Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 26: Those Who Have Contentment in Their Heart

The next day, the sky was just beginning to brighten.

A dim light appeared on his eyelids. Lu Beigu struggled and opened his eyes.

The morning chill squeezed into the school through the crack in the door. There was a rare warmth under the linen quilt. He was dizzy and reluctant to leave.

But the next second, Lu Beigu lifted up the new linen quilt made this year. Because he used too much force, the willow catkins and cotton inside were squeezed out from the gap.

Looking at the white hair floating out, Lu Beigu suddenly had the thought of "Should I change to a warmer quilt?"

As soon as this thought arose, he threw it away fiercely.

Although cotton had already appeared and was used to make quilts, it was only enjoyed by the wealthy. Moreover, the story of "King Zhou made ivory chopsticks and Ji Zi was horrified" is not without reason. If you change the quilt, do you also need to change the bed? What next?

It’s best not to have this thought in the first place.

After these days, Lu Beigu has become very clear about what path he wants to take.

Perhaps he cannot do what Fan Zhongyan did, "worrying about the world before worrying about himself, and being happy about the world after being happy about himself", but at least he must make life better for himself and the people around him. Without disappointing his original intention, he should use his pen as a sword to make his own voice heard in this era!
Whether he wants to live with dignity and character, or to make achievements and make statements, he needs to rely on his own efforts to achieve it step by step!

Lu Beigu folded the quilt, got up and went outside to brush his teeth at the well.

Unlike many of their predecessors who still had to tear willow branches and dip them in coarse salt, mature toothbrushes had already appeared in the Northern Song Dynasty. That is, toothbrushes with wooden handles and horsetail hair as bristles. They could be bought in grocery stores, usually for 5-6 copper coins, which was not expensive.

If you want to save some money, you can rub it yourself, but drilling holes and plucking hairs are quite tiring.

There is no toothpaste because it is difficult to preserve it in liquid form, but there is tooth powder.

The main method is to boil willow branches, locust branches, and mulberry branches into a paste, then cool and crush them, add ginger juice and asarum and mix well. It is usually sold by portion, with four packets in one portion, and the total price is 1 copper coin.

Lu Beigu took a wooden toothbrush holder that looked like a pen holder and fetched some cold water from the well. He put his toothbrush in and stirred it. Then he opened the tooth powder bag, dipped it in the water, put it in his mouth and started brushing his teeth.

In an age where tooth extraction can kill people, brushing your teeth is undoubtedly a very important daily ritual.

"Brother Lu, are you up so early?"

A scholar carrying a backpack walked into the courtyard of the school.

Lu Beigu looked closely and saw that it was Zhang Sheng, a native of Hejiang, who was one of the two people who called for help for him at the riverside that day.

"Brother Zhang." Lu Beigu quickly rinsed his mouth. "I thought I'd get up early and study in the morning light. I have a ten-day test in a few days, so I need to review the calligraphy more."

"Morning reading?"

Although he didn't understand it at first, Zhang Sheng still understood it by guessing the literal meaning.

"Brother Lu is diligent, can you take me with you?"

"my pleasure."

Lu Beigu put the toothbrush back into the dormitory and took out the "Analects of Confucius" distributed by the county school.

It is not enough to just work on Mo Yi. After all, the exam also tests calligraphy, poetry and prose. Especially the ten-day test in a few days will test calligraphy and Mo Yi.

Compared with the "Spring and Autumn Annals" and "Book of Rites", which require understanding, have a long history of evolution, and have complicated interpretations from various schools of thought, the "Analects of Confucius" tested in the Tiejing really only requires memorization.

But he didn't mean to memorize it by rote.

On the one hand, Lu Beigu has his own memory method that allows him to quickly memorize the content. On the other hand, the essence of "The Analects of Confucius" is quotations, so he cannot be mute and must read it out loud instead of reciting it in his mind.

And this is why he chose morning reading as his method.

Lu Beigu and Zhang Sheng stood outside the school courtyard, each holding the "Analects of Confucius" and reading. The morning dew wet the corners of their clothes, but they were unaware.

"The Master said: Who would call Wei Sheng a man of high integrity? If someone were to ask for vinegar, he would ask his neighbor for it and give it to him."

Lu Beigu read in a low voice, his fingers sliding gently across the pages made of bamboo paper, the most common type in Sichuan.

