Chapter 27
Chapter 27
The era of the child prodigy who writes about bamboo and rocks? !
As soon as these words were spoken, many people looked over at the originally bustling entrance of the county school.
Ji Yuan, wearing the county school's winter uniform, became the focus of everyone's attention.
Thin, young, with bright eyes.
It’s him!
"His poem became the motivation for Huang Juren to take the exam."
"And he helped the county magistrate out of trouble."
"Oh my god, my father likes this poem very much. He writes this poem every day when he practices calligraphy at home."
"He doesn't look that good. He's wearing clothes given by the county school. What a poor fellow."
"It's just luck, what kind of ability is that? Is it a test of poetry in the imperial examination?!"
"Nowadays, people value writing essays more than poetry. No matter how good your poem is, you won't even pass the children's exam!"
"Writing requires accumulation. With his family background, how can he read good articles, and naturally he can't write well."
"Stop talking about it. How could he be admitted to the county school at such a young age? Maybe it was because of that poem that he got in through a backdoor."
Li Ting was about to go up and argue with the people behind him when he was stopped by another voice: "Shut up! You people, what qualifications do you have to talk about Ji Yuan? If you have the ability, write a poem about bamboo and rocks!"
"What's so great about being rich? Why can't you study if your family is poor?"
Ji Yuan subconsciously took a half step back, only to hear the two sides start arguing.
On the one hand, they quarreled about their family's academic background, what kind of official position someone held, and how many books they had at home.
I read articles by famous writers every day, and you can’t catch up with them even if you try your best.
Most of them were dressed in luxurious clothes and looked well-fed.
On the other hand, they say that they are great because they make a living by farming and studying, and that their ancestors were farmers. How dare you look down on the poor? The morals of the literati are all corrupted by people like you.
Do you understand what it means that God rewards hard work and hard work will not be wasted?
The people here are all wearing winter clothes issued by the county school, and their shoes are different, which shows that they come from poor families.
The two sides were arguing with each other, and Ji Yuan silently took another step back.
It seems that they are just using him to quarrel.
"Stop making noise, the instructor will be here soon." A scolding voice was heard from the front, and a well-dressed young man of eighteen or nineteen said.
There was also a person following behind, wearing a winter coat issued by the county school, a little older, about twenty years old: "School starts today, don't cause trouble."
The two parties who had just quarreled separated tacitly. It was obvious that this was not the first time.
I only heard people around me shouting, "Captain Jiang Keshe!"
"Chang Qing is the dormitory head! Jiang Ke is only the deputy dormitory head!"
The dormitory head and the deputy dormitory head are probably the class monitor and the deputy class monitor.
Seeing that they were about to quarrel again, the dormitory head Chang Qing, who was wearing winter clothes, said, "Are you Ji Yuan? Come in quickly."
"We are all classmates in the Tongsheng Department, so don't quarrel."
Ji Yuan walked over silently, and Li Ting naturally followed him. He was also wearing the winter clothes issued by the county school, so naturally no one said anything.
After everyone had left, Ji Yuan heard the chattering around him.
Most of the students across from me came from well-off families. They were either children of wealthy families in the county or businessmen in the county.
The latter were businessmen, and most of them were lackeys of the former, who were sons of noble families.
But what they have in common is that they are all very rich, so they usually look down on their classmates who come from poor backgrounds, calling those who have no money and can only wear county school clothes the Poor Society.
That's pretty mean too.
Of course, the students of the "Poor Society" called the opposite side the Money Society. For the noble scholars, this name was annoying enough.
The "Poor Society" and the "Money-Smelling Society" are usually at loggerheads with each other, competing with each other in everything, and this entrance exam is no exception.
The identities of the twenty newly recruited students are very important to them.
So early in the morning, everyone was watching eagerly.
Everyone has heard of Ji Yuan's name. The poem "Bamboo and Rock" has been brought up by the elders of every family during the New Year in Zhengrong County.
The last sentence must be: "It's amazing that an eight-year-old can write such a poem."
Especially the sons of wealthy families who had contact with their families, their ears were almost callused. Everyone was silently saying that if Ji Yuan was like them, a descendant of an official, they should let him go.
If he is from the "Poor Society", we can't kill him!
Ji Yuan was helpless, it was a pity, he was indeed very poor.
But for him, it was indeed an unexpected disaster.
Ji Yuan and Li Ting listened to the people around them recounting their "origins" with the Tongxiu Society. Finally, it was the head of the dormitory, Chang Qing, who said, "Let's not talk about it anymore. Let's go to the Jingshe first. Put your luggage down and I'll take you two to get to know the place."
A jingshe is a dormitory.
The dormitories of the county school, like the classrooms, are divided into three courtyards.
The first-class courtyards are inhabited by students with official titles, who are commonly known as scholars.
There are a total of fifteen scholars in the county school of Zhengrong County, ranging in age from twenty-five to forty-three, and they seldom go out on weekdays.
Scholars can see officials without bowing to them. They usually receive salaries and have a different status.
Their two teachers were also the most powerful in the county school, and both were successful candidates in the imperial examinations.
One was from Yuyao in eastern Zhejiang, and was proficient in "The Book of Rites", "Li Shi" and "The Book of Changes".
People from eastern Zhejiang who opened schools to teach students were mostly proficient in these skills, and were teachers personally invited by the county magistrate.
