Chapter 73 Chunlan's Letter
The next day, Sun Shan arrived at school early. Surprisingly, De Ge'er completed his homework in excess and passed the exam despite some bumps and bruises.
Master Zheng stroked his long beard and said with satisfaction, "Sun Dingde, not bad. Although you recited it intermittently, you still recited it and understood its meaning. Well done, keep up the hard work."
"Master Zheng scolded his students when necessary and praised them when necessary. He was an interesting teacher.
De Geer glanced at Sun Shan with pride, and then glanced at Yang Qingbei provocatively. The whole morning, he was so excited to read as if he had been injected with chicken blood.
During lunch, she ran up to Sun Shan and said proudly, "Shanzi, you must work hard and learn from students like me who are praised by the teacher."
The same words were said to Yang Qingbei.
Sun Shan and Yang Qingbei chose to ignore it and squatted on the stone steps to eat.
Spring is a season full of life, but also a rainy season. It rains a lot, and I dare not wash clothes. Farmers have few clothes, and if they don't dry them, they will have to go out naked.
Today, in addition to teaching new knowledge from the "Three Character Classic", Master Zheng also taught everyone poetry, poems about Qingming Festival.
The poem taught was "Qingming" by Wang Yuzhen of the Song Dynasty, in which the line "Yesterday I begged for new fire from my neighbor, and shared it with me as a reading lamp by the window in the early morning" was emphasized.
I specifically told Sun Shan and the other two that even if we were poor and had a hard life, we should still enjoy reading. Even during holidays, we should not forget to read and should sit down and concentrate on reading.
Sun Shan and his two companions carefully followed the Master's teachings and made sure to never forget to study.
From this poem, Sun Shan saw that the history before the Song Dynasty was the same, but he didn't know in which dynasty the time and space changed and the Daqian Dynasty appeared.
In particular, the appearance of sweet potatoes and peanuts dates back to at least the Ming Dynasty.
Or maybe there is someone like me who travels through time and changes the course of history?
All this can only be checked in the future. Now my main focus is on reading.
After class in the afternoon, when I walked out of the school, Sun Boming was waiting at the door holding an oil-paper umbrella.
After saying goodbye, Sun Shan, De Ge'er and Yang Qingbei followed Sun Bomin.
Sun Bomin asked Sun Shan to hold an oil-paper umbrella and carried him on his back.
Sun Shan couldn't refuse even if he wanted to.
Sun Bomin said seriously, "Shanzi, your father is carrying you on his back. The ground is wet and rotten. Don't get your clothes wet or dirty."
Sun Shan leaned on Sun Bomin's back and said, "Father, I will walk carefully and won't get wet or dirty."
Sun Bomin shook his head and said, "Little kid, how can you not get wet? If you get wet, you will get sick and have to take bitter medicine."
I took a special look at De Ge'er. The third brother's child was a naughty boy. He jumped left and right. Look at his trouser legs, they were covered with mud.
Sun Bomin quickly said, "Brother De, hurry up and don't be naughty. Your clothes are all wet."
De Geer said nonchalantly: "If it gets wet, just dry it over a fire and it will dry quickly."
He glanced at Sun Shan and said seriously, "Uncle, Shanzi must not get wet. He is weak. If he catches a cold, he will have to see a doctor again."
Sun Bomin was very moved by these words. He nodded and said, "De Ge'er is right. Shanzi, you must listen carefully. It is right for your father to carry you on his back."
Sun Boming and De Ge'er sang the same tune, and Sun Shanzi had no choice but to lie on their backs, holding an oil-paper umbrella, and walking on the country road.
In the blink of an eye, it was April and Sun Shan had been in school for two months. He could read more and more characters. Although his handwriting did not have artistic feel, he was able to strictly control the size.
When I got home after school, I saw Huang was very excited and asked curiously, "Grandma, what's the matter?"
Sun Bomin put down the lunch box and the small slate for Sun Shan and asked curiously, "Mother, what's wrong? Is there anything happy?"
