible.
After being stunned for a moment, Gu Yuhe finally understood what the exam meant. He felt as if he was struck by lightning, and a look of horror instantly appeared on his face.
No way! Studying is hard enough on a regular basis, and now I have to take exams!
What if I don’t do well in the exam?
He seemed to have foreseen the scene of his grandmother spanking him with a bamboo stick after learning his results, and he couldn't help shuddering.
Gu Jiayue looked at Gu Yuhe's expression, which was worse than death, and raised the corners of her mouth slightly, revealing a barely perceptible smile. She deliberately said, "Those who don't do well in the exam will be asked to come to the parents' house."
Gu Yuhe felt a darkness before his eyes and was completely stunned.
When the test paper was handed to him, he was still immersed in fear and did not react at all.
Gu Zhigeng and Gu Bailu looked at each other, both of them showing deep uneasiness in their eyes.
Gu Zhigeng said timidly, "Second sister, Bai Lu and I don't need it, right? We're just here to make up the numbers."
Gu Jiayue stopped handing out the test papers and looked at Gu Zhigeng with gentle yet firm eyes. "No one is just making up the numbers. Zhigeng, you have to believe in yourself. You are great. Let's have confidence, okay?"
Then he turned his gaze to Gu Bailu and said, "Bailu, don't think I don't know that you secretly memorize your lessons under the covers every night. Don't you want to know how you've learned during this period?"
Gu Bailu was shocked when he heard this. He never expected that his little secret would be known by Gu Jiayue.
She wanted to explain that she was not just reading silently by herself, but was teaching her sister Xi Que.
Previously, the second sister had suggested that the eldest sister Chunyan and the third sister Xique should study together, but the eldest aunt and the second aunt refused.
They believed that their two daughters were already of marriageable age. Chunyan was even engaged and would be married at the end of the year. At this time, they should learn how to manage the household and farm instead of reading those seemingly useless books.
Since her parents have already refused, Gu Jiayue can't force it.
But the magpie was eager to learn, but he didn't dare to disobey his mother's wishes and pretended that he didn't care.
Normally, if she happened to be at home and heard her second sister taking classes, she would sit under the eaves and listen carefully, and then go back to Wen Bailu to explain the parts she didn't understand in the evening.
But seeing Gu Jiayue's encouraging eyes, she chose to keep quiet. Although her second sister had only been back for a short time, she felt that she still understood her second sister's character. If her second sister knew that her third sister liked to study, she would definitely do everything she could to persuade her mother to let her third sister study.
My mother would agree on the surface, but in private she would definitely sigh and say hurtful words.
Forget it, then let her continue studying. At worst, she can speak more quietly when teaching her third sister at night.
Seeing that everyone had no more questions and had received their papers, Gu Jiayue clapped her hands, lit a stick of incense on the front table, and said, "Okay, the exam will last for one hour. When the time is up, we will collect the papers."
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