Annual Ceremony

Chapter 24 Xiaoman (Part )

This woman who always wears Mongolian riding clothes is the wife of General Aru mentioned by Chen Ningtian. People in this area mostly call her Mrs. Dolan.

The young man's name was Ertu, and he was General Alu's eldest son.

General Aru had many children and originally had two Han teachers in his mansion. One of them, like Wang Zhefu, was an official who was exiled here. However, he recently received an imperial edict to be reinstated by the court and left Jilin last month.

General Aru has been in the army all year round, and most of the trivial affairs in the general's mansion are handled by Mrs. Dolan. Mrs. Dolan intends to fill the vacancy of the Chinese studies teacher in the mansion. After much inquiries and comparisons, she believes that Wang Zhefu is the most suitable person.

Knowing that Han scholars valued etiquette between teachers and students, Mrs. Duolan brought her son to the general's mansion to pay homage to the master, hoping to invite Wang Zhefu to teach in the general's mansion.

It was common for exiled scholars to be hired as teachers in the mansions of local high-ranking officials and generals. Moreover, General Alu's mansion was in charge of garrison affairs. If Wang Zhefu worked in the general's mansion, Chen Tu could naturally be exempted from Wang Zhefu's reclamation work, which was a good thing.

However, Wang Zhefu was still a little hesitant.

Most of the children of the nearby military households were studying with him. If he suddenly let go...

The military households naturally dared not to stop the general's mansion from hiring him, but Wang Zhefu felt a little uneasy. Moreover, even if he went to teach in the general's mansion, his whole family would still have to live here. It would be embarrassing to see him every day.

"Let's go." In the evening, Mrs. Dong said, "This lady and the young general have come to visit us twice. We are not sure about their temperaments at the moment, so we should not offend them rashly... Besides, after the troublesome incident of Ji Wu, Deqing is still young and she is a girl. I don't want to let my family have more criminals, so it's better not to pay the tax. And if you enter the general's mansion, you will get to know some people, and maybe you can pave the way for your family."

Compared to her husband with a sharp edge, Mrs. Dong, who has been in charge of the family for many years, is always the most pragmatic one. However, the old lady also considers that it is not appropriate to give up the military households... Although she does not care about the old man's face and his noble intentions of enlightening the people, she cannot abandon the interpersonal relationships when living here.

The poorer and more ignorant the place is, the more people have to rely on personal connections to survive.

The old lady has made up her mind: "I will be the one teaching the lessons here for the time being."

Wang Zhefu was surprised: "Is this... possible?"

"Why can't it be accomplished?" The old lady glanced at him. "These children can't learn too deep Chinese studies. They can only recognize some characters, some numbers, and learn a few poems... Let me ask Deqing, who opened her eyes for her? Who taught her to read poems in the beginning?"

Zhenyi answered honestly: "It's my great mother!"

Wang Zhefu laughed, said yes, and bowed to his old wife: "...I must change my name to Ms. Dong and call her Teacher Dong!"

Seeing that her grandfather gave her a look, Zhenyi blinked knowingly and immediately bowed deeply to her grandmother, bending her waist as low as possible.

Orange raised his two front paws and bowed, which was also considered a bow.

Wang Zhefu was amazed and praised Orange for being "quite like Wong Tai Sin."

Qisheng said, "Juzi is so spiritual, he must be the real Juxian!"

Zhenyi laughed and picked up the orange. Even the usually serious Mrs. Dong laughed out loud.

The moonlight during the Grain Full season cast a layer of clear light in the small courtyard. A real Wong Tai Sin jumped into the courtyard. Looking through the window, I saw people in the house laughing happily.

Next, Wang Zhefu went to the general's mansion to teach, and Zhenyi's life gradually changed.

General Aru had a daughter named Baoyin, who was only a few months older than Zhenyi. In May, she also came to Madam Bu to take lessons.

The twelve-year-old Baoyin was a bit stubborn and arrogant. Several Manchu girls in her class were a little different from her, so it was even more impossible for Baoyin to take the initiative to make friends with them.

After half a month, Zhenyi was the only one who won Baoyin's favor.

The reason for this was that after class one day, Baoyin passed by Zhenyi's desk when no one was talking. He crossed his arms and asked casually, "Is Mr. Wang, who taught my brother Chinese studies, your grandfather?"

Zhenyi raised her face, smiled, and nodded: "That's right."

Baoyin raised her eyebrows: "So you know who I am."

Zhenyi smiled and said, "Of course."

The smile was very sweet, but the eyes were pure and peaceful, frank and open, which inexplicably gave people a sense of peace of mind.

Baoyin felt a little strange. Although the other party knew her identity, he never asked her about her grandfather's affairs in the general's mansion, nor did he wait for her to take the initiative to curry favor with him. When asked at this moment, he just nodded calmly and did not seem to be ashamed of his grandfather's crime.

