There are a total of thirty-two students in Advanced Class A, among whom there are many amazing people.
The boys in the class are generally over twelve years old. In addition to Mu Lin, the youngest, there are two ten-year-old prodigies, Ye Cheng and Ye Jing from Tianlan Qi Yanghou's family.
The twin brothers sitting in front of her, one active and the other quiet, seemed to have taken after their mother, especially beautiful and delicate, more like little girls than Mu Lin.
Thanks to their daily beauty critiques on the students in Class A, no one suspected that Mu Lin was a girl after she entered the class.
Every time Mu Lin looked up, she couldn't help but look at the Ye brothers a few more times, and then she would doubt whether she was the boy.
The little girl's fair, round oval face was full of innocence, her eyebrows were picturesque, and her long eyelashes, as slender as butterfly wings, trembled slightly, covering her bright eyes.
Delicate, soft, petite and exquisite.
Qin Zishu coughed lightly and successfully attracted Mu Lin's attention.
"Brother, did you catch a cold last night? It's all Yizhen's fault. A sleepwalking caused so many things. Don't worry, I will go find Master Xin after school and ask him to change your roommate..."
"That's not necessary."
Qin Zishu held her little hand with a smile, squeezed it gently, and said gently:
"When Zishu saw Yizhen for the first time, he felt as if he saw his younger brother who died young. He got along very well with Yizhen these past two days, and he was very happy. Senior brother hopes to take good care of you, which can be regarded as a relief. Yizhen will not be unwilling to fulfill Senior brother's wish, right?"
"I… "
"Zishu, I didn't expect you to like Yizhen so much. The arrangement made by the headmaster turned out to be a great success!"
Mu Lin: “…”
She suspected that Qin Zishu was trying to trick her, otherwise why would Master Xin suddenly walk in from the back door and "happen" to hear his "true confession"
The plan to change roommates and senior students failed again.
Putting these thoughts aside for the moment, Mu Lin was convinced by the teaching level of the teachers in Baihu Academy, which was no worse than those of her teachers in the Imperial Study. In fact, because they were not restricted to the imperial city and often traveled around, the academic exchange and freedom of debate advocated by the academy had a bit more free and easy sentiment of benefiting the world.
Mu Lin absorbed knowledge like a sponge. He loved answering questions in class, asking questions from the teacher after class, and auditing the classes of several other respected teachers.
At the same time, Mu Lin gradually changed his opinion of Qin Zishu. Ignoring his disgust for his abnormal control, Mu Lin admitted that he was indeed a good senior brother.
He once held her hand and patiently taught her calligraphy step by step;
She was not good at riding and shooting, so he led the horse for her in the stable, comforting and encouraging her over and over again;
When there was thunder or nightmare, he would come over worriedly and hold her to sleep;
When she was craving for something, he got some snacks from somewhere. Mu Lin was fed all day, and the baby fat on her face didn't go away, but her height did grow...
Not to mention Qin Zishu's outstanding academic qualifications. Mu Lin discovered that Qin Zishu was not only rigorous in his studies, but also good at looking at problems from different angles; not only was he knowledgeable, but he was also able to integrate what he had learned; his simple instructions often opened her eyes and inspired her to write, and she benefited a lot from getting along with him.
Unfortunately, she was always under the shadow of Qin Zishu, so some of her plans had to be put on hold.
Besides that, Mu Lin discovered some new fun.
On the 15th and the end of the month, students can go out together. Some go to climb Baihu Mountain, some go to Fengyan Town at the foot of the mountain to hang out, and some sneak into the woods behind Rongyue Lake to have a tryst with the girls from Yuheng Academy...
Mu Lin was kidnapped by Ye Cheng once, and the girl he met was not his sweetheart, but his elder sister Ye Xing'er, who was one year older than him. Ye Xing'er smiled when she saw Mu Lin.
"Why did you kidnap a child? He looks like a girl, very pretty. When he grows up, he will be a handsome man, and his looks will not be inferior to you and Jing'er."
Then she stuffed a basket of snacks into Mu Lin's hand and said, "Take it and eat it. Don't be polite with your sister."
"Thank you so much, Sister Xing'er!"
Mu Lin's impression of her instantly upgraded to that of a gentle sister with a beautiful and kind heart.
All the snacks were given to Mu Lin. Ye Cheng felt that he had fallen out of favor and felt jealous.
"Yizhen is the junior brother brought up by Senior Brother Qin. Don't underestimate him because he is so young. Senior Brother Qin likes him and treats him like his own son..."
Mu Lin seemed to see Ye Xing'er's eyes light up slightly, and then she raised a tender smile.
"Brother Yizhen, I have a business deal. Do you want to join me? How about you split it 60% and I split it 40%?"
"Huh?" Mu Lin was confused.
"It's very simple. You should know that many of the junior sisters in our Yuheng Academy admire Qin Zishu..."
"so?"
There was a big look of doubt in Mu Lin's eyes.
Ye Xing'er smiled brightly, revealing eight beautiful white teeth.
"The information about Senior Brother Qin is very valuable. Some of his preferences, which road he usually takes, some authentic works... all can be converted into silver!"
When Ye Xing'er finished speaking, her eyes lit up and she looked like a money-grubber.
Mu Lin was somewhat speechless, "Sister Xing'er, it's not that I won't help you. If I use these private information to exchange for benefits, it will be a small matter if my senior brother knows about it, but it will be a big matter if my personal morality is damaged. Please forgive me for not doing this."
