Seeing so many people coming out of the two Zhuangzi, Zhou Qiong felt troubled. If he had come down as an official, this scene would have been perfect. But this time, he was using his normal identity as Zhou Xihu's uncle. Compared to the two old masters of the two villages, he should be considered a junior.
Before he could figure out what to do, the crowd came forward one after another to greet him. He could only follow suit. The crowd surrounded him and pulled him into the main courtyard of Zhangjia Zhuangzi.
In the main hall, the two old masters of Zhuangzi sat on the same level, occasionally praising each other. Only Zhang Xiaobao's father accompanied them and chatted. This was arranged by Zhang Xiaobao. If one wanted to take the imperial examination, it was not that simple. One needed to be famous and know people above them.
For this matter, Zhang Xiaobao had discussed with Wang Juan. They wanted to copy some poems for his father and make him famous. But after considering that his father would not be so thick-skinned as to copy poems, they could only give up. Only then did they painstakingly try to establish a good relationship with him. Originally, they planned to look for the Prime Minister surnamed Yao during the disaster relief, but after considering that person would be dismissed in a few days, they had to find a new way.
The people in the hall chatted until dinner time. Naturally, they made some arrangements. The women of the family left, and the children were not allowed to sit at the table. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan took Pomegranate to eat. They went out to train for a while, then went to bed.
Zhou Qiong had chatted with Zhang Zhong's father for a long time. He was quite satisfied with the heads of the Zhang family, Zhang Yongcheng. They had talent, but they were a bit inflexible. Although they were the heads of the family, the real person in charge of the family was actually from the Zhang Wong Clan. They had the ability to take care of Zhuangzi in an orderly manner. This could be seen from the actions and words of the servants.
During the meal, the servant girls who served the dishes were all so steady and did not deliberately try to please him. There was no fault to be found in their etiquette. Their eyes were clear, making people feel that they were sincere, and their responses were appropriate. They gave people the feeling that they were eating at home. Although they were servants of the manor, they would not look bad in some manors.
After the meal, Zhou Qiong and the others were arranged to rest after a bumpy day. At this time, the sky was not dark yet. Zhou Qiong, who was originally tired, was lying on the couch, but couldn't fall asleep. He tossed and turned, and had no choice but to get up and take a look outside.
After putting on her clothes and pushing open the door, the maidservant who had been waiting outside respectfully greeted her. When she heard that this lady wanted to walk around, she didn't stop her. She followed beside her and found someone who passed by to report to the steward.
As soon as he arrived outside the main courtyard, Zhou Qiong saw two children using slingshots to hit a tree on the other side of the river. Beside the two children stood a servant girl wearing the master's servant clothes.
"Xiao Ju, are these two children the Xiao Bao and Cuckoo of Zhuangzi?" Zhou Qiong asked the servant girl beside her.
"In reply to Daren, it is the little master and the little lady. Daren, look over there. The water from the well is different from other places. It tastes sweet."
The servant girl Xiao Ju replied. She pointed to a place in front of them and gently introduced it. She wanted to lead Zhou Qiong there. She was afraid that Zhou Qiong would be happy and want to say a few words to the little master and the little lady. If the two little ancestors revealed too much at once, Zhou Qiong would be suspicious.
"Oh? Only this one is different? I have to taste it. En, take me to see your little master and little lady first. " Zhou Qiong followed the servant girl's words and looked in that direction. He was about to walk over when he suddenly realized that the servant girl didn't want him to meet the two children.
Strange, he was actually led to another place by the servant girl. If it wasn't for the fact that he usually talked to people like this, he really would have been led there. How impressive. If it was someone else, they might have said 'Daren, why don't you look elsewhere?' That would be too obvious. However, the servant girl acted as if she didn't care.
When Xiao Ju heard this, she knew that her thoughts had been seen through. She didn't show any panic on her face and gently said, "Daren, your body is precious. You don't have to see it personally. Let me invite the little master and little lady."
"There's no hurry. Let them play for a while. I like children the most. Xiao Ju, let me ask you. What do you usually do in this courtyard? I saw three little stars embroidered on your clothes. Some people embroidered one or two. Could it be that there's something else? "Zhou Qiong was now interested in the servant girls. Those that were sent to serve him were definitely chosen carefully.
Xiao Ju smiled sweetly, "In reply to Daren, I usually serve the old madam. Daren, your guess is very accurate. The servants in this courtyard are divided into three classes. Two stars are first class, one star is second class. There are no third class."
"Then what about these three stars of yours?"
"Special class. They are all favored by the old madam and madam." Xiao Ju's smile didn't change.
"Then Xiao Ju, you are not ordinary. Tell me, how do you become a special class? What is the class of the servant girl that serves your little master and little lady? "Zhou Qiong was getting more and more curious about this Zhangjia Zhuangzi.
"In reply to Daren, a special class servant first has to serve in this courtyard for ten years. I started helping out when I was six years old and have been doing this for eleven years. Other than that, I still have to help my family in Zhuangzi's previous generation. With these two, I have to pick someone who is sensible and smart to learn how to read. After that, I have to choose someone who is knowledgeable and knows how to keep accounts."