The other one is older, 62 years old this year, and his understanding of "Spring and Autumn Annals" far exceeds that of others. He is a native of Zhengrong County and a pillar of the entire county school.
The Class B courtyard is home to twenty-eight students who have passed the county school's internal examination.
Zhengrong County also has a major exam at the end of the school year. If you pass the exam, you can be promoted to Grade B.
Being able to enter the second-grade courtyard means that they have the opportunity to achieve the title of scholar.
They were also the people in Zhengrong County who had the greatest chance of passing the imperial examination and thus studied extremely hard, getting up before dawn and keeping candles lit all night long.
After all, passing the examination to become a scholar not only means getting a salary, but also having many career options in the future. This is an exam that can change one's destiny, and they are only one step away from success, so they have to study even if they vomit.
Finally, there is the Class C courtyard, where Ji Yuan and the others are.
The people here are simple. They neither passed the internal examination of the county school nor even just got into the county school.
For them, they have to study hard and take exams diligently in order to be promoted to Grade B and be eligible to take the examination for a scholar.
The Class C courtyard has the largest number of students, a total of fifty-five.
Most of the people in the "poor society" and "money-loving society" that are active on weekdays are from them.
The environment of the C-class courtyard is also the worst, with ten people in a room, unlike the A-class and B-class courtyards, which are all double or quadruple rooms.
This also shows that Master Zhao was right.
Everything in the county school is for the purpose of imperial examinations.
The same goes for accommodation and class divisions. Only by moving forward step by step can you have a better life.
What surprised Ji Yuan was that there were no separate clubs in the dormitory, and the poor and the money-conscious lived together.
Dormitory head Chang Qing explained: "The instructor randomly arranged the seats and did not allow people to move around."
"But they usually only use it during lunch breaks and go home at night, so don't worry."
It's interesting that the two societies in the county school are incompatible. Ji Yuan doesn't believe that the teacher doesn't know about it, but he lets everyone live together. There must be some unknown reason.
Moreover, the squad leader and the deputy squad leader are also a poor and money-conscious group, so it is hard not to think that it was intentional.
Ji Yuan didn't say much and started to make his bed.
It was a very simple bed, and the bedding Jiyuan brought was also distributed by the county school.
Li Ting was different. His family was well off, and his father supported him in studying abroad, so he had some good bedding.
Chang Qing looked at Li Ting and asked tentatively: "What does your family do?"
Li Ting was stunned for a moment, then said casually, "I'm a farmer."
"Oh, it seems your family is pretty good, and the things you brought are very good."
Ji Yuan continued, "Your stepmother also lets you take care of him?"
Chang Qing paused and quickly apologized.
After the dormitory head Chang Qing left, Li Ting frowned and asked, "What is he doing?"
Ji Yuan shook his head.
In fact, Ji Yuan probably understood that he was probably afraid that Li Ting had a good family background, so he was the person on the opposite side?
That's why he opened his mouth and told the other party about Li Ting's stepmother so that the other party wouldn't ask any more questions.
People came to the dormitory very quickly. Unlike the people in the Poor Society, the people in the Money-Smelling Society just put down their things quickly and left.
The county school did not allow servants to be brought in, and they were too lazy to pack since they didn't live there usually anyway.
Ji Yuan made the bed and placed the pen, ink, paper and inkstone on the small desk beside the bed.
If nothing unexpected happens, this will be where he studies from now on.
After they had packed up, someone wearing the county school's winter clothes took them around for a stroll.
The county school is not very big. The backyard is for accommodation and canteen, and the front yard is divided into four areas.
"The Research and Study Department is usually where the teachers are. We should not come here without being summoned."
Teacher's office.
"Zunjing Pavilion, which contains all the books collected by our county school."
library.
"Minglun Hall, where the Master and the Doctor of Classics usually give lectures."
classroom.
"The place in the middle is the Confucian Temple. Sacrifices are held here on the first and fifteenth day of every month."
Flag-raising platform?
It seems similar.
Ji Yuan took note silently. The county school was not very big, and one could see that several places had been renovated.
There are ninety-eight students in total, plus more than a hundred teachers, so it really doesn’t need to be too big.
On the first day of school, everything was noisy.
By the time I finished packing and visiting the county school, it was already noon.
The last place we went to was the dining hall.
I happened to meet the dormitory head Chang Qing who was also bringing students with him. Chang Qing said, "Let's go. We can go together."
Ji Yuan and Li Ting immediately followed and went to the cafeteria of the county school, where several students were already queuing up.
However, in addition to these students, there were also a few people dressed as servants, carrying lunch boxes in their hands, obviously delivering lunch to their masters.
"Those with money can get free food, and those without money can eat for free." Chang Qing looked over there, "Eat lots of fish and meat all day long."
The cafeteria was divided into two parts, one for those who were poor and the other for those who were well-off.
There is a clear distinction between the two, and the way they look at each other is very different.
After the dormitory head Chang Qing finished speaking, Ji Yuan just smiled and did not respond. He followed the team to get food.
Although it was just brown rice, vegetables, tofu and a pickled vegetable, it was already very good.
There are carbs and protein.
No need to live under someone else's roof or eat for free.
Ji Yuan and Li Ting had just sat down with their food when they saw a few people approaching. They told the servants, "Serve the food. I want to eat. I'm starving."
