If they were too big, they would not be able to display their skills. It would be best for them to temporarily stay in a reputable but not too well-known shop.
Yu Shu knew of two such shops. One was the Heavenly Star Shop located on West Qiuguifang Street and the other was the Zhou Family Shop located on East Street. If she had to choose between the two, Yu Shu would lean towards the latter. For no other reason than the fact that the owner of the Zhou Family Shop was familiar with Shopkeeper Sun of Sun Ji Tavern, it would be more convenient to introduce them to each other.
Yu Shu decided to bring Jing Chen to the Taoist temple tomorrow and ask Shopkeeper Sun to introduce them.
It was Yu Xiaoxiu's first day at school and he felt pretty good. Yu Shu picked him up from Baichuan Academy before dusk. On the way back, she listened to him gesticulating and talking about all the things that happened in the academy today. For example, what the Headmaster said, how some of his classmates were younger than him, and how their lunch was delicious, etc.
Yu Shu could see that he was trying hard to adapt to the new environment and was very gratified. When she passed by the pork shop, she bought a catty of pork and another catty of fish. She planned to cook a good meal for him when she returned home at night.
When the two of them returned home, Jing Chen was cleaning the courtyard. There were old trees growing in the front and back of the alley. Autumn had begun to shed their leaves … Whenever there was a slight breeze, it would blow towards their courtyard. If they didn't clean it up, it would accumulate all over the place.
Jing Chen was holding a broom that was about the same height as a person. His hair was tied up behind his back and his forehead was slightly wet with sweat. He practiced the sword for the whole afternoon. Yu Shu did not know and thought that he was tired from work. She took the broom from his hand and said: "You only need to sweep the courtyard once a day. Go wash your face, I will cook now."
"En."
Jing Chen gave the broom to Yu Shu and went to wash his face. When he came out, Yu Xiaoxiu stopped him in the courtyard. Holding the new textbooks he received today, he embarrassedly begged: "Big Brother Jing, can you help me write my name on the pages? I am afraid I will dirty the books."
"Okay …" Jing Chen brought him back to his room. Yu Xiaoxiu stood by the table and grinded the ink. Jing Chen flipped through the book, glanced at a few pages, and asked him: "Is the school interesting?"
Yu Xiaoxiu heard the concern in his words and answered carefully, "There were quite a lot of people. The Headmaster has a good temper and the students are very polite to me. Oh, but there are some parts of the book that I don't understand."
Jing Chen asked: "Where?"
Yu Xiaoxiu put down the ink stick and wiped his hands. He flipped to the part that he heard in class today and pointed it out to Jing Chen: "Look, it says here, 'The Book of Changes is a book … it cannot be far away. The path of Changes is constantly changing … It cannot be an important part of the book, only changes are suitable.
But, what does' only changes are suitable 'mean? The teacher didn't explain it clearly, so I don't understand it. I even asked my brother, but she doesn't know either. She asked me to go to the school tomorrow and ask the teacher. "
Yu Shu did not learn the Book of Changes from an orthodox teacher. She often did not understand these written things. She knew nothing about the ancient language. When Yu Xiaoxiu asked her these questions, she was also confused and blamed the teacher in the school.
Yu Xiaoxiu said this to Jing Chen, not expecting Jing Chen to answer his questions. He just mentioned it in passing. Unexpectedly, Jing Chen stared at the line of words and blurted out: "The Way of Heaven operates, only changes are suitable. The world is ever-changing, and one should adapt to it."
"Ah? What did you say? "Yu Xiaoxiu was confused.
Jing Chen was in a trance for a moment. He came back to his senses and pointed to the four words' only changes are suitable 'at the top of the book. He said: "This should be saying that everything is always changing. One should not follow the rules and regulations. One should adapt to the situation."
Yu Xiaoxiu thought for a moment and clapped his hands: "So that's what it means!"
Then he read the two sentences a few times. The more he read, the more he understood. He then asked curiously: "Brother Jing, how do you know this meaning?"
Jing Chen thought for a moment and told him: "Recently, I remember some grammar from time to time. I don't know where it came from. In my dreams, I often dream that someone is talking to me. I don't know what the words are, but when I wake up, I remember most of it."
When Yu Xiaoxiu heard this, his mouth opened wide in surprise. He put the book on the table and rushed to the courtyard to shout for Yu Shu: "Sister, Brother, Brother! Come quickly, Big Brother Jing seems to have remembered something! "
When Yu Shu heard this shout from the kitchen, she threw the kitchen knife on the chopping board and wiped the oil on her apron. Then she rushed into Jing Chen's room.
"What did he say? What did he remember? "
Jing Chen saw that the two of them looked anxious, so he took out the paper from the drawer and passed it to Yu Shu: "I wrote it all on this."
It was dusk. Yu Shu took the paper and retreated to the door. With the help of the light, she took a closer look. She saw that the words on the paper were very clear. Some were one sentence, some were one or two words. She didn't understand what they were. She flipped to the next paper and saw the three words that were repeatedly written on the first line: "Adversity Blocking Stone". [To be continued.] If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it. Your support is my biggest motivation.] [Thank you Ruoyu Yanran, Xiaoxia, Xie Gay26, ∞, Shuyou 10085118974, aqm, Veemewa, Bright River One, Him Mouth, Htnh Cricket, Lily Winter, Xiaoxiao Qian, Cang Ye, Don't Surf the Internet, Orange Who Likes Reading, Steamed Twenty-one.] Yu Shu took Yu Xiaoxiu out to the familiar Autumn Osmanthus Square. They went to a few shops and found a place to buy ready-made clothes for Yu Xiaoxiu. She picked a set of clothes for him to wear to school tomorrow. Then she went to the Silk Shop to find a tailor to make other clothes.
