As she spoke, Wang Juan opened up her little sunny purse that she didn't allow anyone to touch. She took out a piece of paper with words written on it and handed it to the old man.
"Grandpa Bi, look. This is Xiao Bao's first handwriting. Isn't it much better compared to back then?"
The old man didn't expect that Wang Juan would speak up for Zhang Xiaobao at this moment. He took the piece of paper and looked at it. His brows furrowed and his mouth cracked open. How was this writing? What kind of nonsense was this? He then thought about how Zhang Xiaobao's natural handwriting and looked at Zhang Xiaobao's age.
The old man was finally moved. How much effort did he have to put in to achieve this? In this aspect, Zhang Xiaobao clearly didn't have Wang Juan's talent. Back then, when they were chatting, "You are the wind and I am the sand," Wang Juan's talent was revealed.
When he saw that sentence and those words, he decided to come over to take a look. When he arrived, he realized that Wang Juan wasn't only good at handwriting and sentence writing. More importantly, she knew how to stand behind Zhang Xiaobao at such a young age, just like that lass from the Wang Clan, Wang Qiaoer.
When she walked, she would back off a little. When she spoke, she would try her best to let Zhang Xiaobao stand in front. As long as Zhang Xiaobao did something wrong or said something wrong, she would stand out to help him.
And Zhang Xiaobao had always stood in front. Regardless of whether it was when others were reprimanding or when they were playing, the position he stood in would always provide Wang Juan with a certain amount of protection. It was the same even when he was teaching. Wang Juan's position would always be the easiest to leave, while Zhang Xiaobao's position would always block others from getting close to Wang Juan.
These two children were amazing. They were like left and right hands, one in front and one behind, complementing each other. They didn't have any deliberate movements and everything was so natural. It was a kind of habit. They were already like this at such a young age. When they grew up, who could compare to the two of them?
"Grandpa Bi, did you notice that Xiao Bao's handwriting is getting better and better? Xiao Bao has never given up and has always been working hard. Grandpa Bi, Xiao Bao's, um … that's mine … um, how's the head of the Zhang family doing?"
Wang Juan continued when the old man was sighing in his heart. She wanted to say Zhang Xiaobao's father, but she felt that it was a little disrespectful. She wanted to say her father-in-law, but she was too embarrassed to say it.
The old man looked at Wang Juan, who was still standing slightly behind Zhang Xiaobao. Then, he looked at Zhang Xiaobao, who could move at any time. He laughed and said, "Cuckoo, don't worry. With a daughter-in-law like you and a son like Xiao Bao, how can Zhang Zhong be an ordinary person?"
Zhang Xiaobao was still a little dissatisfied with this answer. He needed a definite answer, so he said, "Grandpa Bi, your nephew can do other things that are more profitable."
"Oh? What is it? Tell me about it. "The old man was interested.
"Grandpa Bi, don't worry. With an uncle like you and your nephew's intelligence, how can he be as simple as an ordinary person?" Zhang Xiaobao changed the old man's words slightly and returned them.
"Hahaha!" The old man laughed even louder. He patted Zhang Xiaobao's head and said, "Xiao Bao, your father has worked hard for eight lifetimes to have a son like you. I have already written letters to some people, including one to the current Emperor. They will still write to me for this favor."
Zhang Xiaobao was slightly relieved, but he still replied, "Grandpa Bi, your nephew has worked hard for eight lifetimes to have an uncle like you. My family already has a way for him to earn money. Don't worry, I still have the ability to do this."
"Alright, then let's wait for your father to pass the imperial examinations and enter the top three. When the time comes, your family's method of earning money won't be too late." The old man realized that as long as Zhang Xiaobao mentioned his father, there was no room for negotiation. He had to take out something in exchange.
"Of course. My family has many good methods. Grandpa Bi, don't worry. There will always be a return on investment." Zhang Xiaobao still insisted.
"I know. Your family will definitely be rewarded for their efforts. You came here so late to ask about this, right?" The old man finally understood. No wonder the two children came over. It was to ask about Zhang Zhong.
Wang Juan immediately said, "No, Xiao Bao and I are here to see how big a fish Grandpa Bi can catch. Xiao Bao and I want to eat fish."
The old man looked at Wang Juan and then at Xiao Bao and said, "I know. It's fishing. I'll get a net later and catch two for you to eat. Pick the big one."
Wang Juan didn't continue the old man's words. She yawned and asked Zhang Xiaobao, "Xiao Bao, I'm sleepy. Are you sleepy?"
"I'm sleepy too. Grandpa Bi, we'll come again tomorrow. You can catch the fish first. Wait for someone to make it tomorrow. We've been walking for a day. I'm really sleepy." Zhang Xiaobao had achieved his goal and was preparing to leave. There was no need to lie when facing the old man.