Braised fish, braised chicken, steamed pork ribs, fried meat with mushrooms, and a bowl of sizzling winter melon soup.
The meals prepared by Ji Yuan, Li Ting and Chang Qing on the same table did look rather shabby.
Li Ting and Chang Qing both paused, and Chang Qing's face turned red.
"What are you doing? It's always like this, is it fun?"
Another student at the same table said that he was wearing the clothes of the county school and was obviously also a member of the "Poor Society".
It seems that this is not the first time the other party has done this and he is deliberately trying to humiliate them.
"Head of the dormitory, what's wrong? Can't we eat at the same table?"
"That's right, our strict instructor said that we must unite with our classmates!" said the member of the Copper Stinky Society, and took a deep breath on purpose, "It smells so good, the cook in my house was invited back from the capital, and the smell is amazing."
Ji Yuan remained calm and continued eating.
He is an adult already, he won't get angry over such things. The people who are looking for trouble are at most thirteen or fourteen years old, middle school or high school students, it's boring.
As for the food in front of you?
As a person from the future, he has seen all kinds of good things.
There were four people at one table, eating school meals and wearing school clothes.
The other two brought their own food and were dressed elegantly.
The latter does not eat it either, just to appreciate the expressions of other people. After appreciating enough, they eat it. The effect is particularly good!
Anyway, this trick works every time!
When his eyes fell on the child, he felt unhappy.
The cousins usually love to humiliate people in this way.
How could it be useless to Ji Yuan?
"Look, cousin, that kid is trying to be calm."
"That's right. You've never tasted such delicious food in your life. And he's a child prodigy. Is there such a child prodigy?"
The two of them laughed to themselves. Li Ting stood up and asked, "Are you two done yet?"
Li Ting was fourteen or fifteen years old, the same age and about the same height as the other two, but he was able to carry himself with much aura.
Ji Yuan held Li Ting and continued to eat calmly: "Eat, ignore the barking dog."
What? !
Dog barking?!
"You called us dogs?!" Wang Xingjie shouted.
Ji Yuan slowly raised his head and said, "Whoever talks to me is a dog. Did you talk to me?"
The cafeteria suddenly became quiet.
This is not pretending to be calm, this is clearly true calmness.
Many people saw their dispute, and there were even a few scholars who came out to get their own food and were watching. It was interesting, the younger students were quarreling again.
That little prodigy is not only good at writing poetry, but also very eloquent.
Wang Xingzhi and Wang Xingjie looked at each other. What were they going to do? It was not right to respond, and it was not right not to respond either.
Finally, it was his cousin Wang Xingzhi who said angrily, "Don't think you are so great. You can only write poems. I tell you, poems are not part of the imperial examinations! It's useless no matter how well you do!"
Wang Xingjie also said, "That's right. Besides, being smart when you are young doesn't mean you will be good when you grow up. Do you really think you can still write poems like that?"
"You'll never be able to eat this kind of food in your life!"
Ji Yuan was directly amused by the last sentence and took a look at the four dishes they brought.
Why are you still using internet slang?
You are scolding him for not being able to eat four dishes in his life, right?
Ji Yuan was tickled by the joke and was looked down upon by the other party. His face turned red and he subconsciously waved his fist.
"What are you doing? If you dare to hit anyone, I will immediately call for strict discipline."
Teacher Yan should be the dean of studies. Ji Yuan has heard them mention this many times.
The other party was frightened, and someone nearby winked at him. Wang Xingjie immediately said, "Who said I was going to hit someone? Ji Yuan, if you can write another poem in public, I will respect you."
After that, he looked at today's lunch and said, "How about giving you these meals as well?"
"If you can't do it! You must automatically avoid us when you see us next time!"
Ji Yuan was annoyed by them again and again, and he saw Chang Qing, who was speaking for him, swallowing his saliva with another person, and was caught by the other party.
"Look! You're all greedy! Do you want to compete or not?"
"I got into the county school with a poem, but now I can't even write a poem!"
Chang Qing's face turned red. He hadn't eaten meat for a long time, so he couldn't help but swallow his saliva.
Epoch Times looks at the people from the "money-loving society" around Wang Xingzhi and Wang Xingjie, and knows that they are using him to humiliate the poor society.
Who made him have the title of child prodigy and naturally belong to the poor camp?
And he kept dwelling on the poem, so it seemed there were other reasons.
That's all.
Isn't he just a plagiarist? He will be guilty of it if he does it once or twice.
Ji Yuan raised his eyebrows: "If that's the case, then it's settled."
Is it settled?
Since Ji Yuan accepted the challenge?
At a time like this, could he really compose poetry?
impossible!
If this is true, then he is a true child prodigy!
Even the scholar who was watching the fun stood up straight.
Ji Yuan wants to write poetry? !
Look at his level!
His last poem inspired many people!
The poem I wrote this time will surely inspire people.
"You just said that I have never eaten such a good meal. I admit it."
"But I have eaten a kind of Yuanxiao, which is really rare among you."
Ji Yuan admitted frankly that he had never eaten such delicious braised fish, braised chicken, steamed pork ribs, stir-fried meat with mushrooms and winter melon soup in his life.
It would be perfect if you could add a vegetarian dish.
