Chapter 178 A Couple's Playful Antics, A Crowd's Pilgrimage
Zong Suyi was angered yet again.
Zong Suyi lunged at her and bit her.
Zhang Ting struggled in vain and allowed herself to be hugged and nibbled by a small dog.
After a long while, she stared at the sky with a deadpan expression, a deep tooth mark on her chin.
Wiping the drool from his chin, he stubbornly said, "It was just a joke, you actually took it seriously."
Zong Suyi gave a soft snort, licked his sharp little teeth, and looked at her with a poised and ready look, as if he was thinking about which piece to bite.
Zhang Ting retreated again and again, until she was cornered in a dark and cramped corner, with nowhere left to go.
She sincerely slid down to her knees: "I misspoke. Young Master Zong, you are a magnanimous lady, please don't hold it against a commoner like me."
Zong Suyi was still seething with anger. He reached into her clothes and pinched her, scolding her: "If it were anyone else, I would let you bully me. But to sleep with me, have your fun, pull up your pants and act like nothing happened, and even mock my dignity as a man, this is a heinous crime!"
"Your hands are so cold," Zhang Ting said, her abdomen itching and her muscles contracting wildly. She suppressed a laugh and pushed his hand away. "I can't take it anymore, take it out."
"I...I...won't."
"Hahaha, Zong Suyi, have I spoiled you too much? How dare you be so presumptuous today! Take your hand away."
"You audacious scholar, who gave you the guts to speak to me like that? Behold my ten most cruel tortures!" He deliberately tickled someone's itch.
"You've gone too far! Hahaha, you think I can't handle you? Even if you shout 'I don't want any more, not a single drop left,' I, your wife, will not let you off the hook."
"Eee-yah-yah, gurgle-smack..."
The two froze, staring at each other in bewilderment.
Zhang Ting subconsciously lowered her voice: "It seems like we've forgotten something?"
Zong Suyi covered her mouth, "Don't speak, the little devil is coming."
In May, she finally learned to crawl properly. She spends all her time crawling on the floor, darting around the house looking for her parents. But her personality is like someone else's – she's quite mischievous. Once she finds you, she insists on playing hide-and-seek with you.
Zhang Ting looked at Zong Suyi with a playful expression: This troublesome energy, who else could it be but you?
Zong Suyi glared at Zhang Ting, wanting to devour her alive: How could someone as wicked as you be anything but you?
The baby's babbling gradually faded into the distance.
Zhang Ting glanced at the faint light shining through the crack, frowned, and asked in confusion, "Do we really have to hide in the closet?"
Zong Suyi: "This kid is incredibly cunning. Can we guard against her anywhere else?"
His eyes darted around, and he teased mischievously, "Or is it that my wife's maternal instincts are kicking in and she wants to go out and play with Shile?"
Zhang Ting wanted to tell Zong Suyi: Don't despise the child, treat Shile with tolerance and kindness. Babies need their parents' company at this time, and they should give the child a happy and fulfilling childhood.
But her maternal love seems to have died a little.
“My lord is right. Shile is at the age where she loves to play and make a fuss. As her parents, we should let her be herself and let her crawl and play freely, giving her a fulfilling childhood.”
Sometimes this little brat is really, really, really annoying. Last time, he knocked over the inkstone, got ink all over his hands, and smeared it on her face. After that, he pretended to be innocent, and Zong Suyi laughed at him for the whole night. Sometimes he wakes up in the middle of the night and crawls next to her pillow to play. Then she falls asleep and feels something is wrong, and wakes up to find maps drawn on her body. Sometimes when she holds him in her arms, he pulls her hair hard...
The more I think about it, the heavier it feels.
Zhang Ting suddenly suggested, "Shi Le's hair is a bit thinning, let's shave her head."
Speaking of hair, Zong Suyi couldn't help but think of the little devil's crimes, how he had pulled out so many of his hairs last time.
He wholeheartedly agreed: "My wife is absolutely right." The thought of the little devil soon becoming a bald little devil made him want to laugh.
He asked with great interest, "How many times should I shave?"
Zhang Ting glanced at him: That's going too far.
Zong Suyi looked dejected and timid. He still wanted the little rascal to pull his hair once, so he would shave her head to teach her a lesson.
I really want to make her cry.
After a moment of silence, he suddenly remembered something.
"I'm going to open Fengxian Academy in the prefectural city." He poked her chest and said with a stern face, "You have to come and give me your support and teach a class. Otherwise, people will think I'm just talking big, and I can't even get my wife to come."
Zhang Ting readily agreed: "No problem."
Zong Suyi raised a finger and said leisurely, "This is the first thing." He leaned closer to her, his breath sweet as orchids, "As the headmaster of the academy, I must give the prefect a proper report on the academy's plans."
“Fengxian is a place with a poor literary atmosphere. Moving to the prefectural city will help students access more resources, so that more students will be able to pass the provincial examination in the future.”
Zhang Ting praised him for his intelligence, wisdom, and ambitious plans.
Zong Suyi's lips curled up, and he threw himself into her arms, wrapping his arms around her neck, and whispered coquettishly, "As the prefect, my wife must approve a good piece of land for others. I have made a big promise to my students. If I come and have nowhere to stay, I will be laughed to death."
Zhang Ting put her arm around his slender waist. "I remember that the prefectural school still has some spare dorm rooms. They are separated from the prefectural school by a courtyard. The students of the academy should be able to squeeze in."
Zong Suyi couldn't help but smile, overjoyed. "Everyone knew you had a way." He massaged her shoulders and back, being incredibly attentive.
