Dream of the Red Chamber: Starting with winning over Daiyu's favorability

Deng Zechen followed Guo Wenshao back to Tingyan Hall. After helping Guo Wenshao set out the food, the two brothers ate and chatted.

Guo Wenshao moved a plate of seemingly bland green vegetables in front of Deng Zechen, gesturing for him to try it:

"Come on, try this braised cabbage in broth. Don't let its unassuming appearance fool you; the broth is made with old hen, ham, and preserved eggs, resulting in a refreshing and non-greasy flavor. It's the signature dish of 'Liuquanju.' This is my favorite dish, but unfortunately, my family's cook can't make it taste the same."

"Thank you, senior brother!"

Deng Zechen took a bite and found the flavor to be fresh, pure, and clear, with both the sweetness of vegetables and the richness of broth.

This was the best meal Deng Zechen had ever eaten here, even surpassing the meal he had at Lin Ruhai's house. It truly lived up to its reputation as the capital.

"It's really good."

Guo Wenshao's eyes lit up. Anyone who eats from the same pot with him must be a good person!

The two young people devoured the entire table of food, still seemingly wanting more. Guo Wenshao finished the last drop of soup in his bowl, wiped his mouth, and said to Deng Zechen:

"Zechen, tell your senior brother, why did Master Li agree to take you as his disciple so easily?"

Deng Zechen was also very puzzled by this, because he had not opened or read the letter written by Magistrate Li. When Magistrate Li handed the letter to him, he only said that it was written by a very famous Confucian scholar in the capital.

He had also taught Magistrate Li, but Magistrate Li made a mistake and was expelled from his school.

However, according to Magistrate Li, there was still some affection between the former master and apprentice.

But Li Jieran didn't even read the letter before accepting him as his last disciple...

"I don't know either. I came here because the newly appointed Magistrate Li of Wu County wrote me a letter asking me to come and pay him a visit."

After hearing this, Guo Wenshao seemed to have found the answer and stopped asking questions.

Seeing that Guo Wenshao clearly knew the reason, yet suddenly stopped talking, Deng Zechen asked curiously:

"Senior brother, do you know the reason? Could you please enlighten me?"

"I can't say, and I'm not entirely sure either. My senior brother will be back in a couple of days, and he'll definitely know. You can ask him then."

Guo Wenshao waved his hand repeatedly, passing the buck to Deng Zechen, his senior brother whom he had never met before.

After dinner, Guo Wenshao took Deng Zechen to his accommodation. Deng Zechen put his few belongings inside and looked at the room, quite satisfied.

The new desk was fully equipped with writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones; everything was ready, and the room was much larger than my old one.

The books in the courtyard couldn't be put away yet, and Deng Zechen had nothing to do. Thinking of Guo Wenshao's graceful movements that he had seen that morning, he felt a deep longing in his heart.

At that time, Guo Wenshao had also agreed to tutor him. After walking around the Li residence, Deng Zechen found Guo Wenshao sunbathing and expressed his thoughts:

"Senior brother, what kind of skill is that, airing out your books? Can I start learning it today?"

Guo Wenshao lay on the bench, removed the book from his face after hearing Deng Zechen's words, and lazily replied to Deng Zechen:

"Oh, no rush. We just finished eating. You must be tired after traveling all this way. Let's rest today, and I'll teach you tomorrow."

Without giving Deng Zechen a chance to say he wasn't tired, she covered her face with the book again, her voice muffled as it came from beneath it:

"This was taught by my senior brother. I only learned a few parts of it. In his hands, this movement technique allows him to stop sparrows with his bare hands and leave no trace on the grass. I didn't put much effort into it; I just modified it a bit to make it easier to dry books."

These two short sentences made Deng Zechen even more curious about the senior brother he hadn't met yet.

Teacher Li Jieran assigned him academic subjects, and Guo Wenshao's miraculous kung fu also originated from him.

But Guo Wenshao was no ordinary person either. What kind of good person would specially improve a kung fu just to show off a book?

"Huff... huff..."

Guo Wenshao's chest rose and fell slowly, and he fell asleep just like that.

Deng Zechen had no choice but to give up.

"This place is full of talented people!"

Many things happened in just one day, but fortunately we settled down in the capital.

Although he is currently only a student in the preliminary examination, being the top scorer in the examination can already be considered as having achieved official rank.

In this way, there's no need to constantly worry about being suddenly conscripted into the army.

With some time to spare, Deng Zechen returned to the room he had been assigned to organize his personal belongings.

After Deng Zechen and Guo Wenshao had gathered all the books from the yard and put them neatly in the study, the sunlight gradually turned red, casting a long, slanted shadow on the floor inside the house through the doors and windows; it was getting dark.

While tidying up, Deng Zechen noticed the extensive collection of books here. "Senior brother, may I look at these books?"

Guo Wenshao unbuttoned his sleeves and let them hang down naturally, without even looking up when he heard this:

"Sure, just write down the titles of the books you took in the booklet by the door, along with the return date."

"Thank you for your guidance, senior brother."

Guo Wenshao waved dismissively and left on his own.

After seeing Guo Wenshao off, Deng Zechen retrieved several books he had been looking at for a while, following his memory of how to do so. He registered at the door and then left as well.

The books Deng Zechen took were mostly history books of this world, since he hadn't fully absorbed the original owner's memories when he arrived.

Now that I have the opportunity, I should definitely brush up on my knowledge of this dynasty, and also take the opportunity to test the effects of my memory +1 in more detail.

But before that, you should write a letter to Lin Ruhai to inform him of what happened at the academy as soon as possible.

Back in his room, Deng Zechen laid out his brush, ink, paper, and inkstone and began writing a letter to Lin Ruhai.

After finishing his work, Deng Zechen began to peruse the borrowed history books, the oil lamp occasionally crackling as it burned.

The room was occasionally filled with the sound of Deng Zechen turning the pages of a book, until the bright moon hung high in the sky, at which point Deng Zechen finally put down the book in his hand.

This dynasty can be roughly compared to the Ming Dynasty in my memory, except that after the peasant uprising succeeded, the peasants took control of the country.

Unfortunately, the rebel leader died from his injuries less than six months into his reign. Fortunately, his son, who succeeded him, was an emperor who knew how to use people well and was considerate of the people's plight.

During his reign, he swiftly expelled the Tartars and drove out the nomadic bandits from beyond the Great Wall. Domestically, he reduced corvée labor and taxes, allowing the people to recuperate and thrive.

The current emperor is the third emperor, and his reign title, Chenglie, signifies inheriting the bravery of his predecessor.

"It seems the +1 memory effect means that I can memorize anything after reading it three times silently. I just wonder how long this memory will last without review..."

Regardless, the improvements brought by this system's skill point allocation are quite significant. Xiangling is currently progressing the fastest, so let's try to fully conquer Xiangling first.

After making up their minds, new problems arose one after another:

I'm still living at my teacher's house, so it wouldn't be very convenient to bring a strange girl over.

Besides, there are no other maids in the Li residence at all!

I still need to find a way to make money as soon as possible to rent a house outside. No matter how I plan, I can't avoid making money.

After much deliberation, Deng Zechen finally came up with an idea.