"Okay, okay..." Ye Xing'er waved her hands with some regret. She understood that what he said made sense and did not force him. However, she rolled her eyes and came up with another plan if one failed!
"A portrait of Qin Zishu can be sold for five taels of silver. Brother Yizhen spends all day with him, so it should be easy for him to draw a portrait of him, right?"
"Sister!" Ye Cheng was helpless. "If you are short of money, Ah Jing and I have some. We will send it to you this afternoon..."
Ye Xing'er suddenly slapped him on the forehead!
"Little kid, don't cause trouble for your elder sister. Keep the money for yourself and spend it sparingly." She sighed again, "You don't know how expensive firewood and rice are until you run a household. I'm just looking for a way to make money. I don't steal or rob. I make money based on my own ability. Why are you so anxious, little kid?"
"Forgive me for being so presumptuous. Sister Xing'er, Ye Cheng, and Ye Jing are from the Qiyang Marquis Mansion in Tianlan. How could they be short of money?"
"It's defeated."
"sister!"
Ye Xing'er's attitude was very calm, but Ye Cheng's face turned red. It was obvious that he didn't want to bring up the family scandal in front of Tan Yizheng, an outsider.
In fact, Mu Lin should have realized that in a dynasty, the rise of some families is often accompanied by the decline of other families. Few families are like evergreen trees, always rising straight up. This is not in line with the emperor's balance and is likely to arouse suspicion.
The atmosphere among them fell silent.
Mu Lin was a little embarrassed. She shouldn't have asked this, but since she had asked, it would be wrong not to help. It was difficult to paint a vivid picture, but it was easy for her to just trace the portrait.
That afternoon, Mu Lin and Qin Zishu were both at Xinyi Residence. The two played a game of chess, and Mu Lin used his full level to quickly win the game.
"Brother said that you have to use yourself as the stakes in this round, and the duration is twelve hours."
"Okay, I'm yours until tomorrow afternoon. What do you really want me to do?"
Mu Lin did not answer immediately. He smiled and asked his senior brother to sit on the chair. Paper and pen were already placed on the desk.
"Brother, please sit here and don't move. You can be the material for my portrait, okay?"
Qin Zishu didn't feel bothered at all, and didn't even frown. He just smiled and said, "Why did you think of painting for me, brother?" There was a hint of joy in his tone.
Mu Lin paused, smiled naturally, and said:
"Because he is handsome. He is the most handsome senior brother Yizhen has ever met in Baihu Academy."
The corners of Qin Zishu's lips curled up, his pleasure was obvious.
Mu Lin looked at his trusting expression, and a sense of guilt gradually spread. He had already boarded the pirate ship, so he could only concentrate more and more, and try his best to draw his senior brother well, stroke by stroke...
After the painting was finished, Qin Zishu stepped forward and looked at it for a long time. The brush tip was a little rough, but the details were portrayed, especially his facial features, which were particularly vivid, and it was obvious that he had put a lot of thought into it.
Qin Zishu was in a good mood and considerately did not ask Mu Lin for a painting... After all, he had to satisfy his junior sister's wish to collect it, right
Mu Lin took the paintings back with a smile, and secretly copied them over and over again when he was not around. Half a month later, Mu Lin secretly rolled up the ten paintings and went to the grove with Ye Cheng to meet Ye Xing'er in private. Ye Xing'er was very satisfied with the paintings and took them all away.
Another half month later, Mu Lin received thirty taels of silver from Ye Xing'er. This was the first time she made money with her own ability. The moment she got it, all the uneasiness in her heart disappeared and turned into endless satisfaction.
Ye Xing'er hinted to Mu Lin to increase production and paint another twenty or thirty pieces.
Mu Lin readily agreed and once again devoted himself to the great cause of quiet creation.
Everything ended when Qin Zishu ran out of rice paper one day and flipped through the rice paper on her desk. Looking at the dozen portraits under the blank rice paper, Qin Zishu fell into deep thought. He sent Shan Zheng to investigate, and an hour later, Shan Zheng came back from Yuheng Academy.
Qin Zishu had a dark face and locked Mu Lin, who had returned, in the house.
When a stack of portraits were placed on the table, Mu Lin suddenly felt that something was wrong.
I was discovered by my senior brother!
Mu Lin had never seen Qin Zishu so angry. For the first time, he lost his smile towards her and his eyes were as dark as the light-devouring deep sea.
—In short, after this incident, Mu Lin never dared to challenge his authority again.
The matter ended with Mu Lin spending half a month to apologize and half a year to cede land and pay compensation.
More than half a year passed like this, and the New Year is approaching.
This time the academy had a one-month winter vacation, and everyone was very excited. Jingsheng also sent a carriage to pick her up to celebrate the New Year. Mu Lin had taken two major exams in Baihu, and each time she got an A, and she also had an explanation to Emperor Ming about her academic performance.
Qin Zishu was quite reluctant to let her go and walked with her ten miles away before returning.
Mu Lin opened the car curtain, and Qin Zishu's figure had become blurred. She breathed a sigh of relief.
Faced with a strong senior brother who treated her like a child, she felt reluctant, but more of a sense of relief at being out of his control.
After leaving Bailuzhou, Mu Lin stopped the carriage, jumped on his horse, and planned to ride back to the imperial city as fast as he could.
Otherwise, it would take half a month to go back by carriage, and another half a month to come back. Are you prepared to spend the New Year on the road