Chapter 182 I'm Going to Become Mute
Niu had already started thinking about who she should find to tell about this interesting story about Jiang Mi and the Xia family before going to Babaofang to work.
Sister Ma? She is the quickest-tongued one and loves to talk nonsense with others.
Aunt Chen is not bad either. She knows the most people. As long as she can spread the news, it can spread to several nearby alleys.
Yes, yes, yes, and that one...
Niu suddenly felt a sharp pain in her throat.
Cough! Niu coughed a few times, trying to cough out the thing that caused the sore throat, but after trying several times, there was still no effect, and it even felt more and more painful.
"What's wrong?" Zhang Yaosheng was a little unhappy.
There was really no etiquette at all at the dinner table.
"I, I..." Niu's voice was hoarse, "I have a fish bone stuck in my throat."
Just take it as a big deal.
Zhang Yaosheng frowned and handed the steamed bun on the table to Niu, "Just eat a couple of bites."
Yes, normally when someone has a fish bone stuck in their throat, they just eat something dry to help the bone go down through their throat.
Niu hurriedly took the steamed bun and stuffed it into her mouth.
I ate in big mouthfuls, not daring to chew too much, and just swallowed it down whole.
The steamed bun was a bit dry and difficult to swallow. Niu had to stretch her neck and finally scoop up a bucket of cold water to try to swallow the choking bun.
After much effort, I swallowed the steamed bun and drank the water, but the pain in my throat did not subside. Instead, it became more severe. My whole throat felt like it was stabbed by a knife and was burning.
Such pain made Niu subconsciously grab his neck and even use a ladle to scoop cold water from the water tank to drink.
In the twelfth lunar month, the weather was so cold that almost any drop of water would freeze into ice. There was also a thin layer of ice in the water tank. Zhang Yaosheng was terrified when he saw him pouring cold water into his mouth.
"Are you okay?" Zhang Yaosheng stood up and went to check.
Niu opened her mouth, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't make a single sound!
Am I going to become mute?
Niu was shocked and tried even harder to shout, but in the end all she could make was "ah, ah" sounds, hoarse and almost inaudible, like a white goose with its neck pinched.
Finished...
I'm really going to become mute.
Niu collapsed to the ground. ——Two snowfalls in succession.
There was only one day in between.
Both snowstorms were heavy and occurred in short intervals, so that the snow was almost half a foot thick, making walking very difficult.
For Song Jingyun, the distance from home to the academy was considered short, but even so, traveling in such thick snow would still get most of his shoes and socks wet.
In response to this situation, Jiang Mixia called Zhu Cui to discuss how to make a pair of special snow shoes for Song Jingyun and Cheng Mao to make it convenient for them to go out.
But before the two of them could figure out how to use snow boots, Song Jingyun and Cheng Mao had already returned with their bags.
"Why are you back at this hour?" Jiang Mixia and Zhu Cui hurriedly prepared hot tea and hand warmers for the two of them.
"It snowed so heavily that many houses in the academy leaked when the snow melted. In addition, two houses had cracks in their beams because they were pressed down by the snow. The headmaster was afraid something might happen, so he asked those who lived nearby to go back to study first. He would let us go back after the academy had repaired the houses."
Song Jingyun said, "I estimate it will take seven or eight days."
On the seventh or eighth day, it’s almost time for the exam.
Jiang Mixia nodded, "That's good, so I don't have to run back and forth for the past two days."
And because Jiang Mixia felt that the weather would not be good before it snowed, she asked Zhu Cui and Cheng Mao to prepare more vegetables and meat at home.
Now there is plenty of charcoal at home, and enough food and water, so we are not afraid at all even if we stay at home.
Moreover, because it was freezing cold outside, Zhucui felt more and more hungry at home. Besides, Zhucui's cooking skills were quite good now, so she cooked in different ways.
Today we are making rice noodles with meat, tomorrow we are making braised mutton, today at noon we are making chicken noodle soup, tomorrow at noon we are making hot dumplings stuffed with cabbage and pork...
In short, the fragrance lingers in the air above Jiang Mixia's home for a long time.
This causes the neighbors on both sides to couldn't help but sniff and smack their lips from time to time.
"Don't mention it, Madam Jiang and Mr. Song are living a very comfortable life at home, and the food they eat is really good."
"There's a reason why the food is so good. I heard that Madam Jiang is very capable. She has business dealings with Zheng Ji in the county town, and it seems that she also has a cooperative relationship with Qiu Ji."
"That's what happened. When I went to Qiu's, I heard from a relative who worked there that the paintings that Madam Jiang gave to Qiu were worth several taels of silver per piece. A stack of more than ten pieces would earn her dozens of taels of silver."
"Tsk tsk, those who make money quickly deserve to eat and drink delicious food all day long."
"That's nothing. I heard that Madam Jiang has a farm. Every year, the rent and the donations from the tenants are enough to cover their food and drink, not to mention that they also have a workshop at home."
"So, there is a reason why they go to the restaurant to buy food every day. It's not to spend money. We can't learn from the Niu family and talk behind their backs."
"That's right. Niu's throat was pierced by a fish bone. I don't know if it was because of her bad mouth and her nonsense. God couldn't stand it anymore."
"You never know. There are gods above us. It's hard to say. To be honest, if my family was so well-off, I would eat and drink like this all day long."
"I'm different. I don't eat and drink like that. I eat more than Madam Jiang's family. I have to buy more dishes to bring back..."
…
After several days of sunny weather, the snow gradually melted.
The roof and walls of the academy have also been repaired and returned to normal.
At this time, it was time for the exam.
The examination lasted for three full days, with several teachers setting questions one after another, and students had to answer the questions and hand them in within the specified time.
Some of these exams were modeled after the imperial examinations, with the Four Books and Five Classics first, followed by a test on regulated verse, and finally a test on current affairs.
The first two are easy to test if you read a lot of books, but the last topic, which is about current affairs, is "People are not great saints, and few have all the talents, so they can only be applicable."
This question is a bit old-fashioned, but it is precisely such topics that are more difficult to answer. It is not easy to give an outstanding answer.
So much so that after the last exam, many people looked like frost-bitten eggplants, wilting.
Only Song Jingyun looked energetic and even excited.
"It seems that Mr. Song is quite confident about this exam." Wei Liangji's face was full of envy.
This is no wonder. Song Jingyun's study progress is usually faster than theirs. In an exam like this, if nothing unexpected happens, Song Jingyun will definitely get the first place.
(End of this chapter)
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