Red Mansion Reader

Chapter 1 You Can't Herd Cows

In March of Shiwei, the wind blows from the southeast, and the misty rain south of the Yangtze River, which is a good time to enter the painting.

It is said that the spring breeze and the south bank of the river are green, but it is always difficult for people to decide where the first touch of greenery appears.It’s just that when you look back, the colorful flowers are on the top of the tree, and the change of seasons happens quietly like this.

Pedestrians in Yangzhou City are often judged by young masters and young ladies playing along the street.When the girl puts on the green and fresh Qiluo, and the scholars pushing cups and changing glasses are talking loudly in the restaurant, the restless spring must have arrived.

The girl's laughter was drunk in the spring breeze, and she led the long-awaited kite out of the restaurant like a lead.Scholars stand on tiptoe and look at the girls passing by on the street. If their companions ask what they are looking at, they will say: The distant mountains are like Daisy, if you don’t drink, you will get drunk.

The sound of a song is slow, and the kite misses both ends.The theater troupe on the street corner stepped up to rehearse "North West Chamber", and those newly developed salt merchants didn't order a few times, so how could they say that their doorposts smelled of books.

It's a pity that the hustle and bustle in Yangzhou City has nothing to do with Shanxi Village a hundred miles away.If the spring breeze in Yangzhou City carries a dark fragrance, it’s still too much to talk about, but the spring breeze in Shanxi Village is filled with mud and cow dung, which is really nice.

"Niuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu" The young Chen Ergou sighed deeply, his face full of grief and indignation.Holding the Qingniu's lunch in front of him in his hanging hands, looking at the teeth marks on the grass, it was obvious that the big Qingniu was not satisfied with Chen Ergou's offering, he turned his head after taking a few mouthfuls, and took a dip by the way.

It stinks.Chen Ergou had a bitter face, thinking that in his previous life, he was also a college student studying hard in a poor window. When he encountered time travel, he became a cowherd boy and was still unemployed. What is it called?

Adding up his two lifetimes, his surname is not Xu.

Facing the joke that fate made on him, five-year-old Chen Ergou could only roll up his sleeves and clean up the cow dung from the cowshed.Now that spring plowing is just around the corner, the whole family of seven or eight members are counting on this cow to work.

Rare things are precious, it is now more valuable than gold, so wait for it.

After working hard, Chen Ergou didn't move around, so he moved a wooden stool and sat next to Qingniu.He had to develop a relationship with Daqingniu now. After all, his grandfather said that he would teach him to herd cattle in two years.

This job, our old Chen family passed on sons but not daughters, after all, girls can't do it.Grandpa Chen Caishan said so.

But Chen Ergou really couldn't be happy. In his previous life, his family members said: If you don't study hard, you will go back to your hometown to farm.He can still be confident.If he really wanted him to go in this life, Chen Ergou started to panic instead.

I didn't feel it when I was in [-], but now I see the elders farming in the wind and sun, and I really feel the hard work of farming.More importantly, farming is really not profitable now.Different from ordinary time-traveling Duoshe, Chen Ergou was born in a womb, and his parents are very affectionate, and he is the only son under his knees, and they dote on him even more.

The family has been together day and night for five years, and they have feelings for raising a dog, let alone Chen Ergou.Naturally, he hoped that the two elders could live a good life in the future, after all, he traveled in a hurry in the previous life, and he didn't have time to honor his parents in the previous life.

Some regrets, once is enough.Chen Ergou sighed, sitting on the wooden bench with a small body, resting his chin on his left hand, showing deep thought.Before he could think about it, there was a sound of footsteps at the door of his house.

"Ergou, Ergou, come out and play."

"I've said it all, call me Chen Heng." Chen Ergou showed annoyed expression, why can't this group of brats be taught.

"Ergou sounds so good, I don't think so." One of the three children said this, Chen Ergou took a look, and even felt a little sympathetic to him.

This unlucky boy is called Chen Qisuo, and Chen is the common surname of Shanxi Village.His father loves playing horse-hanging, so he chose this name for some reason, probably because when Qisuo was born, his father just lacked this card in his hand.

At first glance, this name is just a bit confusing, and it is easy to pronounce.But in the dialect of Shanxi Village, the pronunciation of Qisuo is very similar to the pronunciation of toilet.

So, everyone understands.

Compared with his nickname, Chen Heng felt that Ergou's nickname was much more elegant.

"Ergou can't go away, there is a lot of excitement in the village today."

What's the excitement in this small broken village? Chen Heng was about to wave his hand when he heard them say again.

"I heard that Mrs. Wang from the county has returned to the village."

"Chen Heng, he still chose your name."

"So is my name."

Chen Qisuo didn't want to talk, he just wanted to cry.

"My father said that Mr. Wang is a good reader, and he is the only scholar in our village. The car he took back to the village today was driven by my father."

I said, why are you so well-informed, kid?The more Chen Heng listened, the brighter his eyes became. He stood up from the wooden bench and ran towards the frolicking children outside the door.

…………

In the evening, Chen Heng had dinner with his family, and the topic of the family inevitably fell on the master who returned to the village.

