Among all the people present, except for the stubborn guy who came to try the food, Lao Buyu was the one who vomited the most.
Finally, he couldn't stand it anymore and vomited out all the acid in his stomach. He waved his hands with a pale face and said, "Madam, please put this thing away. I admit defeat! Ugh!"
This really puts Chen Cui in a difficult position. Unless people eat the stinky tofu produced by this system, there is no telling how long it will remain stinky.
She put the things in the kitchen first, and then the others immediately rushed over to help close the windows and doors of the kitchen. Some even used the momentum to climb onto the roof and blocked the chimney.
Anyway, everyone knows that Lao Buyu can't cook, so I'm not worried about affecting his subsequent use.
After all this trouble, the stench in the air soon faded a lot. Although it’s not pleasant, it doesn’t make people dizzy.
Shen Cui glanced at everyone apologetically, then asked with a smile: "Everyone present here is a witness, Master Lao just agreed in person. I just don't know when it will be convenient for Master to perform the ceremony?"
The mission time is limited, so Shen Cui certainly hopes that Lao Buyu can accept Mu Erpang on the spot.
But in this era, teachers who wanted to accept disciples also had to follow the rules. They had to pay homage to the sage and teacher, present gifts, and the more particular ones would even have to perform the ceremony of opening their pen.
Of course, it is not good to just talk about it verbally.
Lao Buyu had just escaped from the suffocating stench. The smile on his face was gone. He pursed his lips dryly and said, "We have been delayed for quite a while today. It is getting late. Moreover, this venue today... is a bit inconvenient. Madam, please take the young master back first and come back early tomorrow morning."
What he said was true. It was only a small matter that it was late. The most important thing was that the Lao family had someone vomiting all over the place, and it would take several hours to clean up. You can't perform the ceremony in such a smelly place.
Chen Cui felt really embarrassed, so she asked where the brooms and other tools were, wanting to help with the sweeping.
Lao Buyu was a little scared when he saw her, so he waved his hand and said, "It's okay, I'll ask some neighbors to help, and it will be done soon. Madam, take the young master back and rest."
The resentful looks of the others were still shooting at her like little arrows, so Shen Cui didn't stay any longer and took Mu Erpang out of the Lao family.
After the mother and son walked for a quarter of an hour, Mu Erpang was finally able to take off the towel and breathe in deep gulps of fresh air.
Seeing that his face was not looking good, Shen Cui said helplessly: "I told you to go back to your grandma's house first, but you insisted on coming with me."
Mu Erpang said with a pale face: "I didn't expect that the stinky tofu mother made this time would be so much stinkier than the last time!"
Last time he was able to finish a whole plate despite enduring the stench, but this time the best he could do was to not vomit like the others!
Seeing that he was not in good spirits, Chen Cui did not take him home directly, but brought him to Chahu Lane, thinking of letting him rest there for a while, and also inform Zheng of the news of finding the famous teacher, so that she would not have to bother to inquire about others.
When the two arrived at Shen's house again, it was almost dusk.
People who worked in the city also returned home one after another, and the Shen family was very lively at this time.
But this excitement was not a good one, it was just that Zheng was arguing with someone.
The one who had an argument with Zheng was not someone else, but the wife of the Chen family who had come to visit during the Chinese New Year.
In the morning, Chen overheard that Zheng took Chen Cui and her son to visit Mr. Huang. Although the matter did not work out in the end, Chen could no longer sit still when she saw her mother-in-law's intention to ask other people.
As there was nothing to do in the afternoon, Chen hurried back to her parents' home and told her mother the news.
Mrs. Chen also became anxious. Last year, her family let Chen Daniu start his education under the teacher of the private school. At the beginning of this year, he became the disciple of Mr. Huang.
With Chen Daniu's initial level of enlightenment, it was naturally impossible for him to pass Mr. Huang's test.
Therefore, in addition to the ten taels of silver that were given as registration, the Chen family also prepared a gift of ten taels of silver - but this still took a lot of effort, and they mobilized a lot of connections in the city and asked people to mediate, which persuaded Mr. Huang to make an exception and accept Chen Daniu's gift.
They have spent so much time and money, but Mu Erpang and Chen Daniu are not much different in level, but they are not even interested in Mr. Huang. They even said they wanted to find a more capable teacher. How much of their fortune would they have to invest?
The Shen family is living a good life now, and it is indeed because Zheng had the foresight to empty out the family's savings to send his two sons to the city to learn skills.
