Chapter 112 He's Ancestral Hall
When he woke up the next day, the village chief and Sun Boming had gone to the store to help, and Guyu was mending clothes. Although the clothes were new, a big hole appeared on Dege'er's butt after he wore them for a day.
After breakfast, He Shuyu came in from outside and said that he would take the three of them shopping today.
Guyu shook her head and said she didn't want to go. Aunt Sun told her to stay at home for the next two days and not go out. She could go shopping after the blind date.
Since Guyu didn't leave, Dege'er and Sun Shan were not interested at all. They quickly put down their bowls and chopsticks and followed He Shuyu.
The shopping area was very small, just in Hejia Village. He Shuyu didn't dare to take Sun Shan and De Ge'er out without permission. If they were kidnapped, the eldest and third uncles would kill them.
Starting from the main street, He Shuyu introduced: This street is the most important street in Hejia Village. There are many two-story buildings on both sides, with restaurants, pubs, and teahouses, which mainly sell food.
People from nearby areas would also come over to shop and buy what they needed.
After strolling along the main street, we came to the side street, where some daily necessities such as firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea were sold.
He Shuyu explained: "These are shops in the front and people live in the back. Some of them are used by the He family for their own business, and some are rented out to people from other villages."
We walked along several small streets and saw a wide variety of things for sale.
Sun Shan saw many head ornaments, combs, etc. used by ladies.
I went in and bought a lot of things and brought them back to my sisters, Huang and Su, as souvenirs.
De Geer also felt guilty and bought a wooden fork and gave it to Zheng. My mother bought some, and my father naturally bought some, and my two brothers also got some gifts. De Geer spent a lot of money to buy some hairbands for Uncle Sun and a slingshot for his two brothers.
Since his family had bought one, his classmate Yang Qingbei also wanted one. Sun Shan bought him a small scholar fan, but De Geer still chose a slingshot. He even asked for one for himself, showing his special liking for it.
As for Master Zheng, Sun Boming would make arrangements for him. When the school holiday was over, he would naturally bring him some special products from the city.
He Shuyu covered her mouth and laughed secretly: "Oh, I didn't expect you two to be so thoughtful. I'm going to bleed a lot today."
De Ge'er rolled his eyes and whispered, "Hey, I received several money bags. Hey, I have money."
This trip to the provincial capital was a great success. The He family and the He Wenshu family both gave me several gold nuggets.
After strolling around the small streets, He Shuyu brought Sun Shan and De Ge'er to the west of He's house, which was a slightly remote residential area.
As soon as you step in, the hustle and bustle of the commercial street disappears.
He Shuyu pointed to a tall tower and said, "This is the Kuixing Tower, where the Wen Kuixing, the "carp leaping over the dragon gate" and "the first to take the lead" are enshrined. Students will come here to pay homage to him during their enlightenment period.
Similarly, before every exam, the children of the He family would come here to worship, and after passing the exam, they would also come here to worship."
He also specifically called Sun Shan and De Ge'er to come over and wash their hands.
Sun Shan asked in confusion: "Second cousin, why are you washing your hands?" Everyone was puzzled as they watched a stream flowing in front of them.
He Shuyu squatted down, scooped up water and washed his hands several times, and said cheerfully: "This is called Smart Stream. After washing your hands, you will become smarter. My eldest brother often comes here to wash his hands."
When De Geer heard that people would become smarter, he immediately squatted down, washed his hands several times in a row, drank a sip, and asked seriously: "Second cousin, I drank it again, did I become smarter?"
Sun Shan and He Shuyu laughed out loud, and finally Sun Shan also washed his hands.
Walk past Kuixing Tower and turn out of the alley, and a large open space will appear in front of you.
A grand, exquisitely built and rigorously laid out ancestral hall stands under the blue sky and white clouds, with a large pond opposite.
Sun Shan took a few glances and saw various kinds of koi in the pond.
De Ge'er was obviously timid and asked in a low voice: "Second cousin, where is this?"
He Shuyu introduced that this is the He family's ancestral hall, which is as large as three courtyards. He Shuhan and He Shusheng took classes in the ancestral hall. This is not only a place for the He family to worship their ancestors, but also the He family school. Generally, the He family's children will be enlightened in the clan school.
He Shuyu also explained that the He clan school does not charge tuition, and will distribute books and pens and ink. Of course, the pens, ink, paper and inkstone will only be distributed once, and you have to buy them yourself after that.
The children of the He family can only study here for 6 years. If they fail to pass the examination to become a student, they will be ordered to drop out.
As for those who passed the examination for Tongsheng, they generally would not stay in the He clan school, but would go to other colleges. However, if their family was really poor and they had nowhere to go, they could stay in the He clan school for another 3 years. If they failed the examination for Xiucai, they would have to find a place to go on their own.
Sun Shan tilted his head and asked innocently, "Second cousin, where do you get the money if you don't need to pay the tuition?"
He Shuyu tapped Sun Shan's forehead and said, "The He family has family farmland and shops. The annual income from these can maintain the operation of the school. In addition, every family will donate to the ancestral hall every year. My grandfather donated 50 taels last year."
Sun Shan understood that the He family was a wealthy family with many rich people. As a member of the He family, he would also donate money to some extent.
He Shuyu pointed at the flagpole stone in front of the ancestral hall and said proudly: "See? Each flagpole represents a person's fame. Our He family has produced many people with great achievements."
Sun Shan counted them carefully and found that there were 6 flagpoles in total, with some juren and jinshi on them, all from the Taiqi period. The He family was really powerful, with so many people passing the imperial examinations in just over 20 years since the establishment of the Xin Dynasty.
He Shuyu also said that there were people who passed the imperial examinations in their previous dynasty, but with the change of dynasties, the old flagpole was taken down.
During today's one-day trip to Hejia Village, Sun Shan was deeply shocked. Through the gate of the ancestral hall, he saw the words "Poetry and Books from Generation to Generation" engraved on the archway behind it, which truly interprets a family of scholars.
The ancestral hall is a restricted place and no one is allowed to enter or leave at will.
Sun Shan and De Ge'er naturally could not visit the He's Ancestral Hall, not to mention the sound of the people reading aloud inside, so they were not allowed to enter.
After passing through the ancestral hall and coming to the lotus pond, De Ge exclaimed in amazement: "Second cousin, there are so many lotus flowers and lotus leaves. There must be lotus roots underneath."
He Shuyu smiled and said, "When the lotus roots are ripe, we will add water and dig them up. Then we will have lotus roots to eat."
Sun Shan saw a small boat parked in the middle of the lotus pond, but he didn't know what it was used for.
After visiting the lotus pond, they finished their tour of Hejia Village. He Shuyu took Sun Shan and De Ge'er through the alleys.
Sun Shan asked, "Second cousin, who owns that house?"
This house is large and majestic, especially the wok-ear houses on both sides of the roof, which are very unique. The wok-ear houses symbolize the two ears of an official hat, which means "to be the best", and only gentry with achievements can use them.
Sure enough, He Shuyu's eyes were filled with envy: "This is the old house of the He family in Beijing. There are many talented people in their family. Brother Shuyun passed the imperial examination a few years ago and is working in the Hanlin Academy. Oh, my grandfather was so envious at that time, and he wished that my eldest brother would pass the imperial examination as well, so that he could be more powerful."
Sun Shan, De Ge'er, and He Shuyu looked at each other, covered their mouths and laughed.
Everyone knows that He's father wanted his grandson to pass the imperial examination. Fortunately, He Shujin passed the examination and became a scholar, which gave him the opportunity to show off.