Baoyin thought about it and realized that from what she had seen in the past half month, it seemed that the other person's mind was mostly on her studies. She indeed hadn't been seen deliberately hanging out with anyone. She didn't seem to care much about what the people around her were doing, but everyone seemed to like her very much.

Baoyin originally had some prejudices against Han women, but this was because those Han women always had prejudices against her first. The daughters of local Han officials in Jilin often laughed at her for being rude in private. Even if they didn't say it openly, their little thoughts of looking down on her were hidden in the details.

As they got along, Baoyin gradually became certain that Zhenyi was not like that.

Zhenyi is not a nerd. Although she seems to have a good temper, her articulation is very clear and her eyes are particularly bright. She is definitely not a dullard.

Baoyin liked Zhenyi in her heart, and gradually she began to show kindness to Zhenyi, and she always liked to involve Zhenyi in everything she did.

One day, after class, Baoyin was on horseback. She saw the Manchu girls and Zhenyi coming out together. She held out her hand to Zhenyi and asked her to get on her horse: "Come on, I'll take you to find Mr. Wang!"

When Zhenyi really got on her horse, Baoyin looked even more proud. She raised her eyebrows at the girls, shouted "Go", and drove away on her horse in a showy manner.

This was Zhenyi's first time riding on a horse.

Baoyin started learning horse riding and archery at the age of seven, and he was already very skilled in horse riding. The horse's hooves were galloping on the summer trail. Zhenyi nervously grabbed the horse's neck and told Baoyin: "Slow down, slow down!"

From that day on, Baoyin often brought Zhenyi back to the general's mansion, and the oranges that came with Zhenyi were put into the bookcase and taken along.

The general's mansion has its own grassland horse farm. In the afternoon, young people from the mansion and nearby areas would practice riding skills at the farm.

Baoyin wants to teach Zhenyi how to ride a horse, which is something Zhenyi has never dared to think about: "...Me? Can I learn it too?"

"You have never bound your feet, so how can you not learn it? It just so happens that you teach me the lessons and I will teach you how to ride and shoot!"

Although Zhenyi was eager to try, she felt that this was a big deal and said seriously, "I still have to ask my grandfather first."

Baoyin immediately took Zhenyi to find her mother, Madam Duolan: "...If Eji asks, Mr. Wang will definitely agree!"

Mrs. Dolan looked at Zhenyi who was being pulled by her daughter and smiled a little.

She could see that although Baoyin seemed strong, she was actually quite dependent on Zhenyi.

Zhenyi seems quiet, but she has her own ideas and a calm mind. Such a child will learn anything faster than others. Mrs. Dolan agreed to her daughter's request, but did not allow her to teach Zhenyi. Riding a horse is not a game. If you want to teach someone, you have to teach them properly, otherwise a good thing will become a bad thing.

After obtaining the consent of Wang Zhefu, Mrs. Dolan personally taught Zhenyi riding and shooting.

Mrs. Duolan was good at riding and shooting, and there were many children who followed her to learn riding and shooting, so it would not be a big deal to add Zhenyi. After Zhenyi knew this, she felt relieved, thanked and bowed solemnly, and officially began to learn from her master.

Lady Orange, who has always been worried that Zhenyi would tire out her eyes and brain by studying so much, also supports this idea. If one wants to raise a child who is healthy both physically and mentally, she should have at least one athletic skill. That's good.

Afterwards, Zhenyi attended classes at a private school in the morning, and after class she went back to the general's mansion with Baoyin to learn riding and archery.

Everything was fine on such days, except that Chen Ningtian's pout was getting higher and higher.

After class that day, Chen Ningtian not only pouted his lips, but also flipped the book in his hand with a rustling sound.

Zhenyi sat in front of her. She couldn't see her pouting, but she could hear the sound of turning pages. So she turned around, leaned over, put her hands on Chen Ningtian's desk, and asked in a low voice: "Wanyu, what's wrong with you?"

The two were only one year apart in age, so they often addressed each other by their courtesy names in private. When they were outside, Zhenyi would call her "Sister Chen".

The elder sister of the Chen family did not look at Zhenyi, but continued to pout and turn the pages of the book: "Don't say that I'm fine. Even if I was, you have a new sister Baoyin outside now, so you may not be able to care about me..."

Zhenyi uttered a soft "ah" and reached out to hold down the book that Chen Ningtian was about to tear apart. Just as she was about to speak, Baoyin, who had been paying attention to this side, came over and said to Chen Ningtian, "How about this, after class, you can go riding with us!"

Baoyin didn't hate Chen Ningtian, but the most important thing was that she was afraid that Chen Ningtian would shed a few tears pitifully, and Zhenyi would be coaxed back if she softened her heart and would no longer ride horses and play with her!

When Baoyin invited her, Chen Ningtian subconsciously looked at Zhenyi, and Zhenyi nodded to her like a chick pecking at rice.

Chen Ningtian was overjoyed and begged her grandmother and father again and again that night for three whole days. Finally, her family agreed to let her go. However, Chen Wen was worried about his daughter, so he asked his sixteen-year-old eldest son to go with him and look after Zhenyi as well.

