For a while, Chaoyangmen was as lively as New Year's Day.
Zhou Shaojin, Cheng Xiao, Cheng Sheng, and Zhou Chujin were sitting on the big kang by the window in the banquet room, drinking tea and eating snacks. Ah Ren was holding a Buddhist duster, and Guan Ge was holding a feather duster, chasing each other around the room, never stopping for a moment. Their nurses stood nervously by their side, and the little maids who were playing with them followed them nervously, afraid that they would bump into or hit each other. Yun Ge'er was held by his nurse and watched with his eyes wide open, giggling and shouting from time to time, looking very happy.
After all, Abao was older, unlike Aren, and he quickly integrated into the Cheng family.
He stood aside and watched Ah Ren, as if he was afraid that Ah Ren would get into trouble.
Gu Zhong smiled and said, "With the wet nurse and maids watching over her, nothing will happen."
If Ah Ren and Guan Ge get hurt or bruised, the people serving them will be severely punished, so they will take good care of the two children.”
He asked Po, "I'm going to write with my brother, do you want to come with me?"
Ah Bao looked at Gu Ning, who was practicing calligraphy in front of the square table in the hall with a straight posture like a pine tree. He thought for a moment and said uncertainly, "I haven't formally become a disciple yet. I just read the Three Character Classic with my second great-aunt..."
Gu Zhongxiao smiled like an adult and said, "My brother and I were taught by our mother when we were young, but we only officially became her apprentices this spring." The implication was that you shouldn't be embarrassed, "Have you started tracing?"
Po nodded.
Gu Zhongdao said, "My mother requires me to practice 300 characters every day. How many hundreds of characters does my great-aunt require you to practice?"
A Bao said embarrassedly: "No, there is no rule. Just write it for an incense stick every day."
"Then you just start." Gu Zhong said very experiencedly, "If you sometimes write a few more words, it's best to write a few more words. My father said that practice is a matter of getting better. The more effort you put in, the better your handwriting will be. Before my father passed the imperial examination, he wrote 5,000 words every day. His handwriting is very good now. Not only my grandfather and grandmother, but also my great-grandfather and grandmother have praised my father for his good handwriting. My great-grandmother's handwriting is also very good. My aunt, cousin, and cousin all used my great-grandmother's calligraphy stickers for enlightenment. My seventh aunt still writes five pages of small regular script every day according to my great-grandmother's calligraphy stickers! My seventh aunt is my great-aunt's daughter and my father's cousin..."
A Bao was already confused by the connections of Gu Zhong's family, but seeing that Gu Zhongbao was talking seriously, he nodded solemnly and followed Gu Zhong to the hall.
The maidservant beside Gu Ning immediately came over quietly, knelt down to salute Gu Zhong, and whispered: "Second Young Master, the eldest young master is practicing calligraphy!"
"I know!" Gu Zhongyi whispered, "We also want to practice calligraphy. Please bring us a small table."
As soon as he finished speaking, the servant girl who was left in the hall of the Cheng family came forward and whispered, "Wait a moment, young masters. I will give the order right away."
Gu Zhong nodded.
The maid retreated quietly.
Gu Zhong gestured to A Bao, tiptoed forward, stood on tiptoe and stretched his neck to look at the table.
Gu Ning, who had been writing with bated breath, suddenly turned around and smiled at his brother.
Gu Zhong was shocked and said guiltily: "Brother, I didn't bother you, I just took a look..."
"I know!" Gu Ning said modestly, "I'll play with you guys after I finish the homework assigned by the teacher." As he said that, he glanced at A Bao.
Abao smiled shyly.
Gu Zhongze hurriedly said, "I will accompany my brother to write."
Gu Ning smiled and lowered his head to practice calligraphy seriously.
The maids brought over a small table and chairs.
Gu Zhong took out the Chinese characters on the stickers and traced them with A Bao.
At first, A'ren and Guan Ge were about to run to the hall, but the wet nurse held them and coaxed them a few words while pointing at Gu Ning, Gu Zhong and A Bao who were writing. Then the two children stopped trying to run to the hall and just played around the banquet room and the inner room. Because there were many jade-carved incense balls, wooden stacking monks and other small toys in the inner room, the two children had no time to bother Gu Ning and the others.
Only Yun Ge'er was very dissatisfied.
He wanted to watch A-Ren and Guan-Ge play.
Once he lost sight of both of them, he started making a scene.
After the wet nurse tried a few times and understood his intention, she held him and followed behind A'ren and Guan Ge. He then calmed down and made a few inexplicable cries from time to time.
Cheng Xiao couldn't help but laugh and said, "When Yun'er grows up, he will definitely be a man who climbs up the roof and goes down to the river to fish."
Zhou Chujin thought highly of her nephew and said with a smile, "Look at how strong he is. He was much more sturdy than our brother Guan when he was young. Such children are full of energy. We just need to guide them well. Take Shaojin for example. He was very naughty when he was young. He would ask why for everything he saw and never had a quiet moment. At that time, my grandmother was worried that she would not be able to get married. Now, she is more quiet than anyone else. She stays at home every day and doesn't want to go anywhere?!" At this point, she remembered the temple fair at Daxiangguo Temple in early October and said, "The temple fair at Daxiangguo Temple should not be held, right? Should we go to Zhetan Temple in the suburbs to burn incense?"
"I heard that the temple fair at Daxiangguo Temple will still be held." Cheng Sheng said, "but it may be a ritual - the Crown Prince has gone, and it is only natural for the Zen temples in the capital to pray for him. Zhetan Temple is a big temple, I think they should also hold a prayer temple fair like Daxiangguo Temple, right?"
