Chapter 7 of 10
Chapter 7
17 min read4,301 words
Since it was a matter of mutual benefit, Yun Zheng did not object. The old clan leader once again sincerely comforted Yun Zheng and gave his son some instructions before leaving with a large bag of gifts, heading to the village head's place for a banquet, looking quite pleased with himself.
The old clan leader's son was a robust man in his forties. He was indeed very strong, with broad shoulders that seemed capable of carrying a mountain, and a hundred pounds of rice on his back felt as light as a feather. Yun Zheng, carrying the books and writing materials given by the old clan leader, followed behind.
This sudden change left him dazed. In just one day, all his problems were solved. From now on, he could live a happy life as a parasite in the village. As long as he passed the child scholar examination, he would be respected by everyone for the rest of his life.
The old clan leader's surname was Cang, and everyone called him Old Cang. His son's name was Cang Er. In Yun Zheng's memory, Cang Er was a plant with thorns that could stick to people's or animals' fur and travel around.
Cang Er lived up to his name; sticking to people was his nature. Even after carrying the rice, he didn't leave but instead fidgeted with his calloused hands, trying to speak but unable to utter a word.
"Uncle Cang, if you have something to say, just say it. As long as it's something I can do, I'll agree. We're family now, so why are you making it so difficult?"
"Um, um, Little Zheng, your Uncle Cang has been illiterate all his life. Because he can't read, he's been cheated out of a lot of game by those unscrupulous restaurants. This can't go on. You and your brother are the seeds of learning. Study hard. The village won't lack for your food. Could you teach Little Rat to read? I don't expect him to pass the child scholar examination or anything, just that he won't be cheated by those unscrupulous shopkeepers in the future."
Hearing this, not only was Yun Zheng stunned, but Yun Jianqiang, who was lying on the rice bag, was also stunned. For the first time, they felt the importance of knowledge. It was true that without knowledge, one could be bullied.
With a bag of rice at home, Yun Zheng still borrowed a hatchet to go up the mountain to cut firewood. Cutting firewood had now become a way to temper his character. If before it was out of necessity, now Yun Zheng wanted to truly experience life in the Song Dynasty and quickly integrate into this community.
Cutting firewood was still as enjoyable as ever. Yun Zheng's speed had increased significantly today. He changed into the same style of clothing as the other boys, wearing loose pants and a buttoned-up shirt. Apart from his shorter hair and fairer skin, he looked no different from the other children on the mountain path.
In his free time, he played a game with the children using bamboo chopsticks. Apart from counting, there was nothing strange about it. A group of children would crouch on the ground, focusing intently as they used one bamboo chopstick to pick up others without touching the rest. If they succeeded and counted the chopsticks in their hand correctly, they won.
Life is the best teacher. In a short time, these children could count the chopsticks in their hands. So a small handful of bamboo chopsticks became a large one. Yun Zheng was confident that if they played this game a few more times, calculating the money for their firewood wouldn't be a problem.
Today, selling firewood went very smoothly. The job was fair, three coins for a load of firewood, no cheating. Yun Zheng looked at the three coins in his hand, felt a moment of emotion, and then put them in a cloth bag.
By the time he returned home, it was already dusk. Yun Jianqiang and the little yellow dog were nowhere to be seen. Yun Zheng was greatly alarmed, jumping down from the bamboo loft and shouting like a madman. After two shouts, the little yellow dog wagged its tail and appeared at Yun Zheng's feet, and Yun Jianqiang appeared behind the bamboo loft, lying in the arms of a mulberry picker.
Yun Zheng roughly pulled him out of the mulberry picker's arms and shouted, "Where did you run off to? Why don't you listen? What if you got lost?"
Yun Jianqiang saw the tears in Yun Zheng's eyes, reached out with his small hand to wipe them away, and said softly, "I won't run around anymore. I'll wait for you at home."
Still shaken, Yun Zheng was immediately surrounded by the mulberry pickers. He couldn't understand what they were saying, but he knew they were very excited. One of the mulberry pickers even showed him a pattern she had embroidered.
"Did you do this?" Yun Zheng immediately recognized that the simple drawing was not something from the Song Dynasty.
Seeing Yun Jianqiang nod, Yun Zheng didn't bother with the mulberry pickers. A real man doesn't fight with women. He took Yun Jianqiang home to eat, thinking that a few simple drawings shouldn't have driven them all crazy.
Yun Zheng washed the rice and cooked dinner. Today, on the mountain, Cang Wa had caught a bamboo rat. He didn't eat it himself but gave it to Yun Zheng. Yun Zheng found some bamboo shoots and mushrooms to make a fragrant bamboo rat soup.
Yun Jianqiang took out three coins from his small pocket and placed them on the table, saying proudly, "I drew a few small flower patterns for them, and Little Flower Sister gave me three coins to buy candy. Today, I also went with them to wash clothes..."
Hearing that Yun Jianqiang had gone with a group of girls to wash clothes, Yun Zheng's face turned dark, and he slapped the back of his head, saying helplessly, "Can't you have some morals? They don't wear clothes when they wash clothes, and they go to the back of the small mountain. Men don't go there. Didn't you know that?"
"I'm only three years old!" Yun Jianqiang said, and received another hard slap on the back of his head.
"I'm warning you, if you do such indecent things again, I'll beat you into a fool. Then you can go wash clothes with them." A twelve-year-old should know better. A mature mind in a small body, if he continued to bathe and wash clothes with those girls, it would be indecent. This habit had to be corrected.
The rice in the small pot was cooked, and the bamboo rat soup in the earthen pot was ready. Although only salt was added, the two of them ate very happily. After dinner, Yun Zheng read by the fire, having already promised the old clan leader. He couldn't let the old man down for the bag of rice he had given him.
Yun Jianqiang also held a book and read. After a while, he said to Yun Zheng, "Big Brother, do you plan to rely on these things to make a living in this era?"
Yun Zheng smiled bitterly and said, "What else can I do? I'm almost useless here, unable to carry or lift anything. What else can I do besides following the old path of studying? You should learn too. As long as we pass the scholar examination, we can walk through this world with our heads held high."
Yun Jianqiang, not answering the question, suddenly said to Yun Zheng, "Big Brother, I was naughty today, why didn't you hit me? I heard that when children are naughty, parents will grab them and beat them. You were very angry earlier, why didn't you hit me? I really want to know what it feels like to be hit by a parent."
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