Hengheng is five years old
Chapter 50: Hengheng is five years old
Chu Huaibei was very happy to see Hu Zhi's obvious change of attitude. He threw the knife in Hu Zhi's hand to the ground, grabbed him and walked towards the purification room, causing Sun Mingsi to stumble. His mind drifted to the purification room. Huaibei liked it, well, he also liked it very much...
As expected, the bathroom was a mess tonight. In order to avoid the embarrassing scene when the two mothers came to clean up tomorrow, Chu Huaibei got up half an hour earlier the next morning to clean up the mess.
It is said that the deputy general rode his horse all the way home excitedly. After entering the mansion gate, he ran to his own training ground. He first stabbed the target, which was as thick as a fist, with a knife. The knife directly pierced the center of the target into pieces. Qin Feng peeled off the center of the target and became more interested in the knife. Afterwards, many instruments in the training ground of the mansion were destroyed, including but not limited to: wooden dummies, plum blossom piles, targets, and several weapons.
The next day, the younger generation of the Qin family were practicing martial arts in the training ground as usual. Someone knocked the head of a wooden man off with one punch, shocking everyone. They thought that his martial arts skills had greatly improved. After checking, they found that a long hole had been poked in the neck of the wooden man by an unknown weapon. No wonder it was knocked down by a powerful punch.
Another youngster was practicing archery, and one of them managed to hit the target perfectly, piercing the bull's eye. The person himself was staring with disbelief. He ran over to take a closer look, and discovered that someone had poked a hole more than two fingers wide in the bull's eye. Later, similar acts of vandalism were discovered elsewhere. The youngsters gathered on the training grounds, looking at each other, each claiming that they had nothing to do with it, and that they hadn't caused the damage to avoid practicing.
To avoid potential corporal punishment, the younger generation decided to report the incident to General Qin. He walked around the training grounds and called his eldest and second sons over. Seeing the state of the training ground, they knew what they were talking about. It must have been the younger brother's return last night that caused the damage. They had gotten a powerful weapon and were showing it off at home, exhausted, and now faced their father's questioning. He'd have a lot to say when they got home tonight!
Qin Feng didn't know what was happening in the mansion. When he returned home at night, he was locked by his two brothers as soon as he entered the door. The eldest brother of the Qin family took the opportunity to feel him all over and took off all the weapons on him: a long sword, several hidden weapons, and a dagger. Hey, my little brother actually brought a dagger?
The eldest brother of the Qin family signaled his second brother to hold the man down, and he bent down to pick up the dagger on the ground. He felt it was quite heavy when he pulled out the scabbard, and a dagger with a special shape appeared in front of them. Looking at the blade, it was indeed consistent with the damaged area on the training ground in the mansion.
"Tell me, where did you get the dagger? And why did you go crazy last night? You messed up a lot of things in the training grounds, and got us both scolded by Dad."
"Brother, this is a long story, why don't you let me go first?"
"Second brother, wait for me to leave for a cup of tea before releasing him. I will take him in to Dad first, so that he won't be snatched back halfway."
"Okay, big brother, you go in first." The second brother of the Qin family agreed without thinking. If it was snatched back, none of them would be able to see it. But if it fell into the hands of their father, they could still observe it. He was also very curious.
"Hey, big brother, second brother, this is not very kind. And the prince told me not to show off!!" Qin Feng was very skilled, but no matter how good he was, he could not escape from the sudden attack of the two. Now he was pressed to the ground by his second brother, his hands were handcuffed, and he could not hurt his own brothers. For a while, he really could not break free from the restraints.
There was no choice but to pick up the things on the ground and follow his second brother into the main courtyard after he let him go.
"This knife was given to you by the prince." General Qin asked when he saw his youngest son coming in with a dejected look.
"Yes, Father."
General Qin had already poked a hole in the coffee table next to him. Now the knife was being held in the hands of Qin's second brother, who was eager to try it out and also wanted to poke a hole in the coffee table to feel the feel of it.
Seeing that the father and his two sons were still interested, Qin Feng had no choice but to repeat the prince's instructions: "Dad, big brother and second brother, the prince instructed that there are only three of these swords. One for you, one for me, and one for Xue Zhan. You are not allowed to show them off in public."
"Hmph, the prince doesn't allow you to show off, but you show off at home. Look at what a mess you have made of the training ground at home." The eldest brother of the Qin family saw through the hypocrisy of his younger brother at a glance. This guy was just showing off for them!
"Put it away, and both of you keep your mouths shut about this matter and pretend you don't know about this thing." General Qin pondered for a moment. It seemed that the situation in the north might be changing.
"Thank you, father." Qin Feng happily took the knife back from his elder brother's hand, and this time put it in his chest with his hand, as if saying, "I won't let you see it."
"Dad, how about we ask our blacksmith to try to make it?" The second elder brother of the Qin family was still a little envious.
"It can't be done. The craftsmanship of making a knife is much higher than that of an ordinary blacksmith." General Qin directly dashed his sons' expectations, but he did not lie. It was indeed impossible for the blacksmiths in the mansion to do it with their current skills.
The eldest and second brothers of the Qin family looked at their younger brother's smug face and wanted to stop beating him. They were a loving family.
In April, Chu Huaibei had all the fields in the military settlement watered, waiting for the wheat ears to fill and mature. In May, the wheat in the military settlement began to mature one after another, and the annual wheat harvest began.
Chu Huaibei doubled his manpower this time to prevent a surprise Mongol attack. After properly arranging for several generals to take turns patrolling, Chu Huaibei took time out to return to the palace on Hengheng's birthday. He gave his son a birthday present he had prepared in advance, had lunch with him, and then immediately returned to the barracks.
