Chapter 142 [The daughter is also a descendant]
"...Have you thought about this, have you thought it through?"
"...doing things without thinking clearly and being reckless, but it's not okay, and it will suffer a lot."
"...Maybe you won't even be able to marry a daughter-in-law."
Amidst Lao Xu's ramblings, the boy was still very silent, lowered his head and wiped his hands with a towel, without saying a word.
It wasn't until the stall owner, Lao Xu, felt a little tired from talking, and his mouth was dry, that he asked the last sentence: "...I have said so much, have you listened to it? Do you want to go?"
The towel in his son's hand suddenly stopped, making him look even more dull.
After a few breaths, the boy said in a firm but soft voice, "I want to go."
Old Xu: "..."
The owner of the mutton noodle stall was speechless, and he didn't get angry or scold him. He just stared blankly at his son, motionless. In the end, all his emotions turned into a long sigh.
"well-"
Beside Xie Guangan saw all of this, he ate up the mutton noodles in the bowl in two or three bites, no matter how many scallions were left in it, he put down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth and said:
"Old Xu, what's the matter with you? Wu Ren wants to go to school?"
"Oh... yes." The stall owner, Old Xu, replied with a sigh, "Some days, he wanted to ask a gentleman to study, but this kid had been hiding from me before, secretly saving pocket money, and then I bumped into him by accident. Just let me know what you think.”
Xie Guang'an smiled and said, "Going to school is a good thing. Literacy and understanding are the way. Old Xu, I have known you for so many years. I didn't say it. I don't blame Wu Ren for not telling you. Look at you. I don't agree with you now. Let me tell you. Isn't it just adding to your troubles?"
"But I'm his father!" Old Xu raised his voice slightly, "and he's gone, who am I going to hand over the business to? Not to mention when I'm old and can't work anymore, is the family going to drink Northwest? Feng, just talking about this stall, wouldn’t it be a pity if it just disappeared like this?”
Xie Guangan smiled, and did not answer directly, but called Xu Wuren to the front: "Wuren, Uncle Xie, I would like to ask you, when did you have this idea?"
"Half a year ago." Wu Ren was still speaking concisely as usual.
"Why do you suddenly want to study?" Xie Guangan asked.
Wuren thought for a while, and said in a rare long way:
"I don't know why, maybe it's because I've been at this noodle stall for a long time and heard too many things. Although my noodle stall is small, there are people from all walks of life. After hearing too much, I I want to read and write more and more.”
"Although I shouldn't be able to walk around and look around, people in my contacts say that everything in the world can be found in books. If I can read, I can read all kinds of things from books. I think so .”
Xie Guangan asked with a smile, "How much money have you saved?"
Wu Ren replied honestly: "As of yesterday, there were a total of 127 Wen, which is still quite a bit short."
"Then let me recommend a good place for you." Xie Guang'an put his left elbow flat on the table, propped his leg with the other hand, leaned forward and told Wu Ren: "There are two Mr. Jian in Xingqing Mansion who are running a school. There is no threshold for widening the number of recruits. This matter is very popular in our Huaifeng Mansion. It is said that it will provide board and lodging for students from far away, and will give students from poor families the opportunity to work and study. If you are interested, you can consider it. "
"Of course it's good." Wu Ren said, "I've heard people talk about it at the stall these days, but no matter how far or near, my father doesn't agree with me to go to school."
Xie Guangan is good at observing words and expressions. He laughed and said to the father and son:
"Hahahaha, look at Lao Xu's face, in my opinion, he can't control you if you want to study, right?"
The stall owner, Lao Xu, stood aside with a bitter face, and said to Xie Guangan: "Old Xie, you also know that this kid follows his grandfather. He has too good ideas and a stubborn temper. I will pour out my bitterness, and I can't control it." Yes, I'm just worried, what can I do with this stall."
Xie Guangan smiled and said, "Don't you still have a daughter?"
Old Xu was still immersed in his worries, he shook his head and said, "Lianrong? She's married long ago."
"That's right, it's lotus seed paste." Xie Guang'an stretched out his finger and gestured: "And Xu, your ideas are old, so daughters can't pass it on to the family? The palms and backs of the hands are all flesh, and the sons and daughters are the same."
The owner of the stall, Old Xu, raised his head and said softly.
Xie Guangan continued:
"Lianrong is a good boy. I have met your son-in-law before. He is also an honest and responsible person. While he is young, let your daughter and son-in-law come up to help and learn the craft. Lianrong is so filial. Your son-in-law is also a good guy. Afraid that no one will take care of you when you get old?"
"Since Wuren wants to go to school, it is better for you to pass on this family business to your daughter and son-in-law than they are digging food in the fields. This way, no one will give Wuren a piece of paper when you are too old to work. A bowl of rice to eat..."
Fang Chang also finished eating the delicious mutton noodles in his bowl at this time, put down his chopsticks, and watched the three of them chatting.
Before Xie Guangan finished speaking, Lao Xu clapped his hands and said loudly:
"What a great idea!"
"Old Xie, you are really a smart person, no wonder everyone praises you."
After walking a few steps back and forth in the open space in front of the pot, Old Xu continued:
"You're right, as long as they live well, it doesn't matter if the stall is closed, let alone passed on to Lianrong. Although this dilapidated stall can make money, it needs to work hard from dawn to dusk, and it doesn't mean that the title of prince and marquis needs to be inherited by the heir."
"And when my grandfather founded this stall, my great-grandfather was not selling noodles. We are a small family, so we don't need to pay attention to 'heirloom'. As long as our children live well, my old Xu's life is worth it... "
Under the delighted eyes of Wuren, the two chatted enthusiastically and in a friendly manner.
At the end, Old Xu, the stall owner, said: "Tomorrow I will ask Wuren to talk to Lianrong and the others, let them come and learn crafts after two spring plows. Wuren's tuition fees don't need to be saved by himself, I will pay for him. Hurry up and go to Xingqing Mansion to sign up."
"There are relatives in Xingqing Mansion at home. I'll go back and see if I can let Wuren borrow it, and then find him a job. I can study while doing work, so that I can relax and study."
"By the way, Lao Xie, I just happened to be looking for you. I have some local products to bring to Huaifeng Mansion. You can bring them for me..."
Beside the two of them, Fang Chang listened interestingly, and he didn't bother the two of them chatting, but quietly took out the money, put it on the table, and then turned and left.
More than ten miles ahead is Yunzhongshan.
...
Linxi Village on the hillside, like other places, is preparing or has already started spring plowing, but there are no large animals in the mountain village, and most people can only rely on manpower to plow their terraced fields.
Fang Chang walked down the official road and entered the village lightly, feeling very comfortable.
From here, due to the cover of the two mountains, you can't see the Xianqi Cliff. Instead, from the previous Huqiao Town, you can see the blue high cliff in the cloud and mist with a long-distance vision.
That's where his ashram is.
However, if you go out of Linxi Village and go north, when you turn up the first hill, you will be able to see Xianqi Cliff.
(end of this chapter)