Chapter 243 Classmates
After the Chinese New Year, it was time for Zhang Fuqing to go back. In the original history, Ah Zhang was reluctant to leave and cried anxiously. Runtu also hid in the kitchen and refused to come out. Finally, he was dragged away by Zhang Fuqing.
This time they were not so sad, because Sanwei Bookstore was about to start school, and they would meet again when they went back for two days. Ah Zhang came to the door and smiled as he saw them off. "A Tu, when you come back in two days, remember to bring me shells."
"I won't forget it. I will definitely pick the best one for you." Zhang Xingjiu waved his hand and left Zhou's house with his small bag.
It was about 60 miles from Zhoujia to Dupu Village. Zhang Fuqing was reluctant to spend money on a boat ride, so the father and son set out in the morning and only got home in the afternoon. As soon as they got home, Zhang Fuqing happily told him about Zhang Xingjiu's admission to Sanwei Bookstore. "Thanks to the master's help, Ah Tu can also read and write. If he can be a waiter in the city in the future, it will be glorious."
For poor people like him, they would never dare to think that their children would pass the imperial examination and become officials, because they felt that they did not have such destiny. Being an official was something only the children of wealthy families could do, and being able to become a waiter was already a great achievement.
After resting for a while and filling his stomach, Zhang Xingjiu went to the beach to find shells for Ah Zhang. Zhang Fuqing did not stop him. Children from poor families are easy to raise. Zhang Xingjiu had been running around on the beach since he was a child, and nothing had ever happened to him.
After staying at home for two days, Zhang Fuqing brought the newly woven bamboo utensils to Zhang Xingjiu to go into the city. When they arrived at the door of Sanwei Bookstore, he did not dare to go in. He just gave the bamboo utensils to Zhang Xingjiu and asked him to give them to Shou Jingwu. Then he hurried home while it was still early.
"Are you back?" When Shou Jingwu saw him, he nodded calmly and asked him to follow Shou Pengfei to clean the study. He just reminded him not to send these bamboo articles next time, as he knew it was not easy for Zhang Fuqing to make these things.
Zhang Xingjiu followed Shou Pengfei into the study, picked up a broom and started to work. After cleaning the study, he helped sweep the yard and filled the water tank with water, but he did not dare to enter Shou Jingwu's room.
Because Shou Jingwu had some quirks in his personality and didn't like others cleaning the house without his permission, Shou Pengfei said that one time his mother rashly helped Shou Jingwu wash the mosquito net, and Shou Jingwu took it down and stepped on it until it was dirty before hanging it up again.
After finishing the work, Zhang Xingjiu washed his hands and went to the study to read and practice calligraphy seriously. Shou Jingwu watched him from outside the door and nodded slightly.
We had dinner at Mr. Shou's house. This was agreed upon in advance. The other students were day students, but he was a resident student who earned money for meals by working part-time. Actually, he didn't have to do any other work. His wife and Shou Pengfei were enough to do these odd jobs.
Shou Jingwu asked him to work mainly because he saw that his family was poor and wanted to help him.
The next morning, Ah Zhang was the first to arrive at the academy. As soon as they met, he asked Zhang Xingjiu for the shells. When he got them, his eyes were full of brilliance. "It's so beautiful, Ah Tu, next time you go home, can you take me there too?"
"As long as your family agrees, I will take you there." Zhang Xingjiu agreed readily, but sighed in his heart.
Because the Zhou family was about to run into trouble. This autumn, his grandfather Zhou Fuqing was arrested and imprisoned for bribing the chief examiner of the Zhejiang provincial examination. His family sold some ancestral land and pawned gold and silver jewelry to save Zhou Fuqing's life, and fell into hardship.
Not long after that, Zhou Fengyi became seriously ill because he drank all day to drown his sorrows in alcohol because he failed to pass the imperial examination. Ah Zhang had to worry about family matters all day long, so how could he have the energy to go to the beach?
Soon, classmates arrived one after another. Zhang introduced them to Zhang Xingjiu one by one. "This is Wu Shushen, the 'little ghost'. He loves to play pranks. His family runs a tin foil shop. This is Zhou Zhangshou, Zhou Shouheng, Zhou Lanxing, and Zhou Meiqing. They are all my family members. This is Zhang Xiangyao, who has the same last name as you. There is also Wang Fulin. Their families are all in business."
Shou Jingwu was very famous in Shaoxing City. His Sanwei Bookstore was considered a key school in the city. Only those from middle-class families could enter the school. Zhang Xingjiu was an exception.
Fortunately, these children are still young, and even though they are a bit naughty, they are not as sophisticated as adults. Zhang Xingjiu only used a few small tricks to make them accept him.
When it was time for class, Shou Jingwu led them to perform a salute. Since there was no tablet of Confucius, they saluted towards the plaque and the deer. The first salute was to Confucius, and the second salute was to the teacher. When they saluted the second time, Mr. Shou kindly returned the salute.
Then the other students followed Shou Jingwu to class, while Zhang Xingjiu followed Shou Pengfei to the next room, where Shou Pengfei set up a classroom to teach two children from middle-class families. Zhang Xingjiu had just started school, so it was just right for him to follow them to class.
Shou Pengfei let Zhang Xingjiu read by himself first, and he went to teach the two children how to write. After teaching, he came back to ask about Zhang Xingjiu's progress, and taught him the next content of "Three Character Classic" and "Youxue Qionglin" and how to write according to his progress.
As he was writing, he saw Ah Zhang sticking his head out of the door, and using paper armor put on his nails to gesture to Zhang Xingjiu. He didn't dare to make a sound, but just used his lips to make the word "come out", inviting Zhang Xingjiu to go out and play.
"Later," Zhang Xingjiu also answered using lip language. He didn't dare to skip class on the first day of school. If Mr. Shou got angry and kicked him out, then everything would be over.
Ah Zhang felt a little bored, but he didn't continue to pester him. He made a face and left. Shou Pengfei looked at him and nodded slightly, and his impression of Zhang Xingjiu improved a little.
Nowadays, there are breaks between classes. After Zhang Xingjiu finished his task, Shou Pengfei let him go out and play for a while.
There was also a garden behind Sanwei Book House. Ah Zhang was picking plum blossoms with Wu Shushen and the others. When he saw him coming out, he immediately ignored the plum blossoms and ran over excitedly, "Ah Tu, play war with us!"
After saying that, he handed over the paper armor and taught Zhang Xingjiu how to play with it. The three of them soon had a lot of fun until Shou Pengfei came over to call for help, and then they reluctantly let Zhang Xingjiu leave.
In this way, Zhang Xingjiu slowly began to integrate into the new life. He helped with cleaning every morning and evening, practiced calligraphy in the morning, recited in the afternoon, and learned simple couplets in the evening, such as "Heaven and earth, rain and wind; continent and sky, mountain flowers and sea trees, scorching sun and blue sky".
During the break, he played with A Zhang and the others. Zhang Xingjiu took out some small games from later generations, such as clapping cards, and bewitched these little masters. Before he knew it, he became the king of the children in Sanwei Book House.
After dinner in the evening, Zhang Xingjiu returned to his room. He was not in a hurry to go to bed, but recited his homework from the day in a low voice.
And all this fell into Shou Jingwu's eyes.
(End of this chapter)
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