The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 222 Beaten
December 23rd, sunny!
Liu Yuan staggered to the south city again.

Two days had passed, and the Prince of Jin seemed to be in even worse shape.

Not only was her hair tangled, but her face was also filthy because she hadn't washed it and her eyes were covered in eye discharge.

ho~
Liu Yuan couldn't help but laugh.

Without his former identity, this person is like a dog.

"Bring me a pot of wine!"

Seeing a dog like that, it would be a shame not to have a drink to celebrate.

There weren't many people buying alcohol so early in the morning, so the waiter couldn't help but take another look. "What price range are you looking for, sir? We have..."

"Two ounces."

As he spoke, Liu Yuan put down two taels of silver.

At the end of the street, Jia Zheng's stall finally had customers again.

Last time his stall was robbed, he returned to the village hungry. Although Wang didn't laugh out loud, the corners of her mouth were turned up...

Jia Zheng was filled with shame and indignation, wishing he could die, but there was nothing he could do.

How does he know that making money is as hard as eating shit?

once……

Don't dwell on the past.

He had only been resting at home for a day yesterday when an old man from the village came over and said that he shouldn't rest, because the color of the red paper would fade, and if it were left for a year... it wouldn't look good next year.

He needs to sell all the paper before the New Year.

As for the thief...

That's because he lacks experience.

You can't just take a money bag anywhere on the street.

Helpless, he could only humbly ask Wang to sew a hidden pocket into his clothes and make a purse to conceal his identity.

Life goes on.

He has to work as long as he wants to catch his breath.

Even Wang's wife has learned how to help the cow urinate, but he doesn't do any work...

Jia Zheng felt he would be overwhelmed by the nickname "lazybones".

The impact of this account on him was too great, comparable to that of a complete idiot.

Jia Zheng was afraid of that number, so he set up his stall again early this morning.

Seeing that the Second Master had become diligent again, Long'er was very happy and returned home to report.

Sure enough, their master's method worked.

The second master has a sense of shame.

The elderly people who live their lives honestly dislike lazy people the most.

Spend a little money to ask them to keep an eye on him, manage him, and nag him, so he can't stay home and be lazy.

"Hmm, well done!"

Jia She happily rewarded Long'er with a golden melon seed, saying, "Let's do it this way from now on."

I can no longer take leave from work and stay home as often as before.

"Whether it's the second master or the second mistress, please ask the elderly to help keep an eye on them and make sure they learn to earn their own living."

"Eh~"

Long'er nodded excitedly.

"Tell Master Zhen of the East Mansion about this again."

Alone Better Together.

Jia She believed that Jia Zhen would also be happy to hear about his second brother's affairs, "who knows, he might reward you with something if he's in a good mood."

He wasn't afraid that his second brother would suffer, but he was afraid that his second brother wouldn't be able to earn money and would eventually give up and force Lanzhi to take action.

By then, it will be the indigo plants that will be destroyed.

Not long after Long'er rushed to Ningguo Mansion to report Jia Zheng's situation, Jia Zhen changed into ordinary clothes and secretly took You Shi in a carriage to the south of the city to watch the excitement.

"Don't worry, we'll just peek from inside the carriage."

My wife is pregnant, so it's really necessary to take her out for a walk occasionally to help her relax.

"What do I have to worry about?"

Madam You smiled gently and lifted the curtain slightly to look outside.

“I’m not familiar with Uncle Zheng.”

She just went to take a look and then told her mother-in-law about it.

My mother-in-law would definitely be happy to hear this.

The couple went to watch Jia Zheng sell couplets, unaware that Xue Pan had already been slapped on the hand in the clan school.

He was talking in class.

You're so old, yet you're not even as good as a little kid.

A class is only 15 minutes long. If you can't even sit still for that short time, what kind of learning is that?

Thinking of the generous gifts the Xue family had sent the previous night, Mr. Chen felt that if he didn't keep a good eye on him, he would be letting down those gifts.

Bang bang~~
Bang bang bang~~~
The ruler struck him five times in a row. "Considering this is your first offense, I'll only give you five strikes this time." Mr. Chen said sternly, looking at Xue Pan, who was about the same height as him. "But if there's a next time, I'll increase the number many times over. As long as you're not afraid of hurting your hand, just keep hitting me."

Xue Pan: "..."

His hands were burning with pain.

From childhood to adulthood, only when my father was alive...

His father has been gone for several years. In the past, he would have definitely overturned the table and kicked his husband over.

but……

The thought of what his classmates had told him—that if he dared to fight back or talk back, the martial arts master on duty outside would force him into a horse stance, deprive him of food and water, and if he wasn't careful, he would have to carry a heavy load for three miles—made his heart tremble.

This morning, he suffered a setback in the horse stance and was laughed at by many people.

The teacher was testing his teaching skills, and despite his size, he was assigned to a small elementary school class...

