In the courtyard, Shen Zheng was chatting and laughing with seven or eight people.
Cheng Wanwan asked Wu Huiniang to light a fire and boil water first. She went to the back room to find Cheng Zhao, who was sitting in the main room, pounding rice.
"Zhao'er, there are all your classmates outside, why are you hiding here?" Cheng Wanwan took the mallet in his hand, "They framed you and caused you to be expelled from Nanfu Academy. If it were me, I would also I don’t want to say another word to them. But among the seven or eight people, there are sons of the magistrate of Fenghuang Town and sons of wealthy businessmen. They are all rich and powerful people from all over the country. There is no harm in being friendly with them. "
Cheng Zhao pursed his lips: "Second aunt, you want me to lower my profile and cling to the powerful?"
"Of course not." Cheng Wanwan said earnestly, "If you enter the officialdom one day, you will probably be a seventh-grade person when you first enter the officialdom. Everyone around you is your superior. If you don't like someone, just Do you think you will have a future in the officialdom if you are hiding like this today? As a person, you must be real, but not too real. Learn to hide your true heart and learn to be in harmony with some people you don't like. This is also a big skill. knowledge."
Cheng Zhao stopped what he was doing and nodded thoughtfully.
He stood up and said, "Second aunt, let me go with you to make tea."
Wu Huiniang boiled water and when it boiled, Cheng Wanwan threw some herbs into the pot. They were the herbal tea formula she bought in the mall. Her family would put these in the water these days. Drinking this would prevent heat stroke and internal heat.
Cheng Zhao took out the porcelain bowls he bought from selling ice powder at home, filled seven or eight bowls of herbal tea, placed them on the stove, fanned them with big leaves to cool down, and when they were done, he took them out and sat under the shade of the tree. seven or eight scholars.
"Thank you, Brother Zheng, Brother Shen, and all the classmates for helping with the rice harvesting. Cheng Zhao is grateful." He cupped his hands and said, "I am too busy during the autumn harvest and did not entertain well. I will prepare a bowl of herbal tea. Please forgive me."
Qian Hui didn't like this bowl of herbal tea at all. He didn't forget the purpose of coming here today and said coldly: "When are you going to return to Nanfu Academy?"
Cheng Zhao said: "I have said before that I will not return to the academy for the time being."
"you!"
Qian Hui stood up excitedly.
He followed Zheng Wangfeng to come to Cheng Zhao specifically to apologize. He first went to Chengjia Village, but when he ran out, he went to Dahe Village. He apologized and gave gifts, and even worked here for more than an hour. He did this. At this point, what else does Cheng Zhao want to do, do you want him to kneel down and admit his mistake?
He pointed at Cheng Zhao's nose angrily.
If it were in the past, Cheng Zhao would definitely throw away and leave. He has never been used to these second-generation ancestors.
But now, he pursed his lips, raised his hands and said, "Brother Qian, don't get me wrong. That matter has been revealed to me a long time ago. Even if Nanfu Academy had not expelled me, I probably wouldn't be able to study again. Cheng Zhao My family is poor, so I will stay in the village to teach during this period. I hope I can raise enough money as soon as possible so that I can go to Huzhou with you to take the exam next year."
The anger that Qian Hui had just felt dissipated a little now.
He knew that Cheng Zhao's family was poor, but he didn't expect that he was so poor that he couldn't even afford money to study...
"Everyone, please stop standing and drink tea quickly." Cheng Wanwan walked out with a smile, "Zhao'er has a reserved temperament and is not very good at talking. He may offend you invisibly, so please don't talk to him. This is so stubborn."
Zheng Wangfeng said politely: "Mrs. Zhao, you're welcome, we are all classmates..."
"Oh, I'm not a madam." Cheng Wanwan laughed exaggeratedly, "I'm just an elder at best. You guys should follow Shen Zheng and call me aunt. Aunt is really busy and doesn't have much food at home. Otherwise, I will have to eat today. I’ll leave you all to have a meal at home.”
Zheng Wangfeng took a sip of tea and was slightly surprised: "This herbal tea tastes really good."
Qian Hui didn't like it at first, but he took a look and saw that the porcelain bowl for holding herbal tea was very beautiful. When he touched it, he knew that it was top quality, not much worse than the bowls and plates commonly used at home.
There were red petals on the bottom of the white porcelain bowl, and it contained brown herbal tea. It was not as dirty or fussy as he imagined.
He took a sip and nodded: "It tastes pretty good."
Cheng Wanwan said with a smile: "I just pulled some herbs from the mountain and boiled them together in water. All the children at home like to drink them."
At this time, someone among the scholars recognized him: "The person selling ice powder at the entrance of Nanfu Academy is the aunt, right?"
Cheng Wanwan nodded: "Yes, that's me. What do you think of the taste of ice powder?"
Zheng Wangfeng smiled politely and said: "Drinking a bowl of ice powder on a midsummer day is very refreshing, but why has it been stopped selling these days?"
"I'm busy at home, isn't it? When I finish my work now, I will research some new food, and everyone will have to support me."
"Don't worry, Auntie, I'll be the first to support you."
"If the ice powder is so delicious, other food must be delicious as well."
"We're just waiting for Auntie to come to the academy to sell new food!"
Cheng Wanwan chatted happily with several scholars.
Cheng Zhao beside him couldn't believe that his second aunt could actually get along with these second-generation ancestors. He suffered a lot at the hands of these people. He would rather hide away than go up to talk to them. He always felt that these People are incomprehensible.
But now, these classmates who were talking to the second aunt seemed to have changed into something else.
Cheng Zhao was always watching silently from the side.
After chatting for about a stick of incense, Zheng Wangfeng finally said goodbye, and a large group of people left in a grand manner.
Cheng Wanwan let out a long sigh of relief. In the past, she didn't have so much scruples when discussing business with customers. In a class society, socializing with upper-class people is really tiring. If she says something wrong, she will be in trouble again. They were all in trouble, but fortunately these people were all seventeen or eighteen-year-old kids with relatively simple minds. They chatted casually and the time passed.
She glanced at Cheng Zhao. The child was standing in the shade of the tree, silently not knowing what he was thinking.
She turned around and walked into the kitchen. When she was making tea, she boiled an egg, took it out of the pot, ran it through cold water, then took it out and handed it to Shen Zheng: "You have exceeded the task today, and I will reward you with an egg." egg."
Shen Zheng's face was full of disbelief. He wiped his hands on his body before he dared to take the egg: "Is it really for me?"
Cheng Wanwan laughed: "When you make the stone roll, I will reward you with a big chicken drumstick."
She picked up the pole on the ground and said, "When you have finished your work, take a good rest. I will go work in the fields first."
She put on her straw hat and continued working in the fields.
Shen Zheng held the egg and smiled stupidly.
Ah Fu covered his face. If I remember correctly, what the young master hates most is eggs. In the past, when he saw eggs on the dinner table, he would throw them to him.
He wished that the young master could throw the eggs to him like before.
Ah Fu swallowed his saliva in dismay.
But Shen Zheng put the egg into his chest as if he were looking at a treasure.
From childhood to adulthood, no one ever praised him, whether at home or in school. Everyone said that he was naughty and unfit for big responsibilities. Although his grandmother loved him, she would not praise him for his intelligence.
This was the first time that someone praised him for being smart and rewarded him with an egg.
The egg is his prize, and he wants to keep it for his father.
"Cousin Cheng, are you there?"
A girl's voice suddenly came from the door of the courtyard.
Shen Zheng looked up and saw a girl standing at the door of the courtyard. The girl was wearing a water-red dress with peonies embroidered on it. She looked very beautiful with spring-like features. This girl was the cleanest and prettiest he had ever seen in Dahe Village. Girl.
But the girl stared at Cheng Zhao.
Isn't this Cheng Zhao's future wife...