Xiao Ju's voice was still very pleasant when she spoke. She didn't sound arrogant at all. Only the other people in the courtyard knew that there were only three servants like her in the entire courtyard. Not everyone had the opportunity to learn things. After the little master and little lady became sensible, they started to send a large number of servants to learn. Other than learning, they also had to work. To be able to reach such a standard, it was obvious how much effort they had put in.
Zhou Qiong also knew that there weren't many servants in his residence who had the opportunity to learn how to read. People like Xiao Ju were very rare.
At that moment, he didn't continue to harp on this topic. He stopped Xiao Ju from going to invite her little master and little lady and walked over.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were still playing. When Zhou Qiong's gaze landed on them, the two of them sensed it. People like them were especially sensitive to such things, especially Zhang Xiaobao. He had been captured, escaped, and besieged before, so he had long trained to be sensitive.
However, they still pretended not to notice. It wasn't until Pomegranate saw someone coming over and reminded them that they stopped what they were doing. Wang Juan hid behind Zhang Xiaobao while Weiwei stuck her head out. The two of them blinked their big innocent eyes and looked at Zhou Qiong.
"You are Xiao Bao and you are Cuckoo? Come, let Uncle take a good look at you. " Zhou Qiong took a liking to the two children as soon as he saw them. He didn't wait for the servant girl to speak before he walked over, squatted down, and smiled at Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan as he spoke.
"Hello, Uncle." Zhang Xiaobao greeted him first, and Wang Juan also followed suit in a small voice. At this time, the two of them didn't speak as fluently as before, and their enunciation wasn't as clear. They had shy and curious expressions on their faces.
Pomegranate and Xiao Ju watched from the side and inwardly let out a sigh of relief. The little master and little lady were really not ordinary.
Zhou Qiong didn't know that the two children were pretending to be children. When he heard the greetings, his smile grew wider. "Xiao Bao and Cuckoo, tell Uncle, how old are you?"
"Three years old." Zhang Xiaobao raised three fingers in front of him and replied with wide eyes. Wang Juan revealed half of her body and also said, "I'm the same age as Xiao Bao."
Zhou Qiong knew that this was a false calculation. Otherwise, the two children would both be one year and eight months old. Looking at the pair in front of him, he really felt like they were a golden couple. He asked again, "Do you know who I am? My surname is Zhou, and I have a nephew named Zhou Xihu. "
After saying this, he looked at the two children. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan first revealed a puzzled and thoughtful expression. Then, they suddenly smiled and nodded vigorously.
Zhang Xiaobao said first, "Be a high-ranking official."
Wang Juan followed. "Good person."
After Wang Juan finished speaking, her entire body flashed out from behind Zhang Xiaobao and stood there obediently, as if she was no longer afraid.
When Zhou Qiong heard this, he was happy. The child didn't know anything and would do whatever the adults taught her. This showed that the people in the courtyard usually taught the child this way. Especially when he saw Wang Juan's fearless appearance, he felt very comfortable. The child's wishes were the wishes of the adults.
When he was happy, he wanted to give a gift. His two hands searched his body and found that he didn't bring anything. He could only apologetically smile at the two children and say, "Uncle didn't bring anything for you this time. Next time, I'll make up for it."
Zhang Xiaobao immediately handed over a slingshot at his waist. "This is for Uncle."
He and Wang Juan each held two slingshots. One was strong and the other was weak. When no one was looking, they would practice with the strong one. If someone was nearby, they would take the weak one. This time, they gave the weak one to Zhou Qiong.
This time, Zhou Qiong didn't know whether to accept or not. If he didn't accept a gift from the child, the child would be unhappy. If he accepted it, how could he return it? Although it was just a slingshot, it was a treasure to the child. If the child gave him a treasure, what would he do?
Looking at Zhang Xiaobao's expectant gaze, Zhou Qiong reached out and took the slingshot. He thought that he must repay this favor in the future. He also needed to help find candidates for the imperial examinations.
After taking the slingshot, Zhou Qiong said a few words to Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. The two children didn't understand a lot of things. Occasionally, they would spit out a few words that weren't very clear. It was considered chatting.
Waiting for Zhou Qiong to decide to go back and rest. He was going to continue discussing matters with the people in Zhuangzi tomorrow and meet the two masters. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan also went back to sleep. They still had to wake up at night to study.
This time, Zhou Qiong could finally sleep. However, he had a long dream at night. When he woke up in the morning, he could still remember what happened in the dream. He dreamed that he encountered a problem in the future. No one could help him. In the end, two children appeared and told him what to do.
He couldn't see what the two children looked like, but what they said shocked him. In the end, he saw the two children each holding a slingshot and gradually running away.
Shaking his slightly confused head, Zhou Qiong looked at the small slingshot beside his pillow. He thought that what he thought about in the day, he dreamed at night. Before he went to sleep, he thought about how to repay the gift of the slingshot. In the end, he dreamt the whole night.
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