Records of the Cattle and Horses of Chang'an

Chapter 289 Apprenticeship

Even her cousin had forgotten Jinying, let alone Cui Bianxu? He had sent exactly three sets of study tools and books. She had to buy another set quickly!

Seeing that she agreed, Old Lady Xia was very relieved: "I'll go, you can rest at home. I'm at home all day anyway, so it's a good time to go out for a walk and stretch my muscles."

Xia Zhenying was already lucky enough to be able to study, so how could she let her daughter pay for the things?

Jiang Shangxian sometimes really feels that the idleness of the older generation is different from the idleness in her mind.

In her eyes, being idle means eating and sleeping all day long, and not taking more than five steps on WeChat. Her highest record is four steps a day.

Her friends were so surprised that they sent screenshots and asked her how she did it.

As for Old Lady Xia, she would go to Yong'anfang early in the morning and late in the evening to tend the vegetable garden, then pick some vegetables to take home. That was her only free time.

The next morning, Jiang's mother diligently washed and cleaned the house. In the half-room, apart from the three small long tables arranged in a tripod shape, the most eye-catching thing was the small offering table with offerings on both sides and the shrine of Confucius and an incense burner in the middle.

Jiang's mother had some experience in this matter. She had seen it once when she sent Jiang Wangri to school.

But at that time we sent the child over, but this time my husband is coming from home, so we must prepare all the key things at home.

Mr. Zhang was a little nervous before coming. She had been in Chang'an for some time and had not found a way to make a living. She shamelessly went to many places to offer herself as a groom.

However, her talent and reputation were not outstanding to begin with, and when she came to Chang'an, no one knew who she was, Zhang Yingxue.

Seeing that the compensation money given by her husband's family was getting less and less, she was also anxious. It happened that Cui Bianxu came to her at this time, and she agreed without any hesitation.

Mian Sui, the only personal maid accompanying her, almost cried with joy, saying, "Sir, we can stay in the Cui family for many years!"

Help Cui Shaoqing teach his wife, and then teach the young lady in the future - I don’t know where the young lady is yet!

Whether a boy or a girl is born is not a certainty. If Madam Cui gets married and gives birth to a little girl after two or three years, or three or four years, then they can stay in the Cui Mansion for at least more than twenty years!

If Miss Jiang works harder and gives birth to a child every two years, and then another child every two years, wouldn't it be endless? Maybe she could just live out her retirement in the Cui Mansion?

Wow, what great news! After staying here for so long, my husband must have saved enough for retirement!

Zhang Yingxue highly praised Cui Bianxu: "This is the style of a child from an aristocratic family. To be so prepared for a rainy day is truly beyond the reach of ordinary people!"

Even though Cui Bianxu gave Zhang Yingxue a sudden notice last night that another student would be added, Zhang Yingxue had no objection. It didn't matter whether she released one sheep or two, it wasn't a big deal.

What's more, Cui Bianxu really knows how to be generous. Not only is he extremely lavish, but he is also very polite. He directly asked someone to send her a gift box and a salary as a token of his apprenticeship. How could she refuse?

No matter how proud a person is, he or she still needs to eat, drink, defecate, urinate and sleep. Without her dowry, she realized the importance of money. As long as Cui Bianxu could let her live a stable life without remarrying, and provide her with food, accommodation and everything, as well as wages, Zhang Yingxue felt that there was nothing she couldn't do.

As for how many children Cui Bianxu wants her to raise in the future...

It doesn’t matter. If he has the ability, he can have ten or twenty children. Otherwise, she should be able to teach them all if he has less than ten.

After the carriage stopped, Mian Sui helped her master down. They saw the gate open and the Jiang family, young and old, respectfully and eagerly greeted them at the gate. The master and servant felt a little happy. Zhang Yingxue smiled softly and said, "You are so polite. Is the shrine of Confucius inside properly placed?"

Old Madam Xia was also quite excited. She had never even seen a teacher, let alone a female teacher. However, this female teacher seemed to be kind and scholarly, which made her feel very approachable. "Thank you for coming here, Mr. Zhang. I have prepared everything. Please come and take a look. If there is anything wrong, I will correct it immediately."

"You're too polite, Madam." Zhang Yingxue walked in slowly with Madam Xia, staying half a step behind without making a sound. "These should have been prepared by me, the teacher."

It's a pity that she is a tutor at home. She can't carry the statue of Confucius with her, right?

Jiang Shangxian and his younger brother and sister secretly exchanged glances, and everyone was very satisfied with Mr. Zhang.

Although Zhang Yingxue has been married and divorced once, she is only about twenty-six or twenty-seven years old now. Although her appearance is a bit plain, she has the temperament of a scholar that is particularly prominent.

The saying "A man of learning is naturally elegant" is not in vain. Illiterate people have an indescribable admiration for educated people, especially Xia Zhenying. She thinks this gentleman looks like someone who is well-educated.

She didn't ask for much, just that she could learn to read.

Xia Zhenying is very ambitious about the ramen stall business. After the Jiang family moved, the ambitious Xia Zhenying has changed her recent small goal - from dominating Yong'anfang to dominating Yong'an Channel.

How could she be illiterate if she wanted to dominate Yong'an Canal?

Zhang Yingxue stood at the door of her future classroom, hesitantly looking at the large wooden boxes stacked firmly on the other side. Finally, she smiled and said, "Very well prepared. How about we get started now?"

"May 29th is a good day for offering sacrifices and attending school!"

Jiang's mother immediately picked up the conversation: "The weather is clear and cloudless, even the heavens are cooperating. I think today's apprenticeship ceremony will go very smoothly!"

The almanac has now become an indispensable item for the Jiang family. Jiang Shangxian and Jiang Wangri are forced to read the contents of the almanac aloud every day to ensure that the entire Jiang family will act in a way that avoids conflict the next day.

As she spoke, Jiang's mother quickly took out the six gifts she had bought yesterday. They were actually celery, lotus seeds, red beans, dates, longans, and dried lean meat strips, which symbolized diligence and love of study, painstaking education, good luck, early admission to high school, and complete merits.

(Celery was introduced to China during the Han Dynasty via the Silk Road. Initially grown for ornamental purposes, it later gradually began to be used as an edible vegetable.)

These things were not valuable. Jiang's mother prepared four portions very carefully. One person could not carry them all, so Old Fan helped to carry them.

Although this was Mr. Zhang's first time being a teacher, he had been an apprentice when he was young. He knew at a glance that although her preparations were not outstanding, they were thorough, so he nodded slightly.