"What? Are you still not convinced?"

"...I'm convinced!"

Xue Pan swallowed his anger.

"It's good that you accept it. If you made a mistake, just stand and listen to the lesson!"

Mr. Chen picked up the Thousand Character Classic and said, “Now read after me: If you know your faults, correct them; if you gain abilities, never forget them. Do not speak ill of others, nor rely on your own strengths. Trustworthy messengers can be kept, but one's capacity is immeasurable…”

"Correct your mistakes when you know them, and never forget your strengths. Do not... talk about others' shortcomings, and do not... rely on your own strengths."

Xue Pan's hoarse voice stood out so much among the children's voices.

Others read with rhythm and cadence, but he read...

Mr. Chen glanced at him, then finally slowed down and read the poem in two sentences: "Near and far are united, and all guests return to the king."

The students followed.

Xue Pan finally stopped stuttering.

"The phoenix sings in the bamboo grove, and the white colt grazes in the field."

"The phoenix sings in the bamboo grove, the white colt grazes in the field."

Xue Pan read along quite well.

Finally, the class was over.

The school bell rang outside, signaling the end of get out of class.

To address the issue of get out of class start and end times, Shen Ning specially had a Western clock delivered to this location.

The bells for the start and end of classes were rung by the guards on duty.

"Okay, get out of class is over!"

Mr. Chen put down his book, ignoring the students' chatter as they went out to play, and said, "Xue Pan, you're not very familiar with the Thousand Character Classic either. Don't play after class. I'll give you a dictation test next class. The content will range from 'Heaven and Earth, Black and Yellow' to 'Sitting in Court and Asking the Way.' You should take a good look at it first!"

Xue Pan: "..."

His world has collapsed!

He recognized all the words together, especially the ones at the beginning. He could barely write them down when he was dictating them from the newspaper.

But if the order is messed up...

As soon as the teacher left, he quickly grabbed the little student who ran back to the classroom to get the wooden bird, "Does the teacher often give dictation tests?"

"Of course!"

Their elementary school classes mainly focused on character recognition, from the Three Character Classic to the Thousand Character Classic, and they had to do dictation exercises every day.

"Then... is it done in order?" Xue Pan looked at the little bean in front of him and felt like crying.

"no!"

His classmate looked at him with pity, "You'd better take a look while you still have time, otherwise you'll get punished with a ruler if you fail for four consecutive days."

Hitting someone with a ruler can hurt a lot.

None of them wanted to suffer that pain.

So I do my homework very diligently every day when I get home.

Xue Pan saw him hopping and skipping outside to play with the wooden bird, and he wanted to go out too, but... but he was a student!

He could never forget the way everyone looked at him when he was assigned to the elementary school class.

Despite the pain in his hand, Xue Pan hurriedly flipped through the book, trying his best to remember the section from "Heaven and Earth, Mysterious and Yellow" to "Sitting in Court and Asking Questions".

He's not coming tomorrow, but I have to get through today.

Min Jianbai was entrusted by Wang Xifeng to come and see him, but he didn't expect him to be engrossed in reading a book. So he quickly and carefully withdrew.

One class, two classes, three classes...

From morning to afternoon, everyone else could play during their breaks, but Xue Pan couldn't.

The teacher taught this section, and there's another section; the dictation is the same.

It's obvious that the holiday is approaching, and the teacher is making the most of the time to help everyone consolidate their knowledge.

Xue Pan almost cried several times.

Because his handwriting was not only large and ugly, but also contained the most mistakes.

While he was suffering terribly here, Aunt Xue was also extremely uneasy at home.

The clan school is so close to the two prefectures, yet they don't allow students to go out for lunch.

If that were all, it would be fine, but why was the servant sent back?
"I don't know how your brother is doing either."

Aunt Xue sighed, "Do you think he can grind ink if no one is there to serve him?"

Xue Baochai: “…”

She was also somewhat worried.

When our father was alive, my brother could do it.

But later...

"It might be a bit chaotic for a while, but since you're going to study at someone else's clan school, you should at least learn these things."

It's not like only the older brother has servants.

Even among the sons of collateral branches of the Jia family, there were quite a few who could serve as servants.

"Mom, if my brother comes back and keeps making a fuss about not going, or says he's not feeling well, you can't ask for leave for him again."

Aunt Xue: "..."

"Didn't you see that the shopkeepers who came to pay their respects became even more respectful when they heard that my brother was going to attend the Jia family's clan school?"

This?
Aunt Xue sighed.

"After Father passed away, my brother became increasingly lazy and dissolute due to the lack of guidance. Now that several scholars from the clan school are helping to discipline him, what else could you possibly worry about?"

Xue Baochai advised her mother, "If my brother cries and makes a fuss when he comes back, it means he has been disciplined well. You must not let him lose his composure just because he cries."

