Chapter 108 Repeater
With the help of Qiu Biaotou's carriage, Qin Yao and Liu Ji arrived at the county town at noon.
The two sides said goodbye at the city gate, but the convoy did not stop and continued to move towards its destination.
Just thinking about the possibility of encountering the horse bandits entrenched in this area along the way, Qiu Biaotou's solemn expression could not be dispelled.
He was escorting goods from Qishan Prefecture in the west and had to pass through Zijing Prefecture to return to the capital city in the east. He had only gone one-third of the way when a box of goods was lost due to local bandits. He was in a very low mood.
But before leaving, he smiled and gave Qin Yao a gourd, saying that it contained the seeds of a melon called bitter melon.
"The nobles in the capital love this plant the most in the summer. Originally, the seeds were taken away by the imperial farm and ordinary people were not allowed to grow them, so the price has always been high. If ordinary people want to get a piece of it in the summer, they have to prepare ten taels of silver and queue up to get it."
"It is a hot summer day. The princess sympathizes with the common people and specially asks Your Majesty to open the imperial farm and give these rare fruit seeds to the common people."
At this point, Qiu looked towards the east, his solemn expression finally fading a little, "Next summer, ordinary people will also be able to eat this summer melon."
"The princess is so nice."
After separating from the caravan, Liu Ji held the gourd of bitter melon seeds and expressed his gratitude.
Qin Yao guessed that this bitter melon was most likely watermelon.
Watermelon, when was the last time she ate it? It seemed like the end of the world hadn't come yet.
It has been so long that the memory is a little fuzzy, but Qin Yao is very much looking forward to what kind of fruits will be produced after planting the melon seeds next spring.
The wonton stall at the city gate was still there, and business was as good as before. Qin Yao ordered four bowls of wontons, three for her and one for Liu Ji. After filling their stomachs, they saw that the afternoon class at the academy was almost over, so they bought the gift of paying homage to their teacher and headed to the academy.
Qin Yao was here for the first time and was unfamiliar with the place, so she asked Liu Ji to lead the way.
Liu Ji was calm on the way here, but when he arrived at the gate of the academy, he became a little scared.
He looked around, always trying to see if there was anyone older than him.
As a result, only two families of citizens in the city came with their seven or eight-year-old sons to become disciples and enroll in the school.
There is only one official academy in the entire county. It has reached a considerable size and has a dedicated person in charge of admissions.
Qin Yao and his wife followed the two families with children in front of them, entered the side door of the academy, and came to the registration location.
There is a teacher here who is in charge of receiving students.
So things like in the storybooks, where a poor student becomes a disciple of a famous teacher and gets admitted to high school under the guidance of the famous teacher, are simply impossible to exist in reality.
There are only a few teachers in the academy, but there are many students. If you are not an outstanding top student, it is impossible to attract the attention of famous teachers.
Moreover, the main approach here is to raise the children in a free-range manner, relying on one's own understanding. The master will bring them in, and the practice depends on the individual.
Liu Ji said that he had once been a student of this academy, and the teacher in charge of registration stared at him for a long time.
Shake head, don't remember, no impression.
However, seeing that Liu Ji still came to school at this age, I took a closer look at him. He has a good appearance, not bad.
The two children nearby looked up at Liu Ji, not knowing what was so funny about him. After a while, they lowered their heads and covered their mouths to hold back their laughter.
It was not until he was given a slap in the face by his parents that he became obedient and looked straight ahead.
You can't get into the academy just by paying tuition. They will also check your ancestors for three generations.
Students need to prepare these materials themselves. When Qin Yao came, she asked the village chief to issue a certificate, and she passed this inspection smoothly.
After that, the students' character is tested.
The teacher would ask a few questions and see how the students answered and judge based on that.
To pass the first level, you just need to answer the questions according to the correct reference answers.
This was not Liu Ji's first time to enroll. In order to get into the academy, he had memorized the standard answers. The questions this time were exactly the same as before, and he passed the exam smoothly without changing a single word.
The two little boys must have recited it before, but they were still young and were cramming at the last minute, so they recited it haltingly.
Even with the parents' reminders, the child managed to get away with it.
The two children lived in the county town and reported to another place after receiving their admission signs.
Liu Ji wanted to live in the academy, so he had to pay extra for accommodation and food.
The academy has a kitchen, and there is a cook who is responsible for preparing two meals a day for the students.
If you want to eat three meals a day, you have to cook for yourself.
Both accommodation fees and canteen food expenses have increased, fifty cents more each than the standard Qin Yao had inquired about before, which is one tael and one cent of silver per year.
They lived in a large dormitory room with six people. The room was not very spacious, but the lighting was good, so Qin Yao thought it was okay.
He took his admission badge to find the warden in charge of students' food and accommodation. The warden assigned a room to Liu Ji. The room was not full, as there were only four people including him.
At this moment, the students were all in the classroom in the front yard and there was no one in the dormitory. After taking a quick look at the sanitary conditions, Liu Ji frowned.
In the past, he could sleep in a pigsty, but now... It's all because of that shrewish woman Qin Yao. She was too picky and made him so pampered that he can't even smell the slightest bit of foot odor!
Qin Yao was facing away from him, choosing the remaining beds, so she didn't see Liu Ji's angry expression, otherwise she would have been beaten today.
"This is it. It's in the corner, quiet." Qin Yao said as she threw the bedding she brought on the innermost bed.
He even treated Liu Ji as a freshman and taught him: "There are two empty beds in the middle. Before anyone moves in, you can put extra stuff here. It will be an independent space."
"That's weird. There's not even a stove, and the kitchen didn't say they would provide you with hot water. Don't they wash their hair or take a bath? Never mind. I'll buy you a stove and a basin so you can heat water for washing."
Hearing this, Liu Ji suddenly remembered his previous life in the academy.
It seems, that's right, no one takes a bath or washes their hair often! It's okay that the whole room is full of stinky feet, but do we have to smell the stinky smell on their bodies?
They are scholars after all, how can they be so unrefined!
Qin Yao spread out her bedding and walked around the small house. It was a brick house with a kang (a bed that can sleep on) so it wasn't too hot in the summer and not too cold in the winter. She was very satisfied.
He turned around and patted Liu Ji on the shoulder, "Cherish this opportunity, study hard, ask questions when you don't understand in get out of class, discuss homework with seniors who are better than you after class, and combine it with the important notes in your textbook to enhance your understanding."
"By the way, someone wants to borrow a book from you, what will you do?" Qin Yao asked dangerously.
Liu Ji shook his head like a rattle, "No, I won't lend it to you even if you kill me!"
"That's right!" Qin Yao liked everything about him. "This is the exclusive tutoring material we worked so hard to get. There are only a few positions for scholars. If you give it to someone else, it's like creating an opponent for yourself, don't you understand?"
"I understand." Liu Ji said seriously.
Because her hand had touched his neck without her knowing, and she even pinched it a few times.
Damn it, if you want to strangle him to death just say it!
(End of this chapter)