amaotonovel Chapter 341 Yue Mingzhu Returns to Beijing
Chapter 341 Yue Mingzhu Returns to Beijing
Even just a little bit of chili oil made him frown, "It tastes weird, and my tongue doesn't feel very comfortable."
Yue Mingzhu laughed at him and said, "Brother, I think you just don't know how to appreciate the good things you have. Even the emperor can't eat this!"
Yue Songyu glanced at her without saying anything, but stopped trying the chili.
"Grandma Zhang, can you give me some chili oil when I leave? This chili oil is so delicious. I won't be able to eat it after I return to Beijing." Yue Mingzhu asked.
"Of course, I have a few jars at home. I'll pack one for you later." Aunt Zhang replied.
"Hehe, thank you Grandma Zhang." Yue Mingzhu smiled sweetly.
No one noticed that when Lin Jiang heard the news that she was going back to Beijing, he subconsciously glanced at Yue Mingzhu, then clenched his chopsticks tightly and said nothing.
After finishing the meal, Yue Mingzhu was reluctant to leave.
Aunt Zhang went to the cellar and brought up a jar of chili oil. "Hey, we really don't want you to leave. This jar of chili oil should last us for a while. You can take it back!"
"Thank you, Grandma Zhang. I don't want to leave you either. But my eldest brother said that after Uncle Lin (Lin Jingyou)'s three-year term is up, he will most likely be transferred back to the capital, and then we will meet again." Yue Mingzhu felt a little sad, but then some hope rose in her heart.
"Maybe. Take good care of yourself in the capital. And don't eat too much chili pepper, otherwise your throat will feel uncomfortable." Aunt Zhang gave a few more instructions.
Lin Jiang returned to the room, silently took out a wooden box, and handed it to Yue Mingzhu, "This is for you!"
It was obvious that he was very nervous, and even his hands holding the wooden box were shaking slightly. As soon as he finished speaking, he immediately pursed his lips tightly, as if he was worried about being rejected by Yue Mingzhu.
Yue Mingzhu looked at him in surprise. She really didn't expect that the usually dull Lin Jiang would give her a parting gift.
She snatched the gift and smiled sweetly, "Thank you, Brother Xiao Jiang, I like it very much. What's in it?"
Yue Mingzhu was about to open the gift. Yue Songyu held her hand and shook his head slightly, implying that it was not polite to open the gift in front of so many people.
Yue Mingzhu waved her hand carelessly, "Brother Xiao Jiang won't care. Let me see what it is."
As she spoke, Yue Mingzhu opened the box and took a look. Inside lay a cloud-patterned wooden hairpin. "Hey, it's a hairpin?"
Yue Songyu looked at Lin Jiang deeply and said nothing.
Yue Mingzhu didn't seem to notice anything. She put the hairpin on her head and nodded. "Not bad, it looks pretty good. But Brother Xiao Jiang, why did you think of giving me a hairpin?"
Lin Jiang blushed and stammered, "Peach wood, to ward off evil spirits."
Aunt Zhang shook her head behind him, what a silly boy. She sighed inwardly, wondering if a big family like theirs could even look down on Lin Jiang.
"By the way, Brother Xiao Jiang, you are now at the seventh rank. When you move up further, will you be able to work in the capital in the future?" Yue Mingzhu asked again.
Lin Jiang suddenly looked up, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Shen Wanning, "Aunt, can I also go to the capital to be an official in the future?"
Shen Wanning nodded. "As long as you can produce more things that benefit the country and the people, the emperor will not hesitate to promote you. If you go to the capital in the future, you can even join the Ministry of Works!"
"Well, I will definitely work hard to make more good things!" Lin Jiang said firmly.
"Brother Xiao Jiang, you can do it! I'm waiting for you in Beijing. I hope you can come to Beijing as soon as possible!" Yue Mingzhu encouraged from the side.
After they said goodbye, Xu patted Lin Jiang on the shoulder and said, "Xiao Jiang, how did you know Mingzhu was leaving and even prepared a gift in advance?"
"I... I don't know. I just carved a hairpin casually, and it happened to be a gift." Lin Jiang thought for a while and said casually.
Xu was always slow to react when it came to things like this. Without giving it much thought, she casually said, "That's right. You've been interested in carpentry since you started school, so it's no surprise that there are a few wooden hairpins in the house."
The next morning, the head of the village arrived just after Shen Wanning's family had finished breakfast.
"Wan Ning, you are all at home!" The village head came in and greeted them.
"Yes, my mother and I came back yesterday. Is there anything wrong, uncle headman?" Shen Wanning stood up and gave the chair to the headman.
"Hey, I won't sit, you just sit. I came here because I have something to ask you. Now our Daqing School has been built, but we don't have a teacher! Oh!" The head of the village sounded a little sad.
"Uncle Village Head, do you know where the teacher of Daji Village came from?" Shen Wanning asked.
The three children hadn't gone to school yet, so Lin He rushed to answer, "I know, I know. Our master's parents are both dead. When he was going to take the provincial examination, he encountered bandits and all his belongings were stolen. Later, his master's wife and her family saved him, so he married her. But he didn't take the imperial examination again because he had no money."
Shen Wanning tapped her chin with her index finger, considering the possibility of poaching. "So, how many students are there in your school?"
"Seven, including the three of us, there are seven students in total." Lin He replied.
Shen Wanning frowned, a little puzzled, "Why is it so little?"
The village head sighed and explained, "Last year, we encountered a drought. How could ordinary families afford to pay the tuition? Only because of you in Daqing Village, we are having a better time this year."
"Uncle Village Head, what do you think about us inviting Master Cen over here?" She had met Master Cen twice before when she and Lin Hu went to take the county exam and the prefectural exam together, but they didn't say much.
"This... He is from Daji Village. Would he be willing to come to our Daqing School to teach?" The village head was a little uncertain.
"As long as you pay enough, there's no corner that can't be poached. But there's no rush on this matter. Let me ask my third brother. He has a lot of classmates and friends. See if he can recommend a few." Shen Wanning said.
"Okay, okay, then I'll leave it to Wan Ning." The village head said with a smile.
"It's okay. Please ask Uncle Lizheng to do another count to see how many students are willing to study at Daqing School. We need to buy the tables and chairs first."
"Now that everyone has money, they should be willing to send their children there, right? I'm just worried that there will be too many students and the teachers won't be able to teach them all." The village head replied.
"If there are too many students, then we should hire a few more teachers. And also hire someone to help with cooking. This way, children from other villages can have lunch in the school without running back and forth." Shen Wanning suggested.
When the three little ones were studying in Daji Village, they always ate at Xu's parents' home. They gave Xu's parents some money as food expenses.