There was a fierce cold wind in the early morning and the snow had not yet melted. The people in Xiahe Village were all curled up in their warm beds, some sleeping in, some playing interesting games with their spouses. In short, the whole village was silent.
The door of a room in Zhu Ping'an's house was gently pushed open, and Zhu Ping'an, dressed in thick clothes and wearing an out-of-place rabbit-skin hat, walked out of the room with a schoolbag slung over his shoulder and a black wooden board in his hand that had been with him for several years.
It was still early at this time, with only a slight light appearing in the east. It was quiet everywhere except for the sound of the whistling cold wind. However, with the help of the accumulated snow, the visibility in the yard was still quite high.
Zhu Ping'an moved his body slightly, then habitually walked to a boulder that was specially moved from the yard, laid the black board flat on the boulder, poured some hot water into the groove of the boulder, took out a simple brush, and practiced calligraphy with his wrist suspended. This has been a habit that Zhu Ping'an has maintained for several years. The ancient imperial examinations had very high requirements for handwriting, and calligraphy is something that cannot be cheated. The more you practice, the better you write, and the less you practice, the worse you are. Therefore, Zhu Ping'an has always insisted on getting up in the morning to practice calligraphy, practicing in the coldest days of winter and the hottest days of summer, without interruption.
In fact, after a few years, Zhu Ping'an's family has become one of the wealthy families in Xiahe Village. However, Zhu Ping'an still maintains his habit of hard work and simplicity.
Zhu Ping'an has only two brushes so far. One was given to him by his elementary school teacher, Mr. Sun, and he uses this brush for copying books and writing. The other brush is the one Zhu Ping'an is using now, which was made by his father. He uses this brush for practicing calligraphy in the early morning. Over the years, the brush head has been replaced several times. Each time, it was made by Zhu's father from cow hair, but the pen holder is still the same, and it has been polished by Zhu Ping'an to a glossy finish.
"Why are you up so early again, my dear? It's so cold, go back to sleep."
After Zhu Ping'an had been practicing calligraphy for about half an hour, his mother Chen got up, opened the door, and as expected, saw her youngest son writing and drawing on the black wooden board outside.
It was chilly outside and Chen felt the biting cold as soon as she opened the door. Then, looking at her youngest son practicing calligraphy with bare hands, she couldn't help but feel distressed and persuaded her youngest son to go back to his room to warm up and get some sleep.
"No need, mother. I am young and have a bad temper." Zhu Ping'an put down the last stroke of the word he was writing, stopped and replied to his mother with a silly smile.
"Bullshit, why are you wearing a fur hat if you are so angry?" Chen rolled her eyes and complained.
Hehehe
Zhu Ping'an smiled innocently and said nothing.
Chen was at a loss. She thought about stewing an old hen for breakfast to nourish her youngest son. He was so cute when he was chubby when he was young. Now he has grown taller but thinner. No, she needs to cook more delicious food to fatten him up.
After mother Chen got up, father Zhu and elder brother Zhu Pingchuan also got up.
"Dad, it's hard to walk outside due to the snow. Let me drive today." The eldest brother Zhu Pingchuan discussed with his father. The current Zhu Pingchuan is almost like his father, dark and strong, and a very honest person.
"Today is the big market, I'm afraid brother is going to bring something for my future sister-in-law?" Zhu Ping'an put down the brush and joked with his brother.
"Hehehe..." The eldest brother Zhu Pingchuan touched the back of his head and grinned foolishly.
"Why are you grinning like an idiot? Just tell the truth." Zhu's father kicked Zhu Pingchuan from behind and scolded him with a smile.
Mother Chen watched this scene, paused in her rice-washing movements, and spoke with jealousy, "I have raised you for more than ten years in vain, and you haven't even found a wife yet, and you've already forgotten about me."
The eldest brother Zhu Ping'an touched the back of his head and smiled innocently, "How can that be possible, mother? I will marry a wife to honor you together."
Chen's expression improved a lot after hearing this, but she was unforgiving in her words, "It sounds good now, but you can't say for sure after you get married."
The eldest brother made repeated assurances.
Seeing this scene, Zhu Pingan suddenly had a bad taste. He stopped practicing calligraphy with his brush, and with a sly smile on his face, he looked at his elder brother and suddenly asked:
"Then if mother and sister-in-law fall into the water at the same time, who will you save first, brother?"
The question of a daughter-in-law and her mother falling into the water is a question that has been asked too many times in modern times. Having been asked this question so many times, modern people can always give various clever answers.
But this is the first time this question has arisen in this era.
When hearing this question from Zhu Ping'an, mother Chen's eyes lit up and she became very interested. She didn't even wash the rice and just waited to see how Zhu Pingchuan would answer.
Zhu's father also looked at Zhu Pingchuan with amusement.
"Cough cough cough, second... second brother..." As soon as Zhu Pingchuan heard this question, his eyes turned red and he started coughing. He looked at Zhu Pingan with an innocent face.
How should I answer this
Zhu Pingchuan felt as if there were ten thousand ants in his heart. His face turned red and he couldn't help scratching his head.
If I say I should save my mother first, it would be bad if Juan heard about it.
But if he said to save Juan first and look at Chen who didn't even wash rice, Zhu Pingchuan knew that if he said that, his mother would be angry at best, but would be sad, which would be bad.
It's so difficult.
Zhu Pingchuan hesitated and couldn't say a word for a long time.
Zhu Ping'an looked at his elder brother's anxious expression and smiled foolishly.
Mother Chen looked at her eldest son in a dilemma and felt happy and sad at the same time. This silly boy was too honest, which was why he was always teased by the second son. Unlike the second son, who looked naive on the surface but was actually very shrewd at heart.
Looking at her eldest son who was in a dilemma, and then at her younger son who was watching the fire from the other side with great joy, Chen suddenly threw this question to Zhu Ping'an.
"Zhi'er, what about you? Who will you save first?" Chen suddenly asked.
"Ah?" Zhu Ping'an was stunned for a moment.
Now it was Zhu Pingchuan's turn to watch the joke, and he felt that his second brother was about to have a taste of the embarrassment he had suffered.
"As for me, it's still early." Zhu Ping'an replied.
Chen was not satisfied with this answer and asked, "I have to marry a wife sooner or later, so who should I save first?"
Zhu Pingan smiled and replied without thinking, "It's still early for me, so I have time to choose a wife who can swim. When the time comes, I will save my mother first without thinking."
"You sly guy!" Chen scolded with a smile.
The Zhu family was filled with laughter throughout the morning.
Because it would take some time to make breakfast, Zhu Ping'an practiced calligraphy for a while, then packed up his brush and wooden board and put them back in his room. He took the "The Doctrine of the Mean" annotated by Zhu Xi that he had borrowed from the rich man Li's house yesterday and went outside the yard to read.
Zhu Ping'an's yard is close to the river and on the edge of the village, so Zhu Ping'an can easily find a quiet corner to read where he will not be disturbed.
In the ancient imperial examinations, there was no way for poor children to take shortcuts. Only by slowly accumulating knowledge and having a stable foundation could they stand out by relying on their memories of their past lives in this era of eight-part essays and the era of being a scholar and being able to study hard. Speaking of foundation, my foundation is not just the years of elementary school.
This boy’s test may surprise everyone.
Zhu Ping'an looked at the "Doctrine of the Mean" in his hand, with a silly smile on his face, but a barely perceptible light flashed in his eyes.