Overwhelmed with emotion, he became complacent and, leaning against the wardrobe door, accidentally stumbled and fell out.
Zhang Ting's expression changed, and she pulled him back into her arms.
The person was pulled back and got out.
The light in the main hall outside was so bright that it made one feel disoriented.
The little baby crawled over with a thud at the sound, dressed in a festive red outfit, and was smiling brightly, but the couple couldn't help but shudder at the sight.
The little one finally found his parents and excitedly waved his arms, saying, "Ahhh!" He opened his arms for a hug.
Zhang Ting tactically took a small step back.
At the same moment, Zong Suyi took a big step back.
Zhang Ting glanced at him speechlessly: "..."
Then, resigned, he picked up the little one, patted her chubby bottom as punishment, and threatened, "If you dare to bully your mother again, your father will shave your head."
Zong Suyi, who was suddenly splashed with dirty water: "..." Childish.
...
Two months later.
The weather was fine and sunny, with a clear blue sky.
The students from Fengxian came after helping their families pick the newly ripened fruits and vegetables of the season.
Many of them were visiting the city for the first time. The goods were diverse and the houses were densely packed and neat. They were overwhelmed by the sights and the dazzling array of things.
"Wow, this has so much more stuff than what we sell in Fengxian!"
"Nonsense, this is the prefectural city. Hurry up, Lord Zhang is going to give us a lecture today."
"Coming, coming!" He quickly put down his things and chased after her, "Wait for me!"
The place where the lectures were given was the Zhangzhou Prefectural School, a solemn and dignified place with a strong literary atmosphere.
As soon as everyone stepped through the gate, no one dared to look around. They walked with their heads held high and chests out, following their attendants, for fear of embarrassing Lord Zhang.
Although they couldn't compete with the students from the prefectural school in academics, they wouldn't lose face, after all. They were all from Fengxian.
The hall was painted in a dark brown lacquer, and its heavy and solemn furnishings exuded a grand and majestic beauty.
Almost all the students from the prefectural school had arrived and stood respectfully on the left, waiting for the prefect to arrive.
A few people on the other side couldn't stand it and pouted, "They're from the countryside, so what? When did they finally come? They have no manners at all."
"I wonder why the prefect allowed such people to live with us?"
"Silence! Lord Zhang has his own reasons. We only need to study the classics and nothing else matters."
The speaker was the top student in the prefectural school, and the group trusted him greatly, so they remained silent.
As the appointed time approached, Zhang Ting leisurely arrived.
"I'm sorry to be late, and I've kept you all waiting." She had a faint smile on her face, gentle and humble, and walked in from outside with her back to the light, wearing a black casual dress.
"Your words are too kind, sir. I am unworthy of such praise."
She lifted her robe and sat down in the main seat, inviting everyone to sit down as well. She said that today was just a discussion of poetry and philosophy between seniors and juniors, and that the students should not be constrained by their status.
She began by recounting her own experience of studying diligently a few years ago, gradually deepening her understanding and inspiring the students present to strive for academic success, earning fame and honor for themselves and for Zhangzhou Prefecture.
A student asked: "I am dull-witted and rely entirely on my family's hard work to support me. I have been slow to learn and slow to react since childhood. After more than 20 years of wasted time, I am only a scholar. Should I give up?"
Zhang Ting paused and looked at the man.
She was in her thirties, with graying temples, her clothes patched in many places, and her eyes trembling as she stared at me, as if grasping at a straw.
Given this appearance, one's family background is unlikely to be good. However, since ancient times, there has been a saying that "all other pursuits are inferior, only studying is superior."
Zhang Ting stared at her intently and said, "There are countless paths in life, and becoming an official is not necessarily suitable for everyone."
"Sitting here with you all, I will now speak frankly. The Prefectural School is the highest institution of learning in the prefectural city. Since you have been able to enter this place, you are already among the best of the best. However, passing the imperial examinations and becoming an official is not something that can be achieved overnight, nor can it be accomplished solely through hard work. It requires the right timing, location, and people. Sometimes, even if you waste your whole life, you will only be going around in circles."
"There are countless ways to get ahead. If you know that there is an insurmountable gap ahead, then you should cut your losses in time and not waste your life because of your obsession."
She raised her teacup to toast everyone, saying, "Life is but a little over 30,000 days. Every day that passes is one less day. To be honest, neither you nor I know whether an accident or tomorrow will come first. The most important thing for us is to try our best to live each day to the fullest."
She lowered her head and suddenly smiled. "I shouldn't have said so much. In the future, more people will pass the imperial examinations, which will be more beneficial to me. But I always feel that although Zhangzhou Prefecture needs more scholars, licentiates, and jinshi, it doesn't only need them. You should not confine yourselves in a cage and spend your whole lives revolving around fame and fortune. That would be like being obsessed."
"What does it all mean to have lived a whole life?"
The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Everyone's pupils contracted to a single point, fixed intently on the person in front of them. Several times they tried to speak, their lips moved slightly, but no sound came out. Only their fingers trembled uncontrollably, betraying the tsunami of their inner turmoil.
From childhood to adulthood, everyone around them told them: study hard, make a name for themselves, pass the imperial examinations, and bring honor to their ancestors. They studied hard day and night, but who cared whether they were happy or not?
Only the person in front of them, only the person in front of them cares whether they are living well or not.
Her words echoed in everyone's ears, causing their souls to tremble.
They felt as if they were bathed in the moonlight just by standing behind her.
Everyone leaned forward uncontrollably, like believers looking up at their faith, prostrating themselves just to get closer to the light in their hearts.
They gazed intently at her, their eyes filled with starlight—the direction they were pilgrimageing to.
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