But leaving the second branch aside, Shen Da's skills were taught by the old man of their Chen family, not to mention that he married Chen, a precious city lady, to him.
Mrs. Chen felt that her family had contributed a lot to the prosperity of the Shen family, so she naturally couldn't just watch the Shen family's money go to waste on her grandson Mu Erpang.
Upon hearing the news, she asked Chen to go back first, and then came back under the pretext of visiting her daughter and grandson.
Zheng was still angry about what happened in the morning, and she had always been at odds with Mrs. Chen. Chen had just mentioned Mu Erpang and the two of them started arguing for some reason.
When Chen Cui and Mu Erpang arrived, the two had already had a quarrel. The younger generations served them tea and water, massaged their shoulders and backs, and finally calmed them down a little so that they could talk properly.
But as soon as the mother and son arrived, Mrs. Chen's anger rekindled, pointing at Chen Cui and saying, "You came at the right time. Let me ask you, you are a married woman, how can you have the nerve to let your family spend all their efforts to support your grandson's education? Your son should not have the surname Mu anymore, why not change it to Shen!"
Before Shen Cui could answer, Zheng slammed the table and cursed back, "You old hag, I'm thinking about the younger generation and giving you some face. You pointed at my daughter and grandson and cursed them in front of me, right? You said it yourself, this is the Shen family, I am the head of the Shen family, don't say I want to support my grandson, even if I want to throw all the money into the river, it is not your turn to make decisions!"
"Why isn't it her turn? My son-in-law learned his skills from my old man, and he was recommended by my old man to be the steward. I don't care if your second wife is all idiots, but there is no reason to drag my daughter and son-in-law down that bottomless pit! If you are really ambitious, just divide this family!"
"You said we should split up the family? If you have the guts, ask your daughter and son-in-law to come and talk to me about this!"
Mrs. Chen looked at her daughter, Chen.
Chen was so anxious that she almost cried.
She just wanted her mother to find a way to ruin this matter and never thought about dividing the family.
Of course, it’s not that Chen doesn’t want to split up the family, but that he doesn’t dare to think about it!
The rule at that time was that as long as the parents were alive, the family would not be divided. If the parents were still well, and the younger ones made a fuss about dividing the family, it would be a joke if it got out. Not only are the adults embarrassed, but their children are also being talked about!
Mrs. Chen said angrily, "I am doing this for your own good. Your nephew will study with Mr. Huang. If he passes the imperial examination in the future, naturally no one will dare to complain about this!"
Before she finished speaking, Zheng uttered a loud "Pooh!" "Then I said he would help my fat son pass the imperial examination. When he passes the imperial examination, he will not forget you, his 'good' relatives!"
"Your fat kid? Ugh!"
"Your great guy who can't even memorize the whole book? I'm not interested!"
Mrs. Chen's eyes were wide open so wide that sparks were about to come out of her eyes.
Seeing that the quarrel was about to hurt their relationship, Shen Cui had no choice but to say nothing.
"Mom, aunt-in-law, stop arguing. I have good news. Our second fat man already has a teacher. Tomorrow he will go to the teacher's house to pay for his apprenticeship. And he doesn't need mom and brother and sister-in-law to pay any money. The teacher will come to our house to teach for free for three years."
When these words were spoken, Chen and Zheng were both shocked and kept silent.
Zheng said hesitantly, "Don't tell me you were deceived by someone. Where in the world can such a good thing happen?"
Mrs. Chen didn't care about that. She just smiled and said, "Okay, okay! Everyone has heard it. She said it herself. Her son has a husband and doesn't want anyone else to pay for him! Don't come back to your parents' home to ask for money in the name of studying!"
Zheng was about to slam the table again when she heard this, but Shen Cui stopped her and replied, "That's exactly what I said, so please don't come to my mother's house to argue about this. You two are both old, so you should take care of your health."
After getting a satisfactory answer, Mrs. Chen was a little scared of Zheng's ruthlessness, so she left immediately.
As soon as she left, the men from the Shen family came back from outside.
When Zheng saw this, she said angrily, "According to the time, you should have come back long ago. Are you afraid of that Chen family woman and are hiding outside on purpose?"
Old Master Shen, Shen Da and Shen Er all shrank their necks after being scolded by her and dared not say a word.
Because what Zheng said was right, they had left work one after another, but the houses in Chahu Lane were not big and the sound insulation was not good. When they returned home one after another, they heard the quarrel between her and Mrs. Chen.
Over the years, Zheng and Mrs. Chen have had many quarrels, but like old man Chen, they neither show up nor get involved.
