After having dinner at Captain Zhang's house, they drank grass jelly honey together. Su Liuer had to do some business, so she went back to the restaurant first.
As for Zhu Hongan, Mrs. Zhang liked him very much and he was willing to stay in the Zhang family, so Su Liuer let him stay.
Mrs. Zhang's maiden name was Liang Xue. She was the only daughter in Master Liang's family. Master Liang was the dean of Qingxi Academy, which was founded by him. All the scholars near Qingxi Town studied at this Qingxi Academy.
In Qingxi Town, the Liang family can be regarded as a scholarly family. Mrs. Zhang likes to write and paint, so Captain Zhang set up a study for her at home.
Zhu Hongan wrote in this study in the morning. It was his first time to write with pen and paper.
That afternoon, Mrs. Zhang took him to take a nap, and then came to the study after they got up.
Mrs. Zhang placed a low table for him next to the desk, so she could see his handwriting by just turning her head.
"You write better than this morning. You learn really fast." Mrs. Zhang praised from the bottom of her heart. When she was the same age as Zhu Hongan, she could not recognize a few words, let alone write them.
Zhu Hongan's face turned slightly red and he felt a little shy when he was praised. He stared at the tip of the pen intently and continued to write carefully, stroke by stroke.
Mrs. Zhang didn't bother him anymore and continued painting.
The two people, one big and one small, were very quiet. Time passed quietly. Mrs. Zhang, who was pregnant, could not sit still anymore and felt a little sore in her waist.
"Hongan, I'm going to go outside to rest in the cool air, would you like to come?"
Zhu Hongan shook his head. He wanted to continue practicing calligraphy.
"If you get tired of writing, come find me in the yard." Mrs. Zhang said softly.
"Okay." Zhu Hongan nodded obediently. After seeing Mrs. Zhang leave, he continued to write seriously.
There is a wooden pavilion in the Zhang family's courtyard. Lush grape vines are entwined around it, blocking out the sunlight. It is a good place to cool off.
After brewing a pot of tea and washing a small plate of green grapes, Mrs. Zhang half-reclined on the rattan chair and breathed a sigh of relief.
It’s really hot today. I’m starting to miss Su Niangzi’s Herbal Honey again, but I have to wait for several days before I can eat it.
She held a round fan in her hand, fanning herself slowly, squinting her eyes and humming a tune that was not in tune, looking very leisurely in the afternoon.
But before long, the gate of the courtyard rang.
"Who is it?" Mrs. Zhang opened her eyes and asked loudly.
Someone outside the door asked, "Is Mrs. Zhang at home?" It was a woman.
"Wait a minute!" Mrs. Zhang responded, then slowly got up and opened the door.
When the door opened, there was not only a woman but also a man.
This man looked somewhat familiar, as if I had seen him before.
Mrs. Zhang, still holding the half-open door with both hands, asked doubtfully, "Who are you?"
"Sister Zhang, my husband is a student at Qingxi Academy. I heard that you are pregnant now, so I wanted to send you some food. These are good for pregnant women. I ate them when I was pregnant."
"No, no, you can take it back." Mrs. Zhang waved her hand and refused to take it.
The woman handed the things forward and said with a smile, "These are not valuable things, just accept them!"
Mrs. Zhang took a look at the basket that the woman opened. It was indeed not a valuable thing, but she still couldn't accept it.
"Really, there's no need. I have everything at home. You can just take it back!" Since she was a student of the academy, giving her things was naturally for her father's sake. Her father never accepted things from students, so she naturally couldn't accept them either.
"Don't be so polite, I'll take it in for you!" The woman took advantage of Mrs. Zhang's inattention and entered the yard from her side. Mrs. Zhang wanted to stop her, but the man behind her also followed her into the yard and closed the door.
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