After the whole family was swept away, I lay down flat

Chapter 625 Weird

Jin Jiashu felt that Haijiao was acting a little strange recently.

It was clearly approaching the end-of-year exam for the Wei School. Other Wei School students spent a lot of time every day practicing riding and archery and reciting military laws and tactics in preparation for the exams, but Haijiao still had the leisure to care about his studies. He would come to his house from time to time to review his lessons with him and discuss the homework assigned by Mr. Xie Wenzai.

Even though Jin Jiashu knew that Hai Jiao's studies at the Medical University had always been going well and that he would pass the final exam at the end of the year, he couldn't help but worry about him. He advised him privately: "Brother Hai, right now it's more important to consolidate your lessons at the Medical University. My lessons here are not urgent and I can handle them. It doesn't matter if you don't come. If there is anything I don't understand, I will ask the teacher and also discuss it with Brother Wu."

Hai Jiao rolled his eyes at him and said frankly, "I'm not worried that you can't handle your homework, but I want to learn with you. I've recently picked up the history textbooks again and plan to study them carefully. If I encounter something I don't understand, I will definitely ask someone. I'm afraid that if I ask my cousin too much, he will get suspicious, so I'd better ask you first. There's no need to alarm the elders for some simple principles. When I encounter a really difficult problem, I can go find an expert to ask for advice."

Jin Jiashu was confused. "Why? Don't you need to prepare for the end-of-year exam? Besides, you are interested in books and knowledge. The teacher is so happy that he can't wait to be suspicious. What can he be suspicious of?"

Haijiao coughed and turned away with a guilty look: "My cousin has to teach you and Wu Ke, and he also serves as the military advisor for the Duke of Zhenguo. He is busy enough on weekdays. How can I disturb him casually when I have nothing to do? Even if I want to ask him for advice, I should try my best to think about it, discuss it with friends, and ask other elders. If I really can't figure it out, then go to him. Otherwise, I will go to him to ask questions all the time. He will be busy enough dealing with me all day, so how can he take care of you? As for the end-of-year exam, I am sure I will pass it smoothly, you don't have to worry."

"Oh..." Jin Jiashu felt that his words were a little strange, but they sounded reasonable. Even if there was something far-fetched, there was no need to ask further questions, so he changed the subject. "Why are you suddenly interested in classics and history textbooks? I heard your teacher complain that you were always unwilling to study hard when you were a child. He thought you would rather join the army, so he didn't insist on letting you take the imperial examination. Are you...changing your mind now?"

"It's not that I've changed my mind." Haijiao hesitated. "Even if I want to join the army as a general, I can still learn more. It's always a good thing to be both civil and military. I have nothing to do anyway, so I might as well learn more while I'm still young..."

Jin Jiashu couldn't help but sigh. Only a young man like Haijiao, who was excellent in both literature and martial arts, would dare to say that he was free before the year-end exam and could spare time to pay attention to classics and history books. Is it because Haijiao never worried about not doing well in the year-end exam that he could be so calm?
Jin Jiashu lowered his voice and said, "Brother Hai, I know you are smart and a quick learner, but the year-end exam is different from the usual small exams. Even if you are not worried about not passing, you should practice as much as possible and strive to do better in the exam. If you can get "excellent" grades in the military for three consecutive years, it will be easier to get a better position in the army in the future. Aren't you thinking about getting promoted as high as possible in the army in the future? Why don't you seize this opportunity? I know you can get "excellent"!"

Hai Jiao smiled when he heard that. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Even if I spend more time on these liberal arts courses, it won't prevent me from getting an "excellent" grade in the health science exam. I've made an appointment with my classmates to compete with each other in the year-end exam. Whoever gets the best score will treat the others who are not as good as him. We will treat them at the boiled mutton restaurant behind the City God Temple. Even if it's just for a delicious mutton dinner, I can't give up my position! A meal there costs almost five taels of silver!"

Jin Jiashu also knew that restaurant. Ma Shangyi once asked the waiter to send a table of food to his home for him to try. The mutton was delicious and not cheap. If you were not a wealthy family, you would not dare to invite guests there easily. Although the Hai family was not short of money, they did not live a luxurious life on weekdays and rarely ordered such expensive meals. Jin Jiashu believed what Haijiao said. But if Haijiao really took the end-of-year exam seriously, then what about his recent actions?
Jin Jiashu hesitated for a moment, but decided to take care of his own business and answer the questions in his mind: "Since you value the end-of-year exam, why do you pick up old books and study classics at this time? In fact, if you are really interested in these studies, it is the same to wait until the exam is over. It doesn't matter if you wait for a month or so. After the Weixue exam is over and you have a holiday, you can read books at home and ask your elders for help if you encounter any parts you don't understand. There is really no need to rush. Besides... you also hired errand boys on the street. I don't know what they are following. How can you really concentrate on preparing for the exam when you are so distracted?"

Haijiao was stunned: "How do you know I hired errand boys? Did they tell you?" Impossible? Those errand boys are always tight-lipped. Even if they have dealt with Jin Jiashu a lot in the first half of this year, there is no reason for them to betray him, an old customer, right?

Jin Jiashu reassured him: "When Zhou Xiaojian returned home, he saw that several of his neighbors' friends had errands to do, so he asked out of curiosity. He only knew that you hired his old friends to work from morning to night every day, and only went home when it was almost dark. But those young men were only willing to say so much, and were determined not to reveal what you asked them to do. They definitely did not violate your taboos. I didn't want to meddle in other people's business, but after listening to what you said just now, I didn't quite understand..."

As he spoke, his face turned slightly red, and he felt guilty. He shouldn't have asked these questions...

Haijiao suddenly realized. The errand boy he hired didn't let the secret slip, but their home was not far from Zhou Xiaojian's, and they knew each other since childhood. Even if they didn't say anything, Zhou Xiaojian would inevitably see some clues.

Well, Jin Jiashu was not an outsider anyway, so he simply told the truth: "I asked them to keep an eye on the eldest son of Tu Tongzhi, the governor of Shaanxi. After coming to Chang'an, the boy behaved well for a while, but recently he often goes out for a stroll, and has come to our neighborhood several times. I saw him peeking out from the alley the other day. I'm not sure what he wants to do, and I'm afraid he has bad intentions, so I hired someone to keep an eye on him."

Jin Jiashu was surprised: "The eldest son of Tu Tongzhi?! What is he doing in our alley?"

Hai Jiao hesitated for a moment: "I'm afraid he heard something from others and came to spy on my little sister. Although Ma Shangyi may have good intentions, he sounds unreliable and acts frivolously. I really can't stand him. It's better to have someone keep an eye on him. If he wants to do something bad, I can get the news in time and stop him."

When he first spotted Tu Jinbao outside his house, he thought he had recognized the wrong person, and felt that there was no reason for him to come near the Hai family. But Tu Jinbao was accompanied by Tu Rong's personal guards. Hai Jiao had often found opportunities to contact Tu Rong's men in the past few days, so how could he not recognize him? As soon as he saw the personal guard and confirmed that the boy next to him was Tu Jinbao, his heart skipped a beat and he felt something was wrong.

This guy was not a good person in his previous life. Could it be that he heard Ma Shangyi say that the Hai family rejected the marriage proposal, and he was too embarrassed to go through with it, so he came to find trouble with me? !
(End of this chapter)