After her father passed away, her mother spoiled him relentlessly, which caused her a lot of worry.

Seeing his brother's state, the big shopkeepers in various places remained outwardly calm, but their businesses declined year after year.

Xue Baochai knew something was wrong, but the accounts had been meticulously prepared...

She wanted to persuade her mother and urge her brother to stand up for himself, but every time she tried, she was either softened by her mother's tears or made helpless by her brother's subservience.

She can only rely on her own efforts.

But what benefit did her efforts bring to her family and clan?
Baochai is sometimes quite confused.

Therefore, she sought a way out from Taoism and Buddhist scriptures.

Baochai sighed inwardly. Her heart was in the mortal world, and her body was in the mortal world. In fact, no matter how much she knew, she could never transcend it.

“The rules of the Jia family are there. Not to mention Baoyu and Rong’er, even their uncles… have to accept them.”

Aunt Xue: "..."

Thinking of the information her servants had gathered, she sighed deeply, "We've given gifts to everyone, so we should have given some to your aunt and uncle too."

At this point, she looked at her daughter again, "When Miss Lan returns to the manor, do you think we can go and ask her about it?"

"...It's not impossible!"

They moved into the Jia family home through their aunt's connections. If they didn't care about their aunt and uncle, it wouldn't seem like they were doing it.

Baochai said, "But you are the elder, so I'll ask Cousin Lan myself!"

With his own sword, he will guard the border and avenge his blood feud...

This was something she would never have dared to imagine before.

"Even if she rejects me then, it won't matter."

She didn't want anyone to embarrass her mother.

"...My son..."

Aunt Xue naturally understood her daughter's good intentions. Hearing this, she hugged her and couldn't help but shed tears again, "If only your brother were half as good as you..."

She loved only her two children equally.

But somehow, of the two children, one is in heaven, and the other seems to wish he could fall into the mud.

"Mom, please don't say things like that."

Baochai comforted her mother, "My brother has entered the Jia family school, he will definitely get better."

Holding onto this beautiful hope, they finally waited for him to return.

"Mom, I'm not going."

Back home, Xue Pan closed the door, his face smeared with ink, and his eyes immediately turned red. "Waaah, I got beaten by the teacher too."

His raised left hand was blackened, as if it had been soaked in ink; upon closer inspection, the palm appeared swollen. "And my legs..."

Xue Pan's eyes were brimming with tears. "They laughed at me, and as soon as I overturned the table, the guards on duty at the East Mansion immediately dragged me out, grabbed thin bamboo poles, and forced me to do a horse stance!"

If you make even the slightest mistake, that thin bamboo pole will come flying at you.

Actually, not only his legs were hit, but his buttocks were also slapped many times.

But since his sister was there, he was too embarrassed to say anything.

"...How could this be?"

Aunt Xue was both shocked and heartbroken.

She couldn't bear to say a harsh word to her son.

When her husband was alive, even if she wanted to discipline someone, she would secretly test the force on herself first to make sure she was sure of the strength before hitting them.

"No, I have to go ask Feng'er and ask her to do something about it..."

"Mom~"

Baochai felt sorry for her brother, but also extremely helpless.

It's always like this. Mom agrees perfectly fine at first, but as soon as she sees my brother, she forgets everything.

"Mrs. Shen just said yesterday..."

"What did she say? Are you still my sister?"

Xue Pan yelled, "Are you only happy when I've been bullied to death?"

As he spoke, he looked at his mother again, "Mom, hurry over and tell her that I've been beaten and now I have a fever."

"Yes, yes, call the doctor!"

Aunt Xue was afraid he really had a fever, so she quickly touched his forehead and said, "Baochai, stay here and watch over your brother. I'll be right back."

However, before she even left the courtyard, the physician from the East Mansion arrived.

Wang Xifeng arrived shortly afterward.

"Our wife heard that your son was beaten today."

The physician said, "She specifically sent me over to take a look. Our mistress also said that if Madam Xue is worried about this old man, the Ningguo Mansion can also call in an imperial physician, but..."

He glanced at the house from which the groan was coming from. “Our lady said that if the imperial physician also says that the young master is not sick, then the young master is faking illness and will be punished by being sent to the clan school for three months without being allowed to return home, and will have to eat a bittersweet meal every two days.”

What?
Xue Pan's groans stopped abruptly.

Aside from the wounds on his palms, the injuries on his body were very painful from being whipped, but he could still walk and move around; they were far from being seriously injured.

Moreover, if someone invites the imperial physician, the imperial physician will definitely speak on their behalf!
"...Aunt, let the family physician take a look first!"

What can be done?
Seeing her stunned aunt and Baochai pursing her lips, Wang Xifeng could only step forward and say, "It's alright... just listen to the teacher."

I won't listen...

It can only get worse.