Because a quarrel between women is a small matter, if the men get involved, Mrs. Chen's hasty suggestion of dividing the family property will have to be brought to the table.
Zheng naturally knew this, so after she said it, she didn't dwell on it anymore and turned around to ask carefully about what Shen Cui said about becoming a disciple.
Chen Cui did not hide it and immediately told everyone how she went to Lao's house and how she defeated Master Lao.
Of course, as for the fact that the stinky tofu she made made everyone vomit, she naturally wouldn't mention it.
The original person was a typical person who could not do anything except having a good look since she was young, so the fact that she won the game by being worse at cooking was in line with her original personality, so no one was suspicious.
Zheng held Shen Cui's hand and smiled proudly, "I said you were like me, you were smart since you were young. Your father said that it was impossible for a girl not to cook, so he forced you to learn. I didn't expect that our daughter, with her poor cooking skills, could have such good fortune today?"
At this point, Zheng paused again, still a little worried, "But is the teacher surnamed Lao who set up this competition really reliable?"
After saying that, she did not continue to look at Shen Cui, but looked at Shen Da and Shen Er. After all, they were working men, and they were more informed about this matter than the women who stayed at home.
It's no wonder that Lao Buyu is also quite famous in the city, especially Shen Da and Shen Er, one of whom is a manager and the other is a cook. He comes into contact with many people from all walks of life, and many people have complained about losing a competition with him and giving him money for free.
They also asked others out of curiosity and thus knew that Lao Buyu was indeed a Jinshi who passed the imperial examinations twice. Although he was rejected later, the fact that he was able to pass the exam showed that he had real talent and knowledge!
Zheng was relieved at this point. When she heard Chen Cui say that she wanted to pay respect to her master, she patted her chest and promised, "I know all these things. When your two brothers came to the city to pay respect to their master, I asked people for advice. You don't have to wait until tomorrow for these things. Your second brother has been a cook for so many years and is familiar with all kinds of merchants. I will prepare them for you tonight. Tomorrow, we will prepare two tables at home and invite the old woman from the Chen family to come over to put a damper on her prestige!"
Shen Cui smiled and nodded. She came to the Shen family specifically to reply. One time she came here just to ask Zheng to help her arrange some etiquette-related things.
As for the other situation, she pondered for a while and said to everyone, "It's okay to have a banquet, but we won't have it at home. Let's do this..."
Everyone in the Shen family was immersed in this joyful atmosphere and naturally listened to her arrangements.
…………
Early the next morning, the sky was just turning azure blue, and the empty streets were filled with only the night watchman preparing to go home and the workers who were burning night incense.
The soldiers standing guard at the city gate took turns and slowly opened the heavy city gate.
At this time, the door of the Lao family's small house was slightly opened. Lao Buyu was dressed neatly, with a small bag on his arm, and was carefully observing the situation outside.
Seeing that there was no one outside, Lao Buyu moved half of his body out of the door.
However, before he took another step, he saw two burly young men suddenly emerge from the corner.
These two people were naturally none other than Shen Cui’s two brothers.
"Who are you?" Lao Buyu was startled and asked while touching his chest.
Shen Er was good at his work but not very good at speaking, but Shen Da was good at speaking. He immediately bowed and said, "Master, don't be alarmed. We are brothers from the Shen family. The student you said you would accept the other day is our nephew. Yesterday, my little sister came home and said that she had made your house dirty, so today we are here to help you clean it up."
As he spoke, Shen Da's eyes fell on Lao Buyu's bag, "Master, are you planning to go on a long journey?"
No matter how thick-skinned Ren Laobuyu was, his face turned red when he was asked this question. "No, no, it's just a little gift for the child."
Shen Da waved his hand and said, "Master, you are too polite. It is a great favor for you to accept our nephew without asking for tuition. Take your things back and rest in the house. We will clean the house for you."
Lao Buyu naturally said no, but in terms of strength, he was no match for the two men who were used to doing the hard work, so he had to be "invited" back into the house.
Many people vomited in the yard the day before, and although it was simply swept, it was not cleaned up thoroughly.
Shen Da and Shen Er were both apprentices who had worked in the city for many years and made their way up. They did not mind the dirty stuff and immediately started to help clean up.
There was also the plate of stinky tofu that was stuffed into the kitchen the night before. The two brothers learned of its power from Chen Cui's mouth, so they brought a cloth towel to cover her mouth and nose, and took it out of the kitchen. They didn't dare to throw it away, so they dug a small hole in the yard and buried it.
