Chronicle of Farming in Muxianfu

Chapter 142 Queen Mother (Scream for Pink!)
Mu Ai said a few more words casually, then changed the subject and said, "My lord, the calligraphy and paintings on this wall are all made by you? I don't know much about calligraphy and painting, but I can tell that they are all It's the best work, I think, the prince will definitely go to Huadu to take the exam three years later. However, when I entered the yard just now, I saw wood chips in the corner of the wall, but I don't know that the prince usually has these things besides reading. Waiting for Yaxing?"

Wang Shusheng's eyes darkened, and he sighed slightly, "To tell you the truth, Xiaosheng lost his father when he was young, and was brought up by his mother. Because of doing needlework for many years to supplement the family income, his eye disease has become more and more serious in the past two years. Xiaosheng feels reluctant to give up. So I learned crude carpentry from the neighbor next door, thinking of earning some money. But I am ashamed to say that Xiaosheng is clumsy, and it took three months to make anything decent, but wasted a lot of wood."

Mu Ai nodded, and asked again, "The prince, did you ever plan to find other ways of making a living?"

Wang Shusheng showed embarrassment on his face, and sighed softly, "I can't lift my shoulders, I can't carry it with my hands, even if I go to be a clerk in a shop, no one will invite me..."

Mu Ai drank another sip of tea, and then said, "Don't hide it from the prince, I am here today, and I have something to ask, I implore the prince to help."

Although Wang Shusheng looked puzzled and didn't know what he could do to help Mu Ai, he still responded with a straight face, "Madam, if you have something to do, just ask. Although Xiaosheng's family is poor, as long as he can help Madam, he will do his best."

Mu Ai smiled and said, "It's not difficult to say, my concubine lives in Lijia Village at the foot of the Shenshan Mountain, fifty miles north of the city. At the beginning, my family suffered a change, and I fell here. I was rescued and cared for by an old man. Later, I got married and recognized her as my grandmother. , Get along well on weekdays. Grandmother has an only grandson, who is five years old and has not yet learned to learn calligraphy, and has a stubborn temper. This time I went to the city, and entrusted my concubine to find a good teacher on her behalf. Nothing else, just ask the child to be sensible and know etiquette. I am willing to donate 20 taels of bundle repair every year, and clothes for all seasons. If I have family members, I am also willing to provide accommodation. I have also sought out several gentlemen, but they were all declined. Now I see that the son is outstanding in learning and good in character. He is really a good teacher There are no two candidates. Therefore, if I take the liberty to propose it, I hope you will think about it."

Wang Shusheng never thought that it would be Professor Mengtong who asked Mu Ai to help him.You must know that being a good teacher of Mengtong is the most favorite thing for poor scholars like them to earn a living. Not to mention being respected, they still have plenty of time to study after school.

Moreover, he has been worrying about money for the past few days. Not to mention that he needs dozens of taels of silver to rush for the exam in a few years, even if the firewood, rice, oil and salt at home have been exhausted, he will soon be in danger of starvation. Otherwise, his mother would not Enduring his eyesight, he embroidered a handkerchief again and sold it.

He had made such a plan before, but firstly, he was still young, and secondly, no one recommended him.Therefore, I have been bored at home and studied hard every day, working hard to prepare for the big exam three years later, and high school in one fell swoop, but in the end I was forced by the livelihood and reluctantly learned some craftsmanship.

Unexpectedly, I received such an invitation today, I was really overjoyed, I raised my head and was about to readily agree, but saw Mu Ai's kind eyes and a gentle expression, and suddenly understood in her heart, this is because she saw her family was poor, but she refused to accept it. Accepting Xie Yin, that's why he proposed a tactful way.

Immediately he hesitated a little, Mu Ai guessed his thoughts, and smiled, "Don't worry, Mr. Wang, I definitely didn't come up with this strategy for repaying a favor. You don’t have to delay your studies for your livelihood anymore. Isn’t it the best of both worlds.”

At this time, Wang Shusheng finally dispelled his doubts, stood up and thanked respectfully, "Thank you Madam for your appreciation, Xiaosheng will definitely teach with all my heart."

Mu Ai nodded and said with a smile, "Prince, you don't have to be polite. After half a month, I will send a chariot to pick up your mother and son to the village." After speaking, she stood up and saluted her farewell. The car leaves.

Wang Shusheng watched the car before turning out of the alley when an old woman in a half-worn blue cloth dress shouted, "Kun'er, why don't you study, what are you doing here?"

Wang Shusheng quickly stepped forward to take the basket from his mother, and said with a happy face, "Mother, my boy was invited to teach Mengtong just now, and my boy will become a teacher."

At the moment, while helping his mother into the house, he told everything.The old lady’s face was half happy and half ashamed. She was happy that her livelihood would be reliable in the future, and her son would no longer have to worry about paper and ink. She was ashamed that her husband died young, and her husband’s family was mean and snobbish, and refused to treat their mother and child kindly. She sewed every day, The money he got was very little, so he let his son learn some cheap jobs to help the family, and now he has to teach Mengtong children to earn exam fees.

"Son, it's hard for you. It's because of your mother's incompetence, so you still have to take care of your livelihood. However, my mother still has to tell me that everything is inferior, only studying is high. Then the master is just like you said. Merchant who runs a lowly business, although you are hired by her to teach Mengtong, you must not show the slightest bit of humbleness on weekdays, and you must not fall into the virtuous name of our Wang family's scholarly family.

The old lady sat down and took a sip of tea, consoling her son earnestly. There was a look of determination in her brows, but more of a strange aloofness.

In this time and space, as in ancient times, no matter how poor scholars, peasants, businessmen, and scholars are, their status is higher than that of farmers, craftsmen, and traders. However, it is too much to call them cheap jobs.

Wang Shusheng frowned slightly, and sighed softly in his heart.

His mother was born in a family of small merchants, and for many years, she has always been proud of being able to marry into the Wang family.

Although Wang's family was poor, it is said that there was a Juren in the ancestors, and these generations have also been studying for a living.Wang Shusheng's grandfather was a scholar, and his father was also very fond of reading. He was a well-known scholarly family in Kao City.

So when Mrs. Wang was young, in front of those sisters who married into rich merchants' families, she never looked at them directly.Later, the scholar's father-in-law passed away, and her husband contracted a serious illness before taking the exam. She brought up her son independently and insisted on providing him with education, hoping that he could inherit the behest of his ancestors and shine in the family.

Although she has been poor and ridiculed for so many years, Mrs. Wang has always refused to lower her profile, and has become more and more despised of other industries.

Wang Shusheng bowed in response to his mother's words, and turned around to show his mother the cloth and snack boxes. The snacks in the two boxes were new ones that he had never seen before.

The old lady nodded in satisfaction, put it aside carefully, and thought about which family she owed, so she walked around with the snack and paid it back.

Flipping through the four pieces of cloth again, the joy on her face became even stronger. The two pieces on top were of high-quality brocade, one was azurite and the other was sapphire blue, which were very suitable for cutting to make two sets of Confucian robes for her son. , It must be very decent to attend a classmate poetry meeting or go to a banquet.The bottom two pieces are plain fine-grain cotton, which is soft to the touch and is also a good material for underwear or socks...

Not mentioning that the old lady looked through the thank you gifts, but only said that Mu Ai and his party returned to Suiyuan, and they still took the children to read and play.On the evening of the second day, Wei's and Xiao's houses sent their children and luggage over one after another.Mu Ai thought for a while, but didn't refuse, and let them play with Simba and the others.

After the careful management of Qiufen and Musan, everything in the store is on track. Therefore, only Qiufen, Roulan, Changle and Yiran are left in the back kitchen, and Musan in the front takes Qingfengmingyue to take care of the business. , Kexin wants to go back to the village to take care of her. After all, there are four more children in the family at once, and three meals a day is a big task.

In the early morning of the next day, just before dawn, the children were dressed lightly by a few maids before they woke up, and carried them into the carriage.

The carriage was covered with thick quilts, and it was not too difficult to walk along the official road. After turning into the small road, it began to bump. The children woke up one after another, and they all moved to their mother's side, with a slightly panicked expression on their faces.

Mu Ai had no choice but to repeat the old story, took out a large piece of paper, and led them to discuss what kind of carriage they should look like when they go out to see the sea for several years, the length and width of the carriage, how to design the interior, and where to put the snack box , where to put the tea set for the tea industry, how to fix the small stove for boiling water on the carriage, and how to save space?

In the process of children's growth, the most important thing is to encourage them to have a feeling of being valued and needed, so that they can find their sense of existence and work hard for it.Sure enough, the children were very happy to see their mother asking their opinions, and they all expressed their thoughts.

Tao'er and Cheng'er were not there that day, and they found it very interesting to hear it at this time, and they discussed it together with great interest.

Dayu and Tao'er were a few years older, and they thought more maturely. They proposed whether it is possible to install something on the wheel. If the horse is frightened again, the people in the car can stop the car just by pulling the thing.

Mu Ai immediately praised the two children loudly, this time it was not to encourage the children, but a sincere compliment, even with some elements of shame in it.

It has to be said that she is an art student, and she is really not very talented in these mechanical things, and she even forgot to install brakes.

Da Yutao'er and Yutao'er were praised by their mother, their little faces were flushed with excitement, and Mu Ai ignored any rules and taboos, and each kissed their foreheads.

They are already ten years old, and they know some taboos about men and women.Especially Tao'er, at home on weekdays, although his grandmother and two mothers doted on him in every possible way, since he was seven years old, they never hugged him again, let alone such an intimate gesture, and his face turned redder , but it was sweet in my heart, and I was even happier than when I was praised by my father before.

Simba and Cheng'er are still young, so they can't see their mother ignoring them, clambering on their mother and clamoring for fair treatment.So Mu Ai also kissed them, Xing'er and Shuan Shuan on the heads, causing Shuan Shuan to protest that she is a big girl now, and my sister can no longer treat her like a child!
(Pink!! Pink!!!)

(End of this chapter)