"Wang Sunjia asked, 'Rather than flatter the Emperor, it is better to flatter the Kitchen God.' What does this mean? The Master said, 'No, if one offends Heaven, there is nothing to pray for.'"

Time slipped by unnoticed, the purple clouds on the horizon quietly turned red, and the rising sun was lifted up by the sea of ​​clouds. When his legs and feet felt numb and sweat formed on his forehead, Lu Beigu finally broke free from his concentrated morning reading.

At this time, Zhang Sheng was sitting on a stone bench beside him, looking at him.

"Brother Zhang, why are you looking at me like that?" Lu Beigu was puzzled.

"Brother Lu, aren't you tired of reading all this?" Zhang Sheng was also puzzled. "I read about ten pages, and my head feels so full that I can't remember anything new."

"Not really." Lu Beigu said honestly, "I just feel like there's not enough time."

"By the way, Brother Zhang, have you had breakfast?"

"Nope."

"Then let's go eat something together. It's my treat."

Zhang Sheng nodded. He was four years older than Lu Beigu and was a native of Hejiang County. His family ran a small pharmacy. Although they were not rich, their conditions were better than those of a poor student like Lu Beigu.

But since Lu Beigu planned to treat him to a meal, there was no reason for him to refuse.

There is a canteen in the county school, which serves many kinds of breakfast, but the staple food is mostly cakes, such as sesame cakes and cooked cakes.

Well, Chuibing is actually steamed buns, the kind sold by Wu Dalang.

Lu Beigu spent 4 cents to buy two sesame cakes as staple food, then spent 1 cent to buy himself a bowl of rice water, and spent 2 cents to buy a bowl of bayberry thirst-quenching water for Zhang Sheng.

The method of making sesame cakes is different from that of modern ones, but the difference is not big. The crispy crust with sesame seeds is satisfying when you bite into it, and the jiangshui is similar to rice soup, but it is flavored with a little honey and floral juice, making it taste a little sweet.

As for the bayberry thirst-quenching water that Zhang Sheng drank, it was a bit like the semi-finished beverage like the modern honey grapefruit tea that needs to be mixed with hot water. It was a pre-mixed jam sweet paste. Due to its high cost, it was more expensive than rice soup.

Because he didn't have a mobile phone, Lu Beigu, who was used to playing videos as an electronic pickle, simply put "The Analects of Confucius" on the dining table and read it while eating. To be honest, some of the dialogues and short stories in it were quite interesting to eat with.

Just then, He Cong came over with a few people.

He had a bowl of bamboo shoots with soup on his plate and deliberately sat next to Lu Beigu.

This is one of the most expensive breakfasts. It is usually made by stewing fresh chestnuts, yam, spring bamboo shoots and seasonings. It tastes very fresh and is loved by many people. In the Song Dynasty, the price of fresh vegetables is usually significantly higher than that of ordinary vegetables.

He Cong was furious when he saw Lu Beigu ignored him. He deliberately straightened his brand-new silk gown and patted the mutton-fat jade pendant hanging from his waist. He then said loudly to his companion, "It's cold today. I'll treat you to a bowl of pickled mutton at Zuixianlou in the south of the city, and a pot of warm jade wine to warm you up."

After saying that, he glanced at Lu Beigu again and said, "Some people may not even have tasted mutton, right?"

His companion laughed along, his eyes sweeping across Lu Beigu's patched linen gown, which was washed white, with a hint of meaning.

Lu Beigu just lowered his head and turned a page of "The Analects" without even raising his eyelids.

He Cong was disappointed and snorted coldly. After finishing his meal, he left with his men.

Zhang Sheng watched them leave and couldn't help but lean over and whisper, "Brother Lu, are you really not envious?"

Lu Beigu closed the book and looked up at the rising sun outside the dining hall. The morning light reflected on his brows, making him look particularly handsome.

He smiled slightly and said calmly: "I don't envy you."

Zhang Sheng was stunned: "Why?"

Lu Beigu gently patted the Analects in his hand and said, "Those who are content with what they have in their hearts do not realize that their food and clothing are not as well provided for as others."

Zhang Sheng was stunned, savoring these words carefully, and after a long while he sighed, "Brother Lu's state of mind is beyond my reach."

Lu Beigu smiled and said nothing more.

He has very little time left in the county school, so he cherishes it very much.

If things go as expected, the magistrate will take him to Chengdu Prefecture soon.

(End of this chapter)