Lao Buyu stayed in the house listening to them sweeping the floor with a broom, pouring water in the yard, and then sweeping the floor again with a broom.
After half an hour, the noise outside gradually died down.
The sun was high in the sky, and Lao Buyu could no longer sit still. He came out of the house and said, "Sorry to bother you two brothers. I'm going to go out and look for your nephew's house."
Shen Da and Shen Er had already put down their cleaning tools. Shen Da waved his hand and said, "Where do you need to bother looking for it? We have arranged it for you. Please come with us."
Lao Buyu had no choice but to be carried out of the door by the two men.
However, Shen Dachener neither took Lao Buyu back to Chahu Lane nor took him to Shuiyun Village. Instead, he took him to Shuyuan Street.
The businesses on Shuyuan Street are all run by scholars and students. In addition to those selling study tools and books, there are naturally also some restaurants and hotels.
There is a small restaurant at the corner of the street. It is very popular among students because of its great location and cheap prices.
It was not even lunch time yet, but the restaurant entrance was already full of people.
Before Lao Buyu understood what was going on, he let the two Shen brothers carry him to the door of the restaurant again.
At the entrance of the restaurant, beside the main road of Shuyuan Street, there was a red paper sign with a few large characters on it:
"Congratulations to Master Lao Buyu for accepting Mu Hanshan as his student!"
Most of the people gathered at the door were still scholars and students. They didn't know who Mu Hanshan was, but they all knew that Lao Buyu had organized a competition in the city that he had never failed.
There was such a big notice posted today saying that Lao Buyu has accepted a disciple. Isn't it quite fresh? !
"Here he comes, Master Lao is here!"
No one knew who shouted, and the onlookers turned around to look for Lao Buyu. Then Zheng, Mr. Shen, Shen Cui and others came out of the small restaurant.
At the same time, the people in the restaurant were ready and brought out a table.
There were six high-bottomed white porcelain plates arranged on the table, with dried meat, longan, celery, lotus seeds, red dates and red beans placed on them. They were all tied with red ribbons, which were the six etiquettes for apprenticeship.
There was a loud noise, and a portrait of the most holy teacher was opened and hung next to the six rituals.
At this time, Mu Erpang finally came out of the restaurant with a cup of hot tea. He knelt down in front of Lao Buyu and said loudly, "Student Mu Hanshan offers tea to you, sir."
As soon as he finished speaking, the waiter came out of the restaurant with a candy jar and distributed it to passers-by.
Although what was distributed was just malt sugar cut into lid-sized pieces, a few pieces might not be worth a penny.
But becoming a disciple and accepting students is also a happy event, and the maltose is tainted with joy, so it naturally has a different meaning.
The onlookers all reached out to take it, and then congratulated Lao Buyu.
"Congratulations, Mr. Lao!"
"Master Lao is very happy!"
Because of this series of excitement, countless merchants and pedestrians on Shuyuan Street stopped.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, amidst the waves of congratulations, Lao Buyu, with a stiff face, was even dazed for a moment - why did accepting a student make it seem like an old bachelor like him was getting married? !
However, no matter how dazed he was, everyone was still waiting to see what happened next, so he had no choice but to drink the tea that Mu Erpang offered him as his apprentice.
At the same time, the system, which had been silent for a day, responded.
【System prompt: The cross-level task of selecting a famous teacher has been completed.】 】
[Get cross-level rewards: 300 shopping points.] 】
[The data of the famous teacher Lao Bu Yu has been generated.] 】
While Lao Buyu was drinking tea, Zheng was whispering to Shen Cui: "Girl, this teacher doesn't seem very reliable. Your elder brother just told me that it's just as you thought. He was ready to run away early in the morning! For a person like this, even if he has real talent and knowledge, can he devote himself to teaching our second fat man?"
Chen Cui had thought of Zheng's worries when she was competing with Lao Buyu the day before, so she made the arrangements this morning.
What Shen Cui didn't expect was that only after completing this task would she be able to see Lao Buyu's data.
But the system master had not been appeased yet, and she could not ask questions now, so she just opened the translucent light curtain and checked Lao Buyu's personal qualities - leaving aside his age, height and weight, this guy's charm was indeed very low, only 65 points, while the other four indicators were all above 90 points!
After reading it at a glance, Shen Cui comforted Zheng and said, "I have naturally thought of what mother has thought of, so I have a backup plan."
As she spoke, she looked up at the street corner, her smile growing a little more. "Look, our 'backup' is here!"
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