Heng Heng was overjoyed to receive this specially crafted pure iron spear. He finally didn't have to worry about the stone spear breaking! He couldn't let it go and demonstrated his spear skills in public. The little guy wielded the iron spear weighing over ten pounds with such ferocity that even Jin San and the others exclaimed, "He's truly the son of the King of Zhenbei. Their master doesn't possess such divine power."
Sun Mingsi prepared a fine Duan inkstone for Hengheng, and Du Jiping prepared his own annotated copies of The Great Learning, The Doctrine of the Mean, The Analects of Confucius and Mencius for Hengheng, all of which Hengheng had already learned.
Aunt Wen prepared a new set of clothes for Hengheng, and Deng Ran gave him a bottle of quick-acting healing wine.
The toffee brought a pastry. It didn't have a particularly strong aroma, but it was large, about the size of a large soup bowl at home. It was slightly yellow on the top and bottom, with a white and tender center. It trembled slightly as it was brought to the table. Mother Wang placed the pastry directly in front of Hengheng and placed a small knife on the tray.
Hengheng was very curious, but he didn't dare touch the pastry in front of him that looked like a cloud without his grandmother's permission.
"Hengheng, this is the lotus cake your father asked your grandmother to prepare for you. It took your two mothers many days of experimenting to make it successfully. Today is your birthday, so you can cut the lotus cake into pieces and share it with everyone."
"Yes, Grandma, thank you for your trouble."
Hengheng picked up a knife and cut the lotus cake horizontally, then vertically, dividing it into equal-sized pieces. He placed each piece on a small plate beside him. He gave the first piece to his grandmother, the second to his mother, the third to his master, the fourth to Aunt Wen, the fifth to Grandpa Deng, the sixth to himself, and the seventh and eighth to his two mothers.
After sharing the lotus cake, Hengheng couldn't wait to pick it up and take a big bite. It was fluffy and soft, with a light milky aroma that was just right. He didn't even need to chew it, it melted in his mouth. It was a very novel taste. He took one bite after another and quickly finished a small piece. He smacked his lips and felt that he hadn't eaten enough.
"Grandma, can Hengheng have another one? This lotus cake is delicious!"
Looking at Hengheng's bright and expectant eyes, Toffee smiled and signaled the two mothers to take out the lotus cakes prepared in the kitchen.
Sun Mingsi, Deng Ran, and Du Jiping were also eating this for the first time and were captivated by its exceptionally fluffy and soft texture. It was even softer than egg cake and melted in the mouth. They all finished it in just a few bites, still savoring the taste.
I saw two mothers bringing a large plate with smiles on their faces. The lotus cakes inside were much smaller than the first time they were taken out. Now they were only the size of a fist, but there were enough of them that I could eat as much as I wanted.
"This lotus cake is very delicious. I wonder what it is made of?" Du Jiping couldn't help asking. He really liked it.
"It's not difficult. You only need eggs, milk, flour and sugar to make it. It just takes some effort." The toffee explained.
After hearing this, several people were a little bit unbelievable. Such simple ingredients can make such a delicious lotus cake? As expected of the prince, his ideas are always more novel than others. The concubine said that this was prepared by the prince.
How could this lotus cake be simple? Even the guards in the kitchen, whose hands were shaking from beating egg whites, would shed tears of sorrow at the mere mention of the word "simple." Even though the prince had skilled craftspeople fashion a few egg beaters out of bamboo, which were indeed several times more efficient than using chopsticks, they couldn't withstand five days of continuous testing!
During these five days, several palace soldiers took turns beating egg whites in the kitchen. They felt quite depressed and ate a lot of failed products. Although they tasted good, they were too full to have dinner. This pastry didn't seem to use much ingredients, but it was very filling even if you ate too much.
Finally, Du Jiping packed up the remaining lotus cake and took it back to Lancaoyuan for the students to try. Several students were also taking the entrance exams in September. It was no exaggeration to say they worked very hard. They knew they couldn't match their intelligence, so they could only make up for it with hard work.
Now, out of these sixteen people, ten have passed the county examination, two passed the academy examination last year, and this time the remaining six will take the county examination. The two who passed the academy examination, Zhang Zhiheng and Zhang Rui, are preparing to try for the provincial examination next year. It doesn't matter if they fail, let them first experience the atmosphere and difficulty of the provincial examination so that they can perform better next time.
These children, whether they were tongsheng or xiucai, did not attend the provincial school. Instead, they voluntarily stayed at the Qingzhu Academy in the palace, studying with the instructor there and Du Jiping. Originally, there was only one instructor in the academy, but as the number of students gradually increased, Du Jiping took it upon himself to teach. The concubine later found a xiucai to assist in the teaching. The academy is currently operating well, and this year it is already full and will not accept new students.
When accepting students, Qingzhu Academy first considers the child's aptitude and character. If a student is of good aptitude but from a poor family, the palace will provide a monthly subsidy, allowing the student to study with peace of mind. Secondly, if the student has average aptitude but wishes to establish connections with the palace, the sons of wealthy merchants can remain as long as they pay a tuition fee and study diligently. However, if a student is naughty and refuses to change despite repeated warnings, he or she will be dismissed after three warnings, and their parents will be asked to find another student.
It's said that in over a decade, Qingzhu Academy only voluntarily dismissed one student. The student's parents, enraged, resorted to family discipline in a hearty mixed doubles match. Rumor has it that the child's cries alarmed the entire street, and the incident, upon learning the cause, remains a negative example of student advocacy in Youyun City to this day.
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