Others were puzzled.
Ji Yuan was so poor, how could he have eaten any good Yuanxiao?
Yuanxiao means glutinous rice dumplings. Ji Yuan recited: "Walnuts are wrapped with sweet-scented osmanthus fillings, and glutinous rice is as big as pearls and washed with well water. I heard that Ma's rice flour is good, so I sell Yuanxiao in the wind during the lantern test."
The filling is made of osmanthus with walnut kernels, and the skin is made of pearl-like glutinous rice. The glutinous rice balls made by the Ma family are excellent and are sold under the lanterns on the fifteenth day of the lunar month.
This isn’t some aspirational poem, it’s actually a food poem?
Ji Yuan did it on purpose.
In his eyes, those who were looking for trouble were just the most annoying children.
He is an adult now, and it would be too petty to argue with them.
Just divert their attention.
Just muddle through.
Rather than a competition, it’s more like entertaining the children.
But when Ji Yuan finished speaking, everyone in the cafeteria swallowed their saliva.
There's nothing I can do, it's just that what he said was so tempting.
There are osmanthus, walnuts, and pearl-like glutinous rice ground into powder to make dumplings.
It’s so vivid and smells so good.
Wang Xingzhi and Wang Xingjie exchanged a glance, and Wang Xingjie subconsciously said, "Which Ma family made the glutinous rice balls? How come I have never eaten them!"
The others looked at him with eager eyes, they wanted to eat too!
Unfortunately, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month has passed and there are fewer people selling Yuanxiao on the street.
Whose Lantern Festival is this?!
Ji Yuan smiled mysteriously and raised his chin: "Do I win?"
It's definitely the winner. This poem has neat parallelism and a strong sense of picture. Although it's not as good as "Bamboo and Rock", it's already very good.
They can't do it anyway.
Seeing them nod, Ji Yuan moved four dishes and a soup to his side and said to Li Ting, Chang Qing and others, "Eat quickly, they haven't touched it yet."
I didn't move, but how can you have the nerve to eat it?
He eats so generously.
Ji Yuan continued: "This is what I won. It will be wasted if you don't eat it."
"The spoils of war should be shared by all."
In Ji Yuan’s mouth, this is no longer a simple meal, but a trophy!
eat!
There’s nothing wrong with eating this!
Li Ting was fine, but Chang Qing and another member of the Poor Society subconsciously picked up a piece of food with a chopstick.
Delicious, really delicious!
"What should we do then?"
The servants delivered the meal and went back. They couldn't deliver any more as there was not enough time.
Their food is gone, can’t they go get some?
The food in the cafeteria is terrible.
I hope I admit defeat, since I can’t take it back now.
The people who were swallowing their saliva turned out to be brothers Wang Xingzhi and Wang Xingjie, they were really hungry!
I have to wait until the evening to go home.
You can't be hungry until school is over?
Ji Yuan pretended not to see it and even called others to come over and taste it.
The four of them couldn't finish it.
The atmosphere in the cafeteria suddenly changed. The poor students who had felt humiliated just now now straightened their backs.
Still looking for trouble?!
Still looking?!
Have you ever eaten the Yuanxiao stuffed with osmanthus and walnut that they ate in their era?
He wrote a poem like this, can you do it?
The instructor at the side door of the cafeteria watched the quarrel inside with a smile, and even stopped and taught them a lesson: "Hey, this is not a friendly thing, don't worry about it."
The strict instructor widened his eyes and clenched the ruler in his hand. Is this called being harmonious?
"As long as they don't fight, it's fine. Young people are bound to be hot-tempered." The teacher walked away with his hands behind his back, leaving Yan Xundao helpless.
I rushed over after hearing the news, and saw this scene.
It’s not right to intervene, and it’s not right not to intervene.
Instructor Yan left with his eyes closed, thinking, "Forget it, let it go this time."
But is the Ma's Yuanxiao that the little prodigy said really that delicious? Let my wife buy some and try it.
"I feel so full. I have to say, Wang Xingjie's cook is really good."
"That's a cook. The monthly salary for a cook is several taels. People in the capital are vying to hire her."
After lunch, Ji Yuan and his friends deliberately walked past Wang Xingzhi and Wang Xingjie.
The two of them had run out of lunch and didn't want to eat in the cafeteria, so they had to eat other people's food. As a result, several people in the Copper Stinky Society didn't have enough to eat, and they were very resentful.
On the other hand, everyone in the poor society is proud of themselves.
"Just wait, you will suffer the consequences in the future!"
After school in the afternoon, the two of them rushed home, starving to death!
Haven't eaten for a day!
But what they are curious about is, is the Ma family’s Yuanxiao really delicious?
"Hurry up and go to the county town to find Ma's Yuanxiao. Ask for the ones with osmanthus and walnut fillings!" the two men instructed the servants.
The servants looked confused.
It’s already the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, why are we still eating Yuanxiao?
Forget it, let’s go find one.
Unexpectedly, these servants met servants from other households on the street.
"Are you also looking for Ma's Yuanxiao?"
“My family is looking for it too.”
"There are two families with the surname Ma, but they say they don't sell sweet-scented osmanthus walnut fillings. What should I do?"
The two Ma families selling Yuanxiao were also puzzled.
It's already past the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, so why are so many families coming to buy Yuanxiao? Even the teachers and instructors of the county school came to ask about it.