Huang picked up a letter from the dining table and said with a smile: "Not long ago, the village chief sent us a letter. It was from Chunlan." The village chief went to the county town to do some work today and went to the escort agency to ask if there were any letters. Coincidentally, Sun Chunlan's letter had just arrived, so he helped take it back to Sunjia Village.
Bomin had said before that Chunlan would send a letter after the New Year, and if anyone is free to go to the county town, please help pick it up, so as to avoid having the escort agency come in to deliver the letter and have to pay them for their labor.
Sun Bomin was also very excited when he heard the letter from his elder sister. He took the letter and opened it. Unfortunately, he was a poor student and could hardly recognize the words in the letter. He then taught it to Sun Shan, but he thought that Sun Shan had only been in school for two months and might not be able to understand it.
He took the letter back and asked, "Mother, what does it say?"
Since it was the village chief who helped convey the message, A Niang would definitely ask the village chief to take a look.
Huang knew the contents of the letter and said happily, "Chunlan said that Jinge passed the Tongsheng exam and officially became a Tongsheng. His results were not bad, and he ranked in the top ten. The teacher said that Jinge has a 8% chance of passing the academy exam in August. Once he passes, our Jinge will be a scholar."
Sun Bomin and Sun Shan were also very happy to hear the news.
Sun Shan exclaimed: "Grandma, my cousin is amazing. He is a student at such a young age. Our teacher is also a student."
Sun Shan wanted to say that he was an old student, but in this era, teachers were respected and were second only to parents, and one could never say bad things behind their backs.
Sun Bomin said with a smile on his face: "Oh, our brother Jin has been very outstanding since he was young, and he really did not disappoint everyone."
Huang clasped her hands together, bowed to the sky, and prayed: "May God bless and let Jing'er pass the college entrance examination."
As long as he became a scholar, it would not matter if he could not pass the imperial examination in the future. The He family's requirements were not high to begin with, and a scholar would also make He's father and mother proud. Of course, it would be better to pass the imperial examination and become a juren or jinshi.
Only if Jinger is well, Chunlan will be well. Only if Chunlan is well, the Sun family will be well.
Sun Bomin asked again: "Mother, what else did the letter say?"
Huang calmed down and said with a smile, "The letter also asked Zhongli to bring Ming Ge'er to Guangzhou Prefecture. There was no letter before, so we will notify them together after Jing Ge'er's student examination, so there is no need to send two letters."
Hearing this reason, Huang understood that Jing'er's exam was important and Chunlan must be nervous. Now that he has passed the exam, she is in the mood to arrange Ming'er's work.
Sun Bomin was happy for his second brother and said with a smile, "Mother, I will go and inform my second brother."
Huang said quickly, "Guyu has already gone to inform them."
Only the eldest granddaughter was at home, so the daughter-in-law Su followed the three granddaughters to pick vegetables in the vegetable garden. It was rainy and cloudy, so it was not easy to go out to work. But they still had to eat vegetables every day, so they had to go out to pick them.
When Sun Shan heard that Ming Ge'er could go to the provincial capital, he was happy for him. More than two months have passed since the Chinese New Year. His second uncle and his family have been very worried. Now that the matter has finally been settled, he believes that he can sleep well tonight.
Sun Shan asked, "Grandma, Brother Ming is going to the capital soon. Is it okay for only Uncle to take him there?"
Going to Guangzhou is neither close nor far, and I don’t know if it is possible for the two of them to travel together?
Huang was also worried about this problem. Her second son had only been to the provincial capital once or twice in all these years. The other times when he sold oranges, it was Bomin and the village chief who asked the escort agency to transport the goods.
I am a little worried about my second son and eldest grandson going together this time.
Sun Bomin also said worriedly: "Mother, why don't I go with you? The work in the fields is not so tight now, and Su Shi at home can handle it. I am a little worried about my second brother taking Ming Ge'er with him."
Huang nodded and said, "Let's see what your second brother says. When he comes, we can discuss it with him."