Yu Xiaoxiu didn't want to spend money. Seeing that Yu Shu was picking expensive materials, he pulled her to a corner and whispered to her to choose cheap ones. Yu Shu poked his forehead: "You're more stingy than me. Who asked you to save money?"
Yu Xiaoxiu said in a muffled voice: "I didn't earn the money. It was given by someone else."
It was easy for Yu Shu to understand Yu Xiaoxiu's thoughts. She knew that he cared about the money that Xia Mingming's family left behind and didn't want to spend it. She didn't think much of it. Although she saved Xia Mingming and took care of her in the future, it didn't mean that she didn't deserve it.
From Xia Jiangjia's point of view, the safety of their Miss's life was much more important than a few hundred taels of silver. Since they gave it to her, she wasn't so noble as to not use it or give it back.
But to Yu Xiaoxiu, she had to change her approach. She couldn't be too direct or too realistic. She had to leave some room for purity and nobility.
"What are you thinking? It's not like we're taking it for free. She's been living at home all these days, and she has to spend money on food and drinks. Do you think she won't feel embarrassed? Don't just think about yourself, think about others. If we don't take the money, how can we feel?"
"Is, is that so?"
"Liran, if you don't believe me, you can ask her next time you see her."
Yu Shu had a stomach full of fallacies, but to coax Yu Xiaoxiu was like drinking cold water. Yu Xiaoxiu was fooled by her words and didn't keep a straight face anymore. He obediently let Yu Shu pick out the needle and thread for him.
Yu Shu had made up her mind not to let Yu Xiaoxiu be looked down upon in school. She took care of everything when she bought things. She picked out the best purses, handkerchiefs, scarves, and hair bands. She spent all the money she brought before she led the dizzy Yu Xiaoxiu back home with a full load.
One day at the end of October, Yu Shu woke up early and led Yu Xiaoxiu to Baichuan Academy in the north of the city. She brought some gifts and paid a visit to Academician Song, who was over fifty years old. She mentioned Xue Rui's name and quickly helped Yu Xiaoxiu complete the admission procedures and pay two months' tuition fees.
Academician Song very responsibly tested Yu Xiaoxiu on a few questions about learning. After estimating his level, he arranged for him to be enrolled in the third class. He also asked his page boy to go to the library to get a few textbooks for him. Then, he led Yu Xiaoxiu to the back courtyard, where the teachers rested, and personally gave him a few words of advice.
Yu Xiaoxiu was very shy in front of strangers and didn't say much. But his well-behaved manner was liked by the elders. When the teachers saw that it was the academician who personally led them and that he was dressed well and had a fair face, they decided to take care of him in the future.
There were five lecture halls in Baichuan Academy with a spacious garden and a small shooting range that could accommodate thirty to fifty people. Although the scale was only average in the north of the city, it was many times better than the Sanjue Study House in Zhenyang.
After all, Yu Xiaoxiu was still a child and was very curious about the new environment. After being led around the academy by Academician Song, his previous remaining resistance also disappeared.
"Mr Yu, does your younger brother plan to listen to the lecture today or come tomorrow?" Academician Song asked.
Yu Shu said, "Since he's here, let him go to class. I'll come pick him up in the afternoon."
"Alright."
Academician Song then led them to the third class lecture hall. Yu Shu and Yu Xiaoxiu walked behind and softly told him, "Lunch is in the back hall. If you don't know the place, just ask someone. You've paid for the meal. Wait for me at the door after class in the afternoon. Today is the first day, I'll come pick you up and let you know the way. Next time you'll be able to walk by yourself."
Yu Xiaoxiu nodded and looked left and right, looking at the banners that could be seen at regular intervals along the corridor.
After escorting Yu Xiaoxiu to the entrance of the lecture hall, Academician Song led the others inside. Yu Shu stood outside and peeked in through the half-open window. She saw that there was enough space for twenty people to sit inside. The windows were bright and the tables were clean. There were more than a dozen children in their teenage years. Each of them had a desk and a short chair. Their faces were filled with childish innocence. When they saw the new students, they all looked at them curiously.
Seeing that Yu Xiaoxiu was arranged to sit in an empty seat in the second row, Yu Shu turned her head and left with Academician Song after the teacher signaled for him to take out his textbook and listen to the lecture with the other children.
After sending Yu Xiaoxiu to school, Yu Shu walked out of Baichuan Academy and aimlessly on the street for a while.
After the beginning of winter, the weather turned cold. The leaves on the streets were all withered. The only green that could be seen were some evergreen pines and cypresses that grew out of the eaves of some houses. It was a rare sight to see green everywhere like the Dingbo Hall he visited yesterday. It was as if it was spring all year round.
The sun was hidden in the clouds, and the weather was a bit gloomy. It looked like rain was about to fall, but Yu Shu knew that the rain would be delayed until the evening of the day after tomorrow.
It was rare to have such free time to wander around. Yu Shu calmed herself down and sorted out the recent situation, making plans for the future.
Xia Mingming left and Xiaoxiu entered the school smoothly. Her fortune telling stall in Autumn Osmanthus Lane was doing well and had a little reputation on the street. She didn't have to worry about money for the time being. Next, she considered finding a barter shop to be a barter customer. On one hand, she could get in touch with higher-level customers, and on the other hand, she could accumulate some experience for opening her own shop in the future.
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