But they really don’t sell the ones with osmanthus walnut filling!
What else can you say? Glutinous rice is like pearls.
My goodness, how can there be such good glutinous rice?
The crowd could only sigh after their search proved fruitless.
Where can I buy the Yuanxiao that Ji Yuan mentioned?
Ji Yuan, who had caused the whole county to search for Lantern Festival, was now going to look for Master Guo with Master Zhao's letter.
Last time, Master Guo replied to my letter and answered many of my questions. Master Zhao must be grateful for that.
Ji Yuan was waiting at the door of the Research and Study Office, just in time for Master Guo to come out.
Mr. Guo is in his forties. He looks very cheerful and has gentle eyes.
"Little prodigy." Master Guo knew who he was as soon as he saw him. "I was too busy today and didn't go to see you. How are you doing? Are you adapting to the county school?"
Ji Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Fortunately, the county school is busy."
Master Guo laughed loudly: "It is indeed lively. Most of the people here are 13 or 14 years old. You are young, so if anyone bullies you, just tell me."
Ji Yuan thanked him and handed over Master Zhao’s letter with both hands.
Master Guo stroked his beard and was not in a hurry to read. Instead, he walked and said, "I heard that you wrote another Lantern Festival poem today. It's very good. It makes me want to eat it."
Ji Yuan quickly said, "It was just a joke, it was just a coincidence."
Seeing the child so modest, Master Guo nodded and said slowly: "It is not a good thing to become famous too early and show off too much."
"Your master is just arrogant and famous, and he offended many people in the past."
"Let's not talk about it. Seeing that he is willing to recommend you to the county school, I know that he has changed a lot." Master Guo said with a smile, "Don't let him down."
The Master that Master Guo was referring to was naturally Master Zhao.
God knows the surprised expressions on everyone's faces when they saw Master Zhao showing off his students' poems.
At that time, I became curious about the era.
Ji Yuan was pondering Master Guo's words, and then he heard Master Guo say, "The county school has been very busy with the Tongkat Ali exam recently, so I guess they won't pay much attention to you freshmen."
The children's exam is held once a year.
First take the county exam, then the prefectural exam, and then the college exam.
In comparison, a county school is a junior high school.
A group of first-year junior high school students and a group of third-year junior high school students.
Teachers have limited energy, so they will naturally focus on the third-year junior high school students first.
"Don't slack off during this period, study hard, time flies."
Only after Master Guo returned home did Ji Yuan understand the meaning.
In other words, the county school won’t be very strict recently?
They are allowed to run wild right after the school starts and we expect them to be self-disciplined?
The next day this thought came true.
I went to class at the beginning of the morning at Chenshi, and Master Guo taught the Four Books as usual.
By the afternoon, the original Five Classics class turned into a self-study class.
"It's like this every year." said a student who has been in school for two years. "The doctors of Mingjing will come back only after the county exam is over. Now they are teaching the students who are taking the Tongshi exam."
The focus is on students in Grade B class.
All students in the second-class hall will take the examination for the title of scholar this year.
All the doctors of Mingjing went there for intensive tutoring.
Their academic level is still far from perfect, and they are not taking the exam for the title of scholar this year, so they are just left alone for the time being.
"The county exam will be held on February 6th, and the exam will last for three days. The results will be announced on the fourth day."
"Before this! No one cared about us!"
Ji Yuan silently calculated that until February 13th, no one was in charge of the C-level hall.
Everything is for the imperial examination.
This statement is indeed correct.
Master Zhao told him that this place would be different from the private school, and it was indeed true.
At that time, when he, Dahai, Xiaohe and others were taking the county entrance examination, Master Zhao did not delay the studies of other students and asked for leave on the day of the examination.
Here in the county school, as long as you can pass the examination to become a scholar, everything else can be put aside for the time being.
Imperial examinations and fame are top priorities here.
It's nothing.
But for the students in Class C, wouldn’t they be having a blast?
The school has just started and some of the students have just enrolled.
No wonder Mr. Guo asked him to study hard.
Sure enough, during the afternoon self-study session, most of the fifty-five students in the classroom were either leaning on their desks or playing around.
Ji Yuan took out the "Collected Commentaries on the Four Books" he copied from Master Zhao. This was written by Zhu Xi and is now one of the must-read books.
I have already memorized the Four Books by heart, so it’s time to read these.
Ji Yuan calmed down first, then copied it again, both to review his lessons and to keep two copies as backup.
But there is not much paper on hand.
I'll buy some more when I have time.
Although the county school distributes paper every month, there is a quota and it is definitely not enough.
This probably means that food and lodging are completely free, but tuition and miscellaneous expenses are only partially covered?
Even so, it's good for the era.
There are sheltered dormitories and spacious and bright classrooms.
At least I don't have to sit outside and read.
Ji Yuan was concentrating on copying, and Li Ting, who was distracted beside him, saw this and also picked up the book and read silently.
They had worked so hard to get in, and this wasn't for fun.
Several other students were also encouraged and calmed down.
If you look closely, you will find that most of the students who have self-control are poor students.
They have had a hard life since childhood, and studying is very difficult for them.
"Why are you pretending?"
Cousins Wang Xingzhi and Wang Xingjie were already angry about what happened in the cafeteria yesterday, and were also laughed at by other rich kids.