The old man also liked Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan's straightforward manner. He said, "Then go back and sleep. I'll take a look at the nature. This clairvoyance will be passed on. When the time comes, it will be credited to you, Zhangjia Zhuangzi."
The old man didn't know that the two children came here on their own. He thought that the person behind the scenes asked them to come here.
When he saw the two children looking sleepy, he waved his hand and let the two children leave.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan used their interests to tie the old man down. Now that they were relieved, they bade farewell to the old man and walked back.
*****
It was late and countless lanterns were lit. No one knew that it was still cold in spring and delicious food was served on jade plates.
In Chang 'an City, Zhang Zhong was drinking with the people sent by County Magistrate Cheng at the Savant's Restaurant. He finally knew what social activities were and what poetry recitals were. For several days, he didn't have a good rest. He drank with others all day and recited some poems while drinking.
As he drank, he lost his sense of direction. In a daze, he was sent back to a small inn to rest. At first, he felt uncomfortable. Then, he was fed a lot of things. After that, he vomited. After vomiting, he was fed again. Only when he had nothing left to vomit did he drink something warm and sleep.
The next morning, his head didn't hurt so much. Only his stomach felt uncomfortable. Soon, someone would bring some soup. After drinking the soup, he found that his stomach didn't feel uncomfortable anymore. It seemed that he could continue drinking. These were the three kinds of sobering soups. The first was to induce vomiting, the second was to refresh the mind, and the third was to warm the body.
These soups added up to five or six taels of silver. It was not much compared to treating others to a meal, but it was not little at all. It was enough to buy a year's salary of a seventh-grade official. How could he buy so much food in exchange for a few soups?
Today, Zhang Zhong was eating with some assistant ministers in the yamen. They were not high-ranking officials. Some were even in the position of helpers, but they had a lot of power.
Zhang Zhong could only endure the discomfort and drink with them again and again. It was not easy for County Magistrate Cheng to find these people to eat with, but he also had to mention Father Zhang at the table and not offend him.
Those who were found were also not having an easy time. County Magistrate Cheng gave them a lot of money. They knew who this place was and didn't need to spend money to eat and drink. In addition, during this period of time in the capital, they talked about how the head of the Zhang family, Zhang Zhong, worried about the country and the people, how he offered the winter vegetable recipe, and how many poems he wrote.
All these added up, Zhang Zhong was praised to the sky. In addition, he was the first in the township tribute. It could be said that he was rich and talented. Everyone was saying good things about him. Zhang Zhong was a scholar and said whatever he wanted. The only good thing was that he either didn't drink too much and didn't offend people when he spoke, or he immediately shrank under the table when he drank too much and didn't offend people.
"Brother Yongcheng, you are really good at writing. Why don't you go out of the East Gate tomorrow and take a look at the mountain?" A young assistant minister from the Ministry of Works said to Zhang Zhong after drinking a few bowls of wine.
"Okay, I will go out and take a look tomorrow." Zhang Zhong had gotten used to life these days. It was just drinking, flattering each other, and thinking of some sentences. Anyway, after drinking, other than feeling a little uncomfortable when he vomited, he was fine. So he just drank. Sometimes, when he drank too much, it seemed to be easier to write some poems.
Er Niu stood at the door and felt bad for his master. No one could be offended. He drank it almost every day and vomited every day. Sometimes, he even drank it in the morning. After vomiting, he still had to drink it in the afternoon. Fortunately, the medicine prepared here was sufficient to protect the master's body without any major problems.
In just a few days, he had been to Savant's Restaurant and Success House more than ten times. He really didn't go outside. Maybe it was because of the cold weather, no one was willing to go outside to play.
He also wrote a letter to Zhuangzi. The only difference between his master and others was that he never went to brothels, nor did he find any girls to play music. If others wanted to go to brothels, he would pay, but he never went himself. Every time someone said that he wasn't a man after drinking too much, he would always say, "Which girl can be compared to my Qiao 'er? There are no more talented girls in this world. Talented girls can't produce good men. "
While others were puzzled, he hid under the table and was carried back. After a while, he fell asleep. The next day, he still drank like this.
Just as everyone was drinking happily, the door of the room was pushed open. The waiter whispered behind, but this person ignored him. He entered the room, looked around, and said to Zhang Zhong, "Zhang Zhong, go to the Wang Family immediately. Master is looking for you."
"Get out." Zhang Zhong was a little drunk now. What Wang Family? He didn't know.
"Zhang Zhong, don't you want to take the imperial examination this time?" That person's face sank.
"Get out. Who is the waiter here? Do you still want to work?" Zhang Zhong hated the Wang Family the most. When he heard this person's words, he knew which family he was from.
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