"Then don't go out." Zhou Chujin still remembers the traffic jams during the temple fairs held at several major Zen temples in Beijing. "Just hold a memorial ceremony at home!"
Normally, the first day of October is the day to commemorate ancestors.
Cheng Xiao smiled and said, "I'm not planning to go out either. How about we get together on the second day of the Chinese New Year? Look how happy the kids are having!" At this point, she sighed and said, "I feel like bringing our Ying over here."
Zhou Chujin smiled and said, "Then just take it! It's different after all if a child is raised by you."
"Who said it wasn't true?" Cheng Xiao said with a bitter face, "But my parents-in-law wouldn't let us go, saying that we couldn't even take care of ourselves, let alone take care of a child. They also urged us to have another child..."
Every family has its own problems!
Zhou Chujin sighed in his heart, but saw that Zhou Shaojin didn't say anything for a long time.
She couldn't help but nudge Zhou Shaojin with her elbow and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Zhou Shaojin came back to his senses and said with a smile, "I was watching Gu Ning and Gu Zhong writing, thinking that with such young children, they should all be able to learn in a few years. The Qiancheng Family School is doing so well, why don't we set up a family school? Let several children study together, and when they grow up, they will not only have blood ties, but also friendships with classmates, how great!"
Zhou Chujin was very excited.
The Liao family is one of the best in Zhenjiang, and can barely be counted in Jiangnan, but it is obviously not enough in the capital. The couple now does not expect the Liao family to support them, but only hopes that they will not be held back.
If Guan Ge'er could grow up with Gu Zhong, A Bao and others, he would have someone to help him when he has problems in the future.
She looked at Cheng Sheng and said, "I think this is a good idea! But we all have elders in our family, and I don't know what elders mean."
Cheng Sheng was also very moved.
The eldest branch of the family and the branches of Jinling Jiuru Lane separated. The branches that remained in Jinling had a hard time without the eldest branch's prominent relatives, and their lives were equally hard without the foundation of Jiuru Lane.
If the glory of the Cheng family's studies can be restored, the eldest branch of the family will be able to truly gain a foothold in the capital.
She looked towards Cheng Xiao.
What Cheng Sheng thought of, Cheng Xiao also thought of.
She pondered and said, "I will go back and discuss with my elder sister later. If it is possible, where should we set up this clan school?"
Zhou Shaojin said, "Can it be set up here? If not, I still have a house in Yuqian Hutong, but there will be no one to take care of the family there. It's good to have someone to take care of the family school when it's just started. If the teacher is not satisfactory, we can always change him. If the children's future is delayed because of this, it will be irreparable."
Cheng Xiao nodded and said, "The selection of the teacher is also a problem. Currently, Ning and Zhong are being taught by an uncle from the Gu family, but next year is the year of the big exam, and this uncle will definitely take part. If they pass the exam, the Gu family will have to hire a new teacher."
Zhou Shaojin pondered, "Can you ask Mr. Wu Zaoxiu to recommend someone who is knowledgeable, not necessarily from the Hanlin Academy? It's not good to raise a child in a conservative way, so find someone younger..."
"That's a good idea." Cheng Sheng smiled, "When we were studying at home, my grandmother preferred to find a female teacher for us instead of an old Hanlin, which is what she meant. It's a pity that we gave birth to a boy. It would have been better if we had a girl."
The topic shifted from the academy to how to have children.
Zhou Shaojin pursed his lips and smiled.
A maid came in and said, "Madam, Nanny Shang wants to see you."
There are no outsiders here. Since Nanny Shang did not come in to report the matter, it is obvious that what she wants to say is not convenient for others to know.
Zhou Shaojin responded with a smile, said hello to Cheng Xiao and the others, and left the main room.
Nanny Shang was waiting under the veranda.
When he saw her, he stepped forward and bowed, whispering in her ear, "Madam, the steward of the second house, the distant nephew of Mr. Tang Laoan, was yelling and cursing at the gate, and was gagged and dragged into the gatehouse by Steward Qin. Steward Qin asked what to do."
Zhou Shaojin's eyelids twitched, and he asked, "Why is he yelling and cursing at the gate?"
Nanny Shang hesitated for a moment and said, "Last winter, the Second Branch invested 100,000 taels of silver in the Thirteenth Line's fleet. As a result, two ships of the Thirteenth Line capsized in the sea this year, one of which was the ship that the Second Branch invested in. The nephew of Mr. Tang Laoan said that it was not the ship that they invested in at all, and that it was the Fourth Master who did something wrong. He was resentful that the Second Branch took a lot of money from the First Branch when the family was divided..."
This is something Cheng Chi could really do.
But Zhou Shaojin felt that even if Cheng Chi did it, he was not wrong.
The second house got so much silver. If they were not greedy, that silver would be enough for their descendants to enjoy for several generations.
Now that you are not as skilled as others, you blame others for their superior methods.
She asked, "What does Chief Steward Qin mean?"
Nanny Shang said, "Mr. Qin meant to send him to the authorities. When he was cursing, the neighbors next door saw him."
"Then let's do as Manager Qin says!" Zhou Shaojin also felt that they should be taught a lesson so that they wouldn't treat their house as a vegetable garden and do whatever they want to them.
Nanny Shang smiled and left.
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Dear friends, tomorrow’s update will still be around 12 o’clock.
O(∩_∩)O~
PS: I would like to recommend Ximuzi’s new work "The King's Wife" to everyone: the leisurely love between the reborn rich and beautiful woman and the grassroots emperor!
※(To be continued)