When I see Jiyuan School now, I just find it glaring.
"Some people are destined to be poor all their lives. What's the point of trying harder?"
"Yes, you pretended to be very convincing. Did you read it?"
Ji Yuan just turned a deaf ear to what he said. He had heard worse things before, so why was he afraid of these?
The other poor kids were not convinced, and they heard the person on the other side say, "Look! The people from the Poor Society are getting anxious. Did they say anything about you? Are you anxious?"
Ji Yuan picked up the book and recited loudly: "Confucius climbed the Eastern Hill and looked down on Lu; climbed Mount Tai and looked down on the world. Therefore, those who look at the sea find it hard to describe the water, and those who visit the door of the sage find it hard to describe the words."
This is a sentence from Mencius.
What it means is that when Confucius went to Dongshan, he felt that the state of Lu had become smaller, and when he climbed Mount Tai, the whole world had become smaller.
Those who have seen the ocean will feel that any water is not good enough. After learning the words of saints, they will feel that nothing else can attract them anymore.
The general meaning is that every step forward will see something different.
People cannot stand still and must constantly break through and surpass themselves.
Used here, it is naturally used to tell those who are doing evil.
They are not pretending to learn, they are learning from the saints. After they have learned the words of the saints, what do your words mean to them?
Everyone present was admitted to the county school, so they could naturally understand what was meant.
The poor students who were originally angry looked at Ji Yuan in astonishment.
Ji Yuan looked at Li Ting and said, "Let's recite it together. Mencius is the most important."
"Maybe next year, we'll be in the B-class hall too."
Yes, they are going to take the examination to become a scholar, why should they waste their time with such people?
Li Ting nodded heavily and recited: "If you want to observe water, you must observe its waves. If the sun and the moon are bright, their radiance will shine upon them."
“As for flowing water, it will not flow unless it is full and flowing; as for the aspiration of a gentleman to pursue the Way, it will not be achieved unless it is completed.”
I don't know who took over the sentence, but in the originally messy Class C Hall, the sound of reading that could only be heard when the teacher was present could be heard.
Wang Xingzhi, Wang Xingjie and others looked at him in silence, not daring to look at him again.
It seems that everything is insignificant in front of the era.
Only studying is the top priority.
You can also use the words you have read to mock him and make his face blush.
Teacher Yan rushed over with a ruler in his hand.
There were so many things to do in the county school that he almost forgot about these ancestors who had just enrolled.
According to past practice, this would be a mess.
It would be strange if a group of teenagers aged thirteen or fourteen didn't make a fuss.
Before he got close, Yan Xundao heard the sound of reading inside.
Could it be that some teacher took time out to help teach the students?
Aren't you all busy?
Some of them were teaching the candidates, while others were assigned to the yamen to prepare for the county examination on the sixth day of February.
Who will be there?
Instructor Yan looked into the Class C Hall.
There is no teacher, only a group of students studying.
I read it very carefully.
Is this reasonable?!
They are so self-aware!
Yan Xundao, in a trance, left again.
After more than ten years of teaching, this doesn’t make sense!
After school in the afternoon, a group of poor students surrounded Ji Yuan.
"You really make us proud."
"Yes, a few words left them speechless."
"Yes, it's amazing."
Ji Yuan was surrounded in the middle and smiled: "It's nothing, the teacher told us to be diligent."
Many people feel a little guilty about saying this.
Not to mention the kids from wealthy families, even they would become a little lazy when they heard that the teacher didn't care about them.
People from the Tongxiu Society passed by with hateful expressions. Let’s see how long your era can last.
They just don't believe that they can continue studying even if the teacher and the county school don't care.
When Ji Yuan can no longer hold on, that's when they'll mock him back.
Ji Yuan didn't care about them, he had other things to do today.
After Ji Yuan and Li Ting had dinner, they walked out of the county school together.
I have been in the county town for two days, and this is my first time going out.
But you can’t walk around for too long, otherwise you won’t be allowed into the dormitory.
Ji Yuan wanted to buy some more pens, ink, paper and inkstone. He wanted to practice calligraphy and copy books, so he had used up paper very quickly recently.
Li Ting was also preparing to buy something, and the two of them walked outside together.
As soon as I got near the bookstore, I saw various collections of "Tongshilu" on display.
All provinces with strong imperial examination performance have included them. Jiangsu and Zhejiang even divided them into four volumes, and the top three articles from eastern Zhejiang, western Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Shandong and other places are all included.
There is less than a month left before the children's exam. These books are selling very well.
In Jiyuan’s opinion, this is probably equivalent to a perfect essay for the high school entrance exam?
There are indeed many people who buy it.
Ji Yuan also felt itchy in his heart. After arriving at the county school, all he saw and felt was the word "imperial examination".
Ji Yuan was curious about what kind of essays would be like to pass the children's exam.
It’s a pity that the bookstore owner doesn’t allow us to flip through the books. After all, who would buy the book after flipping through it?
Li Ting was reluctant to do so, and the two of them looked at each other for a while before being discovered by the boss.
Unexpectedly, this fat bookstore owner actually knew Ji Yuan: "It's you? You came here twice last year."
The first time I met Mr. Huang was before the end of the year, and the second time I bought a lot from him. But the bookstore was busy at that time and the owner didn't say hello.