General Aru is Chen Tu's superior. Although the children are good friends, Chen Wen still prepared gifts and sent them to the general's mansion. He only said that his two children were naughty and that they were playing together, so he asked Mrs. Dolan to be more tolerant.

When the autumn wind became a little cooler, Zhenyi was able to ride the horse slowly for two laps by herself.

Zhenyi's initial riding clothes were ones that were too small for Baoyin. Later, Zhuo Mama and Tao'er made two new ones for Zhenyi. The material might not be very high-quality, but Zhuo Mama had very skillful hands and was particularly attentive to Zhenyi's affairs - since the last incident with Ji Wu, Zhuo Mama treated Zhenyi with more affection than just that of a master and servant.

Zhenyi wore a pea-colored riding suit with a tight belt embroidered with small white plum blossoms and orange-like paw prints, which was made by Zhuo's mother.

The twelve-year-old girl was wearing a pea green riding suit and sitting on the horse, looking relaxed and bright.

Sports naturally make people happy and cheerful. When Zhenyi was bouncing on the horse's back, the two braids hanging from her bun, tied with green and yellow ribbons, swayed back and forth. In the eyes of Orange who was watching from afar, they looked like the ears of a puppy jumping and wagging. Zhenyi was like a happy, carefree puppy.

The "happy puppy" in Orange's eyes was suddenly frightened.

A fast horse came galloping towards her, and Zhenyi hurriedly tightened the reins to dodge.

The big horse raised its front hooves high and then dropped them again, accompanied by the joyful laughter of the young man on its back.

Zhenyi, who was still in shock at being laughed at, looked over and saw Ertu, who had a smug look on his face.

As the eldest son of General Alu, Ertu spent the first half of the day studying and the second half practicing riding and archery or going to the army.

"What are you doing!" Baoyin rode over, questioned his brother, and threw out the whip in his hand.

Ertu reached out his hand disdainfully to grab the whip that was swinging in the air, then threw it away and rode away on his horse.

"Just wait! I'll help you vent your anger!" Baoyin threw a word to Zhenyi and angrily chased after her brother.

Seeing that Zhenyi was fine, Juzi felt relieved. He jumped lightly onto the wooden shelf beside him, crawled into Zhenyi's bookcase, and fell asleep comfortably - of course, for Juzi, he was working, and guarding the bookcase was a very important job.

Being interrupted while "working" makes Oranges very annoyed.

The bookcase was shaken by someone's slapping. Orange opened one eye and saw a handsome face of a young man.

There was some curiosity in the boy's eyes. Just as he stretched out one hand to the edge of the bookcase, he was suddenly hit by the orange.

Since Orange didn't show his claws, it didn't hurt to hit someone with his claws, but the cat's punch was so fast and sudden that it scared Ertu and he quickly retracted his hand.

"The real murderer." Ertu made a "tsk" sound and walked away, while Juzi continued to concentrate on his "work".

Orange nestled comfortably in the bookcase. He sniffed the wind and smelled the scent of autumn harvest.

Wang Zhefu no longer had to farm and pay taxes. The wheat he had previously harvested was harvested by nearby military households, and the land was divided among them. He also reclaimed two acres of wasteland nearby, which was taken care of by Zhuo Mama and Qisheng for self-sufficiency.

Wang Zhefu taught in the general's mansion, and was picked up by a carriage every day when he left early and returned late.

There were several Han Chinese advisors in the general's mansion who helped General Aru with his chores. When Wang Zhefu was not teaching in the afternoon, he would go to the horse farm to see his granddaughter, or chat and play chess with several advisors. When it was getting dark, he would take his granddaughter and Orange home.

Zhenyi likes this journey home very much.

Most of the time, Zhenyi could see the dense stars while sitting in the carriage and listen to her grandfather talk about the arrangement of stars and the laws of nature.

If you come back early and there are no stars to see, you can listen to what Grandfather says about the plan.

Sometimes it would rain, and the rain would hit the top of the carriage. Zhenyi would listen to her grandfather talking, and sometimes she would fall asleep leaning against the orange, and her dreams would be filled with the sound of the orange snoring. When she heard the dog barking, Zhenyi would wake up hazily and know that she had arrived home.

Whenever I step into the courtyard of my home, I must first smell the fragrance of rice.

When entering the house, Zhenyi, carrying a bookcase on her back, would always shout out first: "Grandmother, we are back!"

Autumn passed quickly, and when winter came, the snow covered the roads. Zhenyi stopped going to class and the general's mansion. She just stayed at home reading, playing with cats, and doing needlework.

On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, a letter arrived from Nanjing.

The letter was sent in September, but the roads in Jilin were difficult to travel in winter, and it took nearly a hundred days to reach Wang Zhefu.

There is good news and bad news in the letter.

　I haven't updated for a few days. Good evening everyone.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)