When Chen Heng arrived at the village during the day, there were too many adults around, let alone take a look at Mrs. Wang, even the candies that Mrs. Wang gave to the children in the village, he still snatched them up and handed them to him.

Chen Heng couldn't help but pay more attention to the family's conversation at this time.

The one who started the conversation was his grandfather Chen Yushan. According to his own words, he and Wang Xianming grew up together. Unfortunately, his family was poor at that time, and his grandfather did not allow him to go to school.He also told his two sons that now that Wang Xianming is old, he should go to his house to help when he has nothing to do.

Chen Qi is Chen Heng's father, and his name was also given by Master Wang.He is an honest man and the eldest son in the family. He has been farming with Chen Yushan since early in his life, and he is not very good at answering questions, so he only nods in agreement.

Instead, it was Chen Huaijin, Chen Heng's second uncle, bickering at the table.

"Father, how did I hear that Mr. Wang came back this time because someone drove him back from the county?"

"What nonsense are you talking about?!" Chen Gaishan showed a trace of displeasure, he was a little in awe of scholars in his bones, not to mention that this person was his own child.

"Really." Chen Huaijin shook his head, "Didn't I just go to the county a while ago? I heard that a new scholar came to the county, and he stopped all the children from the county to his school. Master Wang is just a boy, so how can he surpass him in terms of knowledge and ability?"

Chen Yushan's face was a little ugly. If it wasn't for Chen Heng and his grandchildren who were standing by, he might have to teach this talkative son a lesson on the spot.

"I asked you to go to the county to find a living, so how did you know it's useless to inquire about it?"

"It's because I didn't find it." Chen Huaijin was also a bastard, and couldn't see his father's embarrassment or anger at all.

"I haven't been in shape all day, and I will go to work in the field with me tomorrow."

Chen Huaijin immediately showed a bitter expression, which provoked a few juniors to snicker.

"Okay, okay. Eat first, eat first. Ergou and the others are here." The one who came out to smooth things over was Grandma Zhou. Compared with the taciturn elder son, she still loves the eloquent younger son more.

After the family had dinner, Chen Heng was carried back to the room by his mother, Mrs. Gu.He was five years old, and it was time for him to sleep in a separate bed with his parents.But because he didn't sleep well, Mrs. Gu asked Chen Qi to make a wooden bed in his house so that he could take care of Chen Heng at night.

Chen Heng also has an older sister named Chen Qing, who is already eight years old and shares a room with the second uncle's daughter.I have to wait until I wake up tomorrow to see her, so I don't care about it here.

Mrs. Gu was comforting Chen Heng who was lying on the small bed, when Chen Qi, who had just finished washing outside, opened the door and came in.As soon as he entered the room, he said, "I won't eat at home tomorrow at noon."

"What did Dad tell you?"

"Let me go to Mrs. Wang's house to see if you want to build some furniture for him." Chen Qi sat down by the bed, under the dim light, looked at his son's flickering eyes, and threatened with a smile: "If Heng'er doesn't sleep, the wolves in the mountains will take you away."

What about scaring children?Chen Heng silently rolled his eyes.

"Then I'll do it well, and I'll let my aunt give it to you..." Mrs. Gu ignored Chen Qi's nonsense, just thinking about tomorrow's arrangements.

But before she finished speaking, Chen Heng raised his hand and interjected: "Mom, why do you bother my sister for such a trivial matter, let me deliver it to dad. Isn't my sister going to make a network with you?"

"It's okay to let you go, you are not allowed to make trouble when you go to the master's house." Gu didn't think about it, but just urged.

Chen Heng nodded slightly like a little adult, and said seriously: "Mother, don't worry, I will definitely not cause trouble."

Chen Qixu looked at his son's amused appearance, and jokingly said: "Heng'er's temperament is like mine, he is calm, when you grow up, dad will teach you skills, okay?"

Chen Qi's carpentry skills are also well-known in Shanxi Village. Besides farming, he can also earn some money for his family.

"Look, you can get it." Gu said with a broken mouth, "If you want to teach, it depends on whether Heng'er wants to learn. What if he likes farming and herding cattle?"

Mom, can I not like it?Concealing a small protest in his heart, Chen Heng lay back on the wooden bed under Gu's pull.

Maybe it's really a mother-son bond, Gu's ghost sent a sentence: "What if Heng'er will go to school like Master Wang in the future? When the time comes, he will pass the exam and become that kind of student."

Chen Qi laughed loudly: "I'm afraid you don't know, our old Chen family's ancestors have never had a scholar in eight generations. Let alone whether Heng'er can pass the exam, whether he likes to read is a problem. If he really wants to pass the Tongsheng exam later, it will not be smoke from the ancestral grave. Grandpa will have to jump out of the soil."

Dad, you wait for me.Chen Heng clenched his fists under the quilt.

"Why are you still making fun of the elders?" Gu patted his friend, covered Chen Heng with a small quilt, and persuaded the child: "Hurry up, sleep quickly, and let you go out to play with Qisuo and the others tomorrow morning."

(End of this chapter)