I didn't expect to know him.
The boss saw Ji Yuan wearing the county school's winter clothes and was surprised, "You actually passed the exam."
"No, you are the little prodigy Ji Yuan?"
"The youngest one among more than 600 people who passed the exam?"
"You also wrote about bamboo and rocks?"
As he spoke, the boss took out the framed bamboo and stone in the store and said, "Did you write this?!"
Ji Yuan immediately shook his head, and the boss slapped his head: "I forgot, this was written by Mr. Liu from our county. He asked me to help frame it, but the poem was written by you!"
Li Ting replied: "Yes, it's him. He also composed a new song."
"I know that too! Yuanxiao! Do you know what's the most popular thing in Zhengrong County right now?"
Not to mention Li Ting, even Ji Yuan was a little curious and intuitively felt that it was related to him.
"The most popular one is Ma's Yuanxiao!"
It’s true.
The owner of Jiyuan Audiobook Store was telling the story with saliva flying.
After that Lantern Festival poem came out, many families spent the entire night looking for the Ma family’s glutinous rice balls that Ji Yuan had eaten. The dumplings were filled with osmanthus and walnuts, and the glutinous rice was as white as pearls. They were so delicious.
But the only two Ma families in the county knew nothing about it.
After being asked so many times, the two Ma families imitated what was said in the poem.
If the season is not right, then use dried osmanthus, walnut kernels, and pearl-like glutinous rice? Use!
Among them, the one called Lao Ma’s even asked the lantern shop to make a beautiful dim lantern and placed it in front of the stall.
Doesn’t this look like it?!
Both Ma’s dumplings were sold out and became popular in Zhengrong County!
Ji Yuan was deeply saddened when he heard this.
You should have said it earlier.
If he had come earlier to sell it, he could have made money!
He only had one tael and six cents, and could become a pauper at any time.
Of course this is a joke. If he really does business, his identity must be changed. The current atmosphere is not so welcoming to businessmen.
The boss talked about this matter with great relish, calling the child prodigy all the time, which made Ji Yuan feel embarrassed.
Ji Yuan found it interesting to hear about the competition between the two Ma family dumplings.
After all, it's just a poem. It's naturally good for ordinary families if the two families can seize the opportunity to make some money.
Now the Ma family has won the upper hand with lanterns, and they seem to be selling better.
Li Ting also became interested. He wanted to try it after hearing what he heard that day: "How about we try it too?"
Ji Yuan touched the copper coins in his pocket and thought it would be okay to go and take a look.
After all, it was he who brought about the trend. It would be a shame if we didn't join in the fun.
"You can go ahead. I'll have my boy deliver these things to the county school for you." The fat boss said with a smile, "Just let me know if you see us next time. We go to the county school often."
Although both of them bought the worst paper, the boss didn't look at them differently. He had seen many poor students, and a little prodigy like Ji Yuan was even more unique.
If he really passes the imperial examination and becomes a scholar or juren, I can benefit from it.
The county town is not very big, and the two Ma family Yuanxiao stalls are next to each other. There are indeed quite a few people gathering around the stalls.
However, most people who eat the dumplings feel disappointed after eating them.
"It sounds nice, but it's not that delicious."
"Walnuts are wrapped in sweet-scented osmanthus filling, and glutinous rice is as white as pearls washed in well water. It sounds good, but it tastes just so-so."
The same is true for Li Ting. The walnut filling wrapped with dried osmanthus actually doesn't taste good, even worse than the traditional sesame filling.
I guess these osmanthus walnut dumplings will be out of stock soon.
Old Ma’s family has a lantern as a gimmick, maybe it can last longer.
But the fifteenth day of the first lunar month has passed, and it doesn’t taste that good anymore, so it will probably disappear soon.
Ji Yuan seemed to be thinking about something, and Li Ting asked, "What's wrong? Is it the same as what you've eaten before?"
Ji Yuan shook his head slightly and talked about another matter: "Just now the bookstore owner said that both families bought dried osmanthus flowers, walnuts, and the best glutinous rice?"
"Yes, osmanthus and walnuts are both in August and September. It's the first month of the year now, so it may not be easy to buy them." Li Ting said casually.
Ji Yuan calculated the time.
The poems that were circulated yesterday are not selling well this evening.
“I guess we’ll have to pay compensation.” Ji Yuan said.
This is the result of following the trend, but it was he who started the trend.
Ji Yuan looked at the two families busy in front of the stall. They were both ordinary people. Ji Yuan said, "Did you bring a feather pen?"
The quill pen is light and easy to write with.
Li Ting was dumbfounded: "No."
What do you need paper and pen for?
The pens, ink, paper and inkstone that the two had just bought were sent back to the county school by the bookstore owner.
As he was talking, someone next to him suddenly said, "We have some here, do you want some?"
There seemed to be two families sitting at the table next to him. One of the children handed him paper and pen. It was the first time that Ji Yuan touched such good paper and he was a little surprised.
Just as Ji Yuan was about to pay, the other party waved his hand and refused. His attitude was very obvious, as if he was just helping out.
Li Ting was also surprised and asked, "What do you need paper and pen for?"
Li Ting thought again: "Write another poem to save their business?"
"Poetry can't save it."
Ji Yuan said: "Since we are making food, the most important thing is that the food tastes good."
"So what do you mean?"
“Write a recipe.”
Ji Yuan picked up the pen, and the two words above were particularly eye-catching.
After writing it, I paused for a moment and added a name to this recipe.
Fu Zeng glutinous rice balls.
Ji Yuan silently apologized to the great man Fu Zeng for using your poem, and this is just a small way of expressing my apology.
Unlike the two Ma family dumplings, which use walnut powder and soaked dried osmanthus flowers as fillings, Ji Yuan’s recipe is more complicated.
First, fry the walnut kernels until fragrant, then grind them into powder and set aside.
After soaking the dried osmanthus in water, boil it with sugar to make osmanthus sauce, then mix it with walnut powder and lard to make filling.
The last step is to grind glutinous rice into flour. Ji Yuan wrote this specifically. Glutinous rice is a branch of glutinous rice, and the flour should be long and thin.
However, before grinding the glutinous rice into powder, it must be soaked in osmanthus water to give the glutinous rice the fragrance of osmanthus.
The next step is to grind the flour. After the glutinous rice flour is ground, knead the glutinous rice into a ball. After kneading, pull out a piece and put it in cold water to boil it, then take it out and knead this piece of glutinous rice into the whole glutinous rice ball.
The purpose of doing this is to make the glutinous rice dough more sticky. By kneading it in small amounts and multiple times, the glutinous rice dough will be chewy and delicious.
Needless to say, as for the final step of making the filling, Ji Yuan has clearly written down the ingredients, time and method.
Li Ting slurped it up: "How delicious is this?!"
Walnut kernels are fried to bring out the fragrance, and osmanthus sauce and lard are added to enhance the flavor. The methods of kneading the glutinous rice balls are also different.
If this is the glutinous rice dumpling that Ji Yuan had eaten, then what was the thing he just ate!
If the two Ma families follow this method, it will definitely sell very well!
He wishes he could eat here every day!
Ji Yuan copied another copy, cut the paper into two pieces, and each of the two Ma families took one.
However, before handing it over, Ji Yuan admired it, not the content, but his own handwriting.
"Not bad, not bad. Your handwriting has improved."
Li Ting was helpless.
Is this what you call progress?
Considering that Ji Yuan has only been studying for a year, it seems like he has made some progress?
However, Ji Yuan didn't want to go and give it himself, so as to avoid attracting attention. What Master Guo said was still ringing in his ears.
It's not a good thing to show off one's talents.
When Ji Yuan paid, he casually pressed the paper against the bowl on the bunk.
Most people would not throw away paper with words on it.
They will definitely ask someone to take a look.
Li Ting said: "If someone else sees it, the recipe will be leaked."
Ji Yuan shook his head slightly: "I'm not trying to help them get rich."
"But this matter was caused by me. If I lose money because of this, how will these two people live?"
So that's how it is. Li Ting was impressed.
The two said no more, thanked the two families who had borrowed paper and pen, and left in a hurry.
If you don’t go back, the county school will be closed!
After they left, the two families who had borrowed paper and pen dared to look up.
The master of one of the houses said to the child, "Go and fetch what the little prodigy wrote."
The owners of the two stalls were shocked when they saw the little boy. How did the county magistrate's servant come here? They were so busy that they didn't even see him!
Looking at the two families in that position again, although they did not know the county magistrate, they knew that the person served by the county magistrate's servant must be the county magistrate or even his family.
And what's up with this paper?
When did it appear here? Do they need someone to help them see what is written on it?
Soon, the county magistrate read it out to both families personally.
Anyone who cooks will know how good this method is as soon as they hear it.
How delicious it would be if it was cooked this way.
The county magistrate frowned as he finished reading it, and said to the person next to him, "This is the student you taught."
The teacher raised his eyebrows. Who would have thought that when he went out to eat with the county magistrate's family, he would meet students from his own county school.
The two Ma bosses were shocked. What happened to the student?
Did something wrong.
The person who could write this recipe for them must be a benefactor of both families, otherwise they would definitely suffer heavy losses this time.
Let them say a word for their benefactor.
“Look at this handwriting.”
"You're not ashamed to say that your handwriting has improved."
It turns out that the handwriting is too bad.
Fortunately, this benefactor did not do anything wrong.
The two Ma bosses breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.
The teacher also took a look and finished reading with a helpless expression. In the eyes of these people who have been studying for more than 30 years.
This handwriting is really disgusting.
But after all, he is my student, so I have to praise him: "What's wrong with his handwriting? If you ask me, his writing is methodical and his handwriting is elegant. With time, he will become a great talent!"
The county magistrate hesitated to speak, but did not object to the four words "he will surely become a great talent".
I originally thought he was just good at writing poetry and was a bit smart.
I didn't expect that with just a quick glance, I could tell that these two businesses would have to pay compensation and even left a way to remedy the situation.
The magistrate asked the boy to return the recipe to the merchant and said, "You stay and help them write down the recipe."
The two Ma bosses thanked the magistrate profusely. The county magistrate asked someone who could read to teach them. They had to memorize the recipe even if they had to learn it by rote.
And that unknown benefactor, who gave him the secret recipe?
It really saved their whole family.
Fu Zeng Tangyuan, the name is strange, but since it was written by their benefactor, they will definitely read it!
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