The days of recuperation are very boring.
In ancient times when there were no specific medicines, runny nose, stuffy nose and sneezing had been with Hua Qingxue for a long time.
Fu Tingye kept in mind what Lu Zhengqing said, delivered various supplements every day, and watched Hua Qingxue eat them in person.
Since it is a tonic, it is certainly not a delicacy, and the taste is usually not very wonderful, but even so, it is much better than the traditional Chinese medicine prescribed by Lu Zhengqing.
Fu Tingye also came up with a way to keep fit, which was to walk twice along the outer wall of the courtyard every morning and evening.
This courtyard is very...very big, and walking around the wall twice was a bit tiring.
Fu Tingye said: "When you get used to it, you can increase the number of laps later."
Hua Qingxue: "..." You know how to proceed step by step.
Fu Tingye said solemnly: "If you go faster, it will be too slow and it won't be effective for exercise." After saying that, the person has already moved forward.
Hua Qingxue gritted her teeth and forced herself to follow.
Fu Tingye's speed was not fast, but his steps were long. One step was as long as Hua Qingxue's two or three steps. Hua Qingxue followed him for a while and was out of breath from exhaustion.
However, the effect is also significant.
After the lap walk, Hua Qingxue had a particularly good appetite for lunch that day.
She usually eats very little. I wonder if it's because she took too much Chinese medicine and supplements. She always feels like her mouth is tasteless. But today she ate two bowls of rice and took a rare one-hour nap after the meal.
After Hua Qingxue woke up, she thought to herself that she didn't know if she could keep fit, but it was definitely possible to gain weight.
At dusk, taking advantage of the lingering autumn warmth, she continued walking around the wall.
Fu Tingye was busy with official duties and was not in the other courtyard. Huan'er and Xi'er were with her this time.
Xi'er is still young, chattering, jumping and very lively along the way.
In fact, Hua Qingxue doesn't like too much noise, but this courtyard is too big and too quiet. Xi'er's liveliness just adds a bit of life to the place.
When she walked to a place, she heard the sound of a child reading aloud, and Hua Qingxue was slightly startled.
Huan'er said: "Mr. Meng just came out of prison a few days ago. I know that you allowed him to continue teaching here, and I want to come and thank you in person. However, you are ill these days, and the general does not allow outsiders to disturb you."
Hua Qingxue was still confused, "Which Mr. Meng?"
Just as he finished speaking, he suddenly remembered that such a thing was indeed the case.
There was a scholar surnamed Meng who privately built a place here to live, and also accepted many children from poor families as students. Later, he was imprisoned for the crime of occupying a private house...
But there were still children who came to see Scholar Meng from time to time. Hua Qingxue felt that the children were innocent, and she couldn't live in such a big place anyway, so she simply gave up the area outside, added tables, chairs, a straw shed, and added A sandy area where children can practice writing and have fun even without a teacher.
Hua Qingxue listened to the sound of reading outside and suddenly realized, "He's back to teach again..."
Huan'er replied with a smile: "The general said that Mr. Meng has no merit and he is not allowed to teach. However, these children are used to being here. Mr. Meng will come to see them occasionally."
Hua Qingxue smiled and shook her head, "The general is just old-fashioned." Teaching a child to read doesn't necessarily require fame
There is such a law in Daqi, probably to prevent some people without real materials from making money privately and misleading others. After all, not everyone will be as selfless as Meng Shusheng.
"Let's go take a look." Hua Qingxue said.
She stayed at home to recuperate every day and was not allowed to do anything. She was extremely bored.
…
The children outside the courtyard wall are very close to Hua Qingxue because Hua Qingxue once taught them to play with kaleidoscopes and bubble water.
They are also very close to Huan'er and Xi'er, because these two maids often give them candies and snacks for such a simple reason.
As soon as Hua Qingxue came over, the children gathered around happily and chattered.
"Madam, have you recovered from your illness? Sister Huan'er and Sister Xi'er said that you can't go out recently."
"Madam! I can already write a lot of words! I just wrote it on the sand for my husband to see, and he praised me!"
"The teacher asked us to review previous poems. We already know this poem by heart, why don't you teach us new ones?"
"Madam, madam!..."
Huan'er stopped them, "Okay, okay, my wife is not cured yet, so don't disturb her..."
Hua Qingxue saw Meng Shusheng standing not far away.
He came closer with some restraint and bowed to her from a distance of seven or eight steps, "My dear, Meng Zhize, I have met Madam Si Bing. I offended you a lot last time. I hope Madam will forgive you..."
Hua Qingxue looked him up and down curiously and asked, "Where do you live now?"
The guards had already demolished the wooden house he built against the courtyard wall.
Meng Zhize looked slightly embarrassed and replied: "I will temporarily stay in the bookstore and copy some books for the bookstore to make a living."
"That's good." Hua Qingxue felt relieved and nodded, "It's considered a serious errand. Try your best to get a merit degree next year. These children can't live without you."
Meng Zhize blushed and said yes.
His qualifications are not very good, and can even be considered mediocre. He failed the scientific examination twice in a row, but it is amazing that he has always been passionate about reading and teaching, and he can be regarded as a wonderful person.
While the two were talking, there was a sudden commotion on the child's side.
Hua Qingxue looked up and saw a seven or eight-year-old little girl standing on the street corner in front of her, looking at her with envy. Her body looks thin and frail, but she is carrying a large bundle of firewood, which bends her waist very much.
"Broomstick! Go away! Go away!"
The children yelled at the girl, and some even picked up mud from the ground and threw it at her.
The little girl's black and white eyes flashed with panic, she turned around and ran away quickly! Because the firewood on her back was too heavy, she staggered several steps and almost fell.
Hua Qingxue stopped the child who was picking up mud and throwing it at others, "Hey! How can you throw things at people? Stop it."
The child said loudly: "Madam, she is the broom star! We must scare her away, otherwise we will all be in bad luck!"
Another child chimed in: "Madam is Sirius, so she's not afraid of that broom star. Didn't she scare her away as soon as she saw Madam?"
A group of children all showed expressions of enlightenment and agreed: "Yes, Madam is not a mortal, there is no need to be afraid of the broom star."
Hua Qingxue didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She was obviously scared away by you, okay
"Listen up, there are no bad actors in this world, and you won't be in bad luck just because you meet her." Hua Qingxue said to them patiently, "Next time she comes over, you should be friends with her and invite her She plays here together.”
The children looked at each other, you looked at me, I looked at you, but they didn't say anything.
Hua Qingxue didn't know why and asked, "What's wrong?"
Meng Zhize explained aloud: "Madam, I don't know. The girl just now is a child of the Wuniu Mountain Tong family."
Hua Qingxue looked at him blankly, "The Tong family... what happened?"
The children around me immediately went crazy and came up to talk non-stop!
"The Tong family has done bad things and will be punished by God!"
"Everyone saw that Tong Shanlin was struck to death by lightning!"
"Yes, yes, I heard it was burned directly to a pile of ashes!"
"Everyone in the Tong family is a scoundrel. They have done bad things and will be punished by God. My parents said that I can't interact with people in the Tong family. Otherwise, what if God strikes the wrong person with lightning?"
"Yes! Stay away from the Tong family!"
Hua Qingxue was stunned, "Thunder and lightning are natural phenomena, how can it be said to be a punishment from God..."
However, these children said categorically: "Absolutely! My father saw it with his own eyes. The lightning was so powerful! He was chasing Tong Shanlin! Tong Shanlin tried his best to escape, but he couldn't escape. God wanted to take him away, how could he run away? Get over it."
Hua Qingxue turned her face and looked at Meng Zhize. Aren't all scholars particular about their silence, their strange strength, and their confusion of spirit? If Meng Zhize came to speak, these children might be more convinced.
But Meng Zhize did not refute.
When he received Hua Qingxue's gaze, he just nodded and said, "It is indeed the case. There were many people who saw it at that time. The scene was so terrifying that it made people panic for a long time."
As for statements such as doing evil things and being punished by God, these are rumors released by the government. Firstly, they can appease the people, and secondly, they can also serve as a warning.
Meng Zhize said to the children: "It's getting late. Let's go home quickly, otherwise we will have to travel at night."
The children listened to his words and left immediately.
Hua Qingxue watched these small figures running away in groups, and couldn't help but think of the little girl just now, carrying firewood on her back, alone, and full of panic when she ran away...
Hua Qingxue could never forget that look.
Most people in the world are ignorant and are accustomed to spreading lies. If everyone in the village thinks that the Tong family is being punished by God because they have done evil things, the Tong family will definitely have a difficult life.
After returning home, Hua Qingxue chatted with Huan'er about this matter, and Huan'er also knew a little bit about it and said: "After Tong Shanlin died, he left behind a wife and a pair of children. People in the village avoided them, and her parents' family also thought it was bad luck. Unwilling to help, Tong Shanlin's son couldn't bear the ostracism and ran away from home. His whereabouts are still unknown. Everyone says he probably died outside."
In other words, only Tong Shanlin's wife and daughter are left in the Tong family.
Without the support of relatives and friends, it is difficult for Hua Qingxue to imagine how they would live as a woman raising a child.
"It's obviously a natural phenomenon, how can you describe a person who died accidentally as having done something evil and received retribution..." Hua Qingxue frowned and murmured to herself.
Huan'er asked puzzledly: "But everyone says that lightning does not strike others, but only chases people in Tongshan Forest. Madam, is there really lightning that can chase people in this world?"
"It's not about chasing people." Hua Qingxue sighed and said, "Sometimes some special geographical environments and weather conditions can form ball lightning. This kind of lightning is very sensitive to changes in air flow. Once a person starts running, It moves the air around it, and the lightning naturally moves in that direction, so it looks like it's chasing someone."
Huan'er seemed to understand. She didn't quite understand what airflow was, but after hearing Hua Qingxue's explanation, she felt it wasn't so scary anymore.
Huan'er suddenly said: "It turns out it's really not a divine punishment."
Hua Qingxue stared blankly at the sky outside the window and sighed: "If everyone knew that this was not a divine punishment... If everyone knew that this was just a natural phenomenon